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No one really knows how it started.
In Hogwarts, where the ties that students wear bear the colors of their respective houses, a peculiar trend began to weave its way through the relationships of the students. It all started innocently enough, with couples from the same house exchanging ties.
The subtle shift went unnoticed, as the ties were identical in color. A clandestine gesture of intimacy, known only to the two individuals involved.
To the untrained eye, the occasional uneven length or awkward drape of a tie went unnoticed.
Those serious about their relationships dared to breach the unspoken rules, initiating the tie swap with a simple question: "Would you wear my tie?" It was a gesture that spoke volumes.
It went unnoticed really, that was until Luna decided to come to breakfast in a bright red tie that just screamed gryffindor.
Luna Lovegood, seemingly oblivious to the curious gazes that followed her every move, skipped into the Great Hall and took her seat with an air of whimsical nonchalance. The collective breath of the school seemed to pause, anticipating the moment when someone would remark on her choice of a red tie. However, to the surprise of many, the expected reprimand never came.
The whole day anticipation lingered in the air, but no faculty member dared to question Luna's unconventional fashion choice.
After that it was like a dam had been unleashed.
Suddenly Cho Chang was wearing a yellow tie and Cedric Diggory was proudly sporting blue.
Surprisingly, the golden trio—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—appeared to be oblivious to the emerging tie-swapping trend that had taken Hogwarts by storm.
In the dimly lit boys' dormitory, as everyone settled down for the night, Ron Weasley's keen observation skills honed in on a seemingly out-of-place detail. His eyes squinted at Neville Longbottom as he was unknotting his tie, which appeared to be a vibrant shade of yellow, a stark departure from the expected Gryffindor red. Ron couldn't contain his bewilderment and concern.
"Is your tie yellow?" he inquired, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and genuine worry. Neville, frozen in place, attempted to keep his composure. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Ron," he responded, attempting to sound nonchalant. However, the anxious flicker in his eyes betrayed a different truth.
“Ron my tie is red, same color as alway.” he whispered, not looking in Ron’s direction.
Ron, persistent and increasingly concerned, leaned in a bit closer. "No, just look! Your tie! It's yellow as all hell! Did someone steal your tie? Was it my brothers?" he questioned, his concern deepening. The commotion caught the attention of the other boys in the dormitory, turning their gaze toward Neville.
Neville, now a shade of red to rival what should be his griffindor tie, couldn't bear the scrutiny. "Ron! No one
stole
my tie! Merlin, please– shut up!" he groaned, his embarrassment palpable as he buried his face in his palms.
Ron went to bed confused that night.
What bewildered him even more was the sudden change in his sister Ginny's choice of tie. One morning, as they sat together in the Great Hall, Ron noticed that Ginny was proudly sporting vibrant blue.Ron's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement as he shot his sister a quizzical look. "Ginny, why are you wearing a blue tie?" he inquired, unable to hide his confusion. Ginny, however, responded with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Oh, just felt like a change, Ron. Don't you think blue suits me?" she teased, leaving Ron with more questions than answers.Ginny leveled Ron with a questioning look, "I just wonder when you'll finally get a new one," she said nonchalantly, lifting a fork to continue her breakfast. Ron, furrowed his brow. "A new tie? What's wrong with the old one?" he asked, gesturing toward his Gryffindor tie, still the embodiment of tradition. Ginny chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, nothing's wrong with it, Ron.” A smirk played on her lips.Ginny sighed wistfully, her gaze momentarily drifting towards Harry. "You know, Harry's tie is rather lovely. I'd love to have his," she admitted, a touch of longing in her voice. Ron glanced at Harry, who was immersed in conversation with Hermione, completely unaware of the tie-related intrigue unfolding nearby.Neville, seated beside Ginny, scrunched his brow in mild confusion, using his fork to gesture at her current tie. "But you already have a tie, don't you? Don't you like the one you have?" he questioned, genuinely curious about Ginny's desire for a change.Ginny chuckled softly, the mischievous glint returning to her eyes. "Oh, I do like mine, Neville, but a bit of variety never hurt anyone, did it?" she replied, the hint of a challenge in her tone. Ginny leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "People can have more than one tie, you know." Neville, still slightly perplexed by the tie-related revelations, blinked at her and then nodded slowly. "Oh, well, that's fine then. As long as your ties don't get jealous," he remarked with a thoughtful nod, a hint of amusement in his tone.The exchange brought a small chuckle from Ginny. "Don't worry, Neville, I'll make sure they all get along just fine," she teased.
As the days passed they grew accustomed to her blue tie. However, when she descended the stairs with a striking green tie, it indeed turned a few heads. The common room fell into a hushed curiosity, and surprised glances were exchanged among the students.
To everyone's surprise, Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, was the first to vocalize his reaction. His eyes widened as he took in Ginny's green tie, and he couldn't help but comment,
"Green, huh?"
His words hung in the air, and he swallowed, side-eyeing the others as if assessing their reactions to this unexpected deviation from the established tie-swapping norm.
Ginny, in response to Oliver's surprised comment, gave him a knowing smile. "Yeah, always fancied a bit of green, you know," she remarked with a casual shrug. However, her demeanor shifted as she leveled a pointed glare at the common room. "Is that going to be a problem?" she challenged, her tone daring anyone to question her choice.
The common room fell into an uneasy silence, the students momentarily taken aback by Ginny's assertiveness.
Oliver shook his head with a genuine smile. "No, you know, I think I fancy green as well," he admitted, breaking into a chuckle. The tension dissipated.
Ginny's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she returned Oliver's smile. "Great minds think alike, then, captain. " she quipped, playfully adjusting the green tie.
As the students gathered for breakfast, the enchanted Great Hall filled with the murmur of conversation and the clinking of cutlery. However, amidst the lively atmosphere, Dean Thomas couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.
With a quizzical expression, he turned to Ginny and asked, "What about your blue tie, then?"
Ginny tilted her head in thought, a playful glint in her eyes. "I still have my blue tie; I've just acquired a green one recently. Thought I would show it off, you know?" she explained with a grin, her words carrying a sense of whimsy.
If, at the opposite side of the great hall Draco Malfoy was ripping into Blaise Zabini about his lack of house pride and interrogating him on why he insisted on wearing Gryffindor colors. no one seemed to notice the coincidence.
and that is just how it was, every other day Ginny could be caught wearing blue or green.
In the Quidditch changing room, Harry Potter, did a double take as Oliver Wood strolled in, notably wearing a green tie. The unexpected sight prompted Harry to raise an eyebrow in surprise, momentarily breaking from his pre-game preparations.
"Wood, since when did green become our color?" Harry couldn't help but ask, a hint of amusement in his voice.
The changing room seemed to hold its collective breath as Oliver Wood leveled Harry with an assessing look, his question hanging in the air. "Do you have a problem with green?" Oliver asked, the atmosphere tinged with a hint of challenge.
Harry, caught off guard by the unexpected confrontation over tie colors, quickly raised his hands in a placating gesture. "No, no problem at all, Wood. Just caught me by surprise, that's all," he replied, offering a small, reassuring smile. Harry chuckled, "Just making sure you didn't get hit with a Bludger one too many times is all." The tension in the changing room eased as the players exchanged curious glances, some stifling smiles at the sudden twist in pre-game banter.
Oliver, satisfied with Harry's response, grinned. "Good to know. Green suits me, I reckon," he declared with a wink, turning the brief moment of tension into a lighthearted exchange.
Oliver nodded, acknowledging the jest. "I bet you would look good with green too, don't you think?" he added, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Harry blinked at Oliver in surprise. "Green? Why in the world would I?" he asked, genuine confusion coloring his expression.
Oliver chuckled, realizing the unexpected nature of his suggestion. "Well, you never know until you try, Potter. I've seen stranger things happen at Hogwarts," he remarked, his tone light and teasing.
Ron's pacing came to an abrupt halt as he made a determined decision. Striding purposefully into the common room, he stopped right in front of Fred and George, and without much preamble, uttered, "I need your help." The twins exchanged curious glances but followed Ron as he led them to his dorm. With the others out, the room was theirs alone.
Silently, Ron looked between Fred and George before pointing at George's tie, which happened to be yellow. "I need one of those," he stated, his request hanging in the air.
The twins, Fred and George, blinked at Ron in surprise as the room was momentarily hushed. A soft smile played on Fred's lips as he placed a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder. "You know, you could just ask someone for a tie—" he began before George cut in with a nonchalant remark, "Not that you need a tie, Ron."
Ron's ears turned slightly red as he chuckled nervously. "Listen, everyone is wearing a different tie these days. Just get me a different tie, okay?"
George shook his head with a bemused expression, crossing his arms, while Fred responded with a long-suffering sigh. Taking charge, Fred pulled out his wand with a dramatic flourish. "Which one do you want?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.
He shakes his head and squeezed his eyes tight, "Surprise me," he replied, a spark of anticipation in his eyes.
Fred's grin widened at Ron's response, exchanged a knowing glance with George and he aimed his wand at the floating ties with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. The ties danced in the air, colors shifting and settled into a rich emerald green.
Ron, holding the magically transformed green tie, glanced at it with a playful glare. "Thanks, I guess," he said.
Ron steeled himself as he walked to the Gryffindor table and took a seat, determined to carry himself as if nothing was amiss.
Conversation at the table seemed to cease momentarily as Ron sat down, and a brief hush fell over the Gryffindor students. Ron could feel the weight of the room's attention, and he almost broke into a sweat, this had been a dumb idea. He swallowed thickly.
However, the pause was fleeting, and soon the hum of conversation resumed. A few curious glances lingered, but the Gryffindors quickly returned to their meals and discussions.
Ginny and Neville blinked at Ron in surprise as he sat down with the distinctive green tie. "Sooo, how long has that—" Ginny started, gesturing at his tie, "been happening?"
Ron, feeling the weight of their scrutiny, scratched the back of his head nervously. "Oh, you know, just felt like trying something different, you know.”
Neville nodded at him knowingly, offering a supportive smile. "Good on you, mate. Wasn't expecting it, but good on you," he affirmed.
Ron sighed, feeling a sense of relief in Neville's words. "You know, I was a bit scared to wear mine, but it's really satisfying once you just do it," Neville shared, and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"You know, I was wondering when you would finally get one. I mean, I already have two!" Ginny teased with a laugh. Neville turned a bit red and cleared his throat, "I've, uhh—I've also got two, both yellow though. So it's kinda hard to tell the ties apart," he admitted with a chuckle. Ginny gasped and playfully hit his shoulder, "Shut up! No way! Since when!"
"For a little while now," Neville admitted with a grin.
Ginny shifted her focus back to Ron with a conspiratorial gleam in her eye. "So, which one is it?" she asked, her voice lowered in secrecy. Ron blinked rapidly, caught off guard. "Huh?" he stammered.
Rolling her eyes, Ginny leaned closer and said, "Oh, don't act thick now. Which Slytherin?" she pressed, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. And poor, poor sweat Ron , feeling the pressure, blurted out the first name that came to mind, "Malfoy?"
Ginny reared back, mouth agape with shock, her eyes wide and blinking. Her gaze darted over Ron's face, searching. She sat there, calculating, before nodding along. "Yeah, sure. I can see that. Makes a lot of sense in hindsight," she mused, her expression thoughtful as she pondered the revelation.
Neville turned to glance at the Slytherin table before looking back at Ron. "Really?" he asked with a squint, a hint of disbelief in his expression. Ron, feeling the need to maintain his facade, doubled down with a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah, who else?" he said, attempting to play off his absolute cluelessness.
That night in the Slytherin dorm was absolute chaos. Draco called everyone into the common room, his arms crossed, his expression stern. "Who gave Weasley their tie?" he demanded, his gaze sweeping across the room with a challenging glare.
The Slytherins exchanged uncertain glances, each denying any involvement.
Draco's glare landed on Blaise, who sported a red tie. "Blaise, I swear to Salazar if it was you—" Draco began, suspicion evident in his tone. However, Blaise quickly shook his head, dispelling any accusations. "Mine is with Ginny," he clarified.
Draco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a mix of frustration and resignation. "I'm going to ignore that you are fraternizing with the girl Weasel," he remarked.
"Just— which one of you is swapping with Ronald?" Pansy snorted, earning a glare from Draco. "What's so funny?" he demanded, his patience wearing thin.
Pansy couldn't contain her amusement and chuckled. "Oh, nothing, Draco. It’s just we were all under the impression that it was—that it was you," she teased, raising an eyebrow in mock suspicion.
Draco's eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, he seemed taken aback. "Me?" he retorted, a touch of indignation in his voice. "Why in the world would I swap ties with Weasley?"
Pansy shrugged, still grinning. "Well, you know, stranger things have happened in Hogwarts," she remarked cryptically.
Draco glared at all of them, a mixture of annoyance and disbelief in his expression. "All of you thought that?!" he exclaimed, incredulous that his Slytherin peers would entertain the notion that he, Draco Malfoy, would voluntarily engage in tie-swapping with a Gryffindor, let alone Ron Weasley.
The Slytherin common room erupted into a chorus of laughter.
Draco just yelled, “unbelievable!” before stopping off. They never did figure out who gave Ron a green tie.