"Emmaline!" I hear someone call my name breathily and I turn around to see Harry running towards me before yanking my arm and taking me into a side corridor.
"Uh, yes?" I ask with a slight chuckle as we stand against a wall. He looks around the corner before turning back to me.
"Did you realise the Yule Ball is in less than a month?" He asks, flabbergasted at the idea.
"Yes Harry, I did," I laugh again. "Why are you so surprised?"
"Because I didn't know that we had to have ballroom dance classes!" He sighs, still out of breath.
"No we don't," I roll my eyes playfully.
"Then tell me why Professor McGonagall asked me and Ron if we were ready to dance?" Harry seems annoyed.
"You're joking," I shake my head. "We have to go to dance lessons?" I groan. I'm the least coordinated person I know!
"Yes."
He wasn't lying. That day after classes had ended and right before dinner, we met in the Great Hall and Professor McGonagall made the announcement. Many groans can be heard around the room along with some excited squeals from some of the girls.
"No, I refuse," Tora shakes her head nervously after the announcement had been made and dinner had begun.
"Why? I've dreamt of this since first year," Genevieve says with a giggle.
"We get it Gen, you have a boyfriend," Fatima jokes with a grin, making Genevieve roll her eyes.
"This is going to be so embarrassing," I sigh. "Just imagine how many times I'm going to step on his feet."
"His? As in, Potter?" Fatima asks getting excited. Oh God, how could I forget they still think that I fancy him? Although in their minds the boy I'm dancing with is Potter, the one I have in mind is a different one. Someone with lighter hair.
"Well, any boy I suppose," I say, anxiety rising in my body. Tora sits quietly looking disgusted at the fact she'll have to dance with a boy in front of the whole class and she picks at her food.
"I'm going to end up dancing with one of those loafs," Fatima groans as she looks down the table in disgust at the group of Hufflepuff boys laughing and a few of them shoving their faces with food.
"Come on, have some faith," Genevieve laughs.
"How? I can't even bloody talk to Neville, let alone dance with him," Fatima sighs as she rests her head in her hand and looks over at Neville who's sitting with his friends.
"We can help, right ladies?" Genevieve says with high spirits, looking between me and Tora.
"Sorry, what?" Tora asks, snapping back into reality.
"Whatever, I'll help you," Genevieve says shaking her head at Tora and refocusing on Fatima's situation.
"Thank you Gen, but I don't want your help. You're kind of bad at doing this thing," Fatima says before taking a bite of her food.
"At what? Helping my friends?" Genevieve asks.
"No, at setting people up," Fatima adds with a grin and I laugh before Genevieve shoots me a look.
"Well, don't come crawling back to me when you have to go to the dance with Jack," Gen says and I chuckle as Fatima groans. I look up across the room to see the Slytherin table filled with the green-robed students. My eyes wander down the table and meet with a gray eyed boy before looking back down at my food.
