Chapter 1
Its that time of the year again. The time of joy and cheer, presents and laughter. And, of course, who can forget the horrible stress of trying to find a date to the Yule Ball. Certainly not Harry Potter. Everyone knows his name, his story. But apparently fame really isn't everything. Even as the Yule Ball rapidly approaches, Harry cant find anyone willing to go with him. He doesn't really want to go with just anyone anyway, but when does he ever get what he wants?
He hasn't wanted just anyone since the summer after his first year.
No. The person he wants is fun, witty, fiercely protective of those he loves and strikingly beautiful. Completely out of his league and, not to mention, his best friends brother. If you haven't guessed already, the person he wants is George Weasley. But that's never going to happen, is it?
There is a week left until the Yule Ball and Harry is kinda freaking out. Even though he knows he cant have who he truly wants, that doesn't mean he wants to show up to the dance without a date. Ron was right when he said that would look utterly pathetic. Even more so now as everyone seems to have gotten themselves a date, even Hermione and Ron have their dates.
Everyone except Harry.
Not for a lack of trying, mind you.
He has asked a few people he knew he wouldn't have a horrible time going with; Luna Lovegood, Parvati Patil, even a few girls from Beauxbatons. They all have their dates already. There is one more person he has yet to ask though.
As it was every year around this time, the cold weather was relentless. In the castle it could be found that the Great Hall, House Dorms, and even Classrooms were outfitted with huge fireplaces set ablaze with beautiful orange flames to keep the students warm. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the many corridors of the castle. Which was why a certain boy who lived was currently running along one of the freezing corridors and across a long bridge to get to his next class, hopefully without losing a few of his fingers to frostbite.
He’s just rounded up the stairs to the doorway back into the castle. He looks down at his feet and stomps away the excess snow sticking to them, hoping to avoid a lecture from Filch about tracking snow through his halls. He starts ahead without looking up when he hears a gasp that has him stopping once again as he looks up to find none other than Cho Chang staring back at him.
Just the person he had been wanting to see.
Theres an awkward moment where Harry and Cho try to get past each other in the doorway. Harry goes one way as Cho does the same and that repeats until Cho grabs his elbows and turns them so that they trade positions. Harry is ready to ask if she'll accompany him to the ball but loses his nerve when she smiles and turns to leave so he does the same. He sighs. Then he hears her call his name. He turns to face her.
"Oh Harry? Watch yourself on the stairs, its a bit icy at the top." She says and turns to leave for real this time, and Harry almost lets her. But then he thinks about standing around at the ball watching everyone else dance with their dates because he couldnt get one, and that does him in.
"Cho?" Harry calls and she turns to look at him.
"Yes?" Cho called back as birds began to squawk loudly around them.
"Well I just wondered if you'd... I just wondered if maybe you wanted to go to the ball with me?" Harry asked, but the question was drowned out by the flapping of wings.
"Sorry? I didnt catch that." Cho said as the birds flew off.
"Um. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the ball with me." Harry said, finally.
"Oh. Um... Harry, I..." Oh no, here comes the gentle let down, Harry thought. "Im sorry, but someones already asked me... and well I've said I'll go w-with him." she said softly, bless her.
"Okay. Yeah. Great. Im happy for you." Harry said as he smile ruefully and turned away, and was once again called back.
"Harry? I really am s-sorry." She smiled one last time, a sad little thing, and turned to walk away.
Harry just stood there for a minute after she left, realizing what this meant for him. He had no one to go to the ball with. No date. He sat there wondering if he should just not go entirely, but eventually he decided against it. Professor McGonagall would have his hide if he didnt. As he was still Harry Potter and would definitely be missed if he didnt show. Making it all the more painful when he showed without a date.
He turned to leave and for the rest of the day he thought up different scenarios of him showing up without a date, each more painful than the last. That night he realized it was futile to stress over what was to come, so he accepted his fate.
The rest of the week passed in blur of anticipation and silent agony for Harry as people caught wind of the fact that The Harry Potter couldn't get a date for the ball.
It was the final day before the Yule Ball. Each house was at their table in the Great Hall having breakfast when all the owls came in with the mail. Ron's owl, Pig, dropped a package onto Ron's sausage but Ron didn't seem to care about this as he eagerly reached to open the package. What he found inside however was not something he was eager to keep. A ghastly pair of dress robes from his Mum.
Everyone in their little section of the table was sniggering at Ginny's reaction as Ron tried to pawn them off on her and the chance to take some attention from him was too good to resist. Harry reached over his breakfast to look in the box,
"Is there a bonnet in there as well? Aha." Harry reached in and pulled out a frilly, laced bonnet, holding it up to Ron as the whole table burst into fits of barely suppressed laughter.
It was nice having other people laugh when it wasn't at him, as bad as that might sound. He couldn't help himself, he dropped the bonnet and started laughing to himself. Forgetting all about his date-less situation, if only for just a moment.