TWELVE
EVER SINCE THE EXISTENCE of the Yule Ball was announced, Hogwarts had never been more hectic (that includes the year students were being petrified). No one was safe. Every moment people were looking behind their shoulder to see if they were going to be asked or trying desperately to find someone to ask. Rory was a bit anxious too. Perhaps she'd ask Cedric or wait for him to ask her... but for the past few weeks he'd taken a liking to Cho Chang. Rory didn't want to overstep, especially if Cedric was moving on romantically. Of course it would be easier to just go up to him and ask... but why would Rory just go for the easier option? She decided to take asking Cedric off the table, it didn't seem realistic and it probably wouldn't be good for either of them to dance with the other all night.
The girls of Gryffindor still hadn't landed dates yet. Marina and Angelina also had yet to be asked. They all considered just choosing one of their three guy friends and asking first. Angelina refused since they were all talking big about how Ron and Harry needed to ask 'before all the good ones were taken'. She wanted to see if they practiced what they preached.
"Who do you reckon I should ask?" Rory sighed hugging her pillow. "Not Cedric, don't even suggest that."
Angelina let out a quiet laugh, "I think it's obvious who wants to go with you, Rory!"
"What?" Marina and Rory said in unison, both confused. It was nearly midnight but all three girls were still awake just chatting in the dormitory. The lights were dim and the only sound besides their hushed voices was the December wind outside their window.
Angelina rolled her eyes at the pair, "Fred, duh! Can't believe you haven't noticed, Mar."
Rory quickly shook her head, "You're being silly, Ang! If Fred wanted to go with me he'd ask me by now!"
"Maybe he's nervous," Angelina giggled.
Marina scoffed, "Fred? Nervous? Never."
"I mean maybe..." Rory thought for a moment, maybe Fred did have feelings for Rory like she had suspected, and now Angelina was confirming. "No... Well — Do you really think that... that Fred...?"
"You're just making things up, Angelina." Marina shrugged.
"Fine then! Don't believe me. You can go to the Yule Ball alone for all I care!" The girl replied.
Rory groaned and fell back on to her bed, now looking at the top of her bed frame. She wished things didn't have to be so complicated. She wished Fred would just come out and say if he liked her or not. Marina had a point though, Fred was not the type to be shy or nervous. He was the boldest person they knew. The only person they knew who would yell at Dumbledore mid speech. There was no way Rory made him nervous. If he wanted to ask her, he would have. Unless he assumed she was going with Cedric... maybe she would mention that him and Cho were sort of an item now, if he hadn't already noticed.
The next morning at breakfast, Rory watched as Lee looked extremely anxious. He was quieter than normal, Rory knew that could only mean one thing.
"Have you seen Marina, she coming down soon?" He asked. "Want to ask her to the Ball... just as friends of course but... still don't want to be rejected."
Rory smirked and bit into her buttered up toast. She looked down the long Gryffindor table and saw two heads of flaming red hair approach. No sign of Marina behind them. She shrugged and turned back to Lee.
"You'll be fine, Lee. Don't worry!" Rory reassured her friend.
"You still hung up about this, Lee?" Fred joined the conversation and picked up a slice of toast. "Just ask her!"
"You're one to talk," Lee murmured.
"Pretty Boy ask you yet?" Fred asked, ignoring Lee's side comment.
"Haven't you noticed, he's been getting along with Cho Chang lately," Rory said, "He's definitely going with her."
"Oh," was all Fred had to say in response.
A tingly feeling rushed over Rory, she almost liked when Fred got jealous over Cedric now. It wasn't so annoying like it used to be. That was strange.
"Either of you landed a date yet?" Rory asked, pushing her strange feelings aside.
George nodded with a smile, "Just asked Angelina!" Rory paused. If Lee was asking Marina... and George had asked Angelina... that meant...
"Oh shit!" Lee whispered, "Here she comes!"
Rory watched as Marina's dark haired flowed behind her with every step. Rory always slightly envied Marina. She was so unintentionally beautiful. She was also very graceful and certainly not as awkward as Rory was. She was a lot more naturally smart than Rory was too, she never needed to study as much and was able to pass her O.W.Ls almost without effort.
"Hello, boys," she smiled, "Rory."
"Morning, Mar." The twins chorused.
"That was smooth what you did back there, Weasley." Marina nudged George with a smirk. The Weasley boy tried hiding his smile in his cup of orange juice but failed.
"I wish someone would ask me," Marina sighed very forcefully. Rory giggled at her desperate attempt and shot Lee a look.
Lee took a deep breath, "Marina... Would you wanna go with me?"
Marina smiled, "Thought you'd never ask. Sure I'll go with you, Lee." For a moment Rory saw a bit of sadness in Marina's eyes. Perhaps because she knew she was only being asked as friends and maybe wanted to be romantic with someone. Rory certainly didn't mind that she'd be going with someone as friends, or maybe she did... at the moment she hadn't been going with anyone, so it wasn't even fair to form feelings about it herself.
Rory looked at Fred for a moment, but he just kept his gaze at his breakfast. She sighed and left the Great Hall. Maybe on her way up to the common room someone would pluck up the courage to ask her.
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RORY WENT ON WITH HER LESSONS with the thought of asking Fred or vise versa in the back of her mind. It didn't come to her as a main priority considering it was her sixth year and she still had no clue what she wanted to do. She thought of returning to become a professor, or a journalist for the Prophet, or maybe even a Quidditch player. Her mind was buzzing with how her life would turn out. She went through school so quickly, and now that she had just two short years left it seemed she had wasted her time.
That night the common room was a buzz of paper airplanes and charms and any other tactics to ask people to the Ball. Rory and Angelina sat by the fireplace as Rory intently listened to Angelina explain how George asked her to the ball. She enjoyed hearing her retell how he walked up to her and knocked the flowers out of the vase next to them, then how he flat out asked her and put the flowers back.
"That's great, Angie," Rory laughed.
"Yes but I bet your story will be better," Angelina said in an excited tone. "Now go, ask."
"Fine," Rory said standing up, "but if I get rejected I'm going to the Ball with your cat."
"Boo Radley is amazing, if George hadn't asked me I would have gone with him."
"I still can't believe that's your cat's name," the brunette shook her head walking away to see Fred and George talking to Ron and Harry.
"— or all the good ones will be gone," she heard Fred preach to his younger brother.
Rory almost couldn't contain her smile as she summoned all the courage she required and shouted, "Hey! Weasley!"
Fred muttered over to Ron, "prime example, pay close attention," he turned his attention back to the girl. "Actually Rory I need to ask —"
"Shut up, I got here first," she said still in her confident tone. "Want to go to the ball with me?"
She watched Fred's smile grow and his eyes light up. She couldn't help but smile herself.
"Why of course I would," he grinned. Rory nodded and turned to Ron and Harry, "that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Rory sat next to Fred the remainder of the evening as Harry and Ron stressed about finding dates. The girl scanned the common room and saw Marina hunched over a small desk. She did that a lot, Rory knew she wanted to be a writer. What a lovely thing to have a plan for the future. The two boys stopped talking to the twins as it seemed they weren't getting anywhere and George went to go chat with Marina. It was just Fred and Rory now, alone.
"Hey Rory," Fred said quietly, "What's your dress look like?"
Rory smirked, "It's pink. You want me to show you?"
"You can't show me that's bad luck!" He joked, "I want to be surprised, silly. I bet you're going to look beautiful."
Rory was rarely ever speechless. An intense blush took over her face and she bit back a wide smile. Fred was always being flirty with his friends, Rory especially. She usually rolled her eyes and laughed it off... but it seemed different this time to Rory. Perhaps a bit more genuine.
"You don't mean that," she said in a slight joking tone.
Fred brought his face closer to hers and with a smile whispered, "I do."
That same feeling she got earlier in the year flooded over her. She wanted to kiss him with everything in her. She wondered what his careful lips tasted like. Perhaps a mix of fire whisky he nicked from the kitchens and the blissful taste of cinnamon. Rory was a curious girl, and it seemed what lingered on her best friend's smile was something she needed to know.
"Oi!" Fred said quietly and snapped his fingers in front of her face, "Are you listening to me?"
Rory quickly shook her head and pulled away from Fred, "Sorry! What did you say?"
"I said you're going to help us spike the punch, right?" He smirked.
Rory smiled, finally fully out of her trance and nodded. "For sure!"
"That's my girl," Fred winked. "Alright, I'm going off to bed. Goodnight, Rory."
"Goodnight Freddie, my love," Rory smiled. When the boy had left the common room completely Rory couldn't even move. Why was Fred making her feel like that all of a sudden? Was he doing it on purpose? Was he testing out some sort of love potion on her without her knowing? Perhaps it was just his personality and she was seeing it differently after the thoughts Angelina put into her... Whatever it was, she didn't mind it.