The Yule Ball

The day of the Yule Ball felt different from the very start of the morning.

When Clara woke up, no one in the dormitory was sleeping in for once. Hannah was fastening a sparkly hair clip to her hair in front of the mirror, while Cersei stood before her open wardrobe, holding up two robes of different colors and comparing them. The scent of hair gel, perfume, and magical glitter drifted in from the corridor.

Unfortunately, she still had Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class that morning.

For once, Snape canceled her Defence Against Dark Magic Class that afternoon. At noon, he had an owl drop off a piece of parchment covered in untidy handwriting: "No class today—you presumably have more important things to do, such as learning not to break your legs on the dance floor."

When Clara saw the "S.S." at the bottom, she thought it was probably the nicest thing Snape had said all year.

By evening, the Hufflepuff girls' dormitory was in complete uproar.

Rowle took Clara's silvery-white satin dress robes out of the wardrobe and carefully smoothed every crease with his wand. His fingers flew as he pinned up her hair, all the while muttering to himself.

When Clara was finally allowed to stand up from the chair and look in the mirror, she froze for several seconds. The girl in the mirror wore a silvery-white dress, her hair swept into a loose bun, with a few wisps falling beside her ears. Her pearl studs gleamed softly in the candlelight.

Objectively speaking, she was not bad-looking, and with the intensive training she had undergone lately, she had lost some weight, making her features more defined.

"Honestly, I think you really have gotten prettier lately. Maybe you're more confident? I can't quite put my finger on it."

Behind her, Rowle, the chief stylist, admired his work for the evening with his chin in his hand, full of praise and satisfaction. She had changed into pale lilac dress robes, and her hair was braided over one shoulder, adorned with purple ornaments. She looked like a lavender fairy. Her date was Dennis Thompson, a sixth-year Hufflepuff boy with a lovely smile.

They went to the banquet hall together. The room was packed, and Clara could feel quite a few gazes lingering on her.

Rowle nudged her with his elbow and teased in a voice only the two of them could hear, "See? I told you, you look very different tonight."

Harry was waiting for her in the Entrance Hall. He stood beneath the enormous Christmas tree, wearing dark green dress robes that fit him reasonably well. His hair had been more or less combed, but a tuft at the back was already sticking up again. His eyes visibly lit up when he saw her coming down the stairs.

"You look very different," he said.

"That's the result of an hour's work by Rowle." Clara walked over to him. "You look good too."

Professor McGonagall called the Champions and their partners into a line in the Entrance Hall to wait for the opening.

Krum and Fleur were already there. Krum wore deep red dress robes, and his partner looked very familiar to Clara, though she could not remember who she was. It was only when Harry exclaimed beside her that she realized it was Hermione.

Fleur wore a long silver-gray dress, with Ravenclaw's Quidditch captain, Roger Davies, standing beside her. His expression suggested he had not quite digested the fact that he had actually invited Fleur Delacour.

Cedric and Cho Chang stood in front of them.

Cho Chang wore a moon-white, qipao-style dress that evening, her long black hair tied up with a small butterfly ornament fastened in it. She had turned her head to say something to Cedric, who bent down to listen, a smile so tender it was almost melting on his lips. He wore a beautifully tailored set of black dress robes, and simply standing together, the two of them looked like a lovely picture.

Cedric noticed Clara and turned to greet her. When he saw her arm linked with Harry's, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He nodded to Harry and said, "Good luck, Potter," then turned back. As he did, Clara noticed his gaze drift toward Cho Chang again. He lowered his head slightly and whispered something in her ear, making her cover her mouth and laugh.

Clara looked away and found Harry watching her.

"Are you all right?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm fine," Clara said. She was telling the truth.

Harry did not look convinced.

But Clara could swear to Merlin that she absolutely was not lying. Cedric was standing in front of her, smiling, attending the ball with the girl he liked.

She was happy.

Professor McGonagall's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Champions, please escort your partners inside."

The opening dance was a slow waltz. With her hand on Harry's shoulder, Clara could feel how tightly his muscles were tensed. He was nervous. She was not doing much better herself. The first time she stepped on his foot, she heard him grunt, then quietly say, "It's all right. That hurt a lot less than getting hit by one of Professor Snape's spells."

She could not help laughing, and that actually helped her relax a little. One of them kept looking down at their feet while the other silently counted the beat, but at least they did not crash into any of the other Champions.

Between turns, Clara caught sight of Cedric and Cho Chang nearby. Cedric's steps were smooth and natural, and Cho Chang moved lightly. They danced with ease; by comparison, she and Harry looked like two Trolls.

Rowle was dancing with Dennis at the edge of the floor, her pale lilac skirt swinging out in a lovely arc as she spun. Dennis's face was bright red as Rowle pulled him around by the arm. As they passed Clara, Rowle raised his eyebrows at her and mouthed, "You look drop-dead gorgeous today."

Clara smiled at him, then looked down and went back to concentrating on her steps.

After the opening dance, the band switched to a Weird Sisters song, and the music suddenly became faster and louder. A crowd of students poured onto the dance floor. Harry let out a long breath and released Clara's hand, and the two of them quickly slipped off the floor. They each saw the same expression of relief at having survived on the other's face.

Clara took a few desserts from the banquet table. Ron called Harry away, apparently upset that Hermione had become Krum's date.

Someone stopped beside her.

"So," Cedric said, holding two Butterbeers, the collar of his dress robes slightly open, "you're Harry's date. I really didn't expect that."

"We're just friends. Neither of us could find a date." Clara smiled and shrugged.

"Harry couldn't find a date?" Cedric raised his eyebrows, looking unconvinced. "Still, it's nice. You don't look as tired as you did in the common room last time."

"That's probably because classes were canceled today," Clara said.

"Thank goodness for that." Cedric laughed, then a figure on the dance floor caught his eye. Cho Chang was standing with her friends on the other side of the floor, waving to him. Cedric waved back, then turned to Clara, his smile a little apologetic. "I have to go. Have fun, Miss Albert."

"You too."

Clara watched him cross the crowd to Cho Chang. She naturally slipped her arm through his, and they were enveloped by the colorful lights and cheerful music on the dance floor.

She thought that if things could stay like this, it would probably be quite nice.

Harry finished talking with Ron, who went off somewhere. When Harry returned, he sat down beside her. Both holding pumpkin cake from the table, they looked at the same spot on the dance floor.

"Inviting you was a very wise decision," Harry said out of the blue. "I don't suppose anyone else would be willing to sit with me and watch the people we like dancing with someone else."

Clara did not know whether to laugh or cry.

After all, who would have thought the people they liked would end up together?

She turned to look at Harry. He was poking at the pumpkin cake on his plate with his fork, leaving it a dreadful, honeycombed mess. His gaze rested on the middle of the dance floor, where Cedric was holding Cho Chang's hand and spinning her around. Her moon-white skirt bloomed like petals, and the butterfly ornament in her hair glittered under the lights.

"So," Clara said, scooping up a bite of cake and pointing toward the dance floor, "Cho Chang. When did you start liking her?"

"At the Quidditch match in our third year." Harry shrugged. "No one could dislike her. She's really beautiful when she smiles. She was especially gentle even when she turned me down. She said, 'Harry, thank you. You're lovely, but I've already said yes to Diggory.' Merlin, I'd rather she'd said, 'Get lost, Potter.' At least then I'd have a reason to dislike her. What about you? When did you start liking Cedric?"

"In my first year." Clara tilted her head, as if recalling it.

"Wow... that really was a long time ago."

Harry was at a loss for words. He probably wanted to comfort her, but felt that any words of comfort would sound rather hollow, so he said nothing.

"Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Not telling him you liked him sooner. You might have had the advantage of being close to him."

"Me? I don't think I could have done it back then. I couldn't even say a word to him normally. I would stutter."

"I never would have guessed. You seem so natural talking to him."

"Maybe I've changed? Or rather, I had no choice but to change." Her last sentence carried a note of helplessness. Harry heard it, but did not press her.

"Honestly," Harry said, looking away from the dance floor and down at the unrecognizable pile of pumpkin cake on his plate, then at Clara's empty plate, "I kind of admire you. You can watch him dancing with someone else and still sit here eating cake. When I look at Cho dancing with Diggory, I feel like someone's put a toad in my stomach."

"That's awful. You shouldn't have taken pumpkin cake. You're wasting good food." Clara smiled and shook her head. "I thought I'd feel terrible seeing him with someone else. But now, seeing him smile so happily, I just feel grateful."

"The way you said that was really scary. It sounded like you were saying he almost wasn't here anymore," Harry remarked, looking at her seriously.

"Oh, sorry. I just meant that I'm content as long as I see him happy." Realizing she had almost let something slip, Clara hurried to cover it up. Fortunately, Harry did not seem to mind.

"So, what do you think?" Harry pulled his fork out of the remains of his pumpkin cake, still looking toward the dance floor. "Are Cho and Diggory really together?"

"I don't know. At least, there aren't any definite rumors in Hufflepuff yet." Clara picked up her Pumpkin Juice and took a sip. "But-" She paused, watching Cedric steal another glance at Cho Chang between turns. "I think he likes her."

"How can you tell?"

"The day she agreed to be his date, he was so happy he even said a few extra words to me. He looked ready to tell the whole world. As for Cho, I'm not sure, but at least she doesn't dislike him, right?"

"Then it looks like our chances are slim."

"Not necessarily. Just prop your pillow a little higher when you go to sleep tonight."

"Huh?"

"Have a nice dream."