Bat-Bogey Hexers

89

"Ginny Weasley."

They shook hands.

"I know your blister is probably hurting you," said Michael, "but I was wondering if you'd like to go for a dance?"

At that moment, Neville appeared at Ginny's shoulder.

"Do you mind?" Ginny asked Neville, referring to Michaels question.

"Not at all," said Neville. In fact he was rather relieved. He was a little tired of dancing, but wanted Ginny to have a good time.

Ginny grinned at him, then pulled on her shoe, and got to her feet.

"I'll be back," Ginny called to Neville as Michael guided her on to the dance floor.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Michael asked with interest.

"Neville?" said Ginny with a light laugh. "No, we're just friends."

She couldn't help but notice that Michaels eyes were a very pretty blue color.

Ginny enjoyed the Yule Ball very much. She danced with a few more times with Neville, and Michael, then of course Fred and George came by to take Ginny for a spin (Fred's dancing involved a lot of exuberant spins and dips which were quite alarming).

She wanted to dance with Hermione as well, but her and Viktor Krum seemed to be having such a good time with each other, Ginny didn't want to interrupt. They seemed to be having a much better time than Harry and Ron who just sat on the sidelines looking extremely bored, and their partners looking miserable. The two boys disappeared half way through the celebration.

Between dances, Ginny chatted with Michael Corner. And got to know him a little better. She discovered he was a Ravenclaw in the same year as Hermione, Harry and Ron, and the only son of his witch mother.

Ginny was dancing with Michael when the Weird Sisters announced that it was their last song of the evening.

Ginny was saving the last dance of the night for Neville.

"I'm going to dance with Neville now," Ginny told Michael. "It was nice meeting you."

"The pleasure was all mine," said Michael, "I'll see you in the future?"

"Yeah," said Ginny with a grin. "Definitely."

Michael departed with a wave and a wink.

After the last dance, Ginny and Neville headed up to the common room, Ginny limping a little.

They stopped at the stairs leading up the dormitory and Ginny turned to Neville.

"Thanks for bringing me tonight, Neville," said Ginny earnestly, "I had loads of fun."

Neville smiled at her.

"Thanks for coming with me!"

"Happy Christmas, Neville," said Ginny. Then she stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Neville blushed dark red, then a happy little smile spread across his face.

"Happy Christmas," mumbled Neville.

Then he turned and bolted up the stairs. Ginny followed suit by heading up the girls room.

She was about to enter her dorm, when voices came carrying up to her from down stairs. Very familiar voices. Ginny paused, her hand on the door handle.

"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

A moment later Hermione came storming up the stairs, her hair falling out of it's elegant bun, and her face screwed up in anger.

Ginny was surprised to see Hermione in such a state. She'd seemed so happy only twenty minutes ago at the ball.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" asked Ginny.

"Your brother!" said Hermione, storming past.

Ginny sighed. She wished she could have a galleon for every time someone had said that.

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"I told you, Hugo. It was alright," said Viola. It was taking all her self restraint not to snap at the boy.

It was Boxing Day morning, and Hugo hadn't stopped pestering her about the ball since him and Clemi had joined her in the great hall.

"So . . . You and Ben did snog?" asked Hugo.

Viola put down the bottle of ketchup, which she'd been squirting onto her potatoes, with a bang.

"No Hugo! We did not snog! Nor will we be snogging anytime in the near future!" said Viola loudly, attracting quite a few stares from the surrounding Slytherin.

"Oh," said Hugo, "So things didn't go so well?"

"No, not really," snapped Viola.

"Why -" started Hugo.

"Just leave her alone already, Hugo," said Clemi, coming suddenly to Viola's defense. "She obviously doesn't want to talk about it."

Viola gave the Hufflepuff girl a grateful smile, one that almost looked like it was returned, but Viola wasn't sure. 

"Thank you Clemi," said Viola, "But it isn't necessarily that I don't want to talk about it, it's just that there's nothing to talk about!"

Hugo snorted.

"There's nothing to talk about! That is a downright lie Viola Lestrange and you know it!" said Hugo. "That's like saying there's nothing to wipe after you take a-"

"That's enough!" yelled Viola and Clemi together, stopping Hugo before he could go any further.

Hugo folded his arms over his chest stubbornly.

"So did you just go with Benny-boy to make Harry jealous, or what?"

Viola suddenly began gathering up her things. She got to her feet. She'd had enough.

"I'll see you guys later."