Hope Mikaelson Goes to Hogwarts

Chapter 15: So Obvious

Hope's POV:

"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since it's inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of well mannered frivolity." I grin slightly. 

I remember how I would face time Aunt Bex all the time and we would go over different dances. She's really into debutante balls. She'd be so excited to help me get ready for this. My smile slowly fades from my face. 

"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." All the girls around me start chattering excitedly while the boys look like they could care less. 

They even start grumbling. "Silence! The House of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for nearly 10 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." 

I hear Fred and George start to say it five times fast across the room and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. "Now, to dance is to let the body breathe. Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight." Hermione turns and grins at me. 

"Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance. Mr. Weasley." She calls. Ron looks down. "Yes?" "Will you join me please?" He shakily stands up. All the boys chuckle at how uncomfortable he looks. "Now, place your right hand on my waist." "Where?" He asks, horrified.

"My waist." He does so and one boy whistles at him. "And extend your arm. Mr. Filch, if you please." She says. Filch starts the record player and music echos through the room. "One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. Everybody come together!" She calls. 

The girls all surge forwards while the boys stay in their seats. "Boys, on your feet." I roll my eyes and step forwards. A few boys stand at this, but Neville is the first one to walk forwards so I walk up to him and take his hand, placing my other on his shoulder. 

I smile at the sweet boy as he blushes. "You know how to lead?" I ask him. He nods hesitantly. "Wonderful." With that we start to dance. He's actually very good and after a while, when others have joined us, we're doing a complicated dance. 

"Wonderful Miss Mikaelson, Mr. Longbottom. Very good." McGonagall grins at us. After that everyone was frantically searching or a date to the ball. It's insane. I've been asked by fifteen different people, from both Hogwarts and Durmstrang. 

I really want to go with Harry, but I have no clue if he's going to ask me. Cedric hasn't asked me either, which is strange for some reason. Hermione and Ginny both think he fancies me. I don't see it, but I am starting to like him a bit. 

I mean he's kind, smart, and nice to talk to and be around. I'd be insane not to like him. I'm walking towards the Great Hall for study hall when I bump into Cedric. "Hope! There you are. I've been looking for you all over the place." "Really? Why? What's up?" I ask him, smiling at him. 

"Well, there's something I would like to ask you." "Oh really?" "Yeah. So, um, the Yule Ball is coming up and I was wondering if you're going with anyone yet." He says. I shake my head. "No, I'm not." "Great! I mean, not great, but, um, well..." He trails off nervously. I smile softly at him. 

"Ced what is it?" "Will you go to the ball with me?" He blurts. My eyes widen at this. "You...you want to go with me?" I ask, shocked. He smiles down at me. "Yeah, I do. I've been meaning to ask you, but I kept on chickening out." He admits, chuckles slightly. My heart rate picks up. 

What do I do? I want to go with Harry, but here Cedric is, a boy I'm really starting to like, asking me. "Ced, I'd love to, but..." "But you're waiting on someone else to ask you." He finishes. "Yes, I'm very sorry." 

"No worries, really. By the way Hope, he's a fool if he doesn't. If you change your mind by the end of the day, come and find me." He says, bending down and kissing my cheek before walking off. I now feel unbelievable guilty. Did I really just turn him down? Hermione walks up beside me. 

"Did Cedric just ask you to the ball?" She asks. "Yeah, he did." "And you said no?! You're mental." "I know, but I really want to go with Harry." I explain to her as we start to walk towards the Great Hall once again. 

"I know you do, but Hope, you and Cedric like each other, maybe Harry's not the right person right now. I'm just saying, don't let Cedric go if Harry's going to continue to be blind towards your feelings towards him." She says, squeezing my hand. 

"I know, you're right. You're always right. So, has anyone asked you?" I ask. "Actually, yes." "Who? Why didn't you tell me?!" I gush. "It's a secret. You'll know who when everyone else does." She says. I roll my eyes. "You and your mysteries." I groan. She laughs as we enter the hall. 

We quiet down and grab out books from Snape, sitting down across form Harry and Ron. "This is mad. At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates." Ron says. Snape shoves his head down as he passes. "Well...us and Neville." Ron jokes. 

"Yeah, but then again, he can take himself." Harry laughs. I kick both other their shins under the table. "For your information Neville has a date." I glare at him. Neville's a sweet heart and he actually had me help him ask Ginny last Saturday. "Now I'm really depressed." Ron says. 

George passes Ron a note. "Get a move on or all the good ones will have gone." Ron reads aloud. He looks back up at his brother. "Who are you going with then?" He asks. He throws a crumbled up piece of paper at Angelina Johnson. She turns, glaring at him. 

He whispers and exaggerate a dancing motion towards her. Her glare fades, replaces with a smile. "Yeah." She whispers back. George winks back at Ron. He turn to Hermione. "Oi, Hermione. You're a girl." "Oh, well spotted."  She glares. 

Harry is smacking him, telling him to shut up basically. "Come with one of us?" Ron asks, making the same dancing motion. Snape comes back around and smacks the back of bother Harry and Ron's heads with a rolled up bit of paper. He then walks away. 

"Come on. It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone. For a girl, it's just sad." Ron tells her. My eyes widen and mouth drops open. She glares harshly at them. "I won't be going along, because, believe it or not, someone's asked me." She snaps. 

She stands up and walks over to Snape, handing him her book. She walks back towards us. "And I said yes." She spits before storming out of the room. I go to follow. "Hope, what about you?" Ron asks. Before I can answer Harry jumps in. 

"Don't bother. She's probably already going with Cedric. It's so obvious. Everyone knows she fancies him. I scoff at him and kick his shin again. "Hey!" He says, looking at me, confused. "What was that for?"

"Actually, he asked me and I said no because I was waiting on someone else to ask me, but since it's 'so obvious' I guess I'll just go find him and retract my rejection." I grind out, hand my book to Snape before storming out in Hermione's footsteps. 

After asking a few Hufflepuffs where he is I find him in the courtyard. "Hey!" I call out to him. He turns around and grins at me. "Hey." "I will. Go to the ball with you that is." "Really? What made you change your mind?" He asks, a happy look crossing his features. 

"You were right, he is an idiot and not worth my time. So if you still want to go with me, I would love to go with you." He grins wider and nods, pulling me into a hug. "It would be an honor." He whispers in my ear. I shiver slightly. This will be a good thing. Right?