Forgotten *A George Weasley Love Story*

Chapter 20

Suffice to say, no one was going anywhere for the winter holiday. The excitement for the ball was all around, and it seemed like a girl was being asked every hour. It was a sweet thing to witness. Ginny had been asked to go by Neville, and Hermione had a date in Viktor Krum. That last one was a coveted secret. I, on the other hand, hadn't had anyone ask me. I think it's a mix of me being a Potter and my brother being overly protective. The girls and I were off to Hogsmeade today to get a dress for the ball. I was getting Harry dress robes too. He would not show up looking like a mess if I had any say. He was a champion and needed to look like it. As we walked along the shops, we stopped in at Gladrags Wizardwear. We slipped inside, keeping the cold air out. "Alex, Ginny, meet back here in ten minutes with your selections." Hermione rushed. She ran off, skirting around a pair of Slytherins. 

Ginny and I exchanged glances, and we started skimming the racks. I couldn't be trusted to pick anything out that looks good on me, so Ginny stuck close. She pulled out a black dress and held it up to my body. "You'd look wonderful in black." She said, mostly to herself. "Do you think you'll have a date?"

I took the dress from her, laying it over my arm. On the rack was a cute baby blue dress in Ginny's size. "Here." I tossed it at her. "I don't know. No one has tried to ask, but I don't mind." Ginny said nothing as she pulled a few more blue dresses out.

Ten minutes turned into twenty before the three of us were finally ready with our selections. I had three black dresses, two reds, a silver, and a pink. The pink was Padma's idea. She was actually pretty persistent. Hermione met us in the exact spot she said to. She had a good six dresses in her arms. "Ginny. You go first." I nudged her towards the only open changing room.
Ginny found a pretty dress after only the third try. A mix of pinks and greens, it fit her well. And I knew her brothers wouldn't freak out. It was perfectly modest for a thirteen year old. I made Hermione go next, despite her protests. But I'm not the one with a date. There was a beautiful pink dress from her pile, so I handed that to her first.

Once she changed and came out, I knew. That was the one. It fit her perfectly, the color brought out her eyes. It was fantastic. "Hermione!" I laughed. "You look incredible!"

Hermione looked down at herself in the mirror. "Are you two sure? Does it make my arms look big?" 

I stood behind her, eyes meeting hers in the mirror. "Trust me. You look absolutely beautiful, and for an added bonus, it'll make Ron wish he would've asked you. I know it."

Her cheeks flared a bright pink, but she said nothing. Probably because I'm right. She changed back, and then it was my turn. Hermione had already put the pink dress back. "I'm sorry. You're not wearing that. Tell Padma you tried, but it didn't fit." Instead, I was given one of the silver dresses. 

It took me trying on every single dress before we found the perfect one. They were too short, too long, too showy, wrong color. There was always something wrong. Until the last one. I zipped myself into it and left the changing room. I smiled in anticipation at my friends. "And?"

Ginny and Hermione wore matching grins. "Alex! That's it!" Ginny squealed. 

"You look amazing. I can't wait to see you all done up in it." Hermione unzipped me. Once I was dressed in my regular clothes, I began searching for Harry's dress robes. He didn't need anything extravagant. I settled on a black and white set that could go with any color that his date, if he ever gets one, would wear. We also grabbed some shoes and jewelry for the night. I was slowly getting more and more excited as the day progressed.

Once we were back at Hogwarts, the three of us dragged the bags up to the Fourth Year Girls' dorm. Ginny would get ready with us anyway, so I thought it would be easier to keep it all together. Down in the Common Room, I hung Harry's dress robes on the back of the chair he was sitting in. 

"Alex. Thanks." I could tell his mind was elsewhere, so I sat down beside him. That Golden Egg shining in the firelight. "I figured it out." He said after a couple moments of silence. 

I opened my mouth to ask him what it was when a voice interrupted us. "Alex?" It was George. He stood behind me, playfully tugging on a strand of my hair. "Can I talk to you?"

Harry gently nudged my arm with his elbow. "Go on. We'll talk about it later." He gave George a small smile and turned to ignore me completely.

"Since I have permission by the man of the house, sure." I teased. I stood, following George out. We walked a couple corridors before stopping. "What's up, Georgie?" I leaned against the wall, careful to avoid the painting to my right.

George ran a hand through his hair, successfully producing some fly-aways. "Do you have a date for the ball yet?"

I swallowed thickly. My heart beating almost a million miles an hour, I was sure of it. "A date to the ball. No. I can't say I do. No one's asked me."

He beamed. I actually think that put the sun in his smile because it was that bright and warm. "That's great! I mean, not like great because no one asked you. That's surprising that no one did. I thought maybe you'd have a date, and-" He was nervous. George Weasley was extremely nervous in front of me. Something I didn't think I'd ever see. "Do you want to go to the ball with me?"

I laughed softly. "Yes, George. Absolutely. I'd love to go with you." On the outside, I was content, some would say pleased, that I was asked. Inside, I could not be freaking out anymore. It wasn't a real date, clearly. But it was a whole evening of enjoying his company with a little dancing. What could go wrong?

"Really? That's great! Yeah."

"You two shouldn't loiter." I turned to see Professor Snape, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at George and I. "Go on."

It didn't take us any time at all to leave back to the Common Room. George smiled at me, gently bumping his shoulder with mine. "What color is your dress? Mum's sending Fred and I ties since she feels guilty about giving Ron our only pair of dress robes."

"She shouldn't! They're awful." I giggled. "Black. My dress is black."