El ball

Avui (o demà) llegiré com els va el ball a tota aquesta colla. Però avui, i per variar una mica, deixo fragments del capítol que m'han fet molta gràcia.

Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "Potter, the champions and their partners -"
"What partners?" said Harry.
Professor McGonagall looked suspiciously at him, as though she thought he was trying to be funny.
"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," she said coldly. "Your dance partners."
Harry's insides seemed to curl up and shrivel. "Dance partners?"
He felt himself going red. "I don't dance," he said quickly.
"Oh, yes, you do,", said Professor McGonagall irritably. "That's what I'm telling you. Traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball."

A week ago, Harry would have said finding a partner for a dance would be a cinch compared to taking on a Hungarian Horntail. But now that he had done the latter, and was facing the prospect of asking a girl to the ball, he thought he'd rather have another round with the Horntail.

"Er - Cho? Could I have a word with you?"
Giggling should be made illegal, Harry thought furiously, as all the girls around Cho started doing it. She didn't, though. She said, "OK", and followed him out of earshot of her classmates.
Harry turned to look at her and his stomach gave a weird lurch as though he had missed a step going downstairs.
"Er," he said.
He couldn't ask her. He couldn't. But he had to. Cho stood there looking puzzled, watching him.
The words came out before Harry had quite got his tongue around them.
"Wangoballwime?"
"Sorry?" said Cho.
"D'you - d'you want to go to the ball with me?" said Harry. Why did he have to go red now? Why?
"Oh!" said Cho, and she went red, too. "Oh, harry, I'm really sorry," and she looked it, too. "I've already said I'll go with someone else."

Harry called after her, before he could stop himself.
"Who're you going with?"
"Oh - Cedric," she said. "Cedric Diggory".

"What's up, Ron?" said Harry, joining them.
Ron looked up at Harry, a sort of blind horror in his face.
"Why did I do it?" he said wildly. "I don't know what made me do it!"
"What?" said Harry.
"He - er - just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," said Ginny. She lloked as though she was fighting back a smile, but she kept patting Ron's arm sympathetically.
"You what?" said Harry.
"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped again. "What was I playing at? There were people - all around - I've gone mad - everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the Entrance Hall - she was standing there talking to Diggory - and it sort of came over me - and I asked her!"

"This is mad," said Ron, "we're the only ones left who haven't got anyone - well, except Neville. hey - guess who he asked? Hermione!"
"What?" said Harry, completely distracted by this startling news.
"Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the colour coming back into his face as he started to laugh. "He told me after Potions! Said she's always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff - but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville... I mean, who would?"

"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I'll just -"
"I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with - with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought... well.. I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year."

But Harry had just seen Parvati and Lavender come in through the portrait hole. The time had come for drastic action.
"Wait here," he said to Ron, and he stood up, walked straight up to Parvati and said, "Parvati? Will you go to the ball with me?"