"Hey! Look what I've made!" (Y/n) whispered as she jogged up to Chija, Leanne, and Katie in the library. All girls were working on their essays for their Muggle Studies project. (Y/n) outstretched her hand and proudly showed off the four brooch she had made.
"Ooh... Cute," Katie said, holding up a brooch. "They're like little cherry blossom branches."
"We haven't been sworn in yet," (Y/n) mumbled. "I wanted to wait for you guys, but these are how the brooches are supposed to look to the plain eye."
"Huh?" Katie asked.
"How're we sworn in?" Chija asked, pinning her golden branch and pink pearls to her jumper.
"Blood oaths," (Y/n) said casually. They all stared.
"...sorry?"
"Blood oaths," (Y/n) repeated. "It ensures that our secret and our identities won't be revealed. Do you know what could happen to us if our identities get out?"
"Do I want to know?"
"No."
"All right, then I won't ask..."
"What kind of blood oath?" Leanne asked nervously.
"Just a cut to the palm and then a magical engraving will appear on our hand," (Y/n) said. "The engraving's supposed to give you a slight burn if you're getting too close to revealing our secret and it'll really burn if you reveal it to someone that isn't a candidate for the society."
"That's insane!" Chija hissed.
"Were you guys not serious? I can take my brooches back and find new founders—"
"No, no. That's not what I mean. I meant the amount of skill that had to go into that. How'd you figure this all out?"
"My boyfriend helped me by getting a book from the Restricted Section," (Y/n) said proudly. Chija shook her head with a smile. "We can swear ourselves in when we finish the last bit of our filming."
"Sounds good," Katie agreed. "And we can start furnishing while we're at it..."
The four Heads of Houses stood before those of fourth-year and up. The other professors were loitered along the wall behind the Heads and were there as supervision. The tables in the Great Hall had all been moved out, leaving a very empty room indeed. The students were divided in two: boys on one side, girls on the other. Students that did not identify as either were allowed to be on whichever side they so chose.
"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since its inception," Professor McGonagall began. "On Christmas Night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for well-mannered frivolity. As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward, and I mean this literally because the Yule Ball is first and foremost... a dance.
Groans emerged from the side the boys were on and excited gasps came from the girls.
"Silence!" Professor McGonagall called. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has commanded the respect of the Wizard world for centuries. I will not have you in the course of a single evening besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"
"Try saying that five times fast," George whispered to Fred.
"Now, to dance is to let the body breathe," Professor McGonagall continued, pacing back and forth in front of the other Heads of Houses. "Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight."
"Something's about to burst out of Eloise Midgen, but I don't think it's a swan," Ron whispered to Seamus, who laughed.
"Inside every boy, a lordly prepared to prance," Professor McGonagall said, staring directly at Ron. "Mr. Weasley!" she called. Alarmed, Fred, George, and Ron looked up. "Ron," Professor McGonagall corrected, "will you join me, please?" She didn't wait before pulling him up to his feet and guiding him to the centre of the room. Harry patted Ron's back with a grin and there were snickers from both sides of the room— especially from the Slytherins.
"Now, place your right hand on my waist," Professor McGonagall instructed as she placed her hand on Ron's shoulder.
