"Just ask her out, Hela. " Her friend, Hermione Granger, said exasperated. Hela has been tiptoeing around asking Georgiana Weasley out on a date for five years now. Hela turned bright red as Hermione rolled her eyes. While yes, it would be much simpler for her to just walk up to Georgiana and ask her on a date, her anxiety refuses to let her do so. What if Georgiana rejects her? Ever since Georgiana had helped her carry her luggage onto the Hogwarts Express she had become infatuated with her. From watching her plan pranks with her twin brother, Fred, during her summer stays at the Burrow to watching her zoom around on her broom during Quidditch games. If Georgiana was nearby, she'd be the only thing Hela could see.
It was incredibly obvious to her friends that she was in love with Georgiana. At first Ron was awkward about it (because it was his sister) but eventually he came around. Though that was partially because Hela acted like a Nymph on sedatives anytime Georgiana was around. She was a fool with love.
Her crush was so obvious that even Fred himself had given her permission to date his twin sister and he had even told her "I'm sick of watching you dance around Georgiana, just ask her out already, to Hogsmeade, anywhere!"
"I wish it was that simple, Hermione, but I just can't. " Hela looked dejectedly towards the ground, her long ebony hair draped across her face like a curtain.
"She won't reject you, trust me, she loves you about as much as you love her. " Hermione reassured her, opening the doors to the Great Hall.
Stepping into the Great Hall was like stepping into a winter wonderland. Because Christmas was only a few weeks away, the entirety of Hogwarts looked as though someone had spray painted it white and added occasional specks of colour here and there. The Great Hall was no exception. Other than being blindingly white, the decorations were beautiful. There were twelve Christmas trees scattered throughout the Great Hall that were abnormally tall with spectacular ornaments. Some ornaments were shaped like a variety of witches on brooms that often flew around the room, while others were shaped like snowballs (which threw themselves at students) or cannons (which shot out small bursts of snow).
Hela didn't respond to Hermione, not really believing what she said. The only thing Hermione was ever terrible at was love, often not being able to tell a guy was into her until it was too late. Hermione's assumption might just be her thinking Georgiana was into Hela when in reality she just liked her as a friend or stared at her because she had something in or on her hair/face.
They walked in silence towards the long table situated in the middle of the Great Hall. Only fourty-eight students had chosen to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas (most of them being first years). Hela went and sat down next to Ron on his right side as Hermione sat down on his left.
"More students than usual. " Ron said with his mouth stuffed, which earned him a quiet lecture from Hermione to swallow his food before speaking. He swallowed his food before continuing, "Yeah, yeah, Hermione. Either way, there's normally only twenty or so students staying at Hogwarts during Christmas Break. More than forty has got to be a record. "
Hela helped herself to a plate of roasted potatoes and honey roasted parsnips before replying, "Definitely is. Maybe some parents believed me and kept their kids in Hogwarts, it's called the safest place in Britain, after all. "
"Glad at least some parents listened. " Ron said, his mouth full once more. Hela zoned out as Hermione lectured Ron once again about table etiquette. Her eyes drifted towards Georgiana, who was a couple seats down, without her fully comprehending what she was doing. She was deep into a conversation with Fred and Lee. Her shoulder length red hair was put into a small ponytail that draped slightly over her shoulder. Her dark brown eyes fluttered closed as she laughed at something Lee said. She was wearing a red Weasley Jumper with the letter F on it. Glancing towards Fred, she noticed that the twins had swapped jumpers once again as Fred's jumper read 'G'. They may not be identical but they still enjoyed swapping each other's clothes and pretending they were.
Hela was dragged out of her mind as Hermione called her name, "Hela!"
Hela jumped, "Yeah?"
"I was asking if you knew about the Japanese Christmas traditions. " Hermione asked while pouring herself more pumpkin juice.
"What about 'em?" Hela asked confused, why would Hermione be asking about that?
"Oh, you don't know! Well, the Japanese wixen consider Christmas to be a romantic holiday, more romantic than even Valentine's Day?" Hermione said with a knowing glint in her eye. Hela didn't like what Hermione was hinting at.
"Really? I didn't know that. " Hela said, obviously avoiding Hermione's gaze as she poured more gravy on her now mushed roasted potatoes.
"It's an interesting fact!" Hermione smiled brightly as she said this. "You know, if we were in Japan, this would be the perfect Holiday to ask Georgiana to a date during. "
"Well, last I checked we're not Japanese so Christmas isn't a romantic holiday to us British." Hela retorted. She knows exactly what Hermione's hinting at.
"If it isn't then why do mistletoes exist?" Hermione retorted back.
"Because British men were horny for a kiss? I don't know why they were created!" Hela said as her gaze unwillingly went towards Georgiana. Her thoughts were being forced to imagine her and Georgiana kissing under a mistletoe, holding each other gently as the charm keeping them in place fell.
"Hela!" Hermione shook her head as she made it clear that she disapproved of Helas choice of wording.
"Come on Hermione, it's just a singular word. It's not like she said--" Ron then began listing curse words, each more worse than the last, as Hermione tried to hush him with a horrified look on her face.
"Ron, we're prefects! You can't be saying those words aloud, especially in front of the first years!"
Hela zoned out once more and found her gaze drifting towards Georgiana again. Her eyes widened and she looked away rapidly as she felt her face turn bright pink. For the first time in five years, Georgiana had met her gaze. She glanced towards Georgiana quickly and noticed that she was no longer looking at her. Letting out a sigh of relief, she turned her attention back towards her food.
Multiple times throughout dinner she found herself staring at Georgiana without meaning to. She's sure that her face was cherry red for the entirety of dinner. By the time dinner was over and desserts were served, Hela found herself desperate to go back to the dorms and melt into her bed from embarrassment. She's never been caught staring at Georgiana by Georgiana herself before. And now all she wants to do is melt into a puddle and disappear.
Hela quickly got up from her seat and rushed towards the Great Halls doors, not waiting for Hermione or Ron to follow her, she left in a hurry. She had only been jogging for not even thirty seconds before she was forcibly stopped. A magical barrier had appeared. Annoyed she looked up and realized just what had stopped her.
A mistletoe.
A mistletoe was dangling from the roof close to the Great Halls doors. Her and Hermione had somehow avoided it earlier but it seems she wasn't so lucky this time. Dreading who was next to her, she slowly turned towards them. She froze as she spotted a red ponytail. Georgiana and her were stuck under a mistletoe together. Hela was stuck under a mistletoe with someone she was hopelessly in love with. Hela was going to spontaneously combust.
Georgiana glanced towards her and smiled. Hela felt her heart nearly explode with adoration and love as she realized that the smile was directed towards her.
"--stuck under a mistletoe together. " Hela shoved herself back into reality as she realized Georgiana was talking. She missed part of her sentence but understood what she was saying.
"Me and Hermione missed this mistletoe earlier, it must've been placed during dinner. " was that the right thing to say?
Georgiana nodded, "Must've been Fay Dunbar, she joined the feast late. "
Hela noticed people walking around them but ignored them, focusing all her attention on Georgiana.
"Well, you better prepare your smooching lips because there're only two ways to get out from under a mistletoe and I personally prefer the snogging option. " Hela turned beet red as Georgiana leaned forwards a tad. Georgiana, noticing her hesitation and deep blush, faltered in her movements. "You don't have to kiss me if you don't want to, you know. I won't force you to do so. Let me just-- " Georgiana pulled out her wand and pointed it towards the mistletoe, "Osculum irrumabo no!"
Hela found herself able to move her legs again but this time it wasn't magic stopping her from moving them.
"There's a spell that can get rid of a mistletoe's enchantment?" Hela asked stupidly. That's not what she had meant to say at all.
"Yup, me and Fred mess around a lot with mistletoes during Christmas time so we figured a spell that gets rid of them is probably something we should learn in case we ever end up being the victim of one of our own pranks involving these suckers. " Georgiana explained, tucking her wand back into her pocket. Georgiana had a look in her eyes Hela couldn't describe. Her face was as it normally was, happy and joking, but her eyes told a different story, one Hela couldn't read.
Just as Georgiana turned around, probably to go find Fred and Lee, Hela called out, "Wait!"
She felt her face turn red under Georgiana's confused gaze. "I- er, was wondering if you'd . . . liketogoonadatewithmetoHogsmeade. "
Georgiana took a couple seconds to decipher what she had just said but Hela knew she had understood when her face turned a red similar to her own.
"Oh, " for a concerning moment Hela thought that was all she was going to say before a smile inched its way across her face. "Holy Morgana, Hela, I never thought you'd ask. I honestly thought I'd have to do it myself instead of waiting for you to show me a sign you truly loved me and that it wasn't just me seeing things! Of course I'll go to Hogsmeade with you! "
If there was anytime Hela genuinely thought she was gonna spontaneously combust, it was right then and there. Thankfully she didn't. "You'll go with me?" She asked both unsure and hopefully.
"Definitely! I'd love to go with you. Where's our first date gonna be, love?"
Having Georgiana call her love was like a dream come true. "How's Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop sound?"
"Lovely, tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow. " This may have not been as romantic as she had dreamed it'd be (all her dreams involved actually kissing under the mistletoe), but Hela would argue that this was better.