Hermione had been receiving her own fair share of invitations to the dance.  First it had been by a very shy third year who had asked through a letter.  She had been tempted to agree to it, but Newport reminded her that maybe agreeing to a date with a thirteen year old wasn’t the best of ideas.  For some strange reason, Zacharias Smith was the second boy to try.  He asked after DADA the Friday before Ron asked Lavender.  Justin Finch-Fletchley tried with Weasley twin style pyrotechnics.  Ernie Macmillian wrote her a sonnet.  Anthony Goldstein asked with a giant heart in the middle of the Great Hall just the night before.