𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞┃𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

Chapter 51: Waiting For Him

Fred stood transfixed, staring after her swaying retreating figure.

"Merlin, help me. This girl is going to be the end of me."

George clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Correction; she already has you wrapped around her finger."

Fred sighed, smiling, "She does now, doesn't she?"

***

"Potter! Weasley! Will you pay attention?"

Professor McGonagall's irritated voice cracked like a whip through the Transfiguration class on a late December Thursday, and Harry and Ron both jumped and looked up.

It was the end of the lesson; they had finished their work; the guinea fowl they had been changing into guinea pigs had been shut away in a large cage on Professor McGonagall's desk (Neville's still had feathers); they had copied down their homework from the blackboard ("Describe, with examples, the ways in which Transforming Spells must be adapted when performing Cross-Species Switches").

The bell was due to ring at any moment, and Harry and Ron, who had been having a sword fight with a couple of Fred and George's fake wands at the back of the class, looked up, Ron holding a tin parrot and Harry, a rubber haddock.

Rubi sniggered at them.

"Now that Potter and Weasley have been kind enough to act their age," said Professor McGonagall, with an angry look at the pair of them as the head of Harry's haddock drooped and fell silently to the floor- Ron's parrot's beak had severed it moments before-"I have something to say to you all.

"The Yule Ball is approaching- a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests."

Hermione and Rubi beamed at one another with excitement.

"Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above- although you may invite a younger student if you wish-"

Lavender let out a shrill giggle. Parvati nudged her hard in the ribs, her face working furiously as she too fought not to giggle. They both looked around at Harry.

Professor McGonagall ignored them. "Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then-"

Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.

"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to- er- let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.

Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. Rubi could see what was funny this time: Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense.

"But that does NOT mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter! A word, if you please."

Rubi and Hermione exited the class, positively bouncing with excitement.

"A ball sounds like fun!" Rubi voiced, her face beaming.

"I know right!" Hermione replied before she dropped her voice, "You think Fred will ask you to the ball?"

Rubi sighed, her smile fading, "I really hope he does." She paused, her eyes grazing across the students bustling in the corridor, "I'm going to wait for him. If he doesn't ask me, I'll have to go with someone else."