The Years of Blue [2]

Chapter 51: The Yule Ball- #2

"I am thinking, your friend is okay, right?" He asked, more so to Marie than me. Marie nodded, kindly, before explaining the slip up between Ana and Mila.

"Your mother went to Beauxbatons?" Jacqueline exclaimed in French, making me turn to see her eyeing up my date. Jasper was looking sheepishly at his pork chops before nodding after Gisele gently translated.

"But he doesn't speak French," Gisele said kindly, in translation back to Jacqueline. Rosalie nudged her date to stop scaring Jasper before Jacqueline could continue.

"Ask him if his mother still lives in France," Jacqueline instructed Gisele but before her friend could concede, Ivo got Marie and my attention and pointed to the doors where Mila and Ana had just entered from. Both looked very happy, though Ana had tears drying on her face and Mila clutched her yellow dress oddly, as if trying her best to keep it from moving. Their dates stood to make room for them, but the girls sat together, with Mila giving Aleksi the cold shoulder.

"What have we missed?" Ana asked eagerly as she looked down at her menu and back up at the table.

"Your friend has been grilling me," Caleb said jokingly, nodding to Jacqueline.

"And me," Jasper added, raising his knife from his plate to wave in her direction. "Though I can't fully understand her."

Jacqueline seemed to get the gist of the conversation as she began to laugh.

"You're Jasper, right?" Mila asked, eyeing up my date as Ana went on to order her food. Jasper nodded along.

"And you must be Mila. Or is it Ana?" He responded politely.

"Mila," I confirmed at his side. Mila watched us earnestly before turning to her menu.

Just then, the quartet came onto the miniature stage and the strings began to rosin up their bows. Professor Dumbledore took that opportunity to get onto his feet with his goblet in hand.

"Students, now that we are all fed and watered, I will take this moment to welcome you all to this year's Yule Ball!" Polite applause followed as students began to look around in wonderment as to what was to come.

"I think now would be a good time to open up the dance portion of our evening. And what better way to open a ball than with our champions and their wonderful partners? Champions!" He turned to them, who rose from their seats and started for the center of the floor. The concert master sat in his chair, violin at the ready, and all eyes stilled.

After a few turns around the room from each partner, Dumbledore opened the floor to other couples, leading as an example with Professor McGonagall on his arm. The whole time, I watched with growing excitement at being able to dance along to the serenading quartet. But rather than ask for my hand, like Neville did for Ginny, Jasper turned back in conversation to Rosalie.

Things did not get better when Ivo asked Marie to join him on the floor, followed quickly by other students at neighboring tables. I looked around myself desperately only to find the likes of my brother dancing with two girls on his arm.

How did he make that happen?

I shook my head of that thought and tapped Jasper on the shoulder. If he wasn't going to ask me, to hell with it, I at least would take action.

"Can we dance?"

"Yeah, uh- sure!" He said quickly before dropping his napkin and taking me hand.