It took quite a bit of apologizing from Fanny before she finally earned Anne's forgiveness.
"Do those boys seriously not know how to talk to girls like normal people? They just walk over and blurt out an invitation to the ball!" Anne fumed. "And could they not give some thought to the timing and place before they do it?"
"You're absolutely right!" Two voices, strikingly in sync, answered behind them.
Fred and George bounded over, leaping in front of the two girls from behind.
"What do you two want now? Don't think I didn't see you laughing your heads off at the Gryffindor table earlier!" Anne snapped, annoyed.
"Ah, Anne, what can we say…" Fred started with a grin.
"Yeah, can't be helped," George chimed in. "Because, let's be honest, it really was hilarious~"
"Go away. I don't know either of you," Anne said, turning her head away dramatically.
"Aw, don't be like that, Anne. We're actually here with good news this time…"
"That's right. Really good news!"
"Sorry, I don't talk to strangers~" Anne replied coolly.
Fred and George exchanged a glance, then turned to Fanny with exaggerated seriousness.
"Fanny, tell Anne we've got a brilliant idea!"
"Yes! A brilliant idea! Remember that stick figure comic from last time? It's time for a sequel!"
"A sequel?" Fanny asked.
"Yep, about the ball! So many people don't know how to properly invite someone."
"Exactly! Just like what happened today. So we're thinking, we'll make two pamphlets!"
"One for the boys, one for the girls? That's actually not a bad idea. And with nearly two weeks left before Christmas, if we act fast, we might even sell a good number of them!" Anne jumped in.
Fred and George raised their eyebrows and shared a grin.
"Hmph. Don't think that gets you off the hook. Actually, you two can help me with something." Anne crossed her arms. "I already accepted someone's invitation to the ball. But obviously I can't just write that across my forehead. It'd be a pain to reject everyone one by one, and after what happened at lunch today, I really don't want a repeat…"
She shook her head, clearly still rattled. "Since you two talk to practically everyone while selling your stuff, spread the word, subtly, that I've already accepted someone's invite."
"Wait, Anne, today was the first day anyone could even announce their invite and you already said yes?"
"No way! Who is it?" Fred and George asked eagerly.
"I'm not telling. But he's tall, handsome, and someone I really like~" Anne said playfully, dragging out her words.
Fanny, of course, knew Anne was talking about her uncle. She kept quiet, not wanting to ruin the teasing, especially since she'd only just been forgiven.
Fred and George turned on Fanny next.
"Fanny, do you know who Anne's talking about?"
"Yeah, give us a hint, what house? What year?"
Fanny shook her head quickly, whether she knew or not, she wasn't about to say a word.
Fred and George tried coaxing the secret out for a while longer but had no luck. Eventually, they gave up, and the four of them spent a few minutes discussing the pamphlet plan before parting ways.
Later, in the library, Anne and Fanny found a quiet corner to work. Anne went upstairs and returned with an armful of books on magical plants and potions. She pulled out two pieces of parchment, covered in questions, and began writing detailed answers in her notebook.
Once she finished the first sheet, Anne stretched, closed her notebook, and rubbed her temples. Carrying the stack of books, she headed upstairs again. As she walked between two shelves with the last four books, she suddenly ran into two people.
Hermione and Krum were standing face to face, neither speaking. Hermione's cheeks were flushed pink, and Krum looked grim.
"Uh… Sorry…"
Anne quickly turned to leave after offering a polite apology.
"Anne!" Hermione called out in surprise, then quickly turned to Krum. "Sorry, Krum, I'll give you an answer another time, alright?"
Before he could respond, Hermione chased after Anne. In reality, Anne had only taken a couple steps away, just far enough to hear Hermione's words. Her curiosity piqued, she slowed down.
"Anne, wait up!"
Anne turned, hugging the books to her chest and giving a sheepish smile. "Uh… I swear I wasn't eavesdropping or anything. I didn't hear a thing, I was just trying to return these…" She lifted the books in her arms, then quickly added, "And I won't tell anyone, I promise."
The second floor was quiet enough that they could still hear Krum's heavy footsteps receding behind the shelves.
"No, it's okay. Really." Hermione said, looking at Anne. "Actually, Krum was trying to invite me to the ball."
Anne raised her eyebrows. Just as she'd suspected.
"Wow, that's great, Hermione! I think you should go with him."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You think I should say yes?"
"Of course! Why not? He's better than most guys around here. He picked a good time and place, and judging by how often he shows up at the library and sits near you, he's probably been planning to ask for a while. Honestly, I think he's worth saying yes to~" Anne said thoughtfully.
Hermione hesitated. "Did you accept anyone's invitation?"
Anne nodded.
Hermione's expression dimmed in an instant. She looked at Anne with an unreadable glint in her eyes, opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again.
Anne suddenly felt uneasy, her heart was racing. Why did Hermione look like that? What's going on with her?
"You should go return your books… I'm heading downstairs," Hermione said softly and turned to leave.
"Wait, Hermione!" Anne ran a few steps to catch up. Standing in front of her, she blurted out, "I accepted my uncle's invitation."
"What?"
"I mean… the night of the Triwizard Tournament, when he came to visit, I agreed to go with him to the ball. He's my godfather, and he'll be attending."
She paused, then added gently, "Also… if you don't want to say yes to Krum, you don't have to. It was just a suggestion. What matters is how you feel. You're an amazing, brilliant witch, Hermione, really! You deserve to choose freely."
Anne hesitated again, then said, "But honestly… the fact that he saw how special you are right away, that's more than most of the boys at Hogwarts could manage. I mean…"
"Mean what?" Hermione's mood visibly lifted.
Anne nearly said Ron, but swallowed the name. "Most people… They only know you as the top student, or Harry's best friend. You're low-key, so they miss all your best qualities. They don't see how sharp your mind is when it comes to Transfiguration. They don't know how amazing your logical reasoning is, or why you care so much about SPEW… They don't even see the obvious, Hermione!"
Anne leaned in with a mischievous smile. "If you changed your hairstyle and ditched the heavy bookbag, I'm sure tons of people would be stunned by how pretty you are. Especially after that little treat you gave yourself in Madam Pomfrey's office last time."
Hermione blushed. "You noticed?"
"I noticed the second I saw you," Anne replied.
The sudden sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation. Anne blinked, seeming to snap out of it.
"I'd better go return these. Still have a whole parchment full of questions left…" She turned away, cheeks flushed, but paused after a few steps.
"Oh, and don't tell Fred and George my date's my uncle, okay? Keep it a secret."
Hermione nodded with a smile.
By the time Anne came back downstairs, Hermione was gone. Anne let out a small breath of relief. What the heck did I just say? That was so random… She blamed it on sleep deprivation and the unlucky events from earlier that had scrambled her brain.
"You took forever returning those books," Fanny commented as Anne sat down. She looked up and blinked. "Wait… why are you blushing? Who did you run into upstairs? Hermione?"
Anne jumped. "How did you know?"
"Oh wow, it was her? I was just guessing." But now Fanny was really curious. She scooted over and whispered, "Come on, what did you two talk about?"
"Nothing much. I just ran into her and she seemed upset, so I comforted her a bit…" Anne trailed off, suddenly remembering her promise.
"Oh? Why was she upset?" Fanny pressed.
"She asked if I had a date for the ball, and when I said yes, she looked kind of down…"
"Ah, I see." Fanny nodded knowingly. "And?"
"And I told her I was going with my uncle, then I said some nice things about her. Someone came, so I went back to return books."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Fanny stared at Anne for a long moment before returning to her seat.
"What's with that look?" Anne asked nervously.
"Nothing. Just... get back to those questions," Fanny said, her voice laced with meaning.
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Two days later, on Thursday evening after dinner, Anne and Fanny met Fred and George in an unused classroom on the second floor. Anne handed over two pamphlets. The one for boys, "How to Invite Someone Properly: Boys' Edition", was thicker than the girls' version, complete with animated, talking stick figure illustrations.
"You girls are so complicated…" Fred muttered after flipping through it.
"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment," Anne replied.
"This is just the basic etiquette section. The first draft had another half booklet's worth, but Anne cut it down," Fanny said with mock regret.
Soon, it was the last week of term, one week before Christmas, and the school had grown more lively and chaotic by the day. Rumors about the Yule Ball were spreading like wildfire. One popular one claimed that Professor Dumbledore had bought 800 barrels of spiced mead from Madam Rosmerta at the Three Broomsticks.
"No way that's true," Hermione said. "But the rumor about him booking the Weird Sisters might be." She glanced at Anne after saying that.
They were all gathered in a quiet classroom, Anne, Fanny, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Fred, and George.
"Whether the Weird Sisters are real or not, it is true Dumbledore bought loads of candy from Honeydukes~"
"Yep! You'll be able to eat your fill at the ball!" Fred and George said one after the other.
Anne leisurely flipped through a Muggle finance magazine. The reason they were all together went back to the pamphlets being sold out. With the castle surrounded by snow and only so many places to go, the best spots for asking someone to the ball had become: the library, greenhouses, common rooms, after class, the observatory, the Owlery, and basically every previously quiet space now filled with noise.
It had become common to walk around a corner and stumble upon something awkward. As for why Anne and Fanny couldn't even stay in their dorm, it was because Pansy, Millicent, and Thalia were endlessly debating what headpieces, makeup, and dresses to wear.
When Anne brought a potted fireseed bush to this empty classroom for warmth, Hermione started coming there to do homework with her, soon, others joined in too.
"You guys still don't have dates?" Fred asked Ron and Harry.
"Nope," Ron said. Harry shook his head.
"Better hurry, before all the good girls at Hogwarts are taken," George warned.
"Probably too late already…" Fred chuckled.
"Aren't the champions supposed to open the ball? Harry, you still haven't found a partner?" Fanny asked, looking up from her book.
Harry shook his head uncomfortably. "And you?" Ron asked her.
Fanny laughed. "Of course I do. But I'm not telling. It's a secret."
Ron looked mildly crushed.
"Hey! You'd better get moving!" Fred said, patting Ron's shoulder.
"Start right here?" George suggested.
"Not the best idea…" Fanny said, shrugging.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked.
"I mean, it should be pretty obvious. Every girl here already has a date," Fanny replied.
"What? No way!" Ron exclaimed, immediately looking at Hermione.
"Hey!"
"Excuse me!" Hermione and Anne said at the same time.
"Ahem, I just meant, I was curious. Who are your dates?" Ron asked.
Fanny glanced at Anne and Hermione.
"I'm not telling," Hermione said, shaking her head.
"Secret," Anne muttered, eyes still on her magazine.
Fred and George turned to Ginny. Ron and Harry looked her way too.
"I said yes to Neville," Ginny said, blushing. "I mean… otherwise I wouldn't be able to go, I'm not in fourth year yet."
"Oh…" Fred and George turned to Ron and Harry with synchronized, exaggerated pity.
Ron looked ready to explode, but Harry managed to hold him back just in time.
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