Chasing Love

Chapter Sixty - The Yule Ball

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Angelina screamed, "AND THE YULE BALL!"

"SHUT UP!" Eliza groaned at her best friend, "We're all sleeping."

"BUT IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

"We're going to be up or night so we need all the sleep we can get!" Katie, who had stayed in their room for the night, told Angelina.

"But it's Christmas!" She replied, this time a lot more quietly.

Eliza sat up in bed and glared at her friend, "I'm going to get dressed."

"YAY!" Angelina said as she smiled at the other two girls in the room.

The four of them opened their presents from each other in their room before going downstairs into the common room where the twins and Oliver were waiting for them, "Merry Christmas Eliza!" The twins shouted at her as they pushed Oliver out of the way, "Come to us our dear, dear Eliza."

"Oh stop it!" She told them with a smile, "Merry Christmas Ol." She said to him as they hugged tightly.

When it was finally lunchtime the seven left the common room and went down to the Great Hall for one of the most delicious lunches they had ever had, there was at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbage's Wizarding Crackers.

After lunch, following tradition, they walked out onto the grounds, the majority of snow had been left untouched except for deep channels made by the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students. The teams were Eliza, George, Harry, Katie and Oliver while the other team consisted of Fred, Angelina, Alicia, Ginny and Ron. "Are you -" Oliver said but Eliza cut him off.

"Are you ready team?" Eliza asked as she looked around him, "George and I have beaten Fred every year so we're not going to lose now!" She smiled at George and Harry, "This year, we'll use different tactics, we're going to get our supplies ready and then wait for them to attack."

It was around five o'clock when Hermione, who had been watching them, said she was going to go up to her room so she could start to get ready for the ball, "What, you need three hours?" Ron asked, but his moment of distraction, meant a snowball thrown by George hit him hard on the side of the head.

"We should go and get ready." Alicia said to her three best friends, "It takes longer than what you think!"

The four girls started to walk up to the castle after Hermione, from behind them Ron shouted loudly, "Who are you going with?" Hermione just waved him away and carried on walking.

"Hermione, Hermione, wait up!" Eliza yelled after the young girl, as soon as the girl stopped and turned around, Eliza continued to speak to her, "Come to our dormitory and we can help you get ready for the ball. Do your hair and make-up!"

"Thank you!" She smiled graciously at the older girls as the five of them walked up the stairs into the common room.

Their room was full of music and laughter, Eliza sat on her bed as she listened to Angelina talk about what make-up she wanted to Alicia, it was funny to see, Angelina had never liked make-up. Never. Hermione entered the room, "Finally!" Eliza jumped off her bed and hugged the younger girl, "Come on, I'll do your hair for you!"

"Thank you, Eliza, it means a lot."

"You deserve it!" Eliza grinned at her, "It's your time to shine. Show Ron that you're actually a girl. I bet you're looking forward to dancing with Krum though."

Hermione gasped, "How did - how did you know that?"

"It wasn't that hard to guess." Eliza got her wand out, "I've seen the way you look at each other in the library."