To A Ball With My Enemy

Facing The Consequences Of Mischief

The walk back to the Great Hall was filled with a tense and  awkward silence. Hermione, bless her observant nature, kept throwing me worried glances. "Everything alright, Haty?" she finally asked. "You look like you just saw a Dementor in a tutu."

I couldnt help but break into a strangled sort of  laugh, despite the serious situation

I couldn't explain the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me. The thrill of a stolen kiss with my enemy, the confusion and uncertainty in Malfoy's eyes, the looming confrontation with Ron – erg! it was too much to process. 

"Just... tired," I mumbled, hoping to deflect further questioning.

Hermione being Hermione looked like she wanted to protest. But thankfully she kept her mouth close.

As we entered the Great Hall, the first thing I saw was Ron, slumped over a table, looking positively green and drunk?.Padma Patil, her face pale with concern, was fanning him with a napkin.

"There you are, Haty!" Ron croaked, his voice a bit slured. 

"Bloody hell, Where in the name of Merlin have you been? And why in Merlin's name are you with 'Mione?"

Before I could answer, Hermione  intervened. "Actually, 'Ronald ' ," she said, her voice surprisingly firm, "Hatysa was simply showing me some new dance steps."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Padma cut him off . "Perhaps another time," she said, her cheeks flushed slightly. With a final pointed look at me, she excused herself and disappeared into the crowd.

"Alright, 'Potter ', " Ron spat out, finally finding his voice. "Care to explain why you were snogging Malfoy under the mistletoe?"

I winced. Snogging? It hardly felt like that. "It wasn't like that, Ron," I tried to explain.

"Oh, really?" he said sarcastically. "Then what was it? A friendly peck on the cheek?"

I flushed.

Before I could answer, a voice slithered through the room. "Well, well, well Potter. Seems like you've been busy."

It was Pansy Parkinson, her sneer sharper than ever. A group of her Slytherins minions followed behind her, their faces a mixture of amusement and disgust.

Malfoy, standing by the punch bowl, looked like he'd swallowed a Flobberworm. He caught my eye and gave a stiff, curt nod, a silent apology hanging in the air.

The tension in the room was thick enough to slice with a butches knife. 

Everyone seemed to be staring at me, their whispers a buzzing annoyance in my ears.

It was like the second year all over again.

"Alright, that's enough," I said finally, my voice surprisingly steady. "It was a stupid dare, okay? We both know it doesn't mean anything."

My words felt hollow even as I spoke them. Did it not mean anything? The memory of the kiss still lingered, the warmet of his lips, in the midst of the growing coldness.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall materialized beside us. Saved by the McGonnell. Her stern gaze silencing the gathering mob. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Parkinson," she said, her voice clipped. "Is there a reason you are not dancing?"

Ron and Pansy exchanged panicked glances. Before either could reply, Padma reappeared at Ron's side. "Actually, Professor," she said, a touch of defiance in her voice, "we were just about to waltz."

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, but seeing no further disruption, nodded and moved on. As Ron and Padma awkwardly took the floor, Hermione leaned in closer to me.

"Well, that escalated quickly," she whispered, a hint of amusement in her voice. "So, are you going to tell me what really happened with Malfoy?"

Again I flushed.

I hesitated blushing madly. The truth was messy, a tangle of confusion and unexpected connection. "Maybe later," I mumbled, feeling the weight of a thousand eyes on me.

The night was far from over, and I knew, with a heavy heart, that the consequences of the kiss under the mistletoe were just beginning to unfold.

 The music swelled, a slow waltz filling the air. I stood there, alone in the middle of the dance floor, the weight of the Yule Ball and its secrets pressing down on me.

Who would ask me to dance next? And more importantly, who did I even want to dance with? As the melody swirled around me, I looked out at the sea of faces, searching for an answer hidden amongst the laughter and flickering candlelight.