"God, how could I do such a stupid thing?" Harry's body shook as he replayed the embarrassing scene in his mind.
It would have been better if no one else had seen it, but some Ravenclaw girls happened to be passing in the corridor, and Harry felt that word would soon get out and he would be ashamed of himself!
Ivan patted Harry on the shoulder in pity, and although Harry did not describe the scene explicitly, he could imagine what it must have been like - it must have been terribly awkward!
"Have you thought about who you're going to invite next?" Ivan asked. "The ball is in a few days!"
"I haven't decided yet… I can't ask every one of them in the corridor tomorrow, can I? I wonder who else hasn't been invited," Harry said in a muffled voice, thinking that if he ever had to go through something so embarrassing again, he would rush to the paddock and kill himself.
"There's one person who would never turn you down, Harry! If no one else has asked her," Yvonne said after a moment's thought.
"Who is it?" Harry asked quickly, as if clutching at straws.
"What do you think of Ginny?" Ivan asked with a smile.
"Ginny?" Harry hesitated, his face turning red as he stammered. "But she's… she's Ron's sister."
"What's the big deal? Ron's Ron, Ginny's Ginny, and what's Ginny got to do with you and Ron fighting? I thought you and Ginny had a nice chat last time." Yvonne was having trouble following Harry's train of thought.
"You know I don't mean that," said Harry helplessly.
He was friends with George and the others, and was treated kindly by Mr and Mrs Weasley, the Burrow was like a second home to him, and Ginny was like a sister to him — too close for comfort and awkward!
"Take all the time you need!" Yvonne rolled her eyes, thinking Harry was being melodramatic.
Ginny was pretty enough for a third-year girl, and she was his little fan. What was there to be awkward about?
Ivan didn't want to bother with Harry's hesitation, so he tidied up the bed and prepared to go to bed.
"By the way, Harry, Charlie told Ron about the dragon the day before the match."
Ivan's words interrupted Harry's train of thought, and he turned his head, at first confused as to what Ivan was talking about, but then remembering Ron's strange behaviour that night.
Harry hurried to find Ivan to confirm his suspicions, but Ivan had already closed his eyes and tucked himself in, though Harry was unsure if he was really asleep.
Harry did not want to disturb Ivan, so he sat alone on the edge of the bed and waited for Ron to return.
At eleven o'clock that night, just as Harry was about to fall asleep, the bedroom door was gently pulled open.
Ron came in.
He must not have expected Harry to be waiting for him in the room, for he stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.
The atmosphere in the dormitory became very strange, and Harry tried to break it several times, but the words would not come out smoothly.
Ron seemed to think that Harry would not talk to him, so he closed the door and went to his bed. As he was taking off his shoes, he heard a voice.
"The other night… you were going to tell us that the first race involved dragons?"
Harry's words were forced out of his mouth, and he found them even more difficult to say than when he had invited Cho Chang to the ball.
Ron stopped taking off his shoes, looked at Harry with an awkward expression, and finally replied in a low voice, "Uh huh."
Harry didn't quite hear, but he believed his own guess, and went on angrily, "And you still think I dropped my name in that broken cup?"
"I don't know," Ron whispered, turning his head away from Harry's face. "Maybe, maybe someone wants you dead…"
When he learned from Charlie that the first match was to be against a dragon, he came to his senses. Dumbledore was right; the Triwizard Tournament was only for the best of the graduates, and it would be suicide for Harry to take part in it.
Thus, after much debate that night, Ron decided to give them a heads-up, fearing that they would be injured or even killed in the first match.
However, to Ron's surprise, Ivan and Harry seemed to have known about the dragon and did not need to be told.
The match was also an easy one for both of them, with Harry getting the Golden egg unscathed on his broom and Ivan subduing the dragon.
Ron was overwhelmed by the cheers from the crowd, and when he remembered to go to the Warrior's Lounge to congratulate them, he saw that they were surrounded by people.
It was as if… he was redundant.
"Maybe? So you're still suspicious of me?" Harry, unaware of Ron's thoughts, was furious, unable to accept the ambiguity.
"Yes, it is! That's what I think, isn't it? You don't need friends like me anyway…" Ron exploded, unable to contain his anger.
Without taking off his shoes, Ron lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over his head.
… .
December, mid-winter
The weather was turning cold, but the atmosphere in the castle was becoming more and more restless. The air was filled with the sour smell of love, and every now and then one could see a couple walking together, while the rest of the crowd were actively discussing the Christmas ball.
George and Fred's new fee-paying business did not go down in flames after their first defeat. Instead, they received more orders and were well-received.
Harry thought about it all day and finally decided to invite Ginny, who happily agreed.
During lunch, Harry shared the good news with Ivan.
"I guess it's not so hard to invite a girl to a dance after all…" Harry said wistfully, relieved to have a partner.
"Of course, as long as you're proactive, you're never alone," Ivan said with a smile.
Harry nodded, then asked curiously, "What about you, Ivan, did Hermione accept your invitation?"
"Not yet. I didn't see her this morning, so I'll ask her after dinner," Ivan replied easily, not at all anxious, as he was sure Hermione would agree to the invitation.