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“Hey Ron, what if we just went together.”
Ron sprang up from his position slouched on the sofa beside Harry. They were currently in the common room, trying to come up with any girl that could potentially be one of their dates.
“What!” came the surprisingly high pitched voice. “Am I starting to hear things or are you actually suggesting me being your Yule Ball date!?” Ron’s face had to no one's surprise started to turn red, matching his fiery red hair.
“Well professor McGonagall didn’t specify that my date had to be a girl and I just thought it would be potentially easier to go with you,” Harry said defensively. “And for your information, you’re my best mate, I would rather fail massively at dancing with you than a girl.”
Ron nodded absentmindedly “You’re right mate,” thinking it over he said “but only as mates right, no offence but you’re like my brother.”
Harry gave Ron an offended look, as if it hadn’t even crossed his mind. The thought of dating his best friend made him want to puke.
Ron, seeing this, pointed at Harry and clearly said “Oi, not my fault that you asked in that kind of way,” and crossed his arms.
“Ron I may be bent and desperate, but not that desperate,” Harry deadpanned.
“OI!”
“I also happen to know that if you were going to date one of your best friends, it would clearly be Hermione,” Harry pointed out.
Ron only turned redder.
“And I just want to have fun and not think about relationships right now, if I could I would’ve gone by myself. But McGonagall clearly stated that I had to have a dancing partner…and hey since you’ve danced with her I reckon you’ll be brilliant at it,” Harry ended the sentence jokingly.
“I thought you promised to never talk about that again,” Ron responded in a stressful way. Then he decided that he was done with the conversation and started to stomp to the dormitory.
“Is that a yes?” Harry yelled.
A pause
“Since you have no one better to go with…FINE!” Ron answered before slamming the door.
Harry smiled before turning back to his potions assignment, since he got chosen as a champion it seemed like Snape had only gotten worse.
It was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, no more stress about finding a date and no more stress of making a fool out of himself.
Well….
No more stress about making a fool out of only himself.
Harry could finally enjoy some peace and quiet, even if for just a moment. The next task wasn’t going to be for some months, and Harry had yet needed to stress about solving the damned golden egg.
Ah yes the golden egg who no matter what Harry had tried always tried to give him permanent hearing issues.
He still felt awkward about turning down date offers from younger years, as telling the school about his choice of date had been agreed to wait for the night of the ball.
It had helped to have Ron at his side for most of the time. Even though Ron would laugh hysterically at Harry's stressed look every time.
“This is probably the only time I’ll be happy to not have to be asked for dates all of the time,” Harry sighed happily. Ron smirked at Harry and said “I wonder what the look on their faces will be once they figure out who you’re going to the ball with.”
“Probably confusion, since you make a lousy girl,” Harry reflected.
“Oi!” Ron pushed him on the shoulder. “If any of us would be the girl it would be you.”
“Nah, with those robes you got from your mother, I reckon you will be the one looking most like a girl.”
Ron gave him a sour look. “We don’t talk about that either.” He looked up from the food towards the other people around the table and began to think. “Do you think I would be able to transfigure my robes into something better?”
Harry looked at Ron “No,” and then began to eat again.
“What do you mean no?” Ron said, offended.
“Harry looked back at Ron, looked down at his clothes and then looked back up “knowing you, I’m certain that you would accidentally set them on fire,” he stopped “actually, that would be Seamus, no you would probably make it worse in some way.”
“Wow I’m so happy that you believe in me, it makes me soooo happy, you know that right,” came the sarcastic reply.
“Ask Hermione or one of the girls, they know this better than us,” Harry said looking at the girls down the table. “Us two know absolutely nothing about fashion, or spells regarding fashion.”
“I reckon you’re right…for once.”
“Hey, I’m right most of the time!”
“Sure,” Ron smiled. “Absolutely.”
The night of the yule ball had finally come and nerves were in the air. Many fretting over their formal wear and others in anticipation for the night to come.
Harry wouldn’t be lying if he said that he was a bit nervous, dancing and having the whole school watching over his every move. It made it a bit hard to fully relax, especially with his two left feet.
Although he would be lying if he said that the now transformed dress robes Ron wore made him hideous, like not handsome. At all.
He was lying.
Harry had never seen Ron as handsome as now, Ron may be his brother in everything but blood, but that didn’t make him completely blind. The new transformed robes were no longer frilly, and matched Ron’s complexion very well. His broad shoulders were accentuated and no longer too short on the arms.
Harry was looking. Respectfully.
“So whatcha think?” Ron turned around towards Harry and smiled “Do I still look like a girl?”
Harry, who was still watching Ron, gave him a thoughtful look “Well…at least you're presentable and maybe less like a girl,” he answered Ron while giving him a grin.
Ron gave him a glare. Then he turned up his nose and sniffed “Well it’s not my fault you’re so jealous of my absolutely gorgeous looks,” he said while sounding identical to Malfoy.
Harry laughed and in a similar impression saying “I have no idea what you’re alluding to, just wait till my father hears about this,” both of them laughed at this.
“Mate I think we’ll be the best looking lads at the ball,” Ron said after a moment, looking awfully proud of himself.
Harry hummed “They’ll think that until they see us dance.”
“Just follow my lead, and if it looks bad, we’ll make them think it’s on purpose,” Ron said in a confident way. “If we make a fool of ourselves, which we will. It will be done on purpose.”
Harry sighed “Alright, shall we make our way then?”
Ron gave him a grin “Let’s meet our doom.”
They both made their way down to the common room, where a handful of people were hanging around. Many paused what they were doing and watched as Ron and Harry made their way down the stairs.
Many were probably wondering who Harry would take, since he had kept his lips sealed every time someone asked. Even the twins didn’t know.
Speaking of the twins, both of them were in the common room and whistled as Harry and Ron made their way down. “Brother dearest are you seeing what I am seeing,” one of them said. “Oh brother mine are our eyes deceiving us or are our ickle Ronnikins dressed up?” The other one answered.
Ron glared at them and turned to make his way out of the common room “See ya losers,” he shouted to them.
Fred and George stopped and stared at Ron. Clearly not expecting that answer.
Harry laughed and followed after Ron. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the twins shocked,” Harry said gleefully.
Ron grinned “Nah not the first time, but definitely the first time I was the reason.”
“I have a hard time imagining them being shocked over anything,” Harry said.
“It doesn’t happen often, but I’ll always remember the time mum had enough of them and actually pranked them back one time!” Ron laughed “Actually all of us were shocked, but the faces of Fred and George once they fell for her prank will forever be etched into my mind.”
It was hard imagining Molly Weasley pranking someone, Harry thought. But really they had to get it from someone and Harry didn’t think it came from Arthur.
As they made their way down towards the Great Hall a comfortable silence fell over them. Harry had a hard time believing that this peace would last. But he would make sure to enjoy it while it lasts. Just over a month before, he and Ron had been at each other's throats, and now they were going to the ball with each other.
Ron had sat him down the evening after the task and had profusely apologised and shared what had gone through his head. He had shared his deepest insecurities to Harry, and gave him his complete trust. Harry couldn’t bear having to be angry with his best friend and thus had given Ron a long hug and thanked him. Harry would never let Ron get so far away again, sure he had had Hermione during that time. But her having to split her attention between Ron and Harry had been hard and a huge weight on her.
Ron was family, and sometimes families argued with each other.
But now that was water under the bridge and he wasn’t going to think too deeply about it again. He had Ron and Hermione now and that was all that mattered.
Once outside the Great Hall, Harry and Ron separated from the crowd and found Professor McGonagall waiting for them, along with the other champions and their dates. “Finally decided to arrive now Mr Potter,” McGonagall said looking at Harry. She then frowned “And where’s your partner?” she asked.
Harry gave her a grin and looked at Ron who was frowning “Well he’s right here Professor,” while gesturing towards Ron beside him.
McGonagall looked at Ron, a bit surprised but quickly hid her expression “Well, Mr Potter as long as you two behave,” she nodded and shifted her attention elsewhere.
Ron looked around. Stopped. And gaped.
Harry frowned at Ron’s expression and turned to see what had made Ron so speechless. He was looking at the other champions and their dates. Diggory's date was Cho Chang to no surprise, Fleur's partner was another Hogwarts student who Harry had recalled seeing around, and then Krum who was going with….
“HERMIONE!?”
Hermione turned around at Harry’s shout and then paused as if she were a deer in headlights.
Clearly she was also surprised. Probably at who Harry’s date was.
“Ron? Harry?” she squeaked.
“Who-wha-how?!” Ron managed to splutter out.
Harry could see Ron start to brimming with anger, and nope. He was not going to have to deal with an angry Ron during the ball. Not after everything he had been through.
Harry stomped on Rons foot, who hissed in pain and looked at Harry like a kicked dog. “But-but, Harry!” he tried.
“No, we are not doing this. I am not dealing with this. You know fully well why she didn’t go with you. Get. Over. It.” Harry hissed at Ron.
Ron began to open his mouth. “No,” Harry interrupted. “I want a stress free night, with no worries,” he then turned to Hermione and began to speak louder “and I want to enjoy it with both of my best friends, who get along. Capisce?”
Ron and Hermione looked at each other uncertainly. Then Ron took a deep breath, held out his hand towards Hermione. “Temporary truce?” he asked. Hermione looked up at Ron, and then down at his outstretched hand. “Temporary truce,” she answered.
Ron nodded and then turned to look at Krum, and gave him a nod. Krum, who was looking at the trio with careful eyes, gave Ron a nod back.
The tension lifted and Hermione was eyeing Ron and Harry.
Harry looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.
“Okay, what?” she asked “are you two going together?”
Ron grinned at her. “What’s wrong with going with my best mate?”
Hermione spluttered “Nothing wrong with that. I just-I didn’t expect this!” she gestured towards Harry and Ron.
“Just wanted to have fun and skip the unpleasant parts of having to ask out a complete stranger, Mione,” Harry said, taking it easy on Hermione. “Also if I were to make a fool out of myself, at least I’m bringing Ron down with me.”
“Out of everyone, of course it would be you two idiots,” Hermione gave them a fond smile.
“Oi, I’ll have you know that we’re at least smart idiots, to come up with this idea,” Ron said.
“Technically, I came up with the idea, Ron.”
“Shut it Harry!”
The three of them laughed.
“Alright everyone. Listen up,” McGonagall interrupted. “Line up. It’s almost time!”
They began to line up, Harry and Ron last in line. Before them stood Cedric and Cho, beautifully dressed. Cedric looked back at Ron and Harry “Not bad” he said, before turning back towards the front. Ahead of them stood Krum and Hermione, who were chatting about something. Hermione looked awfully beautiful in her blue dress, and Krum was looking at her with fond eyes. Clearly they had been spending some time together. Finally in the front stood Fleur with her date, who was hanging on to every word she was saying. He had only eyes for her.
The doors began to open
Ron turned to Harry and held up his arm. “Ready to make a fool of ourselves?” he grinned.
Harry smiled back “I’m ready” and he took Ron's arm.
And they were off.