Two days came and went.
Guess what I found out, dear reader.
If you said zip, nada, nothing, you win a prize!
I spent two whole days in the library with Pince practically breathing down my neck, flinching every time I so much as moved to turn a page. And what did I find?
Nothing.
A complete waste of time.
Herbology class ended, and I strode out with my friends. I draped an arm over Georgia’s shoulder as we chatted.
I glanced back to see Harry emerging from the classroom. He brushed past me and slipped a note into my hand.
I poked my tongue out at him as he passed.
Victetta noticed and poked her tongue out at him, too.
She’s a copycat. And very sweet.
I should be nicer to her.
Oops! I dropped the note.
I scrambled to catch it, but it fell, and Georgia stomped on it.
“What’s this?” She picked up the sheet.
I snatched it from her.
“Ah… secret.” I held it to my chest.
“A boy!” Georgia whispered.
Victetta gasped and covered her mouth.
I flashed them a sinister grin and leaned closer. My friends huddled around me.
“Ingredients for a wicked prank against the Pot-heads,” I said conspiratorially.
“I’m totes in!” Georgia nodded.
“Yeah!” Victetta bounced excitedly on the spot.
Oh no! I’ve done it now.
Ahhh, what do I do?
“It’s not complete yet. You know what? Let me go to the library and figure out the perfect prank. You guys have lunch without me.” I shooed them away.
Georgia looked confused, but then her expression shifted as she figured it out.
I’d lied, and we both knew she knew.
She looked hurt before giving me a totally fake smile.
“Sure. Make sure it’s an awesome prank. We’ll totes be here for you. Come on, Victetta.” Georgia smacked the larger girl’s arm.
I reached my destination: the seventh-floor corridor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet.
I tapped the wall, and sure enough, a door appeared.
I stepped inside and found that the room had changed. A silver disk held a floating coffee table and several sofas. I scrambled onto a chair, which drifted slightly beneath me.
Beyond the disk stretched a realm of blackness filled with a billion mirrored shards. Every shard reflected a distorted image of me. Some were old, some young, some fat, some brown, others black, and a few had unnatural skin colours, like green or yellow with pink polka dots.
I pulled out my textbook just as Harry entered, holding a book of his own.
He jumped onto the sofa opposite me, and the chair drifted away.
“Check it out.” He tossed me the book.
“Libre Phantasma?” I asked.
“Yes. And we have a wrinkle. We have to crash the ball, and if we show up as humans, we’ll get kicked out. And not in the fun way.” He nodded.
“There’s a fun way to get kicked out?”
“You don’t want to know. Anyway, Hermione found a workaround.”
“You got the half-blood involved?” I smacked the couch with the book.
“Hey, that’s my friend!” He pointed at me.
“I said just us.” I pointed at him, then at myself.
“She doesn’t know.”
“Oh, so your BFF figured out a workaround, and she never asked a single question?” I shook my head.
“Yes.” He folded his arms and nodded.
“Is she stupid or something? If I had a friend who asked me to figure out how to crash the ball—”
“Oi! Don’t call her stupid!” He pointed at me.
I kept my arms folded.
He glared at me.
We sat in uncomfortable silence. Finally, I nodded.
“So, what’s this workaround?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“A potion. Ecto-Plasmora Elixir.”
“Sounds complex. How long will it take to make?”
“She’s brewing it now. The ingredients are already gathered. It’s handled.” He nodded.
Damn! How in the hell were these guys able to just whip up a potion?
Maybe these Pot-heads have skills after all?
Nope. Hell no!
“Okay, but how did you find this out without tipping them off?” I asked.
“They’re investigating Professor Plum before Halloween. We agreed to split up. I said I had a lead at the Phantom Ball, and Hermione agreed to make me the potion. Oh, and she did all the research,” he explained. This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.
“Whoa… alright, then.”
“So, are you going to apologize for doubting me?”
“Nope!” I jumped off the couch.
The chair drifted away.
“Meeting adjourned. You’re dismissed. We’ll meet up on Halloween to discuss the details.” I waved a hand, dismissing him.
I turned on my heel and walked away with a sway in my hips.
Halloween arrived, and I massaged my hand.
I couldn’t feel my little finger now.
The sun began to set, and the ghosts started their haunting. Peeves was, as usual, a complete and total pain! He’d scared me three times already and had taken to jump-scaring half the student body.
Then there was Nearly Headless Nick, or, as we Slytherin girls called him, Peeping Nick.
Why did he target the greens? No clue!
You know what? Don’t even get me started on the whole ghost situation.
The wind whipped around me as I leaned against the balcony railing. Behind me stretched a vista of orange.
Georgia stepped onto the balcony. Today, she wore black lipstick to celebrate the season.
“See you at the banquet tonight?” she asked.
“Stomach hurts. I’ll sit this one out.” I rubbed my belly.
She folded her arms, narrowed her eyes, and shifted her weight onto her other hip.
“You’ve been acting weird, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about that potion prank you lied about weeks ago.” She waved a hand.
I looked down and away, narrowing my eyes at the floor.
Birds chirped, and leaves rustled.
I looked back at her and smiled.
“I have to do something. Daddy… Father asked me to do him a favour, and I can’t say no,” I said.
She visibly relaxed. She hurried over and took my hands. Her thumb brushed against my ring, and I snatched my hand away.
“It’s that ring, isn’t it? A cursed item?” she asked.
“Georgia, you’re my best friend. BFF for life.” I squeezed her hand.
“Okay… I get it. I won’t ask.”
“If anyone asks…”
“You’ve gone to the nurse’s office. But please… talk to me about this when whatever’s going on with you and your family is over. Please, talk to me.” She squeezed my hand tightly.
I clasped her hand and smiled.
“I will.” I nodded.
Later, I strode into the Room of Requirement to find it transformed into an ordinary chamber crammed with clothing racks.
Harry had already changed into an old dress suit.
I laughed and covered my mouth.
“Is that what you wore to the ball last year?” I pointed at him.
He sighed and nodded.
“The room has generated clothes for you, too.” He gestured towards the racks.
“Please!” I scoffed.
I drew my wand and whirled it above my head.
“Havora Vestis!” I flashed my eyes.
Ribbons of magic swirled around me. My uniform transformed into a frilly white dress complete with a corset and a lacy scarf around my neck.
He stared at me, open-mouthed.
Ha! Gotcha, stupid Pot-head! You’re totally mesmerized…
By…
My…
Body…
Ah… I don’t know how I feel about that.
Why are my cheeks burning?
I looked away, feeling butterflies flutter in my stomach.
No! Stop being stupid.
You, too!
Yes, you, you freaking reader, getting all kinds of thoughts. Stop thinking that, or I’ll curse you to… to… to grow a big head! Yeah, a huge head, so you can’t even stand up straight.
It’s not like that, you idiots!
I don’t feel anything.
I took a sharp breath, stood tall, and looked down my nose at him.
“Fashion at its finest. Now, come.” I turned on my heel and left.
We reached the clock tower and heard music coming from beyond the entrance. Ghosts drifted past us.
“There’s enough for both of us.” He took a swig, downing half the bottle.
“Here.” He held it out to me.
I took the bottle and stared at the rim.
His mouth had touched it.
If I drank from it, that would be an… indirect… kiss.
My face felt like it was on fire. My stomach practically churned with a billion butterflies, and my whole world seemed to revolve around the rim of that bottle.
The very spot where his lips had been.
I didn’t even notice him convulsing.
He fell against the wall, his body shuddering. A wispy white aura enveloped him, and he gasped. Then he coughed up mist.
“Whoa!” He looked at himself and grinned.
I was still staring at the bottle like a complete weirdo.
I can do this!
Yeah, girl, you’ve got this.
You can survive one… indirect… kiss.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot.” He wiped the top of the bottle with his sleeve. “There. Drink.”
“Oh, right.” I nodded.
I blinked, and everything I’d been feeling faded.
I took a swig. It tasted of… nothing. It felt like swallowing mist, except it had no taste whatsoever.
I didn’t even realize I’d gulped down the entire thing until I held the empty bottle above my head.
“Oh no!” I groaned.
I stumbled into him, shaking as I transformed into a half-ghost thing.
Well, if you must know, you stupid reader, we were actually still mortals producing a ghostly aura. We could still touch things and do all the normal things, but since you totally MUST know, we could pass for ghosts.
“Come on.” He pulled my arm.
We ran past the swinging pendulum and entered through the door.
Ghostly Halloween decorations filled the room. Giant pumpkins with twisted faces sang songs. Skeletons played drums. A wraith-fire horse trotted in place while a ghost wearing a top hat played a guitar on its back. Another ghost sang into a spectral microphone alongside a plump lady ghost covered in bloodstains.
“There it is!” Harry said.
He pointed towards a door at the top of a short flight of steps. On any other day, the doorway would have been bricked up, but today, a ghostly door stood in its place.
“HARRY POTTER! YOU DIED!” Peeves announced.
The insufferable ghost descended and grabbed the boy by the hand.
“Oh… y-yes! Terrible, really. Taken out in a duel.” Harry nodded.
“By whom?” Peeves stroked his beard.
“Me.” I nodded.
“Malfoid! Oh my! This will be a riot. Everyone, look at these two fools! They killed each other in a duel!” Peeves announced.
About half the ghosts paused to laugh.
Peeves swooped low and grabbed my wrist.
“Then let’s dance!” he declared.
“NO!” I snatched my hand away.
Peeves pouted and tapped his chin.
I froze, wondering what nonsense the idiot would get us into now.
He held up a finger.
“I know! You’re dead, so dance! Go on, share a dance at this, the night of the Phantom Ball.” Peeves shoved me towards Harry.
Peeves kicked me, and I fell against Harry.
Our faces were inches apart.
My heart hammered.
Harry looked shocked.
“Let’s do it. Come on.” Harry took my hand.
What the hell was happening?
I couldn’t think!
I just stared blankly as he placed a hand at my waist and took my other hand in his.
Then we were slow dancing.
Peeves hung around, laughing and generally being a menace, but we ignored him.
Harry looked at me and gave me his confident smile.
My heart hammered. I could barely breathe.
I simply danced, my muscles remembering the movements I’d practised since childhood, when my instructors taught me how to be a proper lady. That included seventy-three different types of dance.
For just a moment, the world slipped away, and there was only the two of us.
Here and now.
Me and Harry Potter.
Of all the people in the world I could have been dancing with, here we were, holding hands.
And I couldn’t help but smile.