Wish Upon A Star

Nightmare

December brought a new atmosphere into the castle that year. Parvati and Lavender were extremely giggly, and Ashlyn couldn't help but smile, Hermione usually got annoyed; girls in the library giggling, girls in the common room giggling, girls everywhere giggling. 

"Just you wait until someone asks you out," Ashlyn would say in a sing-song voice.

One Transfiguration class, McGonagall told Harry and Ron off for being immature. They were having a sword fight with Fred and George's fake wands. 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 —"

Lavender giggled. Parvati was struggling not to. Hermione huffed causing Ashlyn to smirk.

 Well, everyone was excited. No discrimination here. If you think only girls were excited, giggling, laughing, moving in packs, eyeing boys weirdly, you couldn't be more wrong. Maybe the boys don't notice it, as they keep complaining about the girls' antics, but they were doing the same. They would stand in the corridors, leaning on the walls, eyeing girls, muttering amongst themselves...and they wonder why girls walk in packs! We would like to see you walk alone with a group of people are staring at you like creeps!

Hermione, Harry and Ron were stressing over getting dates. Ashlyn really couldn't care less. If someone decided to ask her, and she was comfortable with that person, she would agree to go with them. And if no one asks her, then it's even better. She would be able to spend her time, peacefully with herself, figuring out what to do about Crouch and Cedric. Plus, what she was looking forward to was the decorations of the castle. 

The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumours about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere; for instance, that Dumbledore had bought eight hundred barrels of mulled mead from Madam Rosmerta. 

Some of the teachers, like little Professor Flitwick, gave up trying to teach them much when their minds were so clearly elsewhere; he allowed them to play games in his lesson on Wednesday. 

Other teachers were not so generous. Nothing would ever deflect Professor Binns, for example, from plowing on through his notes on goblin rebellions — as Binns hadn't let his own death stand in the way of continuing to teach, they supposed a small thing like Christmas wasn't going to put him off. Professors McGonagall, Snape and Moody kept them working until the very last second of their classes too, and Snape, of course, would no sooner let them play games in class than adopt Harry. Staring nastily around at them all, he informed them that he would be testing them on poison antidotes during the last lesson of the term.

"Evil, he is," Ron said bitterly that night in the Gryffindor common room.

"Springing a test on us on the last day. Ruining the last bit of term with a whole load of studying."

"Mmm . . . you're not exactly straining yourself, though, are you?" said Hermione, looking at him over the top of her Potions notes. Ron was busy building a card castle out of his Exploding Snap Pack.

"It's Christmas, Hermione," said Harry lazily; he was rereading Flying with the Cannons for the tenth time in an armchair near the fire.

Hermione looked severely over at him too. "I'd have thought you'd be doing something constructive, Harry, even if you don't want to learn your antidotes!"