Echo | Harry Potter - George Weasley

Chapter 52: The Yule Ball

It was finally Christmas Eve, and even though everyone had spent the past weeks frantically running around, trying to find dates for the Yule Ball, the time had finally arrived. Those who had managed to couple up were over the moon with excitement and those who had failed to find a date sat sadly in their common rooms, unsure if they should find the courage within themselves to go to the dance alone or feign illness and stay in bed all evening. 

Shaye, despite fitting into the first category of people—somewhat surprisingly, considering the ordeal she had been through the week previous—was feeling like she fit more into the second category. 

Mattias Ekholm, the boy Hermione and Krum had worked together to set Shaye up with, was a perfectly nice and attractive wizard from Durmstrang who had no sooner told Shaye she was beautiful on their first meeting than kissed the back of her hand as if she were royalty of some kind. He was any girl's dream date to the Yule Ball and although Shaye felt beyond lucky that he had seemed more than willing to go with her, something still felt off about it.

Shaye couldn't pinpoint what it was, exactly, but the voices inside her head—and the one outside of her head belonging to Hermione—kept telling her that it had something to do with George. Hermione was on the fence about the Weasley twin now, still convinced he and Shaye would make a good couple but turned off by his thoughtless and tactless prank. Shaye felt much of the same, only with a whole lot of extra confusing emotions mixed in.

One part of Shaye wished she were going to the ball with George, if only because he was familiar and comforting, but the other part wanted nothing to do with him and felt sick to her stomach at the mere thought of seeing him that evening.

"I know I told you to take your time and all, but we really are going to be late." Hermione stepped out of the bathroom in the most incredible pink layered dress that Shaye had ever seen. "You are a champion, after all. I think people will notice your absence."

"You look beautiful!" Shaye gushed.

"And you will too!" Hermione insisted as she pulled Shaye's dress out of the wardrobe and held held it out. "This dress is stunning."

Shaye stared at the dress in front of herself critically. There was no denying it was a beautiful dress, what with the astonishing beige-ish-gold fabric decorated with intricate gold and silver designs. The torso of the dress hugged the body while the bottom flowed all the way to the floor and the short sleeves frilled a little at the edges. It was a beautiful dress, but she just wasn't sure she felt in the right mood to wear such a breathtaking outfit. 

"Put it on." It was as if Hermione could read Shaye's mind. "You'll feel better once you're wearing it."

Shaye doubted this logic at first, but even she had to admit that once she had the dress on, had slipped on her high-heeled shoes, and done her hair up into a slightly messy bun with matching gold decorations that glittered among her brown hair, she felt like a true champion; a lot more than she had in past weeks.

Looking herself over in the mirror, Shaye smiled softly. If there was one thing she was growing to like about the tournament, it was that no expense had been spared when it came to the public appearance of the champions. Harry, Cedric, and Krum had the best dress robes that money could buy and Shaye and Fleur had easily some of the most beautiful dresses ever designed. 

"Okay." She finally decided. "I think I'm ready to go now."

Hermione smiled and hooked her arm with Shaye's. "Perfect."

Together, the two friends ventured down to the Great Hall with only a few minutes to spare. The doors to the Great Hall were already closed and the faint sound of classical music could be heard in the corridor where only the champions and their dates waited patiently.