The Yule Ball was in full swing as students from various schools milled about, chatting and laughing, dressed in their best. You stood off to the side, not quite mingling with the others. You hadn’t found a partner for the evening.

As you stood alone a ginger head caught your eye. Ron was making his way through the crowd, looking a little lost as he glanced around at the crowd. He appeared to be without a date, much like yourself

You watched as Ron approached the drink table and poured himself a glass of punch. As he stood there, he turned his gaze in your direction and noticed you. He stared at you and took in your pretty features, but before he could look away, you had turned to look at him and made eye contact with him

Ron couldn’t believe he had been caught staring at you, but he also couldn’t believe how pretty you looked standing there all alone.

He took a deep breath, trying to gather his courage. He couldn’t just stand there - he had to say something.

As Ron finally made his way over to you, he mustered up a smile and a clumsy greeting. “Hey... you’re alone too, huh?” he said, sounding a bit hesitant.

You looked up, a little surprised to be addressed by him. “Yeah,” You replied, unable to help the small smile that crept onto your lips. “I couldn’t find a partner.”

Ron tried to think of something witty to say, but in his nervousness, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Guess we’re both socks in the dryer” he said, immediately cringing inwardly. He hastily tried to explain the joke, feeling embarrassed. “You know, alone without a partner…”

To his astonishment, you burst into laughter, amusement sparkling in your eyes.

Ron was taken aback by your reaction. He had half expected you to roll your eyes at his clumsy joke, but instead, you were laughing. Feeling a little relieved, but also a bit puzzled, he raised an eyebrow. “You’re laughing?” he asked, sounding a mixture of surprised and hopeful.