chosen - harry potter

Chapter 7 - Pretty and Smart

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

December arrived in a flurry of snow, turning noses and ears a bright shade of pink for the quartet.

Professor McGonagall told the Gryffindors about the upcoming Yule Ball, making Cassia and Hermione look at each other excitedly. Neither of them had ever been to a ball. 

Cassia wrote to her mother the same day, and her mother sent her a package with a dark red ball gown with a beautiful sweetheart neckline and sleeves that would sit just below her shoulders. She wrote that it had been her's during her time in Hogwarts. Cassia had to refrain from putting it on every time she saw it in her closet.

With a ball looming in the next few weeks, everyone was looking for a date. Cassia decided not to ask anyone to save herself from embarrassment, hoping a nice boy would ask her. If not, though, she had no issues with going with her group of friends. 

Cassia and Hermione were in the courtyard, both bundled in scarves and big coats. Hermione looked away for a moment and nodded toward where she looked, smiling. Cassia turned her head, seeing a beaming boy from Beauxbatons approaching. He was very tall and had dark, curly hair and blue eyes. He smiled politely at Cassia and bowed his head slightly.

"Hello, Miss," he said, a slight French accent coming through. "You are very beautiful. Could I have the honor of taking you to the Yule Ball?"

"I appreciate that," Cassia nodded. "But...how old are you?"

"I am eighteen, Miss."

"I'm fourteen."

"Oh!" he looked incredibly shocked and bowed his head once again. "I'm so sorry, Miss! Have a great day, beautiful!"

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

The quartet was in the common room, Cassia and Hermione giggling on the couch over the Beauxbaton boy. 

"You should have said yes to him!" Hermione laughed.

"Come on, he was way too old for me."

"Yeah, and trying too hard from the sound of it," Ron scoffed. "We should probably get a move on, Harry. We don't want to end up with a pair of trolls."

"A pair of what?" Hermione said.

"Well you know," Ron shrugged. "I'd rather go alone than with Eloise Midgen."

"She is so beautiful," Cassia said, her face twisting at Ron's comment. "And so sweet. Don't be nasty."

"Her nose is off-center," Ron said.

"You're not exactly a supermodel yourself, Ron," Cassia sighed, standing up from the couch. "You shouldn't go around tearing girls apart for their looks."

Hermione stood, linking her arm with Cassia's, and they went upstairs to be away from Ron. They both agreed that he was being particularly terrible this year.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Cassia sat in Potions next to Hermione, her head on her hand as she listened to Snape. 

"You will be concocting a Shrinking Solution. I'll pair you off...Miss Bright, you go with Zabini."

She moved to the seat next to Blaise, who she smiled politely at. She remembered hearing him complimenting her to Malfoy the year before. They worked in silence, and Cassia found that she worked very well with him.

"So, Bright," he said when the potion was nearly finished, "have you found a date to the Yule Ball yet?"

"Not yet," Cassia smiled.