Of Apples and Oranges

III: vii: Someone Else's Crush

Aurum was absolutely beaming that day like a ray of sunshine. Nothing could cloud it, she was that positively happy and bursting to the brim with grins and flowery messages for all. At the rate she was going, she could lighten anybody's day.

Today was the day she would ask Harry Potter, the bravest, most kind boy to the Yule Ball. Draco had already asked Hermione who had to refuse due to an earlier invitation(Aurum helped to mend his pride), and Ronald Weasley had attempted to ask Aurum for—something, he was stuttering and stammering so hard she couldn't truly figure out what he meant, but Aurum was bound to ask Harry.

It had been her dream since she was younger to date and then marry the boy. She had heard the wild stories Pearl Creste had spun about him and his parents. About James and Lily's adventures and that one day Aurum might be like that with Harry. In fact, she already had names picked out. Perhaps Ruby Remus Potter? Or Sirius Remus Potter? Perhaps even Sapphire Chantelle Potter. She didn't know, it hadn't happened yet. She wished time could fly and unite them soon.

But for today, she had to settle for a date to a dance. Hermione who had been talking to Draco after his question informed Aurum that Harry was at the Owlery. She forgot to mention something, however. It simply slipped her mind.

Harry was asking another girl.

Aurum and the rest of the HPFC were not very fond of Cho Chang, the fifth year Ravenclaw. She was in their way, and though Aurum did attempt to stop more of the nasty things from being said and spread, she wasn't able to curb their minds to her thinking pattern of the girl whom she thought was just not someone who'd be interested in Harry. That was that.

Nevertheless, Aurum bounced up the stairs to the Owlery tower. It was there that her heart dropped. She had expected to see Harry alone, not with Cho. The blonde hid behind a tower and listened into the conversation.

"I'd like to invite you to the Yule Ball—as my date, I mean." Harry chuckled awkwardly. Aurum loved that breathless chuckle of his.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry, but I can't go. Not with you, at least." Cho apologized, making Aurum perk up again. "Cedric already asked."

"Okay. That's fine." Harry ended the conversation with a sting of pain, leaving Cho to descend the stairs back to the halls.

Aurum took the opportunity to stop Harry on his way down. She slid between the two seamlessly. She pushed the hair out of her eyes so that she could see his almond-emerald eyes and he could see her gumdrop-chocolate ones.

"Hey, Harry Potter, Triwizard Champion! How are you?" she asked with enough pep in her voice to make a cheerleader keel over. Confusing her completely, Harry looked aggravated at this.

"If you're getting ready to ask me out just so you can go with a champion, you can forget it. For the last time, no!" Harry squinted, his voice powerful. "I don't care if you want to be the belle of the ball, I'm not interested in anybody else's fantasies!"

Aurum stepped back, stumbling a little as she fell a step. Her expression was hurt and fully unaware of whatever it was he was talking about. She couldn't even speak. Instead, she cried and ran off, leaving him atop the stairs despite his calls for her to come back.

There she lay in the Slytherin common room, her head in a pillow. She had stopped crying after her brother(who miraculously was cured of his dragon pox) called her a crybaby. She wasn't afraid to admit that. Draco took offense, however, and stunned Argentum. Aurum was strangely okay with this.

Suddenly, Draco sat on Aurum's hindend. She let out a shriek of being startled moreso than hurt.

"I'm not getting up until you get over him." Draco threw his head up with a pretentious air.