After the first task was successfully finished, with minor casualties to none, the Gryffindor common room was exceptionally in high spirits thanks to their champion who had managed to battle against a dragon to capture the golden egg that was in the first task. Everyone including the portraits had circled Harry, applauding his efforts and triumph. Students that were once belittling and slandering Harry had completely changed for the better after seeing his fight. Although Aine and her friends were grateful that Harry had lesser people who picked on him, they can't help but feel annoyed at the sudden change.
On the other hand, Ron had reconciled with his best friend at last which both Hermione, Ginny and Aine were glad to hear. Things were still rough and awkward around the two boys, but they know that in no time, they'll get back to where they were before their little argument. This of course made Aine even more envious and upset, knowing that she has yet to talk things out with Draco. She heaved a loud sigh that was muted by the cheers of her housemates, delighted and proud of the Gryffindor's champion.
She figured that she'll try to confront the Slytherin boy by the end of this week, in hopes to settle their dispute and becoming friends again. Drown in her thoughts with imaginations of her facing Draco again, Aine zoned out. However, her bubble of thought was only broken by the screeching scream that erupted from the golden egg as soon as Harry had opened it. Groaning, she covers her ears with her palms, wincing at the high-pitched noise and once the boy had managed to close it, she was slightly dizzy from the screams. It was only then that students began to scatter away, heading to their respective rooms to turn in for the night. It was a big, long day after all and for some students in particular.
The following weeks blew by like a breeze, it was almost time for the end-of-term quizzes and that means Christmas would be here soon. These days, students had been gossiping about a rumour of a certain ball would be held in Hogwarts this year, to commemorate the three schools uniting during the Triwizard Tournament, as well as to make some new connections during events like these.
Digging her fork into the country pie with her eyes half-opened, Aine yawned before she places a small chunk of pie into her mouth, chewing while sleeping. Ron flicked her forehead in front of her, causing her to jerk awake, "Stop sleeping and eating, Aine. Choose one!" he scolded her and the girl groans, "I don't want to be hearing that from you, Ron," she replies, staring at him deadpanned.
"I can't believe this!" Hermione scoffs, throwing the newspaper down as she crumples the edges. "What is it, Mione?" Aine asks, putting a carrot in her mouth.
"I can't believe she's done it again!" the brunette huffed with anger and in disbelief as she showed her friends the article she was reading. Reading it out loud with a voice filled with frustration, she spoke, "Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl seems to be developing a taste for famous wizards. Her latest prey, sources report is none other than the Bulgarian bonbon, Viktor Krum. No word yet on how Harry Potter's taking this latest emotional blow!"
"No, she didn't," Harry replied, though he wasn't that baffled, knowing that it was Rita Skeeter who had written it.
"This isn't all, there's more," Hermione tells them, reading on, "Miss Estoileon, a talented potion student has her eyes set on two victors: Beauxbatons gem, Fleur Delacour and Hogwarts sweetheart, Cedric Diggory. It seems that she is fixed in overthrowing these two champions of their popularity and status. A girl full of determination and skill, it has been noted that she has been getting closer to the champions. Perhaps, is it her goal to steal the spotlight from these amazing victors? Read on for more in the next edition, my fellow enthusiastic readers!"
It would be lying if Aine said it didn't affect her because she could feel her blood boiling as Hermione recited the article. Yet, with a smile on her face, she commented, "Oh, dear Skeeter, always publishing the most absurd and dubious stories!"
Ron and Harry flinched from the sharp screeching sound of something scraping the table until they realize that Aine was piercing her knife into the wooden table, scratching lines into it. "A... Aine..?" Harry stammers, astounded at the bizarre sight of his friend. He rarely sees Aine acting like this, even though once in a blue moon, she tends to act like this.
"She'll be fine, Harry," Ginny chimed in, used to seeing Aine letting out a bit of her rage in ways like this.
"Are you sure?" Harry asks, his eyes still staring at the deepened cut on the wooden surface.
Ginny nodded, "This is nothing compared to when she burnt those badges."
"Burn... Burn— Wh— What?"
"Never mind. It's better off not knowing~" the Weasley daughter titters, making Harry swallow, getting curious. Aine woke up from her little ranting exercise not long later, realizing the vandalism artwork she had created. She muttered a short 'Opps', laughing it off as she whips her wand out to smooth the lines she had made. With a simple spell, the deeply etched drawings from her knife had been completely erased without a trace, "Done! See, completely normal!" she grins.
Harry forces a peal of laughter before his attention was directed at a young boy walking up to Ron.
"Parcel for you, Mr Weasley!" chirped the boy.
"Oh, thanks, Nigel!" Ron replies, taking the box off the boy's arms before catching a glance from him to his best friend.
Aine peeked at the boy, giving a friendly wave which the boy nodded shyly, returning the gesture.
"Not now, Nigel. Later!" Ron brushes away, "Go on!"
Nigel's face shifted from happy to sulky in a split second, before he hung his head defeatedly as he walks away with heavy steps. His friends turned to him, demanding answers with raised brows before he sighed, "l told him I'd get him Harry's autograph."
Hermione and Aine scoffed, continuing their breakfast. Ron, on the other hand, was busy opening his present, "Oh! Look, Mum's sent me something!" he beams with joy, eagerly pulling the ribbon away from the box. He frowned at the sight of the contents inside it, making his friends grow curious. Harry chewed on his trembling lips, turning away with a faint smile on his face.
Aine watches as Ron pulled something long out from the crate, his expression puzzled and he grimaced. All eyes around the group turned to him and his interesting choice of clothing that he had received. He pulled it towards his body, showing to his friends, "Mum sent me a dress?"
Students around them burst out laughing at the rather, traditional-looking dress. It had frills on either side of the sleeves and near the shoulders, although it looked old, it was still very cute and doll-like.
"It does match your eyes," complimented Harry and Aine kicked his leg under the table, sending him a look. The boy stifles, looking into the crate, "Is there a bonnet?" he asks, searching inside the box and whipping out another article of clothing, "Aha!"
Ron rolled his eyes, "Nose down, Harry!" he tells him, though he was also partially chuckling. There was no way in hell that it would belong to him, he thought to himself, it must have been a mistake on his mother's part to write his name on the recipient. Not to mention, the girly dress must have been for his little sister. He walked towards Ginny who eyed him suspiciously, "Ginny, these must be for you..."
"I'm not wearing that, that's ghastly!" she exclaims, clearly disgusted.
Hermione giggled along with Aine who was turning away from her friend who approached them, "They're not for Ginny!" Hermione said, still laughing.
"They're for you, Ronald," Aine added, her cheekbones rising.
"FOR ME?!"
They nodded, "Dress robes," the brunette reveals and Ron tilted his head quizzically, "Dress robes? For what?"
Hermione sighed, "Don't you ever listen to gossiping?" she asks him while the boys shook their heads, while Aine and Ginny shifted their attention to the girl, who notified them about the rumours of a ball being held during Christmas.
Later that day, the Gryffindor head— Professor McGonagall had instructed the Gryffindor students to meet her in a classroom. By the time they were there, a large gramophone was situated inside the room. With Mr Filch adjusting the needle and Mrs Norris being all adorable by the table nearby, glancing at the students.
"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since its inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered frivolity," Professor McGonagall stated.
She walks towards the boys, narrowing her eyes at them, "As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward. And l mean this literally! Because the Yule Ball is, first and foremost, a dance!"
Students erupted with confused whispers, Ginny turned to Aine, blood draining away from her face as she mouths to her friend, "What are we going to do? I don't know how to dance!"
Aine gave a smile, "Neither do I..." she mouths back.
"Silence!" McGonagall ordered before proceeding on, "The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the Wizarding World for nearly 10 centuries. l will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name, by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons," she said sternly, mostly speaking to the bunch of grouchy boys.
"Try saying that five times fast!" Aine could hear Fred speaking to his twin, taking turns to say the tongue-twister sentence. She chuckles to herself, watching them both saying it and not long later, she was saying it in her mind herself too!
"Now, to dance— is to let the body breathe!" she said, her arms floating to the sides as she moved with light steps, "inside every girl, a secret swan slumber, longing to burst forth and take flight!" she smiles at the girls who shifted uncomfortably in their seats before whipping her bun to the boys, "inside every boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance!" she smirks, "Mr Weasley!" she called out.
"Yes..?"
"Will you join me, please?"
Aine was laughing in her mind, trying to muster a neutral face that was impossible since everyone was howling with waves of laughter. Ron awkwardly stood up, dragging his feet towards the lady, clearly not wanting to be the professor's partner and setting an example for his schoolmates. Either way, he went for it. "Now, place your right hand on my waist," she directed him.
Ron's face fell, perplexed, "Where..?"
"My waist!" she said, turning impatient. "And extend your arm! Mr Filch, if you please."
The faint music echoed through the room, it was a little static but the melody was sweet. A loud whistle came from two boys in which Aine perfectly knew who it belonged to. She watches in amusement as the lady guided Ron, slowly swaying side to side while muttering 'one, two, three' in repeat.
"Everybody, come together!" urged Professor McGonagall, "Boys, on your feet!" she said with a strict tone, encouraging the children to dance. She smiled, it has been so long since she danced and waltzing along with Ron made her reminisce old times.
Ginny pulls Aine along who was shaking her head before Neville asked the red-headed girl for a dance. Dumbfounded, Aine was left in the middle of a swarm of dancing students, not knowing what to do. She tries to flee, turning around only for George to extend his hand elegantly to her, wriggling his brows, "May I have this dance, my lady?"
My lady.
Aine's face blushed at the word choice, her mind instantly thinking of a certain boy who had called her that once. "Now, now, don't keep a gentleman waiting, will you?" George pouted before Aine took his hand and they started dancing. Although it was pretty much the older Weasley joking around, he was pretty good at it nonetheless. Aine on the other hand was stumbling on her steps, making him laugh at her. She was trying to remember the sequence; right foot back, left foot left, right foot to left foot, left foot forward, right foot sideways, left foot to right foot. Her mind was jumbled up with these steps and the next moment, she was stepping on George's foot.
"That hurt, Ai," teases George, looking at the girl who was trying to recall which foot to bring out next, it was confusing and even brewing a potion was so much easier than dancing.
"Sorry, Georgie!"
"You're focusing too much on your feet, look at me," he tells her and she looked up, her neck was bending backwards because he was just so tall.
"I'm horrible at this," she says to him, dejected.
"You're fine! Look! As long as you don't look down, you're doing well! Just let your feet move along the music," he replied, grinning.
"I'm surprised you knew how to dance," said Aine.
"Really? Do I look like such a bad dancer?" he questions, twirling her around.
"Not really, I just wasn't expecting it."
George chuckles, his ears were reddening much to his distaste. His heart thumped loudly deep in his chest as he just couldn't stop smiling as he swayed along with Aine. "What?" she asks him, and he flinched, "Hmm?"
"What's so funny that you're grinning from ear to ear?"
"Oh, nothing! Just thinking about how great you are becoming. Look! You're improving!" he says with delight, squeezing her hands unknowingly.
Aine looked down to her leather shoes again, moving in sync with George's shoes. She smiled, it was true, she was getting the hang of it.
"Thank you," she mumbled, and he slowly lifted her into a light jump and gaped at her. Aine's hair flew before it swished as he turned. Her eyes were glittering with the Sun light's reflection and she beamed, feeling the smooth wind brush her face as she jumps. In George's eyes, she was insanely mesmerizing and he could feel himself falling deeper into her, slowly being lost as they dance.
"This is fun," she says to him, enjoying it slightly although she was bad at it.
"Right?" winks George.
Aine hums, and they continued practising before they changed partners. From George to Fred, to Dean, and then Hermione followed by Ron, then Ginny and lastly, Harry. By the time the introduction and training lesson was done, the students were all completely out of breath and exhausted. Needless to say, they had fun in the end.
All that's remaining now, is to find an ideal partner and dress up for the Yule Ball. Though it may not be as easy as it seems. Since after the whole trouble the students went through in learning the waltzing steps, McGonagall had revealed to them—
That only fourth-year students and above are allowed to go to the ball.
─── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───
Oh my god! The Yule ball has is finally approaching! When I began writing this book, my first worry was about the Yule Ball and how am I going to write it! I've planned out who is going with who, but I would love to see what you guys think! Do you think Aine is going to the ball? Who will she be going with? Leave me a comment about your opinions!
Anyways, things have been hella hectic for me lately because of a certain new project that I've been helping. Really thought that I was one of the sidelines people helping out but turns out that the workload was even more than they asked of me. Henceforth, updating the chapters took quite some time too. I hope you guys understand!
Question of the day: Who would you choose to go to the Yule Ball with?
- Zeneria