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"So, Rita's banned from the castle, thanks to Dumbledore," Pansy huffed.
"Too bad. She was fun," Marin answered, closing her book.
"She called me pretty!" the brunette witch burst out while changing into her uniform.
Rolling off her bed, Marina mumbled, "lucky you" very quietly. Would she get bonus points if she acted as she cared? She rolled her eyes as soon as Pansy turned away, but a great shiver made it less dramatic.
It was mid-December, and the cold temperature in the Slytherin Dorm Room made it hard for everyone to stay there. Dozing off in more than one jumper had become normal. The only thing that motivated Marina to continue was that Christmas was arriving. Soon, she'd see the woman who raised her again.
"Anyway, have you found a date yet?" Pansy asked, now desperately trying to tie her tie with her short fingers.
"For the Yule Ball? No." Marina needed to pick up the courage to ask Harry out before it was late. She reached out to help Pansy with her tie, shaking her head in hopes to clear it. "Have you?"
"I have someone in mind." She pouted her pink lips. "Think I'll ask him today."
"Yeah, let's eat first, shall we?"
The Great Hall was incredibly beautiful in the holiday season. Flitwick and the Ravenclaw house had spent hours decorating the gigantic tree that could be found in the middle of the room, and Dumbledore had put a charm over it, making sure that snow always fell from the ceiling.
The Slytherin table had been decorated with medieval ornaments, and the usual golden plates had Latin words on them. However, the students at the table were awfully quiet, either uncomfortable in the Durmstrang students' presence or pondering whether to go home or stay at Hogwarts for the holidays.
Marina happily marched to her usual spot on the table, throwing her arm around Blaise's shoulder. "Found a date yet?"
"Er," he began, not even meeting her eyes. "This girl from Beauxbatons asked me." Draco sarcastically began applauding Blaise from across the table, chanting the boy's name with a straight face. Blaise only shrugged it off. "Yeah, what about you, Marina? Found yourself a man?"
"Not yet," she smiled, reaching for the bowl of scrambled eggs. She could feel the lot of Durmstrang students look her way. People cared about the champions' private lives. Was Isak one of them? "Someone asked me, but... I don't know..."
Blaise smiled carefully, muttering something about how she needed to find someone kind and gentle who could treat her right.
