What the Future Holds

Chapter 21: Yule Ball

I'm sitting across from Cedric at breakfast, a day or two after the first task. I'm happily eating orange marmalade on toast as he stares at what seems to be a poem on a scrap of parchment.
He grips his hair, and sighs heavily. He's bent over, his face a few inches from the parchment.
I slowly push a plate of toast near him, trying to catch his attention.
He looks up, grabs some toast, and smiles slightly at me, but it doesn't seem completely sincere. In fact, he hasn't been like himself since the task.
I sigh. "See, that's why I didn't want to tell you," I say, eating my own toast, "You're acting like you've already died, like you've already lost,"
He sighs, sitting up, stretching his back a little. "I can't help it, Andi..." he mutters, "It's just feeling...useless to continue, acting like I'll change something,"
I sigh. "Alright, that's enough of that, mopey-moperton," I say, snatching the parchment from him, "we need a distraction,"
"Hey! Andi!" He says, trying to reach for it, but I stand on the bench, holding the note over my head.
"No," I say, "Cedric, you are my best friend, and I won't let you be miserable!"
He sighs, and sits down. "Fine..." he says.
I smile and sit as well. "So, who are you taking?" I ask.
He looks at me oddly, eating his toast. "Taking?" He asks, "To?"
"The Yule Ball!" I say, "Have you forgotten already? We just had that assembly yesterday!"
He sighs. "Right..." he mutters, "...the Ball...er, I was thinking Cho Chang, since..." he then seems to stop himself.
I tilt my head. "Since what?" I ask.
"Since you're going with Draco," he says, then pauses, and looks at me, "Right? He...has asked you, right?"
I tilt my head. "Not yet, but...we all only found out yesterday, so I expect him to ask soon," I say, then pause. "Wait, hold a minute," I say, "Were...were you going to ask me?"
He tilts his head a little. "But...it would have been sort of...rude of me, since you have a boyfriend, so..." he shrugs and sighs a little, "But, like...just as friends. I...I like you, but not like that,"
I smile and chuckle a little. "Well, I think Cho is a good choice," I say, "You should ask her today. Better now than later. Don't want to waste the opportunity."
He nods a little. "Yeah...I'll ask her when I see her next," he mutters.
I sigh. "Ced!" I say.
"What?" He says.
"Stop moping!" I say.
"I'm not moping!" He says.
"Yes you are!" I say, "Seriously, this is why I didn't want to tell you. It's not helpful to know!"
He sighs. "I...I trust you now," he mutters, "I just...I guess, I just..."
"You were curious," I say, "Most are, when it comes to the future. Sometimes knowing isn't the best. That goes for the future and for people's thoughts..." I shudder a little, "Sometimes I curse my curiosity..."
He laughs a little. "I heard what happened with Moody," he says, "he really turned you into a rabbit?"
I nod, and shudder a little. "It was so weird..." I mutter, "when he caught me, all I saw was his eye. The...magic one,"
Cedric nods a little. "Well...learned your lesson?" He asks.
I nod. "I will only read with permission from now on," I say.
He chuckles a little.
The bell starts to ring, signaling that it's time for morning classes.
I shove the rest of my toast in my mouth, and grab my things. I stand up and move with the rest of the students, wondering if or when Draco will ask me to the Ball.
---
"Thank you so much for coming with me, Hermione," I say, as we walk toward a small dress shop in Hogsmeade, "I wanted to have a second opinion, but also keep the dress I'm choosing sort of...a surprise for Draco?"
She smiles and nods. "I also need to look for a dress for myself, so...two birds, one stone," she shrugs a little.
I chuckle, and enter the shop, looking at the lavish gowns on display. "I don't want to go too fancy," I say, looking at the various colors, embroidery styles, beading and rhinestone patterns, "but...not too simple, either,"
Hermione nods, looking at a sort of dusty rose dress. "What color were you thinking of wearing?" She asks.
I smile softly. "Green..." I mutter, "...green and black,"
She looks at me, and smiles. "Darker colors? How unlike you, Andi," she says, "but, I suppose...it's not for you,"
I smile a little as well, and nod, gently grabbing the key around my neck.
She smiles, and gently grabs my arm. "Looks like the greens are over here," she says, "let's start there,"
I nod, following her.
---
I brush the skirt of my dress off, looking in the full-length mirror in my dormitory. I adjust my hair a little, done in a sort of high, tight, swirly kind of bun, but leaving some fringe covering my forehead. I pull on the long, black opera gloves, and adjust the small string of pearls that I'm wearing, along with my usual key necklace. I'm wearing a pair of clip-on earrings that are silver with a green gemstone. The dress I chose is perfect: a shimmering, almost silk like fabric, with black buttons down the front. The skirt reaches just past my knees, and has that kind of vintage silhouette to it. It doesn't have sleeves, though it has straps, and a kind of collar-like top to the bodice. I also have a pair of black heels, though the heels aren't too high. Hannah Abbot had helped me with a small amount of makeup, to match my outfit. I take a deep breath, and grip the bottom hem of the skirt, starting to feel nervous.
"Andi, we're all heading down," Hannah says, poking her head into the dormitory, "we don't want to be late! Are you coming?"
I pause, taking a deep, shaking breath.
"Nervous?" She asks, walking over to me.
I nod a little.
"You've got no reason to be!" She says, gently grabbing my hand, and giving me a warm smile, "Draco's going to love your dress, no matter what,"
I nod a little. "I...I know..." I mutter, "I just...I can't help but think..." I stop myself, and shake my head a little.
She sighs. "Future stuff, huh?" She asks, "and you can't talk about it?"
I nod.
She nods. "Well, let's forget about the future, and worry about tonight, okay?" She says, "Come on! Let's go have fun!"
I smile at her enthusiasm, and nod, letting her lead me out of the dormitories. I follow her and a small knot of other Hufflepuff girls to the Main Hall, and see Draco standing with Harry, Ron, and Cedric, all waiting for their dates.
"Andi!" I hear from nearby, and look to see Cho walking toward me, a wide smile on her face, "You look great!"
I smile back. "You too!" I say, looking at her pale grey and pink dress, made in a kind of oriental style.
She grabs my arm, in a friendly way, and walks with me toward the boys. "Draco's lucky, you know," she says, "Ced talks about you a lot, and he admires you so much, how brave and talented you are,"
I smile, though I feel a little shocked. I nod, feeling my cheeks heat up a little.
Harry sees us first, and taps Cedric's shoulder, then pushes both Cedric and Draco to turn toward us.
"What was that for Pott-" Draco hisses, but his expression softens when he sees me. He smiles, an expression in his eyes similar to that of someone admiring a work of art. "Andi," he says, taking my hand and gently pulling me away from Cho, "You look wonderful!"
I smile, holding both of his hands, looking up at him. Even with my heels, he's still a fair bit taller than me. "You're not so bad yourself," I say, adjusting his bow tie.
He's wearing a full-white ensemble with black pants under a black robe. He chuckles. "You chose green, like my house colors?" He asks, "Actually...it suits you. Bring out your eyes..." He gently tilts my head up a little, giving a soft smile.
I blush more, and start to giggle a little.
"Ugh, gross," Ron says, though jokingly.
"Oh, shut it, Weasley," Draco laughs, then looks at me, "Want to go into the hall? It hasn't started yet, but it will soon,"
I nod a little, and then all of our attention is drawn to the top of the staircase.
Hermione rounds the corner, standing at the top of the stairs, looking like a princess in a story book.
I gasp a little, and smile wide. "She did choose that one!" I whisper happily.
Draco looks at me, and smiles softly. He bends over a little, and whispers in my ear. "I suppose you helped her, eh?" He asks.
I nod. "Well...I was there for moral support," I say, "She made the choice herself. I'm so glad it was that one, though. It looks like flower petals!"
He nods, and we watch her descend the stairs and pass us, smiling briefly at Harry and Ron, who seem awe-struck.
She also smiles at me, and then meets up with Viktor Krum, waiting for her by the doors to the Great Hall.
I pause. "Wait...she's here with Krum?" I ask, surprised, then look at Ron and Harry, "why didn't one of you ask her?"
They both look at me, shocked, and start spluttering answers.
The Patil Twins, who were standing nearby, one next to Ron, the other next to Harry, looked at each other, then at me. They both stifle laughter a little.
"Here you are Potter," Professor McGonagall says, approaching, "Are you and Miss Patil ready?"
"Ready, Professor?" Harry asks.
"To dance," she says, "It's traditional that the three champions, or in this case four, are the first to dance. Surely I told you that,"
"No," Harry says, shaking his head a little.
"Oh, well, now you know," she says, then looks at us, "Oh, as for you Mr Weasley, Mr Malfoy, you both may proceed into the Great Hall with Miss Patil and Miss Halifax,"
We all nod a little, and make our way into the already crowded hall.
---
Later that evening, I'm sitting at one of the tables, stretching my stockinged feet after dancing so much, waiting for Draco to return with drinks. I sigh a little bit, smiling softly. The brief moment doesn't last, when I hear heavy footfalls behind me.
"Halifax..." Moody growls from behind me, "Might I...have a word?"
I jumped a little, and turned to look at him. I nod, my mouth going dry.
He sighs, and sits down at a nearby table. "I'd...like to apologize for..." he takes a deep breath, and coughs a little, "well, for the...Rabbit incident. You meant no harm, just were curious. Still figuring out your new skill, eh?"
I nod a little. "I realize my mistake as well, sir," I say, quietly, "I shouldn't have reached out without permission,"
He nods, then pauses. "I'm curious though..." he mutters, "what did you see, before I stopped you?"
I tilt my head. "Not much, sir," I mutter, "your disdain for Slytherin, lesson plans, then..." I shrug.
He nods, narrowing his eyes. "Anything...else?" He asks.
I pause, considering telling him about the trunk I saw in my vision when I first saw him. I shake my head. "No," I say, "you stopped me before I could see anything else, sir,"
He nods. "Well..." he says, glancing up, "I'll leave you be. Good evening, Halifax," he stands up and walks away in his heavy footed manner.
"What was that about?" Draco asks, offering me a glass of punch.
"He apologized for turning me into a rabbit," I say, sipping the punch, "and I apologized for reading his mind without permission,"
Draco nods, sitting next to me, but watching Moody. "Did...did you tell him what you saw?" He asks.
I nod. "Well...not all of it," I say.
He looks at me, and tilts his head. "What didn't you tell him?" He asks.
"There's something odd about him..." I mutter, "...I keep seeing a trunk in his office...and his flask...it doesn't add up, but whenever I start to look into it...my head hurts..." I mutter, raising a hand to my forehead.
He sighs. "Don't overwork yourself," he says, gently placing a hand on my knee.
I smile softly and nod. "I'll be fine, Draco," I say, looking at him, "don't worry about me,"
He chuckles a little. "So...you told Diggory?" He asks, looking over to where Cedric and Cho are dancing.
I nod, looking over as well. "Well...he more or less figured it out..." I mutter, "...I couldn't not tell him..."
Draco nods. "Don't feel too bad about it," he says, "it's not like you chose that future for him..."
I nod, taking a sip of my punch. I sigh a little, and lean my head on Draco's shoulder.
He chuckles softly, and leans his head on mine. "I'm so lucky to have met you..." he mutters.
I smile, and nod. "As am I..." I mutter back.