A/N: Evy (and other confused people): Bill was pretty beat up and couldn't talk in chapter 9 (by the end he could barely talk, and one or two words every 10 minutes or so is definitely not enough to tell the people around you what happened.) so he couldn't relay what happened. You will find out, do not fear. Sorry for confusing you.~

Chapter 10

"I haven't been able to do a single thing today for the ball! There was no one there who was able to make sure everything got set up right so it's going to be ruined and the kids will be angry with me and I'll make their Halloween awful and they'll boycott Defense and I'll have to apologize to the UK Association for Preservation of Endangered Magical Creatures from Foreign Countries, although I could probably just give them one lump sum from my vaults in-"

Severus put his hands on Harry's shoulders and shook him lightly. "Would you kindly stop worrying? You've been obsessing over this thing so much over the last week that it's starting to seem like your sensory training never happened."

"But the ball is-"

"The ball is starting in 10 minutes, you need to calm down."

"But the ghosts won't intro-"

"You can introduce it and go in with the children then go up to the stage and start your whole speech or whatever it is that you've planned."

"But the 7th years have-"

"They will be there on time. Now stop it." Severus gave his husband a halfhearted glare. "Now, I need to go in there with the other chaperones, and so help me if you stray from the introduction lines you've prepared and start apologizing for how things may or may not turn out as you are wont to do, I will shove a body shortening elixir down your throat so fast your head will spin. Got it?"

Harry nodded mutely and gulped a bit as he watched Severus retreat into the Great Hall. His heart rate was up as he wasn't only thinking about the ball tonight, but he was thinking about Bill and becoming more and more anxious to find out just how the man wound up so battered and bruised. Actually, he was trying desperately not to think about that which is why he was obsessing so badly right now.

The children began lining up outside of the doors to the Great Hall in their various costumes, most of which Harry was thrilled to see such creativity go in to. There were a few that he had to pull out of the line and order to go change back in to their uniforms, such as the 6th year standing extraordinarily tall with a pink beanie covering all of his hair, a tan shirt and khaki pants, and what appeared to be quaffles stuffed into the bottoms of his pants. Harry shook his head as the boy walked away hunched over. Really the things these kids came up with.

Whew okay, more students lining up and chattering away, all looking like they're going to have a wonderful time, and he had no idea how the hall was set up or if the booth runners were running the booths, or if the decorations were Halloween-y enough, or if the bracelets for the costume contest were all ready to go, or if- Stop! Harry yelled at himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment only opening them when the chime rang to tell him it was time.

Another deep breath. "There shall be a costume contest this evening, and each year will garner one winner. The winner of their year will receive one free product from any of the booths set up inside. You may enter." He stated as he flicked his wrists to the doors to open them.

Another deep breath and he turned around, worries abound. As he stepped through the curtain that they'd hung up over the door his eyes widened. The decorations were magnificent, even as grand as the last Halloween Ball's decorations. This time they went with a black and red theme. The booths were set up along the walls with 7th years manning them, however the Weasley twins weren't there this year as they were tending to their brother. There was, however, a Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes booth that four of the most well off students, one from each house, were running together. Apparently they had bought very nearly ¼ of the Wheezes store for this event.

The food was in the front of the room, all specially transfigured by Minerva, Harry could tell her handiwork anywhere, to look like creepy things. The popcorn looked like miniature eyeballs, the punch like blood, the cookies like spiders, and so on. The center was cleared out for a dancing area and there was a band on the back of the 'stage' of musical instruments that had been charmed to play themselves.

That wasn't what surprised Harry though, as all of that was wonderfully put together just as he had imagined it. What surprised him were the four students from the Wheezes booth taking the stage as students filled into the hall around Harry.

Doris Roshan, a Gryffindor, cast a quick sonorus and started the speech addressing the students. "As most of you know, your parents have sent you some spending money last week, and those third year and up had already guessed what it was for. However, for the first and second years, that money was sent with instructions not to spend it until Halloween, and it is for the booths. The money that these booths make this year will be going to the UK Association for Preservation of Endangered Magical Creatures from Foreign Countries. The booth owners do not make a knut in profit. You are urged to spend what you want, but remember to look around and see all of the booths before you spend it all."

Harry looked very confused as to why they were making the speech instead of him. Corin Tremlett, a Hufflepuff, went on. "There will be a costume contest throughout the night, hence why you were asked to dress up for this evening. Thanks should go to the Weasley twins of the Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes for this system of participation." He pulled out a small device that looked to be a confetti popper and pulled the string on it. Nothing happened and he frowned at it, then tried again, getting blasted in the face with bracelets before they made their way out to the audience, causing giggling to go around the room. He cleared his throat and went back to the talking. "I bet they made it do that on purpose. Anyway, the bracelets are color coded for your year, and if you don't want to participate in the contest, tell it no when it reaches you."

Ian Vance, a Ravenclaw, took up the speaking bit next. "If you are caught stealing from any of the booths, you will be automatically disqualified from the contest, a minimum of 15 house points will be taken, and detentions will be set up with Professors Potter or Snape, or Mr. Filch. So no sticky fingers, especially from the Ravenclaws. I'd like to have a chance at winning the house cup this year." More giggles went throughout the room.

Harry's confusion was still around because there were only three parts to this speech, but four people. What could the fourth person possibly have to say? Emmiline Kettletoft, a Slytherin, took up the last bit. "Professor Potter, this bit is specifically for you. I was around, as were most of my year mates and those up to 2 years younger than us, when you were still a student here. To be quite frank, most of us Slytherins hated your guts. You were prized beyond what was appropriate by the Headmaster at the time, you were the, again at the time, future savior of the Wizarding World, and Gryffindor's Golden Boy which made any of the other houses' chances of winning the house cup nearly nonexistent unless someone from another house happened to die.

Those factors, along with the simple bit of you being a Gryffindor at all, had most of the Slytherins angry with you for existing. When you came back to teach directly after destroying Voldemort, my house mates and I were so far beyond apprehensive that you would favor the lions over all of the other houses so much that until your time spent as a professor here was over, no other houses would ever have a chance to win the cup again.

You proved us wrong on well over more than one occasion, the most notable being when Ravenclaw won the house cup in June of '99 despite the Savior's house alliance, and his family's opposite house alliance, which by the way, the choice in family boggled most all of our minds. You were, and still are, fair in the giving and taking of points. That fairness has also seemed to rub off on the rest of the staff, and the heads of houses no longer tend to only award points to their own houses.

While myself and most of my house-mates our year were frightened that your presence would cause even more unjust and unfair prejudice against Slytherin House, you again proved us wrong. You did not, and continue to not, tolerate house prejudice, even from your own house, as proven when you gave those Gryffindor boys what-for for harming a Slytherin simply because he was a Slytherin. For quite possibly the first time in my life, I am thankful that I was proven wrong, and I hope you continue to do so.

I think I can speak for all of the Slytherins, if not most of the school, when I say that you're the best thing that's happened to this school in over 300 years. I think I can also speak for the 6th years and below when I say, don't you dare leave like you did last year again, because we can't deal with another Dedworth, and without your planning, parties suck." Applause erupted from the staff and students and each of the students on stage blew a muggle style confetti popper with charmed paper that changed color every few seconds.

Harry was definitely surprised. By the end of the speech his hand was over his mouth, his eyes were watery, and the clapping from nearly 300 students was deafening. He simply didn't know what to say to all of that, and as the crowd around him filtered out into different areas of the Great Hall, it was Severus who led him to a corner table to get hold of himself.

(¯`·. Hp/Ss .·´¯)

Just after the last prize was given to the last winner of the costume contest nearly 4 hours later, which Professor Flitwick was doing, Alden came running up to Harry who was sitting in a corner enjoying some fake blood punch while watching Severus deduct house points from more snogging kids. "Harry Harry!"

Professor Potter glanced to the teen. "What what?"

"Uncle Fred just floo'd your rooms, Bill's woken up again and he's asking for you." The young boy said.

Harry looked around for Severus but had lost him in the crowd somewhere. Since he couldn't activate his bracelet unless it was heated up, he asked Alden to tell the other man if he found him. He made his way to the nearest floo, thinking it odd that Alden would rather stay in their rooms half the night than attend the entire Halloween Ball, and made his way to Malfoy Manor.

He blinked, looking around at the silent and empty house wondering just what was going on and where everybody was when a house-elf popped into the room. He gave a little bow. "Master Malfoy said if you came by to tell you all the Masters have went to the Weasley Burrow."

"Thank you Yalby." Harry said as he floo'd to the burrow. He was greeted by Fred who was standing there impatiently tapping his foot. "Why is he asking for me?"

"None of us know, he won't tell us." Fred commented bringing him into Percy's old room where Bill was.

Bill gave a pointed stare to his brother who rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him. "Silence charm... please." He forced out. Harry nodded and flicked his wrist, but Bill simply looked expectantly at him. He explained about the wandless wordless magic he was doing thanks in part to when he siphoned Voldemort's power, and in part to the training with the Liridon clan. Bill nodded. "You need to.. go.." He took a wheezy breath. "to London and..." Another painful sounding breath. "and kill Cygnus Preece."

"What? What are you talking about? Why?"

"Preece did this." Oh god those noisy breaths sounded awful.

"Who is he? What all did he do? Why did he do this?"

Bill took his wand and pulled out a memory while Harry quickly transfigured a button into a vial to hold it. "He'll kill him." The young man said before closing his eyes and drifting back off into sleep.

Cygnus Preece? What did he do and who was he going to kill? If he's in London does that mean that bill was in London when he was attacked? Augh there were too many unanswered questions and he was just going to have to watch this memory to see what the hell was going on. When he reached Hogwarts again Firenze was waiting for him by his room. "My brother asks of your mind."

"What? Oh please don't make me try to figure out what that means, I've already got a lot on my plate." Harry told the Divination professor.

The centaur nodded lightly. "My brother works in the Centaur Negotiation Unit at the Ministry and has been worried for 'the savior's subconscious', as he said. He has asked if you were experiencing anything that normally would not happen within your subconscious mind."

Harry blinked blankly. "I highly doubt I would know it if it had. I'm fine, just worried at the moment. Tell him I'm fine."

(¯`·. Hp/Ss .·´¯)

A/N: Bonus points to those who got the 'pink beanie' costume reference. Thanks to Alysisaacs17 for helping me come up with the sub-plot-line that's just starting that I can't say too much on or it'll spoil it (you know what I'm talking about).

A/N*2: Sorry guys, but my mind isn't really able to keep writing on this story at the moment, so it's temporarily abandoned. -_-;