Upton and I were currently preparing for the ball. Harry and Ron were going to pick us up outside of the Ravenclaw dorm. I was wearing a sleeveless blue dress robe with black lace on it. It was also covered in two separate bows with multiple pleats on it and stopped around my knees. It was probably too flashy of a dress for a 13-year-old to wear. It was also kind of hard to walk in. On top of that, I didn't even have to pay because the dressmaker was honored to have the Hogwarts champion wear it. I tried telling her that I was the co-champion, but it didn't work. I wondered if Fleur got hers for free as well.
"So how does it feel knowing that you're going with Harry Potter to the Yule Ball?" Upton asked me. My hair was in ringlets, which I was glad I had magic for because it would have taken a lot longer to get right. I wasn't sure how I would have been able to do any of this stuff because I didn't know anything about styling or makeup (which I was wearing for the first time). I didn't know why some people thought this was more important than the tournament itself. I supposed that it could have been because it was an event that everyone could participate in while the tournament was just for the four of us.
"It really doesn't feel like anything." I declared. There was also the fact that I didn't like guys, and I definitely didn't seem to be attracted to him. "It's different because more people are probably going to be looking at me than him. If he was going to be in the tournament, it would be different, but he's not, and I'm the center of attention. I wonder if Ron thinks going with you will make Hermione jealous."
"He might. I mean she is my sister after all." She said. I was pretty sure that she didn't want to be there, wearing a dress and I was pretty sure that she still didn't like being a girl. "I still don't think that he'll even want to do anything with me. You know I wonder what's it like when your hero tries to make a move on the girl you like."
"I can't really answer that." I replied. "So, do you want me to do anything with your hair?"
"I'm fine with leaving it as it is." She answered. I was probably more into this than she was. Even though it was kind of uncomfortable, it was also kind of fun. "I think we can go down there now. We probably should not keep them waiting."
The two of us descended the staircase. Because of my dress I have to be careful that I didn't trip, which could result in everyone seeing my knickers. I was pretty sure that I was starting to think like I was British. The fact that the doorway was closed changed the vibe, but it wasn't supposed to be romantic because neither of us even liked the boys that we were going to the ball with. One of the Ravenclaw boys did open the door for us. It seemed like at for the night, I was being treated like a princess. Well, I kind of was like the princess of Ravenclaw if I really thought about it. It seemed like people were trying to get into my good graces because I was a mini-celebrity. Maybe they liked me more after I won the Quidditch game for us.
"You look ravishing." Harry told me. He at least knew how to treat a girl. Ron, on the other hand, didn't compliment Upton. It was amazing why he was still single. Harry was most likely still single because he didn't know Ginny liked him, and also because girls might have been afraid to talk to him. I still wasn't sure if I would be taking over being the main character from him. It made me very uncomfortable because if we got past this book, I would be put in some situations that were very dangerous, and even if I was the main character and thus immune to dying, they would still be emotionally scarring.
The four of us headed to the ball and immediately, Professor McGonagall pulled Harry and I away from Upton. We went met with Fleur, Viktor, Cedric, Cho, Hermione, and also Roger Davies, who I only knew from the Quidditch team. To be honest, he looked Derek Hough. I did know that he and his sister had cameos in the first movie, so this must have been who he played. I was also pretty sure that the character was in this movie, but I didn't think the actor was even credited for the role.
"I want all of you to together for a picture." Rita Skeeter of The Daily Prophet declared. Apparently, she had been invited to cover the ball. I was pretty that she did some things that she wasn't supposed to do during the ball.
From there, the eight of us were told that we were having the first dance of the night. I didn't notice a lot of people from my class, but then I remembered that it was only for fourth year and above students. I did happen to notice Mandy was there. She must had been asked by an older student. However, she was alone, she may have just used him to gain access to the ball. That was kind of cruel, but also smart.
"You know this is probably the longest that the two of us ever spent time together." I commented. And that was a time where I wouldn't have even been conscious for most of it. "Well except for…"
"Yeah." He agreed.
"Why did you rush in there to save me?" I questioned. It didn't make as much sense because Ginny was someone that he knew and also his best friend's sister. "It's not like you were friends with my brother or something."
"Well, your brother was involved as well, and I knew that the Basilisk needed to be stopped." He explained. He probably also wanted revenge for what happened to Hermione.
"How did you two find out where the chamber was?" I inquired.
"It actually wasn't either of us." He replied. Who figured it out then? There was no way that stooge Lockhart could have known where to find The Chamber of Secrets.
"Mandy." He answered. That answer I was not expecting. I was not even aware that he knew Mandy.
"Mandy?" I repeated. That added a layer to her that I hadn't expected before.
"Yes, she had been investigating everything on her own. She found out that you were missing before anyone else did and she also said that she noticed that you had gone missing suspiciously before each of the attacks. She originally thought you were the one behind it but then realized that you genuinely didn't remember anything. She also followed the two of us into the chamber and figured out that we would be able to wake you by destroying the diary. As much as I would like to take credit for saving your life, you wouldn't be alive if not for her." He told me.
"She never told me that before." I explained as I looked over at her.
"She didn't really tell anyone. As much as she likes the glory for being the smartest in her class, she wanted it to remain a secret. I was pretty sure Professor Lockhart had something to do with it." He explained.
That would make sense. Mandy didn't want to become him and have such a big head that she had to steal other people's memories just to satisfy her own ego. I knew that I would need to talk to her, but it would have to wait until we were done dancing. Also, I couldn't help but wonder if Mandy thought she had the worst luck with roommates considering one left, one refused to leave the room, one was Luna and the last one was me, who was extremely distant.
"Why are you telling me if she didn't want anyone to know?" I asked. It was important to the plot somehow, but I wasn't sure how.
"I thought that you should get a chance to probably thank her." He responded. "I won't mind if you need to leave me in order to do that."
I looked back over to Mandy and took the time to really take her in. She was really a strapless royal purple dress robe with white lace flowers on and a lavender underskirt with a pair of purple gloves. Her hair was styled perfectly down to her shoulders. She looked stupendous and the craziest part was that I didn't feel jealous at all. I just knew that I wanted to go talk to her.
At that point, the music stopped. However, I wasn't able to go talk to Mandy, because there was apparently a feast in the middle of the ball. Usually, I would think that the food would precede the dancing, but I supposed that was still true for most of the attendees. I wasn't sure why we needed to dance before the meal, though. Roger seemed to be very distracted by Fleur that he kept missing his mouth.
The food was good. It was always good. I supposed that when you used magic it was too be expected. Unfortunately, I was the only competitor who was not served wine. I supposed that they thought 13 was too young…which they were probably right about. 17 was also too young to have wine though.
After dinner, I found Viktor was struggling to pronounce Hermione's name. It was interesting that I got to hear it. It was the first time that I knew how to pronounce. Of course, I originally thought it was Hermoine because I hadn't read it correctly.
"It's Her-my-on-nee." She corrected. I couldn't help but wonder if she said it like that just so fans would know how to properly pronounce it.
I also noticed Ron and Upton. Ron looked miserable and she looked miserable to be with him. I couldn't tell if she was acting or if she genuinely wanted to have a good time. Maybe she was trying to have a good time, and I felt bad for making her go with Ron.
"So do you want to dance with me?" She asked.
"No." Ron declared before he walked away.
"You know being ignored by a guy kind of hurts. I don't care that I don't even like him, but him not wanting anything to do with me sucks." She admitted. "Remind me to never agree to go on a double date with you again. I should have just come with Luna."
"You wouldn't have been able to come with Luna." I reminded her. "It was for upperclassmen only with me being the only exception."
"Well, I probably would have had a better time if I hadn't come." She replied. "I think I'm going to go to bed or maybe to the library."
"Wait, before you go, have you seen Mandy?" I asked. I probably should have also said that I was sorry, even though it wasn't my fault that we were here.
"I think she was over by the fountain." She stated. "But why do you want to see her?"
"Because she's more important to my story than I thought." I explained. "Harry told me that she was the one who found the Chamber of Secrets and she was the one who figured out that destroying the diary would revive me."
"So, you want to thank her?" She asked.
"That and tell her how amazing looks in her dress robe." I added.
"Oh my God." She remarked. "You're crushing on her. You're batty for her."
"I am not." I replied. At least I didn't think that I was. No, I couldn't because I was pretty sure that I was supposed to be straight. I could think that another girl was beautiful without being batty for her. Not to mention, she was 13 and it felt wrong, even though I was also 13.
"I'm surprised that you're not more excited because it means you don't have to date a guy." She commented. That couldn't be true. It was too early for me to have a love interest. She was just my friend, and I wanted to talk to her. "And you were always saying that you liked the girls better."
"I like them because they are strong women." I countered. "And I want to thank the girl who saved my life and ask her why she didn't tell me."
I then went to find Mandy by the fountain. It was possible that she was right, but I was probably too young to have a love interest. Sure, the timing was a little fishy, but I needed to find things out about myself. Mandy was just a friend who was really good looking and really smart and just a friend.
"Hi." I greeted her with a blush. I didn't even know why I was blushing because I definitely did not have a crush. She was too young for me, and I also was not in denial about it.
"Hey." She responded with a smile.
"So, who did trick into asking you?" I questioned with a smile of my own. I did really like how she was so smart that she could trick people into doing things.
"Seamus Finnegan." She commented. "You came here with Harry. How was it feel being here with royalty?"
"I'm pretty sure people are treating me more like royalty than him. And I wanted to talk to you about something that he told me. He told me that it was you that saved my life and not him." I explained. I wasn't sure why, but it was like there was some romantic music playing in the background. I knew that some instruments had been enchanted to play on their own, so it was probably just a coincidence. "Why didn't you ever tell me before?"
"I didn't want you to think I was weird." She said. That was a bit of a weird response.
"What's weird about trying to rescue your friend?" I asked. It seemed like a completely good reason to try to save.
"We weren't friends." She pointed out. Oh. I felt like I needed to listen to what else she had to say there. "I tried to be your friend, but you always had your head in that diary. I didn't figure it out until that day. Up until then I thought you were under the Imperious Curse. You know the downside of not having a date means I don't get to dance."
"You should get to dance." I told her as I put my hands on her shoulders. It didn't know what I was doing, but I felt like I needed to do it. Yeah, it was happening. She was my love interest, but I couldn't help myself. I was enamored with her. I couldn't believe that I was falling for her because it seemed so wrong.
"What are you doing?" She questioned. I kind of wished that I knew why I was doing it.
"Do you want to stop?" I retorted. I wasn't even sure how I knew how to hold her.
"No, I guess I didn't think you would be the one that I would dance with." She commented as we started to move together. "So, I take you don't like Harry."
"I needed a date, whether I wanted one or not." I explained. I liked him as a character, but I didn't think that he was a very good boyfriend. I also hated how the movies really muted his relationship with Ginny. "Can you imagine what Daphne would say if she was here right now?"
"That tart would never get an older guy to ask her out." She quipped. It seemed like that was a pretty mean way to talk about her. The girl was just written that way. "So, are you still scared about the tournament?"
"I think I should be, but I know that I'm not going to attempt something if I'm not more than fifty percent positive that I can do it without dying." I joked. The fact that I would turn out okay made me feel a lot better, even though I also knew that Cedric would die. "Who do you think put my name in the Goblet and why did it come out?"
"I can find out." She offered. I was pretty sure that she would be able to figure it out, even though I already knew.
"I probably shouldn't focus on that right now. I should probably just focus on trying to win or at least not get killed." I answered. I figured that was what a normal competitor who didn't know that she was safe would think.
"I'm fairly certain that they're going to take more safety precautions this time around. Not to mention it would look really bad if someone as young as you died." She stated. "They'll probably make it easier."
"I don't want anyone to make this easier for me." I told her. I knew it would be difficult, but I was a Ravenclaw, and I wanted to figure things out. "When does a Ravenclaw want anything to be easy? If it's not a challenge, it's not worth it."
I also thought that sounded like something that would be perfectly in character for me to say.
"Well, how about I give you this for luck then?" She offered before she kissed me. It just a light kiss and there really wasn't anything more than that, but I was still a little bit surprised, even though I was pretty sure that I shouldn't have been. But it was true, she was definitely my love interest.
So Addie found out that Mandy is going to be her love interest. She also had a good time at the ball. Please don't forget to review.