Marooned - Fred Weasley

Chapter 27: Steps

The next morning, they were in the Great Hall for breakfast, Sarah sitting next to Fred and Selena when Ron got up, clearly stirred about some outfit he was holding.

He went to Ginny, stating it was certainly meant for her, but she looked up, appalled, "I'm not wearing that, it's ghastly," she said, getting out a few laughs around the table.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked Hermione, who was beaming.

"They're not for Ginny, they're for you. It's dress robes," she stated, making Sarah and the people around her laugh again.

"Dress robes? For what?" he inquired, looking awfully pale.

"Yeah, actually, for what?" asked Fred and Sarah raised her shoulders "I don't know, reckon we'll find out soon enough."

_

And that they did, because a couple days later, the Gryffindors were standing in a large empty room, with a phonograph Filch was struggling to set up. The boys and the girls were separated, which seemed awfully strange to Sarah and her friends, but abided to McGonagall wishes.

"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since its inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of 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," explained McGonagall, and as soon as she said that, two completely different reactions blossomed: most boys complained and most girls started whispering excitedly.

"How will she get all these people to dress up and dance?" whispered Angelina, causing a row of chuckles around her and her friends.

"It has the potential of being a total disaster," said Sarah, looking at the few rows of boys who were clearly not all enthused at the idea of the ball.

"Silence!" ordered McGonagall, "The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly ten 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".

Sarah leaned in closer to Selena's ear "Can you imagine her saying that over and over again over a soundtrack?"

They both started smiling "I'd dance to that," said Selena, silently snickering with Sarah and Angelina.

Sarah glanced forward at Fred and George to see them mumbling something, amused, and she had a guess over what it was and smiled wider. McGonagall seemed really passionate about this ball, really about not tainting the Gryffindor image, so her speech would prove. "Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers longing to burst forth and take fight."

Sarah hummed, and said a little louder than she'd anticipated, "My swan is still an ugly duckling, I'm afraid," earning some laughs around the room and a glare from McGonagall.

She brought a hand to her face and looked down, a bit embarrassed, and let the professor go on, comparing the boys to lions.

"Among your finest hours, there, Sarah," teased Angelina quietly, joined by Selena.

Sarah scoffed at the both of them. Without apparent reason, she glanced at Fred. "Anyway, this means we'll have to have dates for the ball?"

"Guess so," mumbled Angelina, trying to make their talking not seem to McGonagall.

"That ought to be fun," winced Selena, glancing at the groups of boys before them.

McGonagall walk towards Ron, then, "Mr Weasley." and the boys around him stood up straighter, silently praying they don't get picked on too.