Scarlet Crystal
Bibbity Rabbity
Crookshanks stretched lazily over his snuggily warm bed at the foot of Hermione Granger's bed. The warm and comforting scent of eggnogs sprinkled with cinnamon sprayed all around the school. It's source? the Kitchen of course. The kitchen elfs were up bright and early preparing the grand feast before that night's Yule Ball.
The ginger coloured cat yawned, it was a great day, the sun was shining through the girls dorm windows, the snow outside reflected the bright sunlight and Crookshanks decided to jump onto the cozy "big" bed like he does everyday. Yet, before he could even make it half way in the air he was frozen. Literally, he was frozen in the air, during midjump. He looked around frightenly, seeing the source of his 'magical' stop. Hermione quickly walks over with one hand in her hair and another holding her wand.
"Today, Crookshanks, you dont' get to share my bed. I've got to get ready, so you stay down on the floor okay?" she said gently replacing her furry friend back on the floor. "Go, shoo" she gesture. Crookshanks, now unfrozen shook his fur with annoyance and bounced off to find some better source of entertainment.
Hermione watched with a small smile as her 3 year friend walk out of her room. She shook her head and got back to getting her hair ready. It was going to be a long 3 hours if she wants her fuzzy head of hair to be the excate way she wants it.
On the other side of dorm tower of Gryffindor Harry Potter was just waking up with his best friend Ron at his side tearing about presents they recieved for Christmas.
---
Harry POV
“Arghh!” Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison. It had come as quite a surprise to say the least. One minute happily opening presents, and the next-SPLAT! Harry kicked himself for not knowing better when he first spotted the wrapping, a shocking green with loud pink and orange spots, and the embossed ‘WWW’ on the sticker. Yes, Fred and George Weasley were probably having a great laugh imagining Harry and Ron covered in what appeared to be Stinksap cleverly hidden in the end of the new quills they had sent. Harry picked up the note that had fallen out of Ron’s package.
Happy Christmas little bro and Harry!
Hope you two are enjoying our latest little brainchild! Haha. Now don’t look like that Ronnie-kins, it’s just Stinksap, it’ll wash off. Brilliant, eh? Neville turned us on to it after that plant of his blew up in the common room last year. Business has been booming, and mum’s just about stopped steaming. Thought you might like to try another little doozy in the making as well-let us know how it work, eh?
Your favorite brothers,
Gred and Forge
Harry noticed it for the first time in the bottom of the package. He eyed the colorful pink bottle labeled “WWW Hair Potion Number 9 for men-Great for parties!” suspiciously and shoved it under the bed to examine later-he had quite enough hair problems to be going on with thank you.
“Bloody Fred and George…bloody brothers, well I’ve had enough….” Harry jumped slightly as Ron came grumbling back from the toilet, a towel soaked in Stinksap in hand.
He caught the clean towel Ron tossed him and tried to clean up a bit. As if this wasn’t going be a crummy week already. “It's tonight, only a few more hours,” Harry reported glumly and Ron groaned. Both turned to look at the notice pinned to the boy’s dormitory door. They had procrastinated long enough. There would be a Yule Ball this evening and they would be going whether they liked it or not and with or without dates.
---
Thirty minutes later (including showers for Ron and Harry) the boys met Hermione in the common room.
"Happy Christmas!" she said brightly to the boys.
"Happy Christmas!" they responded.
"Have a good time opening your presents?" she asked, smiling.
"Oh the greatest," said Ron sarcastically, who then launched into the story of the present from Fred and George. By the time he finished Hermione was holding her side, laughing so hard form the mental images she was getting.
"I'm sorry I missed it," she said, when she was able to talk.
"We are too," added Harry, before suggesting they get breakfast, trying to change the topic.
The Great Hall was beautiful as always at Christmas time and this year it seemed to radiate even more beautiful this year. They ate quickly and then grabbed their winter cloaks and accessories and headed outside for a good, old fashioned, snowball fight. Running in three different directions, each quickly started to form their own snowball pile.
Ron, who was crouched down and putting the finishing touches on a great snowball, suddenly felt something cold hit the back of his head. The shock of being hit made him fall on his snowball he was making. Looking he up, he saw Harry grin and run in another direction.
"I'll get you Harry!"
Getting he up, he grapped another snowball and chased after Harry. He found him behind a tree and slammed snow in his black hair, then retreating. Harry, after wiping snow from his glasses, looked up and saw Hermione giggling at him.
"You think that's funny do you?" he asked her.
Hermione just smiled and started to run. Harry grabbed a snowball and ran after her. After a minute of chasing, Hermione finally slipped and fell to the ground. Harry, trailing right behind her, fell beside her. He then wordlessly put the snow in her hair before getting up.
"Harry!" she yelled, getting up.
Harry just grinned and went running in the other direction.
---
“HARRY! Come back here you ….you…” Hermione sat there in the middle of the battlefield unarmed and laughing hysterically.
“Can’t think of anything can you?” Harry winked at her as he molded another snowball in his right hand as he reached for his wand with his left.
Trying and failing to regain her posture, Hermione stood up tall and stumbled over her words, “No! I can think of numerous things to call you but …. It is just……fine….if you want name calling then..”
“Flyzot Leviosa!” Before Hermione could grab her wand to protect herself, a snowball came hurtling at her as Harry ducked behind a massive pile of snow. The snowball hit her smack dab on her forehead sending her hurtling back towards the ground in a heap of robes.
“Touche Harry, touché!” Ron stopped building his enormous snowball which would have come up to Hagrids beard if he had been present.
“ACK! Harry, you really did it this time! You are going to pay for this you blast-ended skwert!” Once Hermione had wiped all the snow from her face, her eyes quickly scanned the courtyard for Harry but he was out of sight. No one was in sight except three first years looking warily while trying to stifle giggles. “Where are you?”
Ron turned his attention back to his giant snowball which kept growing and growing while Hermione grabbed two snowballs in each hand and went off looking for the missing Harry. Meanwhile Harry slinked around the courtyard hiding behind trees and the stone columns supporting the covered walkways.
“Harry?! Seriously Harry show your self!” Hermione kept a watch over her back waiting for him to pop up any moment but he didn’t. “Harry?!” Finally she caught a flash of his robes duck behind Ron’s massive snowball which could now hide even Hagrid from sight. A mischievous smirk wound its way on her face as she surreptisosly tip-toed up to the two of them.
Without warning Harry jumped up and threw a snowball right into her face once again and before she could slam him with her two, he darted off down the hill that lead to the frozen lake below.
“Ugh! Harry!” Trying to hide her obvious glee at having to chase Harry, she glared at Ron and broke into a mad dash to Harry whose laughter tore through the walls of the courtyard.
---
Breathless from the frosty air and running all this way, Hermione found herself in the middle of an empty courtyard yet again. It was eerily quiet, ‘Much too quiet’, she thought to herself. The wind even seemed to have stopped blowing over the frozen lake and grounds.
“Harry?” she called hesitantly. “Harry, come out. It’s cold, we should head back i-eeek!” Hermione fell to the snow with a soft thud and a barely audible “ouf!” through her layers of clothing.
“Hehe, sorry Hermione didn’t see you there,” said Harry, helping her to her feet and flicking a bit of the snowball out of her hair with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes despite his sincere face.
“Harry Potter! That was not funny!” she said, trying to stay mad at him. It was no use she thought, rolling her eyes.
“C’mon you prat, Ron’s probably already left for dinner!”
“He better not eat all the pudding again,” he said with a slightly disgruntled that made her chuckle at her friend.
---
As they walked up to the of the Castle thoroughly frozen from the snow ball fight, they saw Ron ahead, but he wasn’t going in. He was pacing the stone steps and running his hands through his hair; Harry figured he must have been at it for a while because his hair looked no better than his now!
As they walked closer, they could hear Ron muttering to himself incoherently, he was facing away from them now and still hadn’t seen them.
“…Yule Ball…bloody dances, how they bloody hell’s a bloke to….Would you like to…..no…so are you going to the dance?-damn it, Hermione!”
Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at this, but felt his gut drop at the thought that he had to go too and he still hadn’t bothered to find a date. Hermione shot him a questioning and worried look; she obviously hadn’t heard what Harry had.
“You go on, I’m gonna take a shower and Ron and I will meet up with you at dinner, alright?
“Well, alright I guess.” Hermione replied, shooting another worried glance at Ron.
Harry pounded his feet on the stone stairs, making Ron jump and blush slightly. “Well, we’ve won the battle, mate,” he said with a pat on the back, he would just pretend he hadn’t heard. Ron grinned slightly at that, but he only succeeded in looking slightly maniacal with hair sticking up and a desperate glint in his eye.
“So,” Harry started carefully as they walked up to their dorms. “Thought any about who you’re going to ask to this Ball?”
“Umm, well you know, I’m just erm…waiting to decide who I want to go with,” he finished lamely. Harry just rolled his eyes and said, “Suuuuuuuuuure.” He jogged up the stairs a bit ahead of Ron, who had just stopped in his tracks.
“Oi! Wait a minute, what’s that supposed to mean?!” He said running to catch to up.
Harry didn’t have a chance to reply before they were overcome by the smell of too many different colognes and the nervous hum of 6th year boys talking about the night to come.
____________________________________________________________
“Damn it, Seamus!” Harry shouted from one of the shower stalls in the loo. Once again, his roommate had used his shampoo and all but a drop! He wrapped a towel round himself and walked back out into the loo doorway and started to ask to borrow some.
“Sorry Harry! Big night you know, here you've got more, just use this stuff,” he tossed the pink bottle of “WWW’s Hair Potion Number 9” to Harry without looking and went back to getting ready for his ‘date’. Harry just rolled his eyes and went back to the shower.
The first thing he noticed when he opened the bottle to use it was the smell. There was a blast of fruity-flowery perfume that went as quickly as it came, and Harry could’ve sworn he had seen a strange pinkish light. He sniffed the bottle gingerly and didn’t smell anything strange anymore and attributed the light to his imagination and lack of food.
‘May as well,’ Harry and thought, ‘It’s not like there’s anything else, thanks to someone….” and finished his shower without anymore bursts of color or florid smells.
---
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad, considering it took her two hours of constant reapplying Sleak-Eazy's Magical Hair Potion to get her hair looking this good. Her usually curly locks were now straightened and twisted up into a knot at the back of her head. She finished her make-up and went down the staircase to meet up with Ginny.
“Where’s Harry and Ron?” Hermione ventured, seeing neither in the Gryffindor common room.
“No idea. Let’s go early and see who these ‘special guests’ are Dumbledore keeps on hinting are coming.”
Hermione is still skeptical because usually it’s the guys who are waiting for them, but with Ginny’s urging she goes, anyway.
“I think it’s pretty pitiful how we both don’t have dates,” Ginny says regrettingly. “I feel like I might as well have said ‘yes’ to Neville. Just after the last Yule Ball, I didn’t think my feet could take any more pain!”
“We still have each other. Plus, the special guests, just might be some guys looking for a date” Hermione winks at her companion.
“You just keep telling yourself that, Hermione.” Ginny rolls her eyes exasperatedly.
---
Cho slowly turns around to look at her roommate. Vicki looks amazing, as always. She’s wearing the new Marc Jacobs dress that she ordered out of a Muggle catalog. Her curly, blonde hair is falling lightly on her shoulders framing her face and her signature sunglasses. Cho never did figure out why Vicki always wears sunglasses, but oh well, it fits her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to borrow anything of mine to wear tonight?” Vicki inquires gesturing at her immense wardrobe full of clothes of all styles.
“Of course, not. I look fine,” Cho snaps back, looking resentfully at the dull gray robes that hung about her shoulders. “Michael used to say I looked good in gray,” she started to whimper.
“Now, Cho, dear, haven’t we been over this a million times? You broke up three months ago, for goodness sakes! Stop moping already!” Vicki replied while applying her mascara. “It’s not the end of the world. There are other fish in the sea.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re going with the captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team. I have no one. Not Michael. Not Harry. Not C-Cedric.” Cho gulped back tears. She couldn’t cry again, not now. It had only been an hour since her last breakdown.
“Well, you still have quidditch to play, don’t you? Don’t keep on reliving the past, Cho. How many times do I have to tell you? It’s only bringing you down. Think positive. Did you read that book I gave you for Christmas, yet?”
Cho simply glared at her. She could fill Hogwart’s library with all the books Vicki gave her. She reads even more than Harry’s “friend” Hermione. And now she’s asking if she's read the massive book she gave this morning? "I was dropped from the quidditch team last week. They said I needed to shape up." Cho added mournfully.
“Oh, dear. I'm so sorry! You poor thing. Well,” Vicki plowed on, oblivious to Cho’s reproachful stares, “I thought The Power of Positive Thinking would simply be a life-changing book for you. What a pity. Now anyways, if you aren’t going to borrow any of my robes, will you at least borrow a pair of my shoes?”
“It’s not like I’m going to have much of a choice this time.” Cho answered jealously eyeing Vicki’s mountain of shoes in her wardrobe.
“Okay, well, I was thinking these black ones would look perfectly, beautiful on you!” She responded brightly holding up a pair of dark, strappy, heels.
“Oh fine!” Cho grabbed the heels quickly and jammed them onto her feet. “Let’s just get this ball over, already!”
---
“Stop smirking will you and keep looking through that book!” Harry snapped at Ron who made an attempt at looking serious but failed miserably.
“I really am sorry Harry but…..but your hair is still a little pink.” He breaks into another round of laughter but stops when Harry quickly glares his way. “But I am sure it will be gone by the time the ball starts. I mean every five minutes it gets a lighter shade. See! Now it’s a pretty shade of rose, hey, maybe you can find a girl who has a rose robe. What a perfect match that will be!”
“Ron! Enough, what do you think Malfoy and his goons will have to say about this?! I can’t go out there tonight, I will look like a bloody fool!” Harry spat out as he continued flipping through a giant volume of Countercurses and Other Helpful Spells in a Dire Situation.
“A very stylish fool at that,” Ron chuckled. “Harry! Your hair…you might want to look.”
Harry looked up to see that his hair had returned to its normal jet black and smiled contentedly at the mirror.
“Finally we can go. I bet Ginny is impatiently tapping the heel of her boot waiting for us.” Harry snapped shut the book, shoved it in his backpack, and headed out the door.
“I don’t even want to think about what Hermione will say to us.” Ron squishes up his face and then in his best Hermione voice says, “You two always complain that I am late, but look at you two! And your robes are all a mess! Ron fix your hair its atrocious!”
The two boys s******ed at this dead on impersonation and continued towards the Gryffindor common room.
---
“Vicki must you walk soo fast! I can barely walk in these heels you insisted I wear let alone speed walk. I keep tripping on my robes and its no use. Why am I even coming tonight?! Chelsea and you both have your boyfriends to snuggle and coo coo with all night long. I wish Dumbledore never agreed letting Sirius come tonight that way I would at least have someone to be bored with.” Cho tripped once again over her long flowing emerald green robe. Vicki had also insisted she wear it because it matched her eyes perfectly and her black hair fell beautifully against the silk.
“Hush now! You should be happy for Chels. She never gets to see him anymore. And the reason why I am practically running is because Christopher said he would meet at the bottom of the main stairwell. He said the common room would be “amuck” with all the third years fussing over each other. Which I quite agree with.”
The pair arrived at the main stairwell, Cho tripping on her robe once more almost hurdling down the marble steps. Thankfully Vicki grabbed the back of her robe before she could take the long tumble.
“Ack! My glasses fell!” Vicki let Cho free forgetting that she had been suspended mind fall to grab her precious sunglasses. "I hope they didnt break! I love it when Chris takes them off for me!"
“VICKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!” Cho managed a jumbled cry before tumbling down and down the massive steps before landing at the bottom in a heap.
“Oh! Cho, I am dreadfully sorry!” She races down the stairs after grabbing her glasses to Cho’s aid who is now bent over laughing and crying at the same time.
“No, its okay.Honestly though, it is okay. It made me laugh which i need desperatly now. No broken bones or anything but now my dress is all wrinkly and who knows about rips or tears.” Cho sniffs back tears.
“No problem. Stand up and,” Cho stands up and Vicki pulls out her wand. “Ironata. See good as new.”
Cho begins to speak but then both girls here something coming from around the corner. Vicki puts her finger towards her mouth. “Shhhh. Come here.”
Cho begins to protest but then she just looks upward shakes her head then follows her to the edge of the wall. Peering to the other side they see Chels and Sirius at the main door. Cho began to giggle at seeing them and even Vicki broke her serious spy mode.
---
Harry and Ron made their way up to the common room without seeing a single person through the halls. “They all must be using five million pounds of Sleak-Eazy,” Ron muttered under his breath and then laughing at his own comment towards his good friend.
When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry gave her the password( Butter me beautiful) and they both crawled in. Immediately ten girls, whom Harry had never met, came charging towards Harry with adoring glances.
“Harry! You must dance with me tonight! Promise me, Please?!” A girl with long red hair called out to him from the back of the mob.
The rest of the girls, none he recognized kept calling out as well, “No me Harry! Please pick me! No he is mine! You look great in those robes Harry. Yes doesn’t he? He always looks great in black.”
“No! Harry is going to dance with me tonight! Right Harry? I always did like you, you know that?” Harry then noticed Lavender Brown inches away from him gently tousling his hair.
Harry could barely breathe but could hear Ron laughing hysterically on the other side of the barricade of girls.
---
Suddenly, from the back of the group of screaming girls came a quietly sexy girl in black. Harry couldn’t help noticing htat she was sort of short, but had a dazzling smile. Her velvet black robes complimented her flowing, brown hair. Her makeup was perfectly done. She lifted her chin and smiled at Harry. His cheeks started to blush.
“Excuse me,” she said. She pushed past him and left the common room. Harry’s heart fell. She hadn’t wanted to ask him. Oh well, he thought.
“Oi! Lavender?” he said embarrassedly. “I’ll take you.” She jumped forward and snatched his arm, neatly looping hers around his. Then, Harry’s new date steered him out of the common room, quickly leaving the Fat Lady behind.
Ginny and Hermione were nowhere to be seen, but Lavender hadn’t paused anyway so it didn’t matter. Harry was still thinking about the girl in black. He wasn’t paying attention. He was brought quickly back to reality when he almost tripped on his own date. Lavender looked slightly put out, but she only narrowed her eyes at him and tightened her grip.
Soon, the two had entered the rapidly filling hall. Harry glanced around for Ron, Ginny, Hermione and the girl in black. He could see Ginny and Hermione in a corner of the room, but Ron was apparently not around.
---
Ron was rushing back to the great hall.
"How could I forget to put on a sock?" he muttered to himself, slapping his head as he sprinted through the hallways. He was kind of nervous about the dance, but he had no idea he was this nervous.
Looking back he was sure he would find this funny, but right now, he was just a little agitated and embarassed. But just as he turned the corner, he felt himself hit something. He then fell down to the ground.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," came a muffled response as a girl with medium length brown hair and dark brown eyes said as she slowly rose from the ground.
"No, I'm sorry. I really should watch where I'm going," he responded, getting up quickly. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine; nothing that I ever haven't felt before," she joked. "Hi, I'm Cass."
"I'm Ron," he said, shaking her hand. "I haven't ever seen you around here. What house are you in?"
"Oh, I'm not from here. I'm here with the other students for this Yule Ball that our school was invited to. I was actually just on my way to try and find the Great Hall. I was a little late fixing my hair and I got behind. You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?"
"I was actually just on my way there right now. It's actually just right there," he said pointing to the doors down the hall.
"Thank you so much. I thought I'd never find it. I guess I should get going. My friends are probably waiting for me," she said.
"Yeah, mine too," he added quickly.
"I'll see around though," Cass added smiling, before heading quickly the hall.
"I guess so," he whispered to himself, before hurrying inside as while.
---
Ron POV
“Oi! Ron over here! Harry hissed.
Ron finally found his way through the crowded Hall to Harry, Ginny, and Hermione who were already seated around one of many smaller circular tables set up in place of the usual House tables.
“Hey, guess who I just met?” He elbowed Harry, looking over at the tables of exchange students all sitting in close proximity to one another and looking a bit lost. Some gazed in wonder at the enchanted ceiling which currently showed a purple sky casting a wine-like glow over the Hall and its occupants, the sun had nearly set.
“Who?” He whispered. The hall was growing quieter as all eyes turned toward a standing Dumbledore.
“One of the exchange students-I bumped into her on the way back here an-”
“Where’d you go anyways?
Ron blushed slightly, “I forgot a sock and had to go all the way-wait, nevermind, that’s not important-” Harry was giving him quite a strange look.
“This girl, her name was Cass-”
“Shhhh!”
“Will you be quiet?!” He hissed.
“You!” Hermione shot him a stern look and turned her attention back to Dumbledore’s speech, welcoming the American school again. Harry looked warily between the two and mouthed, “Just tell me later.” Ron nodded while glaring at Hermione’s turned head, peeved that he could not tell of the intriguing girl he’d just run into.
“Oh, hey, Fred and George got here earlier too, while you were gone. They’re sitting in the back corner over there,” Harry pointed. “I think Charlie’s around here somewhere, too.” Ron looked and saw the twins sitting at a table with Angelina and Katie. They waved and started to call out, but both girls clapped their hands over their mouths just in time. The twins just shrugged and tried to look innocent, which of course, never worked. Ron settled on turning back around before they all got into trouble.
“And now, since most of your interests seem to be waning, let’s eat!” Dumbledore said with an amused glance toward their table and finished his speech with a clap at which menus appeared at every table.
The menus turned out to be much like the ones from 4th year, they had only to call out the name of the dish they wanted and it appeared instantly at their tables.
After eating his weight in pork chops and deserts, Ron and Harry strolled over to Fred and George’s table to talk and saw Sirius talking with Remus a few tables away. Harry excused himself and walked off to see them after saying his ‘Hello’s to the four of them.
“So, Ron, met any interesting American girls yet?” Fred asked with an impish grin. Ron could feel his ears turning red against all his will, when he was reminded of the girl named Cass.
“Oooooo, ickle Ronnie-kins has himself a girlfriend!” George mocked. Angelina slapped his arm and told him to stop teasing him.
“I have not!” Ron retorted hotly.
“Aww, poor Ronnie, none of the new girls like him? Fred bated him, changing tactics. Ron was just about to reply, his temper rising, when Harry grabbed his arm and said, “C’mon, let’s see what’s going on.” It was only then that Ron noticed the throng of students gathering at the doors and peering into the night sky.
Harry POV
Harry, satisfied that Ron wasn’t about to start an all out brawl with Fred and George, looked back into the sky as well.
“Look! Over there!” shouted a first year. Harry’s head snapped in the direction that the boy was pointing and soon everyone was staring and pointing and murmuring about this unidentified flying object. He chuckled to himself slightly at his own joke, but his attention was caught again by the object, moving ever closer to them. Suddenly a giant orange streak erupted in the sky and the crowd went crazy, some backing away scared and some jumping up to get a better look. “What is it?” he heard someone shout from behind him.
“I think I have a very good idea what it is,” Harry muttered smiling, and looked over at Ron who was also grinning. Ginny, Hermione, Fred, and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd where they were standing, the six of them the only ones privy to what would soon be landing on the front lawn of Hogwarts.
Brittany POV
It was magical-to say the least. At first she had been afraid, heights were never her cup of tea, but this was different. She wasn’t frightened, she was exhilarated-she was riding atop a remarkable Norwegian Ridgeback, its wings moving up and down in fluid, calming motions. ‘And with one fine-looking man, I must say,’ she thought to herself with a smile as Charlie Weasley turned around beside her and said with a grin, “Ready?” She nodded.
She patted her hair self-consciously, though she had cast wind repellant and protective charms around their harness to keep her hair, sandy-blonde and flowing down a little ways past her shoulders in big loose curls, from being blown to smithereens. Her shimmering, burgundy gown-spaghetti strapped and laced in the back-was also protected from any wayward flying birds. She shuddered at the thought.
They landed and rode down on Charlie’s broom to greet the headmaster and group of students waiting at the entrance for them. An old man she assumed to be the headmaster stepped forward to greet Charlie and shake his hand.
“Ahh, and who might your guest be, Mr. Weasley?” He smiled in her direction. She was usually a bit shy, but his eyes put her to rest immediately-there was a strange, but comforting sparkle to them.
“This is my date, Brittany,” Charlie replied, giving her a warm smile. “Britt, this is Professor Dumbledore.” She stepped foward and shook his hand, “It’s a pleasure, sir.”
“Welcome to Hogwarts, Brittany,” he said guiding the group back inside, “Now, let us return to the dance at hand."
---
Harry wandered aimlessly around the Great Hall, in search of something to do. Hermione was talking with Ron and Ginny, but Harry didn’t feel like joining the conversation. He walked past Cho, who was moping in the corner with a girl named Vikki who Harry didn’t have any classes with. Vikki winked at him and went back to talking to her poor friend. Harry blushed but felt sorry for Cho. However, it was not going to happen between them.
After several minutes, Harry realized that he was wandering in circles around the inside of the Great Hall. Stopping in his tracks, he quickly moved to a table and sat down. He scanned the room for Lavender. She was getting a drink and flirting with a male exchange student.
Suddenly, a side door opened on the other side of the Hall. The girl in black swept in, followed by Malfoy. He seemed to be angry with her. He was waving his arms and gesturing violently. The girl was replying with equal anger and had her arms folded across her chest. Malfoy suddenly made a rude gesture but the girl covered his hand. She leaned in and rested her forehead on his, talking quickly. Malfoy lowered his hand and smiled. He said something, gave the girl a quick hug, and walked away toward his girlfriend.
The girl rolled her eyes and went the other way. Harry felt very confused.
---
Harry couldn’t get the girl in the black velvet dress out of his mind. Who was she? She was in the Gryffindor common room earlier but he had never seen her before? Why was she talking to Malfoy and even more puzzling why was he letting her yell at him like that? And what were they discussing? Harry knowing all too well that Malfoy will never back down without a fight.
“Harry! Come here, Charlie came!” Ron came scurrying over towards Harry whose eyes were still fixed on the Hall door where the pair had been just seconds ago.
Ron squeezed his way through the crowd of dancers and tables leading Harry to where the whole entire Weasley family sat. Harry had to stifle a small laugh because of how alike they all looked standing together in a group. It looked as though Hermione was teaching Ginny how to levitate a glass of punch across the table. On the other side of the table sat the entire Weasley family except Bill.
“Hello Harry. How have you been? You haven’t been chasing after dragons have you?” Charlie stood up to shake Harry’s hand.
“No, and I am good. How have you been?” Harry then noticed the tall blonde standing next to Charlie. She quickly looked downward then at Charlie.
“Oh forgive me Harry. This is Brittany. She works with me up in Translyvania. Although she isn’t much of a dragon lover.” She shot him a wary look as he winked at her.
“I am too much of a “dragon lover”, I do they are marvelous creatures. It is just that I would rather apparate or take the train in.” She shot him another glance before turning back to Harry. “I am sorry for him. Of course you are used to him by now, nice to meet you. I have heard soo much about you.” She offered him her hand and he shook it.
“Um, thanks I guess.” Harry was wondering if Charlie had told her or just the basic knowledge of the wizardry world when someone tapped him on the back. He was hoping the girl in the black velvet robes, instead he got Vicki obviously agitated yet trying to conceal it.
“Excuse me, Harry. Can I please speak with you?” She asked while peering through her glasses. It always puzzled him, and almost everyone in school, why she insisted on wearing her glasses all the time. If anyone were to ask her she would simply reply, “Why not? They make me happy. Plus I have bewitched them so that on the outside they are red, but I see perfectly fine.”
“Sure.” He nodded towards the Weasleys and Brittany and followed Vicki to the next table over where she had headed. Harry didn’t know whether to be nervous about Vicki or Cho. He didn’t even know what to expect from this conversation.
“I know we do not exactly see each other much. We were friends for awhile there but we both know how that turned out.” Harry could just slightly smile at her. What was she getting at? “There is actually no easy way to say this. Can you go ask Cho to dance? I know you broke up and all, and you are most likely over her, but she is having a tough time tonight. She has no idea I am asking you. If she ever found out…well lets just say there would be a huge riot in the Ravenclaw common room.” She turned her gaze to the far corner near the punch table where Peeves was throwing Treacle Tarts at unsuspecting students. Behind the table, leaning against the farthest wall was Cho. Tears streamed down her face, Harry couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, even though he didn’t want to.
Vicki saw the hesitance in Harry’s eyes and quickly thought up something. “Harry, please do this for me. I really want to dance with Christopher tonight although all he wants to do is sit around with the rest of the quidditch team and strategize. Ack! Quidditch players!” Harry made a small wince, enough for Vicki to notice. “O! Sorry, forgot you are one as well. Anyway, if you dance with her just once, I will do a favor for you anytime. I know many people in the school and more spells than the average sixth year. At least think about?!” She stared up at him pleading. “Please?!”
---
Sirius’ POV
“Sirius, darling, you look absolutely wonderful.” Chelsea spins around swishing her cranberry robes. “Don’t you simply love these new robes I got from Madam Malkins? She’s an absolute doll even though it was last minute.”
“Ah, they look gorgeous, Chels. Shall we proceed?” Sirius checked his watch casually. “I think we’ll be on time for once.”
“That would be a first.” Sirius takes her hand and leads her into the Great Hall, and he has to admit, the place looks even better than when he was a student here. He steals a glance at his date for the evening. She has got to be one of the most amusing people he has ever met. Chelsea practically jumped when he invited her to the ball. It was as if she thought he would die the next second.
“Sirius? Earth to Sirius? Is someone awake in there?” Chelsea started to slightly shake him. “Aren’t we going to move on? This place is absolutely fabulous, but I’m starving.”
Sirius chuckled slightly to himself. “Oh, yes. Sorry, I seem to have spaced out there for a moment.” Chelsea rolls her eyes at her companion. “We’ll move on. You’ll simply love the food. The house elves make…” And Sirius is off describing the mouth-watering dishes to be served.
---
Harry’s POV
“D-Dance with Cho?” Harry gulped. This was the last thing he expected Vicki to say, but he really couldn’t say ‘no.’ “Um… sure, I guess. Just one dance? Yeah, sure, that’ll be okay.”
“Thanks a bunch, Harry. You’re the absolute best. Well, except for Christopher. No, not in that way. Oh, you know what I mean! Anyway, I really appreciate this. Don’t forget, anything you need, and I’ll be there.” Vicki corrected her sunglasses and walked back to her date.
Okay, so now he had to ask Cho to a dance. Harry took his time in walking to Cho’s corner; stopping to talk to people he knew or didn’t know on the way. He just wanted to stall this as long as possible. When he finally approached her, she was wiping her tears.
“Cho, um, would you like to, um, dance with me?” Harry wished he would just disappear.
“W-What? Is this some way of making fun of me Harry? Do you think I need the pity? Well,” Cho starts to stand up, “I’ll let you know that I’ve had plenty of guys ask me to dance. I don’t need you to ask me, but I really might as well.” Cho started to well up again.
Harry took her hand stepped off to maybe the most awkward six minutes of his life. While they were dancing Cho rested her head on his shoulder. His eyes wide with fear, he slowly tried to back away from her, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
“Harry, you know, I like you a lot. Should we just bury the past and give it another try? I’m willing to, and I know you are, too.”
He stopped dead in his tracks and froze. Harry couldn’t even begin to imagine the sudden change in Cho’s demeanor, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. He ran for it.
---
Bridget’s POV
This was bloody perfect. She was dressed up in midnight blue robes dancing with her dream date, Oliver. They finished the dance and went to sit at one of the tables.
“This place is fantastic! I wish I had gotten to go to school here. We don’t have any of these decorations back home.” Bridget took a sip of her Butterbeer. “It’s overwhelming being exposed to Hogwarts in just one night!”
“Yeah, it’s a nice place. Now, what I was thinking for the game against the Falcons was, what if…” Oliver started rambling in quidditch talk, and Bridget tuned out. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him. Just, did he have to talk about quidditch every living second of the day? She loved the sport, she absolutely did. Bridget just wanted to talk without a snitch or a bludger being mentioned every fourth word of the conversation.
“Bridget! Wow, it’s so great to see you!” Chelsea walked up to Bridget’s table and flopped down beside her being supported by Sirius. “Isn’t Butterbeer GREAT? We don’t have this stuff at home and it’s not even making me tipsy!” She hiccuped and took a sip out of the bottle she was holding.
“I think that’s enough Butterbeer for you, Chelsea.” Sirius told her, taking the bottle out of her hand.
“B-But”, She hiccuped again, “I’m fine!”
“Uh, yeah, why don’t I just get you some water.” He left in search of the other drink.
“Well, so how have you been, Cass?” Chelsea turned towards Bridget.
“I’m Bridget, Chels. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Chelsea looked confused for a second. “Oh, yes, of course I am. Maybe I should have some water. I think I’ll go and find Sirius.”
She left leaving Bridget to turn her attention back to Oliver. “Should we dance again?” She asked.
“So, then the beater can… huh? Oh, dance. Yes, of course.” And they walked off to the dance floor.
---
Harry dashed outside of the Great Hall, pausing for a second in the hallway before continuing to the outside of the castle. He waited until he was sure Cho hadn’t followed him. Then, he slowly sat down on the steps up to the castle doors. The landscape before him (including the lake) was void of people besides himself. Comforted, Harry let down his guard and the tension left his shoulders.
Harry was very relaxed. That was why he practically jumped when a smooth voice said, “Hi,” behind him. He turned around and tried to look casual. The girl in black velvet stood there, looking down at him with her intense gray eyes.
“Hi,” Harry replied. To his surprise, the girl sat down on the steps next to him, clasping her hands around her knees and gazing at him.
“You go here, right?” the girl said. Harry was surprised again. She was the first person who hadn’t started with, “You’re Harry Potter,” or something like that.
“Yea, I do,” he said, settling down slightly.
“I’m an exchange student, from The American School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” she said looking out over the snow towards the frozen lake. “You’re campus is beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Harry said. “What’s your school like?”
“Oh, it’s not much… I’m really lucky I was picked to come on the trip. I think the only reason they chose me was because I’m related to somebody at this school,” the girl said to Harry. Harry was curious.
“Who are you related to?” he asked, awkwardly.
“Oh, I don’t know if you know him. He’s in Slytherin. It’s Draco Malfoy. He’s my second cousin…” Suddenly the weird exchange between the girl and Malfoy made sense. They were second cousins. Harry suddenly felt very comfortable with this girl, but uncomfortable at the same time.
“So… what’s your name?” Harry asked. The girl laughed.
“Oh, how stupid of me! I’m Anna. And you?” Anna said.
“Harry,” Harry said.
“Harry,” she repeated dreamily. Harry paused, then spoke up.
“Do you, er, want to dance?” he asked, shifting his weight. Anna bit her lip.
“Well… you see… I’m not a great dancer in these great halls and such…” Relief swept over Harry.
“Really? Same with me. Do you want to get a drink instead?”
“Sounds good to me.” In unison, they stood up. Anna’s eyes sparkled. Malfoy left Harry’s mind as he led Anna into the great hall, feeling very well adjusted to her. It wasn’t the same as it was with Ron or Hermione, but it wasn’t very awkward. That was strange for Harry, since he had only met her that evening.
---
Professor Amanda Rinaldi watched as Anna followed a boy onto the dance floor. Anna at first didn't want to come, not liking to dance herself. Maybe this will change her mind.
The moon was beautiful this night, reflecting with the mountains and castle off the lake in a silvery light. Not getting very much action in the dance floor, Amanda walked to the door to wander about the grounds, pulling a cloak about the sheer golden robes over a sparkly white dress she was wearing.
"Ouch!" The door had swung open just as she reached to pull it open. A man, about her own age with premature gray streaks in his blonde hair wearing handsome navy robes peered around to see what had prevented the door from opening.
"Oh no...I am so sorry..." He hurried over to wear Amanda was standing, looking slightly dazed after the impact.
"No worries. I'm fine!" She said, shaking off the dizzyness. Looking up, she was startled by his insanely blue eyes. "I'm Professor Amanda Rinaldi, of the Salem Institute."
"Remus Lupin. I'm the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts here."
"Seriously? That's what I teach at Salem!"
"Were you about to go onto the grounds? I can give you a tour.." he said excitedly.
Falling into a conversation comparing their lessons and complaining about their students, the two were lit in a silvery glow as they headed out onto the grounds.
---
Harry, this being his second ball and knowing where everything was, led Anna through the crowds on in the Great Hall. Girls came up to him, but upon seeing Anna holding onto Harry's arm so as not to get seperated, stopped and scowled at her. Harry pulled her out of the crowds to the bar that Dumbledore had set up. The tender handed them two glasses of butterbeer.
"Anna, I was wondering whether I'd see you or...oh..." Draco Malfoy had just come up, Pansy Parkinson clinging to his arm, to greet his cousin. He spotted Harry and sneered. "Potter, how on earth did you get my cousin for company? Anna, you should pick the people you hang out with better, not Dumbledore's favorite boy here."
Anna's gray eyes flashed, turning steely. "Perhaps you're right about choosing who I hang out with better. Come on, Harry." Anna turned her back on Malfoy, glowering at his cousin's retreating back.
---
"Hey," Ron greeted Cass on one side of the room which was not as crowded as the others.
"Hey," she replied warmly.
"What are you doing all the way over here?"
"Nothing really. Just kind of watching everything," she said nonchalantly.
"And you aren't dancing because..." he questioned.
"That's a good question. When I know the answer, I'll let you know," she joked.
"Ok, if you're not dancing, would you like to meet part of my family. A couple of my brothers are here, and I'm sure they'd love to meet you."
"Are you sure?" she asked, slightly hesitant.
"Of course I am. Come on!" he laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards his family.
When they got to the other side of the room he found Fred, George, their dates Angelina and Katie, and Charlie and Brittany.
"Everybody," Ron announced getting their attention. "This is Cass. My date."
At that, Cass's mouth opened a little with shock, but then slowly turned into a smile.
"Hi," she greeted warmly.
Ron then went around an introduced everyone. Cass soon found they were all very friendly and nice, and immediately took a liking to them.
Fred and George soon made their way over to Cass, each draping an arm over her shoulders.
"Now Cass, there are a couple things you should know about our little ickle-ronniekins. First he's inherited the dreaded Weasley temper. Watch out for that," started George.
"Oh bugger off you two!" Ron said quickly.
"And two, as we were rudely interrupted, watch that mouth of his. It can get nasty quite quickly," added Fred.
"You two," Katie laughed along with Angelina and Brittany.
"Leave the poor girl alone. You don't want to frighten her off too quickly," contributed Angelina.
"Not all Weasleys are like those two. Some actually know when to stop," said Brittany, indicating to Charlie, smiling widely.
"What would be the fun in that?" asked Fred.
"None I know of!" said George, before they errupted into laughter.
"You want to dance?" asked Ron quietly to Cass.
"Sure," she said smiling, before allowing him to lead her out to dance floor where they joined the other students.
---
Hermione sipped her Butterbeer slowly while watching Harry being attacked by a mob of girls when he left to get a drink for his date.
“That’s so odd...” She mumbled to herself.
“What’s odd, Hermione?”
She turned to see her best friend’s godfather walking up to her supporting a girl with cranberry robes and black hair who looked more than just slightly drunk.
“Sirius! Oh, it’s so good to see you! Chelsea, are you okay?” Hermione gestured to his companion.
“Hi, Hermione.” Chelsea gave a weak wave. “I think I had a tad more glasses of Butterbeer than I could handle.” She hiccuped and put her hand to her head. “Oh, I’m going to have a major headache tomorrow.”
“I’ve never really thought of Butterbeer as that strong. I hope you’re having fun, at least. So how have you two been?” Hermione took another sip of her drink.
“Oh, it’s been really great getting to spend time together again. It’s usually so hard with her in America and me here, but when Chels heard that her old school was coming, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I think that-” But Sirius was interrupted by a sudden outburst from Chelsea.
“VICKI!”
Vicki looked startled for a moment, then turned around to see the source of the noise waving excitedly at her.
“Oh, my gosh, Chelsea! Wow, it’s so great to see you, dear. You look simply fabulous! Is that one of Madam Malkins creations? Sirius! You better make sure she doesn’t drink too much Butterbeer, it might be a little strong for her and Hermione, I have absolutely great news! You’re going to completely flip. Okay, Hogwarts, A History is coming out with a new edition in January and I’ve ordered it specially! A completely updated version!” She said all this very fast while dragging Christopher to sit down with them and adjusting her sunglasses.
“Um, Hermione thanks for the warning, but I think it’s a little late for that.” Sirius looked doubtfully at Chelsea as she took another drink of her water and hiccuped again.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I just took a few more than I could handle, but I must put you in touch with Madam Malkins. She has a whole new line- hiccup- out that you would love. Chelsea steadied herself by holding on to the table.
“A new edition of Hogwarts, a History? That’s great! Do you think the library will get it? I’ve memorized the old one by now, and it’s not much use to me.”
“Oh, no need to worry, you can borrow my copy. Christopher, may I get something to drink?” Her date whisks away in search of Butterbeer. Vicki turns her attention back to the table and leans in conspiratorially. “Is it just me, or is there something up with Harry?” She nods off in the direction of a crowd of girls around him at the drink’s table.
“I’ve been thinking that same thing! Right before Sirius walked up, he was halfway to getting a drink for his date and this mob of girls bombards him. It’s just so weird. Of course, girls like him, normally, but this is completely out of hand.” Hermione looks in the direction Vicki had pointed again and shakes her head. “It’s just so bizarre. I don’t know what’s up with him. He looks the same, as he’s always looked.”
“Maybe, he had too much to drink,” Chelsea added hopefully.
“I don’t think that’s what’s drawing all those girls to him, Chels. It’s like he’s a magnet for them. Now, when I was his age they all wanted me, but not in such large numbers. I want to help the poor kid out, he looks so helpless.” Sirius watches, as a burly 7th year girl demands Harry to dance with her. “That one, who just asked him looks like she’ll beat him to a pulp if he says no.”
But Vicki isn’t listening now. She’s staring at two red-haired twins rolling over in their seats, guffawing, watching Harry as well. “Oh, I think I might know who caused this,” She muttered under her breath.
---
Harry’s POV:
How in the world am I supposed to get all these girls away from me? I took two steps away from Anna, and they attack! Harry looked around desperately for an escape. He saw Lupin, but he was talking to another professor. He saw Christopher, but he really didn’t know him that well. Come on, just anyone. Harry was just pondering whether it would be worse to have a conversation with Colin Creevey or face the crowd of girls when he was tapped on the shoulder. He jumped and turned around.
“Bloody hell, Anna, you scared me.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Harry. It’s just that I was waiting for a long time and I was just coming to check on you.” Anna looks apologetically at him.
“It’s okay, really. Look, there’s something really, really weird going on. Would it be all right if we went outside? I need to talk to you.” Without waiting for an answer, Harry took her hand and led her out on to the grounds.
---
"Harry! What is going on?! Can you please at least tell me that before dragging me all around campus and bruising my wrist?!" Cass yelled up to Harry who was dashing through the throngs of dancing students and random girls throwing themselves at him.
Harry only turned his head around without slowing down or loosening the grip on her wrist. He didnt want to hurt her, yet he didnt want to lose her or have any jealous girl tear away at her and have her trampled to the floor.
Once they were out in the front hall, were only a few couples were dashed here and there, obviously all searching for a secret quiet spot, he let go of her arm yet kept the pace up.
"Anna I am extremly sorry.....I just........I" he looked back and saw that she was standing at the same spot he let her go at. "Anna, I am really sorry please just follow me out here so maybe we can make some sense of this. Please forgive me about dragging you and pulling you away from there."
Anna could tell he was honestly sincere about not knowing what was going on and that he was sorry, but she liked that she could toy with his emotions. "Harry, it is okay. I was just scared and a tad alarmed." She kept rubbing where he had grabbed her wrist, although it didnt hurt anymore.
"I didnt mean to hold you that tight i just didnt want you to get lost in the mob of people. Sorry, here." Harry walked over to her and gently took her wrist in his arm and gently massaged it. Anna's cheeks turned bright red as he looked up into her eyes.
"Would you like to talk a walk outside with me?" Anna couldnt muster up any words so instead she just nodded her head and began to walk by Harry's side.
---
Vicki's POV
"Vicki darling, here is your drink." Christopher came up behind her and handed her a glass of butterbeer. As soon as the glass came into Chelsea's view her eyes lit up and Chris moved closer to Vicki not sure what to do.
"Chels! I think we had better take a fresh breath of fresh air. Excuse us." Sirius took her in the crook of her elbow and escorted her stumbling self out of the great hall.
"Seems like someone is going to have a rough morning tomorrow. Hopefully this is only your first." He winked at Vicki and gave her the glass.
She winked back at him and replied, "Actually it is my second but i assure you i will be just fine unless you would like me to lose all control?!" He grinned a dazzling smile that made Vicki's knees grow weak.
"Ahem!!" The couple's heads turned quickly right before they went in for a kiss and saw Hermione sitting there looking all too bored and disgusted. "Pardon me but I must depart. Not like you will be missing me. Vicki please remember to bring me that book." With that Hermione stalked off with a swish of her long brown hair towards the Weasley table.
Vicki glanced over at the table and was once reminded of her early assumption. This time it was confirmed who was responsible for Harry's sudden allure to the opposite sex. The two Weasley twins were re-enacting the whole scene. George was sitting eyes wide and horrorstruck while Fred was fanning himself and swooning all over. The entire table was busting out laughing.
"Some one has to stop those two from reaking havoc on the entire school! Thank God we are in Ravenclaw or we would have had to deal with this ourselves and not just friends!"
"Please tell me you arent going to go into your spy mode and get to the bottom of this?" Chris arched his one eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously. "Promise me?"
"Me?! Snooping around?! Spying?!" She faked a small laugh, flung her arms around him and finished with, "Never!"
---
Amanda and Remus walked among the edge of the beautiful lake on the Hogwarts grounds. "Beautiful moon tonight," she commented, looking at its reflection on the water. "Can't be more than a week until the blue moon."
"6 days." Remus sighed. Something in his voice sounded odd- it triggered a memory. The way he said it, as if with dread, reminded her of someone.
"Counting down, are you?"
He didn't answer, but instead turned the conversation onto a topic Amanda could only assume he felt safer on, their families. "So, you have a family back in America?"
"No, not really. They're all here. My daughter is a second-year."
The last sentence prompted a sort of dissapointed look in Remus's prematurely aged face. "Does her father work at Salem as well?"
"He did before he died." She smiled weakly. "He was one of the original testers of the Wolfsbane Potion. They acciedently poisoned him on one of their first human trials."
"I'm so sorry..." Sad though he was for Amanda's husband's death, he was glad to hear that she referred to him, a werewolf, as human. Two people caught his eye coming out onto the grounds.
"Who are you waving at?" Amanda turned to see a black-haired boy accompany Anna out onto the grass. A small horde of girls was following them.
"That's Harry- my best friend's godson." Walking on almost the other side of the lake from Harry and Anna, Remus's wave went unnoticed. "Oh no...look at those girls. Wait..." He squinted at the large doors of the entrance hall, a small beam of light emerging from them indicating that someone was still in the threshold. "George and Fred Weasley. What did they do this time?"
"I think the herd following Harry is a good guess. Come on let's go rescue him."
Laughing they walked slightly faster than their previous stroll to where Harry was constantly looking over his shoulder at the giggling girls behind him.
---
“Harry,” Anna said slowly, “What is going on?”
“Err,” Harry replied as he ran out of the school, dragging Anna behind him.
---
Remus and Amanda looked across the grass.
“Maybe the girls just like him!” Amanda suggested to Remus.
“I’m starting to doubt that.”
Remus crossed the space between him and Harry quickly, Amanda close behind.
“Thank god!” Harry said breathlessly, “Would you do something about these girls? They won’t leave Anna and I alone!”
“Girls,” Remus addressed the girls, “All of you are supposed to be inside it’s the, ummmm, official Hogwarts dance!” he finished lamely.
The girls continued their attempt to get closer to Harry.
“Girls, as a Wizard, and once a teacher, I am going to order you to go inside!”
The girls didn’t budge.
“Harry,” Amanda whispered in Harry’s ear, “Run!”
So Harry grabbed Anna’s hand and ran.
Fred and George looked on the scene happily.
“Ha! That must have been one of our best tricks yet!” said Fred, shaking George’s hand.
“It must have been, but it’s not over yet!” proclaimed George happily.
Both boys turned around to see a girl in front of them with blonde hair and big blue green eyes.
“Annnnnnnnie! It was just a bit of fun….” Fred cried.
“At Harry and Anna’s expense. Give the reversal liquid to Harry now. Or else.”
Neither asked what else.
“Go, NOW!”
The twins went slowly over to the crowd that had backed Harry and Anna into a corner, dragging their feet. They pushed their way in, and handed Harry the vial of liquid.
“Drink it!” George yelled.
Harry gulped down the drink, and all of a sudden the girl’s yelling stopped. Most of the girls scratched their heads, wondering what had happened, and then went away.
Anna rolled her eyes, “Finally, shall we go back to?”
“Yeah,” Harry replied, “Let me just fix my glasses.”
Anna looked around curiously. Then all of a sudden she saw a figure.
“Annie!” she yelled running towards the figure, “I wondered when you’d get here!”
---
Harry's POV
Harry heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was all over now. No more girls would come running up to him. Harry turned towards Anna while she talked to her friend Annie. "You want to go and sit down now?"
"Yeah, that will be fine." They all seated themselves at a table nearby. It was finally such a relaxed atmosphere.
"So, are you guys having fun tonight? It must be so different for you. Dumbledore really-" But Harry was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with a 6th year Hufflepuff he did not know well.
"Um, Harry sorry to bother you, but um.. would you like to dance?" The boy looked completely perplexed after this question and scratched his head confusedly.
"Look, if this is this some sick joke of Fred and George's just bug off right now." Harry waved to try to make the boy go away, but he stood his place and another boy looking only slightly more confident came up to Harry.
"Harry, chap, care to dance?"
Harry stared, shocked and looked to Anna who had no answer for this and was shaking her head with wide eyes. Annie looked purely dumbfounded. He pretended not to hear either of the boy’s queries and tried to continue a conversation with the two girls.
"Yeah, Dumbledore really cleaned this place up for-"
"Dance with me?"
"No, he's going to dance with me?"
A series of guys came up to Harry asking him to dance with them all looking completely confused while asking. Harry forgot to even bring Anna and her friend with him this time and fled out the Great Hall and up the giant marble staircase.
---
Bridget's POV
Bridget couldn't believe her eyes. Had a guy just asked Harry Potter out? That can't be right. She didn't know him that well, but she had seen him around with some girl all evening. Bridget was sitting at a table idling stirring her drink while Charlie Weasley and Oliver were engrossed in quidditch talk.
"Bridget! I haven't seen you all evening. How have you been, dear?" Brittany joined her at the table and Bridget came out of her deep thought.
"Oh, I'm just fine Britt. Same 'ol, same 'ol, really. I saw you come in earlier on dragon back, that must have been something!"
"It wasn't that big of a deal," Brittany tried to shrug it off modestly. "Did you hear about Harry?"
"Harry, Harry Potter? What about him?" Bridget was startled by this sudden connection with her thoughts.
"Well, don't say you heard it from me, but I was just talking to Cass who was talking Vicki who was talking to Annie and it seems Fred and George played some sort of trick on him so that all these girls kept on coming up to him. They finally gave him something for it,
though."
"Is that so? Hmm... interesting." Bridget tried to make sense of all this for a moment.
"You don't seem that surprised by it, Bridget. Anything up?" Brittany looked questioningly at her friend.
"It's just that... well... I mean... Okay, it's just that I just saw Harry over there," She gestures to some tables, "And, he's being asked out by a lot of people, but…"
"But? What do you mean, "but"? Fred and George gave him the antidote, he's fine now. No one should be asking him."
"Well, a lot of guys seem to be asking him to dance now. I'm sure it's nothing serious, though." Bridget looked away quickly.
"He's being asked ou
The ginger coloured cat yawned, it was a great day, the sun was shining through the girls dorm windows, the snow outside reflected the bright sunlight and Crookshanks decided to jump onto the cozy "big" bed like he does everyday. Yet, before he could even make it half way in the air he was frozen. Literally, he was frozen in the air, during midjump. He looked around frightenly, seeing the source of his 'magical' stop. Hermione quickly walks over with one hand in her hair and another holding her wand.
"Today, Crookshanks, you dont' get to share my bed. I've got to get ready, so you stay down on the floor okay?" she said gently replacing her furry friend back on the floor. "Go, shoo" she gesture. Crookshanks, now unfrozen shook his fur with annoyance and bounced off to find some better source of entertainment.
Hermione watched with a small smile as her 3 year friend walk out of her room. She shook her head and got back to getting her hair ready. It was going to be a long 3 hours if she wants her fuzzy head of hair to be the excate way she wants it.
On the other side of dorm tower of Gryffindor Harry Potter was just waking up with his best friend Ron at his side tearing about presents they recieved for Christmas.
---
Harry POV
“Arghh!” Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison. It had come as quite a surprise to say the least. One minute happily opening presents, and the next-SPLAT! Harry kicked himself for not knowing better when he first spotted the wrapping, a shocking green with loud pink and orange spots, and the embossed ‘WWW’ on the sticker. Yes, Fred and George Weasley were probably having a great laugh imagining Harry and Ron covered in what appeared to be Stinksap cleverly hidden in the end of the new quills they had sent. Harry picked up the note that had fallen out of Ron’s package.
Happy Christmas little bro and Harry!
Hope you two are enjoying our latest little brainchild! Haha. Now don’t look like that Ronnie-kins, it’s just Stinksap, it’ll wash off. Brilliant, eh? Neville turned us on to it after that plant of his blew up in the common room last year. Business has been booming, and mum’s just about stopped steaming. Thought you might like to try another little doozy in the making as well-let us know how it work, eh?
Your favorite brothers,
Gred and Forge
Harry noticed it for the first time in the bottom of the package. He eyed the colorful pink bottle labeled “WWW Hair Potion Number 9 for men-Great for parties!” suspiciously and shoved it under the bed to examine later-he had quite enough hair problems to be going on with thank you.
“Bloody Fred and George…bloody brothers, well I’ve had enough….” Harry jumped slightly as Ron came grumbling back from the toilet, a towel soaked in Stinksap in hand.
He caught the clean towel Ron tossed him and tried to clean up a bit. As if this wasn’t going be a crummy week already. “It's tonight, only a few more hours,” Harry reported glumly and Ron groaned. Both turned to look at the notice pinned to the boy’s dormitory door. They had procrastinated long enough. There would be a Yule Ball this evening and they would be going whether they liked it or not and with or without dates.
---
Thirty minutes later (including showers for Ron and Harry) the boys met Hermione in the common room.
"Happy Christmas!" she said brightly to the boys.
"Happy Christmas!" they responded.
"Have a good time opening your presents?" she asked, smiling.
"Oh the greatest," said Ron sarcastically, who then launched into the story of the present from Fred and George. By the time he finished Hermione was holding her side, laughing so hard form the mental images she was getting.
"I'm sorry I missed it," she said, when she was able to talk.
"We are too," added Harry, before suggesting they get breakfast, trying to change the topic.
The Great Hall was beautiful as always at Christmas time and this year it seemed to radiate even more beautiful this year. They ate quickly and then grabbed their winter cloaks and accessories and headed outside for a good, old fashioned, snowball fight. Running in three different directions, each quickly started to form their own snowball pile.
Ron, who was crouched down and putting the finishing touches on a great snowball, suddenly felt something cold hit the back of his head. The shock of being hit made him fall on his snowball he was making. Looking he up, he saw Harry grin and run in another direction.
"I'll get you Harry!"
Getting he up, he grapped another snowball and chased after Harry. He found him behind a tree and slammed snow in his black hair, then retreating. Harry, after wiping snow from his glasses, looked up and saw Hermione giggling at him.
"You think that's funny do you?" he asked her.
Hermione just smiled and started to run. Harry grabbed a snowball and ran after her. After a minute of chasing, Hermione finally slipped and fell to the ground. Harry, trailing right behind her, fell beside her. He then wordlessly put the snow in her hair before getting up.
"Harry!" she yelled, getting up.
Harry just grinned and went running in the other direction.
---
“HARRY! Come back here you ….you…” Hermione sat there in the middle of the battlefield unarmed and laughing hysterically.
“Can’t think of anything can you?” Harry winked at her as he molded another snowball in his right hand as he reached for his wand with his left.
Trying and failing to regain her posture, Hermione stood up tall and stumbled over her words, “No! I can think of numerous things to call you but …. It is just……fine….if you want name calling then..”
“Flyzot Leviosa!” Before Hermione could grab her wand to protect herself, a snowball came hurtling at her as Harry ducked behind a massive pile of snow. The snowball hit her smack dab on her forehead sending her hurtling back towards the ground in a heap of robes.
“Touche Harry, touché!” Ron stopped building his enormous snowball which would have come up to Hagrids beard if he had been present.
“ACK! Harry, you really did it this time! You are going to pay for this you blast-ended skwert!” Once Hermione had wiped all the snow from her face, her eyes quickly scanned the courtyard for Harry but he was out of sight. No one was in sight except three first years looking warily while trying to stifle giggles. “Where are you?”
Ron turned his attention back to his giant snowball which kept growing and growing while Hermione grabbed two snowballs in each hand and went off looking for the missing Harry. Meanwhile Harry slinked around the courtyard hiding behind trees and the stone columns supporting the covered walkways.
“Harry?! Seriously Harry show your self!” Hermione kept a watch over her back waiting for him to pop up any moment but he didn’t. “Harry?!” Finally she caught a flash of his robes duck behind Ron’s massive snowball which could now hide even Hagrid from sight. A mischievous smirk wound its way on her face as she surreptisosly tip-toed up to the two of them.
Without warning Harry jumped up and threw a snowball right into her face once again and before she could slam him with her two, he darted off down the hill that lead to the frozen lake below.
“Ugh! Harry!” Trying to hide her obvious glee at having to chase Harry, she glared at Ron and broke into a mad dash to Harry whose laughter tore through the walls of the courtyard.
---
Breathless from the frosty air and running all this way, Hermione found herself in the middle of an empty courtyard yet again. It was eerily quiet, ‘Much too quiet’, she thought to herself. The wind even seemed to have stopped blowing over the frozen lake and grounds.
“Harry?” she called hesitantly. “Harry, come out. It’s cold, we should head back i-eeek!” Hermione fell to the snow with a soft thud and a barely audible “ouf!” through her layers of clothing.
“Hehe, sorry Hermione didn’t see you there,” said Harry, helping her to her feet and flicking a bit of the snowball out of her hair with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes despite his sincere face.
“Harry Potter! That was not funny!” she said, trying to stay mad at him. It was no use she thought, rolling her eyes.
“C’mon you prat, Ron’s probably already left for dinner!”
“He better not eat all the pudding again,” he said with a slightly disgruntled that made her chuckle at her friend.
---
As they walked up to the of the Castle thoroughly frozen from the snow ball fight, they saw Ron ahead, but he wasn’t going in. He was pacing the stone steps and running his hands through his hair; Harry figured he must have been at it for a while because his hair looked no better than his now!
As they walked closer, they could hear Ron muttering to himself incoherently, he was facing away from them now and still hadn’t seen them.
“…Yule Ball…bloody dances, how they bloody hell’s a bloke to….Would you like to…..no…so are you going to the dance?-damn it, Hermione!”
Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at this, but felt his gut drop at the thought that he had to go too and he still hadn’t bothered to find a date. Hermione shot him a questioning and worried look; she obviously hadn’t heard what Harry had.
“You go on, I’m gonna take a shower and Ron and I will meet up with you at dinner, alright?
“Well, alright I guess.” Hermione replied, shooting another worried glance at Ron.
Harry pounded his feet on the stone stairs, making Ron jump and blush slightly. “Well, we’ve won the battle, mate,” he said with a pat on the back, he would just pretend he hadn’t heard. Ron grinned slightly at that, but he only succeeded in looking slightly maniacal with hair sticking up and a desperate glint in his eye.
“So,” Harry started carefully as they walked up to their dorms. “Thought any about who you’re going to ask to this Ball?”
“Umm, well you know, I’m just erm…waiting to decide who I want to go with,” he finished lamely. Harry just rolled his eyes and said, “Suuuuuuuuuure.” He jogged up the stairs a bit ahead of Ron, who had just stopped in his tracks.
“Oi! Wait a minute, what’s that supposed to mean?!” He said running to catch to up.
Harry didn’t have a chance to reply before they were overcome by the smell of too many different colognes and the nervous hum of 6th year boys talking about the night to come.
____________________________________________________________
“Damn it, Seamus!” Harry shouted from one of the shower stalls in the loo. Once again, his roommate had used his shampoo and all but a drop! He wrapped a towel round himself and walked back out into the loo doorway and started to ask to borrow some.
“Sorry Harry! Big night you know, here you've got more, just use this stuff,” he tossed the pink bottle of “WWW’s Hair Potion Number 9” to Harry without looking and went back to getting ready for his ‘date’. Harry just rolled his eyes and went back to the shower.
The first thing he noticed when he opened the bottle to use it was the smell. There was a blast of fruity-flowery perfume that went as quickly as it came, and Harry could’ve sworn he had seen a strange pinkish light. He sniffed the bottle gingerly and didn’t smell anything strange anymore and attributed the light to his imagination and lack of food.
‘May as well,’ Harry and thought, ‘It’s not like there’s anything else, thanks to someone….” and finished his shower without anymore bursts of color or florid smells.
---
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad, considering it took her two hours of constant reapplying Sleak-Eazy's Magical Hair Potion to get her hair looking this good. Her usually curly locks were now straightened and twisted up into a knot at the back of her head. She finished her make-up and went down the staircase to meet up with Ginny.
“Where’s Harry and Ron?” Hermione ventured, seeing neither in the Gryffindor common room.
“No idea. Let’s go early and see who these ‘special guests’ are Dumbledore keeps on hinting are coming.”
Hermione is still skeptical because usually it’s the guys who are waiting for them, but with Ginny’s urging she goes, anyway.
“I think it’s pretty pitiful how we both don’t have dates,” Ginny says regrettingly. “I feel like I might as well have said ‘yes’ to Neville. Just after the last Yule Ball, I didn’t think my feet could take any more pain!”
“We still have each other. Plus, the special guests, just might be some guys looking for a date” Hermione winks at her companion.
“You just keep telling yourself that, Hermione.” Ginny rolls her eyes exasperatedly.
---
Cho slowly turns around to look at her roommate. Vicki looks amazing, as always. She’s wearing the new Marc Jacobs dress that she ordered out of a Muggle catalog. Her curly, blonde hair is falling lightly on her shoulders framing her face and her signature sunglasses. Cho never did figure out why Vicki always wears sunglasses, but oh well, it fits her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to borrow anything of mine to wear tonight?” Vicki inquires gesturing at her immense wardrobe full of clothes of all styles.
“Of course, not. I look fine,” Cho snaps back, looking resentfully at the dull gray robes that hung about her shoulders. “Michael used to say I looked good in gray,” she started to whimper.
“Now, Cho, dear, haven’t we been over this a million times? You broke up three months ago, for goodness sakes! Stop moping already!” Vicki replied while applying her mascara. “It’s not the end of the world. There are other fish in the sea.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re going with the captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team. I have no one. Not Michael. Not Harry. Not C-Cedric.” Cho gulped back tears. She couldn’t cry again, not now. It had only been an hour since her last breakdown.
“Well, you still have quidditch to play, don’t you? Don’t keep on reliving the past, Cho. How many times do I have to tell you? It’s only bringing you down. Think positive. Did you read that book I gave you for Christmas, yet?”
Cho simply glared at her. She could fill Hogwart’s library with all the books Vicki gave her. She reads even more than Harry’s “friend” Hermione. And now she’s asking if she's read the massive book she gave this morning? "I was dropped from the quidditch team last week. They said I needed to shape up." Cho added mournfully.
“Oh, dear. I'm so sorry! You poor thing. Well,” Vicki plowed on, oblivious to Cho’s reproachful stares, “I thought The Power of Positive Thinking would simply be a life-changing book for you. What a pity. Now anyways, if you aren’t going to borrow any of my robes, will you at least borrow a pair of my shoes?”
“It’s not like I’m going to have much of a choice this time.” Cho answered jealously eyeing Vicki’s mountain of shoes in her wardrobe.
“Okay, well, I was thinking these black ones would look perfectly, beautiful on you!” She responded brightly holding up a pair of dark, strappy, heels.
“Oh fine!” Cho grabbed the heels quickly and jammed them onto her feet. “Let’s just get this ball over, already!”
---
“Stop smirking will you and keep looking through that book!” Harry snapped at Ron who made an attempt at looking serious but failed miserably.
“I really am sorry Harry but…..but your hair is still a little pink.” He breaks into another round of laughter but stops when Harry quickly glares his way. “But I am sure it will be gone by the time the ball starts. I mean every five minutes it gets a lighter shade. See! Now it’s a pretty shade of rose, hey, maybe you can find a girl who has a rose robe. What a perfect match that will be!”
“Ron! Enough, what do you think Malfoy and his goons will have to say about this?! I can’t go out there tonight, I will look like a bloody fool!” Harry spat out as he continued flipping through a giant volume of Countercurses and Other Helpful Spells in a Dire Situation.
“A very stylish fool at that,” Ron chuckled. “Harry! Your hair…you might want to look.”
Harry looked up to see that his hair had returned to its normal jet black and smiled contentedly at the mirror.
“Finally we can go. I bet Ginny is impatiently tapping the heel of her boot waiting for us.” Harry snapped shut the book, shoved it in his backpack, and headed out the door.
“I don’t even want to think about what Hermione will say to us.” Ron squishes up his face and then in his best Hermione voice says, “You two always complain that I am late, but look at you two! And your robes are all a mess! Ron fix your hair its atrocious!”
The two boys s******ed at this dead on impersonation and continued towards the Gryffindor common room.
---
“Vicki must you walk soo fast! I can barely walk in these heels you insisted I wear let alone speed walk. I keep tripping on my robes and its no use. Why am I even coming tonight?! Chelsea and you both have your boyfriends to snuggle and coo coo with all night long. I wish Dumbledore never agreed letting Sirius come tonight that way I would at least have someone to be bored with.” Cho tripped once again over her long flowing emerald green robe. Vicki had also insisted she wear it because it matched her eyes perfectly and her black hair fell beautifully against the silk.
“Hush now! You should be happy for Chels. She never gets to see him anymore. And the reason why I am practically running is because Christopher said he would meet at the bottom of the main stairwell. He said the common room would be “amuck” with all the third years fussing over each other. Which I quite agree with.”
The pair arrived at the main stairwell, Cho tripping on her robe once more almost hurdling down the marble steps. Thankfully Vicki grabbed the back of her robe before she could take the long tumble.
“Ack! My glasses fell!” Vicki let Cho free forgetting that she had been suspended mind fall to grab her precious sunglasses. "I hope they didnt break! I love it when Chris takes them off for me!"
“VICKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!” Cho managed a jumbled cry before tumbling down and down the massive steps before landing at the bottom in a heap.
“Oh! Cho, I am dreadfully sorry!” She races down the stairs after grabbing her glasses to Cho’s aid who is now bent over laughing and crying at the same time.
“No, its okay.Honestly though, it is okay. It made me laugh which i need desperatly now. No broken bones or anything but now my dress is all wrinkly and who knows about rips or tears.” Cho sniffs back tears.
“No problem. Stand up and,” Cho stands up and Vicki pulls out her wand. “Ironata. See good as new.”
Cho begins to speak but then both girls here something coming from around the corner. Vicki puts her finger towards her mouth. “Shhhh. Come here.”
Cho begins to protest but then she just looks upward shakes her head then follows her to the edge of the wall. Peering to the other side they see Chels and Sirius at the main door. Cho began to giggle at seeing them and even Vicki broke her serious spy mode.
---
Harry and Ron made their way up to the common room without seeing a single person through the halls. “They all must be using five million pounds of Sleak-Eazy,” Ron muttered under his breath and then laughing at his own comment towards his good friend.
When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry gave her the password( Butter me beautiful) and they both crawled in. Immediately ten girls, whom Harry had never met, came charging towards Harry with adoring glances.
“Harry! You must dance with me tonight! Promise me, Please?!” A girl with long red hair called out to him from the back of the mob.
The rest of the girls, none he recognized kept calling out as well, “No me Harry! Please pick me! No he is mine! You look great in those robes Harry. Yes doesn’t he? He always looks great in black.”
“No! Harry is going to dance with me tonight! Right Harry? I always did like you, you know that?” Harry then noticed Lavender Brown inches away from him gently tousling his hair.
Harry could barely breathe but could hear Ron laughing hysterically on the other side of the barricade of girls.
---
Suddenly, from the back of the group of screaming girls came a quietly sexy girl in black. Harry couldn’t help noticing htat she was sort of short, but had a dazzling smile. Her velvet black robes complimented her flowing, brown hair. Her makeup was perfectly done. She lifted her chin and smiled at Harry. His cheeks started to blush.
“Excuse me,” she said. She pushed past him and left the common room. Harry’s heart fell. She hadn’t wanted to ask him. Oh well, he thought.
“Oi! Lavender?” he said embarrassedly. “I’ll take you.” She jumped forward and snatched his arm, neatly looping hers around his. Then, Harry’s new date steered him out of the common room, quickly leaving the Fat Lady behind.
Ginny and Hermione were nowhere to be seen, but Lavender hadn’t paused anyway so it didn’t matter. Harry was still thinking about the girl in black. He wasn’t paying attention. He was brought quickly back to reality when he almost tripped on his own date. Lavender looked slightly put out, but she only narrowed her eyes at him and tightened her grip.
Soon, the two had entered the rapidly filling hall. Harry glanced around for Ron, Ginny, Hermione and the girl in black. He could see Ginny and Hermione in a corner of the room, but Ron was apparently not around.
---
Ron was rushing back to the great hall.
"How could I forget to put on a sock?" he muttered to himself, slapping his head as he sprinted through the hallways. He was kind of nervous about the dance, but he had no idea he was this nervous.
Looking back he was sure he would find this funny, but right now, he was just a little agitated and embarassed. But just as he turned the corner, he felt himself hit something. He then fell down to the ground.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," came a muffled response as a girl with medium length brown hair and dark brown eyes said as she slowly rose from the ground.
"No, I'm sorry. I really should watch where I'm going," he responded, getting up quickly. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine; nothing that I ever haven't felt before," she joked. "Hi, I'm Cass."
"I'm Ron," he said, shaking her hand. "I haven't ever seen you around here. What house are you in?"
"Oh, I'm not from here. I'm here with the other students for this Yule Ball that our school was invited to. I was actually just on my way to try and find the Great Hall. I was a little late fixing my hair and I got behind. You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?"
"I was actually just on my way there right now. It's actually just right there," he said pointing to the doors down the hall.
"Thank you so much. I thought I'd never find it. I guess I should get going. My friends are probably waiting for me," she said.
"Yeah, mine too," he added quickly.
"I'll see around though," Cass added smiling, before heading quickly the hall.
"I guess so," he whispered to himself, before hurrying inside as while.
---
Ron POV
“Oi! Ron over here! Harry hissed.
Ron finally found his way through the crowded Hall to Harry, Ginny, and Hermione who were already seated around one of many smaller circular tables set up in place of the usual House tables.
“Hey, guess who I just met?” He elbowed Harry, looking over at the tables of exchange students all sitting in close proximity to one another and looking a bit lost. Some gazed in wonder at the enchanted ceiling which currently showed a purple sky casting a wine-like glow over the Hall and its occupants, the sun had nearly set.
“Who?” He whispered. The hall was growing quieter as all eyes turned toward a standing Dumbledore.
“One of the exchange students-I bumped into her on the way back here an-”
“Where’d you go anyways?
Ron blushed slightly, “I forgot a sock and had to go all the way-wait, nevermind, that’s not important-” Harry was giving him quite a strange look.
“This girl, her name was Cass-”
“Shhhh!”
“Will you be quiet?!” He hissed.
“You!” Hermione shot him a stern look and turned her attention back to Dumbledore’s speech, welcoming the American school again. Harry looked warily between the two and mouthed, “Just tell me later.” Ron nodded while glaring at Hermione’s turned head, peeved that he could not tell of the intriguing girl he’d just run into.
“Oh, hey, Fred and George got here earlier too, while you were gone. They’re sitting in the back corner over there,” Harry pointed. “I think Charlie’s around here somewhere, too.” Ron looked and saw the twins sitting at a table with Angelina and Katie. They waved and started to call out, but both girls clapped their hands over their mouths just in time. The twins just shrugged and tried to look innocent, which of course, never worked. Ron settled on turning back around before they all got into trouble.
“And now, since most of your interests seem to be waning, let’s eat!” Dumbledore said with an amused glance toward their table and finished his speech with a clap at which menus appeared at every table.
The menus turned out to be much like the ones from 4th year, they had only to call out the name of the dish they wanted and it appeared instantly at their tables.
After eating his weight in pork chops and deserts, Ron and Harry strolled over to Fred and George’s table to talk and saw Sirius talking with Remus a few tables away. Harry excused himself and walked off to see them after saying his ‘Hello’s to the four of them.
“So, Ron, met any interesting American girls yet?” Fred asked with an impish grin. Ron could feel his ears turning red against all his will, when he was reminded of the girl named Cass.
“Oooooo, ickle Ronnie-kins has himself a girlfriend!” George mocked. Angelina slapped his arm and told him to stop teasing him.
“I have not!” Ron retorted hotly.
“Aww, poor Ronnie, none of the new girls like him? Fred bated him, changing tactics. Ron was just about to reply, his temper rising, when Harry grabbed his arm and said, “C’mon, let’s see what’s going on.” It was only then that Ron noticed the throng of students gathering at the doors and peering into the night sky.
Harry POV
Harry, satisfied that Ron wasn’t about to start an all out brawl with Fred and George, looked back into the sky as well.
“Look! Over there!” shouted a first year. Harry’s head snapped in the direction that the boy was pointing and soon everyone was staring and pointing and murmuring about this unidentified flying object. He chuckled to himself slightly at his own joke, but his attention was caught again by the object, moving ever closer to them. Suddenly a giant orange streak erupted in the sky and the crowd went crazy, some backing away scared and some jumping up to get a better look. “What is it?” he heard someone shout from behind him.
“I think I have a very good idea what it is,” Harry muttered smiling, and looked over at Ron who was also grinning. Ginny, Hermione, Fred, and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd where they were standing, the six of them the only ones privy to what would soon be landing on the front lawn of Hogwarts.
Brittany POV
It was magical-to say the least. At first she had been afraid, heights were never her cup of tea, but this was different. She wasn’t frightened, she was exhilarated-she was riding atop a remarkable Norwegian Ridgeback, its wings moving up and down in fluid, calming motions. ‘And with one fine-looking man, I must say,’ she thought to herself with a smile as Charlie Weasley turned around beside her and said with a grin, “Ready?” She nodded.
She patted her hair self-consciously, though she had cast wind repellant and protective charms around their harness to keep her hair, sandy-blonde and flowing down a little ways past her shoulders in big loose curls, from being blown to smithereens. Her shimmering, burgundy gown-spaghetti strapped and laced in the back-was also protected from any wayward flying birds. She shuddered at the thought.
They landed and rode down on Charlie’s broom to greet the headmaster and group of students waiting at the entrance for them. An old man she assumed to be the headmaster stepped forward to greet Charlie and shake his hand.
“Ahh, and who might your guest be, Mr. Weasley?” He smiled in her direction. She was usually a bit shy, but his eyes put her to rest immediately-there was a strange, but comforting sparkle to them.
“This is my date, Brittany,” Charlie replied, giving her a warm smile. “Britt, this is Professor Dumbledore.” She stepped foward and shook his hand, “It’s a pleasure, sir.”
“Welcome to Hogwarts, Brittany,” he said guiding the group back inside, “Now, let us return to the dance at hand."
---
Harry wandered aimlessly around the Great Hall, in search of something to do. Hermione was talking with Ron and Ginny, but Harry didn’t feel like joining the conversation. He walked past Cho, who was moping in the corner with a girl named Vikki who Harry didn’t have any classes with. Vikki winked at him and went back to talking to her poor friend. Harry blushed but felt sorry for Cho. However, it was not going to happen between them.
After several minutes, Harry realized that he was wandering in circles around the inside of the Great Hall. Stopping in his tracks, he quickly moved to a table and sat down. He scanned the room for Lavender. She was getting a drink and flirting with a male exchange student.
Suddenly, a side door opened on the other side of the Hall. The girl in black swept in, followed by Malfoy. He seemed to be angry with her. He was waving his arms and gesturing violently. The girl was replying with equal anger and had her arms folded across her chest. Malfoy suddenly made a rude gesture but the girl covered his hand. She leaned in and rested her forehead on his, talking quickly. Malfoy lowered his hand and smiled. He said something, gave the girl a quick hug, and walked away toward his girlfriend.
The girl rolled her eyes and went the other way. Harry felt very confused.
---
Harry couldn’t get the girl in the black velvet dress out of his mind. Who was she? She was in the Gryffindor common room earlier but he had never seen her before? Why was she talking to Malfoy and even more puzzling why was he letting her yell at him like that? And what were they discussing? Harry knowing all too well that Malfoy will never back down without a fight.
“Harry! Come here, Charlie came!” Ron came scurrying over towards Harry whose eyes were still fixed on the Hall door where the pair had been just seconds ago.
Ron squeezed his way through the crowd of dancers and tables leading Harry to where the whole entire Weasley family sat. Harry had to stifle a small laugh because of how alike they all looked standing together in a group. It looked as though Hermione was teaching Ginny how to levitate a glass of punch across the table. On the other side of the table sat the entire Weasley family except Bill.
“Hello Harry. How have you been? You haven’t been chasing after dragons have you?” Charlie stood up to shake Harry’s hand.
“No, and I am good. How have you been?” Harry then noticed the tall blonde standing next to Charlie. She quickly looked downward then at Charlie.
“Oh forgive me Harry. This is Brittany. She works with me up in Translyvania. Although she isn’t much of a dragon lover.” She shot him a wary look as he winked at her.
“I am too much of a “dragon lover”, I do they are marvelous creatures. It is just that I would rather apparate or take the train in.” She shot him another glance before turning back to Harry. “I am sorry for him. Of course you are used to him by now, nice to meet you. I have heard soo much about you.” She offered him her hand and he shook it.
“Um, thanks I guess.” Harry was wondering if Charlie had told her or just the basic knowledge of the wizardry world when someone tapped him on the back. He was hoping the girl in the black velvet robes, instead he got Vicki obviously agitated yet trying to conceal it.
“Excuse me, Harry. Can I please speak with you?” She asked while peering through her glasses. It always puzzled him, and almost everyone in school, why she insisted on wearing her glasses all the time. If anyone were to ask her she would simply reply, “Why not? They make me happy. Plus I have bewitched them so that on the outside they are red, but I see perfectly fine.”
“Sure.” He nodded towards the Weasleys and Brittany and followed Vicki to the next table over where she had headed. Harry didn’t know whether to be nervous about Vicki or Cho. He didn’t even know what to expect from this conversation.
“I know we do not exactly see each other much. We were friends for awhile there but we both know how that turned out.” Harry could just slightly smile at her. What was she getting at? “There is actually no easy way to say this. Can you go ask Cho to dance? I know you broke up and all, and you are most likely over her, but she is having a tough time tonight. She has no idea I am asking you. If she ever found out…well lets just say there would be a huge riot in the Ravenclaw common room.” She turned her gaze to the far corner near the punch table where Peeves was throwing Treacle Tarts at unsuspecting students. Behind the table, leaning against the farthest wall was Cho. Tears streamed down her face, Harry couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, even though he didn’t want to.
Vicki saw the hesitance in Harry’s eyes and quickly thought up something. “Harry, please do this for me. I really want to dance with Christopher tonight although all he wants to do is sit around with the rest of the quidditch team and strategize. Ack! Quidditch players!” Harry made a small wince, enough for Vicki to notice. “O! Sorry, forgot you are one as well. Anyway, if you dance with her just once, I will do a favor for you anytime. I know many people in the school and more spells than the average sixth year. At least think about?!” She stared up at him pleading. “Please?!”
---
Sirius’ POV
“Sirius, darling, you look absolutely wonderful.” Chelsea spins around swishing her cranberry robes. “Don’t you simply love these new robes I got from Madam Malkins? She’s an absolute doll even though it was last minute.”
“Ah, they look gorgeous, Chels. Shall we proceed?” Sirius checked his watch casually. “I think we’ll be on time for once.”
“That would be a first.” Sirius takes her hand and leads her into the Great Hall, and he has to admit, the place looks even better than when he was a student here. He steals a glance at his date for the evening. She has got to be one of the most amusing people he has ever met. Chelsea practically jumped when he invited her to the ball. It was as if she thought he would die the next second.
“Sirius? Earth to Sirius? Is someone awake in there?” Chelsea started to slightly shake him. “Aren’t we going to move on? This place is absolutely fabulous, but I’m starving.”
Sirius chuckled slightly to himself. “Oh, yes. Sorry, I seem to have spaced out there for a moment.” Chelsea rolls her eyes at her companion. “We’ll move on. You’ll simply love the food. The house elves make…” And Sirius is off describing the mouth-watering dishes to be served.
---
Harry’s POV
“D-Dance with Cho?” Harry gulped. This was the last thing he expected Vicki to say, but he really couldn’t say ‘no.’ “Um… sure, I guess. Just one dance? Yeah, sure, that’ll be okay.”
“Thanks a bunch, Harry. You’re the absolute best. Well, except for Christopher. No, not in that way. Oh, you know what I mean! Anyway, I really appreciate this. Don’t forget, anything you need, and I’ll be there.” Vicki corrected her sunglasses and walked back to her date.
Okay, so now he had to ask Cho to a dance. Harry took his time in walking to Cho’s corner; stopping to talk to people he knew or didn’t know on the way. He just wanted to stall this as long as possible. When he finally approached her, she was wiping her tears.
“Cho, um, would you like to, um, dance with me?” Harry wished he would just disappear.
“W-What? Is this some way of making fun of me Harry? Do you think I need the pity? Well,” Cho starts to stand up, “I’ll let you know that I’ve had plenty of guys ask me to dance. I don’t need you to ask me, but I really might as well.” Cho started to well up again.
Harry took her hand stepped off to maybe the most awkward six minutes of his life. While they were dancing Cho rested her head on his shoulder. His eyes wide with fear, he slowly tried to back away from her, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
“Harry, you know, I like you a lot. Should we just bury the past and give it another try? I’m willing to, and I know you are, too.”
He stopped dead in his tracks and froze. Harry couldn’t even begin to imagine the sudden change in Cho’s demeanor, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. He ran for it.
---
Bridget’s POV
This was bloody perfect. She was dressed up in midnight blue robes dancing with her dream date, Oliver. They finished the dance and went to sit at one of the tables.
“This place is fantastic! I wish I had gotten to go to school here. We don’t have any of these decorations back home.” Bridget took a sip of her Butterbeer. “It’s overwhelming being exposed to Hogwarts in just one night!”
“Yeah, it’s a nice place. Now, what I was thinking for the game against the Falcons was, what if…” Oliver started rambling in quidditch talk, and Bridget tuned out. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him. Just, did he have to talk about quidditch every living second of the day? She loved the sport, she absolutely did. Bridget just wanted to talk without a snitch or a bludger being mentioned every fourth word of the conversation.
“Bridget! Wow, it’s so great to see you!” Chelsea walked up to Bridget’s table and flopped down beside her being supported by Sirius. “Isn’t Butterbeer GREAT? We don’t have this stuff at home and it’s not even making me tipsy!” She hiccuped and took a sip out of the bottle she was holding.
“I think that’s enough Butterbeer for you, Chelsea.” Sirius told her, taking the bottle out of her hand.
“B-But”, She hiccuped again, “I’m fine!”
“Uh, yeah, why don’t I just get you some water.” He left in search of the other drink.
“Well, so how have you been, Cass?” Chelsea turned towards Bridget.
“I’m Bridget, Chels. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Chelsea looked confused for a second. “Oh, yes, of course I am. Maybe I should have some water. I think I’ll go and find Sirius.”
She left leaving Bridget to turn her attention back to Oliver. “Should we dance again?” She asked.
“So, then the beater can… huh? Oh, dance. Yes, of course.” And they walked off to the dance floor.
---
Harry dashed outside of the Great Hall, pausing for a second in the hallway before continuing to the outside of the castle. He waited until he was sure Cho hadn’t followed him. Then, he slowly sat down on the steps up to the castle doors. The landscape before him (including the lake) was void of people besides himself. Comforted, Harry let down his guard and the tension left his shoulders.
Harry was very relaxed. That was why he practically jumped when a smooth voice said, “Hi,” behind him. He turned around and tried to look casual. The girl in black velvet stood there, looking down at him with her intense gray eyes.
“Hi,” Harry replied. To his surprise, the girl sat down on the steps next to him, clasping her hands around her knees and gazing at him.
“You go here, right?” the girl said. Harry was surprised again. She was the first person who hadn’t started with, “You’re Harry Potter,” or something like that.
“Yea, I do,” he said, settling down slightly.
“I’m an exchange student, from The American School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” she said looking out over the snow towards the frozen lake. “You’re campus is beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Harry said. “What’s your school like?”
“Oh, it’s not much… I’m really lucky I was picked to come on the trip. I think the only reason they chose me was because I’m related to somebody at this school,” the girl said to Harry. Harry was curious.
“Who are you related to?” he asked, awkwardly.
“Oh, I don’t know if you know him. He’s in Slytherin. It’s Draco Malfoy. He’s my second cousin…” Suddenly the weird exchange between the girl and Malfoy made sense. They were second cousins. Harry suddenly felt very comfortable with this girl, but uncomfortable at the same time.
“So… what’s your name?” Harry asked. The girl laughed.
“Oh, how stupid of me! I’m Anna. And you?” Anna said.
“Harry,” Harry said.
“Harry,” she repeated dreamily. Harry paused, then spoke up.
“Do you, er, want to dance?” he asked, shifting his weight. Anna bit her lip.
“Well… you see… I’m not a great dancer in these great halls and such…” Relief swept over Harry.
“Really? Same with me. Do you want to get a drink instead?”
“Sounds good to me.” In unison, they stood up. Anna’s eyes sparkled. Malfoy left Harry’s mind as he led Anna into the great hall, feeling very well adjusted to her. It wasn’t the same as it was with Ron or Hermione, but it wasn’t very awkward. That was strange for Harry, since he had only met her that evening.
---
Professor Amanda Rinaldi watched as Anna followed a boy onto the dance floor. Anna at first didn't want to come, not liking to dance herself. Maybe this will change her mind.
The moon was beautiful this night, reflecting with the mountains and castle off the lake in a silvery light. Not getting very much action in the dance floor, Amanda walked to the door to wander about the grounds, pulling a cloak about the sheer golden robes over a sparkly white dress she was wearing.
"Ouch!" The door had swung open just as she reached to pull it open. A man, about her own age with premature gray streaks in his blonde hair wearing handsome navy robes peered around to see what had prevented the door from opening.
"Oh no...I am so sorry..." He hurried over to wear Amanda was standing, looking slightly dazed after the impact.
"No worries. I'm fine!" She said, shaking off the dizzyness. Looking up, she was startled by his insanely blue eyes. "I'm Professor Amanda Rinaldi, of the Salem Institute."
"Remus Lupin. I'm the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts here."
"Seriously? That's what I teach at Salem!"
"Were you about to go onto the grounds? I can give you a tour.." he said excitedly.
Falling into a conversation comparing their lessons and complaining about their students, the two were lit in a silvery glow as they headed out onto the grounds.
---
Harry, this being his second ball and knowing where everything was, led Anna through the crowds on in the Great Hall. Girls came up to him, but upon seeing Anna holding onto Harry's arm so as not to get seperated, stopped and scowled at her. Harry pulled her out of the crowds to the bar that Dumbledore had set up. The tender handed them two glasses of butterbeer.
"Anna, I was wondering whether I'd see you or...oh..." Draco Malfoy had just come up, Pansy Parkinson clinging to his arm, to greet his cousin. He spotted Harry and sneered. "Potter, how on earth did you get my cousin for company? Anna, you should pick the people you hang out with better, not Dumbledore's favorite boy here."
Anna's gray eyes flashed, turning steely. "Perhaps you're right about choosing who I hang out with better. Come on, Harry." Anna turned her back on Malfoy, glowering at his cousin's retreating back.
---
"Hey," Ron greeted Cass on one side of the room which was not as crowded as the others.
"Hey," she replied warmly.
"What are you doing all the way over here?"
"Nothing really. Just kind of watching everything," she said nonchalantly.
"And you aren't dancing because..." he questioned.
"That's a good question. When I know the answer, I'll let you know," she joked.
"Ok, if you're not dancing, would you like to meet part of my family. A couple of my brothers are here, and I'm sure they'd love to meet you."
"Are you sure?" she asked, slightly hesitant.
"Of course I am. Come on!" he laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards his family.
When they got to the other side of the room he found Fred, George, their dates Angelina and Katie, and Charlie and Brittany.
"Everybody," Ron announced getting their attention. "This is Cass. My date."
At that, Cass's mouth opened a little with shock, but then slowly turned into a smile.
"Hi," she greeted warmly.
Ron then went around an introduced everyone. Cass soon found they were all very friendly and nice, and immediately took a liking to them.
Fred and George soon made their way over to Cass, each draping an arm over her shoulders.
"Now Cass, there are a couple things you should know about our little ickle-ronniekins. First he's inherited the dreaded Weasley temper. Watch out for that," started George.
"Oh bugger off you two!" Ron said quickly.
"And two, as we were rudely interrupted, watch that mouth of his. It can get nasty quite quickly," added Fred.
"You two," Katie laughed along with Angelina and Brittany.
"Leave the poor girl alone. You don't want to frighten her off too quickly," contributed Angelina.
"Not all Weasleys are like those two. Some actually know when to stop," said Brittany, indicating to Charlie, smiling widely.
"What would be the fun in that?" asked Fred.
"None I know of!" said George, before they errupted into laughter.
"You want to dance?" asked Ron quietly to Cass.
"Sure," she said smiling, before allowing him to lead her out to dance floor where they joined the other students.
---
Hermione sipped her Butterbeer slowly while watching Harry being attacked by a mob of girls when he left to get a drink for his date.
“That’s so odd...” She mumbled to herself.
“What’s odd, Hermione?”
She turned to see her best friend’s godfather walking up to her supporting a girl with cranberry robes and black hair who looked more than just slightly drunk.
“Sirius! Oh, it’s so good to see you! Chelsea, are you okay?” Hermione gestured to his companion.
“Hi, Hermione.” Chelsea gave a weak wave. “I think I had a tad more glasses of Butterbeer than I could handle.” She hiccuped and put her hand to her head. “Oh, I’m going to have a major headache tomorrow.”
“I’ve never really thought of Butterbeer as that strong. I hope you’re having fun, at least. So how have you two been?” Hermione took another sip of her drink.
“Oh, it’s been really great getting to spend time together again. It’s usually so hard with her in America and me here, but when Chels heard that her old school was coming, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I think that-” But Sirius was interrupted by a sudden outburst from Chelsea.
“VICKI!”
Vicki looked startled for a moment, then turned around to see the source of the noise waving excitedly at her.
“Oh, my gosh, Chelsea! Wow, it’s so great to see you, dear. You look simply fabulous! Is that one of Madam Malkins creations? Sirius! You better make sure she doesn’t drink too much Butterbeer, it might be a little strong for her and Hermione, I have absolutely great news! You’re going to completely flip. Okay, Hogwarts, A History is coming out with a new edition in January and I’ve ordered it specially! A completely updated version!” She said all this very fast while dragging Christopher to sit down with them and adjusting her sunglasses.
“Um, Hermione thanks for the warning, but I think it’s a little late for that.” Sirius looked doubtfully at Chelsea as she took another drink of her water and hiccuped again.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I just took a few more than I could handle, but I must put you in touch with Madam Malkins. She has a whole new line- hiccup- out that you would love. Chelsea steadied herself by holding on to the table.
“A new edition of Hogwarts, a History? That’s great! Do you think the library will get it? I’ve memorized the old one by now, and it’s not much use to me.”
“Oh, no need to worry, you can borrow my copy. Christopher, may I get something to drink?” Her date whisks away in search of Butterbeer. Vicki turns her attention back to the table and leans in conspiratorially. “Is it just me, or is there something up with Harry?” She nods off in the direction of a crowd of girls around him at the drink’s table.
“I’ve been thinking that same thing! Right before Sirius walked up, he was halfway to getting a drink for his date and this mob of girls bombards him. It’s just so weird. Of course, girls like him, normally, but this is completely out of hand.” Hermione looks in the direction Vicki had pointed again and shakes her head. “It’s just so bizarre. I don’t know what’s up with him. He looks the same, as he’s always looked.”
“Maybe, he had too much to drink,” Chelsea added hopefully.
“I don’t think that’s what’s drawing all those girls to him, Chels. It’s like he’s a magnet for them. Now, when I was his age they all wanted me, but not in such large numbers. I want to help the poor kid out, he looks so helpless.” Sirius watches, as a burly 7th year girl demands Harry to dance with her. “That one, who just asked him looks like she’ll beat him to a pulp if he says no.”
But Vicki isn’t listening now. She’s staring at two red-haired twins rolling over in their seats, guffawing, watching Harry as well. “Oh, I think I might know who caused this,” She muttered under her breath.
---
Harry’s POV:
How in the world am I supposed to get all these girls away from me? I took two steps away from Anna, and they attack! Harry looked around desperately for an escape. He saw Lupin, but he was talking to another professor. He saw Christopher, but he really didn’t know him that well. Come on, just anyone. Harry was just pondering whether it would be worse to have a conversation with Colin Creevey or face the crowd of girls when he was tapped on the shoulder. He jumped and turned around.
“Bloody hell, Anna, you scared me.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Harry. It’s just that I was waiting for a long time and I was just coming to check on you.” Anna looks apologetically at him.
“It’s okay, really. Look, there’s something really, really weird going on. Would it be all right if we went outside? I need to talk to you.” Without waiting for an answer, Harry took her hand and led her out on to the grounds.
---
"Harry! What is going on?! Can you please at least tell me that before dragging me all around campus and bruising my wrist?!" Cass yelled up to Harry who was dashing through the throngs of dancing students and random girls throwing themselves at him.
Harry only turned his head around without slowing down or loosening the grip on her wrist. He didnt want to hurt her, yet he didnt want to lose her or have any jealous girl tear away at her and have her trampled to the floor.
Once they were out in the front hall, were only a few couples were dashed here and there, obviously all searching for a secret quiet spot, he let go of her arm yet kept the pace up.
"Anna I am extremly sorry.....I just........I" he looked back and saw that she was standing at the same spot he let her go at. "Anna, I am really sorry please just follow me out here so maybe we can make some sense of this. Please forgive me about dragging you and pulling you away from there."
Anna could tell he was honestly sincere about not knowing what was going on and that he was sorry, but she liked that she could toy with his emotions. "Harry, it is okay. I was just scared and a tad alarmed." She kept rubbing where he had grabbed her wrist, although it didnt hurt anymore.
"I didnt mean to hold you that tight i just didnt want you to get lost in the mob of people. Sorry, here." Harry walked over to her and gently took her wrist in his arm and gently massaged it. Anna's cheeks turned bright red as he looked up into her eyes.
"Would you like to talk a walk outside with me?" Anna couldnt muster up any words so instead she just nodded her head and began to walk by Harry's side.
---
Vicki's POV
"Vicki darling, here is your drink." Christopher came up behind her and handed her a glass of butterbeer. As soon as the glass came into Chelsea's view her eyes lit up and Chris moved closer to Vicki not sure what to do.
"Chels! I think we had better take a fresh breath of fresh air. Excuse us." Sirius took her in the crook of her elbow and escorted her stumbling self out of the great hall.
"Seems like someone is going to have a rough morning tomorrow. Hopefully this is only your first." He winked at Vicki and gave her the glass.
She winked back at him and replied, "Actually it is my second but i assure you i will be just fine unless you would like me to lose all control?!" He grinned a dazzling smile that made Vicki's knees grow weak.
"Ahem!!" The couple's heads turned quickly right before they went in for a kiss and saw Hermione sitting there looking all too bored and disgusted. "Pardon me but I must depart. Not like you will be missing me. Vicki please remember to bring me that book." With that Hermione stalked off with a swish of her long brown hair towards the Weasley table.
Vicki glanced over at the table and was once reminded of her early assumption. This time it was confirmed who was responsible for Harry's sudden allure to the opposite sex. The two Weasley twins were re-enacting the whole scene. George was sitting eyes wide and horrorstruck while Fred was fanning himself and swooning all over. The entire table was busting out laughing.
"Some one has to stop those two from reaking havoc on the entire school! Thank God we are in Ravenclaw or we would have had to deal with this ourselves and not just friends!"
"Please tell me you arent going to go into your spy mode and get to the bottom of this?" Chris arched his one eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously. "Promise me?"
"Me?! Snooping around?! Spying?!" She faked a small laugh, flung her arms around him and finished with, "Never!"
---
Amanda and Remus walked among the edge of the beautiful lake on the Hogwarts grounds. "Beautiful moon tonight," she commented, looking at its reflection on the water. "Can't be more than a week until the blue moon."
"6 days." Remus sighed. Something in his voice sounded odd- it triggered a memory. The way he said it, as if with dread, reminded her of someone.
"Counting down, are you?"
He didn't answer, but instead turned the conversation onto a topic Amanda could only assume he felt safer on, their families. "So, you have a family back in America?"
"No, not really. They're all here. My daughter is a second-year."
The last sentence prompted a sort of dissapointed look in Remus's prematurely aged face. "Does her father work at Salem as well?"
"He did before he died." She smiled weakly. "He was one of the original testers of the Wolfsbane Potion. They acciedently poisoned him on one of their first human trials."
"I'm so sorry..." Sad though he was for Amanda's husband's death, he was glad to hear that she referred to him, a werewolf, as human. Two people caught his eye coming out onto the grounds.
"Who are you waving at?" Amanda turned to see a black-haired boy accompany Anna out onto the grass. A small horde of girls was following them.
"That's Harry- my best friend's godson." Walking on almost the other side of the lake from Harry and Anna, Remus's wave went unnoticed. "Oh no...look at those girls. Wait..." He squinted at the large doors of the entrance hall, a small beam of light emerging from them indicating that someone was still in the threshold. "George and Fred Weasley. What did they do this time?"
"I think the herd following Harry is a good guess. Come on let's go rescue him."
Laughing they walked slightly faster than their previous stroll to where Harry was constantly looking over his shoulder at the giggling girls behind him.
---
“Harry,” Anna said slowly, “What is going on?”
“Err,” Harry replied as he ran out of the school, dragging Anna behind him.
---
Remus and Amanda looked across the grass.
“Maybe the girls just like him!” Amanda suggested to Remus.
“I’m starting to doubt that.”
Remus crossed the space between him and Harry quickly, Amanda close behind.
“Thank god!” Harry said breathlessly, “Would you do something about these girls? They won’t leave Anna and I alone!”
“Girls,” Remus addressed the girls, “All of you are supposed to be inside it’s the, ummmm, official Hogwarts dance!” he finished lamely.
The girls continued their attempt to get closer to Harry.
“Girls, as a Wizard, and once a teacher, I am going to order you to go inside!”
The girls didn’t budge.
“Harry,” Amanda whispered in Harry’s ear, “Run!”
So Harry grabbed Anna’s hand and ran.
Fred and George looked on the scene happily.
“Ha! That must have been one of our best tricks yet!” said Fred, shaking George’s hand.
“It must have been, but it’s not over yet!” proclaimed George happily.
Both boys turned around to see a girl in front of them with blonde hair and big blue green eyes.
“Annnnnnnnie! It was just a bit of fun….” Fred cried.
“At Harry and Anna’s expense. Give the reversal liquid to Harry now. Or else.”
Neither asked what else.
“Go, NOW!”
The twins went slowly over to the crowd that had backed Harry and Anna into a corner, dragging their feet. They pushed their way in, and handed Harry the vial of liquid.
“Drink it!” George yelled.
Harry gulped down the drink, and all of a sudden the girl’s yelling stopped. Most of the girls scratched their heads, wondering what had happened, and then went away.
Anna rolled her eyes, “Finally, shall we go back to?”
“Yeah,” Harry replied, “Let me just fix my glasses.”
Anna looked around curiously. Then all of a sudden she saw a figure.
“Annie!” she yelled running towards the figure, “I wondered when you’d get here!”
---
Harry's POV
Harry heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was all over now. No more girls would come running up to him. Harry turned towards Anna while she talked to her friend Annie. "You want to go and sit down now?"
"Yeah, that will be fine." They all seated themselves at a table nearby. It was finally such a relaxed atmosphere.
"So, are you guys having fun tonight? It must be so different for you. Dumbledore really-" But Harry was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with a 6th year Hufflepuff he did not know well.
"Um, Harry sorry to bother you, but um.. would you like to dance?" The boy looked completely perplexed after this question and scratched his head confusedly.
"Look, if this is this some sick joke of Fred and George's just bug off right now." Harry waved to try to make the boy go away, but he stood his place and another boy looking only slightly more confident came up to Harry.
"Harry, chap, care to dance?"
Harry stared, shocked and looked to Anna who had no answer for this and was shaking her head with wide eyes. Annie looked purely dumbfounded. He pretended not to hear either of the boy’s queries and tried to continue a conversation with the two girls.
"Yeah, Dumbledore really cleaned this place up for-"
"Dance with me?"
"No, he's going to dance with me?"
A series of guys came up to Harry asking him to dance with them all looking completely confused while asking. Harry forgot to even bring Anna and her friend with him this time and fled out the Great Hall and up the giant marble staircase.
---
Bridget's POV
Bridget couldn't believe her eyes. Had a guy just asked Harry Potter out? That can't be right. She didn't know him that well, but she had seen him around with some girl all evening. Bridget was sitting at a table idling stirring her drink while Charlie Weasley and Oliver were engrossed in quidditch talk.
"Bridget! I haven't seen you all evening. How have you been, dear?" Brittany joined her at the table and Bridget came out of her deep thought.
"Oh, I'm just fine Britt. Same 'ol, same 'ol, really. I saw you come in earlier on dragon back, that must have been something!"
"It wasn't that big of a deal," Brittany tried to shrug it off modestly. "Did you hear about Harry?"
"Harry, Harry Potter? What about him?" Bridget was startled by this sudden connection with her thoughts.
"Well, don't say you heard it from me, but I was just talking to Cass who was talking Vicki who was talking to Annie and it seems Fred and George played some sort of trick on him so that all these girls kept on coming up to him. They finally gave him something for it,
though."
"Is that so? Hmm... interesting." Bridget tried to make sense of all this for a moment.
"You don't seem that surprised by it, Bridget. Anything up?" Brittany looked questioningly at her friend.
"It's just that... well... I mean... Okay, it's just that I just saw Harry over there," She gestures to some tables, "And, he's being asked out by a lot of people, but…"
"But? What do you mean, "but"? Fred and George gave him the antidote, he's fine now. No one should be asking him."
"Well, a lot of guys seem to be asking him to dance now. I'm sure it's nothing serious, though." Bridget looked away quickly.
"He's being asked ou
