The next few days were a bit chilly. The twins were distant and poured their attention on the two girls from the party. Angelina and Lee didn't know what happened, they only knew the twins had kissed those girls. Angelina and Lee looked like they were waiting for a bomb to go off, but they were free to do whatever or whomever they wanted. Even though it looked like Fred wanted to rub my face into it. Three days had passed since the first task, and we were sitting at the Gryffindor table. Angelina and Lee were on one side of me, while Jack and Jazz occupied the other side. In front of us were the twins with their new girlfriends. Fred was snogging her excessively in front of us while George whispered things to his girlfriend, making her giggle and blush.
Jack frowned at them before he cleared his throat, looking back at me. "So, Moony should be proud of you for how you did at the first task."
"He is. Harry wrote to him and Sirius. We're going over there after dinner, so I won't be at the castle tonight."
"You call Professor Lupin Moony?" Lee asked.
"He was never a professor of mine." Jack smiled. "I've known him since I was six, so I just picked up on how Alec called him."
"How did you meet?"
"He was my boy next door." I smiled and nudged his arm. "We met the day we moved into the house, been best friends ever since."
Fred scoffed before he muttered under his breath. "Best friends, right."
"I-" I took in a deep breath before I stood up from my seat. "I think I'm going to leave early. I'll see you guys later." I said already heading towards Harry, not waiting for an answer.
Jack was fuming, it wouldn't surprise him if steam was coming from his ears. His fingers twitched, anxious to grab his wand. Jazz tugged on his sleeve.
"Jack." She whispered nervously.
"Nee." He frowned, his eyes on the twin who drove his best friend out of the great hall. "You are a massive asshole."
"Excuse me?" The redhead said he didn't know if it was Fred or George.
"Jij verdommende klootzak! You have no right to judge Alec. Alec has been my best friend for over ten years, I know her better than anyone, except maybe Moony. And the way you are acting is breaking her, don't you think she has enough on her plate already?" He stood up, fisting his hands. "You two should open your eyes before you lose her completely."
The redheaded twins looked at him with a shocked expression, then it turned into regret. But Jack didn't care about that. At this moment, he knew he had to leave before he would spill anything Alec wouldn't forgive him for. He turned around and charged out of the great hall.
"Ok, wat is dit?" I laughed as Harry and I stepped out of the fireplace of Sirius's house. There was a large banner on the wall that read Congratulations, number 1's. Sirius was putting candles on a cake in the kitchen and Remus was nowhere to be seen. [Okay, what's this?]
"What was that?" Sirius grinned, waving his hand over the candles to light them up. "I can speak fluently French, but I don't understand whatever gibberish that was."
"Dutch." Harry and I said in unison.
"If that's even a language." He chuckled, putting his wand in his back pocket. "Moony always starts mumbling or ranting in gibberish when he's mad or frustrated with me, and I can't understand a word of it."
"He must be talking in Dutch a lot then." I laughed when Sirius scowled at me. "Where is he anyway?"
"He should be back any minute." He walked over and hugged Harry. "He was getting some celebratory drinks."
"You know Harry's fourteen, right?" I raised an eyebrow as we sat down at the kitchen table.
"He's getting a non-alcoholic one." Remus's voice said as he walked in with a plastic bag, that rattled from glass bottles inside. "So, what do you think?" He asked, gesturing around the house. "We wanted to surprise you both as you both did so brilliantly."
"It's amazing." I jumped off my chair and hugged him. "Thank you, Uncle Moony." I looked over my shoulder to Sirius with a small smile. "And you, Sirius."
"This is nothing." He waved me off. "Come, sit down."
Remus and I took the seat across from Harry and Sirius. Remus took out our drinks while Sirius said. "To our fierce champions! That make men, women and creatures shake in their boots the moment they lay eyes upon them." Sirius lifted his champagne glass in the air, Remus and I followed his lead, while Harry held up his butterbeer. Harry and I shared an amused look, trying to hold back our laughter.
We spent a few hours at the house. First going over how the first task went, and then we discussed the egg. Remus was vibrating with anger at the fact that he wasn't called to the school when I was injured and unconscious for a large part of the day. It took me a while before I got him to calm down. Harry and Sirius looked at us with amused and confused expressions as we talked in Dutch to each other. Even if they could understand a few words by now, they couldn't follow the quick conversation we had, the banter being tossed back and forward. In the end, we were both laughing hysterically while Sirius and Harry ate their cake watching us.
"How is the apparition going?" Sirius asked when we got ready to leave.
"Good, I managed to only leave a piece of my robe behind last time." I chuckled. "We have four more classes before we can try out for the exams, at least the ones who are of age. Right after Christmas break."
"You will do great, cub." Remus gave me a hug. "Are you coming over next month?"
"Is that even a question?" I raised an eyebrow and Remus just grinned. "I'll see you soon." I kissed his cheek. I saw Harry pull back from the hug with Sirius and finding my courage, I walked over and kissed Sirius's cheek. "You too, Black."
"Great." He beamed. "I bought a new game you two could play."
"Can't wait." I said. And I meant it.
Over the next few days, tension eased between me and the twins. They were still 'dating' those girls, but we were getting back to our normal ways. We didn't have any alone time together, but we joked and laughed again during classes and in the common room. Things between Jack and me dwindled down too. It wasn't because we were caught by the twins and Harry, it was just something natural, falling back into our years-old friendship rather than romance. I haven't kissed him or Jazz since a few nights after the event.
A week after the first task, there was a notice on the board, saying all fourth years and up were required in the Transfiguration class at noon the next day. That's where we were heading now.
"What do you think it is?" Fred asked. "Something to do with the second task?"
"No." I shook my head. "We're supposed to do it alone." I winked at a grinning Harry. "Did you two pull a prank or something to get the whole house in trouble?"
George and Fred mocked hurt, clutching their hearts. "How dare you insinuate something like that?"
"Yes, how dare I." I rolled my eyes with a smile.
"Besides, it's only fourth years and up. If we do something for our house, it will be all of them. From the ickle first years to the stressed out seventh years." Fred grinned mischievously, which made me wonder if they were actually planning something.
"Then we will just have to wait and see." Lee said. I glanced over my shoulder at him. He had his arm wrapped around Angelina's shoulder, tugging her close. Their relationship was strong, and you could feel the love between them with one shared look. It made me a little jealous.
"What if-" Hermione started but we just reached the classroom. The sound of other students already buzzing in the air.
"Oh good, you're here." Professor McGonagall smiled. "Ladies on the left, gentlemen on the right." She gestured to the side.
I glanced inside and saw that all the desks were gone. Two long benches on each side of the classroom, between them the space was empty. Mr Filch was standing next to a large gramophone. I looked at the twins with raised eyebrows, and they looked back at me with the same expression. We sat down on either side of the room, Angelina and Hermione sitting next to me. While the boys sat across from us. Fred and George were standing in the back as the benches were full. They leaned against the wall, their arms crossed over their chests. Looking too devastatingly handsome. I quickly tore my eyes from them to look at the professor.
"I have an announcement." She started. "The Yule Ball is approaching. It is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialise with our foreign guests." In the corner of my eye, I saw the twins' scowl. "Now the ball will be open to fourth years and up, although you may invite a younger student if you wish."
A girl from Hermione's year shrieked a giggle behind us. I turned a little to look over my shoulder and saw the girl and her friend whispering, glancing towards an oblivious Harry.
"Dress robes will be worn. The ball will start at eight on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the great hall." My stomach dropped. Christmas Day? That's the day I always spend with Remus. The professor continued talking but it was like a whisper far away, as my mind went into overdrive. "The ball is, of course, a dance." Ron whispered something to one of his classmates and the professor's head snapped towards him. "Mister Weasley."
"Yes?" Ron asked with a terrified look.
"Will you join me please?" The professor took his arm and pulled him up. Ron looked like a little kid being punished by his grandmother. It was getting near impossible to hold back a grin. The boys were already laughing. "Now, place your hand on my waist."
"Where?" Ron choked out. My eyes flittered from Ron and the professor to Harry. We grinned at each other; eyes full of mirth.
"On my waist."
The twins whistled as Ron did as the professor asked. And when they started dancing, Harry looked over to the twins and I could just make his words out above the music. "You're never going to let him forget this, are you?"
"Never." They chimed with their trademark smirk.
"Everyone, come together." The professor called. The girls all quickly pushed themselves off the bench. And the boys, only Lee stepped up, taking Ange by the waist in a flash. The next one was Neville, the shy boy from Harry's year. He looked a bit lost as he looked at the girls. So, I walked over to him and did a little curtsy.
"Can I have this dance?" I asked.
"I- uhm- I -"
"Come on, Neville." George called out. "The hottest girl in the school just asked you for a dance, say yes!"
"Ignore them." I smiled. "You don't have to if you don't want to." I said kindly.
"I - I would love to." He said, managing a shy smile. I helped him place his hands on the right spots and we started to glide across the room as I whispered instructions to him.
When the music stopped, Neville was as red as a tomato. I thanked him for the lovely dance before the professor called us over.
"Miss Lupin-Black, Mister Potter. The Champions and their partners -"
"What partners?" Harry asked, his voice an octave higher.
The professor looked suspiciously at him before her eyes flickered to me and back. "Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter. Your dance partners."
Harry paled at that; it almost made me laugh. "Dance partners? I don't dance."
"Yes, you do. Traditionally the Champions and their partners open the ball."
"I'm not dancing."
"Yes, you will." I saw the professor getting frustrated.
"I'll teach you, Harry." I quickly jumped in.
"Brilliant, now that that's settled." She straightened up. "I will expect perfect behaviour from my Champions." The professor looked so proud that two of them were in her house. "Choose your partners wisely." She said to us, but her eyes lingered on me, then flickered behind me where I knew Fred and George were waiting.