*I couldn't help it. This is a long one (3627 words)*
The Great Hall was gorgeously designed to look like a winter wonderland. White frost decorated the walls and Christmas trees at every corner. A light snow fell from the high arching ceiling. Hundreds of garlands and ivy crossings with mistletoe clung to the banisters and star light sprinkled the Christmas trees. Many tables were placed throughout the front portion of the room and opened out to the dance floor making up the other half of the hall.
Jasper and I happily took the sights in before joining a side. I watched as the champions to entered with McGonagall in the lead. Fleur followed in a 20's silver dress that emphasized that Veela glow of hers; a true knockout to her open-mouthed date. Cedric followed in generic dress robes of black and white with Cho on his arm in silver and scarlet.
Krum and Hermione followed with many eyes watching them in awe and jealousy. Rosalie pointed out Krum's fan club by the door; all of whom throwed Hermione looks of deepest loathing. But my eyes somehow found their way to Pansy standing across the aisle with her date. She gaped at Hermione in disbelief while Malfoy didn't register an expression on his face. Pity. I was banking on seeing a good reaction from him tonight.
Harry walked fast after them with the Patil twin rushing to keep up. If I didn't know any better, I would think Harry was trying to avoid the crowd's eye. If so, he did a poor job of picking a date, as she was dressed far more colorfully than the other girls; acting like a beacon.
"At least we didn't have to be escorted in like that," Jasper said to me as the pair of us continued to clap.
"What's wrong with a big entrance?" I asked back. He waved to those around us.
"So many eyes. And for what? It's a bit much, no?" Marie, who was standing next to Jasper's other side, glanced my way, eyebrows raised. I only smiled at Jasper before letting him escort me to a table.
The rest of my friends and their dates joined, leaving two seats open for Mila and Ana, should they return. Their dates, Aleksi and Ivan, looked around sheepishly for their dates before giving up and sitting together.
Dinner was served through audible menus on golden plates. The food was scrumptious. After everyone had began to eat, our table became lively, with Jacqueline leading the conversation. She began by jokingly interrogating Gisele's date, a Hufflepuff named Caleb, who at first did not know how to handle Jacqueline's bluntness. Gisele of course acted as translator, with some mild adjustments to Jacqueline's words. This caused many funny answers to come from Caleb's mouth leading to laughter around the table.
Rosalie was conversing with Jasper, who was interested in her story of joining Beauxbatons as an American. And Marie, who at first spoke quietly to her date, Ivo, turned to me at last and recounted what I had missed between Ana and Mila while Ivo listened on.
"Aleksi stepped on Mila's dress, causing a rip to go through the hem line," Marie started, eyeing Aleksi across the table who was digging into his food with little ceremony.
"Poor Mila. She's been so excited for this ball and to have dress ruined before the dance started..." I said sadly. Marie nodded along slowly.
"Well, it was quite a scene. Ana immediately snapped at Aleksi before taking Mila out of the entrance hall. Ivan wasn't happy and called after her. She didn't like that. Ana has better practice with tailor spells than the rest of us so we let her go. But something tells me there will be more than just fixing a dress between those two."
"They are in desperate need of a heart to heart," I agreed, before taking a sip of my drink.
Ivo, who was listening in patiently, took his time to speak up for the first time.
"I am thinking, your friend is okay, right?" He asked, more so to Marie than me. Marie nodded, kindly, before explaining the slip up between Ana and Mila.
"Your mother went to Beauxbatons?" Jacqueline exclaimed in French, making me turn to see her eyeing up my date. Jasper was looking sheepishly at his pork chops before nodding after Gisele gently translated.
"But he doesn't speak French," Gisele said kindly, in translation back to Jacqueline. Rosalie nudged her date to stop scaring Jasper before Jacqueline could continue.
"Ask him if his mother still lives in France," Jacqueline instructed Gisele but before her friend could concede, Ivo got Marie and my attention and pointed to the doors where Mila and Ana had just entered from. Both looked very happy, though Ana had tears drying on her face and Mila clutched her yellow dress oddly, as if trying her best to keep it from moving. Their dates stood to make room for them, but the girls sat together, with Mila giving Aleksi the cold shoulder.
"What have we missed?" Ana asked eagerly as she looked down at her menu and back up at the table.
"Your friend has been grilling me," Caleb said jokingly, nodding to Jacqueline.
"And me," Jasper added, raising his knife from his plate to wave in her direction. "Though I can't fully understand her."
Jacqueline seemed to get the gist of the conversation as she began to laugh.
"You're Jasper, right?" Mila asked, eyeing up my date as Ana went on to order her food. Jasper nodded along.
"And you must be Mila. Or is it Ana?" He responded politely.
"Mila," I confirmed at his side. Mila watched us earnestly before turning to her menu.
Just then, the quartet came onto the miniature stage and the strings began to rosin up their bows. Professor Dumbledore took that opportunity to get onto his feet with his goblet in hand.
"Students, now that we are all fed and watered, I will take this moment to welcome you all to this year's Yule Ball!" Polite applause followed as students began to look around in wonderment as to what was to come.
"I think now would be a good time to open up the dance portion of our evening. And what better way to open a ball than with our champions and their wonderful partners? Champions!" He turned to them, who rose from their seats and started for the center of the floor. The concert master sat in his chair, violin at the ready, and all eyes stilled.
After a few turns around the room from each partner, Dumbledore opened the floor to other couples, leading as an example with Professor McGonagall on his arm. The whole time, I watched with growing excitement at being able to dance along to the serenading quartet. But rather than ask for my hand, like Neville did for Ginny, Jasper turned back in conversation to Rosalie.
Things did not get better when Ivo asked Marie to join him on the floor, followed quickly by other students at neighboring tables. I looked around myself desperately only to find the likes of my brother dancing with two girls on his arm.
How did he make that happen?
I shook my head of that thought and tapped Jasper on the shoulder. If he wasn't going to ask me, to hell with it, I at least would take action.
"Can we dance?"
"Yeah, uh- sure!" He said quickly before dropping his napkin and taking me hand.
"Oh, let's join them," Mila said, licking her fingers clean of meat sauce before taking Ana's hand and ignoring both of their dates who had automatically stood up to join them.
Rosalie couldn't help but cover her laughter after the look Jacqueline gave her from that sight.
Jasper stopped on the edge of the dance floor as if unsure of how to start so I gently turned to face him, and laughed at his awkward movements before guiding his one arm to my waist and the other to my outstretched hand.
"I assume you haven't waltzed before?" I asked, humored at the sheepish look he gave me. He wasn't expecting to be this close to me but that was the usual reaction most people had when starting to dance with a partner. No biggie.
"What gave it away?" he asked through a chuckle.
"Logic. No normal teenager knows how to waltz."
"Fair point," he laughed before he drew me out onto the dance floor.
Immediately I started to lead as Jasper seemed clueless onward. If I was watching as a third person on the sidelines I would have judged our dancing terribly, but in the moment, I was following the music and happy to at least be dancing.
My dress flowed after me as I wilted along the space and after a few missteps from Jasper, we made it once around the floor. The music jilted and the couples around us turned rapidly, with Jasper and I following a second behind.
This wasn't a waltz I was familiar with. Every other third beat the girl would be lifted in the air before being danced around in a circle. The first time we missed it completely. The second time, Jasper questioned how to do it, and the third time he managed to lift me in the air only a fraction as high as the other girls.
But by the fourth time the music reached it's peak, Jasper hit his mark and I went soaring up in the air, and back down gracefully. The pair of us were laughing by the time the music died down and we clapped readily to the quartet as they made their bows.
"I think it's about time for a drink, how about you?" He offered as he led me back to the table.
"That sounds perfect."
While Jasper went off to get punch, I lingered on over to Hermione who was looking a bit beside herself though still putting on a smile. Ginny was with her.
"Everything alright?" Ginny turned looking rather annoyed.
"You wouldn't believe what my brother said-"
"No, Ginny it's fine," Hermione corrected, before stirring up as her date, Viktor came by with drinks.
"Viktor, these are my friends. Ginny and Ava," Hermione introduced us to the Quidditch player who gave an awkward nod in our direction before handing Hermione her drink.
"Should ve look at the desserts?" Hermione nodded readily before taking his arm and waving back at us. The moment she left, Ginny turned on me in a foul temper.
"Ron is being an utter toss pot. He was just bickering with Hermione over Krum. And he called Krum "the enemy" to her face."
"Wasn't Ron obsessed with him at the World Cup?" Ginny nodded feverishly.
"YES. And he went as far to get his autograph the first week he was here. I swear this is all based on jealousy. He lost his chance to ask Hermione earlier on and so now he's sour."
"But that doesn't have to mean you should be. After all, it looks like Neville is taking good care of you," I inclined, glancing at Neville's back as he looked gingerly around the dessert table. Ginny smiled slowly as she glanced his way before nodding, her aggression gone.
"He has. You should have seen him dancing," she continued, turning back to me. "He didn't miss a step. I felt a bit bad actually. I'm not a good dancer." I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Not many of us are at this age. Jasper needs some work but we both managed to dance through two numbers with little problem."
"Where is he? I barely saw him when we first walked in." I pointed to the drink table where Jasper was in the midst of a conversation with Mila and Ana, glasses in hand.
"He put off all that drama about looking nice this afternoon only to be dressed like that?" Ginny asked, incredulously. I laughed at her before questioning what she meant.
"He had been telling Dominic and the rest of us about finding something that would match with you. Spent all today getting himself ready. We barely saw him. He didn't want to ruin those robes of his." I couldn't help but frown at her words.
Wasn't he rushing to clean a stain from his dressing robes? Why would he stain them so soon before the dance if he had been taking every precaution throughout most of the day?
"There you are-" two voices sounded in mischievous undertones from behind us. Ginny's expression flattened before quipping back with "What do you two want?"
I turned around to find myself face to face with the Weasley twins, looking dapper in different dressing robes of black and grey.
"Just checking on our sweet sister to see if Longbottom is keeping his pesky hands off-"
"Oh would you both stop!"
"Ava, I've got our drinks." I turned around again to find Jasper with his hands full. A thoughtful expression lingered on his face, as though he was milling something over. I took a drink from him and quickly linked arms.
"Let's go back to our table, hmm?" We left Ginny to bicker with her older brothers. Back at the table, only Ivan and Aleksi sat, brooding over their lost dates while in the background, Ana and Mila were laughing with each other by the dessert table. The others were out of sight.
"You never told me Malfoy asked you to the dance," Jasper stated rather abruptly. Slowly I lowered my glass to look at him.
"Didn't I? I thought I told you at the library-"
"That you were asked by others and you said no, I remember," Jasper finished. "But you didn't mention Malfoy was among that list." I frowned before slowly lowering my glass.
"What does it matter if Malfoy asked me? I mean," I added clarifying, "he didn't technically ask me. More like played with the idea." Jasper's thoughtful expression deepened to a frown before he took another drink.
"Well?" I asked, staring at him. "Why does it matter?"
"I don't know, it's just-" He stopped as if trying to put the right words together. "You and Malfoy have always seemed to have this weird... tension between you two and I don't want to get involved in that."
"Tension?" I repeated incredulously. "I assure you I can't stand the guy. I didn't think you would care what someone like Draco Malfoy would have to say about me anyway."
"I don't, I don't," Jasper clarified quickly. "I just wanted to be sure."
"Why?" I demanded. Jasper glanced from his glass and then to me slowly.
"Because I want to make sure you're not toying with me in front of him." I dropped my head for a moment before glaring back at him, furious.
"Toying? Jasper, do you really think so little of me? Do you honestly believe all the gossip like the rest of those stupid Slytherins-" I said, thinking of Nott.
At that moment, a rock band called the Twisted Sisters came on and opened with a stark chord that sent couples rushing to the dance floor in troves. I barely noticed.
"I'm sorry," Jasper began, sensing he over stepped. "I shouldn't have listened. Really. Why don't we forget this and just dance?" I gave him a passing glance before turning to look past our table to where a bunch of Slytherins were chilling. Pansy was glaring at the ceiling while Malfoy sat watching me pensively. At catching my eye, he smirked.
That's it.
I turned back to Jasper and took his hand rather abruptly, making him jump.
"You're forgiven. Let's join the crowd."
Jasper didn't need another word. He took me off with him to the middle of the dance floor, leaving Aleksi and Ivan, who had witnessed the entire discussion at the table, to look at each other wide eyed.
Jacqueline met us on the floor, spinning Rosalie around in circles as she laughed vicariously. Theo, who was dancing with his crowd of friends, shimmed on over to me in his usual annoying fashion, flashing a mischievous grin the moment he caught eyes on Jasper.
"Oh it's you who caught my sister, you lucky bastard," he said with breath reeking of liquor. Jasper was not pleased.
"Merlin, Theo what are you drinking?" I questioned disapprovingly as I stepped between him and Jasper.
"Merely Pumpkin juice. Or was that Scotch. Honestly I can't remember if I'm being honest," he said ruefully.
"I'll take your word for it," Jasper said from behind me. I gave him a warning look but too late, Theo side stepped me and pointed a daring finger at Jasper and shook it threateningly.
"Careful. This is me behaving myself for my sister's sake. Give me a reason not to and you're going to be regretting it tomorrow morning."
"That's enough," I said, pushing my brother back into Jacqueline who had turned a little too fast from Rosalie. Theo turned to her in recognition and another grin erupted on his face that copied itself onto hers.
"I know you!" He said abruptly in French. "Let's dance!" Jacqueline took his arm happily and together the pair of them disappeared into the crowd, leaving Rosalie to go dance off with Gisele and Caleb. Thankfully for us, Mila and Ana came up behind me and immediately began to dance with us through the rest of the set. By 11, the floor had dispersed a bit and the Twisted Sisters had played their last chord.
Rushing back to our table that was now empty, the lot of us collapsed on chairs, grinning from ear to ear. Nothing beat teenage rock music to lose the tension for the night.
Or so I thought.
Just as the quartet was setting up shop again on stage, Jasper stood up.
"I've got to go. It's a bit late already and-"
"You're leaving?" Mila exclaimed in disbelief. Ana looked repulsed.
"But it's only 11! We still have an hour to dance." Jasper was shaking his head, his mind already made up.
"I'm sorry I can't. Ava, you want to walk me out?" I stood up and followed him out the door while my two friends watched with quick glances between each other.
"Can't you stay for one more dance?" I pleaded earnestly as he turned my way. He shook his head and this time, I sensed something else. Nerves.
"I- You're going to think me an idiot but I signed up to help Madam Pince tomorrow morning. I completely forgot to take my name off after you asked me-"
"You're joking," I muttered. "Madam Pince has priority over this dance? Seriously? Just blow it off. What is she going to do? Fire you? It's not like she has many other upper classmen to help her. They all dropped out when they caught their senses."
Jasper looked toward the stair well in what I sensed was longing. I stopped.
"Fine. I appreciate you coming to the dance with me anyways. It was fun," I said in as polite a tone as I could manage. Jasper looked back at me and this time I saw relief followed by guilt in the shadows of his face.
"Thanks Ava. Merry Christmas." I nodded and watched flabbergasted as he speed walked toward the stairwell as if he had a minute to reach his common room.
"Not even a kiss goodnight?" Mila said after I explained what had happened. "I was positive that was the reason why he asked you to follow him out."
"Me too," I said back slowly. My eyes were watching the few couples left dancing to a slow dance.
"Oh Ava, I'm sorry," Ana said kindly. "The night's not over yet. Why don't you join us on the floor?" Mila clapped happily at the idea.
"Yeah! We can do our own thing. It's not like anyone is paying attention to anything but themselves." I smiled but shook my head.
"I'm not in a dancing mood anymore. You guys go. I'm happy to see you two have made up at least." The two glanced at each other assuredly before looking back at me worriedly.
"We'll just dance the next few rounds and then we can all head back to the carriage. Sound good?" I nodded before waving them off.
"Go have fun. I'm going to try out the dessert table." The girls departed leaving me to slowly walk to a dessert table. Ginny was standing on the opposite side talking in a hushed voice to that dark haired Ravenclaw I had seen her with earlier.
What was his name?
Michael!
I smiled at my good memory before picking up a petit four and taking a bite.
"Didn't expect Deller to be the type to ditch his date. But then I guess you can't blame him. Not everyone can afford good manners, now can they?"
I slowly looked up from the dessert table to see Malfoy walking up to me from his side of the dessert bar.
"The night's over," I said back simply. "So he left." Even I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth let alone, Malfoy. He gave me a look that told me as much.
"I disagree," He said causally as he stopped short by me, his back against the table. I kept my chin up to stare at him slyly.
"What do you mean?" He smirked.
"The night's not over." And with that he took one of the petit fours from the tin and popped it in his mouth while I gapped at him.
What an interesting turn in events.
-
Hello there!
Took me most of my afternoon trying to write this up. I couldn't write Jasper well. I'll be posting again on friday so I will see you all then!
With Love,
-WG-