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In the middle of Scotland stood a humongous castle, inhabited by magic users known as witches and wizards. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was home to many special events, and this year a once forgotten tournament was reinstated. Bringing with it a certain event that caught the attention of the many students within Hogwarts.
"Does he have a friend I can go with?"
"He just went up to me and asked me to go with him to the Yule Ball!"
"Know any good places for dress robes?"
The chit chatter of the Slytherin Common Room had stayed unchanging, always revolving on the upcoming Yule Ball.
An unwelcome reminder to one Slytherin in particular.
"God, can they just shut up and talk about anything else?!"
Daphne Greengrass remained stoic as she listened to her best friend's outburst. A one Tracey Davis, as they both sat at the corner of the room.
"Whatever for? The Yule Ball is an occasion any teenager would be excited about." Daphne said, causing her auburn-haired friend to glare at her.
Her words were filled with venom as she reminded her aloof friend of her woes, "Because if I have to watch one more girl gushing about how they got asked to the ball and how their date is so dreamy, or one more guy bragging about his date, then I will kill everybody here."
Her threat didn't faze Daphne - she was sure not even the end of the world would make Daphne blink - and she only looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "You're normally not this irate about such things. Has not getting a date for the Yule Ball really affected you so badly?"
"Wha- Of course not!" Tracey bumbled out, sputtering as she unloaded words to try and defend herself "It's just grating how everyone seems so hell bent on staking their lives on just getting a date for one night. A bunch of morons just putting so much meaning on a useless dance for a tournament that's all bogus anyway."
Silence then descended on them, broken by Daphne as she asked in a hush tone, "You're much more hostile. Would you like to vent your frustrations?"
Tracey drummed her fingers on the table, before shaking her head and getting up, stretching her limbs gingerly, tightening the scarf around her neck "Nah, I'll be alright. I'm just gonna go on a walk to clear my mind. Don't stay up for me."
She didn't look back as she exited the common room, her frown deepening as she passed the boys and girls, still babbling on about their dates.
The hallways were silent, a blessing she was grateful for. She tried her best to take the routes that contained no students, wanting to mull over in the dead quiet. The Yule Ball had always been on her mind; her father having the insider information of the Triwizard Tournament way beforehand, and subsequently, the Yule Ball. She had been pining for the day that a boy would ask her, perhaps a cute or boyish looking one, and have a fantastic night; dancing, eating, chatting with one another. An ideal scenario for young women such as herself. Alas, not a single actual invitation to the ball had been given to her.
Oh, there were definitely some boys who had come onto her. But they all were either rebounds, rejected by Daphne, the stoic ice queen of Hogwarts, or boys who only wanted to get on her good side to get to Daphne, or lechers that made her feel nauseated that she had to make a conscious effort not to gag in front of them. It was all obvious and their desires were on their faces. It disgusted her and she wanted no part of any of the male populace of the school.
But she still dreamed, and so she hoped that maybe someone would ask her out for the Yule Ball…
"I'm sorry, Harry."
The nearing footsteps had Tracey strangely alarmed and she hid behind one of the hollow armour stands littered on the side of the hallway. She waited and saw the retreating back of a Ravenclaw student, judging by the blue trim on her robes. Her curiosity piqued and she tried to sneak a peak to where they left.
A lone Harry Potter stood alone, seemingly in a depressed mood.
She put one and one together and winced for the poor boy. Although the mere idea of the Boy-who-lived, and controversial fourth participant of the Triwizard Tournament, getting rejected by anyone was a strange idea, the girl must have already had a date…
' Welp, better luck next time. ' She thought encouragingly to the lad and attempted to make her way out.
Until her scarf caught on to a bolt on the armour and brought it crashing down.
Unsurprisingly, the big crash caught the attention of the Gryffindor golden boy, "Who's there?"
Tracey grimaced; trust her luck to plummet down in times like these. She took a deep breath before revealing herself to him, putting her hands up to appear non-threatening, "Um, hey."
Her lame greeting had Harry at a loss, before he noticed the green scarf around her neck, an accusatory stare was sent her way "You're a Slytherin. What, does Malfoy has some sort of plan or something?"
"Huh? No! I've got nothing to do with that brain-dead moron." Tracey said, the insinuated idea that she would be involved with that blonde dunce making her mentally gag, "I was just passing through, then my scarf got caught on the armor. I'll just fix this up and I'll be out of here."
A few moments passed by, his stare unwavering, before he tiredly let out a sigh, "Let me help you out then."
"Oh, ah, thanks." She said bashfully, before picking up one of the stray pieces of armour on the floor.
Minutes pass by as they both worked together on piecing together the armour. A companionable tranquillity arose as they silently did their task. And after a while, the armour stood once more, completely intact.
"There, should stay on for a while. And if it falls down, Filch can work on fixing it." Harry's mouth quirked up at Tracey's comment, before he stood up and patted the dust away from his clothes.
"Well, I guess he has his hands full once he sees the mess we made on this one. Best we scurry away for now." She nodded in agreement, but then she remembered the scene she had witnessed and she couldn't help but let her curiosity win over.
"So… I'm guessing the girl from earlier is; well, was going to be your date?"
A slight frown made his way to his face before he once again put up a guarded attitude, "What about it?"
Tracey wanted to slap herself and her mouth, "Sorry, I don't mean any malice. I was just curious."
"Regardless, I don't know why it should matter to you." The rude tone he had adopted made Tracey annoyed.
"News flash, you're not the only one dealing with not having a date for the Yule Ball, Potter. So don't even try to have that attitude with me." Harry's eyebrows furrowed, and Tracey realised what she had just said and wanted to punch herself even more now.
"Forget what I just said. I need to go now." Tracey tried to retreat but Harry was one step ahead of her and he took a step to block her path.
"So you don't have a date either, huh?" Tracey blushed and tried to get past him but he kept blocking her path.
"So what? It's not like I need to go the stupid ball and spend my valuable time just to probably get my feet stepped on and left by my date." Tracey huffed in annoyance as he kept shadowing her steps and keeping her from getting away.
"But what if I asked you?"
She stopped in her tracks.
"Wait, what?"
Harry took a step back and scratched at his cheek, shyly looking anywhere but at her, "I said… What if I asked you to come with me?"
"Uh- Bu- I'm a Slytherin." She tried to argue but Harry just swatted away at her attempt.
"And you've remained civil with me. And you've shown you're not one of Malfoy's cronies. If you let me be your partner for the ball then I promise to not step on your feet or leave you for anyone."
A big blush began to crept up her neck, this was what she wanted! But there was only one caveat…
"If I go with you, then I'd probably have the spotlight on me, right?"
Harry looked down in defeat and quietly said, "Yeah… I guess it'd be asking too much of you. Guess I should probably ask someone else. Sorry for taking your time, I appreciate that at least someone in Slytherin can have a normal interaction with me."
She started to panic; no way in hell would she let this opportunity slip by! And so she grabbed his sleeves and held onto it tightly, surprising him.
"I'll go to the Yule Ball with you!"
He had a dazed expression on his face at her bold exclamation, before he broke into a genuine smile, "So, I guess I can expect you to be at my side at the opening dance?"
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, "Uh… Yeah, totally."
"Brilliant! Then I guess I'll see you there…" Harry trailed off, before he slapped his forehead, "God, how rude of me, I don't even know your name."
She hid a smile behind her hand before she informed him, "My name's Tracey, Tracey Davis."
Harry's smile didn't dim as he chuckled at his faux pas, "Then I'll see you there, Tracey."
He left with a wave and a smile and she relished in the euphoria she had felt. This feeling didn't waver or stop as she wandered back to the Slytherin Common Room. And as she entered, she was met with an almost empty common room, with one inhabitant occupying the couch in front of the fireplace.
"Oi, I thought I told you to not stay up for me, you little rascal." She happily sat next to Daphne. The book in her hand was getting all her attention as she didn't give a glance to her oddly energetic friend.
"I presume you finally have a date?" Daphne bluntly asked immediately.
"Yep! And you wouldn't guess who it is!"
"Would it help if I said I don't care?"
"It's Harry Potter!"
"Of course it wouldn't."
Tracey let out a giggle as she happily recounted what had transpired earlier. Daphne sat in silence, not giving any indication that she was listening, as Tracey leaned on her shoulder.
"-And after I said I would go with him, he had a cute smile and waved at me before he left. It was amazing, Daphne!"
With a shut of her book, Daphne stood up and let Tracey fall down with a small puff!
"You know, I think I understand your point earlier about finding people gushing about their date annoying."
With that she left her pouting friend on the couch, entering her room to read in peace.
"Hmph, she's just jealous."
With that she turned to look at the ceiling, a dreamy smile on her face. She was going to make this ball the best moment of her life!
The next day found Tracey waiting patiently at the Great Hall for her friend at breakfast time. Normally, she would have gone together with her but ever since the Yule Ball was announced…
"Go out with me Daphne!"
"No thank you."
Every male was asking Daphne to the Yule Ball every day. Not a single moment went by when she would be hounded by several men and she would have to break their heart with a cold rejection. Some took it to heart and left her be after one rejection, others were either too egotistical or too idiotic to get the hint and kept asking her.
' Or sometimes both, speak of the devil .' She thought sadistically as he noticed Draco Malfoy once again walking towards Daphne with a braggadocious strut.
"Good day, Greengrass. Today, I once again bestow upon you the honour of going to the Yule Ba-"
Daphne walked by him, slowing down a tad to whisper something as she passed him by. And judging by the pasty white complexion he had, it was something brutal.
She scooted to her right to make space for Daphne, and as she sat she leaned in and whispered, "So, what'd you say this time?"
"Just a small warning; that the next time he asked me that the Malfoy Bloodline would end with him, via a spell on his Malfoy jewels."
An evil giggle emitted out of Tracey as she watched Draco take a seat noticeably further away from where they sat. Then her eyes swerved to one spot, the spot where one bespectacled boy spoke with his ginger-haired friend, along with the female bookworm that always stayed by his side. Feeling the stare, Harry took a moment to see where it was coming from, before locking eyes with Tracey.
He gave a smile and a wink.
"Hng!"
Tracey clutched at her chest and looked down at the response, trying her best not to scream out loud.
"How odd. I don't think cardiac arrest is normal for those of our age."
A male voice let out and sat down in front of Tracey, blocking her view from Harry.
"Urg, I'm both thankful and fuming that you decided to sit in front of me, Blaise."
A smirk came out of the italian-blooded boy and he rested his chin on his gloved hand, "My, my. Has someone finally caught your heart?"
She coughed and hid her blush with her hand, imitating his pose, "As a matter of fact, I now have a date for the ball."
"Haha, congratulations. Now, who's the poor sod that caught your eye?"
She sent a death glare at him and he smiled in retaliation. Daphne remained silent as she ate her breakfast.
"If you must know, it's actually one of the Triwizard Tournament participants." She coyly answered his inquiry with a self-assured smile.
"Hmm, well let's whittle it down, shall we?" He took his hand and put up four fingers.
"Now, I don't believe it's Cedric Diggory, since it's pretty obvious that he's been going out with the Ravenclaw seeker for months now. Cho I believe her name was?" He put down his pinkie.
"Next, we have Viktor Krum. As for him, well he's been seen in the library majority of the time and if there's one place where you're never in, it's definitely the library." He put down his ring finger, enjoying the annoyed look that she gave him at his little barb.
"After that, we have Fleur Delacour; now this is just wishful thinking, but I'm hoping in my heart of hearts it's her?" He took a second to cheekily look at her with hope in his eyes, which Tracey reciprocated with getting the knife from beside her plate and twirling it in front of him, a small, angry glint in her eyes.
Unperturbed, he continued on, "Ah well, a man can dream. So if it's not her that leaves… well well well, a snake with a lion. How blasphemous."
Tracey rolled her eyes and gave a small snort filled with contempt, "Blasphemous to Draco, maybe. But he asked me to go to the ball with him, and Gryffindor or not, a good guy is still a good guy."
"Hm, understandable. So, does this mean you'll be joining Daphne and I on our daily dance practice? You don't want to end up making your date bleed from his feet now, do you?"
Tracey pondered over the idea; perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take a few lessons, if only so that she didn't make a complete embarrassment of herself. Making up her mind, she started to speak up…
"I don't think that's a good idea."
The both of them looked to Daphne at her sudden statement.
"Huh, why not?" Tracey asked, giving a glance to Blaise. A shrug of his shoulders told her that he too knew nothing.
"Because I would like to have my date's feet to be fully functional when we get to the dance floor."
Blaise let out a laugh as Tracey pouted at the clear insult to her dancing ability, "Come on Daph. I'm sure she's not that bad."
"Oh, Merlin. She is that bad!"
The trio found themselves in an abandoned classroom, make-shifted as their dance practice room as the chairs were put aside to the walls. There in the centre lay Blaise, clutching at his feet as he wailed out in pain. Tracey fought the red seeping onto her cheeks as she glowered in contempt at her feet, as if they were the ones who had caused her to step on his feet every single step of the dance.
"See, what did I tell you? Now I might have to actually consider some of the men asking me out if Blaise's feet are irreparably damaged." Daphne said, a hint of actual emotion seeping out as she sighed in annoyance.
Tracey stayed quiet, still glowering at the indignity of it all.
"Hello? Is everything alright in there?"
They all jumped as an unknown voice emanated from the door to the classroom. Daphne made a move to inspect the owner of the voice as she opened the door; to the face of the fourth participant of the Triwizard Tournament standing there.
"Oh, Hi. I heard someone crying out in pain in here, is everything… er… good?" He asked, unnerved at the expressionless face of the Ice Queen.
"Yes, everything is fine. You see…" Daphne trailed off, as in the corner of her eye she saw Tracey send her a pleading look.
Now, normally Daphne would have not been merciful and would have put Tracey on the spot, but she did need a favour or two to get something done about her dress and makeup. And if she made Tracey owe her by helping her out…
The pause she took was long enough for Harry to look inside and see Blaise still writhing in pain, albeit silently this time at his appearance. Before he could do anything however, Daphne spoke up, "Ah yes, he and I have been practicing for the Yule Ball, you see. And well, I haven't always been the best at dancing, and so this is the outcome."
Giving a nod of understanding, Harry gave a small hum, "Oh, alright. Then I guess I'll leave you two to it then."
Daphne had started to close the door, but suddenly, Harry stopped it with his feet.
"Sorry, but quick question. You're a Slytherin, right?"
At Daphne's nod, he asked another question, this time bashfully scratching the back of his head.
"Do you happen to know Tracey? Tracey Davis."
Peeking at the corner of her eye, she saw Tracey covering her face, no doubt redder than the ripest tomato.
"Yes, we are acquainted. Why do you ask?" Daphne inquired, tilting her head to one side.
"One of my friends reminded me that my date might probably want to coordinate our clothes. Do you know what colour her dress is?"
Taking a look once more towards the hidden girl, Daphne watched as Tracey exaggeratedly mouthing the word "Maroon" to her out of the corner of her eye.
"Maroon. Perhaps you should consider wearing a darker shade to compliment her outfit that night."
Harry nodded gratefully, "Well, I won't waste any much of your time. Thanks."
As the door closed, Tracey waited a few moments for him to be out of earshot before releasing a huge breath out from her lungs. Daphne had coughed to gain her attention and looked at her with a small glint in her eyes, the corners of her mouth moving up a millimetre.
"Looks like you owe me for this one."
Tracey gulped, though the sound was inaudible as Blaise had increased his wails once Harry left.
Considering what Daphne had asked of her everytime she owed her something, Tracey was glad it was something so mundane.
She had already planned to go to Hogsmeade and look for a dress to wear at the Yule Ball, so taking Daphne with her was no trouble, and asking Pansy, the resident make-up girl, to do Daphne's as well wasn't too hard of an ask.
It was certainly easier than the other things the listless girl had asked from her. Including, but not limited to: Finishing seven essays in one night, getting food from the kitchens after curfew, and helping her gain immunity from the Imperius by casting it on her until she could fight it off.
Granted, she could have just not done any of the things she asked for, but she wasn't going to be indebted to anybody, and her damn morals had her do anything to make anything even to anyone.
And so it was in an eclectic shop that offered a variety of formal clothing in Hogsmeade that Tracey and Daphne skimmed through dresses to find the perfect one for the ball.
"Hmm, how about this?" Tracey grabbed one out of the hanger and showed it to Daphne.
"Too gaudy. Perfect for you, the spotlight will reflect those diamond pearls perfectly."
Tracey glared daggers at her and hung the dress back, "Don't remind me. I'm already dreading the blond ponce's constant jabs at me when news breaks out that I'm Harry's date."
Daphne gave her a cool look, "Now that you mention it, shouldn't you be with him yourself? It'd be easier for you two to look for matching clothes when you're together."
"Are you crazy?! I can barely look at him without my heart going into overdrive, I'll be a stuttering mess." Tracey said without shame, which caused Daphne to roll her eyes. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
"Fine, then I might as well help you once again."
Without saying another word, Daphne paced outside the store. Tracey, not expecting her sudden exit, rushed to follow her; and when she followed her aloof friend outside, she stood stock still.
"Ha- Harry!?"
Green eyes met brown, and she made an effort to not gulp nervously as Harry turned his head towards her, "Tracey?"
She frantically tried to find where Daphne went, to no avail, "Um, have you seen my friend? Daphne Greengrass, blonde hair? Dead eyes?"
Harry brows furrowed in confusion at the descriptives she used but answered her, "Er, I think I saw someone rushing past me earlier. I'm not sure if it was her, but she was dragging another guy along."
Fuming at Daphne and Blaise for bailing her, she was quickly making a plan to take revenge on both of them. Harry cautiously took a step back at the aura Tracey was emitting - it felt similar to Hermione's when he hadn't started on his essays - and spoke to change the subject.
"Er… So, I'm guessing you and your friend were looking for dresses for the ball?"
Taking her mind off her vengeance for the meantime, Tracey nodded, trying her best to remain eye contact, "Oh, yeah. We took a look inside, but there wasn't much of a selection in there."
Eyeing the store's entrance, Harry nodded, "I see. Well, if you don't mind, you can go with me. I know a place that sells some formal clothing custom made."
Tracey's heart jumped in joy at the opportunity and she took it like a shark eating up a school of fish, "Yes, I'd love to go with you!"
A few moments passed before she bloomed into a bright red at her own excitement. Fortunately, Harry took it in stride and smiled, "Come on, it's down this way."
Harry leads with Tracey following a few steps behind him, still embarrassed at her overreaction. The path they took led them past the Hog's Head and a few metres before they stood in front of an unassuming building, dark and dreary with a menacing air around it. A simple sign was put up, giving the name of the store that Harry had led them to.
"The Spider's Web?" Tracey read out the words in the sign and took another look at the facade. Harry also had an expression that gave away his own misgivings. But true to his Gryffindor colours, he took a step and stepped inside, leaving the door open and waiting for Tracey to enter as well. As she entered, the door closed with the tinkle of a bell announcing their arrival, and which gave the owner the signal to appear.
"Welcome to the Spider's Web." A female voice whispered out, still oddly audible as the wind seemed to carry her words to their ears, "How may I be of service?"
Harry closed the distance between them and took out a letter and handed it to the owner, "Hello, I was told to give this letter for some handmade clothes."
The mysterious lady, her face hidden by a shawl, took the letter and seemed to caress the letter as she read it, "Ah, the old mutt has finally returned. I presume you and your date would like something for the ball at Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded and hid a smile at her jab at Sirius, "Yes, and we'd like it if we could have a say in the fabric used."
"Of course, come this way." The lady stood up and turned and walked - no, to their eyes it almost looked like she glided - towards the back of the store, not waiting to see if the both of them would follow. Tracey neared and inched closer to Harry, partly because she was a bit freaked out of the place and the lady's demeanour; and another, arguably bigger part of her, removed the distance between them for her own benefit. They both entered the back and once there, they were met with shelves upon shelves, full of materials and fabric.
"Please, choose what material you would like your clothes to be made out of."
Gesturing towards the shelves, Harry looked at Tracey and gave a nervous chuckle, "Er… I don't suppose you know what to pick? I'm not really someone with an eye for this kind of stuff."
Tracey took a look at the assortment of materials, and one pile of fabric jumped out to her, "What is that one made out of?"
"Ah, quite a choice; this is made out of Acromantula Silk." The owner said, taking the small square piece of fabric and letting the teenagers feel it for themselves. The fabric weighed virtually nothing and felt amazingly soft.
"This is good, can we use this?" Tracey's question was met with a nod from the mysterious woman.
"Yes, it is possible." She affirmed softly, but added with a disappointing sigh, "Unfortunately, I only have enough material to make only one outfit, and it will be months before I can get my stock replenished for another one."
Sporting a frown, Tracey gave back the fabric and was already trying to look for another material. But Harry uttered out an inquiry to the owner, "What if I gave you enough Acromantula Silk to make the other outfit?"
The lady tilted her head to the side, answering his question with one of her own "You have a way to procure the silk?"
Harry gave a knowing nod, "I reckon I'd be able to get some and give it to you."
Taken aback by his confidence, she nodded and gave a straight answer, "Then yes, I'll be able to make both of your outfits and have it owled to you in time for the ball."
"Perfect, I'll keep in touch with you and mail you the extra silk. So we'd like to get both outfits made of the Acromantula Silk."
The seamstress nodded and took the sample material out of his hand, "Very well. As this is for an old friend, I'll make him pay for the price instead. Please come here and let me measure you both."
She gestured towards a platform, and when he stepped onto it first to be measured, floating pieces of materials circled around him; cloth constricting around his body and little pins making it stay into place, measuring tape zooming in and out, never staying at one place for too long. After Harry, Tracey was next, and she too endured the measuring process for her dress. The seamstress mumbled out to a Dicta-Quill floating next to her, writing down every word that came out of her mouth. It wasn't long before she finished measuring Tracey as well and let her down from the platform. Once again, Destiny had taken a moment to turn her klutz up to eleven, and she slipped and fell forward down to the hard, dirty floor.
That was until Harry swiftly swerved in and caught her mid-fall, his seeker instincts aiding him in catching the redhead and latching onto her to help her balance herself. Tracey mumbled out a thanks, trying to look as dignified as possible after her slight tumble down the platform, looking anywhere but at Harry, lest her red cheeks become even more prominent and obvious to the Gryffindor lad.
"Hmhm, that's all I need from you two for now. I'll keep you updated as to my progress. And send the Acromantula Silk as soon as possible, so that I can work on stretching it to your sizes." The seamstress said, her attention not even on the two pairs' antics. Harry nodded and both of them thanked the seamstress as they exited the boutique. Once again finding themselves outside in the harsh cold.
"Sooo… You doing anything else?" Tracey asked, turning to and fro in her spot, trying her best not to scream out of embarrassment as they stood outside together.
"Not particularly, I told Ron and Hermione that I'd be off to get my clothes by myself…" He trailed, face red as he admitted quietly, "And maybe get the chance to see you if luck were on my side."
It was a miracle that Tracey still had the strength to stand after what he had said.
"The- then would you like to maybe hang out for a while?" Tracey managed to say without bursting into flames.
Harry smiled and nodded, "Sure, I'd love to."
Everything was a daze after that. Tracey didn't much remember what she and Harry had done afterwards. All she knew was that he and her were together, having what some might call a date. And that he was really cute and his smile wormed its way into the crevices of her mind, never to disappear.
Not that she minded, of course.
At the end of it all, they had separated after at the gates and she swore she had been flying all the way to her dorm, shared by her best friend. As she entered, she wasn't fazed to see Daphne waiting for her, sitting up on her bed, just like that one horror movie her and her mom went to. She didn't really remember the title, but the contents of it were etched into her mind.
She couldn't eat soup that was green for a month after that.
"How was your date with Harry?" Daphne asked as soon as she took notice of her.
"It wasn't a date!" Tracey refuted immediately, before adopting a much happier tone, "But hanging out with him was great."
Daphne's eyebrow rose in contention with her refusal, but let her best friend live in her own ignorance. She yawned as her body decided to let its guard down and finally relax at Tracey's presence, "Now, as much as you want to babble on about your date with Harry, I'd rather get some shut eye. So save your gushing for tomorrow, all right? Goodnight."
Tracey bristled at Daphne's comment but turned off the lights to let the darkness envelope the room and drift them off to sleep. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes…
"Hey Daph…"
"I told you to save it."
"No, it's just… Can I ask you something?"
She heard her elicit a sigh from right beside her.
"What is it?"
"Am I in love?"
That had the room fall into silence.
Daphne turned on the lights and she turned towards Tracey, who was looking up to the ceiling of her four poster bed. Although she couldn't see her face, Daphne wagered that her face was completely blasted with a blushing red.
"Love is a hard thing to place. Some people are receptive to people they have known for a long time, whilst others are susceptible to the mythical "love-at-first-sight."" She mimed air quotes on her fingers at the last words in her statement.
Tracey frowned and asked out loud, "Do you think I lean more towards the "known longer" portion of the population?"
"No, I bet my entire family fortune that you are hell deep in love with him."
She stuffed her face into a pillow. Was her feelings really that obvious?
Daphne pondered for a few moments, before stating matter-of-factly, "For now, you should be finding out whether or not Harry has some sort of feelings for you. From what I've heard, he is kind and compassionate; perhaps this is just his kindness that you are taking the wrong way?"
Tracey sighed out a troubled sigh, "That sounds about right; as usual when it comes from you. Thanks for listening, Daph."
"You're welcome, Tracey."
She turned off the lights and darkness and silence descended upon them once more…
"Hey Daph-"
"Shut it and go to sleep."
The weeks seemed to have vanished, and before Tracey could even ready herself mentally, the day had arrived. She attempted to stay still as Pansy, the resident stylist and makeup artist of the Slytherin dorm, did her magic - both literally and figuratively - to spruce up her look. They had done this inside Pansy's room, an isolated part of the Slytherin dorm and which was filled with the normal furniture that also inhabited the other dorms; the only unique feature of the room was the large desk that housed her instruments for beautification and a large, ornate mirror that showed the person sitting in front of the mirror their reflection, as well as their side view. Despite the pureblood's upbringing, she had used muggle mirrors instead of the usual magical ones, as someone yapping over and over and moving inside the mirror made it harder to work on her hobby.
"Why do you even do favours for Daphne? Not that I mind; being able to work on her and make her even more beautiful is enjoyable." Pansy asked the sitting girl, who waited until the floating cushion stopped patting her face to respond.
"You don't know how scary she is if you owe her something. She'll either use it to blackmail you into doing something more mortifyingly embarrassing or use it to hang it over your head to your grave." Tracey subdued a shudder as she had experienced the former. Pansy looked down at her with a doubtful look in her eyes but let it go as she finished up her work on her hair.
"...And~~... Done!" Pansy excitedly let out and spun her around for Tracey to look at her hard work in the mirror, "So, how do you like it?"
Tracey looked at herself in the mirror, and couldn't help but admire herself: The change was definitely noticeable, the colour on her face and the shades drawn on it making the positive features on her face much more prominent, while hiding the blemishes that puberty had brought upon with it. She smiled and she elicited a small sound of excitement, "Oh, Pansy, I look fantastic! thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Like an artist taking stock of their painting, Pansy had a hand on her chin as she viewed her handiwork. She revelled in the praised, but softly held the excitable girl down, "I know, I know, I'm the best. Now, let's get you in your dress, shall we?"
A jitter of anticipation ran through Tracey's body as she watched Pansy tore through the package that held the dress that the seamstress from The Spider's Web had sewn together. The package had been delivered to her in the middle of the night - the pecking of her dorm window from an owl carrying the package almost giving her a heart attack - and she hadn't the nerve to open it up; the countless scenarios that led to her either ruining or destroying the dress in her head making her even more resistant to opening the package up.
Pansy finally managed to get through the wrapping and take in the look of the dress, as she lifted it up, she whistled in appreciation of the craftsmanship of the outfit, "Quite a gown you have here. I don't think I even have something this fancy for tonight."
If she was an animal, Tracey's tail would have wagged back and forth as she grinned proudly, "What can I say, my date has me pampered."
She fitted into the gown, and along with her makeover, it was Pansy who spoke out loud, stating what everyone would soon say.
"You look drop dead gorgeous!"
' That's a first.' Tracey thought self-deprecatingly, beaming as her confidence rose to the stars.
A knock from the door had both of them jumping, and Pansy quickly pulled it open, revealing a waiting Daphne. The first thing she had noticed was Tracey and her new look, and she entered, ignoring the outraged gasp of Pansy at her intrusion, and she looked her up and down. Tracey, strangely, waited for her judgement in silence…
"You are pretty."
The statement was completely Daphne.
Nonetheless, it still had Tracey elated.
"Ahem, excuse me! You two might be done but I’m not, so shoo! Get to the dance already and leave me.” Pansy ushered them out of her room and they walked to the Great Hall.
The two walked in silence; Tracey due to her nerves being on fire and Daphne not making the mistake of initiating small talk to her best friend, as her condition would probably lead to her babbling all the way to the Great Hall and she’d rather not kill her fellow Slytherin, the blood would get all over her dress.
As they neared the corner that led to the entrance of the ball, Tracey arm shot out towards Daphne and she held her shoulder, stopping the both of them in the hallway.
“What is wrong?” Daphne asked Tracey curiously, “Is your stomach causing you trouble?”
“No - well actually, that isn’t entirely off target - I just… Need to a couple seconds to gather myself is all.” Tracey looked at the side uneasily.
Daphne rolled her eyes and moved to circle around her and pushed in the small of her back, “You can gather yourself with your date, who is probably sweating thinking that you’ve stood him up.”
A small eep! escaped the nervous witch’s lips and she dug her heels onto the ground, standing her ground and halting her movement from further turning into the corner, “Wait! One second, all I need is one second!”
“No can do, time to meet your future hubby.”
That comment caught Tracey off-guard and her momentary shock gave Daphne the chance to push her wayward friend around the corner, where she was met with the eyes of the champions and their dates; a space next to Harry that was obviously meant for her. Tracey blushed heavily and she approached her date, hoping to every deity above that they didn’t notice her hesitancy earlier, “Hi Harry, sorry if I took too long.”
“Don’t worry, it looks like the time was worth every second. You look amazing.” Harry said, shining his pearly whites at her.
Tracey was positive that she could be considered deceased in that small moment in time, she did not even notice Daphne's miniscule smirk as she walked past the two to enter the Great Hall, and she rushed to respond in kind.
“Yo- You don’t look too bad yourself.” And her words rang true; the tuxedo he had worn was fitted to his body, accentuating his fit body from his rigorous training from the past three years of Quidditch practice. Harry smiled gratefully, the small dust of red on his cheeks at her compliment.
“Champions, please prepare to enter!”
Professor McGonagall's voice caused everyone to stiffen up and take their position in a line; Harry and Tracey at the back of the remaining champions and their respective dates.
“Nervous?” Harry quietly asked Tracey, chills running down her spine as his attention was directed towards her.
“A bit.” she lied through her teeth; the only thing she was feeling was nervousness, of dancing in front of so many people, of dreading messing up her steps and stomping on his foot, of being so close to him that she could smell the small fragrance of cologne on him.
“Glad I’m not the only one then.” Harry admitted.
The mountainous doors opened and light shined upon them as the audience waited in bated breath to see who was dating the champions. Tracey’s breath hitched as she felt Harry’s hand clutch hers as they entered. She could feel the daggers from the majority of the females in the crowd, and even a bit of the male side of the gender spectrum. But the only thing on her mind was the practice that she drilled in her head that day with Blaise.
As the music began, Tracey managed to easily follow along. The hall was filled with music and she let the music take over; a tip that Blaise gave after the tenth time she had stepped on his toes. She kept her eyes firmly on her feet, but Harry spoke up right then.
“You practised hard, didn’t you?” There was a light teasing tone in his voice and Tracey almost bumped into one of the dancers on the floor. After getting herself back together, she looked up and tried not to gape too hard at him.
“What do you mean by that?” She tried bluffing her way out but Harry’s response sealed the deal.
“I know about you practising with Zabini; the cries were too hard to ignore.”
Tracey was mortified that Harry knew but something tugged at her weirdly by his admission, “How did you know I was practising with him?”
“Let’s just say I could see your footsteps moving to the beat.” Harry stated vaguely, and if Tracey wasn’t trying so hard to keep her focus on dancing she would have tried to grill it out of him, but as things stood, her attention was solely on not making a fool out of herself.
By Merlin’s good graces, the music finally reached its conclusion and Tracey huffed tiredly. That was one hurdle humped over and done with.
“Come on, I bet you’re as hungry as I am.” Tracey heard him say and dancing did work up quite an appetite in her. They neared the table place at the head of the hall and they took their seats beside the other champions.
Tracey grabbed a menu, and after seeing what the others did, spoke to the air of her order. Harry did the same and both of their meals appeared; a fillet Mignon and honey roasted duck respectively.
As they tucked in, she tried to think up a topic that could start a conversation between them.
“So…” “I…”
They both looked at each other as they spoke up at the same time. A momentary lapse of awkwardness followed. Tracey dabbed her mouth before saying, “Sorry, you can go first. What were you trying to say?”
“I just wanted to say thanks for being my date, I know it must have been hard given… You know, the whole Slytherin thing.” Harry eyed something to the side and Tracey followed his eyeline, stopping at Draco with his two goons by his side, scowling at the both of them. Tracey frowned and vowed to plan something terrible for the blond ponce.
“It wasn’t, house politics has nothing to do with this. You asked me out and I said yes, nothing too complicated about it.” Tracey reassured him, and Harry sent a grateful smile before digging back into his dish.
They finished their meal, afterwards they were once again near the dance floor. Harry asked her if they could sit by the sidelines for a minute and Tracey obliged, curious as to Harry’s motives. As the Bulgarian champion from Durmstrang approached, along with his date, Harry spoke to the woman beside Victor, then walking off with the Bulgarian seeker. His date walked up to her and offered her hand, “Hello, I don’t think we’ve formally introduced ourselves. I’m Hermione Granger, Harry just had a word to say to Victor.”
‘ Wow, and I thought I had a makeover.’ Tracey thought as she grasped Hermione’s hand and gave it a shake.
“Tracey, Tracey Davis.” She said back, “So, what does Harry want with Victor? Is it about the Triwizard Tournament?”
“Hm? Oh, that may be a possibility. But I think it’s to just give him the threatening-brother-talk for me. Which is unnecessary but Harry can be stubborn like that.” Hermione gave a ‘what can you do?’ smile, but Tracey caught on one word from what she said.
“So, you two are more like siblings then?” She asked, perhaps a tad eagerly. Hermione smiled and patted her on the shoulders.
“Of course, and I’m here to give you the same thing Harry is giving Victor right now.”
Tracey gulped as Hermione didn’t let go of her shoulders, before she broke into giggles and patted Tracey a bit more, “Kidding, kidding. From what I’ve heard from Harry about you, you sound like the kind of person that doesn’t hold a blind hatred for him; a first from someone in Slytherin.”
Coughing from surprise, Tracey made a mental note to watch out for her, before replying, “I think Draco and the people around him are the only ones that have a problem with him. The others don’t care too much or don’t really have an opinion of him, well except for this year I guess.”
Hermione eyed her for a bit, something that made Tracey sweat bullets, before stating matter-of-factly, “Now, although I meant what I said earlier as a joke; if on the offhand this is just a ploy, I will not hesitate to help Harry. He’s the first friend I’ve ever had and I'll stop at nothing to help him, understand?”
Meeting her eyes, Tracey tried to muster up enough conviction to convince Hermione of her true and honest intentions, “I understand. I don’t want to hurt Harry, and if things go well, then I hope to help him by his side as well.”
Hermione gave a smile and nodded, seemingly satisfied with her evaluation of her, Tracey smiled as in return and mentally sighed in relief. Soon, Harry returned with Victor in tow. He smiled and jokingly stated, “I hope you didn’t scare her too bad, Hermione?”
“I can ask the same thing.” Hermione replied and walked to Victor’s side, “Have fun you two.”
Harry and Tracey were once again alone together.
“Want to dance, my lady?” Harry said, a shade of a joking tone in his voice.
“Why, don’t mind if I do.” Tracey said with the same spirit as him, ignoring her heart that fluttered nonetheless at his words.
They entered the dance floor and danced to their heart's content together; they let loose during the upbeat and happy songs, danced the waltz when the music changed to something more classical, and even did the salsa - though both weren’t too good at it, the both of them still enjoyed their time together. At last, the Weird Sisters played a slow, melodic tune. They held each other as they slowly danced, the flames in her cheeks close to the colour of her own hair.
At last, the band finally took their leave, and Harry took her hand once more, “Mind if we take a walk outside?”
She shook her head, his touch turning her mute and she let him guide them outside. The moon hanging above them, the path they walk adorned with plants and flowers, the scenery looking as though they had somehow been transported into one of Hogwarts’ canvases. Tracey walked alongside him, her voice failing her as she had daydreamed about this exact situation; most of which ended with not so innocent endings.
“Tracey.” Harry began, and the aforementioned girl held her breath instinctively, waiting for him to continue, “If you do get flak for this; for being with me, and anyone tries to get at you, I want you to tell me. I don’t want you being with me to cause you any trouble.”
Tracey blushed a red hue and she attempted to control her breathing as her heart beat a millions miles per hour, “I’ll listen to you, but in one condition.”
She saw Harry stop and look back at her, the moonlight catching his features, an allure to his face that Tracey felt through goosebumps running throughout her body. Daphne’s words echoed into her mind, and so she asked with trepidation.
“Are you just being kind, or are you doing this for me?”
Confusion etched Harry’s face at her question, “What do you mean?”
Tracey coyly drew closer to him, tilting her head and letting him see her reddened face as it was illuminated in the moonlight.
“What do you think I mean, dummy.”
She could see the wheels in his head turning, and she could even hear an audible ding! As she processed her words and burst into a fantastical red blush. He coughed and looked away for a second - Tracey’s heart beginning to plummet as her brain drew up all the worst possible scenarios - but finally redirected his attention back to her and answered in a small, almost breathy voice.
“If you’ll be alright with me…”
Elation filled Tracey’s mind that what she did next was done purely out of pure, mind numbing happiness and relief that her feelings were reciprocated...
She kissed him dead on the lips - almost flinging herself into him - and both felt nothing but unadulterated heat, from their point of contact that spread all the way to their bodies. Finally , Tracey retracted from him and her half-lidded eyes admired his face so close to hers…
Her mind caught up to her and she looked at the distance between them - or lack thereof.
She practically jumped backwards and looked at him, her mouth agape as she tried to process what she had done and how to best explain her own stupidity, but what came out was:
“See you, Harry!”
And she ran back to her dorm to jump into her bed and beat her blanket senseless.
Harry was left all alone, his hand raising to touch his lips and his mouth forming a small smile.
Daphne entered the shared room that she and Tracey had, and there was where she found her roommate, lying face up, an emotionless, neutral face that gave her own emotionless face a run for its money. She tactfully approached carefully and sat next to her, the weight of her body forming a soft indention on the bed, as she asked out loud, “How are you?”
“Leave me to die.”
“Ah, I see, so horribly I’d imagine.”
Tracey paid no heed to her sarcastic remark and groaned out loud, “I’m such an idiot.”
Daphne nodded and uttered, “Well, as long as you know…”
Again, ignoring her friend's banter, she put her hands up to her face and groaned out once more, “How am I supposed to face him after that?”
“And that would entail?” She asked, still not knowing why she was in such a state.
“Kissing him and running away with my tail in between my legs.”
“Ah…”
The fact that not even Daphne could think of a reply to that brought Tracey to further despair.
“Well, how do you know he hated it?” Daphne asked her. Tracey pushed herself up into a sitting position and frowned at her.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that I practically threw myself at him and kissed him like a buffoon.” Tracey said, languishing in her spot,
“Did he hate it, push you off or say anything to make you think he detested it?”
“No…” Tracey admitted quietly to her.
“Then you maybe, possibly, didn’t even entertain the fact that he may have liked it and you just caught him by surprise?”
Seconds tick by, before Tracey laid back down on her bed with a thump! Taking her pillow and screaming into it.
“Yes, I assumed you didn’t think this through thoroughly enough.” Daphne nodded, glad to see her assessment of her auburn-haired friend hadn’t been wrong.
Tracey eventually lifted the pillow off of her face - her make-up still impeccable thanks to Pansy’s magical make-up kit - and she wallowed to Daphne, “Oh God, I just left him there! How am I supposed to make it up to him?!”
Daphne shook her head and finally decided to give her the news, “Actually you can make it up to him pretty easily. He’s waiting for you outside our dorm.”
“Wait what?!”
“Yeah, probably should have opened it up with that one, huh?”
Her nonchalant shrug went totally ignored as Tracey took a look at herself in the mirror, making sure nothing was out of place, before turning to Daphne and giving her blond listless friend a squeeze, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Yes, yes, now go on. Your hubby’s waiting.”
The throwback comment made Tracey blush but nonetheless she smiled and nodded, running out of the room and to the entrance of the common room. As she opened it up, she was greeted by the vision of Harry and Blaise speaking to each other. As they both turned their heads towards her, Blaise smiled and patted Harry on the back, “Well my friend, I shall leave you and your date alone, don’t be a stranger.”
He walked past Tracey, giving her a wink, and entered the Slytherin Common Room. Tracey gulped down her anxiety away and walked closer to Harry, not daring to stare at him in the eyes.
“I- I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight and it must have been really weird for me to do that. I understand if you maybe want to go back on your word, or even not have to do anything with me if that’s what you wa-”
The onslaught of words she had spewed out was stopped as Harry tilted her head up, locking their eyes together…
Before locking their lips together for the second time that night.
Tracey blissfully relished in the contact. And as they parted she could see Harry with a smirk along with red cheeks, same as hers if she had to guess, and he said only one thing.
“Now we’re even.”
Daphne and Blaise waited patiently at their usual spot in the common room for Tracey to come back. Each wondering what the pair of dorks were up to.
“You think they wandered off to a broom closet near here?” Blaise cheekily asked Daphne, who snorted.
“If Potter suggested that, then Tracey would probably die by instantaneous combustion.”
Blaise laughed and wiped a tear off his eye. They grew silent once more as they bided their time, and their efforts were rewarded as the entrance to the common room opened up and Tracey entered, a dreamy smile on her face and walked to the couch they had sat at. Landing on the seat right between them.
“So, I guess the Yule Ball was a good thing after all.”
Tracey nodded along to Daphne’s words, although her mind was somewhere else.
Namely, on a boy that danced his way into her heart.
A/N: Wowie, this was a fun one to write! I wanted to practice writing a lovestruck girl, as I am not either one of those two things. If you all enjoyed the story and perhaps would like to see these trio of Slytherin characters, then please leave a review stating so~!
Until next time, see ya!