It was my fourth year. Harry was accidentally chosen to be in Triwizard tournament. So instead of three, we had four champions from each school. Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. From what I'd heard, the tournament had dangerous and risky tasks to be completed by the contestants. Harry's friends didn't believe him that he put his name on the Goblet of Fire. But others, including Ron, his very own best friend, did. He was a bit furious at Harry. But after the first task with the dragons, I supposed they reconciled after all.
With all those going on, I was so thrilled that I got to meet other students from different schools. It was a rare event to have other people other than Hogwarts students and staffs. The Beauxbatons ladies were such goddesses. They were all beautiful and walked as if they had clouds beneath their feet. Mostly the champion, Fleur Delacour. I guessed Ron was lovestruck by her. The Durmstrang guys were also big and tall and all muscly.
On the next day, Prof. Sprout gathered us Hufflepuffs in an empty room for an announcement she had to make. So, there was a ball, called Yule Ball, a celebration held every year during the Triwizard Tournament. Everyone must have a partner and particularly the 4 Triwizard champions who would be the first to dance as the ball commenced.
I heard that Draco was going with Pansy. Yeah, who wouldn't have thought. Harry still hadn't chosen whom he was going to the ball with. Cedric was going with a Ravenclaw named Cho Chang. As for the other two schools' champions, I had no idea.
Then it caught me. Who would ask me? Who would even consider me to be taken to the ball with them? Until that very night at dinner, some things happened that it sort of changed me too.
A boy from Durmstrang kept watching me from the Gryffindor table. He had this dark brown hair, with piercing dark green eyes--just like Harry's--and his torso was just, well, I considered him hot enough to be staring at me for such a long time. I looked away and went back to my book and dessert. I quickly finished it and planned to ask Susan to go back to the dormitory. I was tired of such an eventful day.
That was when that boy whom he later introduced himself to me as Emil Miroslav stood behind me and talked to me. He was tall and so good looking I couldn't resist. Even he was much more handsome than the infamous Krum.
"Hi, you," he greeted in an accent that blew me away. I loved guys with northern accents.
I looked to my left and right in case he greeted someone else, and pointed to myself with a questioning look, and he made sure that he meant me by saying "Yes, you, miss."
"Oh, right, hello," I answered rather quickly. And awkwardly of course.
"What are you reading, miss?"
"Oh, please, Madden, (Y/n) Madden. Just call me (Y/n)", I replied.
"Ok, (Y/n), I'm Emil Miroslav. Durmstrang's 6th year," he offered his hand to shake.
"Hello. Um, this," I handed him the book for him to see, "is Wildwood. A muggle story book," I explained.
He scrutinized the book while taking a seat beside me. He seemed interested in it probably because of the cover. It was quite extraordinary, the cover.
"What is this about?" he inquired with that sexy accent.
"Hmm, about a girl making a journey to save his brother who was kidnapped by a death of crows. He was taken into some kind of a really mystical and deep forest, which they call The Wilderness. The name of it kind of explains a lot, doesn't it?"
"Wow, may I borrow this?"
"Well, as long as you read it here in Hogwarts, I don't mind at all, but don't take it all the way to Durmstrang, okay?" I chuckled.
He laughed a bit and replied to me, "Of course I won't," he said, "but if I did it would be a pleasure to visit Hogwarts again to see you."
Okay, what did I just hear? A pleasure? To see me? This guy must've been getting paid by someone to trick me. To make a fool out of me. So I just started to laugh to give him a response.
"So, (Y/n), this ball next week",
"Yeah, Yule Ball",
"Have you had.. a partner to go with, yet?" he said rather slowly.
"Oh, um, I haven't. I don't even know if I'm coming or not. I.. don't really fancy something crowded like that. Yet, it's going to be fun, though."
"Well, do you want to..maybe..go with.. me?"
My eyes felt like they wanted to pop out from my skull. I couldn't believe what Emil, a guy I knew for less than ten minutes, could ask me to go to a ball with him. His eyes bore right through mine. At the same time I felt another pair of eyes were staring at me. I looked away from Emil and found Draco looking right at me. I had my eyes back to Emil.
"Yes, I guess..yeah, okay. I'll go with you."
He took my hand and kissed it softly it gave me shivers. My eyes searched for Draco and they landed on his while he stood up from his seat looking very grim and headed straight to the door and he was gone.
"So, I'll meet you in front of the Great Hall next week?"
"Okay."
"Great. I'd better be going right now. I, uh, my friends are waiting for me."
"Yeah, that's cool," he left with a champion-like smile, and before he went too far I called him out, "Hey, Emil.. thanks."
He turned around with an ever-so-sweet smile that swooned me, "I thank you", and then he went back to his friends who started to tease him for asking a girl to the ball. He actually had a very sweet smile, despite his husky figure. He really was sweet, and bold at the same time.
Aksara