ALWAYS (Harry Potter fanfiction) (Snape fanfiction)

Chapter 36

As soon as Arabella let go off Harry, Hermione entered the tent running, followed by Ron. Arabella watched happily as Ron apologized to Harry for being an idiot.

"Drop it" said Harry, who grinned at Ron. Ron broke into a grin too.

"I'm glad they're talking again" Arabella mentioned to no one in particular.

When they went to check on the results, the only one that gave Harry less than an eight was Karkaroff, who gave him a four.

"A four!" Exclaimed Ron, "he gave Krum a ten! That's biased!"

But to Harry, it wouldn't have mattered even if Karkaroff gave him a zero, because Ron was by his side again.

That night, there was a party in the Hufflepuff common room again, Arabella thought there might be one at the Gryffindor common room, as well, but they never invited anyone. The other houses were familiar with each other's common rooms, but none had really gone to Gryffindor. As usual, the Hufflepuff common room was packed with people, either drinking, snogging each other, or getting high. Blake was with the Durmstrang girls again, taking turns kissing each other. They seemed to have started the party early. Arabella just made a mental note of keeping an eye on Blake, she didn't want anything to happen to her while she was drunk.

"Huh, who would have known?" Adrian said next to Arabella, watching Blake too.

"I know" Arabella chuckled, "Blake is seventeen, so as long as they are all consenting adults... and they don't kill anyone, the only thing I' gonna worry about is getting her back to bed safely"

"Butterbeer? Fire whiskey?" Adrian offered.

"Don't they have tequila or something?" Arabella chucked as she took the fire whiskey from Adrian's hand.

"Nope, the only other thing they have is some mysterious mixture of alcohol that I would not try, if I were you, it's emitting off fumes" Adrian pointed at what seemed to be an oversized flower pot.

"Noted" Arabella nodded. 

After a while, Arabella saw Cedric go to his dorm with the golden egg. She wondered what was inside. After finishing her fire whiskey, Arabella excused herself with Adrian and followed to where Cedric had gone, determined to help him solve the egg problem. If the second task was until February, they may need all that time to prepare for the task, so they'd better start now. Arabella walked to the sixth year dorm and opened the door without knocking, which was a mistake. Arabella stood in the door, completely frozen. It was not until someone broke a glass outside that she got off her trance.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to barge in!" Arabella said, covering her eyes with her hand and searching for the door handle. She bumped into the all and a nightstand before finding it, pulling the door closed.

"Arabella!" Someone called behind her.

She stormed out of the dorms, and proceeded to go out of the common room as well, she just stopped to ask Adrian, who was now flirting with a Beauxbatons boy, to take care of Blake, and make sure she returned safely to the common room. Arabella felt her heart pounding in her ears as she walked away from the Hufflepuff common room, and from the castle. She just let her legs carry her away, and when she finally stopped, she found herself outside Hagrid's cabin. Arabella didn't knock, but Fang started barking inside and Hagrid opened the door. That's when Arabella noticed it was raining, and she was soaking wet.

"Ar'bella, yeh okay?" He asked.

"Can I come inside?" Arabella sniffed, "I could really use one of your talks right now"

"O' course! You don't mind Charlie Weasley, do yeh?" Hagrid asked. Arabella shook her head and went inside.

"As you well know, Hogwarts is the host of the Triwizard Tournament, it's aim is to enforce magical cooperation among the schools of Europe, and as a part of this... cooperation, there will be a Ball on Christmas, called the Yule Ball" Professor Snape explained, all fourth years and above had been gathered in an empty classroom, "now, I won't have any Slytherin student making a fool of themselves and the school. Which is why you will all participate in dance lessons this week, after dinner. The Yule Ball is a formal event, I won't have any of you wearing any less than what is appropriate for the occasion"

After the announcement, they were let go. Everyone was talking amongst themselves on who they wanted to go with. Arabella even heard Pansy Parkinson crying when Draco told her he wasn't sure he wanted to go with her.

"What's the point of it?" Blake huffed, "no one's going to ask me"

"If you'd like, we could go together" Arabella offered her. Blake smiled and hugged her.

"Thanks, but I know you'll be wanting to go with Cedric" Blake told her with a smile, nudging her lightly, "I heard a rumor that he and Cho have not been speaking since the task"

"I'd love to go with Cedric, but I don't know if he'll ask me..." Arabella trailed off and shook her head, "and I am way too afraid of rejection to ask him myself..."

"Guess who just asked me to the ball" Adrian came up jogging from behind them, he didn't give them time to answer, "Terrence Higgs" he said with a sufficiency smile in his face.

"Well, at least one of us has a partner" Blake joked as they entered the common room.

The next week, Arabella found Harry and Ron sulking in the hallway, looking at a Ravenclaw girl that had just been asked to the ball by a Durmstrang boy. She sat next to them, in one of the windowsills.

"What's with the long faces?" Arabella laughed.

"The Yule Ball" they said at the same time.

"Oh, you've heard? I heard the champions are going to open the ball, excited, Harry?" Arabella teased him.

"Excited? I'm terrified! If you'd ask me if I'd rather ask a girl out or battle the dragon again, I'd choose the dragon, any day" He exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, Harry. In the worst case, you'll end up going with your sister" Arabella ruffled his hair.

"How come you don't have a date yet?" Ron asked her, "I'd suppose you'd have line of boys asking you out" Arabella laughed and shook her head.

"No, for some reason, many people are afraid of asking Snape's daughter out" Arabella shrugged, "but oh well, c'est la vie. Also, I was turned down by the only person I've asked" Arabea furrowed her brows.

"Who?" They asked curiously. Ron thought anyone would be mad to turn her down, if she wasn't two years older than him... and if he wasn't completely intimidated by her, he'd ask her.

"You know her, my friend Blake" Arabella said casually.

"But she's a girl" Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, and a pretty intelligent one, that is. Whoever goes with her is going to be the luckiest girl in the castle" Arabella brushed it off, "anyways, remember, Harry, if you don't have a partner for the ball, you can always come with me, at least to open the ball" Harry thanked Arabella as she left for potions.