Skill and Seclusion [2] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

132. Dance Practice

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but I get migraines all the time and they suck ass

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Wednesday arrived painfully slowly.

After she had returned from her (literally) torturous lesson with Professor Moody, Bel's Hufflepuff friends wasted no time in pointing out how ill she appeared.

Cedric had demanded he take her to the hospital wing immediately, but Bel managed to calm them all down by telling a little white lie.

She claimed to have a migraine which she would get all the time in the orphanages, and that it only took a good rest and some peace and quiet to get rid of.

After that, they had left her alone to sleep.

Thankfully, she looked much better in the morning and so her lie held up.

It also meant she would be fine in her lesson with Dumbledore Wednesday afternoon, not having to panic about him asking why she looked under the weather and casting a diagnostic charm before she could even get a lie out.

All she had to do now was avoid any extraneous movements to hide the fact that her body was aching all over.

Something she had managed to avoid on Tuesday by excusing herself from Cedric's quidditch practice, but something she realized she wouldn't be able to avoid come their strange lesson with Professor Sprout.

"Settle down everyone! That's it! Boys all take a seat to my left and girls to my right! Very good!" the Hufflepuff head of house called out to the large group of Hufflepuff students that were all trying to find their seats.

The Great Hall had been transformed into an empty room with chairs pushed to the sides, creating an open space in the centre.

There was a large record player the size of Bel herself placed to the side of the room.

Ravenclaw had gone before them, Gryffindor was scheduled next, and Slytherin last.

The entire thing was supposed to be a mystery, with the reveal of the Yule Ball being a surprise to the students, but the word had spread.

Bel should have known it would the second Draco Malfoy told her he knew.

Riley, of course, was over the moon. Ollie asked her to go with him the second they found out.

Tia was already dreading it. She had explained the complexities of finding a date to Bel about ten times yesterday, terrified of whether she should ask someone or if she should hope someone would ask her.

Bel kept her opinions to herself, not revealing that she had already been asked by one foul Slytherin boy but was waiting for another Gryffindor boy to ask instead.

That sort of information was not to be shared in the current climate considering Rita Skeeter's article had only just died down with the excitement of the Yule Ball being on everyone's tongues.

She would fill in her friends once she had a date secured, and herself and Harry finally had 'the talk' they were both nervous yet excited for.

Not that either knew that about the other, Bel hadn't spoken to him all week.

"What do you think we've been dragged in here to do? Everyone already knows about the ball", Tia said as the three Hufflepuff girls all took a seat on their side of the room.

Bel was sandwiched in between Riley and Tia and glanced over to the boy's side to see Ollie sat beside Cedric and Patrick.

"I have an idea. But you're not going to like it", Riley replied with a large grin on her face.