It was in Herbology class when the Yule Ball that was to be held was first mentioned by a teacher (Professor Longbottom, to be specific), and once the rumours were confirmed, it was the only subject on everyone’s minds. Well, almost everyone, that is…
“There ought to be a law against giggling,” groused Jordan as he slouched down the corridor. “And I never want to experience the smell of nail polish again.” He was on a mission, a mission that would not make him very popular, but that he knew would prove right by the end.
“OPHELIA!” he shouted down the hallway. A girl with a brown ponytail and dark eyes whirled around from where she was gossiping with her friends, a rather irritated expression crossing her face.
“Yes?”
“We have practice! Our next game is in a few days, and Ravenclaw knows what they’re doing. You can discuss hair and makeup later.”
Ophelia Wood, although a year older and several inches taller than him, definitely looked frightened of her captain. “All right, I’ll be right there,” she agreed quickly.
“Good,” said Jordan, folding his arms fiercely, and he stalked away.
When Ophelia thought he was out of earshot, he heard her say to her friends, “You know my dad’s Oliver Wood, the big-league Quidditch star, right? Well, he’s totally manic about flying… but that Jordan Potter is even worse!”
Jordan smirked. He took that as a compliment.
“Ivy, come look at the stuff we bought for the ball!” called Haley, dragging out the bags she’d purchased in Hogsmeade in November.
Ivy didn’t even look up from her book. “Maybe later, but I’ve got so much work to do,” she replied. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, her eyes ringed with grey.
“Come on, we got some stuff for you,” wheedled Emma.
“Oh, I hope not,” sighed Ivy. “If you did, then you can keep it. I don’t think I’m going to the ball.”
It was as though she had announced that she was planning to ride into the Great Hall stark naked on an elephant (which would also be stark naked) while singing “Twist and Shout.” The other girls froze“Haley dropped her shopping bags, and Emma’s jaw fell to her chest like a python unhinging its jaw to swallow a whole pig. “You’re kidding, right?” squeaked Haley, in a faint voice. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
Ivy shrugged. “Like I said, I have a lot of work to do. I’ll get really behind if I go to the ball.”
“You’re insane,” said Emma, shaking her head. “Absolutely insane. I swear, all of that work is going to kill you one of these days. But speaking of work, I have to do a bit of research about Hogwarts… anyone want to come help?”
Haley nodded, and tagged along behind her as she headed briskly through the corridors. They were discussing typical topics, until Haley realized, “Er, Emma, maybe you really do need to research Hogwarts, because this isn’t the way to the library.”
The Hogwarts champion grinned. “Ahhh, but I’m not going to the library,” she said. “I’m going to go see my mum.” She gestured, Vanna White-like, to the nearest door, then rapped on it four times.
As luck would have it, Hermione was indeed in her office, and she opened the door. “You aren’t in trouble again, are you?” she sighed.
Emma smiled. “No, Mum. I never thought I’d be saying this, and I’m probably the first person ever to, but I need to find out as much as possible about the school… so could I please borrow your copy of Hogwarts, A History?”
Her mother looked as though she was about to cry with happiness.
Several days and one thorough scouring of Hogwarts, A History later, Emma realized that as close as the second task might be, another Triwizard task was looming even closer. She had to, as horrifying as the concept was, find someone to dance with at the Yule Ball. She’d never danced with a boy before“she always said that if took all the fun out of going to a ball“and she’d never asked out in her life. But as a champion, she couldn’t dance alone.
She began a mental compilation of people she wouldn’t mind asking, and discovered that her list had no names on it.
True, a few boys had already asked her to the ball, but she’d turned them down“she hadn’t known any of them. They were mostly from other houses, or else older or younger or from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons. The foreign students asking her made no sense to Emma, as she believed that they should have been supporting their own schools. She didn’t have much respect for those with no school spirit.
Who was there to take to the ball? Rupert Daniels from Hufflepuff had asked her, and seemed nice enough; he was a tad boring, but she just needed someone with whom she could get through one single dance. So why did she feel so reluctant? She didn’t know Rupert very well, and surely it would be much more fun to dance with someone with whom she was familiar.
“Hi, Em.” Tyrone Thomas settled down in the armchair next to hers, stretching out his long limbs leisurely. “What’s up?” Emma simply blinked. “What’s the matter? Kneazle got your tongue or something?”
“Well, you’ll be happy to know that my tongue is perfectly all right,” Emma replied brightly. “But the Yule Ball’s coming up, and I’m a champion, I can’t dance alone. Do you, like, want to go with me? You know, as friends?”
She couldn’t believe she’d said it. It was like throwing Tyrone a bone“they’d gotten to be friends, and they were fine. She knew that if she even slightly disturbed the status quo, Tyrone would misinterpret it as an opportunity for him to revert back to flirting with Emma nonstop.
Tyrone grinned his typical wide, white-toothed grin. “Well, thanks, but actually, I’ve already got a partner. If you want to apply for my waiting list, there are only twelve people ahead of you…” Typical Tyrone, thought Emma, feeling rather deflated. Well… this is anticlimactic.
“Oh,” said Emma. “Who are you going with, then?”
“Your cousin,” he said vaguely.
“Ooh, then that’ll be fun,” noted Emma. “We can hang out together during the ball. I’m guessing you mean Haley, not Jordan, right?” She chuckled mischievously at her own joke. Haley and Tyrone were two of the best dancers in the school, and Haley chose all of her dates by who was the most fun to dance with.
Tyrone raised his eyebrows. “Er… no, not Haley… Marina, from Beauxbatons. But it would be cool to hang out. You two get along pretty well, right?”
Emma stared at him, and if looks could inflict physical harm, Tyrone’s handsome face would have been violently slashed and shredded. “On second thought, you know, I’d rather not hang out with you and your date,” she snapped, getting to her feet and doing something that those familiar with Emma had seen her do on occasions too numerous to name“she stormed away from Tyrone, her hair swirling emphatically behind her.
Tyrone. He never changed, the son of a Bludger, Emma thought furiously. All he cared about was having a pretty date“and naturally, he’d pursued Emma for a few years, as she was quite good-looking and had always steadfastly turned him down before. She was the big fish that he hadn’t caught, a goal he wanted to reach. And now that Marina, prettier and older than Emma, had arrived, Emma was no longer good enough for Tyrone Thomas.
She had missed her chance, and now there was nothing she could do… but missed what chance? A chance for what? She was confusing herself not, and she wanted to rest, but she did still need a date for the dance“someone other than the shallow, immature, self-absorbed boy that she couldn’t believe she had asked to the dance.
She stomped over to the far side of the Common Room, threw herself into an armchair, and let Hogwarts, A History slide onto the floor. Haley was already there, writing in a book of some sort. Her cousin glanced up at her, took in the expression of the face, and asked, “What’s eating you?”
“Tyrone.”
Haley couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing, sounding uncannily like a dying loon.
“What’s so funny?” Emma asked darkly.
Haley’s giggles actually gave way to a loud snort, which Emma had been fairly certain only happened in fiction. “I’m sorry,” she choked. “But… how did Tyrone think you tasted?”
Emma glared at her. “Guess what? I don’t think that’s as funny as you do. Go tell it to Marina“she can have a good laugh over it with her date, Tyrone.”
Haley stopped laughing immediately. “I’m really sorry!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know! What’s wrong with the boys in our year lately?” She shook her head, causing her hair to dance around her shoulders. “I’m actually not taking a date this time around. I figure I’m not tied to one boy all night that way, you know? But Tyrone… whoa… I guess one-eighth veela blood is enough to distract him.”
“Apparently,” Emma agreed icily.
Haley put a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re really bummed that you can’t go to the dance with him,” she said. “But“”
“It isn’t the fact that I can’t go to the dance with Tyrone that’s annoying!” Emma interrupted loudly. “Why would I care about something like that? It’s just that he chose Marina, of all people! Boys are so dumb! And Tyrone’s even dumber than I gave him credit for.”
Haley looked skeptical. “So, you don’t care that you can’t go to the dance with Tyrone?” she asked, sounding rather uncertain.
Emma hesitated, then said in a rather soft, unsure voice, “I don’t know. I… I really don’t know. It’s strange… I mean, everyone knows he’s really full of himself and stuff, he obviously thinks he’s really cool, and that always got on my nerves, but sometimes… I don’t know… There are times… Well, like, last year, his mum died. And… it was so weird, I saw a whole different side to him. And then, we were friends, and that was really nice. Then, this year, I thought maybe he’d got a bit more mature or something, but it’s back to square one, with Tyrone going after all of the pretty girls again. And… I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
“You said ‘I don’t know’ at least six times there,” Haley pointed out. Her expression changed to one that was a bit more serious. “So, if you really like Tyrone a lot“”
“I never said that!” Emma exclaimed sharply.
“Yes, but I’m psychic,” Haley said matter-of-factly. “Also, it’s obvious.”
“Then your Inner Eye must be fogged up. I do not“”
“You’re going to have to accept the fact that I am never wrong about these things, Emma Elizabeth Weasley,” chirped Haley. “But don’t worry, Tyrone will be kicking himself down the hall after the ball for being stupid enough not to go with you. You’ll find a date soon.”
But she didn’t, and it was ominously close to Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Emma sat down for breakfast at the Gryffindor table looking rather worried. She was sitting between the Potter twins with Ted on Jordan’s side“Ivy was shut away in the dormitory studying like mad, and didn’t normally come to meals (her friends usually brought her food from the kitchens instead), and Tyrone was holding court at the other end of the table.
“They’re still not biting?” Ted asked, which was a slightly ironic statement for a werewolf to make.
Emma shook her head and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
“Actually,” began Haley, “I heard that Tyrone Thomas was eating h“”
“Stop it,” said Emma flatly.
She was not in a fantastic mood, and so it probably wasn’t the best of times for Charybdis Nott to come striding by and comment, “So, I heard the Hogwarts champion can’t find a date. I guess the boys at this school have finally gotten wise. They know better than to ask you out“you’re too mean to any poor soul who dares to ask you to dance. You don’t like boys, do you Weasley?”
Jordan laughed humourlessly. “If you want a definition of the word ‘mean,’ try looking in a mirror. Or a dictionary, under the entry ‘Charybdis Nott.’ Emma’s done nothing to you, and she didn’t intrude into your breakfast-time. Additionally, you don’t have to cope with all of the stress she’s going through what with the Tournament, and furthermore, you would never be selected to represent Hogwarts in a competition of the Triwizard’s caliber. So, logically speaking, you should leave us alone and give her a break,” he instructed in his flat, matter-of-fact voice.
Charybdis gaped like a codfish, and after opening and closing her mouth several times, realized she had nothing to say to that and scurried back to the Slytherin table.
Haley high-fived her brother. “I never though I’d say this,” she told him, “But that huge brain of yours can actually come in handy sometimes.”
“If only he used his powers for good,” Ted said with a grin.
Emma paused for a moment, seeming to consider something. “Jordan, do you have a date to the ball?” she asked.
Her cousin laughed a laugh so humourless that it would be illegal to call it a laugh in fourteen different countries. (If you’re reading this in one of those countries, then I most humbly apologize.) “Me? A date? If I had my way, there wouldn’t be a ball. It’s an idiotic tradition. Frankly, I’m more concerned with the Quidditch game later today.”
“That’s nice to know,” Emma replied. “So, want to go with me?”
Jordan blinked. “I’m your cousin.”
“Thanks for the genealogy lesson. I know that, you prat,” laughed Emma. “It’s not like I’m looking for a husband or anything. I just need someone to dance with me during the first number so I don’t look stupid dancing by myself, and I don’t know too many boys. If I find a dream date anytime soon, I’ll drop you like a hot potato, but I really need a date for this.”
“Comforting.” Jordan looked pained. “I suppose I’ll go with you, but only because I don’t even want to imagine seeing you in a worse mood. It’s too frightening to even contemplate.”
“Thoughtful,” commented Emma. She leaned back in her chair. “Well, I’m glad that’s done with.”
There was a Quidditch game later that day, but as much as she wanted to, Ivy couldn’t attend. She had so much work to do, and she hoped to finish it that night if she was lucky. She knew she would hear a detailed account of the action from her friends, but her brother would kill her for missing his game.
He had become more obsessed with his team than anyone would have thought possible; it was actually quite funny to watch him shout at his team members, as he tended to do this even off of the pitch. Just hearing about the brutally grueling Gryffindor team practices made Ivy very glad that she could fly about as well as a penguin.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes, which were tired and crusty from staring at a book so much and sleeping so little. She left a smudge of blue ink on her cheek due to the fact that her hands were splattered with the stuff. There were times when all of the work she was doing made her wish that she could just give up, but Ivy Potter was not a quitter, and she could handle this. But when sleep was what she most looked forward to, then something was wrong.
“WE WON!” screeched Haley as she vaulted into the dormitory wearing a fashionable red-and gold messenger hat and sporting red-and-gold sequins on one of her multitudinous pockety jackets. “For once in my life, I’m really glad that Jordan’s my baby brother. He missed you at the game today, Ives.”
Ivy smiled wearily. “Nice jacket,” was all she said.
“I know, isn’t it?” exclaimed her sister. “I’m so good at this whole magical seamstress thing. Maybe I should get a part-time job at Madame Malkin’s robe shop when I’m a bit older.”
Emma arrived just after her cousin, decked out in red-and-gold paint and a red-and-gold scarf. “That game was officially the best ever!” she shouted. “I can’t believe you missed it! All I can say is, I’m glad that they kept doing Quidditch this year, even with the Tournament. We flattened Ravenclaw!”
“That’s always nice to hear,” replied Ivy. “I bet now some of the other girls are jealous of you for taking the Gryffindor captain to the ball, then?”
Emma’s smile disappeared as though someone had just used the ‘Evanesco’ spell on it. She sat on her bed and curled her legs up into a ball. “I keep thinking back to what Charybdis Nott said earlier today,” she sighed. She looked up at her friends. “Am I mean?” she asked softly.
Her two dorm-mates stared. “Of-of course not!” stammered Ivy. “You’re one of the best friends anyone could hope for.”
Emma’s face looked tense and upset, uncommon for the girl whose eyes so often flashed with confidence and determination. “You’re saying that to me now,” she told her. “But what about first year? I treated you like scum.”
Ivy looked very uncomfortable. “That was different,” she said. “You didn’t know me yet. All you knew was that I was Draco Malfoy’s daughter. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I made you cry,” Emma stated flatly. “A lot. I didn’t even talk to Haley for a week because she made friends with you. And last year, I made Tyrone cry, of all people.”
“You didn’t know his mum had died!” exclaimed Haley. “It was a simple mistake, anyone could have made it!”
Her cousin raised one eyebrow, a habit that would normally cause Haley to attack her, but that went unnoticed at this time. “Not ‘anyone’ can make Tyrone Thomas cry,” she stated. “He may be a lot of things, but a crybaby definitely isn’t one of them. I’m as bad as Charybdis Nott, which really is saying something.” She looked as defeated as a deflated balloon.
“No, you’re not!” protested Haley. “You… you just like to speak your mind. You’re, what do you call it, frank. Blunt. Whatever.” She wasn’t used to bolstering Emma’s confidence“it had never needed bolstering before.
“Your dad’s kind of like that, too,” pointed out Ivy. “You’re both really good people, but you’ve both got tempers, and you act before you think. It’s how you are, Emma, and we like you for it. I wish I could be more like you sometimes.”
Emma smiled. “Thanks,” she told the other two girls. “You’re both awesome. But, yeah, that doesn’t change the fact that I can really be a git sometimes. Um, sometime in the next few years, I predict you’re going to want my head on a platter thanks to something stupid that I’m going to do. I apologize in advance.”
“Apology accepted,” grinned Haley, bopping her on the head with a pillow.
But although the girls had returned to their dormitory early, Ted stayed out late, and even an hour later, he was still strolling around the corridors. It wasn’t yet lights-out, and he liked to let his mind and feet wander. It took him several minutes to realize that he wasn’t alone in the hallway. He turned and saw, her ivory face illuminated by her lit wand tip, Arden DuBois.
“Hi,” he greeted her cheerily.
“Hello, Theo,” she whispered. She was acting shy and nervous around him again, like she had when they’d first met, and Ted couldn’t help but wonder what was troubling her.
“Did you see the Quidditch match today?” he inquired politely.
“Yes, I did. Your friend Jordan flies very beautifully,” replied Arden. “I sketched a picture of him going into a dive.”
“Well, if you bring it next full moon, I can take it and give it to Jordan. I bet he’d really like it,” Ted told her.
Arden smiled, looking like a ghost in the pale light of her wand. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and drew a hand through her curly hair. Something was clearly bothering her.
“Is something the matter?” prompted Ted. “I promise I won’t laugh at you.”
Arden took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes. (This was more difficult than it sounds, because Ted towered over the petite girl by over a foot.) “Theo,” she whispered, her voice abandoning her. “You are always kind, and I do like talking to you. Could you perhaps… if you do not want to, you do not have to… could you, er, go to… to the Yule Ball with me?”
Ted hadn’t expected her question. Arden didn’t strike him as the sort of girl who would ask out a boy. He opened his mouth to speak, when the unmistakable chiming of the clock signaling curfew went off.
Arden looked panicked. “Madame Maxime will be locking the carriage in a few minutes! I will speak with you tomorrow, Theo!” cried Arden, pulling her cloak around herself and sprinting down the hallway toward her sleeping quarters.
Ted, however, did not. In fact, he headed in the opposite direction from Gryffindor Tower and made his way toward the west corridor on the same floor. There“he had reached the room he had intended to. The door was covered in ornate carvings, and the plate on it was engraved, “PROF. R.J. LUPIN, DEFENCE INSTRUCTOR.” It was his father’s personal office.
He rapped sharply on the door, and his mildly surprised-looking father opened it. “Ted,” he noted with a smile. “I guess there’s no point in telling you it’s after curfew. Come in“do you want any tea?”
“No thanks, Dad,” replied his son, stepping inside following Professor Lupin to a table. Ted resembled his father“though Professor Lupin had grey hair and his face was lined, the older that Ted got, the more he grew to look like him. Ted, however, was already several inches taller than his father.
“So, why did you want to talk to me?” asked Professor Lupin. “If it’s about the essay on Manticores, I’m sorry about assigning homework over break, but it is your O.W.L.s year, and…”
“It’s not about school!” laughed Ted. “You’re not just my teacher! You’re my dad, too, remember?”
“Yes, I seem to remember having children at some point,” Professor Lupin said lightly. “Anyway, I’m sorry, keep going.”
Ted looked rather sheepish. “I wanted some advice on something,” he mumbled. “What do you do when you have to choose between two girls and you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings?”
Professor Lupin laughed. “Ted, I have no idea what to say. I can’t say I’ve ever had that problem, actually.” He surveyed his son over his mug of tea. “So two different girls asked you to the ball?”
“Actually, no,” admitted Ted. “One asked me… and, er, I was kind of hoping it would be the other one.”
His father raised his eyebrows. “Then ask the other one,” he replied simply.
Ted sighed. “But I don’t want to be selfish!” he insisted. “And I don’t even know if the other girl would want to go with me.”
Professor Lupin took a long drink of tea. “Ted, you know, it’s impossible to always please everyone. It’s admirable to put your friends before you, but sometimes, when you try to please everyone, you end up not pleasing anyone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re too much like me sometimes. I always wanted to make everyone happy,” explained Professor Lupin, sighing as he reclined in his chair. “And then, I fell in love with a girl who was beautiful, funny, intelligent, great fun… I told myself that there was no way she’d ever be happy with a creature like me, so I ignored her for her sake... and also so I wouldn’t have to go through the pain of rejection. After all, at that time, no werewolf had ever gotten married after being bitten.”
Ted had never known this about his father“Remus Lupin was a happy man, and Ted always forgot about his tragic past. “What happened?” he asked anxiously.
His father smiled. “Well, after I made both of us absolutely miserable for over a year, the girl informed me how stupid I was being and knocked some sense into me, and then we got married and had Christina and Nathaniel and you.”
Ted couldn’t believe his father ever dreamed that his mother would never love him because he was a werewolf. It seemed that Ted was the only werewolf around these days who didn’t have self-esteem issues. “Well, that doesn’t actually make me feel much better,” said Ted, “because the girl who asked me, well, she’s a werewolf, and she’s really shy. She doesn’t even think of herself as human“she thinks she’s a monster. It’s so sad“I can’t believe she actually asked me, she’s so shy. So I’d feel really bad about turning her down.”
Professor Lupin shook his head and put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You’re growing up so fast,” he told him. “It seems like just yesterday, you were a little boy, and now we’re talking about girls... Don’t worry about it. I’m very proud of you.”
“For what?” asked Ted, somewhat bewildered.
“Just for being who you are,” replied his father. “However,” he paused, then added, “you really should get back to the dormitory before Andreas Gauge catches you out of bed.”
“That is a spectacular plan, Dad,” Ted told him. “G’night.”
“Goodnight, Ted.”
True, it would be horrible to be caught by Gauge, the caretaker who played with detention assignments like some people played with cards. He wished he’d thought to ask Haley for her invisibility cloak… if he was caught, he’d live to regret it (if, in fact, he did live) and the dormitory was a long ways away.
But then again, he had the strangest sense that someone else was there, that he wasn’t alone in the corridor… and this time it wasn’t Arden DuBois. He didn’t look behind him, convinced that his paranoid mind was playing tricks on him. If it was Gauge, he would have been spotted already; the man had eyes like a hawk.
CREAK! His head snapped around, and he froze. He had definitely heard someone or something… “Who’s there?”
He turned around and faced the person behind him.
Haley rolled over in bed. She’d just woken up from a brief hour or so of sleep… had she been dreaming? Oh, yes, that’s right, it had been a dream; that’s why Tyrone had been wearing a leather miniskirt. Haley threw on her dressing gown and was getting out of bed to get herself a quick glass of water from the bathroom when she noticed it…
Ivy’s bed was empty. Her sister wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
Ivy grinned, although no one could see her. She was done! She was finally done, and all of her hard work had paid off! She would have turned cartwheels, had she any gymnastic talent or any idea how cartwheels were performed. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were sparkling, and she looked more alive than she had in a long time. She hadn’t felt so proud since she’d won the Albus Dumbledore Award the previous year.
She was just making her way back to Gryffindor Tower, when she heard a noise in the corridor ahead of her. Oh no, why hadn’t she borrowed Haley’s Invisibility Cloak? Wouldn’t it be just lovely if she was caught by Gauge and given detention on this night of all nights?
Light from a wand tip flooded her eyes, and a male voice called, “Who’s there?”
Ivy froze, planning to run and hide, then realized that she knew that voice. It was Ted. “Ivy?” he exclaimed, making his way over toward her. He was, she noticed, still in his day clothes, while Ivy was, rather embarrassingly, wearing a light blue dressing gown, fluffy blue slippers, and white nightdress.
“Ted… what are you doing up?” Ivy asked, somewhat flustered.
“You know how I told you I have weird dreams?” he asked. “Well, I had one of them, and it wasn’t the best dream I’ve ever had, so I went and talked to my dad. But what are you doing up?”
Ivy blinked. “I, er, felt really guilty because I had a book due, and I had to return it to the library on time, or I’d never be able to sleep.” This was a lie, and she had a feeling that her perceptive and observant friend knew this, but he didn’t press her any further.
“Come on,” he suggested. “Let’s get to Gryffindor Tower before we get caught.”
Ivy thought this an extremely sensible suggestion, and she had every intention of going through with it… but suddenly, she heard shallow breathing, and the creaking of floorboards echoed through the hallway, and she froze in fear.
“It’s Gauge! Hide!” Ted hissed, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of sight into a nearby room, taking care to close the door behind him.
“Lumos!” Ivy whispered, and she could see now that she and Ted were not in an unused classroom after all, but in a closet. By the looks of the accumulated cobwebs and dust, it hadn’t been used in awhile.
“You’re going to want to turn off the light,” suggested Ted. “If Gauge sees light at the crack at the bottom of the door, we’re done for.”
“Good point. Nox.”
The light vanished, and the closet filled with darkness. It was so pitch black that Ivy couldn’t even make out where Ted was, and that was somehow frightening. Who knew for sure that there was nothing threatening waiting in the dark? The two of them sat without speaking for what seemed like an eternity before Ted’s voice broke through the silence.
“You know, today’s the one-year anniversary of me being a werewolf.”
Ivy was sure that the grammar in the previous sentence was somehow slightly askew, but she thought perhaps it wasn’t the best of ideas to point it out.
“You were really cool that day in the hospital,” he continued. “I mean, you just treated me the same as always. I never really said thanks, but I think it’s pretty much because of you that I don’t worry about being a werewolf, you know? I was just like, ‘if Ivy’s fine with it, then I’ve got no reason to worry.’ Some people aren’t so lucky.”
Ivy couldn’t think of anything to say to that. As strange as it sounded, half the time, she practically forgot that Ted was even a werewolf“it wasn’t something that tended to come up in everyday conversation. And she had no idea why he was bringing this up now.
“Look, Ivy, you’ve been really quiet lately. Talk to me“what’s wrong?” he asked in his easy, friendly voice.
Ivy would have stared at him, except for the fact that she was unable to see him in the dark. For someone who was usually so good with feelings, hadn’t Ted realized that maybe she would be upset about his relationship with Arden?
“Ted…” she started out slowly, keeping her voice soft and delicate. “Why are you still pretending you care at all about me now that you’ve got Arden? You don’t need to sacrifice the time you could spend with her just to be polite.”
She heard Ted make an uncomfortable stuttering noise in the dark. “What… how…” he reached for her hand and found it after a few seconds. Ivy started to pull away, but something about the warmth of Ted’s hands and his voice stopped her. “I don’t know what made you think that I don’t care about you. I mean, it’s true that I like Arden… but as a friend. You’re… you’re different. You’re just...you’re Ivy. I like being around you.”
“Then… why haven’t you lately?” Ivy asked very quietly, her eyes downcast. If he thought she was so special, why did he spend so much spare time with Arden.
“Oh, man… I can’t explain this. Arden… well, she has a… she… I have to help her with something, and she’s made me swear not to tell anybody. I really would tell you, but I promised Arden...But you have to believe me“I’d never, ever forget about you, and I’d never, ever ignore you for anyone else. You know me.” And his voice was so persuasive and so comforting that Ivy had no choice but to believe him, no matter how hard she tried to trust her cynical side.
“I know you don’t want to upset me and everything,” she whispered. “But… is that really how you feel, or are you just trying to convince yourself that it is because you feel sorry for me?”
She could feel Ted’s breath on her face. (Lucky for her, it was minty-fresh.) “Listen, Ivy, if I didn’t care about you like that, would I want to do this as much as I do now?”
And before Ivy knew what was happening, there was something soft and warm touching her lips. It was a second or two before she realized that it was Ted’s mouth, and her first thought was, It’s really dark“I’m surprised he didn’t miss.
Then, it hit her that Ted was kissing her“she was kissing Ted, something that she’d always secretly hoped for but had never been able to imagine coming true. It wasn’t anything like she’d expected, either“there was nothing wet or mushy about it, and she knew she’d never be able to explain why it was so enjoyable to be there with Ted, sharing that comforting closeness with him…
Suddenly, the small closet was flooded with light. Standing in the doorway was none other than Professor Zabini, holding a lit wand and wearing a disgusted expression. “I suppose I was expecting this to happen sometime sooner or later,” he sneered. “Ten points from Gryffindor each.”
But Ivy thought she saw his sneer twist into a half-smile, and then he did something totally unexpected. He gently closed the closet door and walked away.
Ivy blushed as she came to the end of her tale the next morning. Haley giggled uncontrollably, and Emma looked as though someone had just lit a candle inside her head. “So THAT’s why Gryffindor’s behind twenty points!” she exclaimed. “Aw, man, who’d have thunk it?” She pretended to kiss her pillow. “Our little Prefect pair, snogging in the closet!”
Ivy blushed even more furiously. “We were not snogging!” she protested. “Whatever that’s supposed to mean. We were just, er, kissing!”
“Seriously, though,” said Haley, slightly hypocritically, as she was giggling uncontrollably. “What’s going to happen now? You two can hardly go about telling everyone that you’re just friends after this.”
“Well,” said Ivy quietly. “Ted’s asked me to, you know, go out with him. And we’re going to the Yule Ball together.”
Emma snorted. “Ohohoho! You didn’t want to go to the ball because you had studying to do. But now that your loverboy has asked you, you’re perfectly keen on going, is that it?”
“Actually, I won’t be doing quite as much studying from now on,” Ivy said vaguely. Her face looked much more alive than it had for months.
Haley grinned and stated, “Ivy, if only your first-year self could see you now. Would anyone have guessed that you’d be the first one of us to have a real boyfriend?” She hugged her sister. “You and Ted are so adorable together, I can’t believe it!” She jumped up. “Oh, which reminds me, as it’s Christmas, I have a present for you. It’s stuff for the ball“I never did return it, even when you said you weren’t going. I didn’t believe that for a second, knowing you and your raging teen hormones.”
Ivy laughed, thinking of how absurd it was for anyone to use the words ‘Ivy Potter’ and ‘raging’ in the same sentence. She felt light and carefree, and it seemed like everything she had worried about had evaporated all at once. “The ball’s not ‘till tonight,” she pointed out. “Let’s get some breakfast first.”
The others decided that this was probably an ideal suggestion, so the threesome headed down to the Great Hall for their morning meal. But as they left the Common Room, two unexpected figures emerged from the boys’ dormitory. One was on the small side with messy black hair, and the other was tall and gangly with shaggy hair and a good-natured if tired-looking face.
It was the second of the two that caught Ivy’s eye“it was so strange to look at Ted, almost as if he’d changed. She was no longer just looking at a friend; she was looking at someone who she knew cared about her and appreciated her as much as she did him.
“Hi,” Ted said, beaming. His voice did something rather unique, something that it hadn’t done since it had finally finished changing at the end of the previous school year.
“Hi,” replied Ivy, gingerly taking his hand. This was all new to her, but at the same time, it all felt completely natural.
Jordan rubbed his sleepy eyes. “Have I missed something?” he asked in his trademark deadpan manner.
Ivy and Ted exchanged glances, mentally making bets on how many inches Jordan’s eyeballs would bug out from their sockets after hearing their story.
That night, the girls were preparing themselves for the ball. Ivy was just about to pull on her silvery dress robes when Emma snatched the robes out of her hands with a reproachful wag of the finger. “Ah-ah-ah, no you don’t,” she admonished her friend firmly. “You do not wear the same thing to a ball two years in a row. Besides, look what Haley and I bought!”
Haley removed something from a shopping bag with a flourish. It was a Muggle dress, pure white and sparkly with a full, knee-length skirt and thin straps instead of sleeves. It was a beautiful dress, no doubt about it… but Ivy couldn’t possibly wear it.
“I… I can’t go out in public in that!” she spluttered. “It’s got about a fourth of the material in my dress robes!”
Emma laughed. “Oh, Ivy, you sound just like my dad. He’s always talking about what he thinks is ‘appropriate’ for ‘a girl my age’ to wear.” She laughed. “Trust us, though, you’ll look fabulous.”
“I can’t…”
“Just put it on,” encouraged Haley. “If you don’t like the way it looks on you, you can always change.”
Ivy sighed and pulled on the dress, knowing that she’d look like a fool in it, a girl playing dress-up and trying to be something that she wasn’t. She zipped up the back and said uncomfortably, “There, I’m wearing it. Can I please change now? This is a really nice dress, and it was great of you to buy it, but it’s just not right for me.”
Haley looked at her sister in the new dress and squealed in girlish delight. “You… look… fantastic! Go on, look in the mirror, come on!” she encouraged, giving her sister a little push.
Ivy stumbled over to the full-length mirror and went silent. The dress fit perfectly, and she didn’t look the least bit silly“she really did look nice. Ivy was not the sort who spent a lot of time on her appearance, and it was incredibly how much difference one dress made.
Emma removed the rubber band from the end of Ivy’s plait and unbraided her hair. It fell in soft, waist-length waves of white blonde, and her not-quite-grown-out fringe framed her face softly. “Why do you never wear your hair down?” Emma inquired. “It looks so pretty that way.”
The girl whose hair was in question hesitated, then said quietly, “If you really want to know why I never wear my hair down… well, I guess I’ll tell you, but you’ll laugh at me. When I was little and my hair had never been cut, my Nana used to braid it to keep it neat.
“But my father“Malfoy, that is“didn’t like that because he said that I had the prettiest hair he’d ever seen on a little girl, and that I should always wear it down. The last thing he said to me before he went out to blow up St. Mungo’s was, ‘Ivy-girl, I might be gone for awhile. Be good for Mummy“you always are“and tell Nana to fix your hair like Daddy likes it. I love you, Angel…’” her voice trailed off. “Don’t ask me how I remember all of that… but that’s what he said.”
There was an awkward pause. “Wow,” Haley said simply. “I, er, guess that explains a lot. But seriously, you can’t go through life avoiding everything Malfoy liked“I mean, what if he told you not to chew with your mouth open? What would you do then?”
Ivy smiled. “I guess you’re right… but, I mean, braiding my hair really does keep it out of the way. I don’t like to spend as much time as you do on clothes and hair and things.”
“I noticed,” Emma put in. “It’s almost like you’re scared to look pretty.”
“I’m not scared of looking pretty,” her cousin protested. “I just… I’m a bit more conservative, you could say. I don’t like to show off“I’m not saying you two do,” she added quickly. “But you know how I am.”
“Luckily, we’re here to fix that!” Haley cackled, brandishing an ominous-looking blush brush.
“Myesss,” added Emma, equally evilly. “Ready?”
“Yep,” chirped Haley.
And they attacked Ivy with makeup, something she was not at all used to wearing. “What are you doing?” choked Ivy. “I don’t need this!”
“It’ll just make you a bit more attractive,” explained Emma. “You can’t wear that gorgeous dress without the proper makeup.”
“But I don’t want to be more ‘attractive,’” Ivy protested. “I don’t see what the object of this is. Ted already said he liked me, and I wasn’t wearing any of this makeup then! If you“ow, what are you doing to my eyes?”
“It’s called mascara, dear,” Haley informed her crisply. “And the ‘object,’ of this,” she continued, putting ‘air quotes’ around the word ‘object,’ “is that it’s fun for me and Emma!”
“I think that would be ‘Emma and me,’” Ivy told her feebly as Haley held up a mirror. All thoughts of grammar, however, flew from her head when she saw her reflection.
This girl’s face was not strained and pinched with puffy dark bags under her eyes“her cheeks were a delicate rosy shade, and her eyes suddenly stood out brightly against her slightly darkened eyelashes. Her lips were subtly pink-tinted, and they somehow appeared less thin, maybe because they weren’t tight with concentration as usual.
The makeup wasn’t too much“it enhanced her face rather than simply painting it, unlike some girls’ makeup. For the first time in her life, Ivy actually felt beautiful. She knew she’d never been ugly, but there was nothing special about her“she was just a pale, fragile-looking wisp of a girl.
Emma whistled. “Ooh la la! Look out, Marina, here comes Ivy Potter! It looks like you’ve got some competition.”
Ivy smiled shyly. “I just want you to know, this looks nice and everything, but I don’t plan on wearing any of this makeup in the future, unless it’s a really special occasion. It’s not really me.”
“Each to her own,” shrugged Haley. “You’ll know when you’re ready, just like how you’ll know which wand is right. Only, like, not…” She was dressed in pink kimono-style robes that somehow made her look taller than usual, and her hair was elegantly coiled atop her head.
Emma checked her watch. “It’s almost time,” she noted. “Let’s get out there and break some hearts.” Her robes were flowing maroon and distinctly classical-looking with lacy trim. She knew her father would not approve of the lacy maroon robes (too many bad memories for him, as he’d had to endure a set of his own) and the low-cut neckline, but the robes suited her perfectly. She looked like a portrait from the 1700’s.
The girls walked out of the dormitory together, Ivy somewhat cautiously in her new dress. They met up with the boys in the Common Room, where Emma was extremely displeased to see that Jordan had broken the cardinal rule of never wearing the same dress robes two years in a row.
“I remember, Jordan,” she told her date sternly. “They’re the exact same dark green robes. For someone so smart, you don’t understand some of the simplest things.”
“I don’t think the rule applies to blokes,” laughed Ted, who nonetheless was wearing a different set of robes from the previous year, since his old ones were now much too short. He and Ivy matched rather well, as his new robes were a soft white. He’d also added a rather ugly red Muggle necktie with white polka-dots that somehow suited him perfectly“it was just pleasantly cheesy, like Ted.
As the five of them descended toward the Great Hall together, they passed countless students dressed in their finest robes, all just as excited as they were.
The Great Hall was a breathtaking ice palace that sparkled with ice sculptures, icicles, and magical snowflakes suspended in the air. Ivy waved at her father, who was there in his capacity as a Triwizard judge and security advisor, then took a seat at a long banquet table with Ted. She looked up expectantly at her other friends. “Aren’t you going to sit with us?” she asked.
“Emma has to sit at the champions’ table,” Jordan replied flatly. “And I, as her date, have been sucked into it.”
“And I have to, er, go do something,” Haley added rather cryptically.
“Well, we’ll see you lot after the feast, I guess,” Ted said pleasantly. Ivy couldn’t help but feel slightly, selfishly glad that her other friends couldn’t join her“this ball was something of a turning point for her. She and Ted had done lots of things together, and had gone to the previous year’s ball with each other, but never officially as more than friends, and she felt that she didn’t get to spend as much time with just him as she’d like.
She didn’t talk much during the feast, but she enjoyed the company and conversation of the other students in her year. She was getting so many compliments on the way she looked“not for her grades or accomplishments or any of the things of which she was usually proud. Although it was fun and exciting to be recognized for her appearance and although it was always entertaining to get giggly and girly with Haley and Emma sometimes, she wasn’t sure she liked it“she just wasn’t that type of person, and it didn’t feel like it was really her.
Of course, she was also one of the last people she could ever imagine kissing a boy in a broom closet…
And the feast seemed to go by ridiculously fast, because before she knew it, the tables were pushed back to make room for dancing, and the three champions and their partners made their way toward the centre.
Emma and Jordan (the latter looking rather green) were the first on the dance floor, followed by Marina and Tyrone, Marina dressed in black robes with an asymmetrical hem and Tyrone in robes of bright crimson red. The last of the champions to begin to dance was the navy-blue-robed Vladislav, who was dancing with… Haley?
“I thought she wasn’t going to take a date this year!” exclaimed Ivy. She was really quite confused by this, but then, Haley loved any sort of performing arts and would never miss a chance to dance. With Vladislav Poliakoff, though? Haley had always commented about how he had a severe deficiency in the sense-of-humour department, and she tended to call him ‘Vladiwhatsit’ or ‘Vladithingummy.’ What was this all about?
Still, Ivy didn’t dwell on the matter. Haley had always been a bit quirky, so what else was new? And then, the next song began, and the rest of the students flooded the dance floor.
Ivy was not a particularly gifted dancer, and gawky Ted, constantly tripping over his own feet and stepping on Ivy’s, was even worse“but that didn’t really matter. It was just fun dancing, enjoying the music, and making self-deprecating comments about their lack of grace. Ivy was surprised that the way she felt with Ted was the same as ever.
She’d known Ted, been his friend for over four years, and the only thing that had changed was the feeling that she could be completely without abandon with him now. She felt relaxed and happy that Ted was as fond of her as she was of him. It was a good feeling to have. She moved closer to him, feeling his warmth.
“Don’t look now,” murmured Ted, “But it looks like your dad and Emma’s mum are having a chat that involves a lot of pointing at me and you.”
“Ah,” replied Ivy. “I think the broom closet story’s been circulating around the staff.”
“They probably passed out leaflets with the story and pictures,” agreed Ted. “C’mon, let’s go get some punch or something.”
While at the punch bowl, reliving extremely fond memories of a third-year Jordan dumping a bowl of punch over the heads of Ophidias Malfoy and Charybdis Nott, they were approached by none other than Ivy’s father.
“Hello,” he greeted them. “Happy Christmas!” He then lowered his voice. “I heard a rather interesting story…” he began.
“I’m guessing it wasn’t the one about the ogre that walks into a bar?” Ted asked feebly.
“Not that one,” Mr. Potter informed him lightly. “All I have to say is, the Room of Requirement works a bit better than your average closet. Smells better, too.” Ivy felt her cheeks redden. “On a completely unrelated subject, your clothes are kind of different.”
“The dress was a present from Haley,” Ivy told her dad. “Apparently, Muggle clothes are in. I didn’t really want to wear it, but I was peer-pressured into it.”
“The tie was from Haley, too,” added Ted. “I kind of like it.”
Mr. Potter blinked. “So, you’re not making a political statement or anything?”
“About neckties?” Ted asked, laughing incredulously.
“Well, Tancred Apple has this theory that robes are outdated, and they’re just another sign of the racist attitude toward Muggles or something. He says we should all wear Muggle clothes, and so he and his supporters all do it. Hermione told me that some seventh-year Ravenclaw got in trouble for refusing to wear their uniforms… I was just curious to see if you were that interested in Apple’s politics, it’s nothing important.” He smiled. “And I really do like your tie, Ted. Have fun.” And with that, he was off.
So Apple liked Muggle clothes? It was an interesting thought. Ivy and the other teenaged wizards and witches she knew wore a lot of Muggle clothes, but most adults exclusively most wore robes. Evadne Schiffington, the Triwizard judge, dressed Muggle though“that must have been why. It was an interesting thought, Apple’s, even if it was a bit radical. The man had some good ideas. Why am I thinking about politics now of all times? she thought to herself. This is a ball!
“Want to dance another song?” asked Ivy, and Ted took her hand. As they walked past the doorway, Ted spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A petite girl with dark, curly hair and deep blue robes matching her eyes, was running away down the hall, sobbing quietly to herself.
“What a night!” exclaimed Haley, falling back onto her bed after easing her feet out of her uncomfortable shoes. “I danced with four boys! Four!”
“Hey, I’m just wondering, since when were you Vladislav Poliokoff’s date?” asked Emma.
Haley pulled the pins out of her hair and shook it loose. “Well, when the feast started, I saw he didn’t have a date, and I felt really bad because I saw how freaked out you were about not having a date, so I asked him. He’s not a bad dancer, I guess. A bit stiff, though.”
Emma was rather surprised. Haley suddenly seemed to have that elusive, Teddish gift for understanding emotions and approaching them properly that Emma herself had never really been able to master. Her cousin was also working harder this year“she’d always been a complete slacker, but now, she was actually seen holding a book from time to time, and she even appeared to be paying some attention in class.
Haley still spent much of her time giggling with Emma, but all of a sudden, for the first time ever, Emma felt like the less mature of the two. Less mature than Ivy as well, who had a boyfriend and whose strict ethical ideals and willpower to keep working were an inch short of insanity, as far as Emma was concerned.
Meanwhile, during this contemplative pause on her cousin’s behalf, Haley pulled out Lee and wrote:
“Greetings again, Lee!”
“Hi, Haley. How was the ball?”
“One word“awesometastical.”
“I’m fairly certain that that’s not a word.”
“Well, it is now. Anyway, I asked Vladislav. He looked really sad.”
“About you asking him?”
“No! He looked sad because he didn’t have a date, so I asked him to go with me, you psycho! Ivy and Ted are still out dancing, but me and Emma came up because we were tired“did I tell you that Ivy and Ted are dating?”
“No, you didn’t! That’s interesting!”
“They were caught kissing in a broom closet.”
“HAHAHAHAHA! Now, that’s interesting. Are we talking about the same IVY POTTER and TED LUPIN that I think we are here?”
“Yep. I’m pretty sure that they weren’t possessed or anything at the time.”
“That’s crazy! If I had I nose, I probably would have just snorted milk out of it. Somehow, from what you’ve told me about those two, I can’t imagine it.”
“Well, me either! Anyway, I think Emma’s a little ticked off because of Tyrone. See, last year, they were fighting, but then they sort of got to be friends again after last year’s ball, so that was all cool and stuff, but this year, that didn’t happen.”
“Emma’s having a lousy year.”
“Yeah, I’m actually glad I’m not in the tournament! She’s cracking, and this is Emma we’re talking about“she’s the toughest person I know. I’d be dead by now, I think.”
“Ah, that’s an exaggeration. More like grievously maimed, I’d say.”
“Thanks for your support, Lee.”
“Any time, Haley.”
“Good night.”
“Nighty-night.”
Jordan was typing an email message to Giorgi, something that he tended to do frequently whether he wanted to or not. It just sort of seemed to happen.
To: rainbowbrite04@interweb.co.uk
From: sgtjpepper@magicworks.co.uk.
Subj: Tonight
Message:
Hello, Giorgi,
Happy Christmas! I got some fantastic presents today“really interesting books (That is not an oxymoron, I’ll have you know), some football equipment, some Beatles music I can play on my guitar… I’ve always thought that Christmas is a rather overly commercialized holiday, but there are some things about it that I definitely like.
One of them is NOT, however, going to the Yule Ball with Emma. She needed someone to dance with, so I’m afraid she forced me into doing it. I should have found a date so I’d have an alibi. It was a terrifying experience, and I’m sure I’m scarred for life.
Meanwhile, my friend and roommate Ted has been snogging my sister in broom closets, and I found out after absolutely everyone else, including Professor Zabini. Charming. I don’t think I’ll be able to get the repulsive image out of my mind for weeks, and in the mean time, I won’t sleep a wink.
Who winks when they sleep, anyway? I loathe figures of speech. They’re so illogical, and half the time, they make you sound like somebody’s grandmother.
By the way, did I mention that WE WON THE FOOTBALL MATCH BY A TRULY MASSIVE MARGIN?
Cheers,
Jordan
He pressed ‘send’ and sighed. All of this ball stuff was ridiculous, overwhelming, a waste of life. He was indescribably glad that he only had to live through one ball a year.