the only exception | ron weasley

xii. a boy's ego

WORD COUNT: [1569]

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Draco was yet to apologise and Lorraine was yet to stop her blood from boiling at the thought of the stupid boy. In fact, she didn't blame him for not apologising yet. He knew her better than she thought--there was no way she'd let him get within ten feet of her before hexing him so much he'd wish he never knew her. She had spent her days surrounded by the golden trio instead, which was a welcome distraction from the audacious Slytherin boy. Cedric was spending a lot of time with Cho and she didn't want to intrude, so she only kept to the three Gryffindors, which she didn't mind. It meant she got closer to them and closer was good.

"Why do they have to travel in packs?" Harry asked Ron and Lorraine, although his question was mostly directed at the girl.

"Packs? We're not animals, you idiot," she laughed.

"H-How are you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?"

"H-Harry," she began, "I don't know what you think we are...but all you need to do is ask to get one of us alone. It's as simple as that. And we don't bite...well, most of us."

Harry stopped in front of a group of Ravenclaws that also had the girl that he was interested in. He stared at them all with an awkward smile before he gave up and hurried away before he embarrassed himself any more. Lorraine followed behind with a snicker.

"Blimey, Harry. You've slayed dragons. If you can't get a date, who can?" Ron asked the boy.

"I think I'd take the dragon right now." The boy who lived looked at a trio of Beauxbatons girls, who all turned away in disgust.

"Excuse me?" the Durmstrang boy who had winked at Lorraine all those weeks ago asked as he walked up to Lorraine, Ron, and Harry. Lorraine stared at him with wide eyes, hoping and praying to whatever God there was that he wasn't about to ask what she was thinking.

"Y-Yes?" she stuttered, noticing that his hands were behind his back. At her question, he revealed a single white rose and gave her a wide grin.

"I was hoping that you'd go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Harry and Ron both looked at each other in complete shock at the bravery of the Durmstrang boy to ask a girl out in front of friends. Lorraine, on the other hand, was completely baffled. She didn't know the boy's name and she was confident that he didn't yet know hers, yet he was asking her to the Ball as if they knew each other. How...unpredictable.

"I...I'm...what...I don't even...your-" she stammered, only to get cut off by the rose being put into her mouth. The boy winked at her.

"I'll let you think on it." With that, he had miraculously left. Lorraine turned to Ron and Harry with the rose still in her mouth, in complete disarray. She was on the verge of mental collapse, in fact. What on earth had that boy just done?