Krum's face was gloomy.
"Who but me deserves someone as wonderful as Hermione?
Draco, you should worry about your friend Harry Potter instead. He still hasn't come back to Hogwarts, has he?"
After that jab, Krum turned and continued looking for Hermione.
Draco looked utterly miserable. If he still had his cowlick, he probably would have tugged it into a tangled mess.
Harry hadn't contacted him in a long time. He had no idea how he was doing now.
Neville comforted him from beside him.
"The Chief said Harry has been safe all along. Don't worry, Draco."
Draco managed a weak smile.
At the mention of the Chief, Hannah suddenly asked from beside them.
"You're all good friends with the Chief. Does anyone know who his dance partner is?"
That question set even the nearby Little Snakes buzzing.
"The Chief will come to the ball tonight, won't he?"
"Will Miss Alice be back today? She's the only student worthy of being the Chief's partner. That Fleur is just dreaming."
"The Chief is the Deputy Headmaster. If he doesn't invite a student, he could always invite an adult professor."
"You have a point there."
"If you ask me, no one deserves to be the Chief's partner. He only needs to stand alone above everyone else, the one and only sun that draws every eye."
"Mate, you've nailed it."
Draco and the others listened thoughtfully. Hannah was rather restless, and since it was still early, she listened for a while before rounding everyone up to go outside for a snowball fight.
The snow outside the Castle lay pristine and white, almost untouched, apart from a deep trail of footprints left by the visiting students returning to the Castle.
Once outside, they were ambushed by the Twins' snowballs. They let their childish instincts