17 year old Lila sets off for her penultimate year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After the arrival of a transfer student named Cedric Diggory, Lila experiences new feelings and trials she hadn't prepared for.
A story of friendship...
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The great hall was unrecognisable. It had been completely transformed into a winter wonderland. All the signs of the original hall had been removed or covered by something beautiful.
The ceiling was the most similar to normal but it was covered in a silvery glitter quality. There were large icicles and snowflake shapes hanging from it. A flurry of snow drifted down from the roof but disintegrated as it reached height level.
There were three enormous Christmas trees covered in snow at the other end of the hall. Bare forest trees lined either side of the room and large silver chandeliers hung from the ceiling holding candles.
Nearer to where we were standing, there were multiple round tables, adorned with beautiful table decorations and hundreds of candles. A long table ran along the left wall; standing on it were large ice sculptures in the shape of a palace that were lit up somehow. All sorts of colourful drinks were lined up along it and a few students held some in their hands, sipping slowly.
For the final touch, blue and white disco lighting ran around the room, giving the space a surreal quality.
The whole thing was magical and I knew Dumbledore had worked hard to conjure it for us.
We walked into the hall slowly behind other students. The whole school appeared to be in attendance which made it slightly more difficult to see people. The girls and their dates seemed to be long gone but I didn't worry, we would see each other later in the night.
Carlisle spotted some of his house near the drinks table and we made our way over.
Dean was standing there along with Finnick, Leonardo and their dates. Dean checked Carlisle out on approach and I wondered how I had been blind to the way they looked at one another before. They greeted us and we exchanged our awe at the splendour of the ball.
I picked up one of the strange drinks on the table, sipping it tentatively. It tasted like blueberry juice of some kind and I took a bigger sip, enjoying it's sweet quality. Carlisle was absorbed in conversation with Dean so I scanned the room for any familiar faces.
I felt the nerves in my stomach and I knew it was from the prospect of seeing Cedric, I didn't know how he might treat me tonight and it made me anxious.
As if on cue, the crowd parted on the other side near the edge of the dance floor and he appeared.
I was momentarily taken away by his appearance. He was wearing a classic tux but he made the clothing look fantastical. His hair was tousled to perfection and he was so handsome that it made my heart ache.
I was so absorbed by his presence that it took me a second to notice who was holding onto his arm. I slid my eyes to the side to take in the beautiful girl standing there. I recognised her immediately. Her name was Cho, she was in our year, in fact she was in Ravenclaw too.
