Timothy Zane Van Horn, a sixth year Slytherin was not merely a pureblood of one of the oldest lines in all of the Wizarding World, but he was filthy disgusting rich. Gifted with the temperament of a bull, the patience of a mayfly the entitlement of the wealthy, a really unfair streak of cheating prowess coupled with his rather excellent marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts and a keen ability to outfight most opponents at magic. His cheating prowess helped immensely in the matter of the later ability. Tall, blonde and blue eyed, he looked like something off of a Nazi recruitment poster.
By contrast, Neville Longbottom was a fourth year, Gryffindor a bashful boy coming into his own of late, a pureblood as well and while his family's line was not as old as the Van Horn line, it was twice as filthy disgusting rich due to the capitalist machinations of dear old Uncle Algie. At first look of Neville Longbottom it could not be said to be gifted with anything other than money. A shy retiring boy he kept mainly to himself when he was not wrangled into the mischievous workings of Seamus and Dean. Born in him was a kind and gentle disposition and a courage that held true to his friends. As for his fighting skills, the less said better.
Suffice to say, Longbottom's anger was not really towards Timothy but rather towards a dark haired boy who had brought with him a golden haired companion whom Neville's inner dragon was telling him, should have come with him.
"This is your last chance Longbottom before I make your face resemble the business end of a baboon."
Predictably that got a lot of chuckles from the Slytherin crowd worming their way around their sure champion. Behind him, Ron tried hard to stifle a giggle, after all Neville was his friend.
"Afraid are you Van Horn?" the boy said rather recklessly.
Before the catcalls, and the taunts could even begin Timothy was sending a curse at Neville. "Incendio!"
Just as quickly and rather amazingly with a spin and a twist then a wave of his wand Professor Snape deflected the spell. He was in the middle of the crowd in seconds. "What the devil do you two think you're doing here?"
Made nervous by the sudden attack Neville had gripped his wand tightly and prepared with a counter curse of his own, waiting for the blow that would never come he panicked as Professor Snape appeared suddenly before them. He sent flying a jelly legs curse.
"Hey, watch where you're shooting Dungbottom," a Slytherin yelled as he deflected the spell and it hit Van Horn. The blonde haired boy started dancing, wildly, pushing another Slytherin into Professor Snape.
"Cheating Gryffindors this is supposed to be a fair match," a Slytherin agitator from the crowd cried out then a hex flew which was met with a jinx for a response and the battle began in earnest.
Not one to dilly when there was dalliance to be done, Lavender grabbed Ron by the collar and dragged him out of the ballroom. The clock was getting close to the appointed hour.
♥
Cedric and Dmitri seeing that Van Horn and Longbottom had already taken the spotlight in the ballroom decided to have their duel outside of the castle. Naturally this led them to go by the lake and near the swing where Hermione sat with Viktor Krum.
Parvati not one to have her plans so easily undone proceeded to depose them of their throne but was waylaid by a Hufflepuff and his girlfriend.
"You've got to love the moonlight on the lake, no, Luna?" Ottery asked his date as they walked along the shore.
Luna who was shaking hands with the giant squid, turned to Ottery suddenly and kissed him. The boy blushed. He was at a loss for words.
"Wow." He finally said. Seeing Luna's smilng face, he said it again, "I mean really, Wow. You sure are a good kisser Luna."
Before the Ravenclaw could reply the sound of fighting carried on the wind caught their attentions, taking their eyes from the soft glowing full moon and it's rippling reflection on the water mirror of the lake.
"What did you say to my man, witch?" the Hufflepuff girl exclaimed standing in front of the boy.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Colin said, standing in front of a very aggrieved and angry Parvati Patil.
"Creevy, love, stand back I'm going to make mince meat pie of that slag over there thinks she can take my seat and a chance at a lifetime of sweet love," the girl said.
Colin, fortunately had not clue about the magical chair and the supposed good luck wish it granted. In all truth he had thought that Parvati had just wanted to hang out in the shrubs to talk all night but when she had spied Viktor leading Hermione she had leapt out to assault them. Before she could get to them though the unlike couple of Hufflepuffs had crossed her path.
"This is seriously getting stupid, dude," Cedric said to Dmitri.
"I am vith yu, komrade. Let us dreenk to our diffrences, no?" Dmitri said and they and their respective dates proceeded back into the castle, completely unaware of the light show going on from the ballroom windows showcasing the violence inside.
♥
A tall, black haired boy walked up to Luna and Ottery and asked, "Hey, what's going on?"
Luna turned to see her fellow Ravenclaw, Michael Corner, and answered, "It seems a difference of opinions."
"Ottery are you all right?" Ginny asked her voice making the boy snap out of his reverie.
"Who? What? When? Where? Ginny, I didn't know you'd come to the ball, where's Ha-hahahahaha," the boy said suddenly as Luna stepped on his foot and getting his attention he noticed Ginny holding hands with Michael Corner.
"You all right mate?" Michael asked.
"Never better. Maybe we should go and uhm, stop this no?" Ottery told Ginny, "Us being Gryffindors and all, and that being Parvati and Colin in the thick of it." In truth, Ottery cared nothing for that fact but merely wanted a moment alone with Ginny.
Ottery grabbed Ginny's free hand and dragged her, but Michael would not let go and so was dragged along as well, and Luna seeing that she was going to be alone grabbed Michael's hand like they were playing whiplash. She laughed, happily as she ran at the tail's end.
"Really Lav-Lav Luv, why'd you drag us out here, just when the fight was getting good ,too," Ron complained, hands buried deep in his pockets and Lavender's arms entwined around his arm like vines on a column.
Lavender had no intention of actually answering Ron truthfully. Still, before she could say anything she spied two things. One, the same thing Ron saw, which infuriated her for entirely different reasons, was Hermione sitting on the swing with Viktor Krum talking all cozy with him wearing his jacket over her shoulders as the cool night air flowed. The second, an obstacle on the way to the swing her best friend in the world Parvati and her date, whom Lavender did not approve of, Colin Creevy.
"What kind of friend would I be if I let Parvati sit on the chair with him?" she secretly thought to herself. "No. It's better I deal with that curly haired hussy and that Bulgarian Baller."
"I can't believe her. Seriously!" Ron exclaimed.
"I know what you mean love," Lavender said.
"In plain sight and everything, letting that ... that ... that oaf paw her like that." Ron said angrily.
Of course no one was pawing Hermione, Viktor was merely holding her hand, rubbing it with both of his hands and kissing it to keep her hand warm. Still, Ron's rage was what Lavender needed. Up they went towards the swing by the lake. Ron dragging her-Lavender loved it when he got physical, like a neanderthal-the Gryffindor went to talk some sense to his best mate Hermione Granger.
"I've had a lovely time, Susan," Harry said. "You're a very good dancer."
Susan Bones blushed, "Why thank you Harry," she replied a bit sheepishly. "It was fun. I love dancing and any chance I get, I'll take. But it's getting late, just look at the clock tower, it's almost midnight."
"And who are you supposed to be, Cinderella?" the boy asked good-naturerdly. "I guess if you're tired I can walk you to your dormitory."
"Oh, Harry you're the sweetest. But I'd like ... what's going on over there, do you think?" she asked seeing the large crowd of people standing in between Parvati, Colin and a pair of Hufflepuffs and Hermione and viktor on the swing. It was while looking in that direction that Harry noticed Ron and his temper.
"Oh no. Ron's going to say something stupid, and he and Hermione are going to have a row and if they fight I'm going to have to choose sides and I can't so they'll start using me to talk to each other like last year and ... Susan I got to go. I've got to do something. I can't play telephone poll between those two. Not again."
"I'll go with you," she said.
Sadly my friends this tale of woe must come to an end and what a horrid end it would come to. As the clock turned and the time sped out the hour glass the appointed hour drew near. In her haste Parvati grew angry and punching Colin fired a hex, which was met with two spells.
"What's Parvati doing? This is crazy!" Harry exclaimed running towards the fight.
Lavender not one to like seeing her friend outnumbered rushed to her side to help. Hermione blushing at something Viktor said turned to look away and the smile on her beautiful face withered as she saw the raging form of Ronald Weasley coming towards her.
"You know, this is getting ridiculous," Ottery exclaimed. "Really Ginny I wanted to talk to you privately."
"Ottery you can stop this, do something," Ginny said.
"I can, but I wanted to ... ask you something, without ...your escort present."
"You want me to leave or something, mate?" Michael asked with the complete disinterest of the listless bored.
"Well," Ottery began.
"Ottery do something!" Ginny exclaimed. "Quickly. Before one of the professors comes out and sees the fireworks."
"Oh, all right!" he exclaimed. Then without thinking he fired a spell to disarm Parvati, Lavender and their contenders. But as oft go all the best laid plans of mice and men, in that instant a bevy of spells had been fired and whether chance, God, or the authors own Deus ex machina
the spells collided creating an entirely different spell on their own.
"Ron, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, grabbing at her hair as the wind started to pick up.
"I was about to ask you the same thing, Hermione? First the kissing rock and now here? On a full moon night, just before midnight and with him of all people?" Ron shouted.
Hermione turned to look at the clock tower. Ron was right, it was a minute to midnight. She stood up then sat down and finally sat closer to the edge of the seat. Ron had smiled a little when she'd suddenly stood up, which had caused her to sit back down. The sheer gall of that tuat to think that he could dictate to her who she could sit with. An over some silly little superstition like that. Still, Hermione liked Viktor but spending the rest of her life with him at this point in her life seemed a bit extreme. What were the chances it could happen?
"Hermione!" Ron whined.
"Iz zere a provlem?" Viktor asked.
Before Ron could reply Harry was at his side, and Susan behind him. But before he could say anything someone screamed from behind them, "Ron you idiot. What do you think you're doing?"
Harry turned to see Ginny. Luna next to her waved as did Michael following Luna's example and trying to be generally friendly. Harry's smile withered on his face. Ginny had come to the Halloween Ball with that jerk.
"Oh, crap!" Ottery exclaimed as a giant whirlwind started picking up the students. "How do I stop this, how do I stop this?" in a second it had sucked up all the students into it's funnel, a screaming and crying and yelling, and not a few curses to Ottery whom some of the students blamed for the incident. "Ginny ... told me ... to ... do it!" The boy cried.
"
Finite Incantatem!" sounded the loud booming voice of Professor Dumbledore as the clock tower began to strike twelve. The students came crashing down in a pile some of them falling in the lake like the poor Hufflepuffs and Lavender, while Colin and Parvati crashed into the hedges. Lying in a neat pile atop the now broken swing by the lake was Ron, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Ottery, Viktor, Michael, Susan, and a squirrel with Ottery at the bottom of the group.
"Does this mean we're getting married, Ron?" Ottery asked, the ginger haired Gryffindor.
Luna giggled, sitting at the top holding the squirrel in her hand. "It's just as likely I'll end up with Harry," she said to the nutty squirrel who squeaked back, "No way sister, he's mine!"
Dumbledore sighed. The students really could get rowdy sometimes.