Take that, Snape. Triumphantly, Ron Weasley downed a potion vial from the consumables section, not noticing the 'experimental' words written underneath the vial.
Cough!
Bloody hell! What is this? Alcohol? He coughed uncontrollably and returned to his seat before the Professor could come and scold him again. It wasn't his fault that he spent too much time trying to figure out the clue for Harry's second task.
"Have you finished the experiment, Mister Weasley?"
Ron straightened his back, "I have, Professor. It's within the range written in the books."
Blimey! I didn't stutter.
Ron felt utter confidence oozing from his being. For no reason, he began feeling like he could conquer the world if he wanted to. Defeat a dragon with his bare hands, even though he knew it'd be suicide.
"Then why are you still here?" Snape barked back in his usual disdainful tone.
"Have a good day, Professor." Ron quickly gathered his books and other materials before running out of the potions classroom. At last, his annoying extra class was over.
He felt energetic, excited, and confident even when he walked. But still, he worried about the Yule Ball that was approaching. Only three days were left now, and he still had no partner. He had already asked Fleur out and been rejected by her, failing spectacularly. Now, his options in Hogwarts were reduced as many girls disliked Fleur for charming so many boys.
Who's left now? Umm… Ugh, most of them have already accepted others. Dammit, why were we so late?
Furiously brainstorming, he soon arrived at the common room. Harry was there, sitting alone and brooding as usual. Of course, there was also the worry about the golden egg and finding the next clue.
"Any luck?" He asked.
Harry shrugged. "You?"
"Although I've seen Snape in Neville's grandma's robes, I didn't ask him out," Ron japed and sat beside his best friend. "Any luck with the clue?"
Harry dejectedly shook his head, finding double failure weighing on his heart more than anything else.
"I'm gonna try Hermione," Ron said suddenly, shocking his best friend. "Even got chocolates. I mean, I brainstormed on my way here, and surprisingly, I don't know why we haven't asked her yet. Anyway, wish me luck. I'm going to find her."
Harry shrugged as Ron left, leaving him silently sulking at Cho's rejection. Sadly, he couldn't share this sorrow with anyone, or didn't want to.
But he couldn't help but wonder why he felt there was something new about Ron.
He seems different for some reason. Did he—
"I'm back." Ron returned and threw himself on the couch.
"What happened?" Harry shot closer to him, fearing his best friend had found a partner, leaving him alone in misery.
Ron sighed and brushed his red hair with his fingers. They had grown quite a bit. "She took the chocolates and didn't reject me."
Harry's heart sank, "So she's your partner now?"
"No, she accepted Viktor Krum just before I got to her," Ron breathed out deeply and slumped on the couch. "We're done for, Harry—the only two boys with no girls."
####
The god of luck seemed to shine upon them at the last moment, and thankfully, the two lads found two partners who came in a package. The Patil twins were exquisite and exotic, to say the least, and nowhere lacking in visual beauty.
"Wish me luck, Harry," Ron muttered as he raised his wand towards his robes hanging in front of him by the bed.
It went without saying that the robes Molly had sent were more than repulsive and outdated. They looked and smelled rotten. But Ron remembered he was a wizard, and transfiguration existed. So, he attempted to turn the nasty clothing into something more proper—just an ordinary black suit with a coat.
"You seem a bit too excited, Ron."
Ron shrugged, smiling. He just loved being himself these days. "What's there not to be excited about?"
"We don't know how to dance."
"Who cares? There's going to be food and music there, and we even got ourselves partners. Everything is going just right. And dancing is easy; just throw your arms and step around without looking like a jester," Ron mumbled and swung his wand. "Ugh, if Hermione was here, she could have done this much more easily."
"Is she angry at you?"
"Angry? Why? I just gave her a flower this morning, and she let go of everything. I'm telling you, Harry. Dealing with girls is so easy," Ron again flicked his wand, and finally, his clothes began to change in color and shape; now black and sleek, fit for him with a small red pocket square that accentuated his hair color.
"Wicked!" Ron clapped and quickly donned clothes before checking himself out in the mirror. "Let's go, mate."
The two hastened through the corridors and reached the Great Hall, which was decorated with magic to give the appeal of an icy Christmas but without the cold. There were even fairies in the lawn area, actual living fairies.
"Hi, Harry," Parvati arrived with her sister.
"Hi, Ron. You look great in that suit," Padma complimented genuinely.
Ron smiled, scratching his head, "Thanks, you look fantastic. I can already tell it's gonna be a great night."
That shocked Padma to the point her eyes widened, which honestly made her seem prettier.
"I like that enthusiasm," she chirped.
Ron nodded and couldn't help but check her out at last since this was his date.
Not bad, he told himself. Her shining dark hair was tied into a beautiful French twist, her marshmallow brown skin looked so soft, and her full lips were just perfect. Below, he noticed her curvy body draped in an amazing modern saree wear, tightly clenching her perky breasts covered in the tight blouse.
Padma noticed his gaze going from her top to bottom. In other circumstances, she'd have been creeped out, but right now, she couldn't deny the attention made her happy.
"There you are, Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall appeared just then and dragged the champion away.
With that, Ron and Padma ushered into the hall and stood near the edge of the dancing floor. They didn't have to wait too long either as the giant gates opened and the welcoming music echoed. In neat order, the four champions walked in with their partners.
"Is that… Hermione and Viktor Krum?"
"Correct!" Ron said, jumping suddenly and whistling so loud that the sound echoed in the Great Hall. "Slay them, Hermione! Beat them all by dancing the longest! My money's on you!"
"Taking bets?" Right away, George and Fred appeared at the scent of the money. "My money's on Fleur."
"Mine on Cedric."
"Viktor is strong. Mine is on him." A Durmstrang boy joined.
"Hmph! Nothing can stand before Fleur's charm. You think that boy has control over his mind?" A Beauxbatons girl chipped in her money.
Ron had only said it as a figure of speech, but he soon found a bucket full of coins. It wasn't his goal, but he didn't reject it either.
Amidst laughs and giggles, the dance began. Hermione didn't take his words badly either and rather silently thanked him for slaying away her nervousness. As for the dance, she sure didn't like losing bets.
"Get ready," he suddenly said and grabbed Padma's hand, not really in the right mind to realize how bold and confident he was appearing. "The moment the Professors join, we'll enter too."
"You know how to dance?" She asked.
"No—let's go."
Ron pulled clueless Padma to the dancefloor first among all the students. His hand held onto her waist tight, her body almost touching his, with the other hand clasped together on the side. Their movements were clumsy, but they both smiled and just enjoyed the moment.
Steps forward, backward, sideways, and lifting her up by the waist. Padma's beautiful, long black hair got untied somewhere in the middle, embarrassing her. But Ron didn't care and smoothly caressed her hair back behind her ear while continuing to dance. Not a single step he took showed doubt. Not a single action he made showed clumsiness.
Padma soon lost herself in the moment and simply moved like a wave. Wherever Ron took her, she followed his steps. His hand on her waist felt a little tight, almost clenching her silky flesh, but she didn't mind as their gazes remained locked.
"Thank you," she muttered abruptly. "I came fully prepared to see my night ruined—this is beyond fun."
Ron agreed as he remembered his mindset from a few days ago. But now, all this energy and positivity had left him confused. "Glad I could make it fun, Padma. Hey, come with me. I can't let Hermione and Krum stop."
"Hehe… Are we going to do a dance-off with them?"
"Brilliant idea!"
"..."
The pretty Indian witch was left speechless as Ron stopped near Krum and Hermione.
"Let's see who lasts longer. If you lose, I keep your broom. If I lose—well, I'll give you the famous Harry Potter's broom," Rom proposed to Krum.
"What?!" Harry exclaimed from a distance but was ignored.
"Let's do it," Krum agreed right away.
And with that, the night went wilder, more and more. Hermione soon began panting as her heels weren't that comfortable. Meanwhile, Padma didn't have such uncomfortable heels, but even she began to pant.
"Lean on me. I'll carry you. They won't last too long," Ron said, pulling Padma closer by her waist, sensing the warmth of her skin even from over her dress. "Just relax."
Blushing and tired, she did so and saw as Ron moved her with his rhythm so easily. It felt strange as if this was a different person altogether. There was still that old naivety but with more grace.
Others became tired, but they never stopped.
Clack!
"And I win!" Ron decreed as soon as Hermione's heels broke apart.
Krum sighed and approached Ron, hand extended, "You won—the broom is yours."
This wasn't a small thing. It was the broom that Krum used in the World Cup, after all. But Ron accepted it since it was won with a lot of hard work and sweat.
"I'll be back. Too tired right now," Hermione gasped for breath, smiling ear to ear as she truly enjoyed the evening.
But Harry was still not that happy and even felt alone now. He and Parvati had stopped dancing already and had taken their seats. Then, right in front of his eyes, even Parvati was taken by someone, leaving him alone.
Where is he looking at? Ron wondered and followed Harry's line of sight. Cho? He likes Ch—Ah! It all makes sense now.
"Padma, give me a moment. I'll go and pull Harry back here," he told her and stopped, giving Padma a moment to breathe.
Harry watched everyone dance in a daze, not even realizing when his friend came and shook him violently.
"Harry! Come with me. I'll help fulfill your dream tonight," Ron didn't listen to Harry's resistance and dragged him with much effort all the way to the dance floor. "Padma, dance with Harry for a minute. I'll fix him a partner quickly."
The partner he wants.
Throwing his arms around gently, Ron speared through the crowd and slowly moved closer to Cho Chang, the stunning Asian beauty in her white clothes that were a fusion of tradition and modernity. Cedric had stopped dancing, and both were dancing with others from Raveclaw's house.
Where is this mental confidence coming from? He didn't have the answer himself.
"Hi, Ms. Chang. May I have a dance?" He extended his hands toward her, and she didn't reject him either, too lost in the moment, thinking it was normal.
"Of course," Cho smiled beautifully, allowing Ron to place his palm softly on her waist.
Both of them began swinging around, and Ron smoothly pulled her closer to Harry and Padma. Ever so slowly, using his little experience with Padma on Cho, he turned her around, picked her by the thin waist, and finally reached the destination.
"Ah, found you again, my partner!" Ron acted shocked and pushed Cho towards Harry while taking Padma back with himself, embracing her tight with his body as if they had never separated, the distance between their faces being merely a few centimeters away.
"That was so sweet of you," Padma raised both hands and placed them on his shoulder, allowing him to pull her deeper into his body. He was pretty taller than her, so his crotch pressed against her belly, and no doubt, he had an erection. Anybody would in that situation.
He chuckled and slowly danced with her, "You look out for those you care about, don't you? But I hope Parvati won't mind this."
Padma chuckled, dreamily looking at Ron's face, questioning her own sanity as she surprisingly found him charming that evening. "She won't, don't worry. But she'll definitely be jealous of me."
She's flirting? This was the first for Ron. He had never had a girl acting this way towards him before.
Bam!
Dan-dan-dan!
Ugh! Damn you all, Hogwarts! Ron cursed internally when the live band performance suddenly began for no reason. All the girls and boys stopped dancing intimately and turned into crazed hounds, jumping and dancing like fools. Even Harry enjoyed it since Cho never left his side. But Ron felt like he had lost the opportunity.
"Ehm…" Padma coughed and kept staring at his face. "Wanna get out of here? I don't like loud music."