To be honest, I was a bit of a hypocrite. I've been telling Harry not to be nervous, while I was probably as nervous as he was. This was different than a dragon, I didn't have anything to keep my attention from the crowd, or just the twins. Gods, they must look so handsome tonight.

I was biting my lip as we walked in. We told our dates to meet us in front of the great hall since we would be getting ready at home. I saw Harry's date first. Parvati was waiting near the doors of the great hall, wearing a vibrant pink dress, her hair braided, and she had golden bracelets on her wrist.

I gave Harry a subtle nudge. "Go." I whispered. Harry started towards her like he was given a shock. I watched the pair mumble an awkward hello before they both turned to the grand staircase. I smiled broadly as Hermione came down in a gorgeous periwinkle dress. Her hair, normally bushy, was now in smooth wavy curls hanging over one shoulder. I saw Harry and Parvati gape as Viktor Krum offered his arm. While Hermione shot Harry a nervous but excited look, Viktor gave me the same one. Then my eyes fell on Fleur and her date, a Ravenclaw, Roger, I think. She was wearing a silver satin dress that hugged her figure perfectly. She was absolutely stunning. She was smiling at the Ravenclaw, who was blushing and stumbling over his words. I just hoped he wouldn't stumble on the dance floor.

"Oh, Helga." Cedric's voice came from behind me. I turned to see him. His hair was perfectly tussled, but his suit was perfect, not a wrinkle in sight. His blazer was black, and he had a white rose tucked in the breast pocket. He was holding another one in his hand. "You look -" He swallowed.

"You look too." I smiled at him and walked closer. "Very handsome indeed." I tugged on his collar. He wasn't wearing a tie, the top buttons were undone, and it looked magnificent.

"I- uhm." He cleared his throat. "I got you a rose." He said as he held up the flower. I saw that the thorns were gone. "May I?" He gestured towards my hair.

"Sure." He stepped closer, and carefully tucked the rose in the hairpin. I took his hand when he lowered it from my hair. "Thank you, that's really sweet." I kissed his cheek.

"Champions over here, please." We turned to Professor McGonagall's voice. The four champions and their dates made their way to the professor. "Potter and Patil, you go first." Then she gestured to me and Cedric. "Lupin-Black and Diggory, behind them." Cedric held out his arm and I looped it through his before we took our place behind Harry. Behind us was Fleur and her date, then Viktor and Hermione. The eight of us waited in front of the closed doors to the great hall.

The doors opened soundlessly, and we started moving forward. The room applauded as we stepped in, but I kept my eyes on the front. Too nervous and too afraid to see the twins as we walked up to the top table. Madame Maxime patted the two chairs on either side of her as we approached. With a smile I sat down on her left, while Fleur sat down on her right. I saw Harry sitting next to Percy Weasley, not looking all too happy about it.

"Did you enjoy your time at home?" Cedric asked, as our table filled with food.

I turned to him with a soft smile. "I did. My uncle and I went to a muggle Christmas market, we spend over two hours there. Then we spend the rest of the day with Harry and Sirius. It was the first time I spend Christmas with anyone else besides my uncle, but it was a nice change. What about you? What did you do all day?"

He chuckled a little. "Not much, to be honest. Just hanging out with my friends, doing patrols because apparently, a prefect doesn't get out of his duty on Christmas." He rolled his eyes playfully.

"I forgot you were a prefect." A light switched on. I turned to him fully, keeping my voice low. He leaned closer to hear me properly. "My uncle said there is a prefect's bathroom with a large tub. Is there a way for me to sneak in?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for? A late night dip?"

"Sort of." My voice went lower. "It's about the second task."

His eyes turned big and round, and he blinked a few times. "We do have a private bathroom with a tub as large as a swimming pool."

"Will you help me?"

"Help one of the Hogwarts champions? I would feel disgraced if I didn't lend a hand when I could." He shot me a lopsided grin. "You get in with a password, it's on the fifth floor, near the Boris statue. Just tell me when you want to go because the password changed sporadically."

I threw my arms around his neck, beaming. "You are the best. Thank you."

When I pulled back, he said grinning. "You can just thank me with a dance later."

"That I can do." I chuckled.

The rest of dinner, we conversed with the others around the table. At one point, Madame Maxime, Fleur and I were all talking French to each other and saw the confused glances from the others. Cedric talked to Fleur easier than Roger was apparently capable of, he was just staring at her. Of course, being part Veela can mess with a guy's mind. Fleur didn't seem really bothered by it. A little further away, sat Viktor and Hermione. Hermione was trying to teach Viktor how to say her name, but it wasn't going so well. I looked around the great hall to all the students, nicely dressed up. Except...

"Harry." I whispered-shouted to him. He turned away from Percy to me. "What the hell is Ron wearing?" I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up.

His eyes flickered over to his best friend, shaking his head a little. "Molly sent it." He said with his own grin. "He said he looked like his great-aunt Bessie."

I laughed even louder now. "I think it would've been better if he came naked."

"Non merci." Fleur said, scrunching up her nose. The rest of the table fell into a fit of laughter.

Not long after that, Dumbledore cleared the tables, creating a big open space to dance. On the side was an elevated platform. The Weird Sisters climbed up the platform under a deafening applause. Cedric held out his hand before he guided me to the dance floor. The other Champions followed with their dates. Harry shot me a nervous look and I gave him the most reassuring smile I could muster.

"Didn't think you could get nervous." Cedric teased, and I relaxed my shoulders because of it.

"I get more nervous or afraid then most people think, but I'm just good at hiding it." He started leading me across the dance floor. I kept my eyes fixed on him, on following his lead.

"I think everyone was nervous for this dance. I certainly was." Cedric admitted. "But right now -" He squeezed my waist. "With you, I don't feel nervous at all."

"You're helping with my nerves too but keep talking. Otherwise, I think I'm going to trip." I said nervously, looking down at my feet.

"Eyes up here, love." He tilted my head with his finger. "I didn't know you had a second tattoo."

"Oh, I got this one this morning." I said, lifting my arm a little with Remus's tattoo. "Have been thinking about getting it for a long time."

"I like it. Does it have a meaning, or you just liked the print?"

"This one is for my uncle; the roman numbers are the date he took me in."

"They really suit you."

"Thank you." I blushed a little but didn't take my eyes off him. "What about you? Do you have any tattoos?"

"Not yet." He laughed. "I want to but right now I'm just designing them in my free time."

"You draw?" I asked surprised.

He nodded. "Since I was little. It helped me calm my brain or when I went in overdrive. I have special ink in my dorm which I use to practice on my friends. Don't worry-" He added when I gasped. "It's a temporary tattoo, just a few weeks before it fades away. But other than me practicing, it helps my friends decide if they really want a tattoo."

"If it's not too personal, I would like to see your drawings. And to see you at work."

"That can be arranged. I ink my friends every two weeks or so. You can come by if you want."

"That sound perfect." I grinned up at him. He twirled me under his arm before bringing me back to him, a bit closer to his chest.

He leaned down and whispered. "I forgot to tell you earlier... you look absolutely breath-taking, Alec." I was happy he twirled me around again, so he couldn't see my rosy cheeks.

People were starting to join the dance floor, and soon it was filled with students and professors alike. The next song that came on was more for the young people and the professors quickly sat back at their table. Cedric just danced with me more elaborate. Dipping and spinning me, guiding me all across the dance floor through the throng of students. It was fun and light, and I was smiling and laughing the whole time.

LB

After a few songs, the heat became too much, and we darted towards the bar. We each had a goblet of pumpkin juice in our hands as we watched the dance floor. I was waving my hand in front of my face, trying to cool down. I saw Draco dancing in the corner with a dreamy eyed Luna. She didn't have dreamy eyes for Draco, she was living in her own little world. And Draco was just dancing around her, not bothered by it. Angelina and Lee were close to the edge of the dance floor, wrapped around each other, not dancing at all on the beat of the music.

My breath hitched as I saw the twins. They were dancing back-to-back with their dates in front of them. They had more luck than Ron had, regarding their robes. They had long left their blazers somewhere else and were now only clad in their dress trousers and white shirt that was clinging to their broad and muscular shoulders and back from sweating. The sight alone made me clench my thighs together. I quickly looked away. Jazz was dancing on her own, but the way she moved had a lot of boys (and girls) gape at her. She always had a way of dancing that could hypnotize the crowd. Jack was dancing with Levvi, both a beaming smile as they looked at each other, the sight made me happy. Ron and Harry were scowling on their seats, both of their dates gone.

I looked up to Cedric, who had ordered another drink. "Do you mind if I ask Harry for a dance?"

He smiled behind his goblet before lowering it. "You don't have to ask my permission, Alec. You can dance with whoever you like. And if I was a betting man, I would put my whole bank account on the fact that Fred and George want to dance with you too.

"I-" I opened and closed my mouth a few times. "It's not like that, we're friends."

"I've seen the way they look at you and you at them."

"Why did you ask me to the ball then?" I asked curiously.

"Because I know we would have fun. And I like you, Alec. If this things between us stays at friendship, that's fine by me. But I wouldn't be opposed to something more." He said casually.

"It is fun." I gave him a small smile. "Besides, the twins and I, it can't work. I won't come between brothers."

"Alec-"

"Tonight is not the night." I interrupted. "I'm going to see if Harry wants to dance. I'll come find you later." I kissed his cheek. He winked at me before I made my way to the two gloomy boys. I bowed in front of Harry, holding out my hand. "Can I have this dance, young Champion?"

Harry blinked up at me. "Uhm, what are you doing?"

"I was speaking English, right?" I tilted my head smirking. "Dance with me, Harry James Potter. I don't like that you're sitting here all gloomy and feeling sorry for yourself."

"I wasn't feeling -" I raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed, his lips twitching upwards. "Fine." He placed his hand in mine and I pulled him up. "What about Ron?" He asked when we neared the dance floor.

"What about him?"

"You shouldn't stay mad at him. I've forgiven him." He said as we started dancing in the middle of the crowd.

"And, I'm sorry, Harry, but you shouldn't have. A real friend wouldn't have acted the way he did. A real friend would have believed you. George and Fred saw the look on your face when your name was drawn, and they knew you had nothing to do with it."

"Really?"

"Really."

Harry glanced at Ron, still scowling as he sat alone at the table in his horrendous dress robes before his gaze switched to the twins somewhere behind me.

Harry and I danced for a bit, laughing and talking together. Jazz joined us and she whisked a flabbergasted Harry away with her. I laughed at his expression when Cedric's arm curled around my waist. We danced for a while before he excused himself to use the lavatory. Hermione and Viktor had left the dancefloor only once before they danced again, both a beaming smile on their faces. Draco was standing on the side talking to Blaise as Luna had flittered back to her common room in her own special way. I was just about to go to him and drag him to the dancefloor when a soft tap touched my shoulder. I turned to see Fred standing there, nervously rubbing his neck.

"Hey."

Seeing him up close, fuck! The firm muscles that were visible under his tight white shirt, his longer hair dancing a little on his shoulders, the freckles scattered on his face. Gods, the man was gorgeous. I breathed. "Hi."

"If it's okay with Cedric, can I have this dance?"

"If it's okay with your girlfriend, then I would love to." I gave him a bashful smile.

He breathed out a long breath, his shoulders slumping. Like in relief. He didn't waist a second and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. I didn't even notice the music had changed to a slow tune as he started swaying softly. I curled my arms around his neck, brushing my fingers over the hard plains of his back.

"You look very handsome tonight. Much better than your brother."

He grinned. "I think a toad with a bowtie would look better than Ron."

A grin broke out before I laughed, letting my head fall against his broad chest. My shoulders shaking with laughter. I stilled as he pulled me closer, the fingers on my waist dragging agonizing slow circles on the thin fabric of my dress. He lowered his head, and he smelled like fireworks and fresh rain.

"It should be illegal." He whispered. "The way you look tonight. Absolutely fucking gorgeous." A shiver went through me as his warm breath tickled my ear. "It's so unfair." I tilted my head to look at him, his lips so close to mine. "The way you outshine everyone here. I haven't been able to take my eyes of you for more than five minutes."

"Fred." I breathed. "You shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not? It's the truth." His grip on me tightened, pulling me even closer.

"Because we're friends and you -" I swallowed. "You have a girlfriend." I glanced over his shoulder. "Who isn't looking all to happy right now." I stepped out of his embrace. "Thank you for the dance, Fred."

He stood rooted to the spot as I stepped away from him. His gaze followed me as I walked off the dancefloor, still following me as I took a drink from the bar and headed out. When I was out of his eyesight, Cedric appeared.

"Are you tired? Do you want to go back to your common room?"

"No." I said, smiling up at his handsome face. "I would like to take a stroll, if you don't mind."

A wide smile stretched across his face, and he held out his arm for me. As I looped my arm through his, he started walking up the stairs.