1996 - ginny weasley

chapter 12

It was the day of the Yule Ball. Every Hogwarts student was sitting in the dorm bathrooms, preparing for the occasion. Girls from all houses were putting on makeup and slipping on their gowns as the boys tightened their ties and combed back their hair. 

A knock came at the door. 

"Ladies, I demand you be ready in the ballroom by 7 for Professor Dumbledore's speech," Snape said sternly, leaving the door closed for our privacy.

After he left, we continued our conversations.

"Blaise is taking me. He even bought me a silver bracelet," Esmerelda said flushing, holding out her wrist to show off her new expensive gift.

"I am taking Cedric Diggory out of pity. So far I haven't heard a word from him. However, I am extremely excited to see how jealous Ginny will get when he dances with me," I said, applying pink blush to my cheeks. 

"Who would have thought, Vi and Cedric. I am taking this beautiful one-of-a-kind girl," Adrianna said, kissing Pansy's cheek. The day after the salon, Pansy dumped Draco for good and asked Adrianna to the ball. I was beyond proud of her.

We got into our gowns and waited at the entrance of the ballroom for our dates. Ginny greeted me in a beautiful sage-colored gown. I was in a white flowy ballgown.

"You look gorgeous," I told Ginny, leaning in to kiss her glossy lips. I just wanted to make out with her right there, but people were starting to crowd the halls. Ginny backed away.

"Ah ah ah. You aren't my date remember. I am waiting for Oliver, and you for Cedric." 

"I heard my name?"

Cedric Diggory popped up behind me. I felt guilty about how attractive I found him at that moment. His eyes were shining in the light, as he stood at my hip in a black tuxedo. 

"Ginny, may I have your permission to spend the night with your beloved," Cedric said, taking my hand and planting a kiss on top. I blushed.

"Sadly, I have no choice. But at 11 pm she is all mine," Ginny said. She winked at me and went to go find Oliver.  Once she was gone, Cedric turned to me.

"You look absolutely perfect, Vi, has anyone told you yet?" 

Did he just fucking hit on me?

"Thank you, let's go join the others."

After Dumbledore's long boring speech about the safety of underage drinking and firewhiskey, all the teachers exited the ballroom. Since the students in the ballroom were older teenagers, they made the bad decision of trusting us to be alone. 

The second the teachers left, Fred and George Weasley extracted a ginormous bottle of firewhiskey from a crate they had snuck in. The students erupted into cheers and whoops. Cedric went to go get us drinks, and I looked around for Ginny. I missed her. 

After hours of music and getting wasted, a slow song turned on. Fred Weasley pulled out a microphone.

"Ladies and gents, grab onto your lovers and dance!" He belched into the mic and fell over.

Cedric extended out his arm to me. "May I, Miss Black?" 

I took his hand and he pulled me into his arms. My arms wrapped around his back as he placed his hands on my hips. We swayed to the music, and I began to feel tired. I laid my head against his chest and spotted Ginny awkwardly dancing with Oliver Wood. My eyes interlocked with hers and I could practically feel the longing and jealousy from across the room. 

Looking at her in that dress just made me want her more. I could tell she felt the same. As soon as the song ended I told Cedric I was going to the bathroom and gave Ginny a discreet eye signal. I met her in the hallway.

"It's not eleven yet but I won't permit anything else with Cedric. It's torture. I want you all to myself," Ginny whispered. "Come with me."

She took my hand and guided me up to the astronomy tower. The dark sky against the bright stars of the night looked beautiful from the glass in the tower. Ginny placed her hand on my shoulder, and took my hand and put it on her hip. Our fingers interlaced, and soft classical music began to play from a small device on one of the desks. 

Ginny guided me around the floors of the tower. She spun me around in laughter, and the longer we danced the happier I felt. I didn't let go of her hand, gazing into her gorgeous light brown eyes. 

We danced all night until the ball was over and the teachers were fast asleep. When we got tired out, I grabbed her hand and we ran through the dark halls together, the only light coming from the candles in the classrooms we fled past. 

Being with Ginny made me feel safe and warm. I loved her more than anyone and anything that had ever been in my life.  We reached the Slytherin common room. I whispered the password and we quietly went up to my dorm.

I opened the door to the girls' year 5 dormitories, expecting everyone to be asleep. Instead, I walked in on Pansy and Adrianna under the sheets. Esmerelda was not in sight. I apologized, and we quickly exited to go to the Gryffindor common room. That was awkward.

When we arrived, I took off my dress and got into the nightclothes I had grabbed before we left my dorm. I climbed into Ginny's bed, and I fell asleep in her arms.

It was one of the most perfect nights of my entire life.