Nico di Angelo and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 17: The Yule Ball

Over Christmas holidays, the school was bursting with people. It was much fuller than usual, because of the Yule Ball. Snow was thickly coating the grounds, glazing everything with ice. The teachers seemed to take the vacation as an opportunity to assign even more homework, all of which Harry had yet to complete.

Harry startled awake on Christmas morning. Wondering why, he opened his eyes to see very large, round, green eyes staring back at him in the darkness, so close they were almost nose to nose.

"Dobby!" Harry yelled, scrambling away from the elf so fast he almost fell out of bed. "Don't do that!"

"Dobby is sorry, sir!" squeaked Dobby anxiously, jumping back- ward with his long fingers over his mouth. "Dobby is only wanting to wish Harry Potter 'Merry Christmas' and bring him a present, sir! Harry Potter did say Dobby could come and see him sometimes, sir!"

"It's okay," said Harry, still breathing rather faster than usual, while his heart rate returned to normal. "Just-just prod me or something in future, all right, don't bend over me like that..."

Harry pulled back the curtains around his four-poster, took his glasses from his bedside table, and put them on. His yell had awoken Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville. Nico was standing in the middle of the room with his wand pointed at Dobby. He had crazy fast reflexes.

"Someone attacking you, Harry?" Seamus asked sleepily.

"No, it's just Dobby," Harry muttered. "Go back to sleep."

"Nah...presents!" said Seamus, spotting the large pile at the foot of his bed. Ron, Dean, and Neville decided that now they were awake they might as well get down to some present-opening too. Harry turned back to Dobby, who was now standing nervously next to Harry's bed, still looking worried that he had upset Harry. There was a Christmas bauble tied to the loop on top of his tea cozy.

"Can Dobby give Harry Potter his present?" he squeaked tentatively.

"'Course you can," said Harry. Dobby handed Harry a small package, which turned out to be socks.

"Dobby is making them himself, sir!" the elf said happily. "He is buying the wool out of his wages, sir!"

The left sock was bright red and had a pattern of broomsticks upon it; the right sock was green with a pattern of Snitches.

"They're . . . they're really . . . well, thanks, Dobby," said Harry, and he pulled them on, causing Dobby's eyes to leak with happiness.

"Dobby must go now, sir, we is already making Christmas dinner in the kitchens!" said Dobby, and he hurried out of the dormitory, waving good-bye to Ron and the others as he passed.

"That's an elf," Nico said, sounding somewhat amused.

"Yeah," Harry looked at him. "What about it?"

Nico shook his head. "Nothing."

After a snowball fight, they all headed back inside to get ready. Hermione had left a while ago, saying she needed the time. All the boys changed into their dress robes.

Nico, who was wearing black with blue trim, left first to meet Luna. She was standing outside, wearing a dress made out of some floaty material, the same shade as the trim on Nico's robes.

"We can go down," Nico offered. He didn't take her arm, but Luna didn't seem to mind.

They walked down in content silence, waiting for the rest of the school to arrive after they made their way to McGonagall, who was calling for the champions. Everyone settled in, and the champions arose to start the dance.

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff wore an expression remarkably like Ron's 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 was not there.

After the dancing had continued for a while, they sat down to eat dinner. There were golden plates lying in front. Nico assumed that it was like the plates at camp, so he told it 'soup'. The plate morphed into a bowl, and everyone got the hang of it after that.

After dinner, the band the Weird Sisters came onto the stage. Luna tugged Nico up, motioning that they had to dance again.

Harry and Ron spent the rest of the ball discussing giants in their corner, neither of them having any inclination to dance. When the Weird Sisters finished playing at midnight, everyone gave them a last, loud round of applause and started to wend their way into the entrance hall. Many people were expressing the wish that the ball could have gone on longer, but Harry was perfectly happy to be going to bed; as far as he was concerned, the evening hadn't been much fun.

Out in the entrance hall, Ron saw Hermione saying good night to Krum before he went back to the Durmstrang ship. She gave Ron a very cold look and swept past him up the marble staircase without speaking.

When Nico entered the common room after saying good night to Luna, he saw Ron and Hermione having a blazing row. Standing ten feet apart, they were bellowing at each other, each scarlet in the face.

"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?" yelled Hermione; her hair was coming down out of its elegant bun now, and her face was screwed up in anger.

"Oh yeah?" Ron yelled back. "What's that?"

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

Ron mouthed soundlessly like a goldfish out of water as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up the girls' staircase to bed. Ron turned to look at Harry, who was standing in the room looking very uncomfortable.

"Well," he sputtered, looking thunderstruck, "well-that just proves-completely missed the point-"

Harry didn't say anything. He liked being back on speaking terms with Ron too much to speak his mind right now-but he somehow thought that Hermione had gotten the point much better than Ron had.