author_by_night | Spectators: Yule, Part II

I posted this all as one part earlier, but since they're longer drabbles/ficlets I decided to go ahead and make them two parts.

Link to Part I

Home for Christmas

It figured that the one year Bill did make it home for Christmas, intending to surprise his family, no one was around.

Percy worked Christmas Eve, and was at Hogwarts filling in for Barty Crouch; Tonks and Hestia were busy with their families; Aunt Muriel had a new gentleman friend; at least Bill had known Charlie wouldn't be around. It was just him and his parents, watching the fire and drinking eggnog.

"Maybe you should surprise your brothers and Ginny at Hogwarts," Molly suggested to Bill.

"I wouldn't see next Christmas if I did that, Mum. They're all with dates."

"He's right," Arthur agreed. "Think how we would have felt."

Bill watched his parents giving each other loving looks. He'd forgotten how in love they were, just like he'd forgotten how much Ginny was growing. He'd missed out on that; he'd missed out on a lot of things, clearly.

It didn't really bother Charlie; Bill could tell. But sometimes it bothered him, as much as he loved Egypt. Charlie had made Romania home; but Cairo wasn't home to Bill, and he wasn't sure it ever would be.

But everyone else had, as he could see, moved on. And anyway, he would be mad to give up a chance of a lifetime.

One Last Dance

Megan had left the Yule Ball early, then stayed up when almost everyone else went to bed.

She'd gone with Ernie MacMillan, who was a friend of Hannah's; Hannah seemed to think they Megan and Ernie ought to date.

"Are you in charge of his love life?" Megan had asked her.

Hannah nodded earnestly. "We're just friends, so we ought it to each other to find - well, not 'just friends' for one another, don't we?"

"Er - I guess?"

But as much as Megan had liked Ernie, she wasn't in the mood. She couldn't stop watching Cedric with Cho Chang... of course he'd gone with her. Cho was gorgeous, she was smart, who wouldn't want her?

Just as Megan had decided she really ought to go to bed, Cedric came into the Common Room.

Oh, Merlin.

"Oh, good, you're here," Cedric said.

"You were - looking for me?' Megan asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Not right this minute, but I know you have been avoiding me. You've done a good job of it too, I must say."

Megan couldn't help but laugh, and Cedric sat next to her.

"I promise I don't make a habit of asking weird questions," Megan told him.

To her immense relief, Cedric laughed. "I know. I'm sorry, my friends... I reckon they were hit in the head with one too many bludgers."

"It's fine. You were going with Cho anyway, and you looked happy."

"I was. Cho's really-" Cedric hesitated. "You probably don't want to hear it."

"No. Go ahead. I'm glad one of us had a nice night."

"Okay, well, I like her. She dances like a Seeker." Megan wasn't really sure what that meant, but nodded anyway. "And we have loads in common. We were always friends, I guess I never realized..." now Cedric had flushed.

"I forgot you were friends," Megan said.

"That's how a lot of couples end up together. They become friends, then realize they might want something more than that."

Megan shook her head. "Do your stupid friends know you're this sentimental?"

"Are you joking? They'd never let me hear the end of it. They're still teasing me over-" Cedric stopped.

"Over my demonstration of boundary issues?" Megan asked sheepishly.

"Enough about them." Cedric stood up. "How about one last dance? As friends," he added quickly.

"There's no music."

"Professor Sprout left the wireless for us, remember?"

Cedric turned the wireless on, just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

"One last dance, Miss Jones?" He asked.

Megan rolled her eyes playfully and extended her hand. "Just one, if you insist, Mr. Diggory."