AFTER MUCH BEGGING AND CONVINCING, Dev had finally got May to agree to go to the ball with Ron and Harry. Neither were really saying which was their date specifically, because it was kind of going unspoken that they'd probably spend more time together than with their 'dates.' Still, Dev agreed to do the champion's dance with Harry, because May didn't want all of the eyes on her.

"Are you two almost ready?" Cho called excitedly from the doorway of Dev and May's dormitory.

Dev was giving herself a once over in her small mirror while May applied the finishing touches to her makeup. Their other two roommates, Margaret Windsor and Lyla Fletcher, had long since left. Church sat at May's feet, purring contently each time May would reach down and pet him lightly. Both girls shared a glance before nodding.

"You both look stunning!" Cho squealed as they both turned into view.

It was true. Dev had never been one to dress up much, so she couldn't help but feel somewhat anxious. Her hair was loosely pinned back into a braided updo with a few whispy hairs framing her face. She had went light on makeup, never having been very good at applying it before, as well as settling on a dainty necklace. Her dress was flashy enough, she supposed. It was a light, white/cream color, with a plunging v-neckline and mid length sleeves. It was dotted in sparkling stars and constellations, much like May's.

May had opted to leave her long, black hair straight with a simple braid that wrapped around the back of her head. Her dress was a deep navy blue, her favorite color, that contrasted her pale skin perfectly. Its sleeves reached her wrists and the back was almost entirely open. Like Dev's, it too was littered with shining stars and moons. This was something they had chosen, as an ode to their favorite places, the astronomy tower and the burrow at night.

"So do you, Cho," Dev looked the girl up and down and truly meant it. Cho blushed bashfully before reaching her hands out to the girls.

The three of them descended the Ravenclaw stairs together then out of the Ravenclaw common room. Outside, Cedric was waiting for Cho.

"Wow," He looked taken aback, his eyes never leaving the girl. "You look beautiful."

Cho giggled and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear before stepping away from her two friends and taking Cedric's outstretched hand. He looked almost in awe of the girl, unable to formulate any other words as he gazed upon her. Suddenly, he seemed to be shook to the reality that there were, in fact, other people there, as he offered May and Dev a sheepish smile.

"You ladies look nice, too," He nodded curtly before turning back to Cho and leading her down the hall. The two giggled and whispered to one another the whole way as Dev and May gave them their space walking behind them.

"They seem really good together," Dev noted, watching as Cho playfully gasped and lightly hit Cedric's arm. "He seems to make her really happy."

May simply nodded in response. As they neared closer to the great hall, the sound of chatter and music could be heard loudly. May gave Dev a look, as if to ask if she was ready, before Dev nodded and took May's hand. The two descended the steps together, spotting their young dates immediately.

"Hello boys," The two approached, still hand in hand. Both looked notably shocked, never seeing the girls so well dressed. They probably just pictured them as the two nerdy girls always hanging around Ron's older brothers, and nothing more.

"You look—" Harry started, his eyes wide.

"Bloody amazing," Ron gasped, the words seeming to tumble out before he could think about them. A red tint brushed his cheeks as the two girls laughed.

"I'd like to say the same to you," May eyed Ron's robes nervously. Their colors certainly clashed. As Ron huffed, May laughed lightly and removed her hand from Dev's to place it on his shoulder. "Oh, I'm only teasing. That was for upsetting Mione before."

Ron rolled his eyes before holding his elbow out to the girl, which she slid her arm into. She sent Dev a smile as the two began making their way into the great hall.

"See you in there, yeah?" May called back, earning a nod in response.

"Here you are Potter!" Professor McGonagall approached. "Are you and Miss Bane ready?"

Both shot each other a glance before Harry gulped and nodded. He held out his elbow in a similar fashion to Ron, which Dev snaked her arm into. They paused briefly as Hermione distracted them, descending the stairs with a small smile. Dev couldn't help but smile at how pretty she looked.

"She looks beautiful, don'tcha think?" Dev whispered to Harry.

"Yeah, she does," Harry nodded, seemingly shocked by his friend.

When Hermione finally descended the steps, she immediately took the hand of Viktor Krum. Dev sent Harry a confused look.

"Did you know they were going together?" She questioned, to which Harry just shook his head 'no.' Dev shrugged. "Hm, good for her."

Soon, Professor McGonagall was ushering the champions and their dates into the Great Hall. The dance floor parted for them, everyone eyeing the couples with envy. When Dev spotted Roger Davies with Fleur Delacour, she couldn't help but snort. He seemed to have noticed, raising his brows at her as if the sight was making her jealous. Truthfully, Dev couldn't care less.

As they finally took their place, Harry stood awkwardly, as if he were unsure what to do. Dev rolled her eyes and took Harry's hand, placing it on her waist. Then, she took his other hand in her own. The four couples danced around the floor, Dev leading Harry the entire time. Truthfully, she didn't know what she was doing either, but she hoped no one could tell. The dance seemed never-ending, and while the other couples seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, Dev and Harry swayed in awkward silence.

Much to both teen's relief, the song ended and a rock ballad began to play. The other students rushed to the floor, dragging their dates along. Dev dropped Harry's hand and looked around the crowd for May and Ron, only to find them sitting in a corner. Quickly, she tugged Harry over to them.

"What're you lot doing?" Dev furrowed her brows.

"Ronald doesn't want to dance," May rolled her eyes, shooting Dev a pointed look.

"Well, come along then, you can join us," Dev reached her hand out to May, pulling her up.

"Actually, I think I'll stay back with Ron," Harry nodded sheepishly, seeming afraid Dev might be upset. On the contrary, Dev was completely fine just dancing with May. She shrugged as the two girls hurried off to the dance floor in a fit of giggles.

Around them, couples danced or jumped around close together. May and Dev took both of each other's hands, spinning and dipping one another. They laughed with each turn, jumping and not caring who they bumped into. They were determined to have this be the night of their life, with or without the twins.

"What do you think the boys are doing?" Dev questioned over the music, to which May just shrugged.

"Moping in their bedrooms, probably," May yelled back. "We can check on 'em later, let's have fun!"

So that's what they did. They shouted the words to every song they knew, enjoying each other's company and dancing as if no one were watching. Dev basked in moments like this, where she could just forget everything else plaguing her and be present with her best friend. No worries of boys or visions, just have fun.

"My shoe's are killing me!" May shouted over the music after they'd danced for what felt like hours.

"Then kick 'em off!" Dev suggested back, not stopping her dancing. The dancing was beginning to wind down and the dance floor was beginning to thin out, but Dev and May weren't ready to finish.

May rolled her eyes lightly and gripped Dev's forearm, having to forcibly remove her from the dance floor as they approached their 'dates.' Ron looked particularly sour as Hermione stood over him, shouting. Tentatively, the girls approached the scene, unsure if it was something they wanted to involve themselves in. May quietly removed her shoes, careful to keep a distance. Soon, Ron was up and stomping away with Hermione hot on his heels. Dev went to stop May from following, but the raven-haired girl was having none of it, so she simply followed as well.

"Next time there's a ball, pluck up the courage and ask me before somebody else does, and not as a last resort!" Hermione shouted. Dev and May stood back, staring on with wide eyes.

"Well, that's completely off point," Ron mumbled.

Harry was soon brushing past Dev and May towards Ron, shooting him a warning look. Dev could only hope it would be enough to get Ron to stop talking.

"They get scary when they get older," Ron muttered down to his friend.

"Ron you spoil everything!" Hermione cried out, the tears beginning to fall as the two boys ran off. She plopped down on the steps, burying her face in her hands.

"Mione," May approached slowly, placing a tentative hand on the girl's shoulder as she took a seat next to her. Immediately, Hermione threw herself into the girl's arms as May began gently rubbing her back. "Ron's a right git. You don't deserve to feel like this."

Hermione simply sobbed into the girl's shoulder. Dev watched from in front of the two, her eyes looking between them curiously. She noticed things in May that most others wouldn't. Like the real hurt etching her face, and not just from empathy, but like she was fighting her own tears. Or the way she was gently brushing Hermione's hair back, trying to sooth her sobs. Dev realized that May softened with the girl in a way she had never seen her before, aside from maybe herself. Biting down on her lip, she decided to let May handle this alone. As she walked by the two she gently squeezed May's shoulder, who just nodded back up at her, before returning to comforting Hermione.

Dev kept walking up the steps, not quite sure where she wanted to go. She didn't want to return to her common room just yet, because that meant the night was over and she'd have to go back to reality, and she wasn't ready for that yet. So, she took a different turn, and made her way towards the Gryffindor common room. When she arrived there, she was thankful to see a few Gryffindors lulling around with their dates outside, whispering and giggling.

"D'ya think you could let me in?" She interrupted Katie Bell and her date softly. Katie offered the girl a small smile before approaching the portrait hole and saying the password, holding out her arm to let the girl in before turning back to her date and staying in the corridor.

"Dev?" Ron and Harry were sat the couch, clearly not expecting to see her. "If you've come to chew me out about Hermione, save it—"

"I haven't come to do that, although I probably should." Dev shook her head at Ron. "D'ya think you could go get your brothers for me?" She nodded her head towards the boy's dormitories.

Both boys nodded and made their way towards the stairs, leaving Dev alone in the common room. She finally got a proper look at the place, now that it wasn't littered with sloppy drunk students. It was a bit cozy, but she realized she still preferred her own common room.

"Dev?" A voice drew away her attention, causing her to turn back around towards the dormitory steps. Fred stood at the bottom of the steps, a small smile on his face as he took in the sight of the girl. "Wow."

Dev rolled her eyes at his remark, knowing she probably looked quite disheveled. Her hair had almost entirely fallen out of its updo, and she was certain she probably looked like a sweaty mess from all of the dancing. For a moment, she pondered where George was. But, she realized, when Ron told the twins that Dev was there to see them, the sneaky boy probably orchestrated time alone for the two.

"You look..." Fred wet his lips, taking another step closer to the girl. "Wow."

"Oh, shut it," Dev rolled her eyes and approached the boy, lightly swatting his chest. Surely, he was just messing with her.

"I mean it!" Fred laughed. "You look really lovely, Bee." His eyes seemed to rake over every inch of her, before drawing themselves back up to her eyes. "Why aren't you at the ball?"

"S'pose it got boring without you," Dev had a light smile on her face, trying to control the blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah?" Fred smirked. "Well, in that case," He cleared his throat, bowing slightly. "Miss Bane, may I have this dance?"

"Freddie," Dev laughed, thankful no one was around to see the two of them. "There isn't even any music."

"You're telling me you're so boring that you need music to dance?" He quirked a brow, looking genuinely shocked. He held out his hand expectantly, and with a light eye roll, Dev took his hand in her own.

For a few moments, they danced traditionally, the way she assumed she was supposed to dance with Harry. He held one of her hands in the air while his other hand rested on her waist. The two swayed around, Dev giggling the whole time. When he dipped her, he let go of her waist immediately, almost causing her to tumble back. Dev gasped, preparing for impact, but Fred quickly let both of his hands snake around her waist and as he raised her back up, a smirk was on his lips.

"I've got ya," He soothed, laughing when she smacked his chest for nearly dropping her.

He let both of his hands grip the sides of her waist before he lifted her in the air, causing her to rest her hands on his shoulders. He spun her around, his eyes on her the entire time. Slowly, he slid her back down, their eye contact never breaking. Dev's breath hitched when her feet finally hit the ground and his eyes stayed on hers. She was certain that if his hands weren't still holding her, her knees would've buckled and she'd be on the ground.

The eye contact was far too long. They both stood motionless, waiting for the other to make a move. Just as Dev's eyes flickered to Fred's lips, they twitched upwards into a smirk and his grasp left her waist as he backed up a bit. The feeling left Dev feeling cold. She found herself wondering if all of the tension she had just felt was completely one-sided.

She didn't have a lot of time to think about it, because Fred was soon retrieving his wand from the back pocket of his jeans. He aimed it towards a stereo in the corner of the room, flicking it on with the swish of his wrist.

"You mean to tell me that's been here this whole time?" Dev gasped. Fred shot her a small smile before changing various 'Weird Sisters' songs. Eventually, he seemed to tap into what he was looking for. At first, Dev furrowed her brows, recognizing it was a Muggle song. The tune sounded familiar, perhaps May had played it around her before.

As the beat started, Fred danced a few feet away from the girl, snapping his finger along to the beat. His back was turned to her as she stood with her brows furrowed, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched the scene.

"Oh wait a night," Fred spun around quickly as he sang along to the song, his finger pointed out at Dev. She erupted into a fit of giggles at his singing.

Fred turned his hand over, finger still pointed outward, before bending it towards himself, beckoning her towards him. Dev rolled her eyes lightly before kicking off her heels and obliging.

"Late December back in '63," Fred continued his singing, grasping her hand and spinning her around. When she was back facing him, he continued. "What a very special time for me."

Dev couldn't control her laughter as she lost herself in the tune and Fred's voice. How did Fred know this song so well? Why was it quickly becoming her new favorite? It was all silly, quick movements and smiles, Fred doing everything in his power to evoke laughter from the girl.

"You know, I didn't even know her name," Fred danced behind her, singing close to her left ear. His breath tickled her neck, intoxicating her to the point she almost didn't notice his hand resting on her waist. Almost. Moving slowly behind her, he made his way to her other ear and continued. "But I was never gonna be the same. What a lady, what a night."

Dev spun in his grasp so they were face to face, Fred's smile wide. She pushed back lightly on his chest, breaking their distance and his incessant teasing on her. He laughed at her movements, even more so when she raised her eyebrows and shimmied her shoulders.

"Oh I, I gotta funny feeling when she walked in the room. And I, as I recall it ended much too soon," Fred grasped his chest dramatically, raising his voice with the newly higher octave of the song.

"You're crazy, Freddie," Dev laughed, rushing back forward to him.

The next few lines of the song were mixed with Fred's off key singing and Dev's laughter. Arms flailed as the two whirled around one another. It was as if the sweat-stained air between them was producing a high, one that they both were prepared to ride out as long as possible. Feet moved back, forward, any which way and with no real direction. But it was fun. Fred grasped Dev's hand and spun her once again, but this time he pulled her in close once she whirled around. Her body crashed into his, her hands flying instinctively to his chest as she braced for impact. Although he stumbled a bit, he ultimately regained his footing, snaking both of his arms around her to keep her in place.

Why'd it take so long to see the light?

Seemed so wrong but now it seems so right

Although Fred had ceased his singing, Dev couldn't help but cling to the lyrics she just heard. Her fingers lightly brushed the soft material of his jumper, tracing over the embroidered Gryffindor patch in the middle. Fear kept her eyes drawn to the symbol. Fear of looking up and finding he wasn't looking at her in the way she'd hope. Gently, he removed one of his hands from the small of her back and brushed back a loose strand of hair that had fallen in her face, tucking it behind her ear.

A chill shot down her spine. No, she couldn't avoid it any longer. Her eyes flickered up to meet his. What was the look he was giving her? Had he ever looked at her like that before?

Just as she thought he may be leaning in, the moment was broken by the sound of someone entering the Gryffindor common room.

"You're sure you'll be ok—Oh."

Both of their heads shot back as they broke apart from the embrace. Hermione stood with red eyes and a splotchy face with May beside her. The two girls' eyes were wide, almost donning matching expressions at the sight of Dev and Fred so close.

"Did we—" Hermione searched the words, wiping at her cheek. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Only Dev's tragic dancing," Fred laughed. He pulled his wand from his back pocket and aimed it at the stereo, turning it down a few notches. "Nearly took me out. This one has two left feet, I swear."

"Right," Dev nodded, forcing a small smile. Internally, she was cursing herself for thinking that anything more could be happening. "Perhaps if someone's awful singing weren't distracting me."

"Ouch," Fred feigned hurt, slapping a hand to his chest.

Hermione bit down on her lip before glancing over at May. It was clear neither of them were convinced, but they didn't press it any further. Dev's eyes trailed down to the two, taking notice to the fact that they were holding hands. Hermione gave May's hand a light squeeze before nodding and making her way to the girl's dormitories, wishing everyone a good night.

The three stood silently for a moment, the tension thick in the air. Fred scratched at the back of his neck while May narrowed her eyes between the two. It was clear she was dying to figure out what she had just walked in on, but ultimately she decided she could pester Dev about it later. With a dramatic sigh, she threw her hands up and turned her attention completely to Fred.

"Well, what're you doing, go get George!"

Fred's lips broke into a smile as he tore off up the stairs. In a few moments, both brothers were back and Fred was turning the stereo back up. The night ended with the four of them, dancing like idiots to songs May was most familiar with. Any concerns Dev had, she could worry about the following morning. In that moment, she just wanted to end her perfect night with her three best friends.

author's note !

ummmm they're so cute

tell me you can't imagine Fred singing "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)" by The Four Seasons like an idiot. Like, in the goofiest way possible.

I wanna add I do have an explanation as to why he knows the song but it didn't fit nicely into this chapter so it'll come up later lol. I also know muggle technology doesn't work at hogwarts but you're telling me these kids just don't have music??? I do not buy it. so they have a stereo in this.

also! I made little edits of what inspired the girl's dresses, so here they are! But you can envision them in any way you want really.

DEV

MAY