Alice
After the game, November flew by. There were a few more Quidditch matches that I didn’t attend, but as we neared December, things got a little more interesting.
On November twenty-third, Professor McGonagall made an announcement during dinner, “There will be, on December 20, a Winter ball. All students are allowed to attend…” she was drowned out by an eruption of voices from every table.
“Hey, Vicky,” I heard Teddy say from next to me, “Do you want to go together?”
“If you really loved me, you’d already know the answer,” said Vicky.
Teddy laughed. Then he said, much quieter, “That’s a yes, right?”
“Of course it is, dipshit!”
Teddy leaned forward and kissed her. I looked at James expectantly, but he avoided my eyes.
...
“You know what would be really cool?” I said to Cynthia and Vicky, as we walked to the Great Hall for lunch, “If an owl came and dropped off a bunch of roses, only they weren’t roses, they were howlers, so they’re super loud, and that’s how someone was asked to the ball.”
“That’s…oddly specific.” Vicky laughed.
I shrugged, “I’m just saying it would be cool.”
“Have James asked you, yet, Alice?” Cynthia asked as we passed through the doors.
I groaned, “No! And if he doesn’t do it quickly…” I trailed off. If James didn’t ask me, then I would have to attend the ball alone. But it was only four days until the dance, and he didn’t even show any signs of interest in me or the ball. I slumped down in my seat at the Gryffindor table. A screech came from above, and made everybody look up.
“Don’t owls usually come during breakfast?” Cynthia muttered.
The owl, which was late by several hours, appeared to be holding flowers in its talons. How cute. I was not expecting it to drop the bouquet in front of me. They were origami roses, folded out of scarlet red paper, which had started to steam.
“Are those…” Vicky was staring down at the gift. The paper was unfolding itself.
We exchanged a look, “Howlers,” I said. I opened the envelope.
“Alice,” the howler bellowed in Teddy’s voice, “James is a bloody idiot! But would you like to accompany him to the ball?”
The room was silent. I looked over at James who was sitting next to me. He had his face buried in his hands out of embarrassment. I stood up, which made him look at me. I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. His lips were warm and soft. They parted slightly, allowing my tongue to slip inside. As we kissed, I didn’t care about how he knew about the “oddly specific” scenario I had talked about. I didn’t care about the other students’ over-the-top reactions. All I cared about was him.