𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒, james potter

29. the winter ball

December 20, 1975

THE DAY WAS finally here.

The Winter Ball.

Nesrin was exuding excitement from every fiber of her being. She had been waiting for the ball ever since last year's ended. She loved getting dressed up and making heads turn her way. It made her feel good about herself.

And this year she had a date she actually liked for once.

In past years, she had gone with boys just for the sake of having a date. She hadn't liked any of them. They were all egotistical narcissists that only cared about themselves.

But somehow, fate had taken pity on her and had brought her James.

Her boyfriend.

She couldn't believe she got to call him that. She had been on dates before, but she had never actually had a boyfriend before him.

She hoped with everything in her that she would never have one after him either.

Looking at herself in the full-length mirror Vanessa had put in their dorm room back in first year, she grinned at her reflection. Her hair was tied up into a bun, showing off her slender neck. There was a silver pendant attached to a chain around her neck with matching hoops in her ears. She was wearing a floor-length pale blue dress with embroidery running along the bottom like vines. It was the prettiest thing she owned, and she couldn't wait to see James's reaction.

She took one final look at herself and then left her room. Vanessa had already left with Idris—apparently, they were now a thing and Nesrin had no idea what to think of that. She didn't even really care all that much when she was so occupied with thoughts of a raven-haired boy with deep dimples carving into his cheeks every time he smiled.

No one knew about her and James. Not even his friends. They hadn't exactly spoken out loud that they were going to keep this a secret, but both of them knew. They were always on the same page.

Because no one knew she had a date, let alone a boyfriend who was in Gryffindor, they had decided to meet up at a corridor close to the entrance of the Great Hall but far enough away that no one would be able to see them.

She made her way toward the corridor, careful not to attract any attention. She spotted a figure a few steps away, his back facing her. She bit back her smile and started to walk faster.

Just as she was about to reach him, another figure stepped in her way.

"Nesrin!" Vanessa exclaimed, grabbing her arm. "We've been waiting for you. Come on, let's go inside."

She tried to pull away from Vanessa, but her grip was too strong.

"Wait, let me just—" Nesrin started to say before she was cut off by the music growing louder as they got closer to the Great Hall.

She glanced over her shoulder just before they slipped into the room.

James stood there frozen, his lips parted and a glazed-over look in his eyes as he stared after her.

They didn't get a chance to really talk after that.

Either she was dragged off by one of her friends to dance or one of his friends was dragging him off for some fun and games.

They barely caught glimpses of each other throughout the night. It frustrated Nesrin.

Finally, a couple of hours into the ball, it started.

The tradition that had been going on since forever.

Everyone made two circles—one inner and one outer. Everyone in the circles had to keep moving along to the music in opposite directions, and once the music stopped, they did as well. Whoever was facing them was the person they had to dance with.