Chapter Nine: The Yule Ball
Despite the very heavy load of homework that the fourth years had been given for the holidays. Harry was in no mood to work when term ended, and spent the week leading up to Christmas enjoying himself much as possible
Gryffindor Tower was as crowded now as it was during term-time; it seemed to be perpetually crowded, as its housemates were being so much rowdier than usual. Fred and George had a great success with their Canary Creams, and for the first few of days of the holidays, people kept bursting into feather all over the place. Before long, however, all the Gryffindors had learned to treat food anybody else offered them with caution, in case it had a Canary Cream concealed in the center, and George confided to Harry that he and Fred were now working on something else.
Harry made a mental note never to accept anything edible from Fred and George. He still could still remeber Dudley and the Ton-Tongue Toffee. Snow was falling thickly upon the castle and its grounds. Covering the pale blue Beauxbatons carriage standing next to Hagrid's cabin, while the Durmstrang ship's portholes were glazed with ice, the rigging white with frost. And the Salem Flying boat was covered with a thin sheet of ice.
The house-elves down in the kitchen were cooking rich, warming stews and savory puddings, and only Fleur Delacour seemed to find anything to complain about. "It is too 'eavy, all zis 'Ogwarts food," they heard her saying grumpily as they left the Great Hall behind her one evening Ron skulking behind Harry, keen not to be spotted by Fleur.
"I will not fit into my dress robes!"
"Oooh there's a tragedy," Hermione snapped as Fleur went out into the entrance hall.
"She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?"
"Hermione - who are you going to the ball with?" said Ron.
He kept springing this question on her, hoping to startle her into a response by asking it when she least expected it. However, Hermione merely frowned and said,
"I'm not telling you, you'll just make fun of me."
"You're joking, Weasley!" said Malfoy, behind them.
"You're not telling me someone's asked that to the ball? Not this Mudblood?"
Harry and Ron both whipped around, but Hermione said loudly, waving to somebody over Malfoys shoulder,
"Hello, Jonny" Malfoy went pale and and stepped backward, looking wildly around for Jonny,
"A bit twitchy today aren't we" Hermione said with a smile.
Malfoy started to move away as he saw Jonny coming down the hall…
"Evening Harry, Ron, Hermione" I was just passing by on my way back and… Jessie tells me she wants to meet you and Ginny this weekend for a trip to Hogsmeade…
Hermione did her best to hide her smile and how he flashed scarlet at his smile… How could Jonny and Draco Malfoy come from the same family tree she wondered she almost did a double take on the both of them they looked close enough to be brothers but still they where as different as night and day.
Ron for the first time saw the differences, it was the first time he got a real close look at them side by side.
"Malfoy, good evening…" Jonny turned to Draco and acknowledging he was there
Draco just nodded and said nothing. He had told his father about him, he recived a letter a day later in it he was told about Jonny's Mother the daughter of his disgraced sister Lilith Malfoy, he had never known he had a aunt who was a blood traitor.
Lucius Malfoy wanted to see him for himself he had seen him in pictures at the daily prophet. Blood traitor or not he was had heard of him fighting off a dragon all by himself a feat unheard off… He wondered how powerful this young wizard was. He could be an asset to Dark Lord Voldemort.
The next weekend as the ladies began to prepare for the ball, Ginny Hermione and Jessie where headed off Hogwarts.
"So… Jessie who's taking you to the yule ball?" Hermione asked
"Ummm… Harry…" She said evenly
Ginny gasped… Harry was taking out Jessie Bannon, she was very surprised, she felt a bit depressed all of a sudden and began to wonder what harry saw in Jessie. Maybe that she was almost as tall as he was had similar green eyes and red hair like hers, she knew she carried herself with confidence maybe that's what he saw.
"And you?" Jessie asked to no one in particular…
Hermione smiled… "Jonny" she said
Ginny began to wonder about that, she hadn't figured Hermione wanting to go to the Yule ball. While Jessie was pleasantly surprised on Jonny's choice, He must see something in Hermione to ask her out she was half expecting him to ask her…
"So Ginny who's your date?"
"Uhm… Neviile"
Neville Longbottom he was nice and always stood beside them, Hermione wondered what Ron would think about that. Jessie didn't know Longbottom but she often saw him around them and figured he was a nice guy.
So that was why he had the stupid look on his face when he left the library, they neared gladrags and saw the Patil sisters leave the front door, they waved and greeted each other as they walked off to what seemed to be the three broomsticks.
Inside they started looking through the catalog books, each moving picture had a small tag with a name of a student from Hogwarts. Going through clothes at Gladrag's looking for the perfect yule ball dress…
The girls poured over the books trying to find the right one, it proved harder than they though a lot of them where taken by other students.
Ginny was sort of decided on a white floral dress, Jessie was sort of decided on a green low cut dress but wondered if it was too much, Hermione was on the horns of a dilemma, there it was down to two dresses that caught her eye in blue or pink she loved blue for a very long time, but the pink one was quite pretty and different. The material seemed to flow and looked quite light.
Harry woke up… He realized it was Christmas morning all across his dorm room presents where opened Dobbys socks, with his old, and Ron with his new Chuddley cannons hat that clashed badly with his hair.
Harry's other presents were much more satisfactory than Dobby's odd socks – with the obvious exception of the Dursleys', which was a single tissue, a new all time low, Harry supposed they too were remembering the Ton-Tongue Toffee. Hermione gave Harry a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland, Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs; Sirius, a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot; and Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all Harrys favorites: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees. There was also, of course, 's usual package, including a new green sweater with a picture of a dragon on it - Harry supposed Charlie had told her all about the Horntail and a large quantity of homemade mince pies.
Snapes had woken up in his chambers he struggled to gasp what he had heard last night about Rachel's son, he had noticed a flask labeled Rachel on the table, there was a slim chance it was Rachel's but he was too distracted to ask. Parts of the puzzle finally clicked last night, he began to understand why Jonny reacted so badly when Malfoy insulted Granger… Lilly and Rachel never heard the last of being teased by the purebloods. If there was anything he could gleam from the boy he had a darker side than he's letting on. Behind that smile of his lurked something dark, he recognized in and knew it was there.
During breakfast the three ran into Jonny, Jessie and Hadji at their usual spot on the long table there was a small pile of gifts for them, it came from all three, Jonny gave Harry a silver spy's pen set with ink that glowed green and or depending on the charm disappeared and reappeared, for Hermione they pitched in to get her a guide to the Americas a book for traveling witches and wizards a unique first edition a bit pricey the trio thought but well worth it. And for Ron the sport fanatic a complete deck of American Quidditch players and a former shirt of Maximus Brankovich III a the seeker of the Fitchberg Finches also the captain of the American team, a very well known Quidditch team.
The shirt was Jessies idea who with some effort from Jonny was able to get it owled in when they found it on the Wiz-net. Ron hugged her cousin finding out how hard it was to get the shirt, the three was able to get the Weasley boys a selected choice of imported wizarding pranks and jokes from Guiles and Savy a very well known joke shop from back home. Inside a box of reusable portable holes perfect for traps, hang-em high trick ropes used to hoist the victim up side down, stick-on decoy concussion mines certain to blow unsuspecting victims five feet into the sky, a bottle of caramel chickens, a caramel substance that transfigured the victim into a huge chicken complete with feathers, beak and comb, then two six packs of Detonite Exploding-Repairing clay which was a clay like substance when stuck somewhere and primed destroyed what ever you stuck to it, then gets repaired at the touch from the detonator perfect for hiding things and creating general mayhem, also a pack of Grandma Betsie's Firestorm Specials, high end fireworks guranteed to make your own 4th of July celebration. As for Ginny, Jessie gave her something a bit personal, it was a box wrapped tightly. Jessie winked at her and told her they would open it later tonight before the ball she just nodded with a smile on her face.
Lunch time feast was served with hundreds of Christmas chicken and beef roasts and mash, savory stews and all other Christmas time delights and Christmas spotted dick. The rest of the students milled about playing games and writing letters to their families, Jonny Quest had taken out his hover board to the quidditch pitch and snow boarded on the freshly fallen powder, it didn't take long for his classmates to get a clue and soon where tossing around an oval shapped muggle football from hover boards, much to chagrin of Hogwarts students.
The Afternoon of the Yule ball came, most of the boys from Hogwarts and Salem where engaged in snowball fights in the court yard, Snape watched quietly from one of the hallways across the stone courtyard he watched them, he could pick out Jonny Quest he did look like Rachel fleeting times when he looked like his dear friend, he was throwing an enchanted snow ball against Harry Potter, how the two bonded reminded him much about Rachel and Lilly, Rachel had always been the faster snowball thrower but Lilly was always extremely accurate, and Severus got the worst of it but he didn't mind those where possibly the best time in his life.
Then out from behind him he saw a figure with red hair walk past him, he could have mistook her for Lilly but it was Jessie Banon. The familiar red hair and deep green eyes that stared straight at him, it was sort of impossible that she wasn't related to the Evans family.
"Professor?" She asked him…
"Yes he said distractedly"
"Um, I'm here to return the book you lent me during the potions lessons" She said
Jessie Bannon never told anyone of the book Severus Snapes lent her, it was back when Jonny and Harry was ordered to leave and Snapes had told her under his breath to remain after class which she did as the last student left the class he came to her and lent her a rare book for her to read it was easy ways to hard potions by H.R. Musker it was an out of print hard to find NEWT level book it , and he told her he had never met another potioneer with such talent but made her promise NOT to tell anyone he put a finality to it.
She had never told Ginny and Hermione about the book, it was hard for her to understand why he did it, she had seen put Hermione down in class much to the dismay of Professor Monroe. It taken her a few weeks to read the potions book it was a first edition with a number of which where printed, only five hundred copies where made and this was the 117th made, why Snapes lent her the book she didn't understand.
She offered the book back but was met by an open hand he held his hand up and His voice much lower and quieter than she has ever heard,
"Miss Bannon you misunderstand, it's yours… For the sake of International Magical Cooperation" he said is last seven words sounded a bit mechanical.
"Actually… Thank you I couldn't possibly accept it"
"Well you must, I don't own that book either a friend left it to me… She was as talented as you are" he said in a dull mono tone punctuated with a grim smile in the end.
"Thank you was all Jessie had to say" She said as he thanked him and walked off..
Snapes felt him run through a gallery of emotions, he had lent her the book with the intention of taking it back but now seeing it in her hands he felt he didn't deserve it, the book had belonged to Lily and Rachel they had put their money together to buy it, and sometimes lent it to him, when Lilly had since left it with Rachel and she left it to him before leaving for the Americas then promising to come back sometime to get it, then she never came back. He didn't need to hold on to it… It was for a friend after he failed them both he never could look at it the same way, the book was a reminded of his failure. He didn't want to see it anymore.
Walking back into the darkness, he had to find away to redeem himself, he failed twice he was not going to fail again, never again he swore.
Jessie, Ginny and Hermione gathered in the girls dormitory all their dress robes arrived that morning, Hermione got her mousy brown hair ready with the help of Jessie and Ginny as she sat in front of the mirror watching them use a-lot of sleekeazy's hair tonic on hers, Jessie had long accepted Hermione was going out with Jonny, and Ginny did her best to hide the fact she felt a pang of jealousy since her date was Harry…
It was Ginny's turn, she sat on the dresser while Hermione and Jessie got her hair ready, her red hair wasn't to much trouble admittedly not as much trouble as Hermione's then it was Jessie's turn she in the end decided to leave her hair tied back and long, something simple.
Ron was looking at himself with pure disdain, in front of a mirror. paniced and uncomfortable in his ridiculous dress robes.
"Bloody hell"
Harry walks in, he had just gotten his new dress robes delivered from Gladrags just today it was black with a white tie fairly conventional and modern as compared to Rons older and practically antique robes.
"What are those??" Ron asked
"My dress robes." Harry explained
"Well they're alright. No lace, no dodgy little collar." Ron explains as he panic swept his voice
"Well I expect yours are more traditional."
"Traditional?? They're ancient! I look like my great aunt Tessie."
He sniffs at his clothes and smells the scent of old roses and something sickly sweet. "I smell like my great aunt Tessie. Murder me Harry"
The great hall was bright and specially prepared with enchanted icicles hanging from the ceiling Christmas trees on the side rows with tables set on one side and the rest of the great hall was sparkling a large stage was set where the staff table was placed.
Harry and Ron are walking down the stairs into the hall. Ron is fidgeting with his outfit willing his dress robes to look better.
"Leave it alone." Harry said distracted trying to looking for his date
"Poor kid, bet she's alone in her room crying her eyes out." Ron said quietly
"Who?" Harry asked quietly
"Hermione of course. Come on Harry, why'd you think she wouldn't tell us who she's coming with?" Ron said his eyebrows up
"Because we'd take the mickey out of her if she did."
"Because nobody asked her. I would have taken her myself if she weren't so bleeding proud." He said haughtlilly
A group of Slytherins came up the steps from their dungeon common room. Malfoy was in front; he was wearing dress robes of black velvet with a high collar, which in Harry's opinion made him look like a vicar. Pansy Parkinson in very frilly robes of pale pink was clutching Malfoy's arm. Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing green; they resembled moss-colored boulders, and neither of them, Harry was pleased to see, had managed to find a partner.
At the base of the stairs the Patil Sisters where already there… Padma and Paravati was arm in arm with Hadji and Jonny stood at a short distance away.
With a look of disdain Rons date looked at him and gave a half-hearted comment on his dress robes as dashing. Jonny felt almost as uncomfortable as Ron in his dressrobes except it was more conventional not as conventional as Harry's tho, his cloak was the traditional black but underneath he wore similar suit to Harry's except it was white and he had a black tie on.
Harry got a good look at Cho arm in arm with Cedric and felt a pain of jealousy, distracted he heard Hadji's date Paravati say
Flurtivly she looked down from the stairs, she was a bit uncertain if her date was already there, Jonny saw her face and did a double take, he squared his shoulders and started to her.
"Wow she's Beautiful" Paravati said aloud
"She does" Not realizing Paravati was talking about Hermione Granger.
It was she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair was visibly much different sleeker in an elaborate twist; it
was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. Hermione looked stunning, in a long floating enchanted pinkish magenta gown that slowly turned to blue then back to pink and she was holding herself differently, somehow - or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling - rather nervously,
Harry smiled to himself as Jonny passed by him and tapped him on the shoulder and looked at him with a smile on his face. "Is it Ok?" he asked, Harry just nodded and Jonny took her hand and kissed it…
With a smile on his face he looked at her she was absolutely beautiful, her eyes twinkled in the night he got lost in those brown eyes, his head was swimming in her scent.
"I always wanted to do that since I saw it in an old movie" He smirked
Hermione blushed red going down to her ears, she averted his gaze, those blue eyes of his really was something. She smiled and waved at Harry, Haji and Paravati.
Before Harry could think of why he asked if it was ok the opposite side someone appeared, she had red hair, and those green eyes twinkling in the night, Harry's couldn't breathe for a second, then she grudgingly took one step down, she was beautiful Harry thought, she wore a deep green low cut dress with matching green opera gloves, her red hair French twisted behind her head was an amazing contrast, she had a winsome smile on her face, she carried herself with confidence. He took a step to her, and with a smile he took her hand, he was blushing red from his ears to his face to his back. Jessie Bannon was stunning.
Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!" Parvati readjusted her bangles, beaming; she and Harry said, "See you in a minute" to Ron and Padma and walked forward, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim other hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric and Cho were close to Harry too; he looked away from them so he wouldn't have to talk to them.
The Champions took their places, Cho Chang with Cedric Diggory, Victor Krum with Katie Bell, Fleur Dela Cour with Roger Davies and Jonny Quest with Hermione Granger and bringing up the back Harry Potter and Jessie Bannon, they started to proccede inside
They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up
toward a large the large dance floor at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.
The first dance began, Harry wasn't sure what he was doing he hoped that lessons McGonagal gave would work out, Surprisingly he did well… Under her breath and confident smile Jessie Bannon guided him, her smile was quite infectious and her smile and her eyes guided him, it was as though he could do no wrong.
Jonny had the time of his life a pretty girl in his arms and everything seemed perfect, he watched as others started to join in, Ron's younger sister Ginny and Neville Longbottom started on the dance floor, he had to admit there was something as well strange about Ginny Weasley, he often saw her at the Quidditch pitch practicing alone around 4am, he would make his way there at odd days and see her practicing it occurred to ho him there was something more to her than meets the eye he thought.
Dinner was ready as announced by a loud bugle call coming from nowhere all the champions gathered in their own round table along with the other staff members of the four other schools.
There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Harry picked his up uncertainly and looked around there were no waiters. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!" And pork chops appeared. Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too. Harry glanced up at Hermione to see how she felt about this
new and more complicated method of dining - surely it meant plenty of extra work for the house-elves? - but for once, Hermione didn't seem to be thinking about S.P.E.W. She was deep in talk with Jonny Quest and hardly seemed to notice what she was eating.
Meanwhile Fleur Delacour was criticizing the Hogwarts decorations to Roger Davies. "Zis is nothing," she said dismissively, looking around at the sparkling walls of the Great Hall. "At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we 'ave ice sculptures all around ze dining chamber at Chreestmas. Zey do not melt, of course . . . zey are like 'uge
statues of diamond, glittering around ze place. And ze food is seemply superb. And we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs, 'oo serenade us as we eat. We 'ave none of zis ugly armor in ze 'alls, and eef a poltergeist ever entaired into Beauxbatons, 'e
would be expelled like zat." She slapped her hand onto the table impatiently. Roger Davies was watching her talk with a very dazed look on his face, and he kept missing his mouth with his fork. Harry had the impression that Davies was
too busy staring at Fleur to take in a word she was saying. "Absolutely right," he said quickly, slapping his own hand down on the table in imitation of Fleur. "Like that. Yeah."
When all the food had been consumed, a curtain of smoke began to drift from the far wall where normaly the the house heads would have their seats, Professor Flitwick appeared. "For the fist time in Hogwarts, The band that needs no introduction!" He yelled many got up from their seats and rushed the dancefloor.
The band started to play a fast song… Do the Hippogriff… Jessie dragged Harry to the dancefloor and goaded him on, he followed with a smile, not knowing what to do… Hemione and Jonny went straight in as well, Hadji and Paravati had the time of her life, Padma looked at her sister and sighed, he asked Ron if he was going to ask her to dance, Ron forlon looking at Hermione frowned and said no… Much to her chagrin, Hadji came up and took Padma's hand and moved to the dance floor with the sisters, Jonny smiled to himself as he saw his adoptive brother with the sisters, he had never seen Hadji this happy. As the song ended both winded they walked back to the tables.
Jonny kissed Hermione's hand to get her some drinks from the bar, he approached the bar and through his mind he went through his choices, butter beer?... Not with that dress he thought, pumpkin juice definitely not he thought, when he got to the bar, then he saw his choices finally, aha!... He thought, sparkling sweet carbonated golden apple cider, it was a drink quite popular back home. It was in comparison similar to butterbeer, it had weak alcohol giving the drinker a warm feeling but it was more often than not served cold on ice NEVER with ice, ice would kikll the delicate flavor, it had the appearance of champaigne but didn't taste like it.
Picking up a bottle, he read through it… Definitely he thought it was bottle from Boston apples and the makers name was familiar. He took two flutes and tucked it in his wide back pockets and took the bottle.
"Mr Quest I presume?" A voice addressed him, it was smooth with an icy edge he turned to see the person it belonged to.
"Lucius Malfoy" He said holding out his hand
"Jonny Quest" he said curtly
"I finally meet the man my son was talking about, have you met your Grandfather? Pollux Malfoy? Or his Brother Abraxas Malfoy who was my Father" He said
Jonny nodded a no being polite. Letting him do all the talking.
Unknown to them a pair of dark eyes watched them, he started to see the similarities of him and the Malfoy's he didn't know how this was going to turn out, in his class he could almost feel a darkness in him, he had lied about not seeing what happened in his classroom, he had planned to interfere but thing had gotten a head of him, as far as he could tell the boy was in his opinion cunning and resourceful but he had a bravery streak in him, it showed up while he defended the Granger girl, but there was something more he could feel he sensed a pain in him, the look on his face when she called her a "Mudblood" almost mirrored his own.
"I suppose you have a need to know about your family?"
"Of course" He said with a smile on his face"
"Pity... If you met my Father I'm sure you could have learned a lot"
"What kind of things?" Jonny asked with his curiosity peeking
"Your family, your roots, certain things they don't teach you at your or any other school…"
"What kind of things?"
"The right kind of friends for example, or people that can help you get ahead"
"I'm rightly enough ahead and I sir am happy with my choices as friends, My Father taught me well…"
"Ah yes… The squib" He said absently his face sneering a bit
"Back home sir we call them latents, And I am proud of my Father and his gifts"
Jonny did his best to hide a scowl, he had to be polite these where times when he wished he didn't always wear his heart on his sleave. "Good evening,"
"That went well" Severus thought sarcastically as he watched him storm off, He was sure Karkarov was looking for him, he headed to the courtyard to find trysting students. He was sure Dumbledore would need to know that the Quest boy spoke to his other Family.
Jonny walked away from the bar slightly miffed running into Lucius Malfoy and what he considered bad advice, he hoped to find Hermione to tell her about their little encounter. He saw her sitting on the stairs crying one shoe removed…
"Hermione? Something wrong?" He asked as he kneeled down to her
She sniffed hard and stood up, wiping her eyes, Jonny was fast and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed her eyes… Seeing her in tears made him loose some steam, he didn't like to see her sad, "lets have a walk… Clear both are heads" He said.
"What do you mean?" she said
"I'll tell you… Lets take a walk"
Harry Potter and Jessie Bannon left the party through side doors and into of the court yards nearby, they spoke about school life in general, Harry felt a kind of pressure to do something, Then something caught their eyes Karkarov and Snape something about fear and their arm they where and rolled up sleeves.
"What the heck?" Jessie said as they both ducked down away from view, Harry wished he had his invisibility cloak just about them.
"Somethings up" Jessie said
"You think something is dodgy?" Harry asked
Jessie smiled, her smile was enigmatic, could it be that these students where letting on more than they knew, Harry didn't know what to make of this, there was something about her and her friends he knew…
"What do you think?"
"I don't know harry but when two people look as frantic as that something must be up, She said cautiously"
The two moved off into the darkness of the hall, suddenly a figure slowly emerged from the darkness as far as they can tell it had a hat on… Karkarov…
Suddenly Jessie grabbed him his smooth gloved hands took his and she leaned against the wall and pulled him towards her, he slipped towards her and gaved him a closed mouthed very theatrical kiss and not apparently returning the favor his eyes the size of dinner plates. Karkarov turned and smiled to himself not wanting to bother, in the darkness he couldn't tell who it was and it wasn't his students and he moved off… Jessie pushed him away slowly and turned to his direction and watched as he went down the corridor.
"I think he's gone" Jessie said
"I think he is…" Walking down the other side of the hall stomped mad eye moody beaming him a look he looked at them furtively and went off another direction.
Unknowing to the two, another pair of eyes saw them tuck into that corner, Severus Snape saw them his old wounds where ripped open seeing them together, it was as though no time had passed. Lilly and James he thought but that was impossible, she was as much related to the Lily as he was related to the Quest boy. And yet that image of the two kissing in a darkened hallway. He had seen them tuck into the corner haphazardly when Kakarov, could they have been watching them argue, he didn't know. He turned and walked back into the darkness.
"Sorry about that…" She apologized
"Um… Uh…. Yeah…" He said dumbfounded
It all added up she thought, Jonny Jessie and Hadji had accidentally overheard Stewart and Monroe about Karkarov and something about dark marks and the Quidditch world cup, another name they barely heard was Harry Potter and who-must-not-be-named they heard about this after the selection of champions.
"I've got a bad feeling about Karkarov" Harry said
"Strange so do I" Jessie said
"What do you mean?"
"Well its just that… We heard something about Karkarov and Deatheaters, the day after the selection of champions"
"What?" Harry asked
"We overheard our professor talking about additional security for us and about something called a Guardian"
"Whats a Guardian?"
"I don't know Harry" Jessie's green eyes sparkled
Harry didn't tell her about Sirius he warned him about Karkarov the former deatheater it seemed that even Professor Stewart knew about the dodgy history of Karkarov and was setting up better security for his charges, he began to ask himself about this guardian who or what was it?
The two started to walk, he took of his cloak and draped it on her shoulders it was getting cold, his suit was warm enough and he hoped his long cloak was warm enough for her…
"Cold?" He asked she nodded looking straight into her eyes,
They found themselves in one of the courtyards, they stopped by one of the stone courtyards there where low walls perfect to use as a make shift table, he pulled out the two glasses and laid them out then showed her the bottle, he popped the cork and set it a side.
"Jonny, I'd like to tell you something?"
"What is it?" Jonny asked as he looked into her eyes.
Hermione hesitated not wanting to ask the question…
"What is it?" He asked
"I saw you and Hadji at the lakeshore a few days ago…"
"Oh that… It was something I could do since I was young" Jonny reached out his hand and concentrated, Hermione almost gasped as the bottle started to float and seemed to match some of the movement of his hand, she had noticed he wasn't using a wand, gently the bottle filled one glass and the other and settled itself quietly on the side…
Hermione started to reach out her hand… Jonny turned his hand with his palm facing up and lifted it and the glass followed every move and pushed it towards her she took it mid-air almost not realizing what he did.
"How did you do that?" She asked again…
"It took years for Hadji to learn that same thing but for some strange reason all I do is just concentrate and sort of feel it and it happens, I don't use it much, The professor once told me My Mother could do the same… But…" He let his voice trail off not wanting to talk about it. He looked thoughtfull and a bit cross all of a sudden.
"I had a little visitor… Family…
"Oh…" She said understanding… He finally met the Malfoys.
"They sort of told me to beware of the company I keep…"
"What company?" Hermione knew it was a sort of bad idea to ask…
"Their usual garbage about muggleborns and bloodtraitors"
Hermione' face dropped she knew what that meant, Lucius Malfoy was trying something, he knew by now of the lost Malfoy and maybe heard how powerful, his handling of the dragon was good enough for front page material
"So… I told them to stick it, no one, no one touches my friends" Jonny said in a unusually sedate tone, he looked into her eyes…
"I've always found it hard to believe you came from the same family tree",
"I guess I have to thank my mother for that…" He said
"What do you mean", Jessie asked
"Well Professor Stewart told me about her, she always stood by her friends, you want to see her?"
Hermione shrugged as Jonny started to pat down himself finding his wallet in his pocket, he pulled it out and inside Hermione saw, was a moving picture, he handed it to her and looked at it.
It was an old moving photograph, she wore muggle clothes, with a man and thin beard, he carried a young blond haired child that could only be Jonny, he looked maybe five or six years on her they where smiling, the woman had blond hair and smiling…
"That's my Mom this was taken a very long time ago…" Jonny let his voice drop down to a whisper.
Hermione knew the little boy was him, she knew she was walking into rather dangerous territory and yet she prodded on…
"How did she?" Hermione stopped herself…
"Car accident, Haloween night I was one…" He said
Hermione gasped there was something strange about this in her head warning lights flashed as her mind struggled to put together details, it around the same date as the death Harry's parents the same night he got the scar.
She stared into her eyes and she stared into his, his hand stroked the curve of her face then he could hear the strains of the song Magic Works it was the last dance, his hand stroked her back and her cheek landed on his chest and took her hand they swayed to the barely heard song and That's when… He kissed her…
From where Jonny and Hermione stood into the cold night air his blue eyes over her soft brown ones where as close together as being one, she felt the tears in his cheeks, he knew he was in such a state. For all his outward appearances being brave and tough in him beat a heart of regret, and as far as she can tell the Malfoy's harsh words about his mother cut a knife in him. And when the song ended he walked her back to the portrait hole Jonny was chest was crestfallen and he helped her inside and kissed her hand.
Hermione made her way of into the girls bed chambers, Ginny had been changing into her pajamas and Hermione started to get into hers…
"How did it go?"
"Well… Jonny was… Um… Interesting" It was the most she could say…
"If you say so…"
"He told me something… I don't know if I should tell Harry, it could be nothing a coincidence…"
"What is it? Ginny said her eyebrows furled…"
Harry Potter and Jessie Bannon arm in arm arguably it was Jessie's arm holding Harry's as they walked back to the Flying Boat the strange part was, Jessie started to tell him about Snape and how different he was to him even as far as telling him about the first edition book, this happened when they spotted him talking about Karkarov and how strangely he was carrying on,
The door to the flying boat was open and students started to trickle in… "Thank you for the interesting date, Jessie said as she batted her eyes and kissed him tenderly on the cheek, the place where she kissed smoldered, he picked up her right hand and kissed it with turned comedically his right foot leading and started walking with a spring in his step…
Jessie smiled to herself and stepped inside, she caught a glance of Jonny entering his room, she just decided to get to bed she had to think about what she saw with snape and Karkarov Professor Stewart would be interested he was sure. Maybe he could shed some light into this.
-End Chapter-
(Outline: Mixed potions class, before skeeter interview, distribution of potter stinks badges, Mixed potions with Slytherins first altercation with Jonny and Malfoy after He calls "Hermione" A mud blood… a racist term he learned early in his youth. Then draco insults Jonny and Jessie their colonial cousins since a lot of them aren't pureblood Jonny moves forward Draco pulls his wand, gets deflected and gets clocked on the by an uppercut in the Jaw and is out cold "Not worth using magic on" Effect Hermione gets taken by Jonny Snapes get fist close up view of Jessie Disarming scene [seque to] Potions class regarding antidotes to poisons Hermione gets stiff competition from Jessie [snapes finally sees Hermione has met her match and wastes no time in pointing it out at the same time fighting back his emotions cause damn it she reminds him of lilly but her brilliance in potions almost equaled his own at her age])
Charles Stewart the only son British American Father and a British Mother both wizards born 1918 graduated from Hogwarts class of 1935 hailing from house Ravenclaw, returned to the United States and entered Salem Institute of Gifted Students as a student for advanced studies in dark arts defense, joined the muggle OSS and given a special commission, in early 1941 holding the rank Lieutenant and later obtaining the rank of Captain with special privileges at about 1944 a member of special section, known as Eagle Branch known to have fought world war two with a Thompson Submachine gun in one hand and a wand on the other, served as special escort and scout with is team a platoon, "Stewart's Marauders" composed of 28 special individuals skilled in hand to hand and armed combat ASW, "Advanced Special Warfare" (dark arts defense). Most important operation was spearhead group to escort Albus Percival Dumbledore in final confrontation with Dark Wizard Grindenwald in Castle Wolfstone upper Bavaria.
Post 1945 Now Major Stewart returned to Salem institute in Dark Arts Defense instructor and later headmaster.
Jq wand maine eastern white pine
robes:
orange with black speeding cannon ball and double 'C'
home:
Chudley
Ron's favorite team (logo: two black Cs and speeding cannonball) (PS, CS3
tend to lose quite a bit
Seeker: Galvin Gudgeon (DP)
Manager: Ragmar Dorkins (DP)
Joey Jenkins - Beater, hits a Bludger toward a Ballycastle Bats Chaser in an illustration in the book Flying With the Cannons (GF22)
won the league 21 times, the last time being in 1892 (QA7)
club motto: "We shall conquer" (pre-1972), "Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best" (after 1972)
"Through analysis of thousands of wizard's duels, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors has determined that the geometric distribution of antagonists in any magical battle is a statistically-predictable element. The Wandkata treats the wand as a total weapon, each fluid position representing a maximum kill zone, inflicting maximum damage on the maximum number of opponents, while keeping the defender clear of the statistically-traditional trajectories of return fire. By the rote mastery of this art, your spell casting efficiency will rise by no less than 120%. The difference of a 63% increased lethal proficiency makes the master of the Wandkatas an adversary not to be taken lightly."
