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The next few weeks flew by quickly and soon the events of the first task where eclipsed by something that everyone could participate in if they wanted to—the Christmas holidays.

Nearly all of Slytherin House had decided to stay for the first few days of the holidays, already aware of the upcoming Yule Ball. The morning after the Yule Ball, there would be a special train for those students that still wanted to go home and see their families for the new year.

Harry and Tracey would be among those students leaving the morning after and they wouldn't return until the weekend before the new term started. Harry wasn't sure which he was more anxious about—actually going home for the holidays for the first time or finding someone to take to the Yule Ball.

It seemed so simple for everyone else. Most of his yearmates had already picked out their dates and had treated asking them out like it was a simple business transaction. Even those that hadn't asked anyone had an idea of whom they would be going with. The majority of them had just asked their fellow yearmates since they knew that they probably wouldn't get dates from students in the other houses and most of them assumed that the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be going with the older Slytherins.

"I don't see what such the big deal is," Draco snapped when he overheard Harry mention his issue about asking Arielle to the Yule Ball. The blonde had been more irritable than usual since the Yule Ball had become an everyday conversation heard in the halls. "Just ask her to go with you. It's not that hard."

"Says the one who hasn't asked anyone yet," Harry replied, sounding equally as irritated. "Why is that again?"

Draco leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Because I already know that who I'm going to ask is going to say yes. Therefore I don't need to ask her immediately."

"Lucky you," Harry grumbled.

"It's not like she's going to say no," Blaise said, deciding to join the conversation. "She's already shown interest in you and, in case you've forgotten, you're Harry Potter."

"But if that's the only reason she's agreeing, you might want to reconsider," Tracey muttered from her place next to the fire, flipping to the next page in her book. Harry rolled his eyes, starting to get used to these types of comments. Tracey was convinced that Arielle was only interested in him because of his fame.

Instead of replying, Harry got to his feet. Class was done for the afternoon but there were still a few hours before dinner. Maybe he would get lucky and figure out a solution to his problem while walking the halls.

"Just remember it's not that hard," Blaise said as he left.

"Also remember that there's a three year age difference between you and her," Tracey muttered. "Just remember."

Instead of remaining in the dungeons, Harry decided to head up to the more central locations that students tended to hang out. While the December weather was cold, there were still groups of students that tended to congregate in the halls around the courtyards of the school. There were even a few brave enough to venture outside but Harry wasn't one of those few.

Most of the students mingling in the hallways were groups of girls. They eyed the smaller amount of boys with interest, boys who looked just as nervous as Harry felt.

Good, so he wasn't the only one.

Harry barely paid any attention to the Hogwarts girls despite the fact that a few of them eyed him with interest. They weren't who he was looking for.

"'Ello."

Harry whipped around in slight surprise to see Arielle walking toward him. He wasn't surprised that she was around—she seemed to be everywhere recently—but he was stunned that she had taken the initiative to speak to him.

"Er, hi," he said and winced inwardly when he realized how stupid he sounded. "How are you?"

Arielle sniffed. "This English weather iz very cold," she replied. "Nothing at all like the south of France."

"Are you going home for the holidays?" Harry asked. "Are any students from Beauxbatons going home?"

Arielle shook her head. "Non," she replied. "We are all staying for the ball."

The ball. Harry gave an awkward cough at the mention of it. He supposed that this would be the best time to ask Arielle.

"Are—Are you going with anyone to the ball yet?" he asked hesitantly. Arielle shook her head again.

"Non. Not yet."

Her answer made Harry feel even more nervous. If she had said yes, he could have just nodded and fled the scene. Now, however, he had to actually continue talking.

"Same here." There was an awkward pause before Harry took a deep breath. "So, since you aren't going with anyone yet and I'm not going with anyone yet…do you—err, do you want to maybe go together?"

Even Harry was aware of how stupid he sounded at the current moment. That's why it was a huge surprise when Arielle's face brightened and she smiled widely.

"Oui, of course," she said. "It will be very fun, yes?"

Harry nodded, smiling in relief. That was less painful than he had expected. "Great," he replied. "Shall we meet in the Great Hall a few minutes before?"

Arielle nodded. "I will see you 'en," she said before turning around. "I have to go now and meet my friends. 'Ey will be very excited to hear that I am going to the ball with the Boy-Who-Lived, non?"

Before Harry could respond to her comment, Arielle had darted away, joining up with a small group of Beauxbatons girls heading towards the carriage. Almost immediately they began giggling and chatting loudly in French. Harry shook his head and decided not to dwell on her parting words. It probably meant nothing.

Instead, the fourteen-year-old began to head back to the Slytherin common room. His yearmates would be much more bearable now that he could say that he also had a date.

He was a few corridors away when he spotted Draco and Pansy turn the corner. Pansy looked upset and Harry quickly darted into a small study room before either of them could spot him. Pansy wouldn't be happy to hear that he was taking Arielle to the Yule Ball. She still didn't like the French girl.

"Are you going to ask me or not?" he heard Pansy snap as the pair passed the study rooms. "You and Harry are the only ones that haven't asked anyone yet and it's starting to get embarrassing, Draco."

"Why do I need to ask you?" Draco replied. "We already know that we're going together. Why do I need to even ask?"

"Because it's the polite thing to do," Pansy hissed. "And while you're at it, tell me what's wrong with you this year. You've been acting very strange and it's starting to get annoying."

"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with," Draco said. Before Pansy could reply, Harry heard Draco ask, "Would you go to the Yule Ball with me, Pansy?"

"Finally," Pansy muttered. "And yes."

"Good. Now let's go back to the common room," Draco said. "I don't understand why it was necessary to drag me outside just for this conversation."

Pansy's reply wasn't heard because the pair had begun to walk away. Harry waited a few moments after he could no longer hear any voices before ducking out of the study room and continuing his journey back to the common room.

Over the next few days, Harry spent a lot of time in the Slytherin common room, playing Exploding Snap and Gobstones with his yearmates. His homework had been finished on the first day of break and he didn't have to worry about it until after the New Year.

When Christmas morning dawned, Harry was lying awake, unable to sleep. He had been up for the better part of the night, thinking of everything that may go wrong during the Yule Ball. What if he looked like a fool, especially while dancing? What if he tripped and fell on his face? Or what if he spilled something on Arielle? By the time morning came around, Harry was positive that he had thought of almost every scenario that could possibly occur during the ball.

He was relieved when the others in his room began to wake up. They would help take his mind off of tonight.

Once everyone was awake, presents were opened up. Harry didn't have as many presents as Draco or Theodore, who always competed for who received the most presents, but the number that he received each year was constantly growing.

Harry hadn't received anything from Tracey or her parents—they were going to exchange gifts the following day at home—but he had ended up getting sweets from Hagrid and most of his yearmates, a book on dating from Sirius (Harry would need to remember to get Tracey back for telling people about his personal life), and an unmarked package.

The unmarked package turned out to be a wand holster. Taped to the top of the box was a small note that read,

In case of an emergency where you need to get away, tap your wand against the band and say "Portus"

Harry's eyebrows rose as he read the familiar writing. So the wand holster doubled as an emergency Portkey.

He had expected a present from Professor Snape but this type of present made him nervous. It suggested that something might be happening in the near future that would give him reason to use it. He knew that there was a risk of Voldemort coming back but was that risk much higher than he had guessed? After all, why would he have received such a present if there would be no need to use it at least once?

Frowning, Harry put on the wand holster. At least it was something he could use and wear everyday without being questioned. No one ever questioned a wand holster like they would question the sudden appearance of something like a ring or a pendant.

At least the present had the added benefit of taking Harry's mind off of the Yule Ball until it was time to get ready. Getting ready didn't take very long but it brought back all of Harry's original nerves from that morning. He was even more nervous when he realized that he would have to leave earlier than the rest of his yearmates.

Arielle was waiting for him near the entrance to the Great Hall, looking exquisite in pale green dress robes. Harry swallowed nervously at the sight of her.

"Hi," he managed to say. "You….you look nice." Inwardly he kicked himself at how idiotic he sounded. Thankfully, Arielle didn't seem to mind.

"Thank you," she said. "You do az well, of course."

They stood in silence for a few seconds, each waiting for the other to say something. The doors opened and Harry nearly sagged in relief.

"Shall we go in?" he asked. That would give them something to do in the next few minutes and hopefully it would give Harry some time to think up things to talk about.

As they entered the redecorated Great Hall, Arielle was quick to lead Harry over to a table that was quickly filling up with other pairs from Beauxbatons. Harry's heart sank as he realized that he probably wouldn't have his housemates to help him out if the conversation turned to uncomfortable topics.

The fourteen-year-old reddened under the stares he received from a few of the girls and guys that were already sitting but luckily none of them said anything—at least not that they could understand. Much of the current conversation was in French, with phrases here and there in English.

When the table of twelve was completely full, Harry was at least relieved to see that he wasn't the only Hogwarts student at the table. There was also a Hufflepuff seventh year and Ravenclaw that was in either fifth or sixth year.

"It must be very difficult for you 'ere at 'Ogwarts," Arielle said, deciding that she was done waiting for Harry to start the conversation. "E'eryone in France was very surprised to hear zat you attended 'Ogwarts instead of another school or being 'ome-schooled."

Harry blinked at the statement. "Why would I have been home-schooled?" he asked. "I'm just a regular student. And I thought that Hogwarts was the only school for English students."

"You could 'ave gone to Beauxbatons or a school in another country," Arielle explained. "We in France did not think zat the schoolwork at 'Ogwarts would be up to the level for teaching the Boy-Who-Lived. We thought zat you would be given a more specialized education."

"I'm just a regular student," Harry repeated. "Up until this year, I never had to worry about that stuff. If it hadn't been for Rita Skeeter, it probably wouldn't have been an issue."

"You must have been jealous with the arrival of Viktor Krum," Arielle said, as if she hadn't heard him. "And all of the attention zat he is getting."

Harry shook his head. "Not really, no."

He should have known. That first conversation set the tone for the rest of the meal. Every time Harry thought that they were about to have a normal conversation that couldn't be turned back to talking about his fame, Arielle would always find some way to bring it up again.

It was some sort of skill. An annoying one but a skill nonetheless. Harry wondered that if anyone would notice if he slipped under the table to hide.

By the time dessert came around, Harry had stopped trying to carry on any conversations and was only using one-word answers. It didn't seem to matter to Arielle. She could easily carry on a one-sided conversation.

At least Harry wasn't the only one struggling. The other two Hogwarts students at the table weren't able to maintain a conversation in English for more than a minute before the others went back to speaking in French.

Harry tried catching Tracey or Pansy's eyes a few times but they didn't seem to notice his efforts. He almost caught Daphne's attention but Theodore seemed to realize what he was trying to do and kept distracting Daphne.

Harry assumed it was payback for telling Tracey to go with Blaise instead of Theo. He didn't understand why it was such a big deal. Daphne was better suited for Theodore when it came to these types of events.

When the music started playing and the time for dancing began, Harry was willing to take Arielle on the dance floor despite knowing how awful he would look. Anything to get a break from talking about how famous he was.

After a few minutes, Harry excused himself to go to the bathroom. The dancing had helped but he quickly began feeling like a mess. As he left, Harry tried not to think about how Arielle hadn't looked disappointed when he left.

Harry splashed a handful of water on his face as he leaned over the sink in the bathroom. He was sweating from dancing and from the crowded Great Hall. He normally didn't mind the crowds but he was beginning to get overwhelmed. Harry suspected it had something to do with the blasting music.

He splashed another handful of water and glanced at himself in the mirror provided. He frowned at the sight of his messy hair. It had grown longer this year, making it messier than normal. He was also beginning to notice that it was a few shades darker than when he had first come to Hogwarts.

Harry sighed. He would have to ask Tracey to cut his hair at some point in the next few weeks.

The teenager didn't realize that there were others in the bathroom until he saw a flicker in the corner of the mirror.

Harry glanced over and his eyes landed on Draco Malfoy's form. The blond Slytherin washed his hands, unaware of Harry's presence. It was only when he went to dry his hands that he noticed the dark-haired teen.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco demanded, voice sharper than intended. Harry shrugged.

"I didn't realize that anyone was in here," he explained. "Enjoying the night?"

Draco rolled his gray eyes.

"Could be better," he said. "My parents have thrown better parties."

"So this isn't your first?" Harry asked. Draco sighed.

"I've been to these types of parties since I was a toddler, Potter," he informed the boy irritably.

Harry's eyebrows rose in slight surprise at the edge in Draco's voice.

"You're irritable tonight," he commented and stepped closer to Draco to grab a towel to dry his face. Draco sneered in response but stopped suddenly when he realized how close he and Harry were in proximity to each other. His breaths became shorter and came quicker, though Harry didn't seem to notice.

Draco's body moved on its own accord. As Harry turned to discard the towel, Draco closed the space between them. Harry's eyes widened as he felt lips on his.

It wasn't even really a kiss, Harry would realize later. It was more of a peck or a brushing of lips. After a fraction of a second, Draco was pulling away and rushed out of the room. Harry stared after Draco before fleeing the bathroom as well, cheeks feeling like they were on fire.

Harry looked around in the corridor for Draco but didn't see him anywhere. Cheeks still red, Harry returned to the Great Hall, where the Yule Ball was still going on.

Harry scanned the crowded room for Arielle but she wasn't anywhere in sight. He sighed, not very surprised. The green-eyed boy stood awkwardly against the wall, searching for someone he knew, preferably one of his housemates. He kept an eye out for Draco but he doubted that the blond would have returned to the Great Hall after what had just happened. No doubt Draco had returned to the Slytherin common room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Pansy waving him over. With another sigh, he approached the girl.

"Have you seen Draco anywhere?" she asked. Harry shook his head, hoping that he wouldn't start blushing again. Pansy sighed.

"He went to the washroom forever ago," she explained. Harry gave an awkward shrug.

"Maybe he isn't feeling well?" he suggested. Pansy glared at the nearest table.

"Or he's just being a prat because this isn't as good as his parents' parties," she growled. "And because he didn't really want to come in the first place. It was a pain to try and get him to even ask me."

"Have you seen-" Harry started to ask but Pansy shook her head.

"Don't," she recommended. "Don't bother with her anymore. I saw her talking up some boy from Durmstrang. She looked much more interested in him than she ever did in you."

Harry's cheeks flushed in humiliation.

"Really?" he asked. Pansy nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said. Harry shrugged.

"I guess I should have seen it coming," he mumbled. "I mean with her bringing up the fact that I was Harry Potter at dinner so often. It must have been just that which intrigued her."

"Could have been worse," Pansy said.

"How?" Harry asked.

"You could have gone out on a few more dates before realizing that," Pansy explained. "She could have waited until you became more infatuated with her."

The boy sighed.

"Want me to grab you something to drink?" he asked Pansy. "While you wait for Draco to show up?"

"Sure," Pansy agreed. "But Potter, if you ditch me..." She let her threat dangle between the two. Harry gave a meek nod. As he walked away, he began wondering why everyone was addressing him by his surname tonight.

Preview for next time:

"You never said anything!" Tracey said, looking astonished. "Why didn't you say anything?"

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