"Jo-"
The girl was heading to the Black Lake to write her diary when Hermione's voice and fast steps blocked her doings, "Hey." Josephine turned with a tender smile on her lips, "Why are you in hurry?" She said as Hermione was running, holding her books.
"Jo, you'll never believe this." She stopped right in front of her, her heavy breaths and rosy cheecks.
Josephine chuckled by seeing her so happy, "Enlight me, what I won't believe?"
"You know that the Yule Ball will soon take place, don't you?"
"Are you asking me if I know it? I had to dance with Crabbe during McGonagall's dance lessons because of this ball." Her eyes rolled at that memory.
"I remember...I had to dance with Neville." Hermione muttered with disappointment.
"Oh, how sweet." Josephine smiled at the thought of how cute Neville was.
"Yeah, but that's not the point." Her friend shook her head and picked the subject up, "Do you also know that boys have to take a girl to the ball, right?"
"People talk only about this-"
"Guess who just invited me."
"Ron?!" Josephine yelled with enthusiasm, without even thinking.
"Um, actually no..." Hermione mumbled as she slowly grew sad.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Then, it's Harry." She smiled with encouragement in order to make her feel better.
But Hermione shook her head, "Theorically, he wants to take Cho Chang."
"Oh, the Ravenclaw girl he always stares at. So...Fred? George?" Josephine kept saying random names, but Hermione's head said no at each one, "Dean? Seamus? Lee? Col-"
"Viktor Krum." She abruptly cut her off.
"The leader of the break dance school asked you to be his date?" Josephine's eyes wide opened, "Did you say yes?"
"Of course I did." She broadly smiled.
"I'm so happy for you." Josephine's arms tenderly embraced her friend.
"Thanks, me too." She broke the hug, "Even though I wished someone else asked me." Hermione muttered with disappointment and sadness, talking about Ron.
"Well...I'm sure he'll regret it bitterly and he's going to die of jealousy when he'll see you with Viktor." Josephine comforted her as she winked.
"What are you talking about, Jo? What jealousy?" Hermione said, feeling embarassed as she tugged a strand of hair behind her ear, "Instead, who are you going to the ball with? Did someone asked?"
__
A few days earlier...
"Salazar, I can't wrap my head around what's so exciting in a ball." Draco scoffed as he noticed how euphoric the girls in the library were for the event. His body swinged along with the chair he was seating on as his foot rested on the table.
"It's an occasion to be prettier, and it's cute being invited by someone." Josephine answered as she wrote her notebook, "What does this mean?" She pointed a concept in the book with the pencil.
"Do you care about this stupid ball, too?" Draco turned to her with his eyebrows frowned, ignoring her question.
"I only care about the meaning of this stuff." She insisted as she kept pointing at the book.
"I don't know." He briefly said.
"Christopher Colombus, Draco, studying with you is less productive than playing at wizard's chess with Bizet." Josephine hissed as she stood up to fetch the dictionary.
As soon as she walked away, a hand was placed on the blond's shoulder, "Hi, Draco." The person took a seat next to him with a smirk - Adéle.
"Oh, hi..." Draco said, nonchalantly, without even looking at her, and crossed his arms, "That place is busy." His head tilted towards the chair Josephine was seated.
"What if we make up for what we missed?" Adéle ignored his words as she moved her hair on her back.
"I say, forget it." He coldly growled.
"And what if I asked you to go to the ball with me?" She didn't give up.
"It would be another reason to not go." Draco bitterly spatted as his eyes looked around, hoping that Josephine would come back soon.
"Why, Draco? I thought you liked me." Adéle said, getting closer to him.
"It's Malfoy for you, and you thought wrong. I said no, do you want me to write it for you? Go away and never approach to me nor Jòsephine again-" He threateningly peered over her as he awaited for her to leave.
"Who stole my place?" Josephine's voice caused Draco's head to spin around.
His savior, Draco thought as he slightly smiled at her before he returned serious and looked at Adéle again, "You should go now." He whispered, nodding for her to get out of their hair.
The french girl turned around and turned white by seeing Josephine in front of her, "Oh, you..." The brunet faked a little smile, "Listen to Draco and go."
Without speaking a word, Adéle stood up, "If you change your mind, look for me." She muttered, lowly, at Draco before she walked away.
"What did she want?" Josephine asked, once she slipped on the chair.
"Nothing...and you still have to answer me."
"Answer what?" She asked as she opened the dictionary.
"Do you care about the ball?"
"Actually, I don't, but at least it's something different, otherwise this place would be boring." Her finger slipped long the pages looking for what she needed.
"Good, we think alike." His arms spreaded with relieve, "Then, I should also ask a girl to be my date?" He scoffed.
"You always complain about girls and you're more complicated than them, what's the matter if you take a girl to the ball?" Josephine's eyes rolled, "You should be pleased, at least you can spend a beautiful night with the girl you like."
"Jòsephine, I don't like anyone." He boringly sighed.
"Yeah, what about Pepé?" She asked.
"Look, I'm about to throw the chair at your face." Draco threatened.
"Really?" Josephine's eyebrows raised, "By the way, seriously, what did the frenchie?" Her gaze went back to her book.
Draco puffed, "She asked me to go somewhere together and to be her date, but I refused."
Josephine froze and suddenly spinned, "Have you refused the invitation of a blonde french girl?"
"The blonde french girl called you filfthy." He emphasized.
"As you used to do, right?" The brunet tilted her head as she slightly smiled.
"I refused right because of that." The corner of the boy's mouth softly raised.
Josephine slowly nodded with satisfaction before her hand grabbed the pencil to write her notebook, "Anyway, you did well by saying no."
"Why?" Draco muttered as he found a comfortable position on the chair, resting his arms on the table, and peered over her writing.
"Someone wants to invite you to the ball."
Draco didn't have the slightest idea of the reason why he wished that person to be Josephine. Maybe because she was the only girl who he could bear, "Who?" He questioned, wasting no time.
Josephine looked at him, smiling, "Come on, it's easy."
"You?" Draco asked, immediately. He didn't know from where he managed to find the courage to do it, but he was too curious.
"Me?" She chuckled, bewilderingly raising her eyebrows, "No, it's Pansy." She confessed, crushing Draco's hopes.
Bored features took over his face as his eyes rolled back, "Obviously..." He whispered with disappointment.
"I didn't want to tell you, but I know how mean you can be to her. The reason why I'm telling you is because Pansy cares so much, so be a Don Freezer a bit less Freezer." She winked.
"Well...I owe you one." Draco said at the memory of her helping him for the Astronomy test the last year.
A smirk grew on Josephine's lips, "Were you hoping it was me?"
Draco scoffed, "Say another bullshit and I'll throw it at you." He threatened again as he pointed at the chair he was seating on.
Josephine raised her hands in surrender and chuckled. After all, she hoped that he wished her to be the one who wanted to invite him and, come to think of it, it wouldn't be so bad going to the ball with Draco.
"What about you? Did someone invite you?" He questioned, his serious voice. He didn't understand whether should be worried about the answer, but he only hoped it wasn't an idiot.
"I was asked by Adrian Pucey-"
"Pucey?!" Draco's shocked and incredulous voice cut her off.
Adrian was the Slytheryn prettiest boy of the sixth year, all the girls doted for him. He was a close friend of Theodore, who told Josephine that Adrian thought she was beautiful. Just like Theodore, Adrian was a bit taller than Draco, he had brown hair and light eyes. He was one of the seekers in the Slytheryn Quidditch team.
"When did he invite you?"
"Two days ago, I was painting in the garden." She answered, standing confused by his interest, but she didn't mind.
"Have you accepted?" His eyes prayed for her to say no. Obviously, he was just worried because he didn't want that Adrian fooled her, since he was older and had a lot of girls on his feet.
Josephine frowned and calmly said, "No, Draco, I refused." He sighed with relieve, "Theodore asked me first." Theodore was more than fine to Draco.
"I get it." He merely nodded, "Well..it's been unuseful studying with you, Jòsephine." The chair made noise as he dragged it to stand up.
"I imagine, you didn't do nothing but complaining."
"Oh shut up." Draco raised his voice, "I've told you I'll accept Pansy's invite."
"Thank you." She slightly smiled at him, "See you at dinner, Draco."
Draco smiled at her back as a nod fell from his head, "See you later, Jòsephine."