CHAPTER EIGHT
THE YULE BALL
[08]

song: Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood

+++++++++++++++

Our quartet was studying by the black lake, when Viktor Krum passed by and was exercising.

A group of giggling schoolgirls trailed him.

As he passed by us he looked at me. Ron and Harry didn't catch that sly glance, but Hermione did.

+++++

When I was writing, or rather trying to write, part of my book, a person pulled out the chair across from mine and seated themselves down. It was Viktor Krum.

"Hello, Lin." his Bulgarian accent bleeding through.

"Hi." I said simply.

"So, I was wondering...." I put my muggle pen between the pages to bookmark and closed the journal. "....Would vou like to go to ze ball with me?"

I was taken by surprise at the question. But I admire this straightforwardness.

"Can I think about it?"

+++++

Ron was complaining to Harry, "This is mad. At this rate we'll be the only ones in our year without dates."

Snape walked around the room monitoring the students. He saw Ron whispering and shoved his head down to warn him.

"Well us and Neville." Ron said.

"But then again he can take himself." Harry joked and laughed.

"It might interest you to know that Neville's
already got someone." I defended.

Ron gasped in surprise when he looked to Hermione for confirmation and she nodded. "Well now I'm really depressed."

Fred hands Ron a note. Ron takes it and looks around the room to make sure Snape isn't looking before reading it. I lean towards him to read it too.

'GET A MOVE ON OR ALL THE GOOD ONES WILL HAVE GONE'

"Who are you going with then?" Ron whispers to Fred. I thank Ron in my head for asking so I didn't have to.

Fred crumbles up a piece if paper and throws it at Angelina Johnson. My heart drops in my chest.

When she turns around, he points to her then makes a dancing motion and points to himself. Angelina caught on, smiled and nodded.

Fred turns his head back to Ron and winks.

Hermione looks at me to see my reaction. I look back at her and shake my head slightly, mouthing 'he's not worth it.'

"Well Hermione, Lin, you're a girl." Ron says. I mentally and physically smack my forehead. Then I glare at him.

"Oh, well spotted." Hermione snaps back while Harry tries to tell Ron not to talk because Snape is coming.

"Come with one of us?" Snape is now behind us and smacks Ron's head and Harry's with a book.

"Come on. It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone. For a girl it's just sad." Ron says once Snape walks away. Oh, that's it.

"Well, believe it or not someone's asked me. And someone has asked Hermione." I angrily snapped. I got up from my seat and made a beeline to Snape. Hermione followed suit. I handed him my book and Hermione did the same.

When I hurried and walked back to them and grabbed my stuff. Not even bothering to speak to them anymore.

"And we said yes to them." Hermione growled to them while I stormed out of the great hall, Hermione following.

"Look. We've just got to grit our teeth and do it. Tonight when we get back to the common room, we'll both have partners. Agreed?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"Agreed."

Snape smacked them on the back of their heads again.

+++++

I went to my dorm with Hermione and we set our stuff down. I get up and go out the door. "Where are you going?" Hermione asks.

"I'm going to give Viktor my final answer."

I search the library to see if he's there. And sure enough, he's seated at a table with a few books surrounding him. No doubt he was researching information for the next task.

"Yes." I tell him bluntly.

He looks up at me and is confused. "Yes, vwhat?"

"Yes I'll go to the ball with you." He smiles at that and he tells me we'll meet in front of the great hall.

+++++

Ginny and another girl helped Ron get through the portrait hole.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked.

"He just asked Fleur Delacour to the ball." Ginny replied.

"What?" Hermione got out of her seat to kneel in front of Ron who was now being seated on the sofa.

"What did she say?" Harry questioned.

"She said no, of course." I said obviously. Ron shakes his head.

"She said yes?" Hermione gasped.

"Don't be silly." Harry told her.

"There she was walking by. You know I like it when they walk." Pervert. "I couldn't help it, it just sort of slipped out." Ron explained.

"Actually he sort of screamed at her, it was a bit frightening." Ginny told us.

"What did you do then?" Harry asked curiously.

"What else? I ran for it. I'm not cut out for this Harry. I don't know what got into me."

The Patil twins walked by us. "Hi Harry." they said in unison.

"Hi." He keeps looking at Ron with pity, not even knowing his opportunity literally walked past him.

"Harry!" I whisper to him and motion my head to talk in private.

"Yes?" he asked when we distanced ourselves from the group.

"Did you not see? You have the Patil twins wrapped around your finger! Ask them to go with you and Ron."

+++++

Hermione and I were currently in Hogsmede, looking for dresses to the Yule Ball.

As we enter the shop, a couple of girls are in there too, with the same mission as us: find a dress.

I start looking in one aisle and Hermione looks in another.

I find a beautiful periwinkle dress with layered tulle. "Hey 'Mione. This would look perfect on you. And Cedric will like it" I hold up the dress and wink at her suggestively.

"It's perfect."

A few minutes later Hermione speaks, "Hey Lin, this is something you'd love." I look up from the rack and see Hermione holding a dress with a black colored chest that fades to a cream color.

"That's the one."

+++++

"Do you wanna go first?" Hermione asks me.

"Why don't we go together?" I suggest. She nods and we walk down the large staircase together.

Eyes are immediately on us. No one from Hogwarts has ever seen us in a dress I suppose.

Hermione magicked my bun to be intact the whole night, and I did the same with her updo.

Viktor and Cedric were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs.

"You look very beautivul, milady." Viktor told me.

"Thank you, kind sir."

"Wow, Hermione." I heard Cedric stutter something else that I couldn't make out.

I saw Harry standing next to Padma and I waved at them. Harry waved back.

Now was time for the champions' dance, the first dance of the night. As I walked as the Durmstrang's champion's date into the great hall, people were whispering and crying? No doubt some disappointed fangirls. But most people clapped. I saw Fred on the sidelines with his date Angelina. I waved at them. The great hall looked like straight out of an ice castle.

(I was lazy to go into details so here.)

The music started and we waltzed and waltzed. Other people started to join in once Dumbledore and  McGonagall did.

Later on, The Weird Sisters were playing their music. People even lifted up Professor Flitwick and were moving him around on top of the crowd. I jumped up and down and danced as Viktor twirled me. I could see Hermione out of the corner of my eye dancing with Cedric.

I was having so much fun I didn't even notice Fred, Ron, and Harry weren't.

Viktor and I walked off the dance floor and he kissed my hand. I spun around from adrenaline and spotted them seated by a table. I walked to them. "Viktor's gone to go and get drinks. Would you guys care to join us?" I asked the boys.

"Oh don't even start with me." Ron warned. Harry just shrugged but I knew better than that shrug. Fred just glared at the floor.

"Well you should have asked Hermione before Cedric did." Then I turned to Harry. "And you should have asked Cho before Fleur did."

"Now what is your excuse?" I ask Fred.

"My date seems to enjoy my brother's company more." He gestures with his head to where Angelina and George are dancing.

"I'm sorry about that." I rub his shoulder lightly.

He glares at me. "I don't need your pity. And why are you fraternizing with the enemy?"

"'Fraternizing with the enemy'? He is not an enemy. The whole point of this tournament is international magical cooperation. To make friends."

"You shouldn't have gone with him."

"And who else would I have gone with? You?" I say quickly. "You never asked me! You asked Angelina Johnson."

I continued, "Well I'm so sorry you weren't quick enough to realize that I'm a girl." I angrily walked away to Viktor who had just came back with drinks.

"What vis vrong?" he asks me concerned.

"Nothing, just my friends are being daft is all."

+++++

"I think it's time to turn in." I told Viktor, while biting my bottom lip.

"You're right." He says and then leans in.

Our lips touch and I snake my arms up his broad shoulders and around his neck. His hands meet my waist and pull me closer. His lips are very soft and he tastes like pumpkin juice, which is what we just drank.

We pull away after a minute for breath. Not bad at all for my first kiss. "Good night Lin."

"Good night Viktor." He kisses my hand and walks away, leaving me in the great hall.

I see Hermione on the stairs crying, Ronald probably ruined her date. I start walking to her but someone gets in my way.

I sigh. "What do you want Fred?"

"He's using you—"

"He's using me?!" I snap at him. "How dare you make such an accusation! You don't even know him at all!"

"He's only using you for your smarts to help him win the tourna—" I cut him off right then and there by slapping his cheek with my right hand. His head turned and he cupped his cheek. Instantly a red handprint showed.

I walk past him, purposely bumping my shoulder against his and walk to Hermione.

"I'm sorry Lin." she says between sobs.

"No, don't worry about that dimbo, I've got it handled. Right now... what we need to handle is you." I let her cry on my shoulder as she tells me what happened.

+++++++++++++++

A/N: I don't exactly remember how Viktor Krum talks so bare with me here.

and that slap though 👋

How was the kiss scene? I've never actually kissed anyone so I only know from
fanfictions and books.

And tell me how I did on the drama! Was it enough or not enough??