"... and it can actually be found in the Forbidden Forest. But it's mostly used to produce Knotgrass Mead," Professor Sprout explained during Herbology.
Helena raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Rosemund?" the teacher asked.
"Professor, if Knotgrass is used to make the Polyjuice Potion, shouldn't it be classified as a level three ingredient? It's dangerous to have a plant like that growing without any supervision on who picks on it," Helena discussed on the subject, quill on her hand as she had finished writing down what the Herbology teacher had on the black board.
"Good argument, Miss Rosemund! But not necessarily," Professor Sprout replied. George, who was sitting next to Helena since they both shared the class, quietly snorted at the teacher's comment, having told the girl she was wrong but in a kind way. "Even when Knotgrass is a common herb to found laying around, it is quite tricky to get the Polyjuice Potion right. That's why it's classified as a level one ingredient. I'm sure you'll be seeing the matter soon with Professor Snape."
Professor Sprout continued to write other details on the black board on the plant they were studying. Meanwhile, George was doodling and making notes on new products for Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and Helena was helping him with the eatable products that needed specific ingredients and measurements to brew them together to not make them deadly.
"I can't believe what I'm going to say," Helena said to George. "But I can't wait for Snape to teach us about the Polyjuice Potion. If we know how to make it, we can adapt it to some of your products!" she whispered excited.
"That would be brilliant!" said George with a smile. "Imagine transforming into another person just by eating a gummy. But you would have to figure that out, Nina. Out of the three of us, you are the best at potions!"
"But I'm only second best in class this year," she muttered, knowing Cedric had the first place in Potions. It didn't bother her as much since she did like the academic competition she had with Cedric since first year. They had always found it fun to compete to see who the best in class was, although she hasn't had much interaction with Cedric lately these days because the boy was still tutoring a second year Hufflepuff boy and the girls from Ravenclaw she had met during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. But whenever Cedric had a bit of time off, they would meet in the courtyard behind the castle to talk for a while.
"That's because you haven't got us this year," George mocked the girl. "You're the one who wanted to take Advanced Potions."
"Well, of course I had to if I want to become an Auror," Helena defended. "I don't know if you and your brother being in potions would make a difference. Although Fred is very clever and rather good at potions. He's the one who helped me the most making the Aging Potion, remember?"
"Maybe that's why it backfired on us," said George under his breath while writing the last bit that Professor Sprout had on the front of the class. "Fred's been distracted since we started sixth year. And I mean more than usual. I think you might know why..."
A sly smile formed on the boy's face as he looked down at her. Helena just wanted to know what George was thinking.
"... Is it because of the Tournament?" Helena asked clueless.
"Correction," he said. "I might know why," he chuckled at the confused expression on the girl's face. "Alright. What would you say if I told you that Fred has a crush on someone?"
"A crush? On whom? Wait a second... I would know that. We're friends. I would know. He would tell me, of course! If Fred had a crush on someone, I would know..."
Helena was babbling.
Does Fred really like someone and hasn't told me?
Why does it bother me? It's just a crush and it's Fred.
It does not bother me.
"It was just a question, Nina. You went a bit scary there," George chuckled nervously. "Changing of the subject is in order! Why do you think they want Gryffindors to meet in the Transfiguration classroom later?"
"Dunno. Maybe McGonagall wants to tell us something important," Helena said analyzing the matter.
When they had went for breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, Professor McGonagall approached Gryffindor table to let them know that every student above fourth year needed to stop by her classroom at 3 in the afternoon. And apparently, the other three Head of Houses had done the same with their students but inviting them to their respective classrooms. And that time was just around the corner when they finished their Herbology lesson.
Helena and George gathered their belongings and headed to the classroom where they had been summoned.
"You took ages to get here!" Fred complained as he was sitting by one of the windowsills, arms crossed over his chest. "Lucky for you two, I saved us this spot."
Helena was about to tell Fred he was being dramatic, but then she noticed how the room was starting to quickly fill up with the rest of the Gryffindor students who were called in. Chairs were already occupied when she arrived, so anyone who did not get a seat either stayed standing or went to grab a chair from the classroom next door. One or two students were clever enough to use the Summoning Charm and made some chairs fly across the room to get to where they were.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat once everyone got settled.
"The Yule Ball is approaching, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now... the ball will be open only to fourth years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish -"
"Are we really going to have a ball!?" Helena whispered excitedly to the twins who rolled their eyes at her teasingly. "Somebody pinch me – OUCH! Ok. I asked for it, thanks." The girl rubbed on both her arms after Fred and George had obliged to her wishes knowing it had been a rhetorical request, but still pinched her arms.
"It's just a ball, Hell," Fred said unamused about the event.
"... What's the big fuzz about it?" asked George sharing the same feeling as his brother.
The dark-haired girl turned to look at her friends in disbelief.
"It's a freaking ball!" she said through gritted teeth, her expression confused the twins, not knowing if she was happy or angry. "Dancing, music, gorgeous gowns! Just like in the movies!"
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil from fourth year started giggling and nudging each other. But also, Angelina and Alicia Spinnet were doing the same. Professor McGonagall just turned to look at them from under her glasses to keep them behaved.
"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then -"
Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.
"The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to, er... let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.
Fred and George snorted at the sentence coming from McGonagall, getting a slap on their arms from Helena to shut them up.
"But that does NOT mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way. The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"
The girl sitting between the twins had a stern, concentrated look on her face, sharing Professor McGonagall's thoughts on behaving during this Yule Ball they will be having, nodding in agreement. Meanwhile, Fred and George were whispering behind Helena's back...
"Try saying that five times fast," Fred said to his brother.
"Babbling, bumbling band of baboons," George said with full concentration.
"Babbling, bumbling band of baboons," Fred repeated.
"Oi, baboons, cut it out!" Helena hissed at them to avoid getting them in trouble with Professor McGonagall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The leopard coat that was wrapping Helena's upper body was really doing its job in protecting her from the cold snowy weather while she was dress hunting with Hermione, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood in Hogsmeade.
They were only less than two weeks away from the big Yule Ball that would take place at the Great Hall inside the castle and it's all everyone talked about. It was a good break from the Triwizard Tournament. Most Hogwarts students had bought their dress robes and dresses before the start of the new year since it was on their school supply list, but Helena had decided at that time to wait until she knew more details about why she needed a dress, just so she could pick the right one for the occasion.
She was now regretting making that decision.
"I won't find anything! All the good ones are gone!" Helena moaned, defeated and cold.
The four girls were having Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks to warm up and take a break from dress shopping, even though the only ones who needed a dress was Helena and Hermione. Ginny had gotten one sent to her from her mother and got a big package from the Weasley family owl, Errol, who failed to land smoothly to deliver it. Luna on the other hand, had bought hers when she was at Diagon Alley while shopping for school supplies with her father. Both had lovely dresses for the Yule Ball, which made Helena more desperate to find the right one.
"Why don't you order it?" suggested Hermione. "I think that's how I'll do it, and it will get here in a week."
"Because I need to try it on. If it feels good on me, then I'll know that's the one," informed Helena, taking a sip from her drink to calm herself. She loved shopping but right now it was draining her out. "I know I'll find one today. I can feel it."
The other three girls always looked up at Helena and saw her like an older sister that would take care of them or give them advice whenever needed. Helena was responsible and rebellious at the same time, although the second thing might have increased since she befriended the twins. But they knew that if Helena was sure about something, it meant that it was a done deal. So, Hermione, Ginny and Luna were there to help her find her dress.
"Nina, that one's gorgeous!" Ginny said in awe. "It suits you perfectly!"
"And the color... you look good in green," added Luna, touching the fabric with her fingertips. "Do you want me to add glitter? I have some in my room! Or would you like some feathers? I have those, too!"
"Erm... I'll pass on the glitter," Helena chuckled. She was not surprised that Luna had her kit of crafts since the Ravenclaw would always make something for Quidditch matches. "But I will take the feathers to decorate a purse I have."
Once they were done shopping at Hogsmeade, the girls went back to the castle to relax in the Gryffindor Common room while Luna worked on a head piece she would wear for the Yule Ball back in her room. Helena, Hermione, and Ginny were lucky to have found the couch in front of the fireplace empty since lately there was always someone using it.
Normally, around these days close to Christmas, students would start to leave to spend the holidays with their families back home and the school would have very few spend that time at Hogwarts. But this year, it was completely the opposite. Now with the Yule Ball just around the corner, everyone wanted stay to assist the event, at least that was the case with the older students who were allowed in it.
"Gin, are you excited you're going to the ball?" Helena asked the redhead, grabbing a pillow to hold close to her chest. "I heard Neville invited you."
"I sure am! But I should've waited a bit longer before I said yes to Neville," Ginny replied. "Harry the next day but I said yes to Neville because I thought it would be my only chance to go to the Yule Ball," she whined.
"Harry should have acted faster," said Hermione disappointed. "But Neville is nice, Harry and Ron told me he practices dance moves at night in their dorm when no one is there."
"See, Ginny? Neville wants to impress you!" Helena squealed, nudging the redhead with her elbow.
"Well, you should be the one practicing since you are opening the Yule Ball with Cedric," said Ginny with a smirk. "And you too, Hermione! Viktor Krum is so smitten by you that he won't notice if you don't know how to dance, but the rest of us will! So, you two better show us what you got! There will be three people representing Gryffindor when the whole thing starts."
"Oh, dear," sighed Hermione, already feeling nervous as her face went red.
"Ok, McGonagall," Helena mocked the redheaded girl. "No pressure at all," she said sarcastically.
It had come to a surprise when Hermione walked up to Helena one day after dinner to tell her that Viktor Krum had asked her out to the Yule Ball. The sixth year girl was shocked at first, but the following days, it had been obvious to Helena that Hermione was the only option for the Durmstrang student since he would always be at the library when Hermione was there. Both Helena and Ginny had witnessed Viktor Krum smiling at Hermione when the bushy haired girl was not looking during dinner.
"D'you know who will go with Harry and Ron, Hermione?" Ginny asked curiously, arching her left eyebrow.
"Those two are completely lost!" Hermione confessed. "Harry is attempting to ask Cho Chang from Ravenclaw but he never gets to it. And Ron, well... he sorta invited me yesterday but with a poor choice of words. I know he just asked me out because he sees me as a last resort, and that's not I want I want to be."
"Amen, sister!" Helena shouted, praising Hermione's words and fake bowing alongside Ginny.
"And do you know who my brothers are going with, Nina?" asked the redheaded girl. "I honestly don't know a girl who could stand them for the whole night... well, except for you."
"Erm, they're not that bad," Helena said smiling. "But I honestly don't know if they have dates already –"
"Fred already... has," interrupted Hermione unsurely. "He asked Angelina Johnson yesterday before Ron asked me. He was pretty clever about it, actually."
"Angelina? Oh."
The sixth year felt like a sting in her chest, or as if someone had pushed her from her chest. She could not comprehend why she reacted like that to the news that Fred Weasley had a date for the Yule Ball. She did not expect the twins to just go alone to the ball. Every student that could assist wanted to take advantage of this event and ask someone they liked out as a date. It was a normal thought.
But why did Helena never think that Fred was also part of that collective thought?
This is stupid. He just wants to have fun, just like you.
"I'm glad he got someone to go with him, ha! I'll wish Angelina good luck later," Helena chuckled lightly, squinting her eyes as she scratched the back of her head, hoping that would avoid the other girls reading her mind. "Hermione let's go order your dress so it can get here on time! Come on, Gin! We can use Alfie; he loves to fly over the snow."
After deciding on which dress Hermione would order, Helena offered to take the letter up to the Owlery so the other two girls wouldn't catch a cold in that freezing weather.
"Take this to Druella's Dress Shop, Alfie. It's in London. I know you like it there when it's holiday season!" the Gryffindor cooed at her owl who in return batted its wings with glee before taking off to fulfill the girl's request.
Helena headed for the exit when she bumped into someone...
"Ahh, Harry! You scared me!" she said catching her breath. "You have light feet, there."
"Sorry 'bout that," the boy smiled. "Just wanted to see how Hedwig was doing and to, erm... think, I guess."
"How's the asking Cho Chang out to the Yule Ball going?" she asked.
"W-What? Oh, I guess Hermione told you. Well... it could be better. I just don't know when to do it. She's always with her group of friends," Harry whined, throwing his head down in defeat.
"Well... I think now is your moment," Helena informed him.
"Huh? What do you m-"
"She's coming right up! That's my cue to leave! Bye, Harry. Tell me what happens."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Days before the Yule Ball, it seemed that the school staff was still trying to impress their guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons when they were decorating the school. The theme appeared to be "Winter Wonderland" for the Christmas event as icicles were attached to the bannisters of the marble staircases; the twelve Christmas trees they usually put out during the holiday were decorated more beautifully than Helena had ever seen, Professor Flitwick having enchanting the trees to make them glow with silver light and floating gold confetti around them; The Great Hall where the Yule Ball would be held had a never-ending silver garland that twisted in curls to make beautiful flowers along the walls and to her surprise, whenever someone passed the suits of armor, these were enchanted to start singing carols.
But nothing surprised Helena more those days than when she and the twins witnessed Ron asking out Beauxbaton's Champion Fleur Delacour out to the Yule Ball. More than asking her out, he yelled at her which only encouraged the twins to laugh at their brother's miserable attempt to ask a girl out after doing so.
And soon enough, Christmas had arrived.
Everyone was flooded with schoolwork for the holidays, but no one cared about that. The only thing that was on every student's mind was the Yule Ball that was happening in just a few hours.
Helena was helping the twins sell what was left of their Canary Creams in the Gryffindor Common Room while they went upstairs to their dorm for a few minutes and then came back with Ton Tongue Toffees. Needless to say, the twin's business was doing very well, and they were both extremely happy with the results.
"Ok, boys. I'll be leaving you to go get ready for the ball," Helena informed the twins.
"What?" They both said in unison.
"There's still three hours before the ball!" said George pointing at the clock above the chimney.
"You can't possibly take that long to get ready," said Fred in disbelief. "You just need to put on your dress, throw in your eyeliner and there. You're all set!"
"Thanks for the tutorial, Frederick," Helena said sarcastically. "But this is a big thing, I want to look my best and distract myself from the fact that I will be one of the few people that will open the dance floor. So, I'll see you later, okay?"
Indeed, spending time with the rest of the girls in her dorm doing their makeup was a good way to put her nerves at ease. Helena's dress was simple compared to the other girl's frocks; The silky dark green fabric felt so good against her skin, hugging her body in the right places but still loose in some parts as two thin straps were holding the dress on her shoulders; the front of the dress had a straight neckline, while her back was uncovered half-way. She would have felt cold if it weren't for the black fur coat she would be wearing up until she had to dance to keep her warm. With the help of some magic, Helena straightened her hair which gave a completely different look compared to her usually messy wavy hair and decided to style it in a sleek low ponytail. For the shoes though, she was not used to wearing heels but with a charm Luna Lovegood had shared, Helena managed to place an invisible cushion without compromising the space inside her black heels. It didn't take her the three hours that the twins thought, but she spent the rest of her free time helping Hermione and Ginny do their hair.
Once they were ready, they all went down as a group and headed for the Great Hall. Huddled at the bottom of the staircase right in front of the entrance to the party, each girl met with their date and went inside, except for Hermione who had left with Viktor Krum alongside Professor McGonagall to another spot.
Helena was now the only girl standing alone while other groups of people were hanging around the place. She was starting to feel awkward having no one to talk to and just waiting for Cedric.
Where are you, Ced?
"Wow! You look... beautiful."