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"Well" said Zoe smirking as I buried my head in her shoulder after dinner "you and Malfoy looked pretty cosy."
"Zoe, please" I said "I'm dating a guy." Well, does three dates so far count as official "dating"?
"Right" said Zoe, rolling her eyes "A guy you don't like."
"Zoe--" I mumbled.
"Come on Emma" said Zoe "don't lie to me. You didn't see yourselves. You had chemistry. You felt it, he felt it. Everyone saw it. And I think your just dating Isaac to make Malfoy jealous. Which isn't fair to anyone. Him or you."
Damnit, I hate when I'm proven wrong.
"Well, what do I do?" I said "Malfoy doesn't care about me."
Zoe looks at me with a fond exasperated expression. " Honestly, how are you so oblivious? Did you or did you not dance flawlessly with him even if you haven't even tried before?"
"I did."
"Do you or do you not miss him?"
I stayed quite. Yes, I miss him. I miss his company, I miss annoying him, I miss his laugh. But was I admitting that? No. I'm too stubborn, and too proud.
"You don't have to say it" says Zoe reading my mind " I know you do."
I groaned.
The next day I was walking with Harry and Ron. I had never known so many people to put their names down to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas; I always did, of course,because the alternative was usually going back to Privet Drive, but I had always been very much in the minority before now.
This year, however, everyone in the fourth year and above seemed to bestaying, and they all seemed to me to be obsessed with the coming ball — or at least all the girls were, and it was amazing how many boys Hogwarts suddenly seemed to hold; I had never quite noticed that before. Girls giggling and whispering in the corridors,girls shrieking with laughter as boys passed them, girls excitedly comparing notes on what they were going to wear on Christmas night. . . .
"Why do they have to move in packs?" Harry asked Ron and me as a dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry."How're you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?"
"Lasso one?" Ron suggested.
"Talk to one privately." I said.
"Yes, but how?"
"God, I don't know. Give them a note with a time and place to meet, tell them to come alone. They come, you ask."
"Got any idea who you're going to try?" Asked Ron
Harry didn't answer. I knew perfectly well whom he'd like to ask, but working up the nerve was something else. . . . Cho Chang was a year older than Harry was; she was very pretty; she was a very good Quidditch player, and she was also very popular.
"Listen, you're not going to have any trouble." Ron nudged Harry "You're a champion. You've just beaten a Hungarian Horntail. I bet they'll be queuing up to go with you."
In tribute to their recently repaired friendship, Ron had kept the bitterness in his voice to a bare minimum. Moreover, to Harry's amazement, he turned out to be quite right.
A curly-haired third-year Hufflepuff girl to whom Harry had never spoken in his life asked him to go to the ball with her the very next day. Harry was so taken aback he said no before he'd even stopped to consider the matter. The girl walked off looking rather hurt. I couldn't help laughing
A few boys asked me, I rolled my eyes at them and rejected them. For two reasons; number one was because I wasn't sure how I am supposed to sort things out with Isaac, and number two. . . well, the person I did want to go with was not even looking at me.
We asked Hagrid about the interview. "She didn' seem very int'rested in magical creatures, ter tell yeh the truth," Hagrid said, when Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione asked him how his interview with Rita Skeeter had gone during the last Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the term. To our very great relief, Hagrid had given up on direct contact with the skrewts now,and we were merely sheltering behind his cabin today, sitting at at restle table and preparing a fresh selection of food with which to tempt the skrewts.
"She jus' wanted me ter talk about you, Harry, and Emma" Hagrid continued in a low voice. "Well, I told her we'd been friends since I went ter fetch yeh from the Dursleys. 'Never had to tell them off in four years?' she said. 'Never played you up in lessons, have they?' I told her no, tha' Emma was my to' student an' she didn' seem happy at all. Yeh'd think she wanted me to say yeh were horrible."
" 'Course she did,"I said, throwing lumps of dragon liverinto a large metal bowl and picking up my knife to cut some more."She can't keep writing about what a tragic little heroes we are, it'll getboring."
"She wants a new angle, Hagrid," said Ron wisely as he shelledsalamander eggs. "You were supposed to say Harry's a mad delinquent! And Emma is physchotic"
"But theyre not!" said Hagrid, looking genuinely shocked.
"She should've interviewed Snape," said Harry grimly. "He'dgive her the goods on me any day. 'Potter has been crossing lines eversince he first arrived at this school. . . .' "
"Said that, did he?" said Hagrid, while Me,Ron and Hermionelaughed. "Well, yeh might've bent a few rules, Harry, bu' yeh're allrigh' really, aren' you?"
"Cheers, Hagrid," said Harry, grinning.
"You coming to this ball thing on Christmas Day, Hagrid?" saidRon.
"Though' I might look in on it, yeah," said Hagrid gruffly."Should be a good do, I reckon. You'll be openin' the dancin', won'yeh, Harry? Who're you takin'?"
"No one, yet," said Harry, \going red again. Hagrid didn't pursue the subject.
The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumors about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere,though I didn't believe half of them — for instance, thatDumbledore had bought eight hundred barrels of mulled meadfrom Madam Rosmerta. It seemed to be fact, however, that he hadbooked the Weird Sisters. Exactly who or what the Weird Sisterswere I didn't know, never having had access to a wizard's wireless, but hIdeduced from the wild excitement of those who hadgrown up listening to the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network)that they were a very famous musical group.
Some of the teachers, like little Professor Flitwick, gave up tryingto teach us much when our minds were so clearly elsewhere; heallowed them to play games in his lesson on Wednesday.
Other teachers were not so generous. Nothing would ever deflectProfessor Binns, for example, from plowing on through his noteson goblin rebellions — as Binns hadn't let his own death stand inthe way of continuing to teach, we supposed a small thing likeChristmas wasn't going to put him off. It was amazing how hecould make even bloody and vicious goblin riots sound as boring asPercy's cauldron-bottom report. Professors McGonagall and Moodykept us working until the very last second of their classes too,and Snape, of course, would no sooner let us play games in classthan adopt Harry and me. Staring nastily around at us all, he informed us that he would be testing them on poison antidotes during thelast lesson of the term.
"Evil, he is,"Zoe said bitterly that night in the Slytherin common room. "Springing a test on us on the last day. Ruining the lastbit of term with a whole load of studying."
"Mmm . . . you're not exactly straining yourself, though, areyou?"I said, looking at her over the top of my Potionsnotes. Zoe was busy building a card castle out of her ExplodingSnap pack — a much more interesting pastime than with Mugglecards, because of the chance that the whole thing would blow up atany second.
"Shut up."
Next day, Fred and George came to me, Harry, Ron and Hermione at breakfast.
"Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" George asked.
"No, he's off delivering a letter," said Ron. "Why?"
"Because George wants to invite him to the ball," said Fred sarcastically.
"Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat," saidGeorge.
"Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?" said Ron.
"Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too," said Fred, wavinghis wand threateningly. "So . . . you lot got dates for the ball yet?"
"Nope," said Ron.
Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will begone," said Fred.
"Who're you going with, then?" said Ron.
"Angelina," said Fred promptly, without a trace of embarrassment.
"What?" said Ron, taken aback. "You've already asked her?"
"Good point," said Fred. He turned his head and called across thecommon room, "Oi! Angelina!"
Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet near the entrance, looked over at him."What?" she called back.
"Want to come to the ball with me?"
Angelina gave Fred an appraising sort of look."All right, then," she said, and she turned back to Alicia and carried on chatting with a bit of a grin on her face.
"There you go," said Fred to Harry and Ron, "piece of cake."
He moved away, "We'd better use a schoolowl then, George, come on. . . ."They left.
Ron stopped feeling his eyebrows and looked at Harry.
"We should get a move on, you know . . . ask someone. He'sright. We don't want to end up with a pair of trolls."
Hermione let out a sputter of indignation.
"A pair of . . . what, excuse me?" I asked
"Well — you know," said Ron, shrugging. "I'd rather go alonethan with — with Eloise Midgen, say."
"Her acne's loads better lately — and she's really nice!" said Hermione
"Her nose is off-center," said Ron.
"Oh I see," I said, bristling. "So basically, you're going to take the best-looking girl who'll have you, even if she's completely horrible?"
"Er — yeah, that sounds about right," said Ron.
Before I could say anything else, Zoe came up from behind me. Nudging me she said "have you talked to Isaac yet? Or Malfoy?"
My averted eyes gave her her answer. "Well. Here's something which will help." she handed me a note.
We need to talk. Meet me near the lake.After lunch.
-Isaac
The Hogwarts staff, demonstrating a continued desire to impressthe visitors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, seemed determined to show the castle at its best this Christmas. When the decorations went up, I noticed that they were the most stunning I had yet seen inside the school. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase; the usual twelveChristmas trees in the Great Hall were bedecked with everythingfrom luminous holly berries to real, hooting, golden owls, and thesuits of armor had all been bewitched to sing carols whenever anyone passed them. It was quite something to hear "O Come, All YeFaithful" sung by an empty helmet that only knew half the words.
Several times, Filch the caretaker had to extract Peeves from insidethe armor, where he had taken to hiding, filling in the gaps in thesongs with lyrics of his own invention, all of which were very rude
.And still, Harry hadn't asked Cho to the ball. He and Ron weregetting very nervous now, though as Harry pointed out, Ronwould look much less stupid than he would without a partner;Harry was supposed to be starting the dancing with the otherchampions.
"I suppose there's always Moaning Myrtle," he said gloomily, referring to the ghost who haunted the girls' toilets on the secondfloor. I didn't say anything, I had my own love life to deal with. As a matter of fact right now.
I made my way to the lake. Isaac was already there. "Hey" I called. "Hi" he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
There was--for the first time-- and awkward silence between us.
Suddenly without warning, Isaac leaned forward and kissed me. I was shocked, and stunned. It was my first kiss with a boy. Eventually though, I kissed back. It felt like nothing. He was a good kisser. But it wasn't a good kiss.
We broke apart.
"Why did you--?"
"Ok, let's cut to the point." said Isaac "Emma--I like you, I do. I just--not in that way. "
what?
"I--I feel that we're kind of--pretending to be something we're not. And that kiss just proved it, I don't think either of us felt anything."
"Oh, thank merlin" I sighed "I feel the same way."
Isaac's face broke into a grin. I love Isaac, I do. But I love him the same way I love Ron, Nicholas, Fred and George. And that love--while not romantic--is important too. I enjoy his company, I enjoy laughing and talking with him.
"Friends?" asked Isaac, holding out his hand.
"Friends" I said, shaking it.
The bell rings, signalling the end of lunch. I make my way to charms. Well, there's that problem sorted now I have one more.
Potions was my last class that day, I made my way with Zoe to the dungeons. I scribble a note on a piece of paper.
We need to talk. Same time, Same place as always.
-E.P.
And I took aim, and perfectly hit my target; the back of the head of a certain blonde.
Draco's POV:
Did I miss Emma Potter?
Yes, yes I did.
I even missed her nickname for me. Which should speak much on it's own. I missed her laugh, and I missed her joking around.
When we danced. . . god. We had chemistry. She was following me, as she should. I knew much more about it than she did. But she picked the steps up quickly. I had never felt like this about anyone. I'm 14, so I know it isn't love. But I certainly do like her as more than a friend.
Something hits the back of my head. I open a folded piece of paper and read;
We need to talk. Same time, Same place as always.
-E.P.
I grinned. Took my quill and scribbled;
I'll be there.
-D.M