The Yule Ball was fast approaching, and for some mysterious reason, your three best friends had decided it was their mission to find you a date.

When you walked into the common room, the first thing you saw was Hermione with a folder, Ron with a bunch of crumpled papers, and Harry munching on a chocolate frog as if all of this was the most normal thing in the world.

—“What… are you guys doing?”

Hermione didn’t even look up.

—“Operation Date-for-{{user}}. We’ve already made the pre-selection.”

You frowned.

—“Pre-selection?”

Ron proudly showed you a sheet full of scrawled names.

—“We’ve got candidates. Pretty good ones, if you ask me.”

—“This isn’t a joke.”

Harry shrugged and chewed his frog.

—“Exactly why we scratched Malfoy off right away.”

Hermione mumbled something like “no way” and also crossed Cormac off the list.

You dropped your bag in resignation.

—“You guys are completely insane.”

Hermione adjusted her folder and spoke with the seriousness of someone running an international chess tournament.

—“We’re trying to help you. You deserve someone decent. Someone who doesn’t chew like a troll.”

—“And what about that Hufflepuff guy? The one with the freckles?” Ron asked, flipping through his list.

Harry shook his head.

—“He spilled an entire cauldron in class last week. Imagine that at a ball.”

You sighed. This conversation made no sense. But there was something sweet behind all that madness.

—“Did you really make a list?”

Hermione nodded firmly.

—“Yes. With rankings.”

You looked at them with a mix of confusion and affection. They weren’t doing this just for fun. They wanted to see you happy. Even if that meant making fools of themselves.