The Potter Twins and the Goblet of Fire
Chapter 12: Coming Out
Michael and the others were now facing something worse than the dragons…. Finding a date for the Yule Ball!
Yes, a school dance was what was coming up.
And unfortunately for Harry and Michael, they were required as champions to bring a date.
A week ago, they would have said finding a partner for a dance would be a cinch compared to taking on dragons.
But now that they had done the latter, and were facing the prospect of asking a girl, (or in Michael's case, a girl or a boy), to the ball, they thought they'd rather have another round with the dragons!
They had never known so many people to put their names down to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; they always did, of course, because the alternative was usually going back to Privet Drive, but they had always been very much in the minority before now. This year, however, everyone in the fourth year and above seemed to be staying, and they all seemed to Harry and Michael to be obsessed with the coming ball, or at least all the girls were, and it was amazing how many girls Hogwarts suddenly seemed to hold.
Harry had never quite noticed that before. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors, girls shrieking with laughter as boys passed them, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they were going to wear on Christmas night….
And for Michael, it was even worse, trying to find a boy or girl.
Harry asked Ron, "why do they have to move in packs?"
A dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry and Michael.
Michael, "how're you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?"
Ron, "lasso one? Got any idea who you're going to try?"
Neither twin answered.
Michael knew perfectly well whom he'd like to ask, but working up the nerve was something else…. Cho was a year older than he was; she was very pretty; she was a very good Quidditch player, and she was also very popular. And Michael was afraid of what she or any girl or boy he asked would say.
He still hadn't come out to his friends or brother, which made it harder to find a date.
Harry wasn't even sure who to ask whatsoever, and he had a much easier selection than Michael did.
Ron seemed to know what was going on inside their heads.
Ron, "listen, you're not going to have any trouble. You're champions. You've just beaten a Hungarian Horntail and tamed a Greenland Gargantuan. I bet they'll be queuing up to go with you two."
In tribute to their recently repaired friendship, Ron had kept the bitterness in his voice to a minimum. Moreover, to the twins' amazement, he turned out to be quite right.
A curly-haired third-year Hufflepuff girl to whom Harry had never spoken to had asked him to go to the ball with her the very next day. Harry was so taken aback he said no before he'd even stopped to consider it. The girl walked off looking rather hurt, and Harry had to endure Dean's, Seamus's, and Ron's taunts about her all through History of Magic. The following day, two more girls asked him and Michael, a second year and (to their horror) a fifth year who looked as though she might knock them out if they refused.
Ron, "ahe was quite good-looking."
Harry, "she was a foot taller than me."
Michael, "I like them tough, but not THAT tough!"
Ron, "imagine what I'd look like trying to dance with her."
Hermione's words about Krum kept coming back to them.
"They only like them because they're famous!"
Michael and Harry doubted very much if any of the girls who had asked to be their partners so far would have wanted to go to the ball with them if they hadn't been school champions. Then Michael wondered if this would bother him if Cho asked him.
On the whole, the twins had to admit that even with the prospect of opening the egg and the yule ball before them, life had definitely improved since they had got through the first task. They weren't attracting nearly as much unpleasantness in the corridors anymore, which they suspected had a lot to do with Cedric. Harry had an idea Cedric might have told the Hufflepuffs to leave them alone, in gratitude for Harry's tip-off about the dragons. There seemed to be fewer Support Cedric Diggory badges around too.
Malfoy, of course, was still quoting Rita Skeeter's article to them at every possible opportunity, but they were getting much fewer laughs out of it. And just to heighten the twins' feeling of well-being, no story about Hagrid had appeared in the Daily Prophet.
Hagrid had spoken so highly of the twins, that Ritta Skeeter had basically given up in writing a story about them being crazy delinquents.
The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed.
Half of the teachers had made it easier on the students, while the other half weren't as slack with their lessons.
Hermione was looking over her potion notes as Ron was busy building a card castle out of his Exploding Snap pack, a much more interesting pastime than with Muggle cards, because of the chance that the whole thing would blow up at any second.
Harry, "it's Christmas, Hermione. Flying with the Cannons', for the tenth time in an armchair near the fire.
Michael was watching Fleet chase after the model Dragon while wearing his Christmas hat.
Hermione looked over at them and said, "I'd have thought you'd be doing something constructive, Harry, Michael, even if you don't want to learn your antidotes!"
Harry, "like what?"
Hermione, "those eggs!"
Michael, "come on, Hermione, we've got till February the twenty-fourth."
The twins had put the golden eggs upstairs in their trunk and hadn't opened it since the celebration party after the first task. There were still two and a half months to go until they needed to know what all the screechy wailing meant, after all.
Hermione, "but it might take weeks to work it out! You're going to look like real idiots if everyone else knows what the next task is and you two don't!"
"Leave them alone, Hermione, they've earned a bit of a break", said Ron, and he placed the last two cards on top of the castle and the whole lot blew up, singeing his eyebrows.
"Nice look, Ron…. Go well with your dress robes, that will."
It was Fred and George. They sat down at the table with Harry, Michael, Ron, and Hermione as Ron felt how much damage had been done.
George, "Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?"
Ron, "no, he's off delivering a letter. Why?"
Fred, "because George wants to invite him to the ball…."
George, "because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat."
Ron, "who d'you two keep writing to, eh?"
Fred, "nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too. So…. You lot got dates for the ball yet?"
Ron, "nope."
Fred, "well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone."
Ron, "who're you going with, then?"
Fred, "Angelina."
Ron, "what? You've already asked her?"
Fred, "good point. Oi! Angelina!"
Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet near the fire, looked over at him.
She called back, "what?"
Fred, "want to come to the ball with me?"
Angelina gave Fred an appraising sort of look.
Angela, "all right, then."
She turned back to Alicia and carried on chatting with a bit of a grin on her face.
Fred, "there you go. Piece of cake. We'd better use a school owl then, George, come on…."
They left. Ron stopped feeling his eyebrows and looked across the smoldering wreck of his card castle at Michael and Harry.
Ron, "we should get a move on, you know…. Ask someone. He's right. We don't want to end up with a pair of trolls."
Hermione let out a sputter of indignation, "a pair of…. What, excuse me?"
Ron and Hermione ended up having another argument for what seemed like the millionth time over these last 4 years at Hogwarts ….
….
The Hogwarts staff, demonstrating a continued desire to impress the visitors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, seemed determined to show the castle at its best this Christmas. When the decorations went up, the twins noticed that they were the most stunning they had yet seen. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase; the usual twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were bedecked with everything from luminous holly berries to real, hooting, golden owls, and the suits of armor had all been bewitched to sing carols whenever anyone passed them.
Several times, Filch the caretaker had to extract Peeves from inside the armor, where he had taken to hiding, filling in the gaps in the songs with lyrics of his own invention, all of which were very rude.
And still, Michael hadn't asked Cho to the ball. He, Harry and Ron were getting very nervous now, though as Harry pointed out, Ron would look much less stupid than he and Michael would without partners;
Harry and Michael were supposed to be starting the dancing with the other champions.
Harry, "I suppose there's always Moaning Myrtle."
Ron, "Harry, Michael, we've just got to grit our teeth and do it. When we get back to the common room tonight, we'll all have partners, agreed?"
Harry, "er…. Okay."
Michael, "r-right."
But every time Michael glimpsed Cho that day, during break, and then lunchtime, and once on the way to History of Magic, she was surrounded by friends. Didn't she ever go anywhere alone?
Could he perhaps ambush her as she was going into a bathroom? But no, she even seemed to go there with an escort of four or five girls. Yet if he didn't do it soon, she was bound to have been asked by somebody else.
He found it hard to concentrate on Snape's Potions test, and consequently forgot to add the key ingredient, a bezoar, meaning that he received bottom marks. He didn't care, though; he was too busy screwing up his courage for what he was about to do.
When the bell rang, he grabbed his bag, and hurried to the dungeon door.
"I'll meet you at dinner", he said to Ron, Harry and Hermione, and he dashed off upstairs.
He'd just have to ask Cho for a private word, that was all…. He hurried off through the packed corridors looking for her, and, (rather sooner than he had expected), he found her, emerging from a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
Luna was nearby as well, looking through a book about various charms. Michsel wasn't as worried to have Luna nearby, since she and Neville were trusted friends.
Michael, "er, Cho? Could I have a word with you?"
Giggling should be made illegal, Michael thought furiously, as all the girls around Cho started doing it. She didn't, though. She said, "okay", and followed him out of earshot of her classmates.
Michael turned to look at her and his stomach gave a weird lurch as though he had missed a step going downstairs.
Michael, "uh…."
He couldn't ask her. He couldn't. But he had to. Cho stood there looking puzzled, watching him. The words came out before Michael had quite got his tongue around them.
"Wangoballwime?"
Cho, "sorry?"
Michael, "d'you- d'you want to go to the ball with me?"
Luna looked up from her book for a moment as she was about to round the corner, peeking out from the it to see Cho and Michael.
Why did he have to go red now? Why?
Cho went red, "oh! Oh Michael, I'm really sorry", and she truly looked it, "I've already said I'll go with someone else."
Michael, "o-oh…."
It was odd; a moment before his insides had been writhing like snakes, but suddenly he didn't seem to have any insides at all.
Michael, "oh okay. No problem."
Cho, "I'm really sorry."
Michael, "that's okay."
They stood there looking at each other, and then Cho said, "well-"
Michael, "yeah."
Cho, "well, 'bye…."
She walked away.
Michael called after her, before he could stop himself, "who're you going with?"
Cho, "oh, Cedric. Cedric Diggory."
Michael, "oh…."
His insides had come back again. It felt as though they had been filled with lead.
Completely forgetting about dinner, he walked slowly back up to Gryffindor Tower, Cho's voice echoing in his ears with every step he took.
"Cedric- Cedric Diggory."
He had been starting to overcome his jealousy over Cedric, prepared to overlook the fact that he had once beaten Harry at Quidditch and spent so much time with Cho, and was handsome, and popular, and nearly everyone's favorite champion.
He said dully to the Fat Lady, the password having been changed the previous day, "fairy lights."
She trilled, straightening her new tinsel hair band as she swung forward to admit him, "yes, indeed, dear."
Entering the common room, Michael looked around, and to his surprise, he saw Ron sitting ashen-faced in a distant corner, with Harry and Ginny sitting with him, talking to him in what seemed to be a low, soothing voice.
Michael sped past them, catching their conversation about how Ron had asked Fleur, and obviously it didn't go well.
Michael sat on the couch, barely listening as his brother and the others talked.
Harry hadn't found anyone to ask, and when Hermione eventually entered, she revealed that she was going with someone, but she wouldn't say who.
Ginny and Neville were going as friends.
When Michael heard Ron ask, "what about you, Michael, who did you ask?"
Michsel nearly cried as he mumbled, "I asked Cho…. But she's going with Cedric…."
Hermione, "oh, Michael, I'm so sorry…. But maybe some other girl might-"
Michael couldn't take it anymore, and he began sobbing!
Everyone in the room looked shocked.
Ron, "what's wrong? You've never been this emotional about a girl."
Michael, "but Cho…. She was really the only girl I felt…. Something more, for…."
Ginny, "but, you've always been so confident. What's stopping you from asking someone else?"
Michael couldn't stop the words from coming out as he sobbed, "because no girl or boy wants me!"
Michael looked shocked at his own words as he stared at his brother and friends.
Harry, "what?"
Michael, "I…. I like girls and boys…. I'm bi-sexual…. I…. Wanted to tell you all…. I really did…. But I felt like none of you would accept me…."
Michael continued to cry as he felt everyone staring at him.
But Michael stopped crying as he felt Harry hugging him!
Harry, "I'll always accept you, Michael. You're my brother. I love you, no matter who you love."
Michael began crying again as he held his brother.
He looked to the others as they each said their opinion.
Ron, "my family has accepted you and Michael ever since they met you…. Why should we stop over this?"
Hermione, "you've been there for all of us Michael. So we'll be here for you."
Ginny, "what Ron and Hermione said. We accept you Michael. Regardless of who you love."
Michael smiled with tears in his eyes.
The next few minutes were just him and the others sharing this moment together….
By the time Michael managed to calm down, Hermione and Ginny had to head off and attend to other matters….
Soon, Harry saw Parvati and Lavender come in through the portrait hole. The time had come for drastic action.
"Wait here", Harry said to Ron, and he stood up, walked straight up to Parvati, and said, "Parvati? Will you go to the ball with me?"
Parvati went into a fit of giggles. Harry waited for them to subside, his fingers crossed in the pocket of his robes.
She said finally, blushing furiously, "yes, all right then."
Harry, "thanks. Lavender; will you go with Ron?"
Parvati, "she's going with Seamus."
The pair of them giggled harder than ever.
Harry sighed, "can't you think of anyone who'd go with Ron?"
Parvati, "what about Hermione Granger?"
Harry, "she's going with someone else."
Parvati looked astonished, "ooooh, who?"
Harry shrugged, "no idea. So what about Ron?"
Parvati, "well…. I suppose my sister might…. Padma, you know…. In Ravenclaw. I'll ask her, if you like."
Harry, "yeah, that would be great. Let me know, will you?"
And he went back over to Ron and Michael, feeling that this ball was a lot more trouble than it was worth, and hoping very much that Padma Patil's nose was dead center.
Michael still hoped for someone to ask him out. But he didn't dare hold his breath.
That's right when a knock came at the door!
Michael, "I'll get it."
Michael made his way to the door, and opened up the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Standing there was none other than Luna!
Michael, "Luna? What're you doing here?"
Luna, "well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the ball? As friends?"
Michael went wide-eyed.
Michael, "uh…. S-sure…."
Luna smiled and said, "great. Glad to hear it. I'll see you later."
Luna walked off as a very surprised Michael closed the door and walked over to Harry and Ron.
Michael, "well…. I guess we all have dates now…."
….
Reviews:
Canadude2029: yeah, I was happy to see Dobby again. Winky though... Eh...
Bailey Radcliff: well, I hope you're doing well and am glad you're enjoying this story.
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