Something About Harry: The Lilia Watt Files

Getting ready for the Yule Ball was the highlight of Christmas break. Ginny had curled her hair so that it delicately fell about her pale, freckled shoulders. She looked stunning. I, on the other hand, had done up my long black hair in a bun, and I decided to wear bold red lipstick.

"Harry Potter, eat your heart out," said Ginny into the mirror. Ariana and I giggled. I had set Dean Thomas up with Ariana, who was dressed in red. We went downstairs.

"Lilia, ready to go?" asked Ginny, after Ariana and Dean had met up.

"I'll catch up," I answered.

"Be fashionably late," she told me, and she, Ariana, and Dean exited.

Then I saw Harry. He looked spectacular, wearing dark green dress robes over a nice shirt and slacks. He hardly looked different from other days; boys are so lucky.

He was talking to Ron, who was smiling so much I thought his face might break.

"Can you believe it, Harry?" he said as they came down the stairs.

Harry laughed. "Calm down, Ron," he said, then looked up and at me. "Wow," he breathed, and gaped. (A/N: staring at, ahem, something. Lol Allison!)

I blushed and laughed nervously, and he closed his mouth.

"Go on ahead, Harry," Ron said, and winked. "I'll wait here for...my date."

The Yule Ball itself was another story entirely.

It was hard to watch Harry dancing with Ginny. I had warned him not to pay any attention to me, lest Ginny notice, but all the same, I was a bit jealous. I contented myself with looking at the other dancing couples.

Fred and Angelina. I snickered. There was an item. Numerous people winced as they danced past, stepping on toes.

Dean and Ariana. How cute! What a matchmaker I was.

The song slowed and came to and end. Ginny was positively radiant, as Harry gave her a smile and a nod.

"Did you see us, Lilia?" she said, trying desperately to contain her glee.

"I did, Ginny," I answered, and could not help but laugh. "You're rather a catch, aren't you?"

She giggled.

"What about your brother and Hermione?"

Ginny smirked. "I know. I resisted the urge to tease him, even if he deserves it. Well, speak of the devil!" At that moment, Ron approached our table, looking both secretive and dubious.

"Ooh, lover boy!" cooed Ginny at him.

"Ginny, not right now. I'm too happy," he said, loudly, as Colin Creevey walked up to Ginny. Then Ron stooped down and whispered in my ear, "Harry wants to talk to you. Meet him in the entrance hall."

Then he went back toward Hermione, grinning broadly.

"Be right back, Ginny."

"Okay Lilia," she answered distractedly as she went off to dance with Colin, yelling behind her to Ron, "Kiss Hermione for me!"

"Lilia, I know you said to keep my distance, but I had this brilliant idea, and - " he rambled, and took a breath as if to continue.

"It's okay, Harry."

He let out the breath.

"How was your dance with Ginny?"

"I really hope I'm not leading her on. Was I flirtatious?"

"A bit, yes, I'm afraid."

He sighed again, and stood like one of those magazine models. "What can I say? Must be the old Potter charm."

I gave a derisive snort. "And it's not the fact that she has a major crush on you?"

He grinned. "That too. But what about you?" he continued as we walked toward the door to the garden.

"Ahh, I, myself, am a bit more selective than that." I put on a look of indifference. "I only like you because you're famous."

"Is that so? Well, it turns out that I have a bit of a weak spot for girls that make my hand look like a torch."

We stepped out into the garden, and I quirked a brow at him. "And how often does that happen?"

"With just this one girl..." He smiled at me and we sat down on one of the stone benches. A statue of a cherub stood in the middle of the small circle of benches, and I could hear voices on the other side of the rosebushes, but there was no one in sight. I leaned back against the leaves, disturbing a few fairies who took flight.

"I wanted to dance with you," Harry said quietly, not looking at me.

"I hate hiding." I glanced at him and then fingered the velvet of my dress absently.

"So do I. But..."

"But what?"

He sighed. "I...nevermind."

I looked at him inquisitively. He seemed to be searching for words. Finally, he said, "I just...didn't expect it to be so difficult to stay away from you, even for tonight."

I smiled. "You really mean that?"

He nodded. "This is going to sound corny, but even when I was dancing with Ginny, all I could think about was you." He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, and looked at me for a moment, laying his hand lightly on my shoulder.

And then he kissed me. A real kiss. It was the most magical thing I had ever experienced; the warm feeling I had felt the night of the Ophideus spell spread through me again, and I was vaguely aware of a soft light and whispering voices around us. As we broke away, he smiled.

"I've been waiting to do that," he whispered.

The light suddenly seemed brighter, and reality slapped me in the face.

"Harry," I said frantically. We were both glowing. Our entire bodies. And there, before us, was an audience who had come to see what the light was about.

"Nice one, Potter." It was Malfoy, a malicious grin splashed across his pointed face. "Ahh, and Little Weasley's best friend. What fresh torment is this?"

I glared at him.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," spat Harry.

"Tsk, Potter. Don't get angry. You'll set something ablaze." And before either Harry or I could react, he took off for the Great Hall.

It suddenly hit me. "Ginny." Harry and I ran after Malfoy in a blurry glimmer.

But Malfoy got there first. Harry and I walked around in circles in the entrance hall, wondering what to do. Not only were we both gleaming, we were a mess.

"Harry, now what?"

"Why don't we just go back to the common room until we stop glowing?" he panted. "We--" He stopped, and the colour drained from his face.

It was Ginny, walking toward us, nearly dripping fury. In the shadowed doorway behind her stood Malfoy, smiling nastily. Ginny stopped, and her eyes lingered on my hair, which had fallen from my bun, and on the lipstick on Harry's face.

"Ginny, I can explain," I pleaded.

"How long?" she asked, her voice quiet and deadly.

"How long what?"

"How long has this been going on?!"

"I...since the beginning of November, but Ginny, honestly I didn't--"

"He meant nothing to you, and you nothing to him, right?" Her voice grew louder.

"I swear I wasn't doing this to spite you, and I didn't want you to get hurt--"

"It's too late for that, isn't it?" she almost shrieked. Heads began peeking around the doorway of the Great Hall to see what was going on.

"Well, you can just take that other glowing freak Potter and you can both bugger off!" she screamed, and turned on her heel to walk off. But she turned around again.

"Oh, and Harry, you've got red lipstick on your face, by the way, did you know?" And she stalked off. The people in the Great Hall continued to stare at us until Professor McGonagall whisked us off.

As soon as we were out of earshot, she began, "Miss Watt and Mr. Potter, I don't want to hear about your social life." She glanced at Harry, who was trying to wipe my lipstick off his face, and he immediately stopped. "What am I to do with you?" She stared at us side by side, lighting up the stone passageways like a pair of candles.

"You cannot possibly understand the danger the two of you are in when you are in such a...condition. I'm afraid I may have to send you to the Headmaster if something like this happens again. I don't know exactly what has happened, but I must assure you, it is not wise. You shall both report back to your dormitories."

Since we were sent back early, the common room was vacant. I sat exhaustedly on a small couch by the fire as Harry paced back and forth.

"I don't understand. Why is this dangerous, apart from being embarrassing?"

"For one, either of us could be electrocuted like last time. Or knocked out."

"Somehow I don't think that's what McGonagall meant. And why does it happen?"

I sighed and shrugged tiredly. I had other things on my mind. Ginny and I had finally started our friendship over. No snide remarks, no looking down on me. And there it went. All because of something I had little control over: a boy. I couldn't even be happy about my first kiss...

Harry sat down and put his arm around me. "Are you alright?"

"School will be hell when it starts again. I've now acquired a...reputation of sorts."

"Welcome to my world," Harry said bitterly, and his light began to fade. "They'll forget about it eventually."

"Ginny...Malfoy...won't let any...forget," I muttered sleepily, dropping my head onto his shoulder.

"I'll be here," was the last thing I heard him say before I fell asleep.