The Serpent of Durmstrang
A/N: This is a rewrite of the Dragon of Durmstrang, where mistakes were made and are going to be corrected, while the story and writing will be improved. This is also my NaNoWriMo prep story, so all reviews are appreciated. Also, all my works are down at the moment. They will all be rewritten one at a time, so do not fret!
Chapter Twelve
Viktor had almost fainted, wondering if everything that has happened so far had been a dream. With the exams happening throughout the past week, he had been very busy with studying from dawn until dusk. Everyone else had been in the same position, except for Harry. While Harry position was enviable, Viktor would rather take a week of exams than put his life in the line for a tournament.
As he watched Hermione slowly descend from the Hogwarts staircase, her hair done in a very intricate design, while wearing a beautiful gown that was periwinkle blue. Her smile lit up Viktor's world, and he could not take his eyes off of hers.
Hermione smiled widely as Viktor finally took her hand. She had been his constant companion in the Hogwarts library, and had surprised her with how much his work ethic seemed to permeate into his school work. It rivaled hers, and she had been quite intimidated. As time passed by, however, both found common ground especially when it came to subjects both of them found challenging. In the end, Viktor had asked her to the Yule Ball, and she quickly said yes.
Viktor led her towards his friends, and could see that Aleksander had Kassandra's hand in his, while Alanna was being escorted by a Ravenclaw named Roger Davis.
"Hermione!" Alanna smiled after recognizing the bookworm, "you look beautiful!"
Hermione smiled shyly, "You look beautiful as well, and you too, Kassandra."
Kassandra smiled at Viktor's date, "I wasn't sure how purple would look on me, but it seems to have worked out well."
"You always look beautiful, Kass," Aleksandra grinned, before being smacked lightly by a blushing Kassandra.
Roger seemed to have been stunned silent, slightly intimidated by the Durmstrang students, especially Viktor Krum. He had initially wanted to ask Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball, but after spying the French witch hand-in-hand with Potter, he had resorted to asking Alanna. The French witch from Durmstrang had been amiable, and now here he was.
Hermione glanced at Roger and have him a nod, "Roger Davis right?"
"Ravenclaw, we share some classes but you tend to keep to yourself," Roger nodded, remembering the bushy-haired girl always in the front of the class. She was not much of a looker then, but it seems he was wrong to judge seeing her now.
"So, how did this happen?" Hermione turned towards Aleksander and Kassandra, who were both blushing heavily, "last time I saw you both, Kassandra was not having Aleks' antics."
"Well, you see…" Aleksander started, but was cut off by a laughing Viktor.
"Aleksander here promised to stop bugging her for a month, if she went to the ball with him,"
Kassandra snorted, "Yeah right, he already broke that promise this morning."
"I don't see you reneging on your date though," Alanna pointed out, to the embarrassment of Kassandra, who was still holding Aleksander's hand tightly.
A commotion started near the Hogwarts double doors, and everyone seemed to be glancing towards that direction. The group of Durmstrang students, with two Hogwarts ones, weren't the exception, and also strained to see what was going on.
"It that Harry?" Hermione exclaimed, getting a view of the raven-haired Durmstrang champion, who seemed to be in the middle of the commotion, "wait, that's Fleur with him!"
"Ah," Aleksander sighed, "I guess we now know why there'd be a commotion there."
"What do you mean?"
Kassandra took over, elbowing Aleksander who was trying to see if he could get a glimpse of Fleur, "Fleur is a quarter Veela, and with this setting, you can figure out what happened."
Hermione digged into her vast pool of knowledge. Veelas were creatures of fire, of love and passion, and of beauty. Realizing what might have happened, she gave a sigh of pity at the woman.
Seeing her action, Kassandra smiled at the girl, "It's fine. Harry's with her, and he's more than enough against every other boy in this school."
Hermione nodded, remembering the power that Harry Potter showcased during the First Task. Transfiguration was one thing, but mass transfiguration, as well was having subdued a dragon with it, was no easy feat. From what she had heard from Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter was well on his way in becoming a Transfiguration Master, which made Hermione arguably jealous.
"You too, huh?" Aleksander smirked at Hermione, "Harry is special, and even though he plays himself down every time, he is a very talented wizard."
"He might seem like a monster, but inside, he's a teddy bear," Kassandra continued.
"And Fleur seems to have found out, and have been hogging him from us the past few week," finished Alanna, who had a small pout.
Roger could only gulp and shake his head. He had seen Harry in action, and being honest to himself, he was not in any way going to mess with the man. Harry showed mastery in magic that rivaled the Professors, and even if he was in Ravenclaw, he was sure he could not match Potter's strength, speed, and knowledge-base.
A moment of silence reign on the group, each of them thinking about Harry in their own way. Harry was an important piece of the group, and they all missed him dearly. However, the tournament had also been keeping Harry from his friends, and his free time were wrapped around Fleur, whom had also engrossed herself with preparing for the Second Task. They missed their friend, but more importantly, they wanted him to survive the tournament. If that meant Harry had to sacrifice his time with his friends for seven years, his friends were ready to accept it.
"We should head in," Roger coughed, awkwardly shuffling as he saw most of the people already heading into the Great Hall.
Everyone nodded, and the mood picked up once more as they all walked into the hall.
Harry watched his friends all gathering, and couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt run through him. He had not been the best of friends lately, being engrossed with trying to find a way to breath underwater for a period of time. While the song of the mermaid said an hour, he wanted to plan for anything and everything that could happen.
As the chatter started to pick up around him, he realized that those closest to the door had stopped and were muttering to themselves. Harry glanced over, and found himself agape as Fleur walked into the foyer wearing a dazzling silver dressed that hugged her every curve. Her hair was up with an intricate design, which was topped off by a silver flower tucked neatly into her curls. She had light make-up, which only accentuated her natural beauty.
Everyone had to stop and stare, as the French champion found Harry's eyes, and slowly sauntered towards him. Harry smiled softly at his date, and too her hand, giving it a kiss as he hugged her close to his body.
"You look beautiful."
Fleur smiled, "You don't look half-bad yourself," giving him a once over, noticing how his silver-trimmer robes matched hers very well, and his hair just a little bit tamer than usual.
Giving Harry a kiss, which was reciprocated, they finally were ushered into a side room by Professor McGonagall. The stern transfiguration professor smiled kindly at the couple, before heading off to find Cedric and his date
"I'm surprised Zoe wasn't with you to give me the protective friend speech," Harry smirked, having already had the talk from Fleur's friend just before their second date.
Fleur shook her head, "It was hard, but I did manage to convince her to leave us alone. She headed off after seeing me to the castle."
"Well, at least we have alone time now."
"Oh do we?" Fleur quickly enveloped herself into Harry embrace as they shared a heated kiss. Their second date had gone really well, their third even better, and their fourth was amazing. They both quickly found out that they enjoyed each other's kisses, and made every opportunity to enjoy their new found relationship.
"Ahem."
Fleur quickly separated herself from Harry, who was sporting a lopsided grin. They both found themselves being stared at by Professor McGonagall, as well as Cho, while Cedric couldn't help himself but laugh out loud.
"You should focus on your love life more than ours, Cedric," Harry quipped, noticing that Cho was awkwardly standing by herself while Cedric seemed to have placed both of his hands in his pocket.
Cedric blushed crimson, and immediately took his date's hands into his, to the embarrassment of Cho who smiled softly at the Hufflepuff.
The professor took a quick glance outside the room they were in, before gathering the champions and lining them up just outside the Great Hall. The foyer was now devoid of students, all of them have been ushered into the hall minutes prior.
"Mister Diggory and Miss Chang first, followed by Mister Potter and Miss Delacour," the professor said in a no nonsense tone, "you will take your seats in the Head's table. After the dinner, the first dance will be yours."
Each of the champion, and Cho, nodded with the professor's explanation. They had been briefed about their roles in the ball by their respective head of school, and were well prepared. In fact, Harry had to have some dance lessons with Fleur, making sure he wouldn't make a fool of himself, and her with him.
Just then, the doors opened to reveal the Great Hall filled with students who were parted in the middle to create a walkway for the champions and their dates. Harry steeled himself, as he took Fleur's arm in his own, and followed Cedric to the pavilion.
Fleur tried to ease Harry into the spotlight, herself already adept at being in the center of attention. She held onto Harry tightly, giving him a smile when he glanced at her. His face eased a few knots, but she could tell by his gait that he was ready to be out of the limelight.
Seating themselves down onto the Head's table, Harry quickly took the spot beside Headmaster Dumbledore, which made sure that Fleur was between himself and her Headmistress. Igor Karkaroff saw this and glared at Harry for his apparent disrespect, but said nothing to cause a scene. Fleur smiled at her Headmistress, and glanced around the table, not seeing Ludo Bagman nor Mister Crouch, but another red-head that had a bowler hat placed beside his utensils glancing around and making small talk with Dumbledore, who only smiled and nodded.
Before long, the rest of the students had taken their seats, which prompted Dumbledore to stare into his plate and say loudly, "Lamb Chops!"
Food appeared on his plate, and with a satisfied nod, he began to dig in. This prompted everyone in the hall to take a glance at the menu provided in each table, and subsequently request their choice.
For Harry, everything from their descent into the hall, up until after dinner was a blur. His mind going a thousand miles a minute as he dreaded the Champions' opening dance. He had been practicing, however his nerves still wreaked havoc as he envisioned his failure and subsequent embarrassment of himself and Fleur.
"You'll do great, Harry," Fleur gave his hand a squeeze, sensing her partner's nerves, which was blatant especially since Harry's leg was shaking and kept brushing her own.
Harry smiled back nervously, and before he could say anything, the Hogwarts Headmaster clapped his hands which made all the plates disappear. The champions took this as their cue, and stood up, slowly descending into the dance floor, and pairing off.
Taking Fleur's hand in his own, and placing his free one on her waist, they positioned themselves and waiting for the music to start. Harry gulped, his hands a little sweaty, yet Fleur's dazzling smile kept most of his worries away.
The music started less than a few seconds later, and Harry quickly went through the steps drilled into him the past week. He kept his gaze at Fleur, who only smiled even wider as he perfected every step, sway, and twirl.
"I'm so lucky to have you, Fleur," Harry blurted out his thoughts, still making sure he kept his grace as they neared the end of the song.
Fleur blushed lightly, "I'm the lucky one, Harry."
The song ended, and surely enough, the Professors and students all partnered up and started to join the champions into the second song. Harry and Fleur kept their spots in the middle of the dancefloor, opting to sway while in an intimate embrace instead, especially since the song was of a slower tempo.
Swaying to the music, Harry couldn't help but press Fleur closer to himself, a shiver running through his spine as he realized how important Fleur was to him, especially since they finally made their relationship official. While they both are still slowly discovering each other, he couldn't help but slowly fall for the French witch. Her smile, her laugh, her kisses, they were all addicting, and Harry couldn't help but want more. The honeymoon phase, they called it, and Harry secretly wished they would never leave it.
The second song died slowly, and Fleur slowly pulled herself away from Harry. She could see his frown forming, and quickly gave him a peck, "I think someone wants a dance from you."
Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Zoe, smirking at the two. Behind her were Kassandra and Aleksander, who had knowing grins plastered on their face.
"Care for a dance, Mister Potter?"
Harry shook his head, and took Zoe's hand. Aleksander and Kassandra pulled Fleur away from their friend, "We'll take care of Miss Delacour for you, Harry. Have fun!"
Zoe steered Harry away and made sure to not mingle into the crowd. She wanted Harry's full attention, and not him looking for Fleur and making googly eyes at her.
"So, you and Fleur are finally getting more serious."
It was a knowing tone, and Harry knew that the French witch dancing with him was not one to be messed with. He had gotten the protective friend speech once, but this seemed a little bit different. Harry nodded slowly, not sure where things were going.
Zoe sighed, "You know, I was unsure of you when we first met. You seemed like a pansy, and even though you did well during the First Task, I still thought that Fleur could do better."
"You've already given me the death threat about keeping Fleur happy, remember?" Harry grinned, and was rewarded with a slap on his arm.
"This is different! Fleur, she...she's my best friend, and with the way things are going…"
"I understand. I promise you, Zoe, that I will put Fleur's happiness at the forefront every single time. She's one of a kind, and I know how lucky I am to have her."
Zoe nodded, staring into Harry's eyes only confirmed how much the man cherished her best friend, she couldn't help but feel a little envious. Every woman wanted someone who was as dedicated to them as Harry was to Fleur, and Zoe was no third song ended quickly, and Harry smiled at Zoe, who was reluctant to let him go.
"My friends are giving Fleur the talk, aren't they?" Harry sighed, taking Zoe's reluctance in stride.
Zoe nodded, "It was their idea! Apparently you've been keeping her away from them."
"Ah, I knew this would happen sooner or later," Harry nodded, taking Zoe's hand as another song started up, "Might as well enjoy the dance, then?"
They both enjoyed a short dance, and soon were heading out of the dancefloor searching for Kassandra and Aleksander. Harry was the taller one, therefore had a better view, and soon found the group near the refreshment stand. Zoe dragged Harry back to Fleur, determined not to take any more of the couple's time.
"Here, take him back, I don't like him," Zoe commented offhandedly as they arrived in front of the group.
Fleur laughed, as Harry tried to look as hurt as possible, "It's okay, I like him," Fleur took his hand and led him outside.
"Already had enough of the dance?"
"I just wanted some fresh air, it was getting stuffy in there," Fleur replied, slowing down and holding Harry's arm as they slowly made their way out of the Great Hall. Snow had started falling once again, and a quick warming charm made sure they were both comfortable as they took their stroll into the Hogwarts grounds.
The Hogwarts staff seemed to be prepared, since the grounds was littered with benches and bushes that turned the formar flat expanse into a pseudo-garden. The place was filled with floating specks of firefly-like light, creating a fantastical atmosphere, and accentuated the Yule Ball rather well.
Harry led them towards a bench just under a looming tree. From a glance, Harry made sure that there were no stray snow that would dampen their outfits, before they both settled down. Fleur instinctually cuddled up to Harry, who smiled softly and wrapped his arms around her.
"I wish this night would never end," Harry sighed, his gaze wandering around the garden, looking at all the couples that had snuck out of the hall and were trying to find a private place for themselves.
"Mmm…"
Harry smiled at Fleur, who had closed her eyes and was getting rather comfortable in his arms.
"What's your plan for the rest of the holidays?"
"Nothing really, those who stayed for the ball aren't allowed to go home," Fleur mumbled, her eyes still closed.
"Want to go celebrate New Years at the Three Broomsticks with my friends? Zoe and Amelie are invited too."
"Okay, I'd rather think they wouldn't let me go alone anyways. They're too protective, especially Zoe."
"They're just being good friends. Speaking of friends, you've finally spoken with mine, hey?"
"Yup!"
"Are you going to tell me what they said?" Harry shifted in his seat, looking at Fleur pointedly.
Fleur sighed at the loss of his warmth, and stared back at Harry with a grin, "They told me to make sure you shower everyday, and that sometimes you don't brush your teeth so to get on your case on that too."
"Wha!?"
"I'm kidding! They gave their normal don't break his heart or else speech."
"Oh, okay then," Harry sighed, settling back and letting Fleur curl up beside him once more.
"Yeah, and that you sometimes fart really loudly."
Fleur stood up rapidly, and quickly ran away from Harry giggling, while Harry gave chase with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Come back here!" Harry yelled playfully, purposefully slowing his speed so that Fleur had a fighting chance.
Fleur stuck a tongue out at him, before speeding up. All too soon, Harry caught up and held her by the waist. She twisted herself to face him, and planted a kiss on his lips, stunning him for a moment.
"You are so easy to tease, Harry."
Harry pouted, but was once again kissed by Fleur, "Oh don't pout at me, Harry. You look better when you smile, you know."
"Well, I do have a reason for smiling, hey?"
"Why's that?"
"I have you in my arms."
That earned Harry another kiss, which lasted until a cough was heard from behind them. Harry quickly turned around, still holding onto Fleur, who had taken a step backward to hide her blush behind Harry.
"Mister Potter, Miss Delacour, I suppose both of you can use discretion?" Professor Gregorovitch smirked at the two, "Head back into the hall, I'm sure you both don't want to miss the Weird Sisters."
"Yes, professor," both Harry and Fleur echoed, before making strides back into the Great Hall. Both reluctant to let go of their intertwined hands, their hearts still beating rapidly at being apprehended by a professor.
Harry glanced at Fleur, and their eyes met. He couldn't help but smile widely at her, and Fleur reciprocated. They shared a short kiss, before heading back into the noise-filled hall, ready to enjoy the rest of the night with their friends in tow.
