Jinx Not-So-Malfoy and the Triwizard Tournament

Chapter 20

So this is it. The Yule Ball chapter. 

I've been planning this since the second book, bidding my time, making sure everything that needed to happen, happened. I spent months trying to figure out Jinx's perfect Yule Ball Dress. I've put so much work into this chapter, so much time and effort. 

I really hope this doesn't disappoint. 

Jinx's Make-up: http://www.taaz.com/images/56D308275235670B25E001F6031BC8CF.jpg

Despite the very heavy load of homework that the fourth years had been given for the holidays. I was in no mood to work when term ended, and spent the week leading up to Christmas enjoying myself as fully as possible along with everyone else. Gryffindor Tower was hardly less crowded now than during term-time; it seemed to have shrunk slightly too, as its inhabitants were being so much rowdier than usual. Fred and George had had a great success with their Canary Creams, and for the first couple of days of the holidays, people kept bursting into feather all over the place. Before long, however, all the Gryffindors had learned to treat food anybody else offered them with extreme caution, in case it had a Canary Cream concealed in the center, and Fred confided to me that he and George were now working on developing something else. I made a mental note never to accept so much as a crisp from Fred and George in future. I still hadn't forgotten Dudley and the Ton-Tongue Toffee. 

Snow was falling thickly upon the castle and its grounds now. The pale blue Beauxbatons carriage looked like a large, chilly, frosted pumpkin next to the iced gingerbread house that was Hagrid's cabin, while the Durmstrang ship's portholes were glazed with ice, the rigging white with frost. The house-elves down in the kitchen were outdoing themselves with a series of rich, warming stews and savory puddings, and only Fleur Delacour seemed to be able to find anything to complain about. 

"It is too 'eavy, all zis 'Ogwarts food," they heard her saying grumpily as we left the Great Hall behind her one evening (Ron skulking behind Harry, keen not to be spotted by Fleur). "I will not fit into my dress robes!" 

"Oooh there's a tragedy," Hermione snapped as Fleur went out into the entrance hall. "She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?" 

"Hermione - who are you going to the ball with?" said Ron. 

He kept springing this question on her, hoping to startle her into a response by asking it when she least expected it. However, Hermione merely frowned and said, "I'm not telling you, you'll just make fun of me." 

"You're joking, Weasley!" said Draco, behind them. "You're not telling me someone's asked that to the ball? Not the long-molared Mudblood?" 

Harry, Ron and I both whipped around, but Hermione said loudly, waving to somebody over Draco's shoulder, "Hello, Professor Moody!" 

Draco went pale and jumped backward, looking wildly around for Moody, but he was still up at the staff table, finishing his stew. 

"Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Malfoy?" said Hermione scathingly, and she, Harry, Ron and I went up the marble staircase laughing heartily. 

"That was brilliant!" I chortled.

"Hermione," said Ron, looking sideways at her, suddenly frowning, "your teeth..." 

"What about them?" she said. 

"Well, they're different... I've just noticed...." 

"Of course they are - did you expect me to keep those fangs Malfoy gave me?" 

"No, I mean, they're different to how they were before he put that hex on you.... They're all... straight and - and normal-sized." 

Hermione suddenly smiled very mischievously.