Chasing Love

Chapter Fifty-Nine - Yule Ball Preparations

Professor Moody was stood at the front of the classroom, holding a piece of parchment, "The Yule Ball is approaching - it's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. The ball will only be open to fourth years and above - although you may invite a younger students if you wish." All the girls in the classroom started to giggle causing Eliza to roll her eyes. "Dress robes will be worn and the ball with start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then the Yule Ball is of course for us all to enjoy ourselves, let your hair down." He frowned at his words as he stared around the classroom. "But that does NOT mean that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. The teachers will be most seriously displeased if a student embarrasses the school in any way." The bell rang and all the students put their bags over their shoulders and rushed out of the classroom.

Nearly the whole school were staying at Hogwarts at Christmas because of the Yule Ball, all of the students in fourth year and above had put their names down to stay over the holiday. All of the girls had become obsessed with the upcoming ball. Whenever Eliza walked down the corridors of the school, there would be large groups of girls all giggling as a boy walked past them and they would pass notes between each other about what they were going to wear.

In the last week of term, no one was caring about the lessons, instead they were too busy talking about the rumours to do with the Yule Ball. The only rumour Eliza cared about was that Dumbledore had booked the weird sisters, they were a very famous music group, Eliza had all their music and even a few posters of them.

Some of the teachers, like Professor Flitwick gave up trying to teach them everything, he allowed them to play games and talk to one and other. Majority of the girls spent most their time gossiping about the ball while the boys - Fred and George - started to make up games that would prank patients. McGonagall and Moody kept them working until the end of term and Snape too would not even think about letting them enjoying their last days of term. He gave all of his classes an end of term exam.

"I'm not revising." Fred said to her.

"You never revise!" Eliza replied, "So it's not going to make a big difference to you!"

Walking out onto the grounds, the four girls laughed as they made their way out. There were already big groups of people out on the grass. "I still haven't got a date for the ball." Katie complained.

"Then ask someone out!" Eliza replied, "Don't sit around waiting for a boy to ask you out, go and ask one out yourself."

"Has Oliver asked you to the ball yet?"

She shook her head, "No, not yet. I'm not sure if he thinks we are already going together together as we going out or that he's waiting to ask me out or whether I should ask him out."

"No ones asked me out yet." Angelina told them.

"And by no one, she means Fred." Eliza said causing Katie and Alicia to laugh while Angelina pretended to glare at her.

"I'm the only one with a date." Alicia said smugly, the other day a seventh year in Ravenclaw asked Alicia asked. "Isn't it going to be so fun?"

Suddenly, several fireworks went off and Eliza caught a glimpse of ginger hair, "Do you think it's Fred? Ready to ask you out!"

"I don't think it's Fred." Angelina said with a small smile, "I think it's Oliver!"

And then, Oliver appeared from within the smoke, "ELIZA DAWLISH!"

A laugh slipped out of her mouth, "Oh my goodness."

"ELIZA DAWLISH WILL YOU DO ME THE GREATEST HONOUR OF ACCOMPANYING ME TO THE YULE BALL?" From behind him, the twins set off even more fireworks, leaving several strings of ribbon in the air. Oliver walked forward to stand right in front of her.

"Yes." Eliza replied and then he lifted her up into a hug and spun her around, "I would love to."

All the surrounding people started to cheer as the two grinned happily at each other. "I love you." He whispered to her so no one could hear him.

"I love you too."

Eliza walked into the common room with Fred and George and managed to witness Ron have his eyebrows singed as he built a house of cards. "Nice look, Ron, it'll go well with your dress robes, that will." Fred told his younger brother as they sat down at the table with Hermione and Harry while Ron checked his eyebrows - to see if they were still there.

"Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" George asked him.

"No, he's off delivering a letter," Ron replied. "Why?"

"Because George wants to invite him to the ball," Fred told him sarcastically.

"Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat," George rolled his eyes at his younger brother.

"Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?" Ron asked curiously.

"Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too," Fred got out his wand and waved it threateningly.

"So, you lot got dates for the ball yet?" George asked them.

"Nope," Ron replied simply.

"Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone," Fred said.

"Who're you going with, then?"

"Angelina." Fred said without an inch of embarrassment, Eliza's head snapped over to him, she hadn't been told, she guessed they would be but not that they actually were.

"What?" Ron asked, taken back with what he had just said. "You've already asked her?"

"Good point," Fred said. He turned his head over to Angelina and shouted loudly, "Oi! Angelina!"

Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia near the fire, looked over at him. "What?"

"Want to come to the ball with me?"

She stared at him, "All right, then." Angelina then turned back to Alicia and carried on talking, this time with a big grin on her face.

"There you go," Fred grinned at Ron and Harry, "Piece of cake." He then got up to his feet and yawned, "We'd better use a school owl then, George, Eliza, come on."

"I'll stay here, I'll see you later on!" Eliza said before walking over to the girls, "Where's Katie?"

"Asking a fifth year out." Alicia said as she smiled. "We'll all have dates now!"

Eliza grinned at Angelina, "Yeah, we have, haven't we Ang?"

"Oh, shut up!" Angelina said as she began to go bright red, "You're going with Oliver!"

"He's my boyfriend!" Eliza retorted, "That's not as big as Fred asking you out!"

"Something might finally happen between the two of you!" Alicia said as she giggled.

Katie made her way into the common room and raced over to the three girls, "He said yes!" She laughed to herself, "He said yes!"

"Well done Kat." Eliza told her, "It wasn't as bad as you thought, was it?"

"No, it was great! Thanks for encouraging me El!"

"You're welcome."

The Hogwarts staff, continued to want to impress the visitors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, they were determined to show the castle at its best. When the decorations went up, they looked much better than the ones from previous years, everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase. The twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were decorated with everything from holly berries to real, hooting, golden owls and all the suits of armour had been bewitched to sing carols whenever someone passed them.

It gave Alicia a fright when they walked past and one of the suits of armour began to sing 'O Come, All Ye Faithful', the only problem was they only knew half the words. Filch had to extract Peeves from inside the armour several times, as he had taken to hiding and filling in the gaps in the songs with lyrics of his own making, all of which were very rude.

Eliza and the girls had all been to Hogsmeade and brought a dress each, even Eliza was beginning to feel excited about the upcoming ball.