Chapter 19

It was finally Christmas, which meant the Yule Ball was that night. The entire castle was in a frenzy. Christmas morning was spent opening presents. Christmas afternoon was spent checking dress robes and dresses. Christmas evening was when all the fun began. Students from all three schools arrived in the Great Hall area, looking excited and nervous at the same time. Some people arrived with their dates while others had to wait.

Sage and Stacy were standing together near the stairs. Sage was wearing a beautiful royal purple dress that flowed all the way down to her ankles. Her long hair was curled, and it cascaded almost to her waist. Stacy had on a light blue dress that reached a little below her knees. Her hair was also curled; the girls had done each other's hair. They were waiting for their dates to arrive. Sage had butterflies in her stomach and Stacy was discreetly looking around for Draco. She finally spotted him in the throng of students. He caught her eye and winked. Stacy smiled, but then she saw who his date was. Pansy sidled up next to him dressed in a frilly, pink dress. Stacy gawked, and Draco sent her an apologetic look. Just then, Dean blocked her view of Draco, standing in front of her with a smile on his face.

"Ah, so you ended up asking my best friend," Sage said, laughing. Dean grinned. Stacy gave a little smile. Then William arrived. Sage's breath was taken away at how sharp he looked in his dress robes. William took Sage's hand and kissed it. She blushed. The call came for students to get ready and for the champions and their dates to prepare to go inside first. Sage took William's offered arm and walked into line, Stacy and Dean right next to her. As they watched the champions file by them, William bent and whispered in her ear, "You look absolutely amazing." Sage blushed and whispered a thank you. Soon after, the rest of the students were able to enter the lavishly decorated Great Hall. The champions danced first together, and then everyone joined in.

William danced with Sage until they were both breathless and red in the face. It was an hour and a half into the Ball when they pulled away from the crowd. William had told her that he'd go and get them drinks, but that was nearly ten minutes ago. It shouldn't take even five minutes to get drinks. So where was he? Sage decided to go look for him. George noticed her leave and wondered what she was up to. Katie had hurt her foot because of her heels and they were sitting at a table, letting her rest. George turned to Katie.

"How's your foot?" he asked.

"Still throbbing," Katie said. George stood up.

"Do you want me to help you up to the dormitories? Only if you don't want to stay here anymore," he said. Katie considered it.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I won't be able to dance or anything, so I might as well go sleep." George helped her up, and together they slowly walked out of the Great Hall.

Sage had combed through the entire Great Hall, but there was no sign of William anywhere. Maybe he went outside for some fresh air. It was really warm in the Hall, after all. As she walked out of the Great Hall, however, she heard a thump that came from behind a closed door. Curious as to what it was, she cautiously approached the door and opened it, fully expecting to see Peeves messing around. As she peeked her head into the classroom, she saw two people kissing. They moved into a moonlit part of the room and Sage saw that it was William. Her jaw dropped open and her heart sank. He was kissing a Beauxbaton girl! Sage quickly withdrew her head and stood next to the door, breathing hard and blinking. Had she really just seen William kiss another girl? Was there any possibility her eyes had betrayed her? Sage took a deep breath and opened the door a little wider. She looked in and---yes it was definitely William.

He pulled away from the Beauxbaton girl, noticing the light seeping through the crack the open door made. He squinted in Sage's direction. Sage pulled back with a gasp, which William heard.

"Hello?" he called out, walking towards the door. The despicable Beauxbaton girl trailed after him. Sage considered hiding. Why didn't she have her wand? She could have definitely used it to teach William a lesson. The door opened wide and he walked out with the Beauxbaton girl in tow. William looked to the right. No one. Then to the left. No one. He didn't see anyone. The corridor was empty. Shrugging, he turned back to the girl.

"Luce, I have to get back to the Great Hall," he said. Luce sniffed.

"Back to your date?" she said haughtily in a French accent.

"Don't worry. We'll have time to... get together again soon," William murmured. Luce huffed.

"She isn't even that pretty," she said in a tone that oozed jealousy. At that, William chuckled.

"Listen," he said. "Sweetheart. You're just for fun. Sage? Well, she actually means something to me. You just better be glad we even had this... time of fun. Don't ever say she isn't pretty, because she is. I'll talk to you later, m'dear." He started to walk away, but Luce stopped him. William's words must not have affected her because she pulled him towards the classroom, seductively whispering, "One more minute." William relented, and the door shut behind them.

That was when sage ran. From her hiding place behind a nearby column, she kicked off her heels and picked them up. She ran past the Great Hall, struggling to contain her tears. Her mind was reeling with what she had just overheard. Sage couldn't wrap her mind over the fact that William had just cheated on her. She was distraught. Sage had fallen hard and quick for him. It hurt so much that he obviously didn't feel the same.

Sage reached the floor the Gryffindor common room was on. Fortunately, the corridor was empty. She finally saw the Fat Lady up ahead. But when she was only a few feet away from the portrait, she couldn't take it anymore. Sage broke down, crying. The tears flowed from her eyes and spilled down her face. She started to sob; her heart was so hurt. Sage didn't notice the portrait swing open. She had collapsed against a wall and was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

George had heard Sage crying even before he had swung open the portrait. He now stood in the corridor, unsure of what to do. Something must have gone wrong at the Ball. George walked over to Sage and stood in front of her. She didn't notice. He sat down and touched her hand. She jerked away, startled to find George in front of her. She tried to wipe away her snot and tears, but couldn't stop the tears that were streaming steadily from her eyes. George stared at her, taking in the state she was in. his heart broke at the sight of the girl he liked in so much pain.

Silently, George gathered Sage into his arms and hugged her. Sage burst into tears again. George held her and stroked her hair, wishing he could stop the pain she was in. He didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent, tightly holding Sage in his arms. Sage wrapped her arms around George and cried into his chest.

Half an hour later, Sage's cries had quieted and she was sniffling. She pulled away from George, embarrassed. Unable to look at him, Sage turned away, wiping her tears. She stood up shakily; her legs were numb. George quickly got up and steadied her.

"Sorry," Sage said, apologizing for crying so much in front of him. Her voice was hoarse. George shook his head.

"Oh no, it's okay. I'm sure the snot will come out eventually!" he said, attempting to make a joke and pull a smile out of Sage. However, she merely stared at him blankly. Sighing, he escorted her into the common room. George steered her toward the couch in front of the fire and sat down next to her.

"What happened?" he asked her gently. Sage only shook her head, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Was it William?" George prodded. Sage remained silent, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

"It was him, wasn't it? He did something to hurt you?" George asked, fury mounting. After several moments, Sage reluctantly nodded, a few tears dropping from her eyes. George sat back, furious. I'm going to kill him.