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Hermione looked absolutely stunning. Her outfit was a gold and sparkling halter dress. It was stretched tightly around her upper body, and it was loose and flowing past her waist. Her hair was tied into a half-up-and-down ponytail, and it had loose, springy curls. A few curly strands fell in her face, which looked perfect to Harry. She looked so beautiful, that all thoughts of Cho instantly vanished from Harry�s mind.
Suddenly, Harry began to feel very nervous. His palms started to sweat as she walked towards him, waving and smiling. The butterflies in his stomach went crazy again, and his heart started racing. She walked up to him and gave him a hug.
�Wow Harry, I like what you did with your hair!� she said, smiling. Harry looked at her, at a loss for words.
�Th-thanks�� he said, finally snapping out of it. �Look at you� you look so� so� hot!� he said without thinking. She blushed vibrantly, and smiled nervously. Suddenly, Harry realized what he had just said, and felt quite embarrassed.
�Thanks,� she said, not as confidently as before. They stood there looking at each other silently, as though afraid to talk. Hermione finally broke the silence. �Well, should we go inside, then?� she asked.
�Oh� yeah, sure,� he said. She took his hand, and they quickly walked into the Great Hall. Hermione gasped at the beauty of the room.
�Isn�t this romantic?� she said softly to Harry. The theme this year was �Summer Nights.� The ceiling was bewitched to look like a clear, starry night. It was pleasantly warm, and there were flowers adorning the walls and tables. Fake fireflies danced around in small groups, hanging around the flowers and trees growing out of the walls. He silently agreed with Hermione�s statement. It was very romantic looking. They walked over to where Ron and Lavender were sitting. Ron caught sight of Hermione, and suddenly looked very pink in the face. Hermione sat down next to him, and Harry took the empty seat next to her. Ron was staring at Hermione.
�You look�different tonight, Hermione,� he said quietly, eyeing Lavender nervously.
�Oh� thanks,� Hermione said, obviously not knowing what else to say. The other students around them were chatting excitedly, but all four of them were sitting in awkward silence. Luckily for them, Dumbledore tapped his goblet, beckoning the students to listen. He cleared his throat.
�Welcome, students, to the second annual Yule Ball. First and foremost, I would like you all to thank Professor Sprout, who designed the decorations for tonight,� he said. The students clapped politely as Professor Sprout nodded in acknowledgement. �I know you are all anxious to begin the Ball, but I have some good news for you,� Dumbledore continued. �Although it is snowing outside, Professor Flitwick has been kind enough to bewitch the gardens to repel the weather. You will find that it will be warm and breezy, so feel free to go outside whenever you wish. I can tell that you all want to get this Ball started, so I won�t delay you any longer.� With that said, he sat down, and the soft music began playing. The students looked at their menus.
�Pork chops, apple sauce, and a roll, please,� Harry said to his plate. The food magically appeared, and the smell wafted towards his nose, making his nervous stomach rumble. But he decided to be polite and wait until everyone else was fed.
�Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus please,� Hermione said.
�Steak, Yorkshire pudding, and cranberry sauce,� Ron told the plate.
�Just a salad for me, thanks,� Lavender said quietly. As soon as everyone had their food, they began eating. Harry tried to eat as politely as possible; he wanted to give Hermione the best impression that he could. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, looking as pretty as ever. He wanted to finish dinner as soon as possible, so he and Hermione could get up and� Suddenly, Harry had a horrid thought. He had to dance with Hermione, and he couldn�t dance if his life depended on it. Sure, he could produce a Patronus or escape Voldemort in a life-or-death situation, but when it came to dancing, he was as good as dead. He hoped that Hermione wouldn�t ask him to dance, although the dancing was almost inevitable. Perhaps he could persuade her to go outside with him, so they wouldn�t have to dance. He slowly ate his food, only delaying the inevitable. Ron and Lavender started talking to each other about themselves, and Hermione began to look a tad bored. Oh no, thought Harry, here it comes. She looked up at him and smiled, and after noticing he had finished his dinner, she suddenly looked excited. The band began playing a romantic slow song, and Harry knew that she was about to ask.