The Stand

The Yule Ball

"Settle down" Flitwick told his rowdy charms class "I have an announcement to make."

This caused the class to quiet down. Once they were silent, he began his announcement "On Christmas day, Hogwarts will host a Yule Ball for all the competing schools. It is a chance for everyone to 'let their hair down.' It is open to all in their fourth year and above. If you choose to attend, you are expected to wear dress robes."

Students began whispering among themselves as Flitwick continued "The Ball will consist of a feast and a dance. The champions and their dates will do an opening dance and afterwards, the dance floor will be open to all."

Harry wasn't paying much attention. That was until, Flitwick mentioned champions and dates. His new reality slowly set in. He needed to find a date.

Flitwick dismissed them so everyone began filing out and as Harry, Rishi, Padma and Hermione walked, the Boy-Who-Lived groaned "Great. I need to find a date. That's gonna be impossible."

Rishi shrugged "It shouldn't be that hard."

Harry cast Rishi an annoyed look "Easy for you to say. You have a girlfriend."

Rishi chuckled "Here's the thing, we all know Ginny Weasley likes you. So that's at least one girl who'll for sure go with you. Plus, you're the boy-who-lived and Lord Potter. Lots of girls will probably ask you."

Padma nodded "You should hear what they say about you in the bathrooms."

Hermione shuddered "I couldn't look in the eye for a week after listening to some of the older students."

Rishi gestured to the girls "See! It's not like no one will go with you!"

"I guess you're right" Harry sighed "Anyway, I gotta go. I'm going to tell Cedric the clue."

His friends nodded and waved as he set off for the library, where he and Cedric planned to meet. Getting there, he found Cedric sitting at a table. He pulled out a chair and smiled "Hey."

"Hey" Cedric smiled back "You've got the clue?"

"I do" Harry replied "I won't tell you it though."

Cedric looked a bit annoyed so Harry leaned it closer to whisper "Our foreign guests may think that we are working together on every task. We are already on thin ice with the fourth champion shit so it's best not to push it."

Cedric seemed to get it "Makes sense. What's your hint?"

"Take a bath with the egg" Harry smirked "It sounds crazy but it works. Trust me."

"Thanks" Cedric suddenly lowered his voice even more "I guess you've heard about the Yule Ball?"

Harry nodded "You plan to take anyone?"

"I've thought about some people" Cedric whispered "What do you think of Cho Chang?"

Harry snorted "Can I be honest?"

Cedric nodded so Harry began his rant "She seems a bit narcissistic to me. She thinks of herself as really great and amazing. Before Quidditch tryouts, she'll brag about how she'll start at seeker. Every year, I beat her out. She also bullies my friend Luna, which I can't stand."

"Thanks for the input" Cedric said "Why is it so hard to find smart, pretty and nice girls?"

Harry rolled his eyes "The girls probably say that about boys. Besides, no one's perfect. Why don't you ask Fleur?"

"Fleur" Cedric repeated "Beauxbaton's champion?"

"Yes" Harry told him "Like I said, no one's perfect. But, Fleur's pretty cool. She's undeniably pretty. She's also very smart. We had a very nice conversation a while back on transfiguration laws. Most probably focus on her looks but she has a very nice brain. And finally, she's pretty nice. She was a bit standoffish at first to me, but after a while, was nice."