The Girl Who Hid | ✓

|46| Boys

Opening our Golden Eggs was not a good idea. The worst screeching in the world sounded— high pitched and terrifying, we didn't dare open it again. Finally, after two months, the four of us hung out as friends again— no messenger or strained voices, pure happiness.

Then once we went out to Hagrid's cabin, we found out Rita Skeeter had taken a sudden interest in him. We tried to warn him about her, but he only blew us off, sadly enough.

And to make matters better, but then worse, we saw Dobby in the kitchens— he found work. Hermione finally got her wish of seeing the house-elves in action, but then managed to offend Winky, Crouch's old house-elf. It ended up with us getting kicked out of the kitchen by the other house-elves.

Now, it was the end of our Transfiguration lesson with Professor McGonagall. We had finished our work; the guinea fowl we had been changing into guinea pigs had been shut away in a large cage on Professor McGonagall's desk (Neville's still had feathers); we had copied down our homework from the blackboard ("Describe, with examples, the ways in which Transforming Spells must be adapted when performing Cross-Species Switches"). The bell was due to ring at any moment, and Harry and Ron, who had been having a sword fight with a couple of Fred and George's fake wands at the back of the class, looked up, Ron holding a tin parrot and Harry, a rubber haddock.

"Now that Potter and Weasley have been kind enough to act their age," said Professor McGonagall, with an angry look at the pair of them as the head of Harry's haddock drooped and fell silently to the floor— Ron's parrot's beak had severed it moments before— "I have something to say to you all.

"The Yule Ball is approaching— a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above— although you may invite a younger student if you wish—

"Dress robes will be worn," Professor McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then—"

Professor McGonagall stared deliberately around the class.

"The Yule Ball is, of course, a chance for us all to— er— let our hair down," she said, in a disapproving voice.

Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. I could see what was funny this time: Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense.

"But that does NOT mean," Professor McGonagall went on, "that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."

The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potters— a word, if you please."

Harry looked glum as he made his way to her desk while I was more confused. I had assumed she would want to scold him for messing around in class, but that didn't explain my presence. Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "The champions and their partners—"

"What partners?" said Harry.

Professor McGonagall looked suspiciously at him, as though she thought he was trying to be funny.

"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," she said coldly. "Your dance partners."

"We need dance partners?" my voice rose an octave.