Shifting Winds

by vagrantboy

A sudden shift in the wind drastically changes not only the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, but Harry's life. I believe it should be fine as rated teen, but please message me if you disagree. It will be Harry/Hermione. No Character Bashing. CURRENTLY ON-HIATUS UNTIL I AM ABLE TO DEVOTE TIME TO RE-WRITE.

3. New Altitudes

Disclaimer: I hold no ownership over the original source material with which my fanfiction is based on. Those who do own it are much, much wealthier than I am.

Author's Note: This will be the first real introduction into the changes of Hogwarts after my version of the First Task. There will be quite a few interactions that will be unexpected, but intriguing…that is, if I did them right. I originally had this as two different chapters, but for the purposes of continuity and timing I wrote it as one. The Yule Ball was something I feared writing, because I've read stories that take care of it brilliantly and others that do the exact opposite. I believe I have at least given this event its proper due.

The outpour of interest in this story is staggering! Thank you all!

Fun note the song I speak about is based off of Bon Iver's song "Wash." The song has an odd mix of violin, piano, and vocals at this one part which seemed to fit the situation for me.

The first part of this chapter will be a summary of the week back in the school life. The second part will be the lead up to the Yule Ball. Then the actual Yule Ball.

For dates and events I'm using the calendar at HP Lexicon. I am using the book as my reference, but there may be one or two scenes that are influenced by the movie.

I haven't had much sleep as of late so my eyes aren't working fully. If I've missed a lot of things please let me know so I can go back and re-edit.

Shifting Winds

Chapter 3: New Altitudes

---

An odd week and a half leading up to a surprising announcement.

Harry's first week and a half back into school after the First Task was best described as odd. There were plenty of things he was quite happy about, but a few left him perplexed beyond imagination.

It had started when he woke on Tuesday morning. His sleep had been peaceful, and from what he had been able to tell he had slept the entire night. When he had stirred though, he found himself cold on his right side. He understood what the implications of his state were, but halt his thoughts on the subject. Then when Ron had made his way to join Harry at the mirror in the bathroom Ron had somehow been able to notice through his sleepy haze that Harry had, in fact, grown to be a few inches taller. The entire incident would have been funny, if the rest of the fourth year Gryffindor boys hadn't begun to make ribald comments on 'growing a few inches'. Only Neville had abstained from the teasing. The next odd moment had been how frazzled Hermione had been during breakfast. The fact the girl had been absent for so long from classes had finally caught up with her, and in her panic she had spilled hers and Harry's glass of pumpkin juice. The only moment that calmed her was the appearance of Hedwig, who had brought the latest correspondence from Hermione's Parents. Harry had been quick to pull his owl away from the frantic girl. As he had fed Hedwig a few pieces of bacon, they both watched as Hermione settled slightly after she laughed at something her parents had written.

The next thing was that in History of Magic Harry had only gotten bored during the class. He had not fallen asleep. He had just sat next to Hermione, and focused on reading the book (with quick breaks to flick a sleeping Ron's ear). Hermione had noticed this as well, and given him both a reproachful glare at his antics and a beaming smile when she realized he was reading the text. He had then spent the rest of the morning and part of the lunch period with Hermione in the library studying the first few chapters of his new subject's texts. The most perplexing event happened in Potions. Snape had, per usual, been snarky to everyone, but he had not singled Harry out. He had even left Hermione alone. The interesting thing was when Harry was looking over the brewing procedure for his potion, and the ingredients list…it had made sense. It had taken a few whispered explanations from Hermione, but Harry understood why the potion was made the way it was. He had always had trouble with understanding the 'why' of potions, but it seemed that he now understood why he had to slice the mistletoe berries so thin or stir counterclockwise for three minutes before simmering. At dinner that night the Twins had both given him winks, which had left him terrified.

In the common room he had gone over his schedule and taken notice that Crookshanks had taken to rubbing against his leg every few moments. Hermione had found this to be 'charming', and Ron had made the comment that it would just leave Harry with a trail of cat hair behind him. He had also quietly told Hermione that he would wait until the break before opening the egg. She had taken a few moments to agree that it would be best if he allowed himself to rest before beginning to work out whatever the puzzle was.

The next day he had spent the small break before charms pouring over his borrowed Arithmancy text. While in Charms he noticed an interesting thing happen. Flitwick had decided to push forward their curriculum since Harry had shown great use of the summoning charm, so the former duelling master had stated they would be learning that over the next few class periods. The diminutive professor had pulled Harry and Hermione up to teach the performance of the spell. When Harry lifted his wand and began to summon the small feather Flitwick had asked him to summon, an odd feeling washed over Harry. The first he was able to discern was confidence. He knew the spell well enough, even if it had been draining to perform it. Then he felt, what he assumed was, 'his' magic tighten along his fingertips, then extend along his arms and chest, before it finally settled along his spine. The feather had made its way easily, and Harry noticed that other than the sensation it had not taken nearly as much energy as it had when he first tried. Hermione had done quite perfect in her assignment (an empty inkwell from her bag). Then Harry had been asked to summon a box from the cabinet next to Flitwick. Harry had not meant for it to happen, but it was technically the professor's fault for trying to prank Harry with a locked cabinet. When Harry had attempted the summon and not been able to get the box he tried again, and somehow instead of just the box coming to him the cabinet was ripped violently from the wall and slid to a stop in front of Harry. The class had, of course come to a halt; Flitwick had been both shocked and proud of Harry's cheek over the situation. Ron had reached a record in saying, "Bloody Hell Harry." And Hermione had watched him closely the rest of class. As soon as they had left she had pulled Ron with her and approached him…

---

"Harry, what happened in there?" Hermione had asked in a small alcove off the Charms classroom. Ron had looked oddly at her.

"I'm not sure Hermione." Harry said. "I felt odd when I was doing the spell…it was like I could feel…this tingle go up my arms and then down my spine." Harry said as he looked at them. Both of their faces had equal looks of confusion.

"Mate, haven't you ever noticed the difference when you do spells?" Ron asked him.

"Harry?" Hermione had asked him when he didn't answer after a few moments.

"Well…I've always been able to tell when I'm doing a spell, but I've never noticed a difference…why is that normal." He asked them.

"Harry that is a basic tenet of telling if you're doing a spell right. Charms and Transfiguration work usually draws from your upper extremities and certain parts of your sternum. Defensive work and more offensive spells such as hexes, jinxes, or curses all draw from your stomach and upper legs…Harry all of this is basic information…It was in the introduction for pretty much every one of our first year text." Hermione had paused.

"I don't remember any of that…but I also might not have read the…introductions." Harry said with a grimace, and was rewarded with a hard glare from Hermione.

"That shouldn't matter mate." Ron had said as he shook his head. "This is something we're all taught." Ron had looked bewildered. "Wait…Harry are you saying that everytime you've done a spell you haven't had control…or been able to tell what's happening…," when Harry had shaken a 'no' with his head Ron had gone slack, "Bloody hell mate!"

"Well I believe you need to go and see Madame Pomfrey right now Harry!" Hermione had exclaimed, "and then Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster…This is something they need to know about."

---

From that point of the day Harry had been herded around two different offices. In the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey had fussed over this development, but found nothing wrong with him. The woman had then marched him to McGongall's office right before lunch was to begin. Ron had looked to complain about skipping a meal, until Dobby had shown up with a platter of food for each of them. After nearly an hour Professor McGonagall had finally relented that she was unsure of why Harry had experienced the problem or why it had gone unnoticed for so long. She had informed them that the headmaster was not there at that time due to a "private meeting". As they had left the office Hermione made sure to hug Harry and remind him to read the next chapter of his Ancient Runes text. He had followed her 'homework' ,as he had begun to call it, and spent the rest of the night testing the small differences in producing spells.

The next day he was quick to notice the added 'people' to the Gryffindor table, and the fact that all of them were the ladies of Beauxbatons gave him pause. The students from the French school had always stuck to eating with the Ravenclaws. The other thing he noticed was that they were quick to give him smiles and then giggle to one another. This had left part of the male population, especially Ron, giving him mocking looks of adoration. In double Transfiguration he took notice of how fast he was able to perform all of the material. Just like in potions he was able to understand the way to properly perform the act. The difference was that in Transfigurations it was all about the 'How' and not the why. Imagining the transformation from one object to another was best done with a clear mind and two simple objects. Then he just had to take one and reconstruct it until he had a mirror image of the other object. Then he would do the spell. McGonagall had looked to be close to smiling…maybe. But he also noticed that Hermione had given him an odd look all throughout the class, she would stare at him for a few moments then look back to her work. He had asked her as soon as they left, but she just stated that she was proud of him.

On the way to lunch he was embarrassed to note that much like the girls from Beauxbatons quite a few of the female population were now giggling to each other when he passed. Hermione had found it humorous. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry noted that Moody kept his distance from him. The man had just had them practice their shield and disarming spells. He had said, "Good on ya, lad" before he hobbled away at the end of class. Harry assumed the old auror might have felt guilt over his suggestion for Harry to fly against the dragon. The happy moment of that day was met with a bit of worry. Harry had finally received a letter from Sirius. The tiny brown owl that delivered the letter had nipped his finger hard.

Harry,

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reach you Harry. I tried

to come, but Moony saw to it that I was not able to. I'll be the first

admit it wouldn't have been a good idea for me to show up in the

state I was in. ..(heavy stain from pause in writing) Harry I promise

you that I will do everything to make sure that I am here for you.

You, 'Witherwings', and Moony are my last links to this world. And

I'll be damned if I let any of you slip from my grasp. I will do everything

to find a way to visit you over the holidays in some form. I promise to

figure out a way to fix this problem…all of them.

Your Favorite Dog,

Snuffles

PS: The bird bites

Harry had sent a reply with the bird telling Sirius to be careful and not do anything drastic. That night he was also reminded that Ron had the capacity to be a great friend. Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace, Harry on the other opposite side of the couch. When Harry had yawned, Ron proposed that they spend the night in the common room. Harry had seen what Ron was doing. Harry hadn't wanted to go up to bed feeling alone with his curtains drawn and his thoughts. That night Harry had needed the comfort of his two best friends. Ron had fallen asleep in his favorite chair with his legs propped up on the table. Hermione had smuggled into her corner of the couch. Before Harry fell asleep that night he felt Hermione's legs slide over his lap as soon he propped his feet up next to Ron's on the short table.

When had woken the early next morning it was to Ron's snoring, and Hermione's foot in his face. Even with the oddity of the situation Harry had enjoyed the small moment of peace before he woke them up and set off for the day. The day had been cheery for Harry even in double Potions Snape had begrudgingly given Harry an Outstanding for his work. That night Harry had just finished his review of the first few chapters of the Ancient Runes and Arithmancy text when Hermione stated, after she read through the letter from her parents that Hedwig delivered, that she was going to talk with the headmaster. Harry had been confused by her abruptness, but was assured by Hermione that is was nothing important. In her absence Hedwig had nuzzled his head with hers, and Crookshanks had settled into his lap. A few minutes before Hermione had come back Hedwig had hopped onto the journal that Hermione had left out on their table. As Harry had gone to move his familiar from the book so as not to damage it, he caught sight of a circled date. September nineteenth, her birthday. And in a flash Harry had understood what a git he had been to Hermione. What a git everyone one else had been to his best friend. Sure the house never threw independent birthday parties for its members, but people at least exchanged gifts. Not once in his time there could Harry remember them every doing something for Hermione's birthday, not even giving her presents. When he had slipped to change into his nightclothes he hadn't expected his return to be met with a booming throng of voices all chanting his name. The winks the twins had given him as it turned out were really his only warning to the party being thrown in his honor.

His thoughts on Hermione were sidetracked slightly as he enjoyed the warmth of the common room filled with joy. Fred and George had mounted what was left of his Firebolt inside a case with a plaque that read 'The Firebolt that ouflew a dragon for twenty minutes'. He had been been lifted to the Twin's shoulders after that and told it was time to hear his clue. The egg they all found out emitted a screeching noise. Once it had settled down the common room was a mess. He had been sent to bed by a smiling Hemrione. That night he had trouble sleeping and he had been a bit snappish at Ron.

Over the next half a week Harry had begun to try and find different ways to make up their lack of recognition to her. At Hogsmeade that weekend he had bought a supply of her favorite ink, quills, sugarquills, parchment, and treats for Crookshanks as a few Christmas presents. On Monday and Tuesday he had been the best study partner possible and he had even been sure to once again carry her books. For Wednesday, while Hermione was in Ancient Runes, he tempted death one more time. He gave Crookshanks a proper bath. Ron had found Colin Creevey to take pictures of the whole ordeal. So Harry had wound up with claw marks along his forearms, was laughed at by his dorm mates while pictures were being taken, and had been forced back into the Hospital Wing for an hour. While he had been there Madame Pomfrey made comment on how well the scarring was healing from his shoulder.

It hadn't been long after Madame Pomfrey applied the salve to his arms that Hermione had come rushing into the ward. She had Crookshanks in her arms. The cat's hair was still patchy, but the bath had removed a fair amount of kinkiness. She had given him a brilliant smile before setting the cat on the foot of the bed. Much like he had done with the Headmaster, Crookshanks started as staring match with Harry. Hermione had cleared her throat which caused the half-kneazle to give a feline equivalent of a 'shameful face' before he moved and licked Harry's palm. That night as Harry fell asleep he felt a small shift in his four poster bed, when he looked down he saw that Crookshanks had settle into a spot next to his feet.

The next day was Thursday and double Transfigurations, in which something interesting had happened.

---

The announcement, the question, the lessons, and the days before the ball.

On Thursday Harry had enjoyed double Transfiguration, but at the end of the period she made the announcement that there would be a ball held on Christmas day as per tradition for the tournament. Before he could leave Professor McGonagall had held him back to speak.

"Mr. Potter, I am to inform you that as a champion it is expected for you to not only appear with a date, but lead the opening dance with the other champions." She said. Harry was sure he looked perfectly like a fish gasping for air. "Oh come now Mr. Potter there is no reason to be worried. You are a…handsome young man…" Harry grimaced slightly, "and as of recently a model student. You should have no problem finding a date. Given the way all of the young women have been acting recently around you it should be no problem." She finished with a nod of her head. Harry allowed a blush to grace his features as he voiced the other concern he had.

"Professor…I don't know how to dance."

"Oh…well that will not be a problem Mr. Potter. I will be hosting a class on proper dance late next week for all Gryffindors." She said with small grin. "Perhaps you should keep that a secret as we wouldn't want some of the young men of our house to find reason to be there would we?" She said with a full smile. Harry nodded his head and gave her a small grin as he turned to leave, but she called to him once more. "Mr. Potter…perhaps if you found a partner you trust…you and she could work on dancing together, and alleviate some of your worry over the situation. After all proper preparation usually leads to less worry." Harry nodded again.

He was met by Hermione outside the door.

"What did she want Harry?" she asked.

"I have to open the dance with the other champions." Harry replied with every bit of worry he had in him.

"Oh…well maybe we can…no that won't work…wait can you dance?" She looked towards him.

"No, but that's not the problem. McGonagall is going to hold dance lessons next week for Gryffindor, but I'm not supposed to let anyone know about it." He whispered to her. "I'm just worried opening the dance. I don't mind going, but why do I have to be put in the ruddy spotlight everytime." He finished with a shake of his head.

"Honestly Harry, it won't be that bad…you've picked up two of the hardest subjects taught here faster than anyone else I know…one simple dance won't kill you." She said with a huff and a grin. "Now come on, Ronald has run ahead in fear of missing his beloved lunch."

As they walked down the hallway Harry thought quickly. If it had been a month ago his first thought would have been to ask Cho Chang, but he no longer thought of the Ravenclaw seeker. The girl was pretty, but he didn't know her. Hermione he knew, and Hermione was pretty. 'Bloody gorgeous,' the voice in his head muttered. He had originally planned on writing a long letter to Hermione for Christmas expressing his sorrow over forgetting her birthday and never being as good a friend to her. But as they passed they empty Transfiguration Courtyard Harry gripped her hand and pulled her with him.

"Harry! What are you doing?" She asked after he made sit on the bench under a nice tree.

"Hush Hermione…this wasn't how I planned this, but it might be the best way…force me to be more open…you know?" He smiled at her confused look. "I'm sorry I haven't been as good a friend to you as you have to me…No!," he stopped her when it looked like she would interrupt, "I haven't been. I've been oblivious to the care you give me. You do all these things for me…for Ron…and we do nothing." He felt a bit of pressure build in his eyes as he thought about all the things they had done and said. "We've never even thought to give you gifts or celebrate your birthday!" He saw her eyes widen. "You're my best friend, but I don't know why you put up with me. You…I owe you more than I can say Hermione. You make sure I don't bugger up in school, you make sure I survive all the stupid things I pull us into, and then when I'm hurt you sit next me and won't leave until I'm better." He could feel a few tears leak out of his eyes, just as she had a few falling from hers. "I…I vow from this moment I will earn your friendship. I will remember your birthday every year, and I will stay at your bedside anytime you're not well. I won't oblivious anymore." He should have been embarrassed from the way his voice cracked, but at that moment he couldn't give it a second thought. Especially not with the watery smile she was giving him. "I will give you the care and attention you deserve." He finished his little speech and wiped his eyes, and watched her clear hers.

"Harry…I," she started, "you have been a great friend. You're a boy I don't expect you to be observant. Is this what this week has been about? The studying and giving Crookshanks a bath?," he nodded and she continued, "Harry you didn't have to do those things. I'm glad you did, but they weren't necessary…and trust me you are an amazing friend Harry. Need I remind you of a certain first year who dragged a red-headed boy into a lavatory to rescue a girl from a troll?" she asked him with a smile. "Or how about a boy who spent every waking moment…and a few sleeping ones watching over a little girl who had been petrified by a basilisk?"

"What…who?" He had thought no one other than himself and… "Madame Pomfrey?"

"Yes, she told me. Harry you may appear aloof about emotions." She said, "It's understandable if what I expect about life at the Dursley's is correct." He felt himself stiffen when she mentioned his relatives, "But despite that Harry, you are amazing. You are a great friend, and a great wizard." She smiled at him before she shifted closer and laid her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Hermione asked in an odd voice, "Harry, as much as I enjoyed this talk…why bring this up today?"

"Oh…yeah," He said surprised that he actually hadn't gone through with the other hard part yet, "well McGonagall mentioned that it might be better if I find someone I trust to ask to the ball…and that got me thinking…who do I trust more than you…I wouldn't have fun with anyone else…I wouldn't be able to talk with any other girl like I can with you…and with you…with you," Hermione's head left his shoulder and she made eye contact with him, "with you." Harry couldn't move from her gaze. "What I mean to say is…Hermione would you be so kind as to allow me to be your escort to the Yule Ball?" He asked in as calm a voice as he could muster. He watched as she stared at him with a blush. Then he watched a smile blossom wide across her face.

"I would love to Harry." She replied in a breathy whisper. They remained still for a few moments.

"Lovely," Harry said in an dazed voice, "Lunch?"

"Yes." Hermione replied in a similar tone.

From that point on the day had sped past Harry in a haze. He was aware that Ron had told him that Hagrid had done an interview with Rita Skeeter, that the girls were always in packs throughout the day, and that Ron was determined to find a 'right fit girl' as his date. It hadn't been until Harry settled in for bed that Ron's voice finally broke through Harry's happy daze.

"You're going with Hermione aren't you?" Ron's tone was not the warmest, "The look you two have had all day is all anyone can talk about." Harry took in a breath before he answered

"Yes, I asked Hermione…and she said yes…so we are going to the ball together." Harry took in the way Ron stared at the ceiling above his bed. "Is this a problem Ron?" He asked. He watched as Ron's jaw muscles clinched a few times.

"No, I don't really have a reason to be…well…do you fancy her?" Ron asked all of a sudden. The quick change of topic left Harry for a loop for a few moments. He thought about his talk with her, and his own feelings over the past few weeks.

"Yeah…I…well I haven't exactly thought about it in those terms, but yes I do fancy her." Harry said quietly. The other three boys in the room were suddenly wide awake and perched at the ends of their beds. Harry rolled his eyes as he sat up. "Ron, since the First Task I've had to re-think a lot of things. The biggest is Hermione." Harry looked over at his friend, "You're my best mate, but Hermione…Hermione is my best friend. Even before this whole tournament, she was the one who fought for me even when I went against her. Last year over the Firebolt. She was right. Everything she does, she does it for my best interest." Harry smiled when Ron met his eyes. "How could I not fancy a girl who cares that much for me?"

"When you put it like that…yeah it would be." Ron's voice seemed to fade. Harry looked to the other boys, and they quietly moved to settle back in to their beds. Once the curtains were closed on the other beds Harry turned to Ron.

"Do you…do you fancy Hermione?" Harry asked. Ron looked back to the ceiling.

"Doesn't matter." He answered.

"Of course it matters Ron." Harry said resolutely.

"No, it doesn't Harry." Ron turned to Harry. "Look I don't know how I feel…it's just I started to notice everything you've been doing, and it got me thinking." Ron paused to take a deep breath, "Then today you guys were late too lunch, George and Fred started talking about how you were probably asking her before the rest of us realized…something. You know how the Twins are when they're talking about stuff. Said the rest of us wouldn't understand just yet." Ron sent Harry a smile. "I thought about how much of prat I've been, and what I came up with is this; You fancy Hermione, and she fancies you," Harry's eyebrows reached his hairline, "if you two actually fancy each other, then it doesn't matter what I think. I don't know how I feel about her, you do. So you're the one who has every right to ask her to be your date." Ron smiled at him. "Besides with the way you two have been giving each other those wonky looks its best you asked her…could give a bloke a complex if he tried to go with her and you two spent the night…" Ron's smile took a Twin-like turn to it, "…gazing softly into each other's eyes." Ron batted his eyelashes at Harry as he ducked from the pillow Harry had thrown at him. The two laughed for a few minutes. "Harry?"

"Yeah mate?"

"If you and Hermione decide to make a go of it." Ron took a breath, "Just don't forget about me…alright."

Harry then realized Ron's worry. He was the youngest brother. He had grown up with the fear of being lost in the shuffle. Hermione and Harry were his tether to being an individual.

"Never mate." Harry said, "b'sides how could we forget someone who makes as much noise as you?" Harry laughed and was happy to hear the same sound from Ron.

"Har, Har." Ron said, "Well now that we've got that sorted out. I've just got to find a date for myself."

"Oh yeah, who are you thinking about asking?"

"Not rightly sure, now am I?" Ron replied with a smirk evident in his voice, "But I'll tell you this," Ron paused, "I'll have whoever it is by this time next week."

---

Ron as it turned out did not get a date to the ball as everytime he approached someone his face would turn an unnatural shade of red before he quickly exited the conversation before it began. He had come close to asking Lavender Brown, but was beaten by Seamus. Ron had tried to play off the entire situation. But Ron did look to get a bit anxious though, when he saw the flippantly easy way that the Twins had secured dates with Angelina and Alicia. The boy's temper did flare when they had walked into the common room to find Neville asking Ginny to the Ball. The head of steam that Harry the boy build was quickly cut off when his sister stepped in between him and Neville. Hermione noticed the younger witch fingering her wand and promptly informed Harry that it would be best to remove Ron from the room.

That Friday they found themselves in the Tranfiguration classroom for what Harry knew was dance lessons. Another thing had gotten Ron was red-faced by way of a dance with Professor McGonagall. Mr. Filch was over on one side of the room with an abnormally large record player trying to fix it. The woman had gone on about the fact that they as a host school would be expected to be on their best behavior and in top form. She had then requested Ron's assistance for the introductory lesson. The mirth from the boy's side had quickly died when McGonagall called for the students to join them on the floor. The girls it seemed had been quite keen on enjoying this particular lesson. Harry himself was prepared for the situation, but still found himself intimidated by the wall of females that had seemed to rise as one. Then McGonagall's voice rang out, as if to test the mettle of the male 'lions'. Harry was surprised to find that he had been beaten in being the first boy to step onto the floor by a second. Neville had quietly stood and taken a place on the floor across from Ginny with his shoulders surprisingly squared.

From there it had been an interesting lesson. Harry had found Hermione's hand as quickly as possible and both had blushed when his hand found her waist. Much as he had expected he was not a good dancer. Hermione's feet were lucky to have gotten off as lightly as they did. McGonagall had sought them out to see how they were fairing, but the stern woman quickly noticed Harry's lack of grace. From there she had told Harry to stop worrying over the steps themselves, and to relax. She had then asked him how it was he was so good a flying. It started to click in Harry's head the moment she had said the words. He and Hermione were like a leisurely flight. He might be leading, but the broom, or Hermione, was what allowed the movements to flow. It had been interesting after that. He was able to understand and enjoy the lesson, even if he hadn't been perfect. When they finished Hermione had smiled and reminded him of what she had said the day he asked her to the ball.

Later that afternoon in double Potions, Snape had shocked the entire class. Hermione, three slytherins(Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, and Tracey Davis), and Harry were the only ones to score perfect O's on the antidote exam. He had given clipped praise to both Harry and Hermione ("Well done") and awarded them each five points. Crabbe and Goyle had grumbled how low things were getting if 'a mudblood and half-blooded cheat' were being treated like that. The comment had earned them both detentions and a warning ("unless you two would like to find yourselves in the suspended company of Mr. Malfoy you would do well to mind your tongues").

That night while Harry was giving himself a mock practical exam with Hermione's rune-etching kit the common room door burst open to reveal Ginny, Fred, and George leading an ashen-faced Ron over to the fire. As they sat him down everyone crowded around to see what had happened.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"He just asked Fleur Delacour to the ball." Ginny said as she sat next to her brother.

"She said no?" Harry asked.

"No." Ginny said.

"She said yes?!" Hermione asked.

"No…he didn't give her a chance to answer…He just sort of walked up to and screamed at her…then ran." Ginny finished with a grimace.

"Everyone already had date…so I figured I might as well see…but as soon as I got close to her I went wonky." Ron swallowed then continued, "All I could see was lips and her hair and her eyes…and then I thought about her bum," the girls rolled their eyes, "next thing I knew I was yelling at her…then I was running." Ron dropped his head into his hands, "Merlin I'm rightly buggered for this ball!"

"Ron! Language!" Hermione chastised. Parvarti who had been standing next to Hermione stepped forward.

"Ron?" She started, "I could see if Padma would go with you. She said she didn't want to go, but I think she really would like to enjoy it." The girl offered a smile.

"You think she would say yes?" Ron asked.

"Probably, you can come with me." She bent down and helped Ron stand. As they left Ginny followed, more than likely just to watch. Hermione started shaking her head.

"Boys," She said with a sigh as she pulled Harry back over to the table they had been at.

"Hey, don't lump us all in with Ron. Some of us can handle the maturing process." Harry said with no small amount of cheek.

"Yes," Hermione started, "but only when you see fit." She gave him a grin. "Come on I want to see how you handle rune degradation and its effects on proper warding."

"Work, work, work…." Harry smiled at her, "I show a bit of interest and all of a sudden you expect me to be a prodigy."

"Yes well apples don't fall far from there trees." She stated, "Professor Babblings said your mother was brilliant at runes, and that your father was quite the natural as well." She gave him a look, "Even if he was a bit mischievous with what he learned from her."

"Yes, well that may be true, but Hermione it is the last day of term. We have until next Friday before the ball to go over all of this…let's take a break tonight." Harry pleaded. "Besides after the ball you're going home until the eleventh of the January, so let's relax with everyone else." As he said this Hermione smiled.

"Fine, but I expect you to spend at least two hours every-day this upcoming week studying." Hermione said firmly.

"Only two hours? Really?" he asked surprised. Hermione then grew her own mischievous smile.

"Two hours per subject." She replied full of mirth.

"Bollocks!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry! Langauge!"

---

Padma had in the end agreed to go to the ball with Ron. And the weekend and rest of the week sped by for Harry. On most days He and Hermione would study until lunch, and then despite her statement over hours would spend the rest of the day lounging about. There had been a large snow-ball fight against the Twins and a few upper years. Then they had taken to going to the kitchens every once and a while to visit with Dobby and a slowly-recovering Winky. Hermione had been good each time they visited. She had made her intentions clear, which eased many of the elves' minds. Crookshanks had taken to nestle up as close to either Harry or Hermione as he could when they were in the common room. Hedwig thrived on her winter flights to the Granger parents in their near daily correspondence with Hermione. Harry had made sure he spent at least a good half hour giving his owl her due affection in between her flights. Flitwick could be seen with a few students from the choir as he lead them along while singing carols about trolls drinking eggnog and Goblin's eating cookies.

On Christmas Eve, Harry and the others settled into the common room to enjoy the antics of the Twins as they told exaggerated versions of wizarding Christmas stories.

---

Christmas day, the Yule Ball, and the warm feeling.

The morning of Christmas Harry found himself jolted awake by an over-exuberant Dobby.

"Great Harry Potter sir! You must be waking up sir!" Dobby's voice had caught in his ear as the little elf's hand shook his shoulder. "Dobby be bringing present for the Great Harry Potter sir!" Harry heard the groaning of his dorm mates at the sound so he quickly shushed Dobby and motioned for the elf to sit on his bed. Once Dobby had sat Harry cast a quick silencing charm and turned to the elf.

"Dobby what are you doing here this early?"

"Dobby be spending his time not working for making presents for the Great Harry Potter and his kind Grangey!" The elf held out a pair of mismatched, multicolored sock. "Dobby be leaving the others for Miss Grangey." Harry saw that the ones for Hermione were identical to his pair, and couldn't stop the smile that had spread across his face.

"That was very kind of you Dobby," Harry started before a yawn escaped him, "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes Dobby did! The Great Harry Potter makes Dobby's old master gift Dobby with sock so Dobby gift The Great Harry Potter with socks!" Dobby said as he nodded his head quickly.

"Well," Harry chuckled, "I cannot argue with that logic." Harry thought quickly and stuck his head from out of his curtains to retrieve his two best pairs of socks from his trunk. He quickly unfolded the pairs and made them mismatched. As he presented them to Dobby, the elf's eyes widened. "For you mate."

"The Great Harry Potter gift Dobby with more socks!...But Dobby…Dobby not be having sweetheart to present them with." Dobby's ears drooped over his eyes, and what Harry took to be a blush spread over his features. "Dobby be hoping to...well…Dobby be hoping Winky." The elf cut off his speech.

"Dobby…you…fancy Winky?" Harry asked.

"Dobby…Dobby…be finding Winky to be good company…now that she be not drinking butterbeer…and she be having pretty smile." Dobby looked at Harry with wide, hopeful eyes. "Dobby be hoping The Great Harry Potter's Miss Grangey could be speaking with Dobby on how to speak to Winky…Miss Grangey care for helping we elves and…well."

"I think Hermione would be happy to help mate." Harry said with a smile. Harry then gave pause before he asked, "Dobby you said something about sweethearts and socks? Is that why you're giving Hermione the other pair…to match mine?" The elf nodded.

"Of course Great Harry Potter sir! The matching Wheezies be speaking of how the Great Harry Potter sir and his Miss Grangey be smiling and staring at each other and Dobby be knowing what you two need." The elf gave a self-satisfied nod.

"But Dobby, Hermione and me are not…," Harry started, but upon seeing the odd look on Dobby's face he stopped. "Listen mate, go ahead and go give Hermione her present, and ask her help…she'll be happy to give it." Harry smiled as the elf stood on the bed and bowed low before he softly popped out of the room. A quick look to his watch showed him that it was already eight in the morning. Hermione would most likely already be up in her dorm. Harry cancelled the silencing charm and started his morning routine.

A short time later found Harry in the common room as he enjoyed the warm fire and his very comfortable new socks. Quite a few of the female Gryffindors had already made their way into the common room and were enjoying the snacks that the house elves left.

"I take it you played host to a certain love-struck elf before I did." Hermione's voice reached Harry's ears. When Harry turned he noticed that she too was wearing the socks and that Crookshanks seemed very interested in the odd striped pattern. "Quite the interesting conversation I had with him. It seems he has been hopelessly pining over another certain elf, and had no idea what to do about the situation." Hermione forced him to budge over. "I asked him a few questions, and he told me what the socks would symbolize to her…so I said that the best thing for him to do given the situation would be to simply give her the socks and explain his feelings." Harry nodded to Hermione as she said this.

"Brilliant…I figured it would be better if he talked with you. I would have said to just give her the socks." Harry gave her a small smile and felt himself flush. Hermione really did look great in the mornings when her hair was messy and took on its own life.

"Yes, I suppose it is best you sent him to me…we wouldn't want him to not properly express his feelings." Hermione had said this evenly, but her eyes were questioning to Harry.

"That wouldn't do…would it." Harry said softly. In the small silence that passed over them Harry was able to muster the courage to have the talk he knew Hermione seemed to want to have. He checked to see that no one was listening before he began.

"Hermione…I…" Harry started, but was interrupted by two fresh voices. The Twins.

"Well, well Gred. I spy an interesting sight…"

"Yes, dear brother of mine. Two of our favorite fourth years,"

"And their sitting quite close on the couch closest to the cozy fire,"

"Wearing identical…mismatched socks…"

"Um…"

"Yeah that one's a bit odd…even for us…"

The two paused to look at each other and then back to Harry and Hermione, who were both blushing. Through her blush, though, Hermione had started to give a deathly glare to the Twins. Crookshanks seemed to have picked up on his mistresses' distress as the feline hopped onto the table and gave a short hiss at the Twins.

"My dear brother, I believe we have interrupted something we shouldn't have."

"I am inclined to agree with you brother. Perhaps we should slowly back away."

As the two started to move they were quickly grabbed and roughly pulled away by Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. The three girls, Harry noticed, shot Hermione an apologetic look. Hermione took a deep breath before she turned back to him.

"You were saying Harry?" She asked.

Harry thought about what he had planned to say, and took a breath. But then he found those simple words lacking. What good are words such as 'fancy', 'brilliant', or 'beauty' good for if they don't really express his feelings. Before he was able to think on it too much he allowed his mouth to move with unrestricted access from that place where his brain and heart seem to mingle.

"I've never been more happy for Fluffy, a troll, a Basilisk, and a dragon for coming into my life." He saw her brows knit in confusion. "I've never had a 'happy' life, not at least until I came here. Then all of those things started happening. Bad things. But to me…now I see the beauty of all them. I got you out of them. The one person who has always been there. Even when I acted like a right prat. You carried on and made sure I was safe…and happy." Harry paused to take in the misty eyes Hermione had begun to sport before he continued. "I'm happy I had all of those life threatening moments to show me what I have sitting next to me. So," Harry took a settling breath and picked up the small cup of hot cocoa from the table. He lifted it in a small toast even though his hand tremor threatened to spill the warm liquid and continued, "here's to me never needing another death defying adventure and never needing one to remind me of what I have. Hermione Granger. A girl who makes me better." He took a breath, "And here's to me never having to find a day without her in it. Because those days have always been the worst of my past." Harry kept the tear stained gaze of Hermione as he took his unsteady sip. Then he felt Hermione's hand in his. She kept her grip tight as she continued to give him a brilliant, watery smile.

"Oi! What's with all the tears?" Harry heard Ron's voice from the bottom of the stairs. As Harry turned he noticed that all of the females of Gryffindor had apparently heard the conversation as they were dabbing their eyes, and were staring at him as if he were a giant puppy. He also noticed that Fred and George seemed to be giving him looks of shock and pride?

"It's nothing Ronald. Harry was just giving me one of my Christmas gifts." Harry heard Hermione say. When he looked back to her she smiled at him again before she said, "Come along Ronald we need to get the opening of presents over early. Harry and I need to go see Professor Dumbledore before lunch." Harry stared at Hermione.

"We do?" Harry asked.

"Yes, as Ronald, Ginny and the Twins have to go back to the Burrow for the rest of the holiday to see Bill and Charlie; I approached Professor Dumbledore with an interesting idea of how you could pass the time over the holiday." Hermione said primly as she moved to pass him the gift with his name on them.

"Hey, Harry is always welcome to come with us to the Burrow!" Ron exclaimed as he looked to Harry. "You know that mate. We didn't know Mum was going to insist on us coming, but Bill and Charlie never get to come home over the holidays. And most certainly not at the same time. But I mean you always have a cot in my room to sleep on Harry." Ron finished as he fiddled with the wrapping on what was most certainly a Molly Weasley jumper.

"Ron, I know that. I honestly hadn't thought about the rest of holidays. I knew all of you were leaving, but I don't mind staying in the castle." Harry ripped the paper from his own new jumper as he continued. "You guys should enjoy the holiday as a full family…I'm sure your parents, especially Mrs. Weasley is worried that all of you are growing up, and moving out. Her and your Dad probably need this holiday more than you guys." Harry finished as he slipped the jumper with 'HJ' knitted in over his head.

"Wow…I never thought about that mate." Ron said. "Yeah I guess I understand why she was so set in wanting us home." Ron nodded and looked to give himself some thought.

"Harry?" Hermione touched his shoulder. "Why don't we go ahead and make our way to the headmaster's office. I know he has a special present for you." Harry nodded to her.

"Yeah, we'll see you later mate." He said to Ron as he pulled his slippers on and followed Hermione.

---

Hermione had refused to tell him what the meeting with Dumbledore was about, but he did remember that he hadn't been to speak with the headmaster as requested.

Once they had been seated in front of the headmaster, the old man smiled at Harry.

"Professor, I'm sorry I haven't been to see you…I guess I just…"

"Harry, this is not about that." Dumbledore said softly. "We will speak on that after the holidays. Today I am here to offer you a different option for your holidays." The twinkle had begun to shine in the headmaster's eyes. "Ms. Granger and her parents have been kind enough to offer to take you in until the start of the new term." Harry felt his eyes widen to what must have been comical levels. He turned to look at Hermione.

"What?" He asked dumbly.

"Honestly Harry!" She replied. "My parents would love to meet you properly, and because of the ball they decided to push back all of the things we usually do over the hols. So you'll get to enjoy a proper Granger Christmas dinner, and our New Years Night In…" Hermione paused in her excitement, "That is if you want to." She gave him a hopeful look. Harry felt, to put it honestly, ridiculously happy.

"Of course I bloody well want to." He felt himself grow hot in the face when he realized just how loud he had said that, and that he had sworn in front of the headmaster. "Oh…Um…Sorry?"

"Harry…language." Hermione said with a grin.

"Quite alright given the circumstances Harry." The headmaster's voice had a distinct chuckling tone to it as he said this. "You are also here so that I can bestow upon you this…" The headmaster pulled a scroll of parchment out of the sleeve of his robes, "this Harry is a document drafted by the goblin in charge of the Potter family estate, Gramlock, which when signed by you will render you emancipated and able to gain complete control over your inheritance. I would also have you go to Gringotts over the holidays to see Gramlock. He knew your grandfather quite well, and will be able to explain your family's holding much better than I." Dumbledore laughed slightly "Gramlock and I never got on well after our initial meeting…word to the wise Harry; always lose to a Goblin while playing Gobstones…the are quite the sore losers." Dumbledore paused in his smile and got back to the point they were there. "The circumstances of you gaining this Harry is one of the reasons I've been absent so much. Officially you would need the signature of your magical guardian and your muggle guardians."

"Why would the Dursley's sign that then?" Harry asked. "If they know about the money why would they…"

"I made it very clear to them that no money that ever belonged to your parents would find its way to them," the headmaster said with no small amount of vitriol in his voice, "I then made it clear that from the moment you signed that parchment; the only time they will ever see you again is under your own accord."

"Sir?" Harry asked flummoxed.

"Harry, you never have to go back there ever again," Hermione said from next to him, "you're going to be free of them as soon as you sign that. You can spend you're summers wherever you want!" Hermione beamed at him.

Harry thought for a moment.

"Sir, why? You made it quite clear that I've always had to go back." Harry asked the headmaster.

"Harry, I know now what a ridiculous excuse it was to keep you in that 'household', and I will find other safer accommodations for you if you wish. You may stay in the castle during the summer if you want or…anywhere else. It will be your decision once you sign that." Dumbledore smiled again. "True happiness and freedom is what you deserve Harry, and I have done my part to deny you that. But no more. You have found yourself surrounded by…," the headmaster looked to Hermione, who blushed as he said, "fierce individuals who are dead-set on you being able to define your life on your own terms."

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled. He then turned back to the headmaster.

"You said my magical guardian had to sign as well, but as far as I know that's Sirius…how could it be legal if…" Harry started to ask.

"Harry, Goblin's don't meddle in the affairs of wizards and vice-versa. In the wizarding world legal emancipation starts with financial independence and everything financial has to go through Gringotts first. Once the forms are notarized by a goblin and signed by all parties the Ministry wouldn't dare to object. Not without starting a conflict at least." Hermione said in her prim voice before smiling. She motioned to the headmaster, "As Professor Dumbledore explained it to me. The Ministry has no claim over saying that Sirius is unable to sign for your emancipation as the ties a magical guardian or godparent has to their ward is irrefutable within the Wizengamot. There is no way to contest or argue the point." She nodded as she finished and turned to Dumbledore. "Sir, did Bill have any problems with the warding?"

"Warding…what warding?" Harry asked as he pushed his shock and confusion down.

"The warding on the Granger's home and business, Harry. I felt the need to make sure Ms. Granger and her family were protected given her recent celebrity as your… 'companion' in our world." Dumbledore looked to try and hide his smirk behind his teacup. "And no Ms. Granger, William would have made Filius and Bathsheba proud with his integration of runic shielding to heavily modified warding charms…the senior Gringotts warder was even impressed…and I'm sure you can guess as to how hard it is to surprise a Goblin whose lived long enough to gain the title of 'senior'." The headmaster laughed slightly, "Arthur even made a stop during his lunch break…I believe your father, Ms. Granger, spent most of the time trying to explain how to properly use a tel-e-phone to him…it was most humorous to your mother." They looked at Harry and seemed to sense his need for a moment of thought to himself.

As they talked Harry stared at the parchment. He reveled at the feel of Sirius' signature.

"I'll sign it." He stated abruptly.

---

"What's with the goofy smile mate?" Ron asked him. They were told to wait at the bottom of the stairs for all their dates. So they stood there as they all the other boys had chatted about the eerie disappearance of all the females in the school after lunch. It seemed that some sort of ritual had taken place in every female dorm in preparation for the ball.

"What…oh nothing mate. It's just a good day." Harry replied as he rubbed the spot on his thumb that he had pierced earlier. Once the blood had been applied to the scroll right next to his signature the document had shimmered and disappeared. Dumbledore had explained that the shimmer meant that a duplicate had been sent to Gringotts and the first was now in the Ministry's records. From that point Harry had only nodded when Dumbledore told them to enjoy the day. At lunch Hermione made a comment that Harry should expect a few surprise visitors at her home, particularly a certain dog.

When he and Ron had met with the other guys, at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Great Hall, who had dates with Gryffindor girls Harry had been teased slightly by the fact that he was still wearing the socks Dobby had given him. It was a cleared throat that drew their attention to the stairs. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie all made their way down the stairs, and clearly enjoyed the appreciative looks they received from the small crowd. Angelina and Alicia were met by the Twins, who offered their arm to Katie as well. The third chaser, however, simply shook her head and announced that she had planned to meet her date in a few minutes. Harry's attention to Katie was disrupted when he heard Ron growl slightly. At the top of the stairs stood Ginny and Harry had to admit that she looked very fetching in her emerald green dress as she took Neville's offered arm. Before Ron could protest his little sister simply pointed back to the stairs. On the way down the steps were Lavender, Parvati, and Padma (who had spent the day preparing with the ladies of Gryffindor). Harry heard a strangled noise come from his friend's throat as he stepped forward with Dean and Seamus to offer their arms. As Harry watched his friend try to talk to the Indian girl, he felt a tap on his shoulder. The three chaser girls were there with Lavender and Parvati on the side.

"We wanted to wait and see how this worked out." Lavender said with a smile.

"She's quite nervous, as Lav and I are…it took us a while to get her to agree to a bit of a…small makeover, but it was so worth it." Parvati said as she pointed to the stairs.

Harry looked up to see someone slightly peek around the corner.

"Hermione." He called. He could hear a sigh reverberate off the castle walls. Then he watched as she stepped out from behind the bannister.

'Blue…beautiful blue.' Harry thought to himself as he watched her approach. The blue of her dress looked…amazing. The dress did things for her that school robes just didn't. Her hair was even tamed in some sort of up-do with only a few tendrils falling to frame her face. She looked to have a slight bit of trouble with the heels, but she was able to keep herself steady. As she reached the bottom step she gave him a shy smile. Harry was sure the dragon had killed him. This was not a feeling he was used to, he wasn't just happy. He felt nervous. He felt ecstatic. He felt like he did when he suddenly dropped during a flight; weightless and invulnerable. He also felt like he may vomit, but that was more than likely the nerves.

He wasn't sure when he had started to move towards her, but he was certain that background noise he had heard was the sound of all the other guys in shock. As he stood in front of her and held out his arm he thought of what to say.

"You…you look…" Harry began as he made sure to keep her eyes.

"Bugger me sideways!" Harry heard Seamus exclaim.

"Seamus!" Lavender's voice rang out along with a muffled slap.

"What I'm sorry, but…hell look at her!" Harry felt an odd feeling rise up when he heard Seamus say that.

"She looks beautiful…just like always…it's just now that the rest of you prats noticed." Harry said as he smiled to Hermione and watched her cheeks flame. "You do look…" Harry tried to finish the statement, but he couldn't find the words, so he just allowed his smile to grow wider.

"Children, Children…Oh my, don't you dears look lovely this evening." McGonagall's voice rang from behind them. "You will all need to move into the Great Hall and prepare for the beginning of the ball…except you Mr. Potter! You and Ms. Granger will come and wait with me in the entrance…where's…ah! You follow also Ms. Bell…I believe your date is there right now."

The group moved as one with only Harry, Hermione and Katie stopping before they walked into the Great Hall. As they passed Neville and the Twins all leant down and whispered that they hadn't been surprised like the others. Neville had blushed and the Twins had winked when they said their compliments.

Harry had planned on complimenting the warm, red dress Katie had on, but a thick, heavily-accented voice beat him.

"You look…luff-ly." The Durmstrang champion's voice rung out as he offered his arm to Katie. The girl gave a slight blush.

"And you look very handsome Viktor." The girl said as she took the arm he offered.

Harry stood flabbergasted. He understood and acknowledged that Katie was a very, very attractive girl, but…., 'actually it makes sense,' he thought to himself, 'Katie wouldn't care about the fact that he was famous. She would like the fact that he's a brilliant seeker, but she has never looked at me as a celebrity so she wouldn't care about that part for him either.'

"Harry." Hermione's voice was close to his ear. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just thinking." He smiled towards her. "I think we are going to have a great night Ms. Granger." He cocked an eyebrow up and watched as a small giggle bubbled from her frame.

"Oh Merlin!" she sighed, "Harry, did the Twins give you something to drink?" she with the question.

Harry smirked and began to say something in retort, but was cut off by the deputy-headmistress' cleared throat.

"Well, I hope you are all ready for your grand entrance." McGonagall said sternly, but Harry was able to detect the smallest of grins fight onto the corner of her lips. "Mr. Krum and Ms. Bell shall go first, then Ms. Delacour and Mr….Davies," the Deputy-Headmistresses paused and Harry could tell she was trying to get the Ravenclaw's attention as he was glassy-eyed, "…then Mr. Diggory and Ms. Chang, and finally Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger." McGonagall paused. "You'll be paraded around for a minute before we sit for the meal. You'll all be at the head table, and as soon as the dinner is over you will start the ball with the opening dance." She quickly turned and moved to the entranceway.

Harry glanced to the others in their group. Cedric met his eyes and gave him a crooked grin. Cho smiled at him, but surprisingly enough those feelings he had experienced earlier in the year did not come up. Fleur gave him a smile as well, and her eyes seemed to soften at the way he held Hermione's arm in his. Roger Davies was still had a goofy grin on his face. Katie sent a wink to him like she always did before they set off on the pitch. Viktor gave him an odd look before he gave a slight nod of his head. They lined up in order and started their entrance.

Inside the Great Hall was a wintery scene that in itself gave off the aura of magic. The entirety of hall was covered in pale blues and bright whites. As they walked forward Harry began to hear the murmur of the students.

"Granger?" "Cor, who would've thought?" "Who's that bird with Potter?"

Harry felt himself grow angry at the words, but then he felt a slight increase in pressure from where Hermione's arm was wound through his.

"Ignore them Harry…I know I am." Was the simple whisper she supplied him with.

Harry smiled and allowed himself to be made to stand in the line with the other champions and gave a bow when his name was called. Dumbledore then called for the meal to begin. As they sat and watched how the food was being delivered he noticed the slight stiffing of Hermione's shoulders. He looked to her and saw the internal fight ease. She then leaned down and asked for a simple meal of chicken and vegetables. She smiled at Harry; he leaned down and asked for braised beef with similar vegetables. As they ate Hermione began to surprisingly converse with Fleur in French. 'Why didn't I know she could speak French?' Harry asked himself, 'Of course she speaks it, but why didn't I know?'. A voice broke his attention from his internal thoughts. It was Percy.

"Hello Harry." The man said, "I hope you don't mind me speaking with you at this moment, but I wish to apologize."

"Oh…well Percy there's no need to apologize to me." Harry said as he felt his brows knit together. The people Percy should be apologize to were his parents if all the chatter amongst the three youngest Weasley children was to be believed. Ginny had told him that the great ponce had walked out of the Burrow before the first task citing his work becoming more important that the family.

"I most certainly do…this tournament is supposed to be dangerous…but not because a bureaucratic oversight missed something like Bagman did." Percy held himself straight, "I'm should have seen or checked the expenditure reports. But I didn't so I am, in part, to blame. So is anyone in the Ministry whose desk these things are supposed to go through." Percy took a sip of his water, "That includes Mr. Crouch, but apparently my soon-to-be former boss was not 'feeling' well enough to apologize in person." Percy sniffed at the word 'feeling'. "I must also apologize for a few comments I made about you Harry. I allowed myself to believe the opinion of those I shouldn't have. You are a good man, better than I was. So I'm sorry." Percy nodded to Harry as a signal that his words were over on the subject. Harry noticed that Hermione had finished her conversation with Fleur, and she now subtly listened to his conversation. He also took in the lack of subtlety the headmaster was showing as he listened in as well.

"Look Percy, it's alright. But thank you all the same." Harry took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "You know…you might want to speak to your parents. I know Ginny said that your mum has been going spare over…"

"I have Harry. Just yesterday in fact." Percy said with an unusual softness to his voice. "I received a thorough verbal thrashing from my mother and my father…and then mum fed me biscuits." Percy actually smiled. "I'll be there for the rest of the holidays to make amends with everyone else." Harry nodded and accepted the handshake Percy offered.

The rest of the meal had been quite interesting. Hagrid had spent the entire time enrapture by Madame Maxine's talk with Dumbledore. Karkaroff had spent most of the time with a look of disdain on his face. Cedric had chatted with Harry a few times. Cho had spent most of the time speaking over to Hermione and Fleur. Viktor had only spoken a few times, mostly to Katie. Katie had spoken with the other girls and traded barbs with Cedric at one point. Roger Davies had accidentally eaten three lemon wedges because he had not been able to take his eyes from Fleur. Harry had enjoyed his time simply happy to be there in that moment without something looming over him…except for the first dance.

As the tables disappeared Harry felt himself begin to shake. Hermione kept a tight grasp on his hand. Dumbledore announced that it was time for the first dance. They moved into position. Harry felt his knees wobble a bit.

"Harry!" Hermione whispered harshly, "I have to do this heels for the first time." She looked down. "You'll be fine!" She smiled then. He did as well.

"Okay." He kept her eyes as the music started. He smiled as he noticed that with her heels he was able to look her straight into her eyes; he also allowed the smell of peppermint to soothe him. His memory took over at that point. Hand with hand, and hand on hip. The steps took over and Hermione swayed in a way she had never done when they practiced. Harry would've said it was because of the dress, but he knew it wasn't. Hermione was confident. He could see it in the way she smiled back at him. She was confident for the same reason he was. It was them...and that was all that mattered for those brief minutes. Soon there was applause and other people stepped onto the floor. Harry watched as Ron blushingly offered his hand to Padma for a dance. He smiled at the way Neville seemed to glide effortlessly with Ginny in his arms. He nudged Hermione to look in that direction.

"Ron and I saw him practicing for the past three nights." He felt joy when felt Hermione shiver as he whispered into her ear.

"It shows." Came her shaky voice. "It shows on you as well." She smiled and turned to look at Ron. "Not as much on Ronald though." She was right. Ron had certainly looked to be trying, but in the end it seemed that Padma did most of the leading. Hermione turned her head and smiled at him for a second. Her smiled turned to a frown though at something over his shoulder. "Harry would you mind dancing with Fleur?" She asked.

"What!" Harry tried to keep his voice down.

"Apparently she accepted when he asked because no one else stuck around for and answer and she had to be escorted by someone." Hermione said with a grimace. "She thought he might have been able to…resist her allure, but he's not doing a very good job." Hermione then smiled to him. "But you are…surprisingly immune to her. Cedric is also very good at handling himself. Krum looks to be able to handle it decently…so maybe the champions can dance with each other's partners. I think it would help." She gave him a pouting look.

"Okay, let's go save the French." He sighed.

His dance with Fleur was interesting. She had thanked him softly for agreeing to 'rescue' her. Her height was offsetting, but he managed to not step on her toes. He then switched to dance with Cho. Cho had smiled and complimented him on his dancing, the conversation was light and easy. When he had moved to take Katie for a dance, though, he had to endure a light teasing. She had spent the entire dance making the remark of how fast he was growing, and generally treating him as a younger brother. Over the course of the next traditional songs he found himself being passed around to the likes of Ginny, Lavender, Parvati, and finally Padma. He had laughed during the dance with Padma as Ron had been just as clumsy while trying to dance with Hermione.

He had just moved with Hermione over to the refreshments table when Dumbledore moved to the stage and announced that the Weird Sisters would take over for entertainment. There was then a loud cacophony of screams and yells as the band took the stage. Lavender and Parvati appeared in front of them and grasped Hermione's hand as they pulled her to the throng of girls crowded in front of the stage. Harry smiled as he watched the primness fall from her shoulders and she began to jump and swing with her dorm mates to the fast paced song. She looked so relaxed and free.

"So Scarhead, decided to fall even lower and bring Granger." The voice of Goyle was next to him.

"Yeah, figured you'd had 'nuff of the filthy mudbloo…" Crabbe's voice was there too. Harry felt his hackles rise as he turned to them, but a deep and accented voice growled behind him.

"You should watch tongue..." Harry turned to see a menacing look on Krum's face as he continued, "someone might hear and decide to teach you prase(*) lesson in manners." Harry watched as Goyle and Crabbe took on looks of shock and fear before they turned and swiftly moved away. Harry looked up to Viktor.

"Thanks…I was probably going to do something stupid if you hadn't stepped in." Harry said with a grin.

"My pleasure. I probably save them…I see strength in you…strength they do not haff." Viktor nodded. "Thank you for allo…allowing me to…dance with Hermy-o-ninny. It was a nice dance." Harry nodded back to the seeker.

"Thank you for allowing me to dance with Katie,…though I have to admit most of the time she just teased me." He smiled up to the Bulgarian.

"Yes, she tell me that you are seeker for your…" Viktor paused and looked to be thinking of the right word, "house team. She say you are very good…perhaps we can haff match one day."

"Oh…yeah…that'd be…that'd be brilliant." Harry said in shock. He watched as Viktor nodded in agreement. The Bulgarian then pointed towards the dance floor.

"I belief our dates vould like for us to join them." Viktor said as he began to move over to Katie. Harry looked to Hermione as she smiled at him. She was breathing hard from the dance. Her face was flushed with exertion and joy. Harry started moving before he knew what happened. When he reached her a thought popped into his head.

"I don't know how to dance like this…" he motioned to the other people flailing about.

"No one does, you just dance Harry!" She laughed as she took his hands and began to make him follow along with her movements. During the 'dance' Harry saw Ron awkwardly moving along to the song next to Padma, Neville was blushing as Ginny gripped his hands and made him sway with her, and then he noticed the Ravenclaw girl Luna in a pale blue dress dancing an almost ballet-like dance over by Professor Flitwick who looked thoroughly confused.

As the song died he turned to Hermione and pointed towards Luna.

"Isn't she a third year?" He asked, "Who is her date?"

Hermione looked over to the girl.

"Oh…Ginny said she wasn't able to find anyone who wanted to go with the girl." Hermione took a thoughtful look. "Perhaps we should go say hello." She said as she pulled him over. Professor Flitwick was in the middle of explaining why Luna was not allowed to be at ball when they arrived.

"It's alright Professor Flitwick," the girl said in a soft, serene voice, "I just wanted to see the pretty lights and snowscape you conjured in the Great Hall, but the music was so beautiful and the Nargles caught my attention…they live in the mistletoe you know…oh hello Harry and Hermione…you both look quite bright tonight. You especially Hermione…Periwinkle is a nice color on you…it makes your hair shimmer nicely." The girl said.

"Ohh…ah…thank you Luna." Hermione said. Harry just stood confused by the girl. He watched as Luna looked at Hermione.

"I believe they're going to play another slow song soon…would you mind terribly if asked Harry to dance with me…I've never danced with a boy before." Luna asked Hermione with wide-eyes before she turned to Professor Flitwick, "I'll leave right after that Professor if it's okay." Harry watched as Flitwick looked to protest, but the diminutive man gave a sigh and then a smile before lifting a small finger to single one dance. Luna smiled and clapped softly as she turned to Hermione. "Is it okay then?"

"Oh…well…yes of course…," Hermione turned to Harry with a confused look, "Harry?"

Harry felt his mouth work open and close until finally he just nodded in time to hear the unmistakable sound of a ballad coming from the stage. Luna took his hand and led him past a giggling Hermione. He saw the serene smile on the girls face as they swayed softly. As he looked around he noticed Ginny smiling at him as she mouthed a 'thank you' from where she stood next to Hermione. He gave her a slight nod in return.

"Ginny always made sure people didn't make fun of me when we were little," Luna's voice startle Harry, "Especially Ronald…he was nice when we were very young, but the older we got the more he stopped being nice." She smiled. "After my mother died, he was nice again for a while, but then he came here and met you and Hermione." She looked at Harry; he was just about to give his condolences on her mother when she spoke again. "Did you know Ginny once made him dress in a nice big hat for tea?...George and Fred teased him mercilessly afterwards. He looked very pretty with it on though." Harry had to fight the laughter down. "Yes,…oh congratulations on everything Harry." The girl said as she moved away from him and skipped over to Ginny and Hermione. She gave the two girls hugs, and then a blushing Neville. She then disappeared into the mass of people by the entrance.

He approached Hermione and simply shook his head.

"She's…interesting." He said.

"She's Luna." Ginny said smiling as she dragged Neville over to the other Gryffindors.

"Let's go for a walk Harry." Hermione said. "I don't think I can dance anymore right now."

"Okay." Harry said glad she voiced his thoughts.

They made their way out onto the walkway to the grounds. As they walked Harry noticed the temperature and slipped his robe off and wrapped it around her shoulders. She smiled appreciatively to him and slipped her hand in his. When they rounded the walkway around a set of bushes he heard a commotion. A long string of French was let loose and then the sound of a slap.

"Cochon!" Fleur's voice became clear as she approached them disheveled and clearly angry. "Ah…eet ees nice to see zat some Englishmen know 'ow to treat a laydee. 'E ees only fourteen and yet more a gentlemen zen you!" She hissed to the bush she had emerged from. She then turned to them. "I 'ope zat you enjoy your stroll more zen I deed." She quickly walked towards where the carriages of Beauxbatons were located.

Harry and Hermione slowly made their way past a still prone Roger Davies, who had a distinct red mark on his face and eyes just beginning to un-glaze. They continued to walk their path until they saw an angry Madame Maxine furiously walking away from a slump-shouldered Hagrid. They had begun to make their way towards him when Snape rounded the corner.

"Potter…Granger." The man drawled. "Be sure to mind the curfew…and don't let me catch you in one of the Ministry carriages…I have grown tired of pulling hormonal teenagers out of them." He then strode quickly away from them as Karkaroff came quickly around the corner and pushed past them to follow the potions master.

"This is an odd night." Hermione said. Harry nodded to her.

"Yeah, the stroll might not have been the best idea...," Harry smiled. "How about we go for one more dance? Then we call it a night?"

"Sounds lovely…besides it is almost curfew." Hermione replied, "And we are not missing any sleep Potter, we are set to be on the express by nine tomorrow morning…you did pack already didn't you?" She quickly asked him with a stern look.

"Yes, of course." He smiled. "Not much to pack for two weeks."

They stayed quiet as they made their way back into the hall and onto the dance floor. There weren't many people in the hall at that point. The only Gryffindor's were the Twins, their dates and Katie. Harry looked to Hermione and moved to take her by the waist as the lead singer announced the last song. A slow melody began from the piano, then a voice, and then a violin sounded. Harry could hear the music distantly as all of a sudden it felt as if the air was being sucked from the room. Hermione had moved her arms to wrap around his neck and she smiled. Her eyes left no room for discussion. In that moment he could not, was not allowed to look anywhere else. There was a warmth above his stomach, but below his heart that radiated outwards. It had been there before. This was different though, it wasn't weighing him down…in fact it felt like it actually started to pulse slightly. It was almost like when he did a spell now-a-days. Hermione broke eye-contact with him as she laid her head onto his chest.

They swayed slightly and he felt the pulse extend to his upper arms and legs as he wrapped his arms tighter. He looked up and noticed Dumbledore with a smile on his face as he watched them. The headmaster raised his glass to salute Harry and sent a wink as he turned to speak with someone from the Ministry. Harry slowly turned them in the dance and heard Hermione sigh with content. As his own smile wound its way on his face he saw McGonagall. The woman looked to be near tears with a smile on her face. When she caught eyes with him she gave a brief smile then pulled a napkin to dab at her eyes. The song ended.

Hermione quietly pulled him past the Twins. Then they passed Viktor and Katie as the Bulgarian gave a chaste peck on the cheek to a blushing Katie. In the entranceway were couples that were in the midst of heated snogs. As they passed into the stairwell Harry heard his name called. He turned to find Cedric. He guessed the older boy must have noticed that Harry was in quite a daze. Cedric quickly told Harry to take his egg with him to bath to 'mull things over' and gave Harry the password to the prefects bath. The older Hufflepuff then made his way over to Cho and sent a wink back to Harry and Hermione. The stairs were filled with more couples. At the top in front of portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione put a hand on Harry's chest.

"Thank you," she started with a smile, "despite the…odd occurrences…this has been more than I could have ever asked for…for a first date." The last bit was whispered and suddenly Harry's eyes were drawn back to hers.

"Hermione…" Harry started, "I…I…I want to kiss you." He wasn't sure what had made him say it. Though by the blush that took over her face and the smile that broached her lips he was glad he had said it. "I'm going kiss you now."

Harry pulled slightly on her hips. Then he could smell the aroma of peppermint. One of his hands left her hip and moved to the back of her neck. He felt her breath mingling with his own and his 'warmth' shot to new levels. He felt the barest touch of her lips before a sigh overtook her. Then she was kissing him. Or he was kissing her. It took a moment to set their motion right. They bumped noses when he tried to move to one side. His glasses were cumbersome. But in that moment Harry felt the 'pulse' light up. Then he felt a gasp from Hermione and all thoughts of the 'pulse' faded as she tentatively traced his upper lip with her 'glorious' tongue and…

"L'amour!…L'amour!...Ah! Leve toi soleil!" The Fat Lady began to sing loudly. Harry felt Hermione as she started to laugh, and he could not control himself either. "Well…I never! See if I try to set the mood for couples anymore. Go on in and leave me be." The woman in the portrait said before the portrait door swung open.

As they stepped into the common room they saw the tell-tale signs of a Weasley family disagreement. Ron was in a corner nursing what looked to be a particularly nasty spell-rash and Ginny was in the other corner next to Neville with a smirk on her face. Before Hermione could step in Harry pulled her over to the stairs that led to the girls dormitory.

"Remember bright and early on the train at nine." He said, "And thank you for a brilliant first date as well." He said before he leant forward and kissed the meeting place of cheek and lip. "Sleep well Hermione." He watched as she walked in a daze up the stairs. He moved up to his dorm and quickly settled in for the remainder of the night. As he rested his head atop his pillow his thoughts started to swim towards sleep, but one thought he didn't have was that next day he would be meeting Hermione's parents. Hermione's Parents. The girl with whom he had just had his first snog with parent.

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In his office at the exact moment Harry had felt the pulse flare, Dumbledore had watched as a row of bauble's, instruments, and doo-dads quickened in their pace and puffing of smoke. All except for one. That one had stopped working a few weeks prior. The old man smiled and popped a lemon sherbet into mouth. Fawkes let out a happy trill. His eyes watered at the hope a sign like this brought.

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In the Next chapter we will see the train ride to King's Cross, a surprisingly development, meeting the Grangers, presents, and Indian food.

10/15/2012: Slight edits made. Will be coming back through with a fine-toothed combe later.

**I know what you're thinking and no there will not be a soul bond to this story. It is something different.

*=Prase is Bulgarian for pig

From the author: Once again thanks to you all who have enjoyed and expressed yourselves by adding this story to your alerts or favorites. To my reviewers…you guys are awesome…I'm at a loss to come up with a better word. I looked at my story stats and I had to pull up a map to remind myself where some of you guys are reading from (Guernsey for example). How was the ball?

~A Vagrant Boy~