"Do you think they were spreading the rumours?"
Dumbledore guessed what Vaughn was thinking and shook his head. "You're blaming the wrong people. From what I heard, it began with your twin brother telling everyone in the Gryffindor Common Room that he'd seen you and Pheobe on a date by the Black Lake."
Vaughn's mouth twitched, and his gaze shifted towards his "idiot" brother.
Out on the dance floor, Ron was swaying exuberantly with his arm around Lavender when he suddenly shuddered. His nose tickled, and he sneezed.
Droplets splashed onto Lavender's dress robes.
His face instantly filled with embarrassment. "S-sorry!"
Lavender paused, then smiled and shook her head. "It's all right. I think you must have caught a chill. Once the ball is over, I can go with you to see Madam Pomfrey."
Ron was touched, but mostly puzzled. Although the Scottish Highlands had begun warming up over the past two days, he still kept himself bundled up tightly, afraid the cold might make a sudden return. How could he have caught a chill?
He instinctively glanced towards the professors' table. Whenever something strange happened, his first thought was that Vaughn had something to do with it.
Vaughn was leaving the professors' table, heading straight for the Gryffindor table, where Hermione sat.
Ron decided he might be overthinking things. His nasty brother was probably too busy wallowing in the sickly sweetness of romance with the innocent young Hermione. As Vaughn led Hermione onto the dance floor by the hand, they immediately drew many eyes in the Great Hall.
Just as Cho Chang had said, they were the stars tonight. Vaughn had been attracting far too much attention lately, and as his girlfriend, Hermione naturally drew plenty of interest as well.
Hermione clearly wasn't good at dancing, but Vaughn could