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

138. The Yule Ball

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but if I did Draco would have had more screen time at the ball because DAYUMN

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"Leave it alone!" Harry scolded Ron for the hundredth time as his best friend toyed with his dress robes.

Ron shot him a look as the two boys rounded a corner to appear at the top of a stone staircase leading down to the Great Hall.

There were students littered all over the place, each dressed up in their respective outfits.

The boys were all mainly wearing traditional black and white dress robes. A few (including Ron) were wearing robes of different colours.

Crabbe and Goyle fit into the latter group, both wearing moss green coloured robes.

Harry had spotted the two Slytherin goons pretty quickly as his eyes scanned the floor below him for Bel.

He couldn't see her, but he could see some familiar faces.

Cedric Diggory was the first person he laid eyes on, stood next to his date. A girl from Ravenclaw called Cho Chang.

Around him were some of the Hufflepuffs Harry knew Bel hung around.

That included Riley and Ollie, stood with their arms interlinked.

Tia Buttleshot was stood beside Ginny Weasley, also part of the group. It was the first time Harry had ever seen that girl without a scowl on her face. Instead it was replaced with a faint blush.

But Bel wasn't with them.

Which made Harry start looking around for Malfoy.

When he spotted the smartly dressed Slytherin boy with Pansy Parkinson clinging to his arm, he let out a sigh of relief not seeing Bel stood with him too.

But where could she be?

"Can you see Bel anywhere?" Harry elected to ask Ron.

"Nope. She isn't with her Hufflepuff friends. Maybe she went to find Hermione. Poor kid. I bet she's alone in her room crying her eyes out", Ron replied as the two started down the staircase.

"You really think that?"

"Come on, Harry. Why do you think she wouldn't tell us who she's coming with?"

"Because we'd take the mickey out of her if she did."

"Nobody asked her", Ron corrected. "I would've taken her myself if she weren't so bloody proud."

"Yeah, right."

"I would have! Just like you're going with Bel."

At the mention of her name, Harry went back to searching for the girl in the bustling crowd.

However, he spotted Ron's date instead.

"Padma's over there", Harry pointed out, nudging Ron on his arm.

Both boys turned to face their classmate to see that Padma had also laid eyes on Ron. Her face was a hilarious picture of disbelief and embarrassment.

She quickly turned back to her twin, clearly whispering something about Ron's outfit.

"Evening, you two", the voice of Cedric Diggory greeted both Gryffindor boys, making them turn around to see that the Hufflepuff gang had migrated over to where they were stood.

"Your brother looks ... dashing", Tia said to Ginny and the two giggled.

"Bel split off from us on the way here. We don't know where she went", Riley said, answering the question Harry clearly still had on his mind.