I Know Your Secret

Is it a Secret that the Yule Ball Approaches?

The time of the Yule Ball approached relatively fast and Hope had to have Hermione helping her to pick out a dress, even though she had originally thought that she should wear boy clothes. Hermione had to convince her that it was perfectly fine for them both her and Fleur to wear dresses, which made Hope more nervous as she couldn't possibly choose a dress alone, with some other girls was hard enough. She wasn't too sure she was lucky enough to take a few other girls with them to help as they all tried on so many different ones as the other girls also needed dresses.

Hope climbed out of bed that Christmas morning, stretching with a yawn and rubbing sleepy from her eyes as she stood on her bare feet. She just glanced at her dress hanging up on her closet door to feel some squirming in her tummy and knots in her chest.

However, she shook off her nerves before getting dressed in some cotton trousers and a tee shirt-well after her bra and panties. Then she pulled on some socks and trainers before she smiled to herself in her bedroom mirror when there was a knock on her door.

Smiling, she pulled her door open only to be glommped in a hug by one of the few people able to get to her room, Ginny and she was only too happy to cuddle with her friend.

"Hey, Hope," she said cuddling her and smiling widely. "Hermione sent me to fetch you… we have to open presents, so Merry Christmas!"

"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Ginny," she replied, smiling wider as they pulled apart with a cheeky Christmas kiss, giggling.

They both laughed more as Ginny held Hope's hand. "Come on then, slow-poke," Ginny said tugging on her hand, amused with her friend.

Hope rolled her eyes in good humour as she closed her door as Ginny dragged her out. "You'll make Luna and Fleur jealous if you keep this up."

Ginny blushed brightly, but she didn't stop smiling. "Y-you… I didn't think anyone knew about me and Luna…" she said embarrassedly, but she didn't let go of Hope's hand.

She rolled her eyes chuckling. "It's totally obvious, Gin," she answered. "Don't worry though; it's only obvious to those who care enough… and those who… I guess understand."

"T-thanks, Hope," she replied as she shifted uncomfortably embarrassed.

"No worries, girl, Luna's a great catch," she answered amusedly. "I bet you would both be totally oblivious if not for me, so you both so own me plenty of cuddles," she said cheekily while Ginny nodded as she hugged into Hope's arm cheekily smiling at her.

They exited out into the common room moments later to find the rest of the house out and waiting, some still in their PJ's, but most clothed surrounding the Christmas tree as it has mountains of wrapped presents around it and some prefects were eagerly handing out presents to their intended targets while someone had brought out a music player with some Christmas tunes in the background.

"There you both are," Hermione said as she squeezed passed a couple girls and giving Hope a big hug as Ginny let her go. "Happy Christmas, Girlfriend…!" she greeted all slang like as they pulled apart.

"You can't pull that off Hermione," she said giggling as she gave her best friend a kiss on the cheek while her cheeks stained scarlet. "And, Happy Christmas to you too. I had tried to invent the lightsabre for your present, but I didn't have enough time… Christmas just snuck up on me."

Hermione rolled her eyes while Ginny looked confused. "What's a lightsabre?" she couldn't help but ask.

Hope laughed while Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"It's something from a muggle movie," the Girl Who Lived answered smiling at their oblivious friend as they spent a lot more time with her since Mrs. Weasley started running the Gateways kitchens. "It's a… umm… energy sword and we were joking about making one awhile back, so it was just a bit of a game as Hermione doesn't think the magical world needs us to introduce some kind of arms race."

"Oh," she answered nodding. "Well, I don't think the magical world needs anything like that, we're dangerous enough with our wands without some kind of sword to chop off limbs by accident."

"Told you so," Hermione said smugly sticking her tongue out at Hope.

Hope just rolled her eyes as their presents were handed out from friends and family. They unwrapped and checked out what they got, which included enough sweets to last them a year or more (as it was so hard buying for some friends that candy was the default emergency gift they knew everyone liked-it was just finding something fun and new in the candy store that became the problem). They also got some clothes and magical 'toys' (the magical world had really weird stuff-and no-they weren't naughty toys-they wouldn't have let their friends open things like that in the common room. They even got some nice fashion accessories, and perfumes, and stuff like that.

It was an hour or so later, and after comparing gifts and thanking each other and their other friends the three girls had taken their stuff away and returned, sitting together on a sofa and laughing at the twins as they entertained a few people with some of their pranking inventions, and showing off whatever. They weren't afraid to demonstrate their pranks whether on a volunteer or themselves.

However, Ginny was giggling as she made fun of Ron as he was allowed to go to Dumbledore's new school, and he was now missing out on all of the fun even though Mr. and Mrs. Weasley didn't want him to go as they started listening to the reality of who Dumbledore really was but he was close to being expelled from Fairytale Academy and was suspended over the Christmas break so gave in to let him be if that was what he chose for himself.

The three girls couldn't imagine Dumbledore's school being anywhere near as fun as 'Hogwarts' (Fairytale Academy). Also, most of the student body was still at 'Hogwarts' as a lot of parents didn't want to send them to Dumbledore School as they had seen how lame some of the teaching had been so looked forward to something different, and better as the school finally went semi-private with Fairytale sponsoring families who couldn't afford the school or supplies so they could go too, including pureblood children who were excluded from the program as their families were never considered worthy enough.

The girls hung out and spent the morning together, laughing and having some fun before it was time to get their Christmas lunch, and the three girls walked down together. Luna and Fleur were both waiting in the Entrance Hall when they got there and Ginny grinned as she had her camera and started taking a few pictures of her friends before they all entered the Great Hall.

The halls renovations weren't set up yet, and wouldn't begin until just after Boxing Day. They would hopefully be complete before school started during the New Year.

Though, Hope was half tempted to believe that the ultimate awesome of the new school was no-more greasy bastard Snape to hurt anyone. Professor Binns was left to do whatever, and Divination was sacked from the curriculum, but McGonagall knew Dumbledore had taken that teacher into his school.

The Christmas lunch was better than ever as everyone laughed, joked, and ate good food with their friends. It seemed the Slytherins were the only group that stayed at their table, except for a few as they sat with Hope and her group at the Gryffindor table, which made their Christmas better not having to be on-guard for whatever the Death Munchers got up to 24/7, not that they wanted to get in Hope's crosshairs.

"Wow, that was a great meal," Tracey Davis said as she finished off the last of her gravy with her spoon and sitting back to relax. "I don't know about all of you guys, but I haven't had such a nice Christmas at Hogwarts… umm… well here before," she said smiling as she remembered the schools name change. "My moron brother has it so much better in Ravenclaw."

"Umm… doesn't the fact he is in Ravenclaw mean he's not a moron?" asked Fred Weasley smirking at her from across the table.

She sighed in exasperation. "He's still a moron if I say he is," she said making them all laugh, as she sounded so serious.

"Don't worry, Tracey," Astoria Greengrass said smirking from where she sat between Ginny and her sister Daphne. "If you want, I'll protect you from his stupidity, and then curse him with warning boils."

They laughed some more while Tracey rolled her eyes. "Don't make fun, Tori," she said smirking as she used the nickname Hope had given her, which at first bothered her, but over the weeks, she had gotten used to it, and the occasional cuddle from Hope more than made up for it as no one had ever thought of shortening her name before, thankfully or they might have called her As or Ass as they had no imagination passed crude jokes; they were only funny when made at other people.

Astoria pouted as she stuck her tongue out childishly. "I was only being nice," she said while holding back a smile.

"So how does it feel to own the school?" Daphne suddenly asked Hope smirking and rolling her eyes as she interrupted her sister and best friend before they went off on another one of their banter escapades.

"Hmm… not bad, not bad at all," she answered smugly.

"I still can't believe everything you've done to own the school," Astoria said. "You are seriously more Slytherin than Salazar Slytherin himself."

She laughed while Fleur held her in her arms and answered for her.

"But of course, to beat Dumbledore, my Hope needs to spread the cunning wings of a Fallen Angel."

They laughed a little more at this when the new caretaker rushed in down to the front of the hall. She was wearing some blue denim dungarees with a white top and brown boots with long brown hair, and blue eyes with a brown magical tool belt handing around her slender hips. She was a muggleborn, and where McGonagall found a replacement like her for that loser Filch (who ran off to join Dumbledore) nobody had asked, but Miss Butler was cute, fit, and very easy on the eyes, and had this sexy wild look going for her too.

She stopped at the teachers table and spoke with McGonagall about something before giving her a letter and moving back down the tables and surprisingly stopping at Hope's section of the table, smiling at the brunette nervously.

"Umm… Miss. Potter," she said with a nod. "Professor McGonagall wishes to speak with you," she said before quickly hurrying out of the hall.

Hope sighed and rolled her eyes as she watched McGonagall leaving with Flitwick and Sprout through a side door, gesturing for her to follow.

"The trouble of being an awesome, scheming businesswoman," she said smiling as she stood up, giving Fleur a quick kiss to her cheek and hurrying out after the teachers, closing the antechamber doors behind her where the head teachers stood waiting for her.

"We've just been handed a missive," McGonagall said handing it over to Hope while the other two looked worried.

Hope looked it over with a frown before laughing. "This is ridiculous," she said looking amused rather than worried like the teachers. "They can't threaten to shut us down for bad grades and incompetence when these reports are from Dumbledore's administration. And looking further, all of these reports are on Hogwarts, but this is Fairytale Academy and according to my legal paperwork is under renewed management. This court summons means squat."

McGonagall's eyes widened as she took it back with wide eyes, as she looked it over again before chuckling softly. "I should have paid it more attention; of course it is all in the way they're putting it, and they can only legally call these charges up on Hogwarts while it was under both Ministry and Dumbledore control."

"Exactly," she agreed smirking. "This means we should publish this to bring into question Dumbledore's competence as a head teacher. Wow, will you look at the amount of complaints, especially against Snape that have gone ignored," she giggled as she took the missive back.

Flitwick chuckled, shaking his head. "That is a very large number until they seem to have dropped off. If this is another scheme against you Miss. Potter it's already backfiring just because of a technicality they're too foolish or stubborn to rectify."

"Ah, but even if they marked it down as Fairytale Academy they would get laughed out of court," she replied shrugging. "I can't believe they would do this, and on Christmas day too. It seems obvious that they're trying to ruin our holidays."

"Well, we shouldn't let them get away with that," McGonagall said sighing in relief and promising herself that she'll look things over better before prematurely worrying as it was starting to get embarrassing being schooled by a teenage girl in ruining Dumbledore-schemes. "Thank you Miss. Potter, and sorry about taking you away from your friends…"

"No problem, ma'am," she replied before exiting back into the dining hall and joining her friends.