Safe, Meaningless Chit-Chat at a Ball

SAFE MEANINGLESS CHITCHAT AT A BALL

HE

: What, at a Ball without a partner?

SHE

: Maybe because I wasn´t able to get a date...

HE

: The boys were all worried about going alone to the Ball: they thought they would appear ridiculous going stag... I´m sure that more than one boy would have asked you out. And, if I'd care to know it exactly, asking around, I am sure someone did ask you too.

SHE

: Perhaps I wanted a particular invitation from a particular boy.

HE

: And... he didn't... ?

SHE

: No, he didn't.

HE

: Well... he was rather dumb.

SHE

: Perhaps he was simply not interested into dancing the whole night with me.

HE

: Not "perhaps", surely!

SHE

: Oh... Thank you so much for the gently words

HE

: Oh... you were looking for extremely good manners? You could have told me...

SHE

: Oh... next time I won´t forget to... you know, I have this bad habit of expecting civilised behaviour from people.

HE

: Well, in this case... he was so interested in dancing a whole night with you that he was unable to face the simple thought of your possible refusal.
He probably thinks he doesn't deserve you. And, here you are, the best part: he probably cries in the dark, spending his lonely nights dreaming of you... I heard you girls crave this fairy tale...

SHE

: And you boys? Which is your beloved fairy tale?

HE

: Oh, well... that she is playing hard-to-get, and probably, making... out, she stares the ceiling with indifference.

She held back a smile and gave him a very bad look.

SHE

: Your partner for tonight? She is..?

HE

: She is smart. You would like her.

Oh - she felt a sting of jealousy. So this girl was smart. Why didn't he simplysay "pretty". Intelligence was her own territory. "Pretty" was not that appealing to her. She didn't care at all for that girlish stuff... or not?

SHE

: And... She is pretty?

HE

: Of course, she is. She is rather beautiful I dare say. And with that dress... wow!

SHE

: And... I? Do I look ... "wow"? With this dress, I mean.

He smiled.

HE

: You´re not, and you´ll never be the beautiful-girl type.

SHE

: Oh... thank you so much again for your kindest words! So, what am I? a Valley troll?

HE

: I didn't say that.

SHE

: Then... what exactly did you mean?

HE

: That you´re not that bad. Your hair has a savage spirit that suits your apparently good character.

SHE

: Ah!

HE

: Ah what? This is the truth!
And I think that your nose is little and very nice. Unfortunately you keep it always buried into a book, mumbling "homework, homework, homework". But beauty is not the first thing one coming to mind, while someone happens to think of you.

SHE

: Oh yes, I may imagine it, I scare children to death with my ugliness..

HE

: No... I wouldn't worry about this, so much. If you scare them, probably it is because of your obsession with rules... It is simply that the pleasing thing about your company doesn't rely on staring at you, or into trying to steal a glance at your legs --they are short by the way (I´m joking! Ouch! I´m joking!) -- but on chatting with you. At least... sometimes.

She stole an indifferent glance toward the dancing couples. Maybe not too indifferent. Or maybe it was just the reflection of the moon.

SHE

: But... I am not... Cho.

HE

: No, you are Hermione.

SHE

: Sometimes being Hermione doesn´t seem to be enough.

HE

: Sometimes being myself doesn´t seem to be enough either, but I manage to survive.

She looked at him, startled, but it was too dark to see his face.