y/n at hogwarts

Chapter 9 - Magic Works

Students began arriving behind the Great Hall's big entrance a little before the ball. Excited and slightly tired from the long day of preparations behind everyone. "She's beautiful," Harry commented and smiled at Hermione, who was stepping down the stairs. She was wearing a beautiful, pink flowy gown with thin layers that almost looked like a waterfall. Her usual, voluminous hair was styled into an elegant bun and Hermione's posture was seemingly more confident. The girl walked past Harry, gave him a very nervous smile and strolled next to the Durmstrang student, Viktor Krum who was holding out his arm for the girl to take. Ron who stood next to Harry, ignored Hermione's presence completely. Cedric, who was not far from Ron and Harry, stood next to his Hufflepuff friends, waiting for his date. After a few minutes, Cedric felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around.

The boy couldn't help but feel his heart beat faster when he saw Y/N. "Good evening," The girl greeted Cedric and smiled. Y/N was wearing a dark blue dress which seemed like it was sewn only for her and the girl's hair was beautifully styled with accessories that looked like sparkling water droplets. Cedric had always found Y/N stunning, at that moment she almost took his breath away with her beauty. "Wow," Cedric mumbled under his breath, as he looked at her up and down, taking in every carefully planned out detail, "You look stunning."Cedric complimented after a moment of silence, still not fully recovered. "Thank you," Y/N replied with a warm smile, "You don't look bad yourself." The girl said jokingly. "I tried my best, but you know, you've set the bar really high," Cedric said and smiled softly. "I'm just joking, you look very handsome," The girl chuckled quietly. "Thank you, " Cedric responded and offered his arm to her, "Shall we go?" "Of course," she said back and took his arm as Cedric gently led her towards the hall's entrance where McGonagall was waiting for the pairs.

Professor McGonagall lined the champions and their partners in a set line. The professor opened the Great Hall doors as they followed Gonagall into the hall. The guests who were gathered next to the door applauded as the participants of the tournament entered, walking straight towards the dance floor centre. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with garlands of mistletoe crossing the starry black ceiling. The usual long tables had been replaced with smaller, lantern-lit ones. Y/N saw familiar faces in the crowd and waved to her friends as they cheered her on loudly. The girl noticed the special redhead in the crowd, a few feet away from her and Cedric. Their eyes met for a brief second before Y/N dropped the eye contact, guilt rushing through her. Cedric and Y/N strolled together to the middle part of the Great Hall, getting in practised positions to start the Opening Waltz. Cedric noticed her change of expression. "Are you alright?" The boy asked softly, enjoying the moment the pair shared. "Oh yes, sorry. Everything's fine," Y/N answered with a forced smile.

The soft music of the waltz began playing and Y/N and Cedric with the other participants started elegantly dancing. The couples in the middle of the Great Hall moved gracefully along the floor as everyone's eyes were set on the dancers. All of the pairs succeeded in the waltz. Y/N made eye contact with Hermione for a quick moment, the girl grinned widely as she shifted her attention back on Viktor. Harry, however, was struggling quite a bit as he kept stumbling on his date, Paravati Patil's heels, apologizing frequently to the girl. Other students began slowly joining the four pairs, filling the dancefloor with grace and elegance, the gowns twirling in sync. Y/N looked throughout the whole Opening Waltz into Cedric's dark eyes, both smiling, yet her thoughts were still going back to George. In the corner of her eye, Y/N saw Hagrid and Madam Maxime joining the students as the tall man spun the headmistress around to which Maxime softly laughed at.

The evening went on smoothly, the attendees enjoying themselves. Professor Flitwick marched on the stage and caught everyone's attention instantly. "Good evening, I hope you are having a wonderful time. Now, I would like to invite to the stage a band that needs no introduction and who always lights up the stage..." Flitwick announced as the Wicked Sisters walked on the stage. "Are ya'll ready for some real music?" The soloist of the band screamed, earning a loud cheer from the crowd of students who gathered closer to the stage. "I said, are you ready?" The singer yelled again, hearing another loud cheer. Cedric quickly grabbed Y/N's hand and started dragging her towards the stage. "Cedric! I have heels on-" The girl giggled, half-yelling to the boy. Cedric laughed in response. "I'll catch you," He said, still laughing as they almost made it to the front of the stage. Everybody started jumping and singing along with the band to their most famous song "Do the Hippogriff". The Yule Ball's atmosphere seemed to change many people as Flitwick jumped on top of the crowd, the students laughing and passing him along through the crowd with their hands. "He's wicked!" Cedric yelled in disbelief. "I'm so proud to be a Ravenclaw," Y/N exclaimed back to Cedric with a big smile. The girl noticed Hermione having the time of her life as she danced with Viktor Krum. Y/N made eye contact with the younger girl for the second time when Viktor spun her around. She waved to her, who noticed Y/N's stare. Viktor held Hermione tightly against himself. "Stop it," The girl mouthed to Y/N, blushing madly, but laughing at the same time.