Bat-Bogey Hexers

87

So that Hugo and Clemi could see her all dressed up for the ball, Viola had got dressed in a rarely-used bathroom on the second floor.

Although Viola had wrote to her mother asking for a dress for the ball, it was her father who responded. He sent her a pretty, but not very festive, lacy black dress with a note saying Here's a dress for the ball. Happy Christmas - Father

Hugo had added some festivity to the outfit by putting a wreath of holly berries in Viola's dark hair. 

"You think I look alright, Clemi?" Viola asked anxiously, not satisfied with the thumbs-up.

"You look very nice," said Clemi.

And coming from Miss Sargent, that was high praise.

Viola turned and looked into the bathroom mirror. To her surprise, she was quite satisfied with the reflection staring back at her. And that was worth even more than the assuring words of her friends.

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A little before eight o'clock, Ginny met with Neville in the common room. The boy greeted her with a nervous but excited smile.

"You look wonderful, Ginny!" Neville said.

Ginny grinned at him. "So do you! Are you ready to go down?"

Neville offered her his arm, and they headed to the ball.

The Great Hall's decorations were dazzling. The walls were covered in silver frost, and hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy were strung across the starry black ceiling. The house tables were gone and had been replaced with about a hundred smaller lantern-lit ones.

Ginny and Neville stood amongst all the other students and teachers, to await the arrival of the champions and their partners.

It wasn't long before all eight came parading in.

Ginny's heart gave a small thud as she caught sight of Harry in his dark green dress-robes.

Neville, meanwhile, had his eyes drawn to someone else entirely.

"Is that Hermione?" asked Neville, his jaw hanging open.

And Ginny couldn't blame him for gawking. Although all the champions looked wonderful, Hermione looked absolutely stunning, and most eyes seemed to be on her.

Ginny could see Ron, beside Padma Patil in his shabby dress robes, gaping at Hermione as well. But only for a second, then he began to act as if he hadn't seen her at all.

After the champions entrance, everyone hurried off to eat food before the dancing began.

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Benjamin looked incredibly handsome in his dark blue dress robes, and Viola was positively beaming as she entered the Great Hall alongside him.

Even the sight of Ginny, looking very pretty in a dress of pink and mint green, or of Harry dancing with a girl in vibrant pink robes, wasn't enough to dampen her spirits.

After watching the champions enter the hall, Benjamin suggested they go find something to eat. His friends joined them, and Viola tried not to feel left out around the older students as they all joked and chattered with each other. She sat on the sidelines, smiling and occasionally adjusting her holly berry crown.

When everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore made all the tables disappear, then conjured up a stage with a whisk of his wand. A moment later the Weird Sisters hit the stage, and the dancing began.

"Care to dance?" asked Benjamin, extending a hand to her.

Viola nodded and took it.

They entered into a slow mournful song. She shyly put a hand on Benjamins shoulder.

"So, this has been a good laugh, hasn't it?" said Benjamin jovially.

Viola titled her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Us going to the ball together," said Benjamin, leaving Viola confused. "At least my dad will be happy. He's been wanting us to get together since we met. And I told the boys about it, which I'm guessing is why they did it."

"Did what?" asked Viola.

A hard feeling knot was building in her stomach. She felt anxious. Something wasn't right.

"Dared me to do it," said Benjamin.

"Do what?" asked Viola. Her voice came out in a strangled whisper.

"To ask you to the ball, of course," said Benjamin. "We were playing Unbreakable Truth or Dare. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise."

Benjamin spoke like it was no big deal. Like it was all just a big joke that Viola had been in on the whole time. But little did he know, Viola felt like her heart was crumbling. 

She stopped dancing, and stepped away from Benjamin. Her eyebrows knit together and her chin trembled as she regarded the boy standing in front of her.

For a moment, Viola struggled to speak. When she finally did, her voice shook with tears.

"Well, then," choked out Viola. "If it was all just a dare I-I don't want to be here!"

Viola turned on her heel, and fled, bumping into multiple dancers as she went.