𝒱𝒾𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓉 - Declan Hayes (a Harry Potter Story)

xviii.

About halfway through April, things in Declan's life had returned to normal.

His friends were back to being together most of the time and Quidditch had returned to its normal fun, despite Declan still being slightly stressed about his upcoming match against Slytherin.

As Spring continued on, students were continuously talking about the ball more and more. Both Declan and Lori hadn't asked Amanda or Joey yet, though both had plans to. Thomas and Allison, however, were lost as to who to go with.

"You all have it easy, being in relationships and whatnot," said Thomas one night. Him and Declan were up late studying for Ancient Runes.

"Thomas all you have to do is ask someone you fancy. If they say yes, they say yes. If they don't, then.. well, there's plenty of Hippogriffs in the sky," said Declan.

"Unfortunately, it isn't that easy," Thomas replied.

According to Lori, Allison had been having similar troubles.

"There just isn't anyone I fancy, y'know?" Allison said one day after Quidditch practice.

"You'll probably find someone eventually. You know just about everyone in our year," said Declan.

"Yeah, but.. I dunno, I just don't fancy anyone. If I don't find anyone, I'll just tag along with Lori and Joey," said Allison.

"What about Thomas?" Declan asked, feeling bad for his friend.

"I'm sure he'll find someone. If he wasn't so.. not confident, he'd have someone just like you and Lori," said Allison.

As the ball drew ever nearer, students were starting to ask others to the ball. Declan hadn't really been aware of this happening until he saw Pat ask Tiffany Price to the ball in the Common Room. A day later, Erik asked Amy Crawford in a similar manner.

Seeing these happen was a little bit of a wakeup call to Declan, so he began planning a way to ask Amanda. He wanted it to be simple but not boring, so Declan began to brainstorm with Thomas.

"Are there any spells I can use? I don't have any ideas, mate," said Declan.

"Declan, you're brilliant at Charms. You can think of something," Thomas replied.

"Can I though?" Declan asked, "I'm stuck!"

Thomas looked at Declan and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you can do this, Declan. You're creative," said Thomas.

Over the next few days, Declan spent most of his time thinking about how to ask Amanda to the ball in the best way he could. He kept thinking about what to do until a certain Herbology lesson, where many things happened at once.

"Today, we will begin growing a new plant. Look at your planters, what do you see?" Professor Sprout asked the class.

Declan looked at Thomas, who's hand was in the air. Lori and Allison were standing behind the two boys, talking quietly.

"Mr. Chambers?" Professor Sprout called.

"It's luminous grass, Professor," Thomas answered.

"Brilliant! Five points to Hufflepuff. This plant is perfect for where your skill levels are. Luminous grass is an herb commonly used to cure the effects of certain spells. Healers use it when they're unsure as to what to use for a patient. The grass does not take long to grow, only about a week or two, but it blooms quickly if you care for it well enough. Because of this, I have a challenge for you all," Professor Sprout explained. "Whoever manages to make their luminous grass bloom the fastest will be allowed to take everyone's grass once it all has sufficiently bloomed and begins glowing."