Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I just like messing with J.K. Rowling's characters.

Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed. I sorry it took so long to update, life happened.

Warnings: There's some language in this chapter.

Note: "Speaking" / 'Thoughts'

Last Time: Once she was gone, Harry relaxed back into his pillows and his eyes drifted shut, and allowed the potion to begin its work on his hand.

CHAPTER 10

Harry soon returned to Hogwarts, fully healed, and he set about preparing for the second task. Luckily, Viktor was more than willing to help him.

"Put your egg underwater and then open it," the older boy told Harry. "You don't want to hear the sound it makes out of water. Oh, and you might want to know that there will be a dance."

Harry looked at him and asked, "What?"

"There is a Yule Ball on Christmas night. They announced it about a week ago. Everyone thirteen and older is allowed to go. You need a date, since you're a champion."

"Great," Harry grumbled. "I need to figure out this bloody task and ask a girl to a ball."

"You should find a date quickly. Most of the pretty girls have already been asked."

"Who are you going with?" Harry inquired.

"Your friend, Blaise. More like she walked up to me and told me that I was going to take her to the ball."

Harry snorted. "That sounds like Blaise."

After he left Viktor, he went straight to his room and retrieved his golden egg. He filled the sink with water and dunked both his head and the egg. The sounds of thereal voices floated to his ears.

Come seek us where our secrets sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

An hour long you'll have to look,

To recover what we took.

Great, a riddle. But it wasn't too complex. After all, as far as Harry knew, the only creatures capable of singing underwater were merpeople, and that he would have an hour to take something of his back from them. The only body of water near Hogwarts was the Black Lake, so that was where the task must be taking place.

Now, all he had to do was figure out what they were going to take.

Harry knew that he had to find a date quickly, or he would be stuck with someone he abhorred. So on the way to breakfast the next morning, he pulled Daphne aside and asked quickly, "Willyougototheballwithme?"

Daphne smirked. "Why don't you repeat that? Slower this time."

Harry took a deep breath and asked again, "Will you go to the ball with me?"

"Well, Warrington already asked me." Harry felt his heart drop towards his shoes. "But I said no. So yes, I'll go to the Yule Ball with you." Harry's heart soared. He would be back in St. Mungo's at this rate.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Harry admitted.

Daphne let out a laugh. "I couldn't resist. It's hilarious to see all of the boys freaking out about finding a date. Weasley asked Fleur in the middle of the corridor. Talk about humiliating. Even his sister thought it was funny. By the way, Theo asked her to the ball."

"Theo, our friend Theo, asked Ginny Weasley to the Yule Ball? Are you serious? She's a blood traitor for Merlin's sake. What was he thinking?"

"A lot of people were wondering the same thing. It was completely unexpected. But she said yes, so they're going together. Weasley threw a fit."

"I'm not surprised."

Daphne leaned towards him so she could whisper in his ear. "That's actually why he asked her. Theo's hoping to convince Ginny to join our side."

"When do we make a move on her?"

"At the end of the school year. We'll be talking to Fred and George then too."

"Sounds like a plan."

While the Yule Ball fever got more intense, Harry focused on preparing for the second task. He had to figure out a way to breathe underwater for an hour.

After consulting the Hogwarts library and his parents, he figured out that the best way would be to use the Bubblehead Charm. He would just have to learn to do it well, since if it weren't strong enough, the bubble would pop while he was underwater. That wouldn't be good.

Victor didn't tell him what he had planned, but told him that it related to Transfiguration. Even though Harry was amazingly talented for a fourth year, there was no way that he would try underwater Transfiguration while competing in a life-threatening tournament.

Harry wasn't sure what Fleur had planned, but he knew that she would be at a disadvantage, since she was part Veela. After all, fire and water don't mix well. She was a competitor that he could beat easily in this task.

Although Harry wanted to devote his time to preparing for the second task, Daphne practically dragged him to Hogsmeade so that they could go shopping for dress robes for the Yule Ball. Harry was terrified. Luckily, Pansy and Blaise had forced Draco and Viktor to come as well.

"We should get your dress robes first," Daphne said, pushing him into the nearest clothing store. Harry found himself surrounded by mannequins wearing styles of dress robes that all looked the same, but Daphne said that they were different.

"I'm lucky I don't have to go through this," Viktor said with a chuckle. "We are wearing our school dress robes for the ball."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaise squealed. "Now I have to match my outfit to yours!"

"Girls are scary," Viktor whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement. But to his dismay, Daphne made him help her chose a set of dress robes for him. Finally, he was forced into a set of black dress robes, black trousers, and a white shirt, and a dark green bow tie. Once the man was done tailoring the robes to perfection, Harry found that he didn't look half-bad.

Pansy had also sweet talked Draco into a set of robes. Once they were done making all of their purchases, they headed to another clothing shop, this time to purchase the girls' dresses. The girls coordinated so that they would match their dates.

By the time they finished up in Hogsmeade, the boys were ready to drop.

After some rather entertaining dance lessons from Professor McGonagall, in which she forced Ron Weasley to put his arm around her waist, the fervor surrounding the Yule Ball picked up.

Of course, there had to be some drama.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron shouted at Ginny, "You can't go with him! He's a bloody Slytherin! And how did you end up with such nice dress robes when mine look like they came out of a moldy closet?"

"Theo paid for mine, you dimwit! And mum and dad did the best they could with yours!" Ginny yelled back. "And it doesn't matter whether or not Theo's a Slytherin, I like him, and he likes me back!"

"Sure. His dad's a Deatheater for Merlin's sake! For all we know, he could be getting ready to kidnap you and bring you to Voldemort, just like Neville!"

"Are you joking? You're acting as if I'm some kind of idiot! Mum and dad at least pretend that they're happy for me, but you just have to barge in and act like an ass about everything!" Ginny then stormed out of the Great Hall, taking her belongings with her.

"You should probably go after her," Draco murmured in Theo's ear.

Theo nodded, and slowly stood up to follow Ginny.

"You stay away from her, you bloody Deatheater!" Ron said, pointing his wand in Theo's direction.

Theo glared at Ron and said in a low and dangerous voice, "I'm not a Deatheater, Weasley." He jerked up his sleeve to reveal the unblemished skin of his left forearm. "Now I'm going to try and undo the damage you caused, and if you try to stop me, you'll be vomiting up something worse than slugs."

Ron stood still as Theo strode out of the Great Hall in search of Ginny.

Theo didn't have to look very far. He found his date for the ball in an empty classroom on the first floor with her new dress robes clutched in her hands.

"You're going to wrinkle them if you hold onto them any tighter."

"So? That's what magic's for."

Theo managed to pry the mint green outfit out of Ginny's hands and asked, "Are you alright?"

"What do you think? My brother just humiliated me in front of everyone. You saw their faces. They think he's right. They think that you're just using me."

Theo looked down, but then looked up at Ginny's face. "He was right about one thing, though. And I need to tell you something else. But I need you to give me your word that you won't tell anyone."

Ginny took a shaky breath, but then said, "I, Ginevra Molly Weasley, swear on my life and magic to not reveal the secrets of Theodore Thaddeus Nott."

"Thank you," Theo said. He cast a privacy charm around the room, and then said, "Your brother was right. My father is a Deatheater."

"I'm not surprised."

"Bu there's something else. I'm also in service to the Dark Lord, but not as one of his men. I'm one of his six apprentices. Hopefully there will one more."

Ginny wasn't stupid. "That's why he kidnapped Neville?"

"What's more debilitating for the Light than for their future to turn against them?"

"So you are using me."

"I still care about you, Ginny. Never doubt that."

Christmas morning arrived quickly. Because of the Yule Ball, Harry had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holiday. He was awoken by the sound of stumbling out of bed, and as he got up, he promptly tripped over a small box at his feet.

Harry looked at the tag and saw that it bore Daphne's family crest. He ripped off the wrapping paper and found a small box. Inside was a silver necklace with a snitch charm on it, along with a note.

Harry -

Hopefully, we can be more than friends.

- Daphne

Harry slipped the chain around his neck and then went to the bathroom to comb his hair and brush his teeth. By that time, his roommates were awake and the girls had arrived with their own presents, and they were all ready to celebrate the holiday.

"Did you like my present?" Daphne asked as Harry joined the circle.

He nodded and showed that he had already put it on.

Everyone then went about opening his or her gifts. Harry was rather happy with his haul. He got a new broom polishing kit, several sets of robes, a hat and pair gloves that were charmed to stay warm, books, and a lot of candy. But the best present of all was from his father. The note attached to it read:

This is a two-way mirror. Simply call for me and I'll appear.

Harry did so, and sure enough, his father's face looked out at him. "I see you got it. These were Sirius'. He and James Potter used them so they could talk while they were in separate detentions. Probably why everyone thought they were so vain. Do you like it?"

"It's perfect," Harry replied.

"Good. I have to see to some business with the Dark Lord, but we can talk later."

"Sound fine. Bye, father."

"Bye, Harry."

The connection closed, and then Draco reacted. "That's bloody amazing. Two-way mirrors are hard to find, since it takes some work to charm them."

The girls left to get dressed, and the boys got ready for the day. The six of them met in the common room, and then headed to the Great Hall. On the way there, Harry asked Daphne, "Did you like my present?"

Daphne nodded and showed him the necklace with the horse charm that she had fastened around her neck. "I like it a lot."

Harry couldn't help but grin. "Great."

Unlike most holidays, the Great Hall was crowded, as almost everyone had stayed for the Yule Ball. Even some of the first and second years were there, because although no one had asked them to the Yule Ball, Dumbledore had promised them that they would have Christmas feasts in their common rooms.

Breakfast was enjoyable, and then they all had a massive snowball fight on the grounds.

But then it was time for the girls to disappear for several hours and get ready for the ball. Harry and his friends headed inside not long after the girls, but they were all dressed in a half hour.

The ball didn't begin until eight o'clock, so they had some time to relax. They simply lounged in the common room until around seven thirty, and then they girls began descending the stairs from their dormitories.

Harry's heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of Daphne. Her gown was a pretty shade of silver that made her hair seem even blonder and her eyes even brighter.

Pansy and Blaise were also there, but Harry only glanced at them before turning his gaze back to Daphne. "Come on, Harry," Theo said. "We should be getting to the entrance hall. I have to meet Ginny and Blaise has to find Viktor."

"Sounds good."

Harry offered Daphne his arm and Draco did the same for Pansy, and they left the dungeons.

Viktor was waiting for them. He was wearing his school dress robes. The pants, tunic, and cape were blood red, and the cape was trimmed in fur. His black boots had been shined to perfection. Blaise looked fantastic next to him, in her black gown that flowed to the floor.

Ginny joined them not long after they had bumped into Victor. Her red hair was styled in an elaborate braid that reached the middle of her back.

Soon, Professor McGonagall hurried everyone into the hall and then had the three champions line up. First was Fleur and her date, Roger Davies, then there was Viktor and Blaise, and then there was Harry and Daphne.

They walked into the beautifully decorated Great Hall, to the cheers of their peers, and then stood on the dance floor. The orchestra stuck up a gentle waltz, and then the champions and their dates started the opening dance.

Other couples joined them on the floor. Some were odd matches, such as Hagrid and Madame Maxim. The gamekeeper had on a horrible, hairy brown suit and was a head shorter than the tastefully dressed headmistress was.

The song ended and everyone sat down to eat. Harry and the other two champions, plus their dates, were seated with the judges and Hogwarts faculty at a table that overlooked the entire hall. Everyone had sat down at round tables that surrounded the dance floor. The floating candles had been replaced by silver chandeliers.

They ordered from the menus in front of them, and then dug in when their food popped up in front of them. Harry deflected Lockhart's attempts to start a conversation, and instead spent the whole meal talking to Victor and Roger about Quidditch.

After a while, the plates disappeared and the wizarding band, the Weird Sisters, appeared on the stage. The volume in the hall went up and they began to dance the night away. The fact that Weasley practically ignored Granger the whole night made Harry even happier.

But one person wasn't having the best night. Neville huddled in his cell, pressing himself against the impenetrable stone that formed the walls around him. He had wrapped a thin blanket around his knees, but he was still shivering.

Neville gritted his teeth and pulled himself to his feet. He had to do this. He didn't have a choice. It was either this, or be tortured and killed, just like his parents. He knew that they'd be rolling in their graves if they knew what he was about to do.

He banged on the door to his cell and then stepped back. The door swung open. Rabastan Lestrange stood in the doorway. "Have you made a decision?"

Neville steeled himself and nodded. "I'll join the Dark Lord."

Rabastan smirked. "Good choice. Come with me."

For the first time in a long time, Neville left the six-by-six cell. He followed Rabastan out of the dungeons to a large, cavernous room. Sitting in a large, throne-like chair at the front of the room was Voldemort.

"My lord, the Longbottom boy has made his decision."

"I'm guessing that he has decided to join our cause, since he isn't being tortured right now."

Rabastan nodded. "Are you going to instruct him with the others?"

"Yes, but he will not be returning to Hogwarts."

Neville couldn't help but exclaim, "What?"

"You've spent several months in my headquarters. Dumbledore will be aching to get his hands on you. No, you'll stay here and train. My apprentices are at Hogwarts. I'll train you and them during school holidays, otherwise Rabastan will be instructing you."

"Please let me go back to Hogwarts. I can spy on the other students..."

The Dark Lord cut him off with a wave of his hand, "My apprentices are already taking care of that. And if you return, Dumbledore will force you to either stay at Hogwarts or put you with a family that won't let you out of their sight. If you want to remain in my good graces, you'll do as you're told."

Neville gave a resigned nod. He could either listen to Voldemort, or end up back in his cell and be tortured to death. It wasn't much of a choice. "I understand."

"Good. Rabastan, have a house elf show Neville to a guest room, and then make sure he gets a clean set of clothes and something to eat." Neville noticed that he made no mention of a wand. "While he freshens up, you and I can discuss what he is going to learn."

Neville had no choice but to follow the house elf that Rabastan had called. The small creature apparated him to a large bedroom, and then disappeared. It returned a moment later with a pile of clean clothes and steaming plate of food appeared on a nearby desk.

And then he was left alone.

He found a door leading to a bathroom with a massive tub. After spending nearly an hour scrubbing his skin raw, trying to remove the dank smell that clung to him, he got dressed and enjoyed his first hot meal since he had been captured.

Back at Hogwarts, the Yule Ball had just ended, and the students had returned to their dormitories or in the case of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, their carriage and ship.

Snape was in Dumbledore's office, scowling. After all, he had spent half the ball separating couples that had decided that the garden of rose bushes, created just for the ball, would be a good place to have some private moment. Ugh.

Two of those students had been Harry Black and Daphne Greengrass. Of course, they hadn't been doing anything improper, but he had still subtracted some points. Theo Nott and Ginny Weasley, on the other hand, had been doing a lot more than talking.

"What do you want, Albus? Poppy wants me to get started on some potions in preparation for the second task."

"I believe that it is time we begin working to rescue Neville Longbottom."

"Why now?

"Because it's very likely that he's still alive. Otherwise, Tom would have announced his death. You simply have to find out where he's being kept and rescue him. Whoever was guarding him will fall blame to Voldemort."

"It'll be a matter of getting him out that worries me," Snape said. "He's in the dungeons. I'd have to find a floo, that isn't too far away, that would allow me to get back to Hogwarts. Or manage to get him outside to the apparation point."

"Would you be able to go tomorrow night?"

"Yes."

Unfortunately, Phineas Nigellus was in his frame at Number Four Grimmauld Place, enjoying a lovely conversation with Lady Black, and consequently, he failed to overhear their conversation.

When he woke up the next morning, Harry was very content. He dressed quickly and made sure his things were packed. He and his friends would be going to their respective homes for the remainder of the holidays. But the main reason that they were leaving Hogwarts was so that they could get in some training with Voldemort.

Their parents met them in the entrance hall, and then they left the grounds and apparated home.

An hour later, they found themselves standing in front of the Dark Lord.

"I hear that you are currently winning the tournament, Harry." Harry nodded. "Continue to do so. It rather unfortunate if you got yourself would be killed. Now, I'm sure you are wondering about Neville. He has made a decision. Neville?"

The Gryffindor emerged from an adjoining chamber and stood behind Voldemort. "I've decided to join the Dark Lord," he said quietly.

"Clearly, there's more to him Gryffindor stupidity," the Dark Lord said. "He will not be returning to Hogwarts. I will train all seven of you during the school holidays, and Rabastan will train Neville the rest of the time. Now, let's go train."

But instead of leading them to their normal training room, the Dark Lord took them to his study.

"I have brought you here because we must have a discussion. Tomorrow, I will begin teaching you the three Unforgivable Curses. This means that you must understand what these curses can do, and what you have to feel to perform them. Theo, explain the Imperius Curse."

"It allows you to have total control over your target. They'll do anything you say."

"Correct. But what do you have to feel?"

"You have to want them to do what you tell them to do," Pansy answered.

"Exactly. The Unforgiveable Curses are about feeling. Neville, what does the Cruciatus Curse do?"

"It's a torture curse," Neville said. "You have to want to cause the person pain."

"The target, not the person," the Dark Lord corrected him. "But, yes you want them to feel pain. You want them to hurt. Righteous anger isn't enough. Blaise, explain the Killing Curse."

"It kills someone. It can only be blocked by a physical shield, not a magical one. It leaves no trace. You have to want the target to die."

"Good. Otherwise, all it would do is tickle. The Unforgiveable Curses are named so for a reason. If you're caught performing them, you get a one-way ticket to Azkaban. You are dismissed for the day. Think about what I have said. All of your parents will take you to Gringotts tomorrow so you can hopefully find a secondary wand in your family vaults."

Harry, Blaise, Theo, Draco, Daphne, and Pansy left, leaving Neville with the Dark Lord. "Return to your quarters. I'll figure out what to do about getting you a new wand."

Neville nodded and found his way back to his quarters. Once he stepped inside, the door closed and locked itself. Clearly, the Dark Lord didn't completely trust him just yet.

Severus Snape was on a mission. He had apparated to the Dark Lord's headquarters, and walked through the corridors, clinging to the shadows as he did so. All he had to do was find Longbottom and get out. Easier said than done.

He disillusioned himself, and then crept down the stairs that led to the dungeons. He looked into each cell. No Longbottom. That wasn't good. Maybe the Dark Lord had killed him, and was just waiting to announce it.

He cursed quietly, retraced his steps, and returned to Hogwarts. He knew that Dumbledore was not going to be pleased.

What Snape didn't know was that that he hadn't been the only invisible person in the room. The Dark Lord sneered as he watched his prized Potions master leave. It would be a shame to have to kill him, but it was unavoidable.

I hoped you liked this chapter. Review, please.