"Just tell us!"
"No!"
"Joy?"
"Don't tell them, Joy!"
I couldn't stop laughing at their petty argument. "They're going to find out anyway, Mione."
"Don't you dare," Hermione gave me a look. I sighed in exasperation. "Ron, we're not telling you who asked us and that's final!" she snapped.
"You're joking, right?" Malfoy came up to us with his usual sneer. "Are you actually saying some asked that jumped up big molared Mudblood and the mutt to the ball?"
"Hi, Professor Moody," I waved at him from across the corridor and Malfoy paled visibly. "Twitchy ferret," Hermione taunted him. "Call her that again, I'll hex you!"
Malfoy scurried away. "I didn't even notice," I pointed at Hermione's mouth. "I had them shrunk down a tiny bit more than usual," she told me.
The four of us walked back to the common room where Pig was bouncing around. "If you have a letter, you hand it over! You don't show off!" Ron grumbled impatiently.
He snatched the letter away from the bird. "It's Sirius," he told us.
Harry took the letter and read it. "He says congratulations and that a Conjuctivitis curse could have helped too and told me to stay out of trouble and there's a PS here uh 'PS Tell Joy she's not to be snogging any boys at this so called ball.'"
"I'm going to kill him," I grumbled.
***
Christmas Eve arrived, the night of the Yule Ball. I was helping Hermione to apply her hair potion. "Ugh, I hate having this bush," she complained. "It could be worse," I told her, flattening her hair. "I've got it, you go pack," Hermione said.
She took the potion as I packed the wrapped presents I received in my trunk. "There we go," I muttered. "It's a real shame that you can't stay for Christmas Day," Hermione lamented. "I know but I should go home," I told her. "It's the first proper Christmas with my dad."
"Let me know how it goes," Hermione smiled at me and fixed her dress. "Ready?"
"Ready."
The two of us walked down the stairs to find our partners. I found Cedric and walked over to him. "Wow!" he gasped.
"What?"
"You look amazing," he smiled. "Thank you," my cheeks were currently the same colour as my dress. "You look very handsome."
"Champions over here please!" McGonagall called. "I need to apologise in advance for the damage I'm about to do to your feet," I muttered to Cedric. "And vice versa," he whispered.
"Joy?! Hermione?!"
I looked over my shoulder to see Harry with Parvati, looking gobsmacked. "Oh, hi, Harry," I smirked.
I walked in and everyone was gaping, even Malfoy and Parkinson! They couldn't find a single insult to throw at me. "Whoa, is that Jones?" I overheard Malfoy. "Don't look at that bitch," I heard Parkinson hiss at him.
Thankfully, Cedric didn't hear them. The Great Hall looked like a proper ballroom from a fairytale, that Muggle one, either the girl who had a fairy godmother or the girl who fell in love with a beast.
I found Ron in the crowd, whose eyes were fixed on Hermione and Viktor.
Next people I laid my eyes on were Tia and Dad, who came so she didn't have to talk to anyone else. She spotted me and widened her eyes and whacked Dad on the arm and nodded in my direction. "Don't look ahead," I whispered to Cedric. "Parents?" he wondered. "Hang on, is that Professor Lupin? With your aunt?"
"Yeah, long story," I muttered. "I'll explain later."
We were eating at the top table with the staff, judges and my family. "He's my dad."
"What?" Cedric looked at me. "Professor Lupin, he's my dad," I told Cedric and the two of us sat down.
"Do we wait or...." I mumbled. "There is a menu on the table," Dad informed me. "Oh," I muttered and I picked it up. "It would make more sense if the dancing came first."
"Well frankly, I'm starving," Tia piped up.
I looked over to see Hermione in deep conversation with Viktor and I gave her a discreet thumbs up. She gave me a small wink once Viktor wasn't looking.
Both Dad and I got steak, rare steak. Little wolf thing we have. "We'll be talking about this later," Dad motioned between Cedric and I. "Dad!" I complained. "Stop, please!"
Tia elbowed him in the ribs and shot him a glare. "Time and a place, Remus."
***
Then the dancing began, I was really nervous when me and Cedric had to dance with the other champions. "Is that the Weird Sisters?" I pointed towards the stage. Cedric nodded.
Ha! Sirius was going to be so jealous. "Again, sorry for the future foot damage," I muttered as he placed his hand on my waist and my cheeks immediately began to heat up. "First dance?" he asked me. "First and preferably last," I chuckled as the two of us started slowly dancing.
Everyone else began joining in, Ginny was dancing with Neville, Dumbledore was dancing with Madame Maxime and Moody was dancing with Professor Sinistra.
"Poor Sinistra," Cedric whispered to me and I laughed.
After about twenty minutes, we headed over to the drinks table where I bumped into Hermione. "Can I borrow Joy?" she asked but didn't wait for an answer as I was dragged away. "I'll get you a drink!" he called after me. "Thank you!" I called back.
"What happened?" I asked Hermione. "Did you two snog?"
"No! Not yet," she mumbled. "You?"
"With my dad in the same room? He doesn't have a death wish," I chuckled.
"Hi, Joy. Hi, Hermione," Harry greeted us as the two of us walked over.
Ron had the purest sour look on his face. "Did someone shit in your Butterbeer, Ron?" I asked him. "JOY!" Hermione smacked me. "OW!" I shrieked, thankfully, no one heard me over the music.
"Well, Viktor has gone to get drinks, do you want to join us?" Hermione asked us. "I'll ask Cedric, all Viktor and I will talk about is Quidditch," I said.
"Viktor?" Ron frowned. "Okay, what is wrong with you?!" Hermione asked him, fed up.
"He's from Durmstrang!" he exclaimed. "At least Joy went with someone from Hogwarts!"
"You can't be serious," I sighed, shaking my head. "You're fraternising with the enemy, both of you!" Ron snapped at us, he was more pissed off at Hermione, he only dragged me into it so it wouldn't look like he was a jealous idiot. I saw right through this.
"Oh, don't get me involved!" I rolled my eyes.
"Says the person who wanted his stupid autograph!" Hermione snapped back at him.
"Did he ask you in the library?"
"So what if he did?!"
"Getting him to join spew?!"
"No! He came up to me actually!"
"He's using you to get closer to Harry!"
"He hasn't asked me a single thing about Harry, Ron! Did it maybe occur to you that he actually likes me?" Hermione folded her arms.
"Maybe both Diggory and Krum want help with their eggs," Ron muttered. "Oh, give it a rest!" I rolled my eyes once again.
"Guys, stop it!" Harry shouted at them. "Ron, I don't mind Hermione going with Krum and I....don't mind about Joy either."
He hesitated saying that last bit. Meaning he did mind. A lot. "Right, well, I guess I'll see you in the new year then.
***
"Joy, is your trunk upstairs?" Tia asked me. "Yeah, it's upstairs, I'm just saying goodbye, I'll be out in five minutes," I told her as she and Dad were getting a carriage ready. I couldn't find anyone, not Harry, not Ron, not Hermione but I found Cedric.
"So, you're off with your folks then," he mumbled. "I'll be back soon," I reassured him. "So, if Lupin's your dad, does that mean you're like him?" he asked me.
I gulped and looked at the ground. "Yes," I murmured very quietly. "Yes it's true, it's why Malfoy calls me..." I stopped talking and just kept looking down.
"I'm sorry," he sighed. "Hey, look at me."
I slowly raised my head and looked him in the eye. "It doesn't matter, werewolf or not, you're still the same person to me."
The next thing that happened was very unexpected. He slowly leaned in and his lips brushed against mine. It was short lived as I pulled away, shocked yet pleased.
"See you soon," he smiled at me. "See you," I responded and I went back to the carriage.
Merlin's bloody balls! I just snogged Cedric Diggory!
"You alright?" Tia asked me once she saw a small smile on my face. "Fine," I responded very quickly. "I'm fine."