Hogwarts is My Home (A Harry Potter Fanfiction), Part 4/7

Chapter 17

It's the end of Potions class on Thursday afternoon. Before the bell rings, Snape announces that he has an announcement to make.

"The Yule Ball," he begins, "is coming upon us. It will be available to fourth year and up. Dress robes will be required for males, dresses for females. It will begin at 8:00 pm on Christmas Day and will last until midnight. The Yule Ball is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament, and it is a dance."

"It's a bloody dance?!?" Grier exclaims angrily. Everyone turns and looks in her direction, even Snape. She's in trouble.

"Yes, Miss Allgood," Snape confirms. "It is a dance. This will be a time for the students that do not go to the same school to forge friendships." You can tell he doesn't believe in all that crap.

"This is going to be interesting," I whisper to Grier. "And there is no way I'm asking Draco."

"I hate dances. Plus, I already have made friends from the other schools. We've made a small group and people call us the internationals, even though we are all in the UK," Grier explains. "And you are asking Draco. If you don't, I'll do it for you. And if that doesn't work, I'm getting him to do it." Ash realizes something.

"In fact, that's exactly what we'll do," she says. "I will get him to ask you, since you will hex me if I ask him for you, and you definitely won't ask him yourself."

"I could block the hex," Grier says raising her hand.

"Yeah, and I could put you in front of me as a shield," Ash points out. "So old Draco has to ask you." The bell rings.

"Class dismissed," Snape says.

"Crap, a dance! Does it really have to be a dance? Ugh..." Grier complains. We just go on to our next class.

* * *

It seems as if everyone in fourth year and above has signed up to stay over the holidays for Christmas. Normally all the sisters stay at one of the sisters' houses, but we're all staying this year. Grier convinced her mom to let her stay just so that she could get Draco to ask me, and her older sister was also going. So Grier complained that she had to go as well, and her Mom agreed to let her stay. Grier is definitely a true Slytherin.

Care of Magical Creatures is getting a bit better, Hagrid has given up on trying to get the skrewts to hibernate. Instead, we try to figure out what food the skrewts will eat. Dragon liver and salamander eggs are included. After class, Brett comes up to me.

"Hey, Ashlyn, I thought about what you said and I decided not to give up on her," he says. I know that her means Audrey. "But she got a different date to the dance." Poor boy, he looks on the verge of tears.

"Hey, why don't you and I go?" I ask. "As friends, you know?"

"Um, okay, sure," he says.

After class, I go to Draco and Ash. We find Grier, who is waiting for us in the entrance hall so we can go to dinner. Draco has just finished quoting the newspaper article, about Potter that Rita Skeeter wrote, for the millionth time. It's getting kind of old.

"I got a partner to the Yule Ball," I say. Draco's head snaps up.

"Really? Already?" he asks.

"No, you didn't," Grier says. "If he doesn't know, you didn't."

"Who is it?" Ash asks.

"Brett," I say. "He was kind of depressed so I told him we could go as friends."

"You messed it all up!" Grier says. "Brett and Audrey were supposed to get back together over this!"

"Audrey's going with someone else, I'll have to ask her about that," I say.

Grier is frustrated. "I am blaming Audrey for this."

* * *

As the last week of term begins, no one feels like working. Rumors are flying about the Yule Ball. I heard from a sixth year that Dumbledore ordered 800 barrels of mulled mead from Madam Rosmerta, which I don't believe. Apparently the Weird Sisters were booked, though! I've been listening to WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network), and they're on there all the time! My three favorite songs are Do the Hippogriff, Magic Works, and This is the Night.

Some of the teachers are in a festive mood, while others are not. Sprout lets us play games in class. Moody, however, goes on and on about hex deflection and constant vigilance. Snape and Binns keep us working until the last minute of class. McGonagall announces she will be giving us a test on turning a guinea fowl into a guinea pig. I mean, what's the difference? Can't be that hard if they are both from Guinea. LOL, I CRACK MYSELF UP. I'm in a wacko mood. K?

We're in the common room studying for our test. It's just the theory, of course, since we don't have any real guinea fowls to practice on.

"The second task is getting nearer," Charlie says. "What do you guys think it will consist of?"

"I heard from Seamus that the egg is a clue but it makes this awful wailing noise that sounds like a banshee when you open it," I say. "In other words, I have no idea."

"Does anyone have a date to the ball yet?" Noah asks. "Besides Ashlyn and Brett, I mean."

"Seamus is going with your twin," I tell him. "Just as friends, though." After I told Seamus about Brett, he was quick to get a partner. "Anna and Fred, definitely, Jade and George. . ."

"Don't forget Emma and Neville," Ash reminds me.

"And Audrey is going with Alexander Wood," I say. I talked to her and she told me, they're going as friends but she still likes him.

"Ugh. Why Audrey, you ruined the ship, and it fell," Grier says. "And I still have nobody."

"We can go," Draco says. We all stare at him. "As friends, of course. We're the only ones out of this group of people that don't have a date."

"Okay," Grier says. She glances at me to make sure I don't mind. I shake my head slightly, meaning I don't.

"Oh, so Noah, Charlie, and Ash, you all have dates?" I ask. "Of course Alex is going with Kyara."

"Olivia," Noah says. "As friends. Oh, and did you know that Gregory is going with Millicent?"

"No, I did not know that," I say.

"Charlie," Ash blurts out. Charlie glares at her.

"WHAT?!" I exclaim. He sighs.

"Yeah, we've been dating for a couple of weeks now. We didn't tell you guys before now, though, we didn't want you to tease us," he explains. "Sorry."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I squeal. "My ship!" Charlie gives me a weird look but doesn't say anything.

* * *

The next day, the whole school has been decorated as I've never seen it before. It's snowing flurries that evaporate when they touch the ground, and everlasting icicles are hanging from the banisters on the marble staircases. The twelve giant Christmas trees in the Great Hall have been decorated with everything from luminous holly berries to real, hooting golden owls. The suits of armor are bewitched to sing Christmas carols, but they only know half the words. Filch has had to pull Peeves out of them numerous times since he fills the gaps with non school-appropriate words.

After Transfiguration, in which I fail my test (my guinea fowl only got a guinea pig head), Max runs up to me and tackles me. She then slips and falls. I help her up.

"You'll never guess what happened!" she squeals.

"What?" I ask.

"Ron ― asked ― me ― to the dance!" she fangirls. "AND NOT AS FRIENDS!"

"OHMYGOSH YAY!!!!!!!" I squeal. "My ship!"

"Come on, Max!" Anna yells from the end of the corridor. "Hi, Ashlyn!"

"Hey Anna!" I yell back. "See ya, Max."

"See ya," she says. "Coming!" she calls to Anna. I proceed to head towards my common room. We talk more about the Yule Ball then I go to bed. Grier, of course, sleeps on the couch.