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The Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizard buzzed with activity, as several students who had volunteered to assist the teachers in decorating the Hall for Christmas rushed to finish before the rest of the school arrived for Sunday dinner.  Connor Murgatroyd, the fifth-year Ravenclaw prefect whose wavy brown hair was streaked with blue, was balanced on a chair, using his wand to levitate ornaments onto one of the Hall’s dozen large Christmas trees.  Beside him, his best friend Rowan Khanna unpacked the baubles from a large box that their Head of House, Professor Flitwick, had deposited on the table before scurrying off to extinguish a tree on the far side of the room that had caught on fire when a student levitated the garland directly into one of the Great Hall’s many floating candles.

“Last one,” said Rowan, neatly folding the tissue paper back into the box and pulling out his own wand.  The last few glass balls floated, bubble-like, and settled on the evergreen branches, twinkling in the candlelight.

The two boys stepped back to admire their handiwork, then picked up the empty ornament boxes and carried them to the small room just off the Great Hall where they would be stored until they were re-packed at the end of the Christmas season.

When Connor and Rowan re-emerged, they were met with a large box, overflowing with evergreen garland.  The box turned a bit to reveal it was being carried by Hogwarts’ Head Boy, Bill Weasley, whose long red hair was starting to escape from its usual ponytail.  He smiled at Connor and Rowan.

“I’m going to hang these up around the fireplace, want to help?”

“Of course!” Rowan replied, a little too eagerly.  Connor noticed just a hint of a blush rising in Rowan’s already dark cheeks.  Rowan fell in step next to Bill, with Connor behind, inspecting the branches.

“Oh!  These are spruce!  Good choice, it’s more durable than fir.”

Bill gave him a small smile.  “It’s amazing how you know so much about plants, Rowan.”  Rowan stammered and averted his eyes, but managed to maintain conversation while they hung the boughs.  Connor followed a few steps behind, hanging tinsel on the branches and making them sparkle and shine.

Moments after they finished, Professor Dumbledore’s voice, magically amplified, rang out.  “Thank you all for assisting with the decorations.  Every individual here has earned fifteen house points.”  The giant hourglasses behind him clattered as they poured a sizeable amount of gems into each House’s reservoir- at a glance, it appeared that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were closely tied for the House Cup Lead.  “Now, if you will take your seats, dinner is about to begin.”

The enormous oak doors of the Great Hall creaked open, and the rest of Hogwarts’ student body began to trickle in.  Connor took a few moments to reflect with nostalgia on the joy that came to the younger students’ faces.  Christmas at Hogwarts was truly impressive.  Of course, the Murgatroyd family enjoyed Yuletide festivities at home too, and Connor was looking forward to making presents for his younger cousins once the holiday break began, but the ancestral estate where the most recent generation of Murgatroyds lived was never decorated quite like Hogwarts.

Gradually, the golden plates lining the four House tables became emptied of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and assorted greens, and as the uneaten leftovers vanished, Professor Dumbledore stood up.  The students in the hall turned towards him.

“The Yuletide season has begun, this year again like many years before,” the Headmaster began, “This year, however, Hogwarts will be assisting the Ministry of Magic in hosting the Ministry’s annual Solstice Ball.”

The assembled students collectively gasped.  Those who had parents who worked for the Ministry knew of the traditional Winter Solstice Gala, always the most extravagant and elegant party of the year that spanned three days and was usually hosted in the grand ballrooms of old family estates.  Connor’s aunt Ysabel, who worked for the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, had brought him to this party once, when he was a little boy, when he and his brother Jacob had spent most of the evening chasing the white peacocks that lived on the grounds of Malfoy Manor.

“Some of the Gala events will be at the Thorne residence outside of Hogsmede, but the Ball itself will be here in the Great Hall. Students and Hogwarts staff, therefore, will be welcome to wear their finery and enjoy the feast and the dancing,” Dumbledore continued, “And, as is the tradition of the Ministry, entertainment is an important part of the ball.  Any students or groups interested in performing should contact their Head of House.  It is not necessary, of course, to accompany a dance partner in order to attend, but of course you may certainly take this as an opportunity if you’d like.”

Connor noticed Rowan’s eyes flick almost inperceptibly towards the Gryffindor table, where Bill Weasley was seated with his younger brothers, Charlie and Percy.
“Of course, I expect you all will welcome our guests, when they arrive, but I also hope that this helps make your Yuletide season just a little brighter.” Dumbledore finished, and the students began to leave the hall, chattering excitedly.
As the Ravenclaw boys returned to their dorm, Andre Egwu, grinning broadly, pulled out his sketchbook full of clothing designs.  “You all should let me help you pick out your outfits for this ball.- I want all of my dormmates to look impeccable, unlike on Halloween,” he added, with a pointed look at Connor.

“It was Halloween!  You’re supposed to dress strangely!  Obviously for a Winter Ball I’ll wear dress robes.”

Andre turned back to his book, “Dress robes are well and good, but you’ve got to accessorize, too.  Add some flair!”

“Must I?” asked Bartholomew Jackson laconically, as he carefully folded his school robes and slid into his black silk pajamas.

“You’ve got a good sense of style, Bart.  Smooth and simple.  You’re not the one I’m worried about,” Andre said, looking at his other roommates.  Connor sheepishly put the sweater he was holding back into his drawer.  It was acid-green with a knitted design across the chest that depicted a stag dressed in a pirate costume, with blue waves rippling down the sleeves.  He had borrowed it from Noah Galloway, his friend in Gryffindor, and found it extremely soft and comfortable on cold nights. Under Andre’s direct gaze, however, Connor slipped into a simpler blue pajama top with a small Ravenclaw eagle embroidered on the breast pocket.

“Don’t worry about it Andre,” he said, “I’m going to write home tomorrow.  I was exploring at home last summer and found some dress tunics from the time of Queen Elizabeth I, and a cool coat that my  uncle Gilbert said was his, from when he was alive, so it would have been… mid 18th Century, I think?”  Castle Ruddygore, where Connor had grown up, was home to a number of ghosts of the Murgatroyd family’s ancestors.  “I’m sure my dad can owl me something that will fit.”

Andre regarded Connor, considering.  “I do think you’d look good in something bold and modern, but I’ve seen you pull off vintage before.  It could work.”

“Well, I’m probably not going to even go,” said Talbott Winger, the most reclusive of the bunch.  “I don’t like dancing.”

“It’s not just about dancing, Talbott,” Dorian Knox interjected, poking his head in from the bathroom that adjoined the two fifth-year boys’ dormitories.  “It’s about who you’re gonna ask!”

Jason Duncan appeared in the doorway as well, toothbrush in hand. “He’s right, you know.  There’s so many attractive people at this school!  Course, I’d like to dance with them all, not just anchor myself to one date.”

There was a knock on the dormitory door.  Rowan, whose bed was closest, reached to open it, revealing Tulip Karasu holding a purple-spotted toad in her outstretched hands.  “Connor, Galileo came to visit again.”

Connor sheepishly stood to retrieve his wayward pet.  “What are him and Dennis always talking about, anyway?”  For some obscure reason, Connor’s toad Galileo and Tulip’s toad Dennis had immediately taken a liking to each other soon after the two students met.  The two amphibians were often found softly chirping at each other in odd corners of the Ravenclaw tower.

Dorian waved at Tulip.  “Hey Tulip!  We’re talking about the ball!  Winger says he’s not going.”  Talbott glared at Dorian.

“I’m not,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact as he pulled off his socks and placed them carefully into his laundry basket.

“Awww, why?” asked Tulip, depositing Galileo into Connor’s hands and sprawling next to Talbott on his bed.  Talbott edged away from her.

“I don’t want to,” he said.

“But what if someone aasssssks you, Talbot?” asked Dorian, sidling up to him on his other side.  Tulip nodded.

“Unless you plan on asking me yourself, Knox, I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

Dorian slid to the floor, catching the pant leg of Connor’s Ravenclaw-printed pajamas in his free hand.  “My pride, it is wounded!  Help me, Murgatroyd!”

Connor awkwardly reached down and patted Dorian’s head.  “I’m very sorry about your pride.”

Dorian sprang to his feet and winked at Connor.  “Thanks, Murgatroyd.  At least someone here appreciates me.” He clapped Connor on the shoulder and then skipped back through the bathroom to his own dorm.

With Dorian gone, Tulip turned to Talbott again.  “I happen to know that someone fancies you.  I think you should go with her, Talbott Winger.”

Talbott avoided her eyes.  “You know I prefer to fly solo.”

“We’ll see about that,” Tulip mussed Talbott’s hair on the way out of the room.  Talbott crankily fixed his hair as he headed for the bathroom, from whence Rowan had just returned.

“I think I lost my Transfiguration textbook at our study table in the Common Room,” Rowan mused, looking through the pile of books on his bedside table, “Could you help me look for it?”

Connor nodded, “I should check that all the underclassmen are upstairs anyway- it’s getting close to their curfew.”  He followed the coffee-skinned boy down the dormitory staircase.  There, they found Tulip seated in an armchair, staring pensively into the fire.  She looked up at their presence.

“Hey,” she said, slouching into her chair.

“You ok?” asked Connor, sinking on the a stool near her.

Tulip shrugged.  “Just thinking about the ball, Connor Murgatroyd.”  He inclined his head towards her and fixed her with what Rowan often called his “Caring Prefect Look,” well-known for its ability to get younger students to explain their problem so that he could better help them solve it.

It seemed to work on Tulip as well, for she sighed.  “You know how, when we first met, I was friends with Merula?” Connor nodded- he clearly remembered their third year’s quest to obtain clues to the location of the Vault of Fear. “Well,” Tulip continued, “We were… maybe more than friends?  Or at least I wanted to be.  I don’t know if she ever felt the same way.”

Connor tilted his head.  His dislike for Merula was strong enough that he could not imagine anyone being interested in her romantically.  But Tulip was still his friend, so he said, “That must have made it harder for you.”

Tulip gazed into the fire.  “Yeah.  I haven’t thought about it a whole lot, lately.  Been doing other things.  But then they announced this ball and everyone is already talking about dates and… I started thinking again.”

“Are you going to ask her to the ball, then?” Rowan, Transfiguration book safely in hand, perched beside Connor.

“I don’t know, Rowan Khanna.  I don’t think I actually want to go with her- I just started wondering about what would happen if I did.”

“An important distinction,” Rowan agreed, “I know I can’t ask the person I fancy.”

Connor raised an eyebrow at him.  “I maintain that you could.  If you’re talking about who I think.”  Rowan blushed and looked away, confirming Connor’s suspicion.  He turned back to Tulip.  “I wouldn’t recommend going with Merula, of course, but I might be biased.”  Tulip snickered.  It was well known that Connor and Merula had taken an immediate dislike to each other first year, and while time and maturity had brought begrudged cooperation, they would probably never see eye-to-eye.

“If you could go out with someone, what would you want that person to be like?” Rowan asked, turning the attention back to Tulip.

She considered for a moment.  “Well, I liked Merula because she’s almost as good of a troublemaker as I am.  She’s clever, and she’s brave.  But, a lot of the time, if we played jokes or tricks, she’d be mean about it.  If I could find someone who liked tricks the way I do, but had a real sense of humour…” she trailed off.

Connor sniggered.  “I’m not an expert in the ways of romance, but, it sounds like maybe you maybe should ask Peeves.”

Rowan looked incredulous as Tulip snorted a laugh.  “It would make for highly chaotic dancing, I suppose.  All things considered, I might prefer someone more corporeal, though.  What about you, Connor Murgatroyd?  You going to ask anyone?”

Connor shrugged and sighed.  “I don’t know.  I don’t mind just dancing with my friends, especially those who don’t have dates.”

“Didn’t you and Noah Galloway go to that Halloween party together?” Tulip asked.

Connor chuckled.  He had, in fact, accompanied the tall and lanky Gryffindor to a Halloween party.  “Yeah, but it wasn’t a date.  Since we’re both canine Animagi and we thought it would be funny.”

“Dogs wearing leather jackets and sunglasses is funny, you have to admit,” said Rowan, who had helped them charm the leather jackets to fit Noah’s Golden Retriever and Connor’s black fox.

“Not quite my style of joke, but it takes all kinds, I suppose.” Tulip grinned as stood up and stretched.  “Really though, Connor Murgatroyd.  Anyone you like?”

“Sort of.  I think.  There’s a friend that I might have feelings for, but I’m not sure yet.”

Tulip fiddled with her Dungbomb necklace and gave Connor an impish grin.  “Well, no harm asking, right?”

Rowan shook his head.  “I’m not asking my crush.  No way.  I’d be too afraid that he’ll say no.  And then I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Would you know what to do if he said yes?” Tulip quipped. Rowan stammered a bit and started to fidget with the top button of his pajamas, as Tulip stood up and stretched.  “I should go to bed.  Thanks for the talk, Connor Murgatroyd, Rowan Khanna.”

Connor stopped Rowan as they started to head up the staircase to the boys’ dormitory.  “You’ve liked him for a long time.  And he’s graduating this year.  You don’t have to get him to commit forever.  Just have fun dancing.”

Rowan leaned against the wall and regarded Connor.  His left hand continued to fidget with the button on his pajama top.  “I can’t ask Bill Weasley to the ball.  I just can’t.”

“Would you go with him if he asked you?”

“Sure.  But that’s never going to happen.  I’m pretty sure he only likes girls, anyway.”

Connor regarded his best friend.  “Look, Rowan.  I see Bill all the time, when we’re working with Rakepick on Curse-Breaking.  I don’t know if he would like you romantically, but, he’s really nice.  I’m sure he cares about you.  He wouldn’t hurt your feelings.”

Rowan shuffled his feet and looked at the floor.  “If you somehow convinced him to ask me…” he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

“I’ll ask some strategic questions.  See what I can do.  I want you to have a good time at the dance.”

Rowan gave Connor a weak smile and nodded, granting permission, then both slipped back into the dormitory, which had quieted for the night.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The next day, fifth-years from all fours houses slowly gathered at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, awaiting Professor Kettleburn, who appeared to be late for that day’s Care of Magical Creatures class.  As Connor and the other Ravenclaws reached the edge of the grounds, Charlie Weasley approached and casually slung his arm around Connor.  Connor breifly stiffened at the contact.  Being raised in a household full of cold and foggy ghosts had made him somewhat averse to physical touch, but he was trying to learn how to relax, at least with his close friends.

“I never got the chance to properly thank you for helping me follow up that lead on a dragon egg, even if it turned out to be an acromantula’s instead.”

“Oh, of course,” Connor said, “It was an adventure and a learning experience.”

Charlie gave him a soft smile.  “I wanted to let you know, if I do get my dream job studying dragons at the preserve in Romania, you’ll be the first person I ask to visit.”

Connor looked away to hide the blush rising to his cheeks, only to notice Andre giving the two of them an appraising glance.  Connor awkwardly patted Charlie’s shoulder and slipped out from under the redhead’s arm.

“That’s very nice.  I hope I can help you.  Get the job.  And come visit.” he stammered.

He was interrupted by the sounds of a soft, magically amplified tune that had started to play at the far edge of the empty paddock.  Connor recognized his fellow Prefects, Joan Russel and Fish Sanchez of Slytherin shepherding their fellow Slytherin Liz Tuttle towards the source of the music.  The Hufflepuff prefect sat cross-legged on the ground, playing his hurdy-gurdy, and Barnaby Lee stood in front of him, his hair neatly combed and wearing dark dress-robes trimmed with gold that set off his tall and broad frame.  In his hand he was holding a bouquet of flowers as well as feathers that he had doubtless gathered when they had been shed by some of the birds he tended to for his extensive Care of Magical Creatures project.

Barnaby confidently strode towards Liz and took her hand.  She seemed slightly embarrassed by the spectacle, but beamed at Barnaby nonetheless.

“Liz, I know we’ve only been officially dating for a few months, but I wanted to do something special to ask you to the ball.  I hope you appreciate this bouquet- I made it myself.”

Liz’s dark eyes grew wider as she recognized the variety of feathers in Barnaby’s bouquet.  She glanced around at the crowd of students that had gathered, but anyone who met her eyes gave her an encouraging nod.

“Of course I’ll go to the ball with you.”

Before she could say anything else, Barnaby crushed her in a hug.  Liz returned the embrace and softly kissed Barnaby’s cheek.  All the assembled students began to cheer, but they were cut short by the screeches of several hippogryphs  that had finally emerged from the trees, led by the elderly Professor Silvanus Kettleburn.

“Ah, Mister Lee,” Kettleburn said in a thick Scottish accent, “I see you are well-prepared for this lesson.  Hippogryphs are proud and formal creatures, and they, more than any other magical beasts, appreciate fancy dress.”  His one good eye landed on Liz, who was still entangled in Barnaby’s arms.  “Although, it does appear the human female appreciates it as well.”  Liz and Barnaby set the bouquet aside, and the students gathered to begin class.

After an invigorating morning lesson on hippogryphs, the fifth-years crossed the lawn back towards the castle for lunch.  Liz and Barnaby walked slowly behind the rest of the group, hand in hand, while Charlie, Connor, Rowan, and Tulip strode ahead.

“Would you like to have lunch at our table today, Charlie Weasley?” asked Tulip.

The stocky red-haired boy shook his head.  “I promised I’d go talk to Bill, he looked worried about something this morning

“I hope he’s ok!” said Rowan, eyes wide with concern.

Charlie shrugged.  “He probably is.  If it was something with our family, Percy and I’d’ve heard about it already.”  He slid himself between Connor and Rowan and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders in a quick parting hug.  Tulip stepped away from him and so he awkwardly waved at her instead.  “I’ll see you guys later, ok?”

Leaving the Ravenclaws to their own table, Charlie slid into a seat across from his brother, who was staring morosely into his minestrone soup.  Charlie picked up a breadstick and poked Bill’s hand. “How’s it going?”

Bill shrugged.  “I was thinking about asking this girl to the ball- you know Arista Blackwood?  She’s in my year.”

Charlie thought for a moment.  “Tall, thin girl with dark curly hair?” he asked.  The named seemed familiar.

Bill nodded and swirled his spoon through his soup.  “Yeah.  She’s so pretty.”

Charlie scooped some pasta and marinara sauce onto his plate.  “I guess so.  I don’t usually notice if girls are pretty or not.  Now that you say it, though, sure.  I could see that.”

Bill sighed.  “You’re lucky.  I wish I could stop thinking about the people I get crushes on and focus on my studies like you do.”

Charlie shrugged.  “I don’t try to avoid getting crushes.  It’s just… creatures always seem more interesting.  I’m not sure I even know what a crush feels like.”

“You never see anyone and they just… make you stop breathing?  Make you unable to think about anything else?”

“No.  That doesn’t sound healthy.  Pretty girls shouldn’t stop you from breathing, Bill.”

Bill groaned and dropped a piece of bread into his soup.  He scooped it out and chewed it thoughtfully.  “Anyway, I wanted to ask Arista to the ball.  We had Transfiguration Class together this morning.  I tried to sit next to her, but she just looked at me with her big brown eyes and scooted away.  I had time to realize her makeup looked perfect, but I didn’t even get to say anything.”

Charlie reached across the table and awkwardly patted Bill’s shoulder.  “She sounds kinda mean.”

“I knoooooooow,” Bill groaned.  “I don’t want to think about her anymore.  I can’t even talk to her.”

Charlie leaned back and regarded his brother.  “Have you ever considered maybe asking out someone you are already friends with?  I’ve never understood why you always fancy attractive girls you can’t talk to.”

“I can’t choose who I like, Charlie!  It just happens!”

“Ok, sure.  But do you have any friends you might like to go to the ball with?  It might be easier.  Not that I plan on asking anyone myself, mind, but if I did, it would be someone I already know I like spending time with.”

Bill shrugged and took another bite of soup.

Charlie decided to try a different tactic.  “Maybe, if you’re having bad luck with girls, you could ask a boy instead?”

Bill ran a hand through his hair and laughed.  “You really don’t know how this works, Charlie.  I told you, I can’t choose who to fancy.  I’ve got nothing against the idea of going out with a bloke, but I’ve never seemed to really like any the way I’ve liked girls.”

Charlie shrugged.  “Just a suggestion.  If you really want to have a date for the dance, I’d say you should pick a friend.  Male or female.  Someone you know you’ll have a good time with.  It’s just one ball.  No one is saying you have to stay with your date forever.”

Bill picked up a piece of garlic bread. “I know logically that’s good advice.  I just wish my heart would listen.”  He looked down the table at Arista, who was sitting with a group of other Gryffindor girls.  They were looking at the Slytherin table and giggling at Terence Higgs, a fourth-year who had just become Slytherin’s new Seeker.  He had just knocked over his goblet of pumpkin juice into his lap.  Charlie had the distinct impression that he didn’t like Arista- he had played against Higgs in the first game of the Quidditch season last month and had found him to be one of the most honest of the Slytherin players.

The bell rang, and Charlie quickly scooped the last few bites of pasta into his mouth.  “Potions next.  I’ll see you later.  Good luck with the girls or whatever”

Bill gave him a smirk.  “I’ve got a free period, so I’m headed to the library.  Good luck with Snape.”

Charlie groaned softly.  “I’ll need it, I’m sure.”
 
When the fifth-years assembled in the dungeons, Professor Snape was still in his office.  However, he had drawn a new seating chart on the blackboard, with the students in groups of three.  Charlie Weasley found himself seated with Ada Corcoran, an auburn-haired Ravenclaw girl he had only met a few times.  Rowan Khanna’s name was also written on their table, though Rowan himself had not arrived yet.  Charlie sat down next to Ada, who was grinning mischievously.

“Just tricked your roommate,” she said, purple eyes twinkling.

Charlie quirked an eyebrow at her.  “Which one?” he asked, “My dorm has five.”

“Ben,” said Ada, “I don’t know the rest of the Gryffindors that well.”

Charlie nodded.  He knew that his dorm-mate Ben Copper was good friends with Ada.  “Please tell me you didn’t scare him too badly.”

Ada chuckled and straightened her green hairband.  “Nah.  He was a little annoyed, but he ought to know my sense of humor by now.”

Before Charlie could ask what exactly Ada had done to trick Ben, Rowan seated himself on Charlie’s other side.  “Hi, Ada.  Hi, Charlie.  How was Bill?” Rowan asked.

Charlie shrugged.  “He wanted to ask some girl to the ball.”  Rowan’s breath caught for a moment, but Charlie continued, “He chickened out though.  He was a bit upset with himself.”

Ada chuckled a little.  “Between him and Ben, I’m beginning to doubt Gryffindor’s reputation as the Brave House.”

Snape’s office door opened before the conversation could continue.  His cloak billowed behind him as he strode to the front of the classroom, a casual flick of his wand replacing the seating chart with a potion recipe on the blackboard.

“Good afternoon, class,” he said, “Today we will be learning to make hair-raising potion.  Despite the levity of its common use, it is a complex brew and includes certain volatile ingredients.  Please ensure that the Billywig stings do not come into contact with water by keeping them wrapped in waxed paper until you are ready to add them, and use caution when adding the sunflower roots and the yak’s fur simultaneously.  I will be observing your technique.  You may begin gathering ingredients.” He sat down at his desk and scowled at the assembled students.

Penny Haywood finished re-braiding her hair, tucking it carefully back, and then turned towards her table-mates Connor and Andre.  “I’ve never brewed this one before, but I’ve heard it’s more challenging than it seems.

Andre was reading the recipe. “This looks pretty straightforward,” he mused.

“Sure, but a lot of the ingredients will react to each other and change the properties if they come into contact prematurely.  And I’ve heard it’s finicky with temperatures as well.  Connor, can you go get all the plant ingredients and weigh them?  None of them are particularly reactive, so you can get them all at once.”

Connor stood up and headed to the ingredients shelf, gathering a few bottles and a scoop.  Merula Snyde had, as was her habit, collected her ingredients first and was already using the scale, so he stood patiently in the queue that was forming. Behind him, Ismelda Murk appeared with what appeared to be a jar of live spiders.

“Are…are those part of the potion?” Connor asked, edging slightly away.

Ismelda pushed her bangs out of her face.  “No, they’re just my friends.  Or maybe snacks if I get hungry.” He green eyes shone with an odd light.

“Oh.  Um, okay,” Connor shifted a bit.  “You actually remind me a little of my uncle Mervyn.  He kept bats and spiders too, back when he was alive.”

“He’s dead?” Ismelda asked.

“I mean, he died in 1837, if I remember our family tree correctly.  But he’s a ghost, so I still talk to him.”

Ismelda looked at him, suddenly interested.  The two of them had never really talked much before, largely because Ismelda’s best friend was Connor’s worst enemy.  “You never told me you liked ghosts, Murgatroyd.”

Connor chuckled, and started to pour his ingredients on the now-vacant scale.  “‘Like’ may be a strong word.  I mean, I do live with twenty-seven of them at home, but, they’re my family.  It’s not like I really had a choice.”

“Your whole family is ghosts?” she looked impressed.

Connor scooped his last spoonful of shredded nettle leaves onto the scale.  “My mum and dad are alive, and my uncle and cousins live with us too.  The ghosts are my dad’s ancestors. They were all Baronets.  That’s a Muggle title of nobility,” he added at Ismelda’s breif look of confusion.  “And my brother Jacob, well.   I’m sure you’ve heard.”

Ismelda nodded.  “Never heard about the ancestors, though.  You’re all right, Murgatroyd.” She gave him what he thought might be the faintest hint of a smile, as he headed back to his table.  Connor thought he might have felt less confused by the encounter if she actually had started snacking on the spiders.

Penny had started heating the cauldron and Andre was pouring in the liquid ingredients for the potion. Connor picked up his knife and started thinly slicing the sunflower roots.

“We’ll have to wait a bit once the Murtlap saliva is in,” Penny was saying, “The liquid should go from pink to purple when it’s hot enough, then we can add the nettle leaves.”

“Alright, then,” said Andre, putting down his vial and gently adjusting the fire.

Penny leaned back in her chair and looked down the desk at the two Ravenclaws.  “Word is, everyone’s already excited for the Ball.  Heard some people are even pairing off already.”

“Yeah, Barnaby Lee asked Liz Tuttle in Care of Magical Creatures class this morning,” Connor informed Penny, who had chosen not to pursue that OWL-level elective course, “But they’ve been dating for a few months already, I thought?  So it’s not exactly pairing off?”

Penny smiled.  “I know. I saw Liz at lunch today.  She seemed really happy about it.” Connor smiled and added the nettle leaves as the potion changed color.  Leave it to Penny to be completely on top of all the school’s gossip.

“Either of you have anyone you’d like to ask?”

“Not me,” said Andre.  “I met a nice gentleman during summer holidays, and we’ve been keeping in correspondence since.  He lives in France though- he’s at Beauxbatons.  I’m seeing him again for New Year’s Eve,” Andre’s eyes soften a bit.  “I’m still excited for this ball, though.  See what everyone is wearing.  What about you, Penny?”

“For myself?  I’ve been busy with school work, and with my family.  I haven’t really thought about dates much this year.  What I’d really like to do, though,” her voice grew quieter and the two boys leaned in to hear her better, “Is get Tonks a date.”

“Anyone in particular, or you just want to pair her off for the fun of it?” Connor asked.  Nymphadora Tonks was Penny’s roommate and close friend, and had taught Connor a number of amusing jinxes over the years.

“I’ve got someone in mind, and I think they’d be a great match.  It’s a girl though- I know Tonks wouldn’t mind, but I’d have to find out if this person is open to that arrangement before I try to set them up.”  She paused, then motioned Connor and Andre to lean even closer.  “You’re both in Ravenclaw.  Any idea if your resident prankster likes girls?”

Connor thought about Tulip’s confession from the previous night.  He wasn’t entirely comfortable revealing this to Penny- Tulip’s youthful crush on Merula did not seem like it was his secret to tell.

Andre solved his dilemma though.  “She does, yeah.  I’ve never known her to actively pursue a relationship, but she’s not subtle about who she finds attractive.”

Penny nodded.  “Good to know.  It’s time to add the yak fur and sunflower roots, by the way.  Then it needs to boil for four minutes and then simmer on low heat for ten.”

After they added their ingredients, Charlie, who was seated at the table in front of them, turned around.

“I heard you talking about matchmaking.  Could I ask for some help?”

Andre and Penny both leaned forward eagerly.  “Who’ve you got your eye on?” Andre asked.

“I don’t mean for me,” Charlie quickly corrected, “I mean for Bill.”

Connor saw Rowan, who was seated next to Charlie, stiffen noticeably.  Rowan turned his head just enough to make eye contact with Connor and shake his head slightly.  Please don’t tell them.

Charlie didn’t seem to notice his table-mate’s reaction.  “He keeps fancying these really stuck-up and mean girls.  I’d love for him to find someone nicer.”

Connor quirked an eyebrow at Rowan and proceeded slowly.  “I might have an idea.  But maybe I should tell you later.  With fewer people around.”  He looked back at Rowan and tilted his head.  That ok? Rowan gave a small grateful smile and turned back to his potion.

Charlie looked around the crowded classroom.  “Fair enough, maybe I’ll catch you— oh, sorry Professor!”

Snape had appeared in the aisleway next to Charlie.  “You have fifteen minutes before the bell, Mr. Weasley.  I would advice you watch your own potion, and not that of the table behind you.”

“Yes, Professor,” Charlie mumbled.  As Snape turned away from them, Ada made a face at his retreating back, but Charlie shook his head at her.  “Don’t push him.  Let’s just finish.”

Snape inspected the next potion.  “Very thorough as usual, Miss Haywood, though the consistency of your is just a little runny.  Have Murgatroyd and Egwu been a distraction?”

“No, sir,” Penny said calmly, looking Snape directly in the eye, “I chose to err on the side of slightly more glasswort to be certain the Billywig sting is neutralized.  The excess water should boil off by the end.”

Snape gave their table a slow, but approving, nod.  “Very good use of theory, Miss Haywood. Five points to Hufflepuff. But do your team-mates understand what you did and why?” he turned to Connor and Andre.

“The Billywig sting has magical properties associated with working against the pull of gravity,” Connor began, “But it’s also slightly acidic.  The glasswort plant is alkaline, so it will chemically balance the potion and improve the taste for the drinker without negating any of the magical effects.”

“Good, Murgatroyd.  Sometimes the mundane or chemical properties of an ingredient are just as important as the magical, if not more.  Five points to Ravenclaw, as well.”  As Snape swept away, Connor and Penny subtly bumped fists under the table.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Over the next few days, it seemed that all anyone talked about outside of classes was either who they wanted to take to the ball, or what the wanted to wear to the ball.

“Hey, Connor!” Noah Galloway, a tall fifth-year with dark shaggy hair, waved at Connor from the Gryffindor table as Connor and Rowan entered the Great Hall at breakfast time.  Connor turned to wave, but Noah beckoned him over.

“I’ll join you in a minute, ok?” Connor said to Rowan, who gave him a thumbs-up and proceeded to the Ravenclaw table, pulling a book from his pocket as he went.

Connor slid onto the bench across from Noah.  The taller boy was wearing a bright blue sweater with a picture of a cat eating a stack of pancakes embroidered onto the front.  He swept his sandy brown hair out of his eyes and offered Connor a flagon of pumpkin juice.

“I… have to ask you something.” Noah hesitated and took a deep breath.  “We’ve been… spending a lot of time together lately- Hogsmeade weekends, Halloween. And I really had fun on Halloween, I did.  And you, you’re smart, and you’re friendly…”

Connor froze, his grip tightening on the handle of his mug.  His heart fluttered and his breathing felt shallow.  It was true, he realized.  They had done a coordinated Halloween costume, and had shared some of their most unusual articles of clothing.  He should have realized this might happen

“And I just realized I wasn’t sure if you and I were, you know, dating.  Because, well,” Noah stammered and stared into his pastry. “Emmie Bell just asked me to go to the Yule Ball with her.”

Connor exhaled, suddenly flooded with relief.  “That’s great!”  he exclaimed, nearly dropping his pumpkin juice.  Rebalancing the cup, he looked seriously at the Gryffindor boy. “Noah, you are an extraordinary friend and I delight in your company.  But, honestly?  I don’t think I understand how romantic feelings are supposed to feel.  I know I like you a lot!  But I’m not sure what else.”  He glanced down the table at Emmie.   The blonde girl was sitting with her dorm-mates carefully spreading jam onto her toast. “You should go to the ball with Emmie.  She’s really nice.”

Noah visibly relaxed.  “I like you too, Connor!  As a friend, I mean!  But Emmie’s just… she’s so sweet. All the time! She’s like living sunshine” Noah’s eyes softened as they flicked towards the Gryffindor girls.  His voice grew quieter. “We were playing Truth or Dare the other night… and Gilbert dared Emmie to dance with someone.  I volunteered, and I think I really felt something.  But you aren’t mad or jealous or anything?”

Connor shook his head.  “If you really like her, you should go for it.  Although,” he raised and eyebrow, “I’d love to do at least one vigorous polka with you- save me one?”

Noah grinned.  “I promise I will.  And, hey, if you ever want to go clothes shopping again, let me know!”

Connor chuckled. “I’ll try.  Andre might kill me though.”

Noah’s eyes twinkled.  “Who cares what Andre Egwu thinks?”

“You don’t share a room with him.”

“I’ll still need an outfit for the ball, though.  I’m too tall for my old dress robes.”

Connor winked at him.  “I’ll probably ask for my uncles to owl something from home.  But I can still help you pick something out.” The Murgatroyd ghosts could no longer use their worldly possessions, but were always delighted when living members of the family made practical use of their heirlooms.

“Meet you in Hogmeade this Saturday, then?”

Connor agreed and was about to return to the Ravenclaw table when he was startled by a shrill shriek of laughter coming from someone on the other side of Noah.

“Face it Weasley, I’m out of your league,” Arista Blackwood was saying loudly.  “My shoes alone are more expensive than your entire wardrobe.  I can’t be seen at a formal ball with someone who shops at second-hand stores.”  Bill’s ears turned red.  Connor heard Noah mutter something about how second-hand stores always had more interesting colors.  He sounded more confused than irritated.  Bill’s younger brother Percy surreptitiously slipped out of the Great Hall, most likely in an attempt to avoid association with such a scene.

Arista wasn’t finished, “Not to mention all your little brothers.  I hear you’re basically the third parent at your house.” The blush spread from the tips of Bill’s ears down the back of his neck.  “A man who takes care of babies is not terribly macho, you know.  Bloke like you isn’t going to know how to treat a girl like me.”  She pushed her curls back, revealing sparkly earrings that looked expensive.  “My last boyfriend gave me these.  What would you give me, Weasley?  A dirty diaper?”  She laughed, and then left the table with a flounce, followed by a gaggle of Gryffindor and Slytherin girls in her year.

Bill, dejected, sank into an empty seat that Arista’s friends had just vacated.  Connor squeezed Bill’s shoulder as he slid into the next seat.

“Bad luck, Bill.  That looked embarrassing.”  Bill groaned and smacked his forehead into the table.  Connor patted the back of his head in a manner that he hoped was comforting.

“Why did I do that?” Bill moaned, his speech somewhat muffled by the fact that his face was still on the table.  “I knew she’d say no!”

Connor quietly resigned himself to not getting breakfast with his own dorm-mates and helped himself to a slice of toast and a few strips of bacon.  He folded the bread over the meat and took a bite of his makeshift sandwich.  Bill slowly sat up again.  Connor wordlessly added food to Bill’s plate as well, of which the older boy took one bite before sighing again.

“I should have listened to Charlie’s advice.”

“Oh?”

“He said I should just ask someone as a friend.  But I still had feelings for Arista, so I asked her.  Now I have to work up the courage to ask someone else!  And everyone probably already has a date by now!”

“I doubt that,” Connor said, “I think people in committed relationships have already asked each other to the ball, but I know plenty of people planning to go alone.  Finding a date seems like a lot more trouble that it’s worth.”

“It’s definitely not worth it if no one will ever love you.  Who would think I’m worth going with?”

“Plenty of people, I’m sure.  You are  good-looking bloke, you are nice to everyone, and you are the bravest wizard I know.  You’ve stood with me against Ice Knights, Dark Wizards, and Acromantulas.  There’s literally no one else I’d rather have on my side in a fight.”

Bill gave a weak smile.  “Dueling is different than dancing though.”

“Eh, not that much.  Somewhat athletic, usually done between two people, stepping on the other person’s foot disqualifies you… sounds pretty similar to me.”

This time, Bill actually chuckled.  “You may be right.  Maybe I should try to ask someone else.  Can’t be any more embarrassing than what just happened.”

Connor took another bite of toast and glanced back at the Ravenclaw table.  Rowan was happily buried in a paperback copy of A History of Magizoology, occasionally nibbling the muffin he held in his other hand.  Connor watched his best friend for a few moments more, nervously drumming his fingers.

“I might be able to find you a date?” he said finally, turning back to the Gryffindor beside him.  Bill’s eyes widened and he sat up a little straighter.

Connor inhaled slowly, debating how to proceed.  “I happen to know someone who would definitely go with you if you asked.  They might be too shy to ask you themselves though, and  I’m not sure they’d want me to tell you to ask them.  I’d have to make sure it was ok.”

Bill nodded.  Having just revealed his own crush and facing the resulting disaster, he understood that Connor’s friend might not want to disclose their feelings.  “As long as she doesn’t laugh at me and insult my family in front of the whole school.”

“He, actually.” Connor said, “My friend who likes you is a he.  That’s part of why he’s shy to say anything.”

Bill looked briefly surprised, but tilted his head to the side, thinking.  “I’ve never been out with a bloke before. But, sure.  First time for everything, I suppose.”

“Great!” Connor grinned.  “I’ll see what I can do.”  And he left the table, attempting to think of a plan in the few minutes he had left before Herbology class.

---
When Saturday came, snow was falling softly on the village of Hogsmede.  Festive lights twinkled on the rooftops in the fading afternoon light Various residents were taking advantage of the Saturday to finish their Christmas decorating, while shop owners were kept busy by the Hogwarts students enjoying the day.  Honeydukes Candy Shore was particularly crowded, as was Zonkos Joke Shop.  The little secondhand clothing store nestled between them was occupied by fewer patrons, but the delighted giggles of two students still added merriment to the atmosphere.
“How do you like this one, Connor?” asked Noah.  He had chosen a long-sleeved shirt from a shelf that was yellow with irregularly placed red circles.  Connor, who was currently wearing an oversized top hat with various types trees embroidered on its sides, looked at the garment more closely.

“Is that supposed to be pepperoni pizza?”

“I think it might be,” Noah Galloway laughed, his hazel eyes twinkling.  He held up the sweater again.  “Looks a little small for me, but I might be able to manage a Resizing Charm on it…”

“Careful with those,” Connor warned.  “It worked to shrink our jackets when we went to the Animagus party, but the charm wore off after a while.”

Noah put the pizza shirt back on the rack, and moved towards the back of the store.  “Maybe they’ve got matching suit sets.”

Connor followed him.  The secondhand store had a mix of wizard and muggle-style clothing, with casual wear towards the front and more formal garb along the back wall.  A thin, pale Ravenclaw with softly curling hair was paging though the rack of dresses.  Connor moved to greet her.

“Hey Mads!”  Madeleine Moore was Connor’s second cousin and Ravenclaw year-mate.

She smiled at Connor and Noah.  “Hey!  Looking for outfits for the ball?” she asked.

Noah nodded.  “Mostly.  Maybe some things for every day, too.”  He plucked a garment off the rack, holding it up for appraisal.  “These look comfortable.”  The garment, at first glance, appeared to be a rainbow-striped knitted sweater.  But as Noah shook it out, Connor realized it was actually a pair of trousers.

“They sure are… colorful,” Madeleine said.

“Not for the ball, though,” mused Noah.  “Pajamas, maybe.”

Connor felt the fabric.  “It’s rough wool.  I think I’d find these too scratchy.”

Noah shrugged and returned to the racks of formalwear.  “Do you think I should go with dress-robes or more of a Muggle-style suit?”

“Most of the school will probably wear dress robes,” Madeleine offered, “But I’m looking at some gowns right now too.”  She pulled a silver sleeveless dress of the rack.  It was covered in sequins, but when she ran her hands over them, the sequins flipped over and displayed a greenish-purple side.

“That’s not a ball gown,” said Connor, “That’s a mermaid costume.”

Madeleine regarded him and nodded.  “You may be right,” she said, still running her hands up and down the skirt to change the colors.  “It’s still pretty though.”

Noah appeared from the fitting room.  He was dressed in a suit of a pure white blazer and trousers.  A large red maple leaf was printed on the back of the jacket, and tiny copies of the leaf ran up the outer seam of the pant leg.

“How does Canada’s national anthem go?” asked Noah, “I think I need to sing it right now.”

Madeleine and Connor burst out laughing.  “Do you even know any Canadians?”

Noah shrugged, grabbed a few more pieces of clothing off the rack, and disappeared back into the fitting room.  Madeleine carefully placed the sequined dress into her basket and returned to the dresses.  Connor started digging through the accessories bin. He had received a formal ball outfit from his ghostly uncle Marmaduke, who had lived in the early nineteenth century and who firmly believed that one of mankind’s greatest travesties was to have allowed the tricorn hat to fall out of style.  However, the cravat that his relatives had sent was rather tattered and moth-eaten, so Connor was hoping to find a new neckcloth.

Noah reappeared.  This time he was in a wizard-style tailcoat that was shiny and green, with breeches that matched.  He had paired it with a ruffled sky-blue shirt and a pink necktie that was printed with ladybird beetles.  On his feet were navy-blue leather boots that sparkled with soft magical light when he walked.  “What do you think?  I have something else in the fitting dressing room if you don’t like it.”

Connor bit his tongue.  He had to admit, this was still better than the Canadian flag suit, but he didn’t particularly like the ladybugs, and the tailcoat was a bit broad for Noah’s shoulders.  “What’s the other thing?”

“Christmas tartan?” said Noah.

Madeleine appeared from the other dressing room.  She wore a white dress with light blue fabric puffing out around the edge of the skirt, and two more poofs of blue behind each shoulder.  Connor had the distinct impression that he was looking at a walking cloud.

He inhaled slowly.  “Not to sound like Andre, but… I’m not sure about either of those.  Noah, do you know what Emmie is wearing?  Maybe you should try to at least match her color scheme.”

“Yeah, she showed me her dress.  It’s light blue with silver butterflies.”

Madeleine’s eyes lit up.  “I saw something that would match!”  She rifled through the rack and pulled a few hangers, tossing them to Noah.  “Try those!”  Noah retreated to the fitting room.

“What about you, Mads?” asked Connor, “Do you have a date?”

She shook her head.  “No one has asked me, at least not yet.  And I don’t particularly fancy anyone right now.”

Connor nodded.  “What if we look for some sort of historical dress for you?  You look good in more classical styles anyway.”

She agreed, and both set to work.  After a few minutes of careful consideration, Connor held out a hanger to her.  Madeleine looked at it and grinned.  “It’s so pretty!  Let me see how it fits!” She closed the dressing room door a little too loudly, earning the trio a glance from the only other patron in the shop, an elderly woman who was perusing the shoe section.

Connor selected a new cravat while he waited for his friends to change.

Noah reappeared first.  This time, he was in a well-fitting pinstriped suit of a blue so dark it was almost black, interspersed with vertical bands of sparkling silver.  Under the waistcoat, he had on a powder-blue shirt and silvery-gray necktie.  There was no other word for it- he looked snazzy.

Connor told him as much, then pressed something into Noah’s hand that he had found in the accessory bin.  “If you re-fashion the clip, it would work as a tie tack or a lapel pin.”

Noah looked down at the object.  It was a hair pin decorated with a silver butterfly whose wings were set with small blue stones.  Noah’s eyes widened.  “It’s perfect.  Emmie will love that we match.  Thanks for finding that!”  He gave Connor a quick hug, then paused as Madeleine appeared from the other dressing room.  “You look amazing,” Noah gulped.

Connor slid out of Noah’s arms and turned around.  Madeleine wore a Grecian-style blue dress with gold trim.  A large golden brooch fastened a gauzy blue wrap over her left shoulder.  On her head she had placed a golden circlet that set off her dark curls quite nicely.

She glanced in the mirror.  “I have a gold bracelet at home that I think will match.  Other than that, it’s perfect.”

Connor stood over his cousin’s shoulder.  “It looks really good on you,” he agreed.  “I think you should wear it for sure.”

She beamed up at him and Noah.  “Thanks guys.  I wasn’t really excited for the ball before, but this dress does make it better.”

Noah took another moment to appraise his own reflection, then glanced at his watch.  “I promised Emmie I’d meet her for teatime when we finished shopping.  I think I’ll go ahead and buy this and go find her.”

Noah ended up purchasing the rainbow sweater-trousers and a festive Christmas hat in addition to his ball outfit, while Madeleine and Connor left with only what they had come for.  Once they had all finished paying and the shopkeeper had wrapped their packages, the three parted ways, with Madeleine electing to catch an early carriage back to the castle and Noah headed to meet with his date.

Connor was feeling hungry, so he meandered up the street toward the Three Broomsticks.  The snow had stopped falling and a weak winter sun was shining down on the town.  Passing Honeydukes, he waved at Bartholomew Jackson, his Ravenclaw dorm-mate who was seated on a bench with a handful of girls, all of whom seemed to be giving him candy.  Bart looked pleased about the confections but less interested in the attention, as he briskly stood up as Connor passed and strode to follow

“Afternoon,” Bart said, smoothing back his ice-blond hair.

Connor gave him a warm smile.  He knew Bart didn’t usually like talking to others.  “Enjoying the day?”

“Not particularly,” Bart stepped carefully around a puddle in the road in order to avoid muddying his shiny black shoes.  “Got some candy, though.  Headed to the Three Broomsticks for a bite.”

“Me too,” said Connor, completely failing to notice the puddle and striding directly into it, soaking his shoes and socks.  “Oh bother.”

Bart pointed his wand at Connor’s feet and muttered a quick Drying Charm.

“Thanks,” said Connor, scuffing the now-dry mud on the snow.

Bart acknowledged him with a curt nod, and the two headed up the street in quiet companionship, each boy contained in his own thoughts until Bart’s rat, Twitch, poked his head out of his pocket and squeaked at Connor.

“Oh hi Twitch,” Connor smiled at the creature.  His own rat Newton heard the squeak and emerged from Connor’s bag to give Twitch a greeting of her own.  Bart indulged in a rare smile at the two rats’s interaction as they arrived at the door of the Three Broomsticks.  Bart gave Connor a friendly nod and then quietly slipped inside and up the stairs to the quieter tables.

Connor spotted Charlie Weasley, Ben Copper, and Penny Haywood at a corner table, and approached them, pulling up an extra chair.  Charlie waved down a server for another flagon of Butterbeer, and Connor also requested a basket of fish and chips.

“Thanks for making Bill feel better yesterday, Connor.  I heard about what happened with Arista.”

Connor groaned and sipped his Butterbeer.  “I meant to talk to you about that, actually, since I didn’t manage to catch you after Potions yesterday.  I have an idea to set Bill up with someone.  I’m not quite sure how to play the matchmaker, though.”

Penny grinned.  “I’ve been trying come up with a plan to get Tonks and Tulip to admit they like each other.  Hoping I could use the Ball as an excuse."

“That’s terrifying,” Ben muttered.

“Seems painfully obvious to everyone except them,” Penny continued, ignoring Ben.

“Who did you have in mind for Bill?” Charlie asked.

Connor lowered his voice and looked around.  He could trust these three friends to help and not harm the situation  “Rowan.”

“Oh!” said Charlie, eyes lighting up “That could work!  They at least are friends and study together sometimes.  And Rowan’s a lot nicer than any of Bill's other crushes.”

At that moment, the door to the pub flew open and two loudly laughing teenagers stumbled in.  They held onto each other’s arms, wheezing.  The taller of the two straightened up first, pushing her long auburn hair out of her eyes.  “We have just Pranked the Prankster!” she announced.
Her companion attempted to stifle her own giggles.  She had spiky pink hair and bright brown eyes.  She tossed her bright Hufflepuff sweater over a chair and sat down across from Connor and Charlie.  “Sit down, Tulip!  Let’s have a celebratory Butterbeer while we relive our triumphs!”
Connor regarded Tulip.  “Do I need to step out, so that Your Prefect won’t be hearing this story?”

Tulip shook her head.  “Nah, it’s not a real prank if your victim has a sense of humor.”

Connor raised an eyebrow at her.

“Who’d you trick then?” asked Charlie.

Tonks grinned.  “Bilton Bilmes.”  Both girls dissolved into giggles again.

Tulip caught her breath.  “You know how Kettleburn’s not so great about guarding the creatures?”

“Oh no.” said Connor, beginning to suspect where this was going.

“Zonkos is much more festive when every surface is covered in Puffskeins, is what we thought,” Tonks said.

“We charmed their fur to change between red and green so they’d look more Christmassy.” Tulip added.

Charlie chuckled a bit.  “That sounds like something my brothers would do.  The twins, that is.”

“Didn’t your family have a Puffskein once?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, it belonged to my littlest brother Ron.  The twins kept trying to steal it though.”

“At least it wasn’t Nifflers,” Connor said, looking at Tulip, who had threatened to release one hundred Nifflers into the Hogwarts library just after Connor had become a prefect.

“I’m still sad you didn’t tell me about that plan.  I would have helped, regardless of what this guy says.” Tonks playfully shoved Tulip’s shoulder with a reproachful look at Connor.

Penny raised her eyebrows pointedly at Connor, who nodded assent- this seemed like a logical match.  She then turned her pointed look to Tonks, who completely missed the gesture.

Ben glanced at his watch.  “We’ve got thirty minutes until choir practice, Connor.  And it’ll take twenty to walk back to the castle.”

Connor shoved the last of his chips into his mouth, nodding.  Once he had swallowed, he said, “We’ll be performing here in the pub a few days before term ends.  Mostly classic Christmas music.  You all should come.”

“Sounds fun,” said Penny, “You’re performing at the ball as well, I’ve heard?”

Ben nodded.  “Just the beginning.  We’ll be singing with a community orchestra of both students and Ministry folks, and the Ballet Club will be performing the opening, and another ballet at the midpoint.  After that, the orchestra and some student bands will alternate sets.”

Tulip grinned.  “I’ll be singing a part with the Weird Sisters during their set too.”

“They sound really good- they’ve improved a lot since they started,” Tonks said, her hair breifly shifting into a fine imitation of Myron Wagtail’s before returning to its classic pink spikes.

“So you’ve sat in on their rehearsals?” Penny was asking Tonks, with another pointed look as Connor and Ben departed.  They were briefly waylaid as the passed Zonkos by Barnaby Lee and Liz Tuttle, who were attempting to collect the Puffskeins and return them to Professor Kettleburn.  Connor and Ben each volunteered to carry an armful of the soft creatures, but made it to choir practice on time, and they finally returned to their dormitories humming Christmas carols and feeling joyous.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sunday progressed slowly.  Everyone in Ravenclaw tower was feeling restless, attempting to study but feeling easily distracted.

Tulip rolled off the sofa and peered out the window.  “Wanna blow off some steam with a snowball fight?”

“Merlin, yes,” said Dorian, who was playing Exploding Snap with his room-mates Jason Duncan and Wesley Travers.

Andre raised a disapproving eyebrow.  “If you want to risk a cut or a black eye, go ahead.”

Wesley snorted.  “Like Quidditch is any safer.”

“Let them go, Andre.  It will be quieter if they leave,” Bart murmured.

Dorian dropped a Fizzing Whizbee onto Bart’s Potions textbook. “Grumpy old Jackson.” He smirked as Bart slipped the candy into his pocket.  “Murgatroyd? Khanna?  You two want to join in the fun?”

Connor looked at Rowan, who had been writing furiously.  “I could use a study break.  Probably will just make a snow sculpture, though.  Not so interested in throwing it.”

Rowan chewed on the end of his quill, then pushed up his glasses.  “I want to finish this essay,” he said, “My brain’s in writing mode.”

Badeea Ali looked up from her place on the floor, where she was creating a pencil sketch of a tuxedo kitten that was napping in front of the fireplace.  “I’d make a sculpture with you, Connor.”

They made it downstairs after a brief distraction when Dorian turned a corner too quickly and collided with a red-haired Slytherin girl, then attempted to apologize with a number of cringeworthy puns, which Jason and Wes loudly approved of.  Connor said nothing, but he secretly appreciated Dorian’s wit.

Upon reaching the grounds, they discovered a gaggle of Gryffindors who had also decided to have a snowball fight.  Tulip, Dorian, Jason, and Wes approached them and proposed a friendly inter-house battle on the open lawn, while Connor and Badeea trudged towards the sheltered area at the edge of the forest.  Both started idly packing snow, considering what to make.

“I’m debating if I want to use magic or see what I can do by hand,” Connor mused, as he rolled and packed several small snowballs.

Badeea knelt down and started to roll a larger snowball.  “I’ll start by hand.  I like using magic in my art, but sometimes I find it more mentally soothing when the physical work is harder.”

Connor nodded.  “Sure.  That’s why I wanted to come outside in the first place.”  He took his small snowballs and arranged them in a line, then grabbed a few pine needles and stuck them on the front to make antennae.  “Behold!  A Caterpillar!”

Badeea considered Connor’s caterpillar for a moment, then turned to her own sculpture.  Connor concentrated on his next construction.  After a few minutes of working silently, he looked up.  Badeea had constructed the shape of a toadstool, with a caterpillar smaller than Connor’s seated on the top.  She was in the process of blowing colorful smoke rings at it with her wand.

“Oh!  From Alice in Wonderland? That looks amazing!” Connor said.  He looked down with some disappointment at his own creation- he had attempted to make a sea turtle by forming a large mound of snow for the shell, with smaller snowballs sticking off the sides for the head and flippers, but these had all come out lumpy and misshapen.

Badeea beamed at him.  “I’m impressed you caught the reference. Seems like not a lot of wizards have read that book.  Shame, really.  It’s very imaginative.”

“My mum’s Muggle-born.  She read it to me when I was little.” Connor said.

Badeea regarded his turtle, tucking her scarf more tightly around her face as a chilly gust of wind rushed through their clearing. “You could try to shape it better with a targeted heat spell, then let it re-freeze.  That’s how I got the top of the toadstool to stick.”

Connor nodded, then started to melt a pretty pattern on the top of his turtle’s shell. Badeea started to shape a long, squared-off mound of snow, then added small figures around it, and was beginning to shape a large teapot on the table.

Connor regarded her for a moment, then used his wand to melt a large gaping mouth into his turtle’s face, complete with long sharp icicles for teeth.  “I see your mad tea party, and I raise you one Jabberwocky!”

Badeea giggled, then turned around at the sound of footsteps behind them.  Ben Copper was walking up the path they had made, hands shoved in his pockets and breath freezing in the chilly air.

Connor stood.  “Hey Ben!  Having a good afternoon?”

Ben slowed his pace as he approached.  “Just finished my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay.  It was rough, reading about some of the ways magic has been used to hurt people.  I don’t like curses. Came out for a walk to clear my head.”

“Would you like to make a snow sculpture to help take your mind off it?” Badeea asked.

Ben looked down at her creations, which now included a Mad Hatter and a kettle balanced on a stream of ice.  He sat down, admiring the details.  “I don’t think I could build anything quite so intricate.  Just made regular snowmen when I was a kid.”

Badeea moved over to give him more space.  “Oh!  You’re Muggle-born, right? Do you know the song about the snowman with the magic hat?”

“You mean this one?” Ben hummed a few bars of “Frosty the Snowman”.

Badeea smiled and nodded.  “Yeah- I learned it in Muggle Studies class.  We’ve been learning about references to magic in Muggle art and literature.  A lot of people in the class seem to think Muggles accidentally saw wizards doing magic to make up those stories, but I’m not so sure.  I think maybe Muggle artists are just really creative.”

“Of course Muggles are creative!  I learned some Muggle ‘magic tricks’ from my gran,” said Connor, “If you’ve never tried to confuse a pureblood wizard with a sleight-of-hand trick, you’re missing out.”

“I think you’re right.” A tree branch shifted above them, dropping a dusting of snow into Ben’s straw-blond hair.  He shook his head then continued, “I don’t know much about paintings and sculptures and stuff, but I really like music- both from the Muggle and Wizarding worlds.”

Badeea added a few finishing touches to her Wonderland scene, which was now fully encircled by Connor’s magically-enlarged Jabberwocky, then pocketed her wand.  “Would you like to show us how to build a Muggle-style snowman?  I try to practice doing art without magic sometimes.”

“Yeah!  I haven’t made one since I was a kid!”  Ben then proceeded to show them how to roll and stack large balls of snow by hand, then find little rocks to make the face and sticks for the arms.

“Traditionally, the nose is a carrot,” said Ben, “But another stick will do.”  He placed a small twig in the center of the snowman’s face, and the three of them stepped back to admire their handiwork.

“We should try one with magic next,” Badeea said, laying a hand on Ben’s arm.

“That sounds fun,” Ben grinned at her.  Connor had rarely seen him this enthusiastic outside of learning new songs in Frog Choir.

Connor stretched- his shoulders were sore from pushing the largest snowball around the ground.  “I think I’ve had enough,” he said, “You two should keep going though- it looks like you have a lot to learn about art from each other.”  He was starting to get the impression that Ben and Badeea were flirting, and he didn’t want to get in the way.

They bade him farewell and headed up the lawn to a fresh patch of snow, while Connor shook the snow off his now-soaked gloves and started to trudge up the path back to the castle.

“Connor!” Emmie Bell waved to him from where she was seated at the edge of the covered walkway with a handful of other girls.  She strode to meet him, followed by the red-haired Slytherin that Dorian had flirted with in the hallway.   Emmie’s cheeks were flushed pink from the cold, and matched the soft pink scarf she wore over her yellow coat.

She was panting a bit but the time she reached Connor.  “You’re a pretty good dancer, right? Have you ever done a choreographed routine?”

Connor nodded.  “Yeah, I know most of the classic ballroom and country dances.  And my uncle Benjamin taught some routines to us when we were little.”

“Great, I thought so,” Emmie said.  “You know how the Ballet Club is doing two performances at the ball?”

Connor nodded.  “Yeah, I’m in the choir, so we’re singing the opening pieces with you.”

“Yeah.  We’re doing a second performance at the halfway point of the ball” said Emmie, “Piper and I were just thinking it might be cool to have a choreographed ballroom routine.  Thing is, Ballet Club’s all girls.”

“No reason we can’t just pair with each other, of course” Piper interjected, speaking in her thick Scottish accent, “But we thought it might look better if we added in some boys.  Just for one routine.”

“And, I know you like dancing,” Emmie said shyly.

Connor smiled.  “You’ve got me there.  What kind of dances are you thinking of doing?”

“It’s a mix of pieces from The Nutcracker.  Goes between waltz and polka.”

“Nice music,” Connor said.  He did like The Nutcracker.  Last Christmas, he had taken his younger cousins, Casilda and Caroline, to a magically-enhanced production of the ballet, which the two girls had thoroughly enjoyed.  “I could probably join in.  Gonna make the ball a busy night, but, I don’t have a date.  Might as well dedicate the evening to my true love- Music!” He struct a dramatic pose.

“Great!” Piper said, stifling a giggle, “We’re rehearsing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening for the next two weeks, since the performance is really soon.”

“We’ll probably not need the boys on Wednesday, though,” Emmie reminded her.

“Right.  Dance studio’s on the fourth floor.  Near the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom.  Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00, ok, Murgatroyd?  And you’ll need soft-soled dance shoes, if you have them.”

“Yeah, I do.” Connor said.  He rubbed his hands together in the cold. “I’m gonna go inside now and warm up.  I’ll see you Tuesday!”  Piper and Emmie both bid him a good afternoon, and he returned to Ravenclaw Tower to finish his homework.

———

After dinner that night, Charlie Weasley caught him on the way out of the Great Hall.

“I think I’ve persuaded Bill that he ought to ask Rowan to the ball!” Charlie announced triumphantly, “Although, it may still take a bit of a push for him to actually do it.”

Connor sat down on a bench, and Charlie took the seat beside him.  “We’ll have to come up with some way to help,” Connor mused.

They were interrupted by a shattering noise from somewhere up the hallway, and the sounds of a student shouting.  Sickleworth, the niffler that belonged to their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, came scuttling around the corner, hurridly stuffing something into his pouch.  Seeing Connor, Sickleworth charged towards him, then rolled under the bench, re-emerging over Connor’s shoulder and landing on his lap.

“What have you got there, Sickleworth?”  Connor held up the Niffler, looking suspiciously at the creature.  Sickleworth snorted and narrowed his eyes.

The sound of pounding feet echoed around the corner.  A panting fourth-year Hufflepuff boy appeared.  “They’re not even real gems, you foolish fuzzball!”  he shouted.

He stopped when he saw Connor and Charlie.  Sickleworth climbed up on top of Connor’s head and did a triumphant little dance.

Charlie picked up the climbing creature and set him gently back on the bench.  “Sickleworth,” he said calmly, looking directly at the Niffler, “What did you take from this nice fellow?”

Sickleworth huffed uncooperatively.

“He took my bouquet,” the boy said.  “I heard about how a lot of students are making custom bouquets to ask each other to the solstice ball.  My girlfriend really likes to wear shiny accessories, so I made some glittery silk flowers and bundled them together with a bracelet I made of copper wire.  Was going to give it to her tonight, but someone decided he couldn’t keep his little paws off it.”

Sickleworth rolled under the bench and made a rude noise.  Charlie got to his knees, pulling something out of his pocket as he peered under the bench.  “Look, Sickleworth.  It’s Fire Crab molting season.”  He held out a few glittery jewels that he must have picked up last Care of Magical Creatures class.  The Niffler emerged immediately, but Charlie held the jewels out of reach.

“You can’t have them until you give this boy his flowers back,” Charlie cajoled.

Sickleworth snorted again, and put his paws on his hips.

“Suit yourself,” said Charlie, making to re-pocket the gems.

“Mrrawwwrooooo” Sickleworth let out a shrill moan, then rolled onto his back and produced the flowers from his pouch, dropping them at the Hufflepuff’s feet.  He then somersaulted back to Charlie and held out his paws expectantly.

Charlie handed over the glittering Fire Crab jewels and scratched Sickleworth behind the ears.  “Now go back to Professor Rakepick and don’t steal anything else that isn’t yours.”

Sickleworth scampered away.

Connor and the Hufflepuff looked at Charlie, impressed.

“That’s amazing you got him to do that,” said the boy, picking up his bouquet, “I can never get creatures to listen to me.”

Charlie shrugged.  “I like creatures.  You just have to know how to talk to them.”

“Well, thanks,” said the Hufflepuff, re-straightening the flowers.  “I’m going to go find my girlfriend now.”

“Good luck,” said Charlie.

He turned back to Connor, who was grinning. “That bouquet gave me an idea.”

Charlie tilted his head, then broke into a comprehending smile.  “What are Rowan’s favorite trees?”

The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had Herbology first thing Monday morning.  Connor usually didn’t enjoy that class- he preferred more abstract and theoretical subjects over having to literally get his hands dirty, and he could never seem to tell what his plant needed.  Today, though, he had a mission, and he gathered twigs from all of Rowan’s favorite magical trees and tucked them carefully into his bag without any other students noticing, before meeting Charlie again between class periods.  Charlie had acquired some pretty ribbons and some vines from the forest, and Connor departed with their completed project to find Bill outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

When Bill emerged from Professor Rakepick’s NEWT-level class, he was, fortunately for Connor, alone.  Connor sidled up to him and held out the bouquet.

“Charlie told me you’d agreed to ask Rowan, but I thought I might help out a little.”

Bill took the bouquet wide-eyed.  “Are those Wiggentree sprigs?”

“And alderwood, and aspen, and the vines are Screechsnap.  Some of Rowan’s favorite plants to work with.  I figured you might like to use this to ask him to the Solstice Ball.”

Bill nodded.  “I was just thinking about that- seems to be the popular way to get dates this year.”  He tucked the bouquet carefully into his bag.  “Thanks for your help, Connor.  I’ll make sure to give this to Rowan next time I see him.”

“He should be at his usual table in the library right now” Connor said, “I’ll stay away until you’ve asked him if you want me to.”

Connor made to turn the other way down the hall, but Bill stopped him.

“Hey Connor, I’d like to return the favor somehow.  Anyone you might like to ask?  I could help.”

Connor laughed and shrugged.  “I’ll be pretty busy at the ball.  Got lots of performances.  So I don’t think I want to bring a date too.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t use the opportunity to talk to the person you fancy.”

Connor shuffled his feet and averted his eyes.

“I’d like to help, Connor,” Bill continued.

The Ravenclaw groaned and leaned against the wall.  “I haven’t wanted to admit it, but yeah.  Yeah there is.”  He looked at Bill, noticing so many features that matched those of the person he had grown closer to over the past year.  “It’s your brother.”

“Charlie, you mean? Not one of the others?”

“Yeah,” said Connor, with a slight smile, “Guess I gotta be more specific.  Certainly not pursuing the little ones.  But yeah.  I’ve never really had a crush on anyone before- I mean, I’ll notice when people are aesthetically good-looking, but that doesn’t make me want to try to date them, which seems to be how most people get crushes.  I’ve always been happy having friends and not chasing after romance.  Somehow, though, things feel different with Charlie.  He is my friend, first and foremost, but… he makes me feel like there could be more, somehow.  I don’t know if that makes sense.”

Bill chuckled and put a hand on Connor’s shoulder.  “You sound just like him, you know.”

Connor looked up.  “Really?”

“Yeah.  He’s always teasing me about the girls I like.”

“Well, let’s be honest Bill, you deserve a bit of teasing for some of the choices you’ve made.”

Bill sighed and then looked at the bouquet for Rowan.  “Fair enough.  Hopefully I’ll make a better choice this time.”  He turned back to Connor.  “Charlie doesn’t get crushes easily either.  But he told me that if he ever were to date someone, he’d want that person to be his friend before attempting any romance.  And, well, I know you’re his friend.”

“Just because he might hypothetically date a friend doesn’t mean he’d like me in particular.  I’ve got plenty of friends who I don’t want to date.”

“He seems to be pretty chummy with you though.  I think you’d have a shot if you asked him out.  Would you like me to ask him some strategic questions?”

Connor brushed his hair back off his face.  “I’d rather you didn’t.  If he likes me, maybe we’ll work it out.  If he doesn’t, I’d rather not scare him off as a friend.”

They had arrived outside the Library.  “It’s almost lunchtime, so there shouldn’t be too many people in here.” Connor said.

Bill smoothed his hair and straightened his robes.  “You sure this is a good idea?”

“Rowan has admired you since first year.  He’ll be thrilled.  Now go get yourself a Ball date.” Connor clapped Bill on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Connor.  I won’t tell Charlie what you said, but if you ever do want my help in the future, all you have to do is ask.” And Bill Weasley straightened his tie, gripped the bouquet, and strode confidently into the library.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Connor was unable to see Rowan’s reaction to Bill’s ball proposal that afternoon, Rowan took Muggle Studies at the same time Connor went to Arithmancy.

After class, Connor returned to the Common Room for a quick check-in with the other prefects.  His fellow fifth-year, Tiffany Pemberton, was just discussing reasons they should extend curfew for the younger students on the night of the ball, “Holiday break starts the next day, after all,” when the enchanted door knocker squeaked and Rowan came charging into the room, brandishing the bouquet.

“Connor!” Rowan shouted, attempting to capture his best friend in a hug but accidentally colliding headlong with Connor’s ribcage, “Bill Weasley just asked me to the Solstice Ball!  Well, not just now, but before lunch!  And he gave me this bouquet, look, it has all my favorite kinds of twigs!”

“Fancy that,” said Connor coolly, adjusting himself on the couch so that Rowan’s head was not resting quite so heavily on his chest.

Rowan slid to the floor and stared dreamily at the ceiling.  “I’m going to a ball.  With a date.  And my date is Bill Weasley.  I can’t believe it.”

Miles Blake, a sixth-year boy whose unflappable demeanor made him the prefect younger students came to first when they accidentally got a spell horribly wrong, looked down at Rowan and smiled.  “I don’t know if I've ever seen anyone this excited for a date.”

“I can hardly blame him.  I would be probably being lying on the floor and grinning like a fool too, if the person I had fancied since second year asked me out,” said Cora Benavidez, the sixth-year girls’ prefect.

“Well, maybe we should make that happen!” Tulip’s head appeared behind the couch, startling the four prefects.

“How long have you been back there?” Tiffany asked, peeking into the narrow space between the couch and the bookshelf where Tulip had apparently been curled up.

“Since class got out.  New book.  Got it from Jae”  She waved a copy of A Teen’s Guide to Practical Japery idly, then tucked it under her arm before one of the prefects could question its contents.  “Not important right now.  Connor Murgatroyd, you know how to bake, right?”

“Mostly, yeah”

“Then come on, we’re going to the kitchens!”

“We’re about done here anyway,” said Miles, “All-prefects’ meeting on Friday morning before the Ministry folks arrive, don’t forget.”

Connor allowed himself to be led to the kitchens.  He preferred baking in the Room of Requirement- it was easier for him to get what he needed without disturbing anyone, and he had grown less fond of the Hogwarts kitchens since last year’s exploration of the Cursed Vaults had landed him with weekly dishwashing detentions.  But Tulip seemed determined, and managed to persuade the house-elves to let them use one of the smaller ovens that lined the walls.  These were often borrowed by students- Penny had once mentioned that the Hufflepuff dorm’s proximity to the kitchen and the house members’ tendency towards for teamwork and sharing had meant that their Common Room was rarely lacking in baked goods.

“Think you can make heart-shaped scones, Connor Murgatroyd?” Tulip asked.

Connor nodded.  “Scones are pretty easy.  Any particular flavor?”

Tulip shrugged, then began gathering ingredients.  “Something Christmassy, I guess. You’re the baker.”

Connor chewed his lip, thinking.  “How about cranberry orange?  And eggs don’t go in scones, can you put them back?” he added, as Tulip dropped a box of baking supplies and several ingredients onto the counter.

Connor started to mix flour and butter, while directing Tulip to zest the oranges.  As he added cream to the dough, he asked, “So who are these for, anyway?”

“Less talking, more mixing, Connor Murgatroyd,” Tulip said, handing him a colander full of freshly-rinsed cranberries.

Connor made quick work of the dough, and soon the two of them were enjoying hot apple cider that the house-elfs provided while they waited for the scones to bake.

“Really, though.  Who are you making heart-shaped scones for?”

“Cora Benavidez,” Tulip said casually.

“Oh!” said Connor.  “Didn’t know you fancied her.”

Tulip scoffed at him.  “I didn’t say I was giving Cora Benavidez the scones.  I said I was making it so that she could ask Talbott Winger.”

“Oh,” Connor, “I don’t recall you saying that.”

Tulip sighed, a little impatiently.  “You were there.  A few nights ago.  I told Talbott Winger I knew someone fancied him.  And just now, I told Cora Benavidez that we were going to make it so that she could go out with the person she fancied since second year.”

“Ah.  With scones.”

“They’re his weakness.  Like Bartholomew Jackson and candy.  Talbott Winger will do anything if you give him fresh-baked scones.”

The bell on the oven started to ring, and Connor opened the door.  “They aren’t really heart-shaped anymore,” he announced, “Just sort of lumpy triangles.”

Tulip held one up.  “This one is sort of shaped like a clam-shell.”  She nibbled the end.  “Tastes fine, though.  I’m off to deliver these.” She waved her wand and the scones arranged themselves neatly on the silver plate she had procured.  “Thanks for the help, Connor Murgatroyd!”  She disappeared.

Connor stayed in the kitchens and baked a second batch of scones for himself before deciding it was nearing bedtime.  As he started to head to the staircase back to Ravenclaw tower a hand snagged his elbow and pulled him behind a suit of armor.  He found himself face-to-face with Penny Haywood.  “Connor!  I’m having trouble with the Unlocking Charm. Can you help?” She indicated a door in the wall just beyond the armor’s plinth.

Connor pointed his wand at the knob. “Alohamora.”  The lock clicked, but when Connor attempted to open the door, it stuck.

Jae Kim appeared around the corner.  “You got it?”  He noticed Connor struggling with the doorknob, and tapped it with his own wand.  The door slid silently open, revealing a good-sized cupboard heaped with spare sheets and towels.

“Thanks!” said Penny.  “Connor, try to look inconspicuous.  I’ll be right back.” She dashed away.

“Hey Jae?” asked Connor, following Penny's instructions by sitting down on the floor between two armor plinths and pulling out a paperback from his bag.  As a Ravenclaw, finding an unusual reading nook was probably one of the least conspicuous things he could do. “What are we doing here? Why did Penny need us to open a locked linen closet?”

“I’m mainly here as backup.  If Penny needs some, ah, assistance with her plan.” With a practiced hand Jae curled his jacket open, showing Connor a small, bright-pink vial in the inner pocket.

“What plan?  Is that a—“

Penny’s voice was heard, loudly, from around the other corner.  “Of course, you could trick Filch again, but I think you’d really prove yourself as a legendary prankster if you managed to trick Snape.  Or even Professor Dumbledore!.”  She emerged, holding tightly onto Tonks’ elbow.

Diego Kaplan’s voice approached from the other direction.  “I do think you could be good at dueling if you practiced more.  I could help, in case you got into any scrapes.”  He appeared, with Tulip walking by his side.

Penny and Tonks stopped short.  “Tulip! Wasn’t expecting to see you here!” she exclaimed, in a voice that she probably thought sounded surprised, but Connor, who was still listening from behind his novel, found extremely stilted and clearly rehearsed.  He glanced at Jae, who was idly examining his fingernails.

“I was just offering to help Tonks with a prank, but you might have some ideas to help,” Penny continued.

Tulip’s face lit up.  “What sort of prank?”

Penny gave an exaggerated shrug.  “Well, I don’t know.  I’m not really an expert.  Maybe you two could come up with an idea?”

Jae silently closed the closet door and stepped out from behind the suit of armor.

“Evening, everyone,” Jae said, bumping fists with Diego.  “What are we getting up to tonight?”

Penny gave Jae a too-wide smile.  “Hi, Jae! Do you know if Filch keeps any of the things he’s confiscated anywhere other than his office?”

Jae turned towards her, also grinning.  When he spoke, it sounded less contrived than Penny’s, but his words had still obviously been rehearsed.  “Funny you should ask.  He does has a closet or two around the castle.  One is right here in this very corridor.  Since his office is all the way up on the fourth floor.”

“Really?”  asked Penny, sounding overly loud and excited.

Jae waved his wand and the statue slid to the left, revealing a the small door, which he nudged open.  Jae and Diego peeked inside.  As Jae leaned into the closet, a small pink vial fell out of his pocket and onto the floor.  He winked at Tonks and kicked it towards her.  The pink-haired girl bent down to investigate, but Penny caught her arm and pulled her closer to the door.

“What do you think, Tonks?” Penny asked.

“It looks like a cupboard,” Tonks said.

“Anything interesting in there?” Diego prompted.

“Nothing of great monetary value.  Might still have some practical use.” Jae added.

“Maybe you and Tulip could look.  If there’s anything worth using for a prank, you’ll be able to come up with a plan.”

Tonks and Tulip looked at each other, eyebrows raised.  Tulip shrugged.  “Worth a look,” and she slipped inside.

As soon as Tonks had followed her, Diego slammed the door shut, and Jae did a complicated bit of wandwork on the doorknob.  “There.  Should keep it locked for one hour, then let them out again.”

Diego tapped the door with his own wand.  “And, the cupboard will play love songs at them.  Quiet volume, so they can still talk, but it should help set the mood.”

Penny smiled and hugged Diego.  “If they can’t admit they like each other after that, I’m giving up.”  She turned to hug Jae as well, but he backed away.  “I don’t do hugs.  But, for the spell and the vial-“ he held out his hand, and Penny dropped two Sickles into it.

“Thanks for the help, both of you.  I hope this works.  Let’s head back to the Common Room for now.”

“Anyone want to make bets on whether this will work?” Jae asked as they departed.

On the other side of the door, Tonks cast Lumos, providing a bit of light for the two girls to see by.  “As I thought, no contraband.  Just some spare linens.”  She plucked a folded towel from the shelf and used it as a cushion to sit down on.

“I never realized how terrible of an actress Penny was.” Tulip said.

Tonks briefly shifted her face so it resembled Penny’s.  “Oh, I just thought you might come up with some plan together.”  Both girls burst into peals of laughter and curled up together on the floor of the empty closet, Tulip resting her head on Tonks’ shoulder.

Tonks looked at the tiny vial Jae had slipped her and gingerly sniffed it.  “Not even a real love potion.  Just an empty pink bottle.”

“Guess they figured if we thought she’d given us a potion, we’d lower our inhibitions?”  Tulip postulated.  “That sounds like a Diego Kaplan plan if I ever heard one.”

“I probably should have told Penny I asked you out two weeks ago,” Tonks said, running her hand through Tulip’s hair.

“It’s much funnier this way.” said Tulip, “She’ll figure it out eventually.”

Tonks shifted so that her gray-green eyes met Tulip’s hazel.  “Well, how shall we entertain ourselves while we’re locked in this closet for an hour?”

Tulip’s eyes glinted wickedly.  She nuzzled her nose against Tonks’ ear, and allowed her hand to slide over the Hufflepuff’s knee.  “You know, I can think of a few ways.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The unused fifth floor classroom that the Ballet Club had claimed as a dance studio was low-ceilinged but spacious, with mirrors lining one wall and a set of horizontal barres against the other.  About a dozen Hogwarts students of various ages were sitting and stretching either on the floor or at the barre.

Connor entered the room and found Bart, who had also been recruited, standing moodily in a corner, with his hands shoved in his pockets.  Connor gave him a quiet nod and leaned against the wall next to him, looking around at the girls of Ballet Club, who were happily chattering about the upcoming rehearsal.  Emmie Bell was talking to Katherine Park, a Gryffindor girl in their year, and Lia Balker, a fourth-year Hufflepuff.  Coraline Cortez, the fifth-year Hufflepuff prefect, waved at Connor as she approached him.

“Thanks for coming, you guys,” she said, tying her blonde hair back into a bun.  “We’re still waiting for Leonard, but Emmie says she saw him in the Gryffindor Common Room and he was on his way.”

Piper separated from the rest of the group to give them instructions.  She was wearing sweatpants printed with the Slytherin crest over a simple green leotard, and bright red lipstick.  “We’ll do warm-ups first.  Just follow best you can, then we’ll get into learning your part.”

Piper strode back to the center of the room.  She clapped her hands and the rest of the ensemble quieted. “We’ll start with stretches, then our barre warm-up.”  The girls lined up in the middle of the room, while Connor, Bart, and Leonard rather sheepishly took up places behind them.  Piper waved her wand, and a quiet instrumental tune began to play.  Piper began to call out the names of movements and positions, which the assembled dancers quickly followed.

Connor watched the other two boys.  Leonard’s movements were bold and strong, albeit slightly imprecise, while Bart followed the girls’ warm-up with near-militaristic precision.  Connor knew that Bart had grown up in a strict pureblood household, and it showed in his dancing- he held himself perfectly straight, with every muscle clearly engaged, although all three boys lacked the flexibility that came easily to their classmates who practiced ballet regularly.  Connor found the barre exercises particularly difficult- as a social ballroom dancer, he was not accustomed to only working one side of his body at a time.  He managed to follow through the exercises, but was relieved when Piper waved her wand again.

“Underclassmen, please go practice the Ball Opening choreography.  Particularly focus on the middle of the Snowflake Dance, it still looked a bit rough last time.  Balker and Park will direct.  Waltzers, follow me.”

“That’s us?” asked Leonard.  Piper nodded curtly and led the three boys through a side door to another dance studio that was equally well-equipped, albeit a little smaller.  Emmie and Coraline followed behind.

“Right,” said Piper.  “Let’s warm up with a free-form social dance. Waltz and a polka.  Free-form, social-dancing.  Try to get a feel for your partner’s dance style.”

The assembled dancers nodded and looked at each other a bit shyly as Piper sized them up.  “Right.  Jackson with Cortez,” Coraline moved to stand beside Bart, who gave her a stiff nod.

“Channing with Bell,”  Leonard took Emmie’s arm with a broad grin.

“Murgatroyd, you’re with me.”  Connor stepped up to Piper, who gave him a smile and a wink.  Connor made a deep and fluorishing bow as she started the music.  He took her left hand in his right, and led her in a broad circle before catching her in his arms, where they swayed for a few beats before beginning to twirl around the floor.  Connor immediately noticed how Piper was very precise with her footwork, as she followed every turn he led with careful technique- she had clearly been a dancer for a long time.

“Your arms are a bit stiff,” Piper panted as they twirled, “It will look and feel smoother if you loosen up a bit.”  Connor relaxed a bit, but leaned back marginally when Piper’s torso came closer to his own.

“I won’t bite, Murgatroyd,” she said, pulling him back into position.

“Sorry,” said Connor.  “My, erm, dance instructors at home always insisted that partners have more space between them.”  He didn’t feel like explaining to the Slytherin ballerina that these dance instructors were, in fact, elderly ghosts, and touching them was always rather uncomfortable, leaving his skin with a cold buzzing static feeling for several minutes afterwards.

He returned his focus to his living dance partner, spinning her out in front of him.  He moved behind her and took both her hands in skater’s position.  They wheeled around a few more times, then, as the music slowed, Connor twirled Piper so she was facing him again, and ended with an elegant dip, her arm outstretched over her head.

She grinned at him as they stood up.  “Not bad, Murgatroyd.  Good technique, could work on your connection, but that should come as you learn the choreo.”

Bart and Coraline had stepped apart.  Bart looked far more awkward than Connor felt, though the few glimpses Connor had caught of them showed both were very elegant dancers. Emmie and Leonard were still twirling, despite the lack of music, with Leonard attempting to lift Emmie into the air.

“Oi!  We’ll get to lifts later,” Piper reminded them, before waving her wand to start the polka song.  She tucked her wand back into her hair, and then allowed Connor to lead in a highly energetic dance.

The polka was easier for Connor, as he started to adapt to the feeling of Piper's arms around him as they danced.  The speed of the polka allowed a looser frame, and Piper didn’t correct any of his movements this time, even when he attempted a rather complicated turn that didn’t quite match the beat of the music.  She followed him gracefully, and both were grinning and panting when the song ended.

Emmie then called Lia and Kat back into the room, and Piper talked them through her choreography to a slowed-down version of the Nutcracker pieces.  The three couples were to dance in formation, while Lia and Kat would be dressed as fairies and would be doing a synchronized ballet routine to the sides.  Connor slowly adapted to dancing with the others- although he had no trouble remembering and executing the choreography, he found it more challenging to form a physical connection with the vivacious Scottish redhead with whom he was paired.  Even Bart, who was by all accounts even more touch-averse than Connor was, warmed up to his partner rather quickly.

By the end of the hour, however, Connor’s nerves had mostly faded, and Piper seemed pleased with the group’s progress.  “All right, gentlemen,” she said, face flushed from all the dancing.  “That’s good for tonight.  We’re going to run the opening choreography with the whole club a few more times, but you can go if you’d like.”

When they crossed back into the larger studio, music was still playing, but all of the younger students were seated on the floor next to the wall where everyone had set their bags.  They were giggling at something.

As the ballroom group approached to investigate, Connor realized, to his mild embarrassment, that Newton had crawled out of the pocket in his bag that she usually slept in.  Apparently Twitch had also been present among Bart’s belongings, for the two rats had claimed a patch of floor and were attempting to dance.  Newton’s sleek gray body spun around, tail wriggling proudly, but Twitch, a more rotund rat who often got into Bart’s candy stash, was heavily panting as he chased her.

Connor and Bart exchanged an exasperated glance, then collected their pets and apologized to Piper for distracting her students.  She dismissed them with a reminder to write down their choreography before Thursday’s practice, then turned back to the rest of the Ballet Club to direct them through their other pieces.

Connor dropped off his bag in Ravenclaw Tower, then collected his pajamas and headed to the Prefect’s Bathroom to clean up and unwind.  He found the room deserted, so he quickly dropped his robes in the changing area and walked out to the big tub wearing just his towel.

After turning a few taps, Connor set his towel aside and slid into the tub, swirling his hands through the multi-colored foam.  He heard the door click softly and carefully gathered more bubbles around himself.  He looked up and a mud-caked Charlie Weasley appeared in the doorway.

“Oh hey, Connor.  I wasn’t sure if anyone would be in here.  Just had a Quidditch practice, but the weather was bad.  I decided I’d rather warm up here instead of in the Quidditch locker.

“Sure,” said Connor, “The water’s plenty warm.  Hope you don’t mind the lavender bubbles, I always thought they smelled best.”

Charlie rounded the corner to the dressing area while Connor turned another tap to add some opaque pink bubbles to his end of the tub.  These ones seemed to be charmed to cling to a bather’s skin in a way that was useful in the preservation of modesty whenever others were present.  He ran some soap through his hair, then ducked below the water to rinse.  After a few moments, he resurfaced and opened his eyes.

Charlie had re-entered.  There was a small towel draped over his left shoulder, and other than that, he wore nothing whatsoever.

Connor froze for a moment, cheeks turning bright red.  “Um… Charlie… you’re naked?” he squeaked.

“Of course I am.  Not about to take a bath in my robes.”

“But… towel?”

“Yeah, I’ve got one,” Charlie said cooly, indicating the folded terrycloth around his neck.

“No, I mean…” Connor waved a hand vaguely in Charlie’s direction.

Charlie looked down.  “Oh!”  he moved the towel down and wrapped it around his waist.  “Didn’t realize that would bother you.”

“Not, bothered, precisely,” stammered Connor, slouching down so that his face was mostly surrounded by bubbles.  “Just, wasn’t expecting?”

“Why not?  This is a bathroom.”  Charlie sat on the opposite edge of the tub, draping his feet in and turning the taps to add more foam to his end.  He kept the towel over his lap, but Connor still found himself attempting not to notice the well-developed muscles of the redhead’s arms and chest.

“Even in a bathroom, I still prefer to not expose myself to other people!”

“Um… then do you wanna close your eyes so I can get in?”  Connor turned to face the wall, and Charlie slid into the spa-sized bath.  Connor added more of the modesty-preserving bubbles.  “What about in the dorm showers?  Surely you’ve been around other guys there.”

Connor gaped.  “We. have. CURTAINS!”

Charlie pressed a hand to his forehead.  “Right.  Or Course.  You’re in Ravenclaw.”

Connor blinked at him. “Do… do you not have shower curtains in Gryffindor?”

Charlie chuckled.  “Well, technically we do, but they sometimes turn invisible.  Word is some students charmed them as a prank once and it’s hard to undo permanently.  Some people say it was James Potter himself who did it, but I don’t know if I believe them.  Anyway, our shower curtains just wink out again every few days.  A little disconcerting at first, but you get used to it.”  Connor raised an eyebrow, finding it difficult to believe that the legendary war hero had been a prankster.  “Anyway, with such a large family, you end up not minding if people are naked either.”

“Well, if your family is all baby siblings, maybe,” said Connor.  “Trust me, if you lived with the ghosts of twenty-seven of your uncles, you’d be a little less comfortable with nudity.”

Charlie chuckled.  “I can see how that would be awkward, yeah.”  He paused, considering.  “Can ghosts even get naked?  Or change their clothes? I’ve never seen any of the Hogwarts ghosts in a different outfit”

Connor shook his head.  “My uncles can only wear the clothes the have on in their portraits.  I think normal ghosts all wear the outfits they died in?  The fact that they’re always nicely dressed makes me more self-conscious if I’m not, though.”

“Sure, I guess that makes sense.  We don’t have any ghosts at the Burrow, just the ghoul in the attic, and he usually keeps to himself up there.” Charlie tilted his head.  “You’ve mentioned before how the ghosts in your family aren’t quite like normal ghosts.  Do you know why?”

Connor shrugged.  “A lot of them were Muggles, and normally only wizards become ghosts.  Thing is, our family was cursed a long time ago.  My uncle Rupert almost never talks about it, but the others say when he was alive, back in the sixteenth century, he loved a very powerful witch.  When their relationship turned sour, he decided, as Baronet, that he had the right to burn any witches in the village.  He destroyed her wand, knowing that she could escape the flames if she had it.  But she managed to curse him and all his descendants from the stake.  Big outburst of magic as she died.  Anyway, for a while everyone who holds the Baronet title had to commit a crime every day.  If they don’t, they die.”

Charlie turned a tap and started scrubbing some of the soft pink bubbles through his hair.  “How does that work?  Does it have to be different crimes, or what?”

“That’s the second part of the curse.  They also all have portraits painted, which hang in a gallery in the old castle.  The ghosts usually stay in their portraits, just like most wizard paintings, but unlike regular portraits, they can come out of the frames.  It’s the ancestors’ job to make sure the current Baronet is carrying out the crimes.  Anyway, my great-granduncle Ruthven found a logical loophole and managed to break the crime part of the curse about a century ago, so now my dad and his brother can manage the estate without worrying about that.  The ghosts still hang around, though, inserting their opinions into everything.”

Charlie nodded.  “Huh.  You’re related to the Greengrasses too, right?  So do you have two family curses?”

“Thankfully not.  The Greengrass curse almost always only affects women.  Didn’t seem to show up in my younger cousins at home.  Madeleine Moore, though- she's a Ravenclaw in our year, and she's my second cousin on the Greengrass side, and she has their curse.  That’s why she gets sick a lot.  She’s not related to the Murgatroyd line, though. So it’s one curse for each of us.”

Connor grew pensieve, staring into the colorful foam.  “The Murgatroyd curse is how I know Jacob’s not dead, by the way.  Or his ghost would have shown up.  Unless Jacob found some other way to break free.”  Connor shifted a bit in the water.  “Our curse has changed a bit this century.  Used to be only family members who held the Baronet title who would stay as ghosts.  Since the crime part was broken though, it seems to be affecting all the men.  Sir Ruthven, who broke the curse, had a son, Thomas, who he disinherited in an attempt to free the family.  Thomas ran away as a teenager and made a living as a pirate.  Never held the title of Baronet- it passed from Ruthven to his younger brother Despard, who’s my great-grandfather.  But Thomas’ ghost showed up when he died.  Same thing happened to my grandfather Louis.  He died young, wasn’t Baronet, but… he’s still around.”

“Will you become a ghost too, then? Someday?  Hopefully a really long time from now?” Charlie asked.

“Most likely.  I don’t know how to feel about it.  It’s harder to fear death when you know for certain what will come after.  But of course, some people don't stay as ghosts.  They move on somewhere else.  And I don’t know what I’ll miss.

“Point is, If Jacob were dead, I’d know.  Some might think I’m mad for saying that, or I’m just in denial.  But I actually know.” He ran a hand through his hair.  The moisture made the strands stand straight up. Over the past few years, thinking about his older brother had made him increasingly uncomfortable.  “My uncles were…interesting when he disappeared.”

“How so?” asked Charlie.  He had slid away from the edge of the tub and was treading water in the middle.

“Some of them want us living family members to go back to committing crimes.  Those who think he became a Death Eater feel like he’s adding to the family legacy.  A few of the ghosts faked their own deaths to avoid the curse by passing the Baronet title to a younger relative.  Some think Jacob did that, though he wouldn’t have been first in line for the title- our dad has an older brother, and his kids would get it before we do.  Some agree with the newspapers, say he went mad. Some ghosts blame the other ghosts for encouraging him to do one thing or another.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore.  I don’t even miss him as much as I used to.” Connor blinked, realizing that tears were starting to well in his eyes.  “I want him to be ok, I guess, but… if he has gone dark, he won’t be the same when I find him.  Sometimes I… I’d almost rather just have good memories from when we were kids.  Maybe I don't want to know what he's doing now.”

Charlie swam across until he was on the bench just an arm’s length away from Connor.  “He’s been gone a long time.  I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but I know it’s been hard.” He leaned his head against the wall.  “I don’t know what I’d do if one of my brothers disappeared.”

Connor sniffled, then decided to change the subject.  “Speaking of your brothers, did Bill tell you he finally got a date??”

Charlie grinned.  “Yeah!  I meant to thank you for helping with that, actually.  He was getting annoying, mooning over every other attractive person he saw and then not asking them out.”

Connor laughed.  “Even I thought it was annoying.  And you see him far more than I do.”

“I hope he and Rowan have fun,” Charlie said.

“Rowan has admired Bill for years.  Wouldn’t admit his feelings were a crush for the longest time.  He was afraid Bill only liked girls, too, which was part of why he wouldn’t say anything.”

“Bill mostly tends to fancy girls,” said Charlie, “But he’s open to the idea of going out with another bloke.  Glad it’s Rowan, honestly.  He’s not going to be all vapid and shallow like most of the people Bill’s gone after.  Remember when he tried to get you to ask out Emily Tyler for him?  I swear, they were all like her.”

Connor groaned.  Emily Tyler was a Slytherin in Bill’s year and was known among many of the boys of Hogwarts as a heartbreaker.  She seemed cold and arrogant, and in Connor’s opinion, not even that physically attractive.  “Rowan is thrilled, honestly.  He wasn’t that excited for the dance before, but he is now.  And somehow that’s not the only match I’ve made.  I also helped Tulip make scones to give to Cora Benavidez so that Cora could ask Talbott Winger, and then I  accidentally helped Penny lock Tulip in a closet so Tulip and Tonks would get together.”

Charlie’s eyes grew wider.  “I don’t know Cora or Talbott that well, but Tulip and Tonks?  You know what happens when pranksters come in pairs?”

Connor giggled.  He had heard plenty of stories about Charlie’s younger twin brothers Fred and George, and the trouble the young duo had caused.  “Imagine if after they hook up,  they decide to mentor your brothers when they start Hogwarts next year.”

Charlie looked at the ceiling.  “I’d rather not imagine that.” Despite his denial, a smile was playing at the corner of his lips.  He looked back at Connor.  “Hey.  Are you going with anyone?”

Connor shook his head and avoided Charlie’s eyes.  Despite Bill’s encouragement, he wasn’t going to be brave enough to admit the feelings that he could not longer deny to himself.  “I… don’t really know who I’d ask.  I have a lot of friends, and I like them all, but I don’t know if I specifically fancy any romantically.  Does that make sense?”

“Sure,” Charlie said, “I know exactly what you mean.  I’ve talked with Bill about it a few times, but it seems like he gets crushes a lot more easily than I do.  I’m not sure why.”

“Yeah, I get that.  I got a little worried that Noah wanted to be a couple, after we started spending time together.  And, I sort of liked him?  But I’m not really sure I’m ready for dating.  I’m really glad Emmie asked him out.”

Charlie smiled.  “Those two have been studying together in the Common Room every night.  They seem to get on really well.”

Connor turned to face Charlie and found his focus somehow drawn to the other boy’s sparkling hazel eyes.  “I take it you’re also going stag, then?”

“Yeah.  Well.  Probably.  Actually, Connor, I was thinking-“

He was interrupted by the  sound of the door to the Prefect’s Bathroom opening from the hallway.  Joan Russel, the Slytherin prefect in their year, peeked in from the entryway.  Connor was suddenly painfully aware how large the tub was and how close he and Charlie were.  He pushed away from the wall, floating towards the center.

“Hey guys.  Sorry to interrupt.”  Joan seemed completely unperturbed by their presence.

“You want to use the big tub?” Connor asked.

Joan shook her head, red hair bouncing as she removed her glasses.  “Nah.  I was just going to shower up here.  There’s a couple of seventh years occupying the showers in the Slytherin dorms.” Her eyes twinkled wickedly, and Connor realized what she meant.

Connor curled his legs under himself, taking care that the charmed pink bubbles were still gathered around him.  His voice squeaked a bit as he replied, “Ah.  Well. No occupying here.  Absolutely only proper behavior.  Model of propriety, me.”

Joan snickered.  “Wouldn’t bother me if you were.” Connor realized he was starting to blush again.  Charlie was staring pointedly at the ceiling.  “Have a good evening, Space Nerd, Dragon Boy.” she nodded to each of them in turn, then disappeared into the changing area.

“Space Nerd?” Charlie asked.

Connor rolled his eyes.  “She’s called me that since first year.  There were a group of us trying to study Astronomy in the library one day, and a few of the girls were all taking about their star signs- Astrology and Divination stuff.  I got a bit annoyed with that and started trying to tell them about Antimatter and Black Holes.  Of course, all we were supposed to be doing was marking the phases of the moon.”  he shrugged.  “So I became Space Nerd.”

Charlie smiled.  “I would explain the nickname she gave me, but I think it explains itself.”

Connor chuckled, “Joan’s not the only person who calls you Dragon Boy.”

Charle swam back towards Connor.  “Hey, before Joan came in, I was going to ask you something.” He averted his eyes and took a deep breath.  “Connor, you’re one of my best friends.  I know you’re a good dancer.  You’re clever, and loyal, and I like spending time with you.  And, while I don’t need a date to this ball, I was thinking it might be fun to try it.  With you.”

Connor’s blue-green eyes widened, and he hugged his knees to his chest.  “We don’t have to be a couple or anything,” Charlie continued quickly,  “I just think it might be fun.  I’ve never been on a date before.  The ball seems like a good time, and you seem like a good person to spend it with.  Only if you want to, of course.”

Connor noticed the tips of Charlie’s ears were turning red, and he certainly felt his own face growing warmer.  But he leaned over and took the other boy’s hand, taking care to still hold his body at arm’s length.

“Well, I’ll be pretty busy, with the performances.  But, yes. I’d love to be your date. You’re one of my best friends.” He gave the redhead a soft smile, eyes playing over the freckles that dotted Charlie’s shoulder. “I’ll admit, while I’ve been matchmaking for others, I did ask myself: If I were to go with someone, who would it be?  And, it was you.  You were the first person I thought of.” Charlie’s eyes lit up as his face broke into a grin.  “I’m glad you asked me though.  I definitely would have been too shy to actually say anything.”

Charlie idly popped some of the scented lavender bubbles in the tub.  “Well, I am in Gryffindor.  I should be the brave one.”

The pipes clanged as Joan started her shower in the next room.  Connor let go of Charlie’s hand.  “I have one question though”

“Hmm?”

“Did you have to ask me out while we were both naked?”

Charlie laughed reached over the side of the pool and grabbed a towel, draping it over Connor’s head so that Connor couldn’t see anything.  “There.  Better?”  The water splashed as Charlie hauled himself out onto the deck.  “Last day of class tomorrow, Connor. See you in Charms!”

Beneath the towel, Connor was unable to stop himself from grinning.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Friday morning at breakfast, Professor Flitwick gathered all of the prefects from the four houses and ushered them into a spare room just outside the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall awaited them.

“As you know, the Ministry's Solstice Gala will begin at the Thorne residence today.  There will be a small reception here at Hogwarts this evening for some of the visiting officials, as well as the Hogwarts staff.  You, as the prefects, some of our best and brightest, will be representing the student body.” The assembled students nodded- they had all received a note outlining this information the week before.

“In addition to representing the school, this is also an opportunity for you to meet potential employers at the Ministry and learn about different wizarding careers.”  Most of the sixth and seventh-year prefects sat up a bit straighter, while the fifth-years, who had not yet taken their OWLs, looked around nervously.

“As a reminder, you are to wear your Hogwarts uniforms, but please make sure they are neat and clean,” Flitwick said. “The reception will take place in the Transfiguration Classroom at four-o’clock, and will continue until six-thirty when Gala attendants will return to the Thorne residence for supper, at which points you will be free to do what you will for the rest of your evening.”

The prefects were then sent to attend classes for the rest of the day.  The fifth-years had Defense Against the Dark Arts class, where Professor Rakepick had finished going through the theory of the Patronus Charm, and was allowing them to make their first casting attempt.  Only Noah Galloway had managed to produce a corporeal Patronus by the end of the day (a Golden Retriever, which matched his Animagus form), but a handful of other students, including Rowan, Connor, and Charlie, managed to create vague, formless wisps that showed they were close to figuring it out.

“Do you reckon I’ll have a dragon, once I master the charm?”  Charlie asked, as he, Connor and the other prefects departed class early to meet outside the Transfiguration classroom.

“I don’t see how yours could be anything else,” Connor replied.  “I suppose mine’ll be a black fox, like my Animagus- they tend to match for most people.”

He surveyed the assembled students.  All wore their school robes, but made a better impression than their usual classroom attire, with shirts tucked in, ties carefully knotted, and shoes shined.  Connor helped Charlie pin up the hem of his robe so that it looked less frayed.  “I’ll have to get Mum to hem it again.” Charlie said remorsefully.

“You could always stop stepping on it,” Connor suggested with an impish grin, from his place on the floor where he had just finished pinning.  Charlie gave him a playful shove, then both separated to gather with the prefects from their own Houses.

Connor found Cora, Miles, and Tiffany standing with the Head Girl, Monica Goldstein, who had just finished polishing her badge, which included a small bronze Ravenclaw eagle set among the silver lettering.  Miles was looking into a pocket mirror and checking his teeth for detritus, while Cora was helping Tiffany tuck her normally unruly dark hair into a neat braid.

“Anyone you’re excited to meet tonight?” Miles asked. “For career connections, or just for fun?”

“I already have a job lined up with the Daily Prophet,” Monica said, “But I don’t think my direct supervisor will be here tonight- probably just that Skeeter woman and her little toad of a photographer.”

“You probably shouldn’t speak of your future colleague in that way, dearie,” Miles said idly.

Monica sniffed.  “I’ll be writing for the International News section, not idle gossip like her column.”

“I haven’t really thought about who will be there,” said Tiffany.  “It’s hard to plan who to network with when you don’t know what you want to do for your career.”

“Yeah,” Connor agreed, “I’ve always thought maybe work for the Department of Mysteries sounded interesting. But I haven’t starting really pursuing it.”

“Oh!” Cora said, “I didn’t know you were interested in that, Connor.  My brother just became a full-fledged Unspeakable last year. I should introduce you.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Professor Flitwick’s appearance in the hallway.

“Alright, students,” said the tiny Professor, “Enter in pairs, by House and then by year.  Heads first,” he added. Monica and Bill took positions at the front of the line.  “When you get inside, stand on the platform behind Professor Dumbledore.  He will say a few words and then you may join the festivities.”

Connor offered his arm to Tiffany, and they filed into the room behind Cora and Miles.

The Transfiguration Classroom was nearly unrecognizable:  The desks had been replaced with tall round tables, draped in elegant red tablecloths.  Twinkling lights lined the walls.  The witches and wizards milling around the reception were all well-dressed, talking quietly.  Most held a champagne flute.  The prefects lined up on the platform where McGonagall’s desk usually was, near where Professor Dumbledore stood at the lectern.

“Honored guests,” Dumbledore began, “It is with great pleasure that I, on behalf of all of the staff and students of Hogwarts, welcome you to our celebrations of tomorrow’s Winter Solstice.  In this time of cold and dark, we find light and warmth in each other, and in our hopes for the coming year.”

He turned and indicated the prefects behind him.  “I have invited some of Hogwarts’ finest to represent the student body, I hope they treat you kindly,” his eyes twinkled as he looked at the row of prefects.

A tall, round-faced wizard wearing teal robes that looked just a bit more casual than what most of the other Ministry officials wore took the stage next.  He introduced himself as the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and thanked Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff for their hospitality in this reception, and to express excitement for the next day’s Solstice Ball.  After giving a short speech filled with generic career advice and peppered with Quidditch metaphors to the students, everyone was dismissed to enjoy the reception.

The prefects stood awkwardly on the stage at first, then slowly trickled over to the tables on the far side of the room which were laden with hors d’oeuvres.  A few moved to greet family members who were present at the reception, but the others stayed in a close group, feeling awkward and chattering nervously.

Connor noticed, to his horror, that Rita Skeeter appeared to be moving across the room towards him, so he quickly turned to move the opposite direction, but nearly collided with another wizard as he did so.

“Oh, dear, pardon me, I’m terribly sorry,” said the man as he turned towards whatever had bumped him.

Connor froze, feeling as if his stomach had just dropped out of his body.  The man had blond wavy hair, bright blue eyes, and a sharply angled jawline.  He looked to be in his late twenties, and was wearing rather flamboyant lilac and purple dress robes.  When the man smiled, his perfectly straight teeth practically gleamed.  Connor had seen that face before.  He had, when he was twelve, cut out every magazine and newspaper photo of that face he found and taped them all to his bedroom wall.  “Wait, you’re—“

“No need to be starstruck, my boy!” said the man, firmly clapping a hand onto Connor’s upper arm, “I hear you’re making a name for yourself as well!  I don’t doubt that someday Connor Murgatroyd will be just as much of a household name as my own, Gilderoy Lockhart!”

“Wait, how did you know my name?” Connor asked, his voice barely above a squeak.  He wiped his palms on his robes- they were starting to sweat.

“I was in Ravenclaw, you know.  I was even a prefect, just like you are now.  Your elder brother gave me some trouble when he was a first year, but I’m glad to say I did get him out of a few scrapes!”

“You knew my brother.” Connor said.  It wasn’t a question, but Lockhart seemed to interpret it as one.

“I did!  It was such a shame when he got expelled.  I’m dare say I could have helped him avoid it, but I had graduated and gone abroad by that time.  I was writing Gaddling with Ghouls, have you read it?”

Connor nodded, feeling conflicted.  On the one hand, he felt a bit uncomfortable that Lockhart was being so flippant about Jacob.  On the other hand, seeing the man up close was transporting him back to that weekend in his second year in which he and Andre had read all of Lockhart’s works over two days, and spent the rest of the year in awe of the handsome adventurer. How is his hair so perfect? Connor thought.

Lockhart, unaware of his status as the object of Connor’s preteen admiration, continued on, “Gaddling with Ghouls was my first real best-seller!  Though, I’m working on a new book right now.” He leaned toward Connor and said, in a conspiratorial whisper, “This hasn’t been officially released yet, but the title is Voyages with Vampires!  It’s sure to be my best yet!”

Lockhart paused as a house-elf brought them little cheese tarts.  “And you, my boy, the adventures you’ve had!  Have you ever thought of publishing?  I’m sure your adventures in the Cursed Vaults would make a thrilling tale, if you wrote it down!”

Connor stuffed a cheese tart into his mouth, feeling unsure how to reply.  He was saved from having to think of something when a bald, portly man with a large moustache approached them both.

“Gilderoy, my boy!” the man greeted Lockhart with a clap on the back, “You’ve done well for yourself, haven’t you?  How many best-sellers now?”

“Four,” Lockhart said, “And I’ve just won Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award for the second time.”  He flashed a smile that was, Connor had to admit, extremely charming.  Charming enough to make his breath catch in his throat.

The older man turned towards Connor, looking him up and down.  “And you, you must be—“

Connor tore his eyes away from Lockhart's perfectly straight teeth and extended his hand to the older man.  “Murgatroyd, sir.  Connor Murgatroyd.”

“Ah yes, you do bear a resemblance to your brother.  I taught him, you know.  I’m Horace Slughorn, former Hogwarts Potions Master.”

Connor tried not to laugh imagining this jolly, red-faced man in Snape’s position.

“Your brother showed remarkable magical talent.  He disappeared the year after I retired,” Slughorn paused, a faraway look in his eyes.  “He reminded me of your mother.  She was sharp, and ambitious too.  A Ravenclaw, like you, but I thought she’d have done well in my house.”

“She told me once that the Sorting Hat considered putting her in Slytherin,” Connor recalled, “But in the end, she was happy with Ravenclaw.”

“Besides, those with ambitions can do just as well in Ravenclaw as Slytherin,” Lockhart chimed in, “Why, look at me!  By the way, Professor, I don’t suppose I could offer you an advance copy of Voyages with Vampires?”

Connor tried to edge away, but Lockhart caught his arm.  “And don’t worry, young man, I can offer you something as well!”  He pulled a stack of photographs and an extravagant quill from somewhere in the depths of his robes, and, placing one of the photographs on the table, signed it with a flourish.  “There you are, my boy!  Now enjoy the rest of the party!”

Connor looked at the photograph.  Lockhart’s face winked cheerily at him above the autograph in golden ink.  Meeting the man in real life was causing his childhood crush to  simultaneously return to the forefront of his mind and get suppressed by the man’s overwhelming exuberance.

He took a deep breath, sheepishly slipped the signed photograph into his pocket and made his way over to a knot of prefects on the other side of the room.

“Was that Gilderoy Lockhart you were just talking to?” Coraline Cortez gushed as he approached.  “I had such a crush on him a few year ago.”

“Didn’t we all?” Tiffany chimed in.

“He mostly just wanted to ask about my brother,” Connor said, “Though he seems to be handing out autographs like cheap candy, you could probably go get one if you wanted.”  A glance over his shoulder showed the author had set up an impromptu autograph session at the table Connor had just left.  “Anyone else interesting you’ve met?”

“Well, Rita Skeeter’s around, but she went to pester Snape,” Tiffany said, inclining her head to the corner of the room.  Sure enough, Rita Skeeter was questioning Snape about something.  The Potions Master looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“Better him than me,” Connor muttered.

Cora Benavidez approached them, arm-in-arm with a young man.  He shared Cora’s tanned skin, wavy auburn hair, and wide eyes, but stood about a head taller than her.  He wore a simple, charcoal-gray set of dress robes.  “Connor, this is my brother, Gilbert.  He’s an Unspeakable, I thought you might like to talk to him!”

Connor reached out and shook Gilbert’s hand.  “How do you like it?” Connor asked, “I’m considering working for the Department of Mysteries, myself, after Hogwarts.  I’m interested in researching why magic works the way it does- though I may go a more academic route- perhaps at the Academie die Flamel in Paris.  Either way, I’ll have to get through OWLs first.”

Gilbert smiled.  “Well, I can’t tell you the details of everything I do, but I can tell you a little about the work environment.

Connor talked to Gilbert for nearly half and hour.  The young Unspeakable was soft-spoken, but clearly passionate about his work with advanced spellcrafting.  Connor felt confident and considerably calmer when Gilbert finally left to get some food.

Connor looked around, and noticed a tall, willowy blonde woman wearing a light blue dress enter the Transfiguration Classroom.

“Aunt Ysabel!” he cheerfully greeted her with a warm hug.

His aunt smiled and returned the hug, then held him at arm’s length to look him over.  “You’ve grown since September,” she noted.

“I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight,” Connor said.

“I didn’t either,” she said, with a broad grin, “But my office-mate split up with her partner after having bought Gala tickets for the both of them- ended up giving the extra to me instead.  So here I am!”  She flung her arms out.  “Ah, and there she is!”

Ysabel led Connor over to a broad-shouldered woman with graying, short-cropped hair, whose sleeveless dress showed a large, shiny scar up her left arm.  A large, silver dragon-shaped brooch was pinned to her dress.  Its eyes were made of emeralds, which glimmered in the candlelight.

“Leslie!  Good to see you!”

“Ysabel!  Glad you made it!” The two women embraced.  Ysabel wrapped an arm around Connor.

“Leslie, this is my nephew, Connor.  Connor, this is Leslie Macmillan, retired dragon-trainer and currently working with me in the Conservation Office of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Macmillan,” Connor said.  He paused and scanned the room, and found the person he was looking for.  “May I introduce you to someone?” he asked.

She nodded, and Connor ducked through the crowd, locating Charlie, who had just been given a signed photograph by Gilderoy Lockhart.  Charlie looked grateful for Connor providing him an excuse to leave.  “You used to like Lockhart, right?  Do you want this?” he asked, holding out the photo.

“I've already got one,” Connor admitted.

Charlie shrugged and pocketed it.  “Well, Mum likes his books.  Maybe I’ll give this to her with her Christmas present.”

They arrived back where Ysabel and Leslie were standing.  Charlie’s eyes grew wide, glancing at Leslie’s scar and brooch.

“Charlie, this is Leslie Macmillan,” Connor said, “She works with—“

“I’ve read your publications!” Charlie exclaimed, enthusiastically shaking Leslie’s hand.  “Is it true you were the first person to get Swedish Short-Snouts to breed in a reserve?”

“Aye,” Leslie said, pointing to her scar. “The mother gave me this, though.  But I still got the Wizarding World’s first photographs of newborn hatchlings,” she added, rather proudly.

As Charlie excitedly started asking Leslie about her work, Connor and Ysabel returned the topic of conversation to family.

“The twins are looking forward to seeing you in a few days, Connor,” Ysabel said, referring to her daughters, Caroline and Casilda, “And your father has already bought most of the gifts- he seems a lot more cheerful this year.  We’ve also invited my brother to the manor for Christmas- I believe it’s been some time since you’ve seen him- his daughter is seven now, and just as creative as he is- she’s learning to paint, and is already very good.”

The clock chimed:  it was quarter-past six.  “Ah, I believe this reception is wrapping up soon.  Time to go be formal somewhere else.” Ysabel said.  She hugged Connor again, then went to find Leslie.

Charlie appeared behind Connor.  “Thanks for introducing me to your aunt’s friend!” he said, beaming.  “Did you know that she used to be the Director of Research at the Romanian Dragon Reserve?  And she gave me her personal contact information, and told me she’d introduce me to the people she worked with there, as soon as I’ve passed OWLs!”  Charlie looked like he was about to launch into another long list of facts about dragons, but he paused and took Connor’s arm.  “How was your night?”

“Not too bad.  It was good to see my aunt, and Cora introduced me to her brother who works at the Department of Mysteries.  Best of all, I managed to avoid Rita Skeeter the whole time.”

The journalist in question was now engaged in conversation with Gilderoy Lockhart, looking thoughtful and taking notes with her signature acid-green quill.

“Those two will get along like a house on fire,” Tiffany Pemberton observed drily, appearing on Connor’s other side.  “The Slytherin prefects were talking about continuing the party for us in the Room of Requirement, but I think I’ve had enough socialization for the night.  What about you?”

“I’ll walk back to Ravenclaw Tower with you, Tiffany,” Connor said, with a shy glance at Charlie.  “I’ve had an idea and I’d like to find Badeea to see if she can help.”