𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 || hogwarts various x reader

7

"You really don't want to go out?" Hermione asks, smoothing down her hair.

"Well, you know, the Winter's Ball is coming up, and I'll be embarrassed of no one asks me. Besides, It's too cold out there." I shrug.

"You know.. I was thinking, since there's little possibility that a boy will ask me to the ball.. that maybe we could go together if no one else asks us?" Hermione turns to me.

I feel myself get flustered.

"No- I um, I mean, like if we don't have anyone else to go with. As friends. I would invite Ginny if Dean hadn't already asked her. You know that they always go together."

"Then, um, in that case, yeah." I say.

"Good." Hermione smiles at me.

After she's gone for a good 30 minutes, I decide I should do my homework in the common room by the fire.

Not even thirty seconds after I sit, I am joined by another person.

"[Name] Haley, just the person I wanted to see." Cormac Mclaggen sighs as he slides into place next to me, twisting his body so his torso is completely facing me. Which, by the way, looks extremely uncomfortable.

"Good morning, Mclaggen." I say, not even looking up from my DADA essay.

"Well.. I just had a quick question." He clears his throat. "Did it hurt?"

This makes my head raise, holding back laughter as I respond, "What?"

"When you fell.." He puts on a smolder. "From heaven?"

I cough to cover my laughter.

"Haley, will you accompany me to the Winter's ball?" Cormac asks.

"Cormac, look-"

"[Name], listen, you are the most desired girl at Hogwarts at the moment. If I took you to the ball, then we would be the most attractive couple there." He shrugs, like this is a very well-known fact.

"Cormac, it's nothing against you, but I'm not quite sure we should go together. I'd kind of just prefer to go with someone I've said more than ten words to."

Cormac perks up. "Will, you, go, to, the, Winter, Ball, with, me... please?" He says, counting off the words.

I can't help but chuckling.

"I'm really flattered, Cormac, but really." Cormac deflates a little, nodding. Something tells me he's never been rejected before.

He leaves me feeling awful, but I ignore it and start on my homework again.

●●●

I regret not going out with Hermione. So, instead, I alw my way up to the Astronomy Tower.

It's one of the only places in this school that fails to make me feel insane. There's no headaches, no whispers, just clear, cold air.

I've got a massive Gryffindor sweater on, one I bought from Hogsmeade a few years back, but still haven't grown into.

And that's when I hear it- crying. My first instinct is to be compassionate and comfort the person, and my second is to be aggravated.

So, I peek around the corner and see Fern Malfoy sobbing her eyes out.

Look, I don't really know a lot about Fern, but I do know enough to know that this isn't her usual behavior.

Maybe even a little curious, I walk slowly next to her on the overlook.

"Malfoy?" I ask gently, making her head shoot up to look at me.

She wipes her tears quickly, but with her pale completion it's easy to tell that she had been crying.

"Oh- um, hi, [Name]. What's up?" She avoids my eyes, looking over at the rest of Hogwarts.

"What's wrong?" I ask, cutting to the chase.

She sighs. "I'm not going to tell you, you know." She sniffs.

"I mean, it's not like you'd have any idea anyway. You're perfect. You're in Gryffindor, you're accepted. You're apart of that stupid little friend group that Potter has stringed together. You're.." She stops, searching me. "You."

"Fern.." I say. "It's not always like that, you know. Of course I'm not going to play the, 'my-life-is-so-much-harder-than-yours' card, but you're amazing too, you know. I couldn't even talk to you up until this year."

Fern looks at me, sighing. "No one's asked me to the Ball, ever."

●●●

I sigh, falling into my bed. Hermione opens the door, huffing out and taking a seat next to me.

"So.." Hermione says, sitting cross-legged across from me as I gather myself. Ginny comes to sit with us as well, and Lavander sits instead on the ground but still involves herself in the conversation.

"Ron has asked me to the Ball." She sighs, picking off her mittens with a certain frustration that I can't place.

"You're kidding!" Lavander laughs, delighted by this as she moves her head to lean on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not." Hermione says pointedly.

"Well, did you want him to?" Ginny asks, glancing to me and then Lavander.

"I mean, I guess." She slumps. "I said yes anyway."

Lavander sighs a little. "That's wonderful."

"Yeah, that's great, 'Mione." I say, leaning back on my headboard.

"So we know who 'Mione and I are going with, so what about you two?" Ginny asks.

"Well, I've actually landed myself a date with this new guy, he just transfered here from Beauxbatons. He has the most slight French accent, it's adorable!" Lavander gushes, cupping her hands to her cheeks in excitement.

"Oh, are you speaking of Gio Pettigrew?" Hermione asks.

"Yes, that's him."

"Me and Y/N know him! Sometimes he visits the Potter's over the summer."

"You're right! Oh, Lav, you're right, he is pretty hot!" I tell her, smiling slightly.

"Right! I'm so glad I have an actual date, instead of being stuck with some imbecile again." She says, sighing happily.

"Yeah." Hermione agrees quietly.

"But we should really get to bed, we have classes tommorow." Hermioen advises immideatly after.

"You're right. Goodnight."

The room mutters a symphony of goodnights in return, and Ginny turns out the lamp.

Leaving me to the darkness. Leaving me to the nightmares.