The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Xenophilius Lovegood Gets a Date

Xenophilius Lovegood Gets A Date

As Christmas approached, the castle became truly magical. The bannisters were wound with long streams of spruce and evergreen and the suits of armor were bewitched by the faculty to sing Christmas songs like carolers.

It took only two days for Sirius Black to figure out how to alter the spell to cause them to sing some of his more choicely worded songs.

"MR. BLACK THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE LANGUAGE!" McGonagall cried out when she caught him teaching one of the suits of armor on the third floor his rendition of Jingle Bells, "Although the sentiments are shared, I cannot be having the armor saying such things!"

Everyone was getting quite tiresome with classes since the holidays were only a week away and the assignments were lightening up to be more fun, though the holiday assignments were starting to be handed out and there was quite a lot due when classes resumed.

Now it hadn't bothered the boys much, seeing as they were in Third Year and too young to participate, but the month of December had become something of a headache for all the fourth-years-and-above students as they tried desperately to pair off in the name of attending the annual Yule Ball.

This whole affair had begun on a chilly evening just after the full moon when Frank Longbottom had gone down to the common room with his hair done really fine and walked up to Ali Prewitt and offered her a chocolate frog card. Ali had been studying with Lily and Remus at the big table. "Oh, no thank you, Frank," she'd said, turning down the frog.

Frank had looked disappointed, "But... Ali, they're your favorite."

"Yes, but I had a very large dinner," she explained, "And I'm not really hungry... but thank you..."

Discouraged, Frank had stood there helplessly for a moment, then said, "Well... at least take the card!" And he'd reached into the package and pulled out a clearly homemade chocolate frog card that featured a wizarding photograph of Ali herself. Most Beautiful Witch in Gryffindor the title said beneath her name, and the biography red off a great many of her most wonderful traits - including her bubbling personality and bright smile - and ended with: In December of 1973, Ali Prewitt said yes to attending the Yule Ball with Frank Longbottom.

Ali looked up, laughing and jumped from her seat, flinging her arms around Frank's neck. "Of course I'll go!" she cried, and she kissed his cheeks 'til his skin was patched with pink from her lipgloss and he waddled back to his dorm with a stupid grin on his face as he went, clutching the place her lips had touched with a sigh.

"Whipped," Sirius coughed, "Totally whipped."

Now, as the day was approaching very fast, the remaining upper years were running about frantically, worrying about how it would look if they showed up at the Ball in singles. This meant that the Gryffindor Common Room had become a hotbed for flirtatious activity.

"Look at'em, all sweaty and nervous," Sirius said, sitting on the steps looking over the common room below. James sat beside him. "The great lot of them, like a bunch of turkeys."

James snickered. "That'll be us next year mate."

"Bloody hell," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Won't be me!"

"Sure it will. You and - what - Marlene McKinnon? Is that who you're making eyes at lately?"

Sirius laughed, "Sure. Marlene McKinnon's alright." He pressed his face to the rungs of the bannister. "And you'll be going with Evans, of course."