The fire crackled as always as Harry entered the common room. The usual warmth of home spread through his chest at the sight of familar tapestries and the red glow.
Ron and Hermione were in their usual corner but on his way Harry's gaze snapped to the side, catching on two girls.
A feeling of impulasive abandonment filled him. His feet had started moving before he could properly process the thought 'just go for it'.
Yet Harry grew cautious the as he drew closer to the two girls. They spotted him and observed him expectantly.
"Um, Hey. I was just wondering if either of you.. I mean, Lavender and Pavarti are both so..." Such girls, he thought as a little shiver of horror swept over him. But as he was talking to two girls he thought it better not to say it. "And Hermione, she's like my sister.. plus she's already got a date.. it wouldn't mean anything, I just really need someone to do the opening dance with. So would either of you go to the ball with me?" He finished in a rush.
One looked bemused whilst the other fiercely scowled.
"What are our names?" The scowling girl asked.
Oh rats. "Sorry?" Harry asked in stupid panic.
"Four years of classes, four years in the common room, do you even know our names Potter?" She snapped back in annoyance.
"Um.." He glanced between them uneasily. "Court?"
A menacing eyebrow shot up. "Which one of us?"
"Erm.. you're Court?" Harry questioned with the stricken look of a deer caught in headlights.
"Five points." She joked. "But what of our first names?" Court asked, her eyes glinting and her lips curling. She was having far too much fun.
"He doesn't have to-" The other Gryffindor girl said as she took pity on the gulping boy.
"Shush." Court scolded without any malice before turning her questioning glare back to Harry.
Harry fidgeted under the gaze, it was worse than Mione's! "I don't know. I'm sorry. Guess I'm a bit oblivious." Harry confessed, praying for pity with his puppy dog eyes.
"Ha! Oh Merlin!" Girl unnamed managed to gasp through her laughter.
Harry frowned in confusion.
"Answers no Harry. Next time at least learn a girl's name first for fucks sake. Now shoo." Court said with a smile as she pushed at the giggling girl beside her.
ϟ
"Harry.. why were you talking to Tilly and Bec?" Hermione asked slowly once Harry had sat back down glumly.
"Those are their names? How do I not know that? But I um, I asked if either were free for the ball." Harry admitted sulkily.
Hermione's eyes bulged out to the size of a house elves. "You didn't. Jesus wept Harry!"
"What?" Asked Ron in equal confusion to what Harry felt.
"Are you both blind and deaf?" She squeaked indignantly.
The two met her with ignorant silence and expressions.
"Seriously!?" She hissed, looking at them like she was seeing them for the first time.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, silently pleading for the other one to figure it out, reveal the answer and save them from 'the Hermione glare'. The one that felt like she was literally counting their brain cells.
Finally Hermione regained her voice and spoke in icy outrage. "Those two started dating in the first month of first year. They're the longest relationship in Gryffindor!" She puffed in exasperation.
Two jaws dropped before their heads whipped round to stare bug eyed at the two girls doing their homework in the corner.
"Boys." Hermione groaned into her hands, creasing the spine of book she'd been reading.