SKREIGH- C.DIGGORY

30

The evening of the Yule Ball, Delilah, Ginny, and Hermione were doing the last bits of their makeup and Delilah was braiding pieces of Ginny's hair before pulling them back into a small crown.

"I love it" Ginny gasps. "You're amazing"

Delilah smiles, before turning to tease some of the curls on Hermione's hair.

"You both look beautiful," Delilah says. "I feel like a proud mother hen"

"You look so much better than we do," Hermione says and Delilah smiles at them.

Delilah was dressed in a floor-length golden dress that shimmered with each step she took. The neckline would probably give McGonagall a heart attack but Delilah knew CPR so she was willing to take the risk. On her feet were golden heels that matched the dress. Her hair was pulled back into a low bun with a few strands framing her face.

"You better kiss Krum tonight," Delilah says and Hermione gasps.

"D!"

They all walk out of the room and Cedric is holding a corsage in his hand before slipping it on Delilah's wrist.

"You look beautiful," Cedric whispers.

The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions and their dates approached the top table, but Karkaroff wore an expression of remarkable distaste as he watched Krum and Hermione draw nearer. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr Crouch, Delilah suddenly realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by Percy Weasley.

"Be seated!" Dumbledore calls and Cedric pulls out Delilah's chair allowing her to sit down.

There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Delilah picked hers up uncertainly and looked around - there were no waiters. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!"And pork chops appeared. Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too.

"Spaghetti," Delilah says.

"Lasagne," Cedric says.

When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it. The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments and began to play a slow song.

"The champions dance is to commence," Dumbledore declares.

"The what?"

Cedric pulls Delilah onto the dancefloor, placing his hands on her waist as she places hers on his shoulders. The pair begin dancing with ease, it was as if when she was with Cedric, Delilah could do anything.