Archive of Our Own ^beta

The bet started out light-hearted. They were sat around in the Gryffindor common room late one night, Emily and Kelley playing wizards chess for the third time that night with Sonnett so sure she was gonna win this time (She was currently losing). Only a few stragglers were still up this late, though they were being productive and actually studying, which the other two should've probably been doing as well, especially Kelley, who was a 5th year and had her O.W.L.s this year. At one point, Kelley lets out a long sigh as she moves her knight and manages to take out a rook. Emily looks over at her, confused. "What?" The blonde asks curiously, a finger tapping her chin absentmindedly.

"I was just thinking of the Yule Ball" Kelley shrugs nonchalantly and Emily seems to deflate at the mention of it. "It's only two weeks away, ya know?" Kelley adds as Emily moves her queen. "I know..." Sonnett trails off awkwardly. "I still don't have anyone to go with" Kelley admits and Emily glances up. "Yeah, me neither" Emily nods, the two keeping eye-contact for a second before Kelley makes the final blow, killing off Emily's king.

"Cheap shot!" Emily complains and Kelley smiles cheekily. She holds out a hand and Emily shakes it as a sign of a good game before Kelley motions for her to follow. They move to sit on the empty couches near the fireplace as the last person moves to go to bed, sending them a wave goodnight. When Kelley's sure the common room is empty she bites her lip, turning to look at Sonnett who was in deep thought, staring into the fire.

"Are you planning on going still? Like, even if you didn't have a date?" Kelley wonders and Emily quickly nods. "I'm sure I could go with Rose or something. As like friends" Emily shrugs. "Yeah, I'd probably go with HAO" Kelley agrees, both of them thinking it over before Kelley's features seem to light up mischieviously. "Or..." She says and Emily turns to raise an eyebrow at her. "We could always have a little fun with it" Kelley smirks.

"Pretend we're dating and go with each other?" Emily suggests curiously. "Hmmm...that could be plan B...I could already see some of their faces" Kelley cackles, Emily laughing with her as they both thought it over. "Anyways, what if...we both go out and find dates?" Kelley wiggles her eyebrows. "You mean ask someone to go with us? On...a date?" Sonny clarifies and Kelley nods. "I mean, yeah. No harm in asking, right?" Kelley shrugs.

"But who? I'm sure a lot of people already have dates" Emily points out. "There's no way everyone has a date! There's gotta be someone to ask!" Kelley exclaims and Emily hums, nodding slowly. "Even better, let's turn it into a bet" Kelley grins and Emily gains a grin of her own, looking to Kelley eagerly. "The winner? Whoever finds a date to the ball first. The stakes? The loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a whole week" Kelley proposes. Emily mulls it over before shrugging and thrusting her hand out, Kelley shaking it vigoriously. "You're on".

~~~

It couldn't be too hard to find a date. Being on the Quidditch team gained some popularity. Each of them got on the Quidditch team their second years, Kelley being one year above Sonnett's, meaning she was more recognizable between the two of them. Both of them were Beaters and were great at helping defend their team, leading their House to win the Quidditch Cup not one, but two years in a row, which was a great feat being that Sonnett's first two years on the team had helped the win. They worked well together and if one of them missed, the other would be right there to get the target instead, as if they could read one another's minds.

The rest of their team consisted of the Keeper, Ashlyn Harris, a 6th year, the Seeker, Sam Kerr, a 4th year, and the three Chasers, Mal Pugh, a 3rd year, Lindsey Horan, a 4th year, and Julie Johnston, also a 4th year. And with all of their skills combined they managed to win the Quidditch Cup two years in a row now, last year almost being beat by the Ravenclaw team, which consisted of their Keeper, Alyssa Naeher, a 5th year, their Beaters, Becky Sauerbrunn and Ali Krieger, both 6th years, their Seeker, Kristie Mewis, a 5th year and their Chasers, Christen Press, a 5th year, Lynn Williams, a 4th year and a new player this year, Sophia Smith, a 2nd year.

The two other House teams had some great players as well though which seemed to surprise the Gryffindors that they had won so much. The Slytherin team had their Keeper, Chloe Montez, a blonde haired, green eyed 4th year, their Beaters, Abby Dahlkemper, a 4th year and Allie Long, a 5th year, their Seeker, Trinity Rodman, a 2nd year and their Chasers, Alex Morgan, a 5th year, Megan Rapinoe, a 6th year and Carli Lloyd, a 7th year. And last but not least, the Hufflepuff team which consisted of their Keeper, Casey Murphy, a 3rd year, their Beaters, Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis, both 4th years, their Seeker, Lilith Bennett, a brown haired blue-eyed 5th year and their Chasers, Ashley Sanchez, a 3rd year, Tobin Heath, a 5th year and Morgan Brian, a 4th year.

And being on the Quidditch team made them popular, not to mention, all of the Quidditch players got along pretty well and all considered each other close friends (unless they were on the pitch, then it was every team for themselves). So, finding a date was probably gonna be a piece of cake for them, and they each had specific people in mind. The problem was, actually asking said person. Kelley was in Potion's class with the 5th year Slytherins and the rest of the 5th year Gryffindors. She was sat at a table with Allie Long, Alex Morgan and Servando Carrasco, all of them working on correctly brewing a Wit-Sharpening Potion. Snape was across the room, berating a couple of Gryffindors, his favorite past time.

"So, anyone got dates for the dance yet?" Serv brings up curiously. "Casey Cordial just asked me yesterday" Allie grins excitedly. "You didn't tell me that!" Alex gasps, moving around the table to hug her. "Congrats, Al" Kelley pats her on the shoulder, grinning as well. "What about you, Morgan?" Serv wonders as Alex takes her place back at her station and all eyes were on her.

"No, not yet. No one's asked me" Alex shrugs nonchalantly and Kelley bites her lip nodding, in deep thought. If anything, now would be the best time for Kelley to shoot her shot. Her and Alex have been friends for a long time. They met on the pitch at a match and Alex was a force to be reckoned with. One nasty shot from a bludger sent her to the hospital wing. Kelley was the one who sent it at her so she went to visit the Slytherin Chaser, feeling guilty. Alex was not in the mood to talk to her however and when she learned it was Kelley's fault, she yelled at Kelley for ten mintues straight. Madam Pomfrey had to shoo her out so Alex would stop yelling. After that, Kelley started avoiding the fiery Chaser as much as possible until they had to work together in Potions class, Snape doing it on purpose to torture them.

Kelley apologized again for hitting her that hard with a bludger and admitted she usually got very competitive during games. Alex admitted she was the same way which is why she was so mad she had to get out of the game so early and after that, the two became close friends. Along the way, they met Allie Long and now, the three hang out with one another as much as possible, always sitting together in their shared classes. Alex and Kelley even had nicknames for each other. Kelley calls her Janice considering Alex's sister's names start with J so she turned Alex into a J Morgan as well. Not many people get it but the two of them, plus Allie thinks it's funny. And Alex's nickname for Kelley was worms or wormy because Kelley's so much like a worm to Alex.

The reason Allie doesn't have a nickname is because she and the Hufflepuff Chaser Tobin Heath already came up with nicknames for each other, Harry. No one knows why they call each other Harry but they also learned not to queston their friends either. At one point in time and after years of getting to know all of her teammates and friends, Kelley had started to grow very fond of Alex to the point where she can't seem to get the girl out of her mind. She doesn't even know if Alex is straight or gay, for crying out loud! But she did know one thing and that was the fact that if she was gonna find out Alex's sexuality, she'd just have to ask. And what better way to do that then to ask her out to the ball, right?

"Hey, Jan-" "Alex" Serv cuts her off and Kelley turns to give him a look but he was too busy looking at Alex. Alex looks between both of them confused and Kelley motions for Serv to go. "No, you can go. You spoke first" Serv offers. Before either of them can say anything else, Snape clears his throat, having walked over to their table. "What is this? Social hour?" He sneers, looking between all of them.

"Sorry, I was just asking them if we had to mix more Armadillo Bile next or the Ginger Roots" Alex quickly apologizes for the group and the others nod. "That might've been believeable if you weren't one of my students, Miss Morgan. And since you are, I know for a fact how well you are with potions, that is, better than the group you surround yourself with" Snape sends Kelley a look who shrinks slightly.

"Well, which is it Miss O'Hara? Or are you so incompetent you haven't even reached that part yet?" Snape's long beak of a nose moves to hang over her as he peers into her cauldron. "It seems you're still on step two. 10 points from Gryffindor" "Wh- Professor- You can't-" Kelley tries to say as well as Servando but Snape holds up a hand to stop their protests. "I expect your potion done by the end of the lesson and perfect with no help. if I hear another word out of either of you for the rest of class you'll have detention" Snape tells the two Gryffindors who both frown but nod, not saying anything else. Snape strides off to go bother other Gryffindors, Alex and Allie sending them apologetic looks before going back to their own potions, whispering amongst each other. Well, there went that plan. Looks like she'll have to work her nerve up another time.

~~~

Emily Sonnett follows the rest of her Care of Magical Creatures class that Gryffindors share with Hufflepuffs, walking along with her friends. Apparently a lot of the Quidditch players really enjoy animals. The Gryffindors, her, Lindsey, Crystal, Julie, and Sam Kerr and the Hufflepuffs, Rose, Sam Mewis, Morgan and Lily Bennett were all in this class, all of them following after Hagrid as he excitedly called back to them about the creature he was about to show them. "Anyone else think we're being lead to our deaths?" Lindsey brings up to their friends and Sonnett laughs.

"I hope it's another Hippogriff. Last time we were with them, I taught mine how to dance" Crystal says, doing a little dance as she says it and the group chuckles. Rose, who was right next to Emily, shakes her arm to get her attention. She gives her a look and Sonnett slows down as her friends continue walking, leaving the two to follow from behind and give them a bit of privacy. "So, what's your plan?" Rose wonders. Okay, so, Emily might have let it slip to Rose about her bet with Kelley. Did she have a plan of action? "Uh, just go up and ask?" Emily shrugs and Rose gives her a look.

"You may be a Gryffindor, but you have never been that brave. You and I both know you're gonna chicken out" Rose scoffs. "Chicken out about what?" Lily had slowed down to walk beside them, curious. "The bet" Rose answers before Emily can say anything. "Ah, yes, the bet. I'd just give up now, Son. Kell has way more rizz than you. You have no chance" Lily scoffs. Rose reaches over to slap her on the arm as Emily frowns. Yes, she told more than Rose. She told the Hufflepuff Seeker, Lilith Bennett as well. But if anyone could help give her some advice on how to get a date, it was them. Sure, Rose was single, but she was always the best advice giver in Emily's opinion. And Lily already had a date to the ball. In fact, she was one of the first ones to ask, having asked the Slytherin Keeper, Chloe Montez to the ball. And sure, they were already dating, but, then again, it still must've taken a lot of guts to do it.

"Give her a break. I have faith...sorta" "Gee, thanks guys" Emily sighs out at her friends as they finally make it to wherever Hagrid was leading them. It was an empty space, surrounded by trees. The class looks around for any creature as Hagrid stands in front of them, grinning. "Uh-" Sam Mewis holds up a hesitant hand. "What are we supposed to be looking at?" Sam wonders. "Yeh don' see 'em?" Hagrid asks and the class shakes their head, looking around, confused.

Hagrid points behind him at the trees and the class squints, seeing nothing but regular looking trees. "Wait, I see something" Sam Kerr says and the class looks closer, Emily finally seeing it as well. Little green stick looking creatures walking along the tree branches. "Bowtruckles!" Hagrid grins. "Ooh, they're so cute!" Julie coos as she sees them. "These little fellas are very peaceful but be careful. If it thinks its tree's bein attacked, it'll try'an protec' it at all costs" Hagrid explains.

"These things can hurt you?" Morgan scoffs. "Can do more 'an that, Morgan. It'll mos' likely try an' gauge yer eyeballs out" Hagrid warns and the classes eyes widen. "Anywho, they're favorite thing ter eat are insec's. I brough' some wit me if yeh all wanna split up and try ter befriend 'em?" Hagrid holds up a bag full of dead insects, some of them grimacing while others move towards the trees, careful not to upset the creatures. The three move to a tree full of Bowtruckles as everyone else splits into groups. Emily's the one to help try and feed them considering Rose nor Lily wanted to touch the dead insects.

"Look, if you wanna beat O'Hara, I say, you should just go do it right now" Lily points towards the tall Gryffindor Chaser who was currently laughing as she watched Morgan quckly dig into the bag of insects, shriek, and then throw it at the Bowtruckles. Hagrid had to move towards them, worried the things would try and attack them if they continued, Rose, Lily and Emily sharing looks. "I don't think now's the best time" Emily says.

"Is any time, though?" Rose points out as Emily hands an insect off to one of the creatures. It slowly moves to take it with it's long sharp looking branch like fingers and then eats it. "Damn" Lily whistle as she watches. Emily absentmindedly hands off another one to another Bowtruckle, thinking it over. Yes, she liked Lindsey Horan. And yes, Rose and Lily both knew, as well as Sam Mewis, Morgan Brian and Lily's best friend and non-Quidditch player, Summer Myrtle, a Ravenclaw, blonde-haired 4th year. She liked Lindsey since they first met, actually. They met on the train to Hogwarts. Emily and Rose were in a compartment, having just met themselves being that this was their first year and the two were already getting along, Emily having suggested they come up with a dance. The two were in the middle of dancing when the door slid open and they stopped, mid dance, looking up with wide eyes to find a tall girl with brunette hair looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Am I interrupting?" She had asked and they had shared a look, both shaking their heads. "We're just dancing. Wanna join?" Emily suggests and her and Rose started dancing again, Lindsey smiling as she shrugged and moved to sit down and watch, amused. Emily knew though, when she first saw this girl, that they were gonna be close friends. It was made more abundant when both Lindsey and Emily got sorted into Gryffindor, though she was sad to see Rose be sorted into Hufflepuff instead. Not that she couldn't still talk to her but she had kind of been hoping they'd be put in the same house and be dorm buddies. Though, she didn't mind being dorm buddies with Lindsey.

And as the years went on, her feelings grew stronger and stronger for her best friend. Especially when Lindsey went blonde because Lindsey made a hot blonde. Though, Sonnett was never good at figuring out feelings. So it was hard to tell if Lindsey felt the same way. "You're right. I should go do it" Emily agrees, determined. "Good luck" Rose pats her on the back. "You've got this, Son. We believe in you" Emily marches towards Lindsey but pauses halfway there when she spots a Hufflepuff boy talking with her. Tyler Heaps. He was making her laugh, something she always did. That was her thing, do everything she could to make Lindsey laugh. And this guy was doing it with ease.

"All right, Sonnett?" Hagrid had clapped her on the shoulder. Sonnett looks towards him before glancing back, catching eyes with Lindsey who sends her a smile that sends butterflies through her stomach, her cute dimples showing off before she turned back to Tyler. "I'm not sure" Emily admits. "Yeh excited fer the dance?" Hagrid brings up curiously. "That depends who I go with, I guess" She shrugs. "Yeh don need someone fer a good time. Take it from me. I always have a good time" Hagrid motions around him and Emily moves to smile at him, though she's sure it comes out more like a grimace. No offense to Hagrid but she did not want to grow up to be a lonely gameskeeper who's company is creatures who can't talk back to you. She needed to figure out how she was gonna ask Lindsey, and fast.

~~~

Kelley and Sonnett sit together later that day at dinner, across from one another, both giving each other expectant looks. "Well?" Kelley urges and Emily shakes her head, frowning. "Yeah, me neither" Kelley sighs, both moving to rest their heads against their palms. "This is honestly harder than Quidditch" Emily sighs out, thinking over her day of doing exactly what Rose and Lily said she'd do. Chicken out. It shouldn't really be that hard. Lindsey is one of her best friends! They talk and joke with each other every day. They share a dorm together! But thinking about talking to Lindsey in that sort of sense made her knees feel wake and her hands sweaty and she wasn't really a big fan of that feeling.

As for Kelley, the same happened to her with Alex. They had seen each other at lunch and she was planning on doing it then. But it seemed her brain had other ideas and instead the two talked the whole time about the upcoming Quidditch tournament their friends had planned for the first weekend of winter break. And then Servando joined them and Alex's attention was more focused on him and Kelley was sulking about it for the rest of her classes. It was weird. Kelley was usually good at talking to girls. She used to have a girlfriend her 3rd year, another Slytherin and was the one who asked her out and everything. Until she realized her true feelings for Alex her 4th year and the two broke up, Kelley feeling guilty for the fact she had been with this girl so long when her heart was attached to another.

Soon, some of their Quidditch friends join the two, Rose and Lily sat next to Sonnett and Alex and Allie sat next to Kelley. Chloe sits next to her girlfriend and Sam Mewis takes the seat beside Rose with Lindsey taking the seat across from Sam and Mal Pugh moving to take the open seat beside Allie, making the group even. Summer joins, taking the seat in between Sonnett and Lily and Moe takes the seat to sit on the other side. "Why the long face, you two? That's supposed to be my thing" Allie jokes, the rest of the group rolling their eyes. "Probably has to do with the fact she blew our exam in charms" Lindsey shrugs, moving to grab some of the food.

If only she knew though. "I did not!" She exclaims. "JJ would tell them otherwise if she was here" Lindsey smirks and some of them laugh. At that moment, a 4th year Gryffindor, Dansby Swanson appears beside Mal, sending her a smile. "Hey, Mal" He greets and she looks over, surprised. "Hi, Dan" Mal greets, smiling shyly. "Um..." Dan glances at all of her friends who were looking at him, some with curious expressions, others with knowing ones. "I was wondering if you had a date to the ball yet?" he asks and Mallory shakes her head. "Great! Would you like to go with me?" he asks and Mal squeals, moving to hug him and he laughs as they share an embrace, people around the Great Hall applauding as all of their Quidditch friends move to congratulate her.

Emily and Kelley smile, clapping for their friend but share a look, each of them knowing what it meant. They head to step it up and be like Dan. Though, throughout the next week, they did the exact oppostie. Every time they thought they'd have the chance, something would manage to stop them from doing so. Whether it be they're interrupted, they chicken out or, Servando or Tyler get to them instead and they have to do everything they can to make sure they prevent them from asking their friends out. Saturday comes around, Friday having been their last day of classes and Christmas break starting up, a lot of the 4th years and above staying for the ball while most of the younger students leave.

All of the Quidditch friends had decided to plan a Quidditch championship for all day Saturday with each of the teams facing off against one another. It was an all day event and since a couple of the younger players had left for winter break, some of them brought friends to replace them that knew how to play. So what a fantastic choice when Sonnett watches Lindsey approaching the group with Tyler and right beside them, Alex and Servando walking together, all four of them laughing together. "That could be you" Tobin tsks, shaking her head from beside them and both turn to glare at her.

Yes, some of their other teammates had found out about the bet as well. Ashlyn Harris found out when she caught them talking about it who then told Ali Krieger, because of course, those two tell each other everything. Krashlyn got together their 1st years and tried to keep it a secret but everyone had caught on very quickly to their relationship. You could never find one without the other. Krashlyn had then let it slip to Megan Rapinoe and HAO, who then told Tobin Heath and Christen Press, or, as their friends like to call them, Preath. Preath had gotten together their 3rd year and also tried to keep it a secret. They had done a terrible job though seeing as their 1st week together, Lily, Summer, Sam and Rose had walked in on them making out on Tobin's bed.

They even tried to cover it up with Tobin saying that they had been studying and Chris fell when she was trying to get up and landed on Tobin's face, all the while the three 4th years were on the floor crying from laughter at this point, Pressy blushing profusely. It's been a joke ever since as every time they see Preath kiss, they make a stupid joke like 'Do you need help getting up, Pressy?', or something similar.

"Tobin, leave them alone" Christen scolds, nudging her in the side. "What? I'm trying to give them motivation. If I saw a guy making you laugh if I was trying to ask you out, I'd be jealous" Tobin points out. "You don't need to worry about being jealous with me, remember? i'm already your date" Chris grins and Tobin beams. "I know. Can you believe that guy tried to ask you when he knew we were together?" Tobin scoffs, wrapping an arm around Christen and Christen shakes her head, Son and Kelley shaking their heads as they watched the two flirt. "Tobs, he was only asking if I knew where the bathroom was. He was a 1st year" Christen points out. "He's been a 1st year for this long and doesn't know where the bathroom is? I call bull" Tobin scoffs.

Emily and Kelley walk away from them to let them banter in peace, both smiling in amusement. "Watching all these couples flirt is making me more depressed, honestly. I thought I would've already asked her by now" Kelley admits as they catch sight of Mal and Dansby talking and grinning at one another, Dansby here to sub in for Sophia Smith, seeing as Sophia had went home for Christmas break. "When did Tyler even become so interested in talking to her? I've never seen them talk before last week" Sonnett huffs as she watches Lindsey and Tyler talk.

"KO! Sonny!" They both turn to see HAO approaching. "What are you doing here?" Kelley asks confused. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? As a former Quidditch player turned Quidditch announcer, it's my duty to announce your games, duh!" Heather scoffs. "You should play music for us too. I could use a dance break every once in a while" Sonnett swivels her hips, Kelley nodding in agreement. "Sure, I'll DJ, but as long as it doesn't distract you from your main goal" "We can listen to music and play Quidditch at the same time. We're pros" Kelley scoffs.

"Not that goal" Heather smirks. She nods her head over towards the crowd of friends talking before the matches start, Lindsey chatting with Mal, Dansby, Tyler, Sam Kerr and Kristie. And then points over to Alex talking with Servando, Allie and Krashlyn. "None of you are ever gonna stop talking about this, are you?" Kelley sighs out. "You two need a little push. Consider this your 5th one" Heather winks, moving to talk to some of the others. "The music better be really good!" Sonnett calls after and she sends a shaka back at them.

"She's right. This could be our last chance to ask them. It should be easier for you since you and Linds are on the same team" Kelley points out. "And, just try not to have a repeat of 2nd year with Alex" Sonnett warns Kelley who shoves her, shaking her head in amusement as their Gryffindor captain, Ashlyn calls them over to huddle. "Okay, so, we're not in the first match but our first match is against Hufflepuff" Ashlyn starts off. Kelley and Son share a look. No chance to ask Alex yet for Kelley but that meant that Tyler, who was also a Chaser, subbing in for Ashley Sanchez, would have his chances to go for Lindsey. They had to stop that from happening.

Everyone starts getting set up then, the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor players moving to sit in the stands while Slytherin and Ravenclaw got ready in the pitch down below, the ref, Steph Mccaffrey also down there, setting them up. HAO decides to set up in the usual commentator box where the Professors sit, motioning for the captains from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor to join her, Tobin and Ashlyn. "Let's go, Chlo! Show em up!" Lily cheers excitedly from the stands towards the goalposts where the blonde was waiting for the match to start. Chloe sends a smile in her direction and Lily makes a heart with her hands, Rose nudging her.

"We get it. You two are a couple" Rose scoffs and Lily nudges her. "Don't be jealous just because you're single" Lily responds with a shrug and Rose flips her off, the others laughing. "No heart for me?" Summer pouts, hovering above on the broom, subbing in as the Slytherin Seeker for Trinity Rodman. Lily sends another heart and Summer grins. "You've got this Sum, don't make my girl lose" Lily warns her and Summer scoffs, rolling her eyes and flying off. "Are we doing bets for this match?" Kerr wonders and everyone looks around, Lily and Rose smirking over at Kelley and Sonnett. "I bet 2 galleons on Ravenclaw" Mal declares, holding it up for the others to see, sat in between Sam and Lindsey. "You only say that because Dan's subbing in for Soph" Sam scoffs. "No, I really believe they can do it even if he wasn't!"

"I agree. Becky's a good player and captain. They've probably got a lot of tricks up their sleeves" Julie agrees, throwing her 2 galleons into a hat and waving it around, Mal grabbing it to throw hers in as well. "If anyone has tricks up their sleeves, it's Slytherin. That's their whole thing" Morgan disagrees, throwing 2 galleons in for Slytherin. "Moe's right, Ravenclaw may have a better chance strategically but Slytherin plays dirty" Lindsey throws 2 galleons in for Slytherin as well and soon everyone's betting with Moe, Lindsey, Lily, Servando, Kerr, Kelley and Rose putting in for Slytherin and Mal, Julie, Tyler, Sonnett, Crystal, and Sam for Ravenclaw, all of them now on the edge of their seats as they waited for the match to start.

Kelley nudges Sonnett who was making some stupid joke with Rose and Sonnett turns to her, curious. "You've got a whole Quidditch match to sit through" Kelley points out. "I know" She nods. Kelley shakes her head, pointing towards Lindsey who was taking a picture with Mal and Sam, Tyler busy talking with Servando. "You should be sitting next to Linds, not us. And then you can ask her" Kelley points out. She was right, of course. Tyler wasn't around her for once and they had a whole match to sit through together, depending on the Seekers, Summer Myrtle and Kristie Mewis. Now was as good a chance as any. Sonnett pauses before she does though, giving her a look. "I thought we were betting against each other. Why are you helping me?" Emily points out and Kelley smirks. "Who said I'm helping you? What if this is for my own gain?" "Touche".

She stands then, making her way towards them and sitting in the empty spot next to Lindsey who smiles in greeting. "Kelley boring you?" Lindsey quips, glancing back at Kelley who overheard her and was sticking out her tongue at her, making Lindsey laugh. "Just thought I'd sit next to my best friend. We've hardly had time to talk lately" Emily points out. "We're in the same house" Lindsey points out. "I know but you're always hanging out with someone else" Emily tries not to think too hard about Lindsey talking with Tyler, who was pretty close by, even if he wasn't paying them any attention.

"So are you" Lindsey points out. "Well, I figured we'd fix that by hanging out right now" Emily grins. Steph McCaffrey throws the Quaffle into the air and the match starts, everyone now paying attention to the game as Alex Morgan is the first with the ball, heading straight for the Ravenclaw goalposts, the ones who bet on Slytherin, and the Slytherin specatators that had heard about the matchups all cheering. HOA was commentating everything that was happening, Tobin and Ashlyn cheering from right beside her, both obviously routing for Ravenclaw seeing as their girls were on the team.

"So, has anyone asked you to the dance yet?" Sonnett doesn't remember even thinking it. It just came out. She was literally just watching Quidditch but apparently, without her even realizing it, she had been thinking about the Yule ball. Lindsey looks over in surprise then and Sonnett doesn't blame her. "No. Me and Rose were planning on going together" Lindsey shrugs. "Like, friends?" Emily asks and Lindsey chuckles. "Me and Rose dating? Gross, I couldn't even imagine" Lindsey laughs and Emily lets out a laugh of relief herself, though she shouldn't have been that worried to begin with. Rose wouldn't do that to her.

Not to mention, she was glad Tyler hadn't asked her either. She'd be upset if Tyler had managed to still ask Lindsey out with how much she had been trying to prevent it from happening. The game continues, all of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors having a good time for the most part as all of them cheered their friends on, Sonnett, Lily, Kelley and Rose moving to make a signature dance move for each of the teams every time HAO turns on a song like they had requested. "Another goal by Christen Press puts the game at a tie, her teammates all giving her pats as they pass by" "Yes! Christen! That's my girl!" Tobin yells excitedly into the mic and HAO laughs, shoving her away.

"And they're off again with Alex Morgan with the Quaffle again, almost to the goalposts and ooh, a hit by a Bludger thanks to Kriegs. Let's hope she's okay" They watch as Alex and her broom move towards the ground, Kelley standing up in worry as everyone quiets down. People start moving down to check on her. "That looked bad" Serv mutters, also looking worried and Kelley feels anger rising within her, wondering why they thought he'd be a good sub. "Okay, she looks to be getting up, that's good. Let's give a hand for Baby horse, ladies and gentleman" Everyone starts clapping, Kelley especially glad to see Alex doing okay as the game continues.

"Hey, uh, so, about the ball..." She was doing it. Emily was finally about to ask her. This was her chance. Lindsey moves to give her, her full attention, looking curious. "And she's done it! Kristie Mewis caught the Golden Snitch, making Ravenclaw the winner for this match!" All of her teammates hug their Seeker, Slytherin players, moving to congratulate her as well and everyone who bet on Ravenclaw is moving to split up the bet amongst them, Emily being handed 4 galleons as Lindsey narrows her eyes at Son, shaking her head but still smiling, the Ravenclaw spectators cheering, Tobin and Ashlyn yelling into HAO's mic excitedly.

Everyone starts standing up then, ready for their turn on the pitch, Lindsey patting Sonnett on the shoulder as she moves to get ready and Sonnett frowns after her because she had all match to do that and right as soon as she was about to, like always, she was interrupted and lost her moment. Kelley comes up, raising an eyebrow at her but noticing her expression, shakes her head. "You fumbled the bag, Son" She tsks. "I know" Emily groans, standing and the two Beaters move to play. The Gryffindors huddle up, Ashlyn still grinning. "Okay, now the winner of this game faces off against Ravenclaw and the loser against Slytherin. Now, you don't need me to tell you that we need to win this match but...WE NEED TO WIN THIS MATCH. Do not let Tobin's team win, you hear me? Now let's here it, sisters!" They all put their hands in and do the Gryffindor roar before moving to set up with Ashlyn in front of the goalposts, Son and Kelley set up near the goal on opposite sides and three Chasers lined up towards the center of the pitch, Kerr higher up than them, looking for the Golden Snitch already.

Steph throws the Quaffle up into the air and Tobin is the first to grab it, speeding towards their goal, Sonnett and Kelley moving towards the Bludgers to try and stop her. Kelley gets to one first, swinging her bat and it heads for Tobin but Tobin rolls, dodging it, passing it to Moe. She launches the Quaffle and it heads towards the goalposts but Ash just manages to stop it, the Gryffindor supporters cheering as Mal grabs the Quaffle and moves it the other way, Emily and Kelley moving for more Bludgers to prevent anyone from stopping her. Mal passes the ball over to Lindsey and Emily swings at the nearby Bludger. It flies towards Rose who just manages to dodge, flipping her off in the process, making her laugh. Lindsey dodges Tyler, the two sending a smile at one another and Emily launches a Bludger at him as he's not paying attention and hits him in the stomach, leaving him winded.

Emily starts to feel guilty but Kelley's cackling and patting her on the back and she reminds herself that it was her job as the Beater to do that. Lindsey passes it back to Mal and Mal scores past Servando who was subbing in for Casey Murphy and Gryffindor supporters cheer, even Servando claps, being a Gryffindor himself. "That better have not been on purpose, Serv!" Sam yells warningly and he holds his hands up in surrender, Kelley hearing the melodic voice of Alex laughing in the stands, looking to find her laughing at Servando and Kelley wants to hit a Bludger right at him, just like Sonnett had done with Tyler but stops herself.

The game continues on, the Gryffindors in the lead thanks to their Chasers continously scoring points. "Seen the Snitch?" Kelley asks Sonnett, out of breath after having just used her bat to hit a Bludger at Tobin who almost scored a goal on them. "No, not yet." Sonnett shakes her head. "I say, one of us stays on the Chasers and the other start helping the Seeker. If Lily catches the Snitch, we'll lose anyways" Kelley explains and Sonnett nods. "I'll keep on it" Kelley heads off to follow the Gryffindor Chasers who currently had the Quaffle while Sonnett moves to find Kerr who was high up above, looking out for any glimpse of gold.

Sonnett moves her broom up to hover beside her, Kerr greeting her with a smile. "Eh, Sonny! Got bored of the game?" Kerr wonders. "Never. Kelley figured one of us should help you" Sonnett points to Kelley who was having a heated argument with Tobin, both obviously very into the game at this point and bringing out their competitive sides. "Seen the Snitch yet?" "Once, but I lost it." Kerr admits, surveying the pitch again. Sonnett looks towards Lily who was across the pitch, her eyes narrowed in determination as she starts moving below the match, her eyes focused on something.

"I think Lily knows where it is" Sonnett nudges Kerr and they both look around for what Lily was looking at, spotting a gold flicker near the ground. Kerr dives for it, Sonnett quickly following, moving towards one of the Bludgers to aim at Lily who was much closer than Kerr. Meanwhile, Kelley ducks down as a Bludger nears her face, almost getting hit, shaking her head with a huff. She moves to go help her team who were near the Hufflepuff goalposts again when her eyes catch onto something in the stands. Alex had a sign her and Allie were holding up. 'Go Wormy, win the tourney!' the two were jumping for her as they cheered her on and Kelley grins, already knowing they did bets as well. And to see Alex cheering for her even though they might have to face off against one another made her feel warm in the harsh winter air. She hears a dull buzzing sound however and moves to turn, only to feel something heavy crash into her broom, sending her flying.

She screams, trying to gain control as her and her broom start moving towards the stands, people in the stands gasping. She almost manages to gain back control of it but her broom manages to hit one of the sides of the spectator stands and causes her to flip off of it and land into the stands onto a group of Slytherin spectators. "Ow" She groans out. "Are you okay?" One of the Slytherin's ask as they look down at her. "Dude, she's a Gryffindor. What does it matter?" The other one says, moving to shove her off them and land on the bench below. She sits up, her whole body aching at this point, though not that much considering she landed on people and feels arms around her.

"Wormy, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to distract you" You never do. Kelley looks towards Alex who was looking her over in concern for any injuries with Allie on her other side. "Does anything hurt? Where are we right now? What's my name?" Alex starts asking but before she can answer, having already known it when she first heard her voice, someone cuts in. "Alex Morgan" They all turn to see the guy that just shoved her off of him now grinning as he looked at Alex. "I wasn't asking you, Todd" Alex mutters, turning to focus back on Kelley but Kelley was now looking at this Todd guy with narrowed eyes.

"Well, I was talking to you and I have a very important question for you" He says, hands on his hips and Kelley already knows where this is going. Allie seems to have caught on too, looking between Alex, Todd and Kelley with an unreadable expression as she wraps Kelley's arm around her shoulder, just in case Kelley is injured so she can support her. "Now's not the time" Alex motions to Kelley, giving him a look.

"She's fine! She landed on me, for crying out loud!" He scoffs. Yeah and then he shoved her off of him. What an ass. "Would you, Alex Morgan, be my date to the ball? I've been waiting a bit to ask but now seems as good a time as any and I know for a fact, you don't have a date" He claims. Kelley looks to Alex then, Allie looking as well and Kelley wants to answer for her. Tell this guy no. Tell Alex she was gonna ask. But right now, she had cotton mouth and her body was still aching from her fall and she couldn't seem to get anything out. "No, I'm waiting for someone else" Alex answers firmly, not looking at either Kelley or Allie. The guy's smile falters and Kelley wants to laugh at him but she can't help but think she already knew who that somebody else was. And if this was her in this guy's shoes, she'd react the same way when she heard that not only did Alex not reciprocate her feelings for her, but had feelings for a different Gryffindor.

With that, Alex and Allie lead Kelley towards their friends, Kelley dragging her feet slightly, making it more diffcult for them, causing them to worry even more. Meanwhile, up in the game, Sonnett and Rose battle for the Bludger, both neck and neck as they chase for it, Rose planning on using it to stop one of the Chasers while Sonnett was still on a mission to stop the Hufflepuff Seeker who was currently now back up above them, her and Kerr still chasing after the Snitch that was fluttering around. "Give up while you can" Rose mutters, just barely missing the Bludger with her bat.

"Not. Gonna. Happen!" Emily swings and the Bludger goes flying, though not where she wanted it. It starts to head right for Mal and her eyes widen but Kelley appears, knocking it away from her and Sonnett's glad to see she got back on the pitch. She looks towards Alex and Allie who were standing, watching Kelley closely though whispering to one another. Rose races off after where the Bludger went and Sonnett flies back to Kelley who looked slightly dejected. "What happened? Are you okay?" "Some guy just asked Alex out and she said no" Kelley answers. "That's good! That's exactly what you want!" Sonnett says, not understanding why Kelley looked so sad as they both move along the pitch, Kelley keeping an eye on the Chasers and Sonnett on the Seekers.

"She said she was waiting for someone else" Kelley nods towards Servando who misses the Quaffle, letting the Gryffindors score again and Tobin's requesting a new sub as she didn't seem to trust him since he was a Gryffindor. "She said him specifically?" "Well, no, but, who else would she be waiting for?" Both of them shrug before Sonnett notices Lily reaching her hand out towards something. She rushes towards Sam who was about to hit the Bludger at Servando, just as furious with Servando as the rest of their team, but Sonnett steals it, hitting it towards Lily. It flies right for her and Lily pulls her hands away, the Snitch zooming off to somewhere else as the Bludger flies right by.

"Thanks Son!" Kerr calls, moving to follow and Lily flips her off, smirking before moving to follow after Kerr. "Close one" Lindsey pats her on the back, her face flushed from the back and forth she had been doing and Sonnett beams. "I know" She shrugs and Lindsey rolls her eyes, the game having paused as Tobin had called a timeout about Servando. The rest of the team moves to huddle up around them, Ashlyn looking proud. "Chasers, great job so far. They're so angry about losing at the moment, their taking it out on their goalkeeper, which is great for us. Kerr, keep hunting for that Snitch. Son, Kells, great job on the defense, keep doing what you're doing and we will definitely win this thing" Ashlyn smirks confidently. HAO makes an appearance on a broom she must've borrowed, giving them a thumbs up.

"Doing a great job, ladies. Is Servando really doing that on purpose?" She asks and they all shrug. "We're not sure but if he is, it's great for us" Ashlyn laughs. "Mind if I steal your Beaters for a second?" HAO winks between Sonnett and Kelley and Ashlyn shoos them off, HAO motioning for them to follow and they fly to the ground, away from everybody. "Well, you ask them yet?" She urges and they both share a look. "Son, you spent the whole first game sat next to her! Kelley, I literally watched Alex help you when you were injured and she turned down another guy!" HAO exclaims, exasperated.

"It's not that simple-" Kelley defends herself. "What's not simple? Asking them to a dance? Just go up and say, will you be my date to the dance?" Heather shrugs. "Because, Lindsey is my friend first. What if asking her ruins our friendship?" Emily argues worriedly. "You won't know that until you try. Which would make you feel worse, knowing you had the chance and blew it or that but someone else gets to her first?" Heather nods up to where Sonnett watches as Tyler and Lindsey joke on their brooms from above. "Okay, okay. You're right. We'll ask" Kelley gives in.

"I thought this was supposed to be a bet of who asks first. When did this become our friends bullying us into asking?" Sonnett mutters to Kelley. "I know right" Kelley scoffs. "Let's just say, these matches weren't the only thing people were betting on" HAO smirks before moving to get back on her broom. "Wait, wait, wait...who else knows besides the obvious?" Kelley asks suspiciously but HAO doesn't answer flying off, the other two sharing a look. "We should've never told anyone" Sonnett sighs out as the game begins to start up again, both of them flying up into position again.

~~~

The matches continued on, Hufflepuff having won the game against Gryffindor thanks to Lily catching the Snitch, Tobin zooming around the pitch on her broom as she yelled in excitement while Ashlyn kept muttering to herself about how they had to have cheated. Which meant Ravenclaws went against Hufflepuffs and Slytherins against Gryffindors with Ravenclaw winning against the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors just barely managing the win against the Slytherins. Slytherins faced off against Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors against Ravenclaw and it was finally decided with Ravenclaw winning against Gryffindors that Ravenclaws were the ultimate winners.

After the matches, everyone met up in the Room of Requirments for an after party, the room decorated in Ravenclaw gear as the team held up their captain Becky who held onto the trophy, the team chanting while the others started passing their bets around, Sonnett's pockets loaded considering she had been betting on Ravenclaw winning since the beginning. Soon, more people that the players invited start showing up and its a full out party with music, dancing and snacks and drinks snuck in by some Gryffindors with a weird map.

Kelley talks with Alex, Allie's date to the ball, Casey, Servando and HAO who kept giving her glances every five seconds. "We totally blew it" Alex huffs, shaking her head in disappointment. "It just means you need more practice" Serv shrugs. "Yeah, a lot more practice. We won one game against Hufflepuff in the whole tournament! We suck" Allie whines. "I thought you all did pretty well out there" Casey chimes in, nudging her. "You're just saying that" Allie sighs out before moving to drown her misery in butterbeer, Casey following after.

"Everyone has off days" Kelley reminds Alex and Servando nods in agreement. "Hufflepuff only won once too. Probably because of me even. I'm a terrible Keeper." Serv says. "At least it wasn't an important game" Alex gives in. "Exactly! Just a tournament against friends" HAO adds. "I think I'm gonna drink too. Worms, come with?" Alex holds a hand out towards her and Kelley accepts it, following after her. They make it to the drink table, Alex grabbing some chocolate liqueur while Kelley settles for some rum. Alex downs hers, Kelley raising a concerned eyebrow at her as she moves to grab some more.

"Don't tell me you're that upset about the game, Jan" Kelley quips to hide her concern but Alex waves her off. "I'm over it" she assures her friend, downing her second shot. Kelley hums, sipping her drink, noting to keep an eye on Alex throughout the night. Across the room, the little gang sits at a table in the corner, with Sonnett, Lindsey, Rose, Mal, Dansby, Kristie, and Sam, all together, laughing and having a good time. "Don't hate the player, hate the game!" Kristie scoffs as she hears them groaning about losing. "The players are apart of the game so I'll hate both" Mal shrugs and Dansby nudges her, smirking.

"Come on, Mal, just admit I'm better at Quidditch than you" Dan says and Mal shoves him. "Shut up! You only won because your team are a bunch of badasses" Mal disagrees. A popular song comes on and Rose squeals in excitement. "Come dance with me, Sonny!" Rose grabs Emily's hand, dragging her towards the dance floor so the two of them can dance together, leaving their friends behind. They do a synchronized dance together to the music, Rose taking that as her moment to talk to Sonnett. "Why haven't you asked her yet?" Rose wonders.

"Haven't gotten the moment yet" Emily replies, both doing a spin on their heels. "You liar. You had tons of moments. You're just chicken" "I'm not chicken" Emily argues. "Then go ask her. Before Kelley beats you to it" As they both turn around, Rose motions to Kelley who was dancing with a drunk Alex, the two looking close. Rose sends her a look then, nodding back at Lindsey. Lily and Chloe appear, both dancing together, faces flushed from dancing for a little bit together already. "She's right, Son. Win this bet for us" Lily says and Chloe nods. "We're counting on you. Don't make me lose 2 more galleons" "Wait, what?" Sonnett stops dancing, confused. Lily steers Chloe away before Sonnett can ask anything else and Sonnett reels on Rose.

"Did you all bet on our bet?" She asks in disbelief. "Huh? Can't hear over the music! Gotta get a drink!" Rose hops away, Sonnett shaking her head as Lindsey appears. "Guess they couldn't handle your dance moves" Lindsey laughs. "What?" Sonnett was still thinking about the fact their teammates were placing bets on their already established bet and the music made it hard to hear her. "Your dance partner left" Lindsey points out. "Did you come to join me?" Emily asks. "Not much of a dancer" Lindsey shrugs. "I could teach you" Sonnett holds a hand out for her, biting her lip hopefully. Lindsey raises an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I ask someone who can actually dance? Like a professional?" "You don't need a professional when you have me" Sonnett wiggles her hips in a ridiculous manor and Lindsey rolls her eyes chuckling. "Fine. Show me your best moves" Lindsey agrees and Sonnett grins as they start dancing together, Lily sending her a thumbs up from the distance.

~~~

After the party, people had woken up in the room of requirements, not remembering much from the night considering everyone had been drinking. No one knows if there was a sober person in there that night. The only thing they did figure out in their next few days of break is that Kelley lost the bet. And so did Sonnett. "Servando asked her at some point while we were all drunk and no one remembers it except for them!" Kelley groans, flopping down onto her bed as her and Emily talked. "Yeah, well Tyler apparently snuck up behind us at one point. I was with Lindsey all night. When did he have time to ask her?" Sonnett brings up.

They try and remember anything from that night but nothing comes to mind. It wasn't just them though. Each of them did some digging on who could've possibly been around when either of them were asked but literally no one remembers that night. Now their goal was to figure out how and when they were asked and if anyone was sober. So their first stop was to find the Ravenclaw captain. They trail her through the hallway as she was headed to meet her girlfriend at the Black lake. "You two made a bet?" Becky frowns, looking between the two of them.

"Just for fun" Kelley shrugs. "And who won?" Becky wonders. "No one! Because they were asked during the after Quidditch party and no one remembers it happening!" Sonnett exclaims. "So, you're wondering if I overheard anything?" Becky asks and the two nod vigoriously. "I thought I saw Servando talking with Alex at one point" Becky hums thoughtfully. "Did you hear what they said?" Kelley jumps towards her, urgently, gripping onto her shoulder. "It was hard to hear over the music." Becky replies. "But you did see them together? Where was I?" Kelley urges.

"Uhh...I think you were in the middle of doing the worm..." Becky tries to remember and Kelley turns to give Sonnett a look. "Well there explains that" Kelley sighs out. "Okay, but what about Lindsey?" Emily quickly asks. Becky shakes her head. "I think you two were dancing all night" Becky shrugs. "Ugh!" She groans and Becky pauses to look at the two pouting Gryffindors. "You know there's an easier way to solve this right?" "What?" They ask. "Ask them out" She tells them before walking off and they both turn to each other. "Well, who else do we know that was there and not drinking?" Kelley asks and they both think it over.

"No, I don't care what you all do so I wasn't watching you" Carli scoffs as she soaks in an ice bath in the prefects bathroom. "And this is for prefects only" Carli reminds them. "This is life or death!" Sonnett exclaims, shaking her. "How about this. If you're not gonna leave, you have to join me in the ice bath and I'll answer your questions" Carli replies. Both grimace, raising an eyebrow at each other as Carli leans back, grinning smugly. The two start undressing then, catching her off guard. "What are you two doing?" She asks confused.

"Joining you" Kelley replies, dipping a foot in, breathing through her teeth from the cold as she immediately gets in and sits down, Sonnett right beside her. Carli looks between the two of them as they huff and puff, breathing heavily, all of their muscles tensing as they try to get used to the cold. "Are you...a...polar bear?" Sonnett manages to get out and she rolls her eyes. "What do you two want?" Carli asks. "Servando and Alex" Kelley grits out. "Last I remember, she was with you and crazy drunk" Carli shrugs and they both send each other a look. "What about Tyler...and Linds" Sonnett wonders. Carli thinks it over.

"Yeah, I remember seeing that. I think you were laughing with Sam and Rose and Tyler and her were dancing" Carli brings up. "You heard them?" She urges but Carli shakes her head. "No, just saw the two of them dancing together" she shrugs. They both groan, jumping out of the bath as Carli shakes her head in amusement at them as they both look around for towels, shivering. "Where are the towels?" Kelley groans, rubbing her arms up and down to gain some warmth and Carli laughs, shaking her head. "You're supposed to bring your own towels" Carli points out and they both frown over at each other, still shivering.

"Sam please! You're our only hope!" Sonnett pleads with the librarian assisstant as they follow her through the library, their clothes looking sort of wet being as the two had to put their clothes on over their wet undergarments. "I was just as drunk as you. I don't know what happened" Sam shrugs as she places books back into their places. "Nothing? You remember nothing?" Kelley asks. "Shhhh!" All of them flinch as they hear the familiar sound of Madam Pince yelling at them to be quiet in the library. "I remember drinking and dancing" Sam shrugs. "So you were never around Alex or Lindsey?" Sonnett wonders. "I remember you saying something about Lindsey" She brings up. "What did I say?" "You said that you asked her out" Sam shrugs. "I DID?" "SHE DID?" They both ask and Madam Pince appears, glaring them down. "One more time ladies and you'll be kicked out of the library for the rest of break" She warns and they both hold their hands up in surrender as she stalks away, muttering to herself.

"What did Lindsey say?" Emily urges and Sam shrugs. "That's all I remember. Kristie might've heard something. She was gossiping about something to me the other day though she was also drunk" Sam brings up, thinking it over. "Where is she?" Sonnett wonders. "Uhhh...probably somewhere with Kerr" Sam suggests. "Thanks!" Kelley yells, both of them jogging out before Madam Pince can yell at them again. They go to look for Kristie, talking as they do so. "So I might've won after all, huh?" "We don't know that yet" Kelley grumbles. They eventually find the two of them having a winter picnic in Hagrid's pumpkin patch, both bundled up and sharing a blanket. They both jump when they see the two.

"What's up Kells?" Kerr asks in surprise. "Kristie, we have a really important question for you" Kelley rushes out. "Yes?" She asks, confused. "Did you overhear anything said between me and Lindsey during the afterparty?" Emily wonders. Kristie thinks it over. "I was pretty drunk..." Kristie admits and Kerr nods. "I had to drag her back to her room" She grins. "Were you sober?" Kelley asks. "More sober than her" Kerr shrugs. "Did you hear anything? Like maybe between Lindsey and Sonny or Alex and Serv?" Kelley wonders. "I heard you and Alex at one point. Talking about the upcoming ball. You were asking her who she was waiting for" Kerr shrugs and Kelley gapes. "Well, what the hell did she say??" Kelley yells out.

"Hold on, I remember something. I heard Tyler talking to Lindsey. He was asking if she wanted to go on a date with him sometime before the dance. They never talked about the dance" Kristie brings up and Emily starts to feel hopeful until she realizes that Lindsey was still going on a date with this guy. "About Alex?" Kelley wonders, bouncing anxiously. "She said she wasn't gonna tell you and was hoping it would all fall into place or something" Sam shrugs. "None of you remember this? How drunk were you" Kristie scoffs and Sam turns to give her a look. "What did I say you to about the ball?" Kerr interrogates and Kristie thinks it over. "Something about the dress you're wearing...?" Sam laughs. "Me, in a dress?" "We'll leave you to it, thanks!" Sonnett calls out.

"You mighr want to talk with Krashlyn or Preath. They might know" Sam calls after them and they send them a thumbs up before heading off to find either couple. They find Krashlyn in the Great Hall, sat across from one another. "There you are" Kelley sits beside Ashlyn and Sonnett sits beside Ali, both turning to look between the two of them. "Hi!" Ali greets warmly, looking between them curiously. "Do any of you remember what happened during the party?" Kelley asks. "You mean when you blew it?" Ash scoffs, recieving a kick to the shin by Ali. "Ow! What?" Ashlyn complains.

"With you and Alex?" "And me and Lindsey" Sonny adds. "We were closer to Alex and Kelley. I think Preath might know something about you two. Should be in the kitchens with the elves" Ali says and Sonnett leaves Kelley there to find Preath as Kelley turns to look at them expectantly. "So you were there? You remember?" Kelley asks and they both nod. "We figured we'd stay sober just in case any of the Professors caught us" Ash explains and Ali nods. "Everyone else were drinking besides Preath who were also on Professor lookout" She says and Kelley hums.

"If only more of us would've thought of that" Kelley laughs sheepishly but Ash pats her on the shoulder. "What do you want to know?" "I wanna know what exactly happened that night. Between me and Alex. One minute we're dancing together and the next she's apparently going with Serv to the ball" Kelley explains. "I know Alex was drunker than you" Ali starts off and Ashlyn nods. "Yeah, she was pretty down about how bad Slytherin did" Kelley nods and they both shake their heads in amusement. "And then you two started dancing together, but you probably remember that" Kelley nods.

"And you two started drinking more after a little bit along with everyone else and Becky made a speech about the Ravenclaw team" "I remember that" Kelley nods. "After that is when people were starting to get really drunk. Dancing was getting sloppier, someone started a fight" Ash grins. "Who?" Kelley asks, trying to recall, though that night was hazy. "I'm pretty sure it was between Lily and some guy from Slytherin. He was touching Chloe" Ali brings up and Kelley scoffs. "Who won?" "Lily" They both answer. "Though, she had a black-eye after" Ash adds and Ali nods.

"So that's where she got that from" Kelley hums, thinking it over. "Things started to calm down after that with non team players starting to leave and a couple of the players like Mal and Dan. Dan had to carry Mal out" Ali says. "So when did Alex and I talk about...the thing?" Kelley asks. "You mean when you asked her who she was waiting for?" Kelley nods eagerly. "We didn't hear much but we did hear her say she was hoping things would fall into place" Ali says and Kelley leans forward. "What did I say?" She wonders, her leg bouncing. "You said something along the lines of 'sounds good to me' before you started doing the worm" Ashlyn laughs.

"And then Servando came up to her and asked her if she wanted to go with him to the ball and she agreed" Ali shrugs. "I knew that's who she was waiting for" Kelley groans out, slamming her head down onto the table. "To be fair, she was drunk. Pretty messed up Serv waited until then to ask her. She could've thought she was still talking to you" Ali offers but Kelley shakes her head. "No, no, you haven't seen the two of them lately. Just constantly flirting with each other. Well, thanks anyway guys. I guess I'll go back to my dorm, think of what I'm gonna do for the dance" Kelley pats each of their shoulders before leaving, the two watching after her, shaking their heads.

"Can't believe I lost 2 galleons because of her" Ashlyn sighs out and Ali kicks her again. "Ow! Sorry!" Ashlyn complains. In the kitchens, Emily follows Preath around, Tobin on a food hunt while Christen talked with one of the elves, Pookey. "Ah, Sonnett! Pookey is so pleased to see you again" Pookey shakes her hand vigoriously. "Hey, little dude." Sonnett greets, smiling. "Pookey has food if you need some, ready to go" Pookey motions to a table stacked with a lot of different winter treats but Emily shakes her head. "Nah, not right now. Thanks anyways" Pookey bows as Sonnett turns to look at Christen again.

"You and Lindsey at the party?" Christen asks and Sonnett nods again. "Yeah, I remember" Christen nods. "Well, what happened?" Emily asks, following Christen as she moves towards the snack table where Tobin was eating some of them, humming. "You asked Lindsey if she had a date to the ball. You told her if she didn't have a date yet that the two of you should go together" Christen explains, snatching a treat out of Tobin's hands. Tobin turns to pout and Christen smirks, taking a bite for herself. "Well what did she say?" Emily wonders. "She said she'll have to see" Tobin answers for Christen.

"And then you ran over to Sam and Rose and told them about it." Christen adds. "When did Tyler talk to her?" Emily wonders. "Right after you left her there. He asked her if she wanted to go out sometime before the ball" Tobin shrugs. "What did she say?" "She agreed. I think they might be going out tonight, actually" Christen hums, thinking it over. "So, what you're saying is, I have to stop them?" Emily rushes out. "Uh...if you think you have to, sure" Tobin replies. "Great thanks, guys. You're the best" Sonnett runs out of the kitchen, Pookey waving after her with a smile. "Come to see Pookey any time!" He calls as Tobin and Christen watch after before glancing at each other.

"You think she'll make it in time?" Tobin wonders, mouth full and Christen shrugs. "Let's hope. I've got 2 galleons on them still" Christen replies, putting some icing on Tobin's nose with a cheeky smile. "Hey!" Tobin complains, though she was grinning. "Whoops" Christen replies, moving away from Tobin as Tobin moves to get her back. Emily runs down the hall and towards the Gryffindor common room. She rushes up the stairs, pushing past her roommates Crystal and Julie who were walking down the stairs. "What's her problem?" Julie wonders and Crystal shrugs. Emily bursts into the room and slams the door shut, about to run towards her trunk to put something better on when she sees Lindsey giving her a bewildered look, in the middle of getting ready for something herself.

"Uh...agressive much?" Lindsey asks. "LIndsey, I thought you were- I mean-" Lindsey raises an eyebrow. It was hard for Emily to concentrate though as she looked Lindsey over. The outfit was nothing too serious. Just a cute little Christmas sweater and some jeans but Lindsey had make up on and had done up her hair some and Sonnett just thought she looked so cute so it was hard to speak at the moment, not to mention she had run all the way here from the kitchens so she was out of breath. "Where did you just come from?" Lindsey laughs, turning back to looking herself over in the mirror.

"The kitchens" Emily moves to sit on her bed, still watching Lindsey. "Steal some snacks?" "No" Lindsey turns to give her a look. "You always steal snacks in the kitchen" "Uh, I mean, one or two. I went to talk to Pre- Pookey" Emily says and Lindsey raises an eyebrow at her. "Okkaayyy" Lindsey nods, looking her over. "So, what's the occasion?" Sonnett wonders, motioning over her outfit. Lindsey blushes slightly and Emily bites her lip. "I'm going on a date" Lindsey reveals, not looking over at her friend. "With who?" Emily asks, still acting like she didn't know when she totally knew. "Tyler" Lindsey shrugs.

"Oh...very cool" Emily slowly nods. "What do you think?" Lindsey nervously models her simple outfit and Sonnett nods. "You look good" Emily says and Lindsey gives her a small smile. "Thanks" "Do you remember the after party?" Emily blurts out. "Sort of" Lindsey nods. "Do you remember if... I mean, did I say something to you?" Emily wonders casually. "...Do you?" Lindsey wonders, looking over at her with an unreadable expression. This was it. Her chance to ask the all serious question. Her chance to win the bet. Before she can, there's a knock at the door and Mal peaks in. "Hey, Linds, you've got a visitor waiting for you" Mal wiggles her eyebrows, all of the tension from a moment ago vanishing. "I'll be there in a sec" Lindsey tells her and Mal nods, leaving them there, the door still open a crack.

Lindsey checks herself over one more time, taking a deep breath before sending Sonnett a smile. "Wish me luck" Lindsey says before leaving the room and Sonnett watches after her with a frown before falling back onto her bed. What was she talking about? She couldn't ruin this for Lindsey. No matter how much she wishes that was her, Lindsey was her best friend first and foremost and she wasn't gonna ruin Lindsey's date. Sonnett decides on just going to bed early instead, ignoring the tightness in her chest at the thought of Lindsey all cute and dressed up for someone that wasn't her.

~~~

"Plan B always works" Kelley says confidently, dressing up in a red suit, working on her matching tie, her tongue stuck out in concentration. Sonnett paces from behind her, dressed in a green suit and a green tie, both of them trying to have matching suits being that it was Christmas and Christmas colors were red and green. Sonnett's tie wasn't tied and instead hung around her shoulders, her hands too shaky to worry about tying it up into a bowtie right now. Her hair was also in a tight bun unlike Kelley's who decided to keep hers down. After the date. Emily heard that Tyler asked Lindsey to the ball and Lindsey had said yes, Lindsey gushing to her about it while she tried not to look like someone kicked her repeatedly in the stomach.

After that, Kelley and Emily feeling defeated, Kelley suggested the night before that they go back to Plan B and pretend the two of them had been planning on going together since the beginning. Though, they were really planning on just trying one more time to at least ask their crushes out and maybe get a dance in. "Our plans never work" Sonnett reminds her. "Very true, but this time it's different. Servando and Tyler already asked them out. We'll just have to see if they manage to keep their dates" Kelley says mischieviously, turning to glance back at her friend who was still obviously anxious. "And if it doesn't work out, well, it wasn't meant to be" Kelley adds.

Emily sighs, nodding to herself as Kelley motions her over. "Now come here and let me fix your tie" Sonnett obliges, moving to stand in front of Kelley and Kelley gets to works on turning it into a bowtie, Sonnett looking down to watch seeing as she was never good at properly making her tie and Lindsey always had to do it for her. Once it's all tied, Kelley smiles, turning to pull her into a side hug as they stand side-by-side, looking at themselves in the mirror in Kelley's room. "Look at us. Who could say no" Kelley scoffs. "Lindsey and Alex" Sonnett frowns.

Kelley rolls her eyes before grabbing Sonnett's hand, leading her out of the door. They head downstairs, the common room mostly empty as everyone was already down there at this point. "Are you two finally ready?" Rose sighs out, her and Sam waiting for the two of them, Rose wearing a very short and plain white dress while Sam wore a white suit with a light blue undershirt. "Let's go" Kelley smiles and they all make their way towards the Great Hall, both Emily and Kelley's stomachs bubbling with nerves.

The Great Hall was decorated in winter/Christmas decorations, the Great Hall lit brightly with blue lighting and the dance floor made to look like ice. Up above was enchanted to look like it was snowing and circle tables littered it with people sat all around while others danced to the music. Kelley grips Emily's hand and Emily looks over confused. "We're 'dating' remember?" Kelley reminds her and Sonnett nods as Kelley leads her over towards a table where Preath, Krashlyn, Pinoe, Sue Bird and HAO all sat, Rose and Sam moving to sit with Kristie, Kerr, Mal, Dan, Tyler and Lindsey. Emily was looking at the floor as Kelley lead her towards the table, Kelley quickly sitting them down in the two empty seats. "Finally joined the party, huh?" HAO nudges Kelley.

"Yep. Sorry, Sonny took forever to do her bow so I had to do it for her" Kelley pinches Sonnett's cheek and Sonny winces, the whole table raising an eyebrow. "So, no dates then?" Ashlyn wonders curiously and both look up. "Come on, girlies. We both have dates" Kelley waves them off. "Who?" Tobin asks, looking around. "Each other" Sonnett chokes out and everyone's eyes widen. "As friends?" Pinoe asks and they both shake their heads. They both send each other nervous glances before Sonnett leans over and kisses Kelley on the cheek.

"I'm so confused" HAO admits, rubbing her temple. "There's nothing to be confused about. Our crushes didn't go with us so we went with each other" Kelley grumbles. Kelley finally looks around and spots Alex and Serv dancing together, laughing. She notices them near the refreshments table and stands. "Come on, babe, let's get something to drink" Kelley drags Sonnett away then and Sonnett follows, her eyes on Lindsey and Tyler who were sat really close together at their table, chatting with the others as they ate. Lindsey was in a breathtaking spaghetti strap red romper jumpsuit, her hair down and straightened. Sonnett wanted to go tell her how beautiful she was but a quick elbow from Kelley as they stop at the refreshment table reminds her they're supposed to be pretending their together.

"Abort, abort" Emily starts muttering. "One look at Lindsey and you're already giving up? We're doing this to get you with Lindsey remember?" Kelley hisses. "Hi" Both quickly turn around and they see Alex stood there, Kelley faltering. She was wearing a little shimmery silver sleeveless gown that almost touched the floor, her hair tied up in a simple sleek ponytail. "Alex" Kelley breathes before quickly moving to grab Emily's hand, gripping onto it so tightly it makes Sonnett wince. "Didn't see you there" Kelley laughs awkwardly.

"I was wondering when you'd show up" Alex comments. "You were?" Kelley asks in disbelief. "Yeah, I thought I would've seen you on the dance floor by now. Same with you, Sonnett" Alex jokes and they all share awkward laughs as Serv comes up to wrap his arm around her. "Hey" Serv greets them with a grin. "Ah...Serv, what a...surprise" Kelley grits out. "Hey, Kell. Bring a date?" He wonders curiously. Kelley stares him down for a second, wondering if that was supposed to be like some sort of personal attack but looking him over now, his question seems pretty genuine as he awaits her response as well as Alex. "Uh, yeah. You're looking at her" Kelley quickly moves to interlock their fingers together and weakly lifts them up to show the two, both of them looking surprised.

"You two went as friends then?" Alex asks. "No!" Kelley leans over and kisses Sonny's cheek and Sonny uses her other hand to give them a thumbs up, putting on a believable grin. "Oh, wow! Uh, when did this happen?" Alex asks, looking between the two of them with an unreadable expression. "Oh, you know. Like, a day after the party" Kelley shrugs and Emily just nods along. "Well, can't say I'm surprised. You two are like the same person" Alex lets out a laugh at her own joke, though it fades pretty quickly. "Alex, would you like to head back to the table and eat a bit?" Servando offers. "Yes, please" She forces a smile, sending them both a wave as Servando leads her back to their table where Allie and her partner Casey were also sat, as well as Becky and Alyssa.

"That went well" Sonnett sighs sarcastically as Kelley quickly lets go of her hand, staring after Servando and Alex. "Yeah, well, let's just get what we need and go sit back down." Kelley moves to grab punch for the two of them as Sonnett looks back over at the table full of her friends who seemed to all be enjoying themselves. She moves to look away before she can make eye-contact with any of them but her eyes connect with the ones she was trying to avoid and suddenly, Lindsey is waving her over to the table, everyone else looking over as well.

"Uh, Kelley, I think I really made a mistake here. We should go" Sonnett whispers urgently to her friend. "We just got here" Kelley points out, taking notice of the table waving her over. "Come on, it's your turn. At least talk to her" Kelley starts to drag her towards the table before she can protest. "Kelley, please, I don't want to." "It's your best friend" "Yeah, and?" "And you should be able to talk with her" "She's a little busy" "Waving you over, you mean?" "No I mean-" "Hi!" Kelley greets as they make it to the table full of 4th years and Mal, keeping ahold of Sonnett's hand again.

"Nice suits, Sonny, Kells" Kristie compliments, currently dressed in a dark red flowy dress, matching Kerr's dark red suit. "Thanks, they make Christmas colors" Kelley points out and the group nods, Sonnett looking anywhere else besides the table she should've been paying attention to, what with her standing next to it and all. "Nice late entrance earlier. Like to be fashionably late, eh?" Kerr quips. "Is it us if we don't?" Kelley grins.

"Bring any dates?" Mal wonders curiously, nestled under Dan's arm. "Yep" Kelley moves to sling an arm around Sonnett's shoulders, squeezing Emily to her side. "Isn't my date so cute?" Kelley coos and Sonnett turns to give her a look which Kelley returns. Sonnett looks around the table, everyone watching them. "Babe, the conversation is right here" Kelley adds. "Sorry, honey bun" Sonnett wants to cringe at herself but she knows she has to keep this act up. "Are you two okay?" Lindsey laughs in disbelief, looking between the two of them confused. "What's with the nicknames?" Kerr adds. "Isn't that what couples do?" Kelley asks. "You two are going as a couple? Not friends?" Mal asks and they both nod. "Yup. Sonnett asked me if I wanted to go with her a few days ago" Kelley shrugs.

The others looks at Rose and Sam who they arrived with, though they seemed just as surprised. "Don't look at us. This is news to me" Rose scoffs, holding her hands up. Emily glances at Lindsey who was staring the two of them down, her eyes focused on Kelley's arm around her shoulders. "What, y'all jealous none of you got to her first?" Kelley quips, grinning as she pulls Emily closer against her. Emily wants to shove her off, do something to stop this but then again, this might be working for them.

"What in the fuck is going on? What's this I hear about you two dating?" Lily, Chloe, Summer and Summer's girlfriend, Olivia had approached the table, all of them looking at the two in disbelief. "You're joking" Summer laughs. "No, we're not. This is real" Kelley denies. More of their best friends move to now surround them. "Weren't you just asking me the other day about Lindsey and Alex?" Carli brings up and Alex and Lindsey both looked surprised. "About us?" Alex asks. "Yeah, they were asking us too" Kerr adds.

"It doesn't matter" Sonnett grits out, her hands starting to sweat. "We're together" "Kiss then" Rose challenges. Everyone turns to look at them, all of the Quidditch players/friends and their dates turning to give them looks. Kelley and Sonnett turn to send each other anxious looks then. "What?" Kelley asks confused. "If you two are actually a thing, kiss" Allie chimes in, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Okay, okay, we admit-" Sonnett starts to give in, some of them starting to look` smug but Kelley stops her by tugging her in by her suit and kissing her on the lips. It's not long at all and Sonnett was so shocked that she barely kissed back but Kelley pulls away and everyone's staring with wide eyes. It's silent between the group, no one exactly sure what to say at this point in time. "Well, damn" Kristie is the first one to say something, letting out a low whistle. All of them move to start awkwardly congratulate the two then.

"If you'll excuse me, my date and I need to have a private discussion" Kelley drags Sonnett out of the hall and into the nearest bathroom, both gagging as they move to rinse out their mouths. "Don't do that again" Sonnett complains. "Yeah, don't worry about that" Kelley agrees immediately. Once they're done freaking out about that kiss, they both turn to give each other looks. "Well, that happened" Kelley sighs out.

"Now what we do?" Sonnett wonders. "Didn't you see?" Kelley asks. "See what?" Emily wonders. "Lindsey and Alex...it worked" Kelley grins. "You mean..." "They were so jealous" Kelley cackles and after a moment, Emily joins in at the thought, the two of them cracking up in the empty bathroom. "All of their faces were priceless! They didn't know what to say!" Kelley laughs hysterically. "I can't blame them" Emily laughs. "Can you believe we actually convinced them we're dating? Us? Dating?" The two laugh harder.

There's a throat clearing and both slowly stop laughing, glancing over to find Lindsey and Alex stood there, looking at them with their arms crossed. "What the hell is going on?" Alex demands. "What do you mean? We were just...laughing at a joke" Kelley quickly makes up. "We heard you two. You're not actually dating?" Lindsey asks, confused and slightly angry. "We can explain" Sonnett quickly says. "Yes please" Alex agrees, the two staring them down and they share a look. After a long explanation of what was actually going on, the two confessing their true intentions, Lindsey and Alex share a long silent look with one another, Sonnett and Kelley waiting anxiously.

"You two placed a bet on being the first to ask us out to the ball..." Alex starts off. "And then when neither of you did, you decided to make us jealous by going with each other?" Lindsey adds. "Basically the gist" Kelley shrugs, nodding slowly. "You two are idiots" The two tell them. "We know" The other two agree awkwardly. "If you had asked me, I would've have said yes" Alex tells Kelley, shaking her head. "Really?" Kelley asks, a hopeful smile starting to form. "Duh, Kelley. I thought I made that pretty clear" Alex scoffs. "But, what about Serv?" "Serv was my backup because I didn't know how you felt" Alex scoffs. "Oh" Kelley says in surprise.

"I would've also gone with you, Dasani" Lindsey adds. "I did ask though" Sonnett points out but Lindsey shakes her head. "No, you said that we should go to Hogsmeade together" Lindsey scoffs. "But, everyone was saying that I said we should go together if no one asked you" Sonnett points out. "Yeah, if no one asked me to Hogsmeade, which was weird considering we always just go with our friends anyways but you were pretty drunk. You never mentioned the ball" Lindsey scoffs. "Oh" Sonnett frowns. "So, basically, we both should've just asked you and you would've gone with us" Kelley brings up and the two nod.

"We really are idiots" Sonnett sighs out. "So, who wins the bet then?" Kelley asks, the two looking at one another. "We do" Alex claims and they both look over, confused. "What?" "How?" "Because, neither of you asked and we had to come find you to find out the truth. So, we should technically win" Alex shrugs. "Which means, you two have to do whatever we say for the next week" Lindsey adds, both smirking. "That's unfair! You two didn't know about the bet until we just told you!" "Yeah, they actually did" Lily and Summer peak their heads in, everyone turning to look at them. "Let's just say, the two had been waiting for you all to ask them for a while" Summer informs them, smirking and Sonnett and Kelley gape at them.

"You told them!" Kelley asks in disbelief. "You're welcome" Lily grins. The two pout, looking over at the other two who were smiling. "Well, I guess we're at your service" Emily gives in. "What would you like us to do?" Kelley adds. "Come dance with me, loser" Lindsey scoffs, grabbing Emily's hand and dragging her back towards the dance. Kelley turns to look at Alex who smiles. "Carry me back to my room. My feet are tired" Alex shrugs. "Okay" Kelley sighs in defeat. "Who knows. You might get a kiss out of it" Alex adds cheekily and Kelley puts more pep in her step as she helps Alex, their friends happy the two of them finally got together. Preath and Krashlyn watch Lindsey and Emily dance, close to one another, resting their foreheads against each other and Kelley gathering up Alex's things, preparing to carry her back, Alex smiling as she watched, her hand clasped in Kelley's.

"Took them long enough" Tobin sighs out. "We should play matchmaker more often" Ali agrees. The four pause, looking at one another. "Wanna start a bet?" Ashlyn suggests, grinning. "What kind of bet?" Christen wonders. "The first couple to get another couple together has to do whatever the other couple wants for a week" Ashlyn says. "Deal!" "This is going to be easy" Each of them starts agreeing, shaking hands. "Wait!" HAO appears, looking between all of them. "I've got 2 galleons on Preath" She grins. "I've got 2 on Krashlyn" Pinoe chimes in, moving to place hers down, also grinning and all of them start playfully arguing with one another.