You were slipping on a nice red dress that folded in all the right places. You loved it. Ginny had helped you do your hair. You were getting ready to go to the Yule Ball with your crush and fellow Gryffindor, Harry Potter. You knew he had only asked you because he had no one else. But you didn’t mind being his third choice, it wasn’t like it was a relationship. You just wanted to enjoy yourself.
You walked down the stairs, where Harry was waiting. You took his arm.
“We have to dance first. Apparently it’s a tradition,” he informed you.
“Okay,” you spoke.
You didn’t mind. You were good at dancing.
Harry led you to the floor, and you danced slowly. Harry was terrible, but you managed to guide him the right way. As more people flooded the dance floor, Harry led you to a table. You sat next to him. Ron can over and they talked together. Ron had come with Parvati. The two boys were laughing and having a good time, while you girls sat more bored than ever. Eventually Parvati got angry and walked off to find someone to dance with. Suddenly, you looked over to see Harry had left. You were greatly disappointed with this ball and wanted to leave, but McGonagall was forcing everyone to stay at least ten more minutes.
Ron tried to talk to you.
“Is this your first ball?” he asked.
“Yeah. You?” you replied.
He nodded.
“Did you have fun?” he questioned.
Tears pricked your eyes.
“It was horrible,” you said, shaking your head.
He gave you a concerned look. McGonagall indicated that people could start leaving.
“I have to go. Goodnight, Ron,” you waved.
You raced upstairs and cried yourself to sleep.
You went about your Hogwarts days like usual. Harry even went back to ignoring you. But you shook it off. You were determined to stay strong and act happy. But inside you felt like you weren’t good enough. You felt stupid for thinking this and just tried to put the whole thing behinds you. A month passed since the Yule Ball and school was over. Voldemort had returned. You knew things in Hogwarts would change and most likely get worse, but you refused to hide.
You were sitting on your porch on 7 Privet Drive when someone stood in front of you. You looked up and saw Harry.
“How do you know where I live?” you asked.
“I live at 4 Privet Drive,” he told you.
You blinked.
“Oh. Guess I never noticed,” you responded.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Harry said.
You nodded at him to sit next to you.
“You probably think I’m a huge jerk,” he chuckled nervously.
“Why would I think that?” you asked.
“I ruined your first ball. You had a horrible night. I even made you cry,” he sighed.
“Harry, it had nothing to do with you,” you said.
“Then why were you crying?” he asked.
“I was… I got nervous being alone,” you admitted.
“And who’s fault was that?” he continued.
“Mine,” you said.
“How was it yours?” he asked, surprised.
“Girls like me don’t belong at dances,” you said.
“Every beautiful girl deserves a good dance,” he responded.
You shook your head and looked away. Harry stood and held out his hand. You looked up at him, confused.
“May I have this dance?” he asked.
You sighed and took his hand. He swayed you around and you both danced awkwardly. Harry put your hands around his neck and put his hands on your waist, pulling you close. You both danced to no music, but you didn’t need any.
Harry kissed you softly and you both smiled when you pulled away.
“How’s this for a first dance?” he asked.
“It’s perfect.”
