A Memorable Tale

46 | That Time I was (Almost) Everyone's Wingwoman

"Guys!" Mandy squealed as she entered the dorm.

"What, what is it?" Sue dropped her Divination homework with twinkling eyes.

Mandy screamed one more time into her pillow before answering, "One of the Durmstrang boys asked me to the ball!"

"Shut up!" I slapped my book closed.

"He did! He had two of his friends behind him and he bowed and he kissed my hand- Oh Merlin!" She cradled her hand like it was as fragile as a baby's head.

Morag grinned widely. "That's so great!"

"Yeah!" I glanced at Lisa, who seemed to be daydreaming as she stared at the ceiling. "Now we just need to get Dean Thomas to ask you out, Lisa!"

Her face suddenly went beet red. "What? What are you- Dean Thomas? Ask me out? Don't be ridiculous, I- You really think so?"

"I'm already wingwoman-ing two couples," I said as I lied on my stomach, facing Lisa. "Why not wingwoman one more?"

"I-If I wanted him to take me, I would've asked him."

"Oh, please, he's always with that group of boys that giggle every time I breathe in Neville's direction, even my nerves would be racked if I liked one of them."

All heads turned to me like a collection of dolls from a horror movie.

"If you liked one of them?" Sue questioned from her seat on the floor.

"What about this?" Padma had suddenly found herself beside my bag, holding up the quill that Neville had given me. "Is this from someone you 'don't like'?"

My face went hot and I waved my wand to make the quill fly into my hand. "I don't like Neville! We're just really good friends."

"You wear the necklace he gave you all the time!" Sue swatted the necklace's jewel as it hung from my neck and off the end of the bed. "It may as well be an engagement ring!"

"An enga- I don't like him!"

I stubbornly rolled over onto my back, facing away from the five.

Even if I did like him (which I DEFINITELY do not) he hasn't asked me yet, so that means that he doesn't like me in return (not that I like him anyway).

Besides, I had plenty of options... Not that they were any good options, but since I was contemplating them, it meant I definitely did not like him.

Sure, Neville had gotten a lovely haircut in the past few years since he finally let it grow out and frame his face, and sure, he was a very kind boy, and sure, he would probably never do anything to hurt me, but that could all be platonic.

Right?

•••

Ron and Harry watched me put away books while searching through their textbooks.

"Still don't have a date?" I asked, placing a book back on the library shelf. "I mean, after the whole fiasco with Fleur Delacour."

Ron gave me an apprehensive look.

"Don't have a date, don't have the answer to the riddle in the golden egg, I don't have a lot of things that I really need right now." Harry buried his face in his hands and earned a comforting pat on the back from Ron. "I asked Cho but she said she already had a date."

"Why not ask Hermione?" I suggested, although a part of me was still hung up on the part about Cho.

Since Hermione had founded S.P.E.W, she had often disappeared from the boys' company to recruit people or do research.