Chapter 30 Going to the Ball
I held onto that warm and fuzzy feeling all the way through Christmas.
I woke up with Lavender and Parvarti squealing and twirling around the room.
They had gotten their dresses for Christmas.
Hermione was staring at hers dreamily.
"Show us yours!" Parvarti noticed I was awake.
I saw the small pile of presents at the foot of the bed.
"I've had mine. Narcissa bought it for me at the start of the school year." I told them when I went for my trunk.
Lavender and Parvarti shared a look before waiting patiently.
I pulled out my red dress and gave it a spin.
The three of them gasped in awe.
"It's beautiful!"
"Completely gorgeous!"
"I can't wait to see it on you!"
"Thank you!" I smiled at them.
I put my dress on my bed and opened my presents.
From Harry, I had another two charms to add to my bracelet. One was a bear paw, and the other a stag antler.
From Ron, more quills. I told him that I had started to carry around muggle quills and forgot to use regular ones. He must have remembered when he was at Hogsmeade.
From Hermione, she had gotten more headbands for me. They were solid colors. Black, blue, white, and a pink one.
From Draco, he had gotten me an etiquette book.
"That's strange." Hermione said when she picked it up.
"It's for me to start learning how to act around his family when we get together. I asked for it, actually." I informed her.
She nodded at that.
Mr. Weasley sent me a letter saying he couldn't get around to knitting me another sweater so he made me a card instead.
I put a protective charm around that and placed it gingerly on my bedside table.
From Narcissa she was kind enough to get me more nose rings. Her note said,
'A girl can't have too much jewelry.'
Sirius had even gotten me something. It was a penknife that could undo any lock and cut any knot.
I made a note to start carrying that around after tonight.
Hermione and I went downstairs to meet up with the boys for breakfast. I showed Harry the two new charms added to my growing collection of charms. We sat down with Draco and Gregory and enjoyed breakfast together.
We all hung out in an empty classroom again, and Warrington came by a couple of times. Each time lingering longer and longer.
"What does he want?" Ron asked as we went to lunch.
Before Ron asked that, I asked Draco if he wanted us to go eat at their table but he shook his head.
"He's probably just checking out the new Malfoy and Potter truce thing." I shrugged as we sat down.
"Why does that matter?" Draco asked.
"Because you two were sworn enemies and now you're acquaintances?" I retorted.
"Friends." Harry said.
There were several clutter sounds as we dropped our different utensils.
"Merry Christmas, mate." Harry clinked his glass against Draco's and took a sip.
"Merry Christmas." Draco nodded and took a drink from his goblet.
We shared a grin together behind our goblets.
"Zwart."
I turned and there was Christensen standing over me. She had two goblets in her hand.
"Oh no. We're not doing a toast. You got me last year at Halloween. You're not getting me again." I started to shake my head when I saw them.
Her face flashed in anger before she stomped away.
"What did she do?" Draco asked when she was out of ear shot.
"She gave me that 'Magigas' potion that reveals what I look like on Halloween. I won't accept a drink from anyone after that." I explained.
"That was her? I thought you were showing off." Draco admitted.
"Nope. I don't show off." I said as we went back to eating.
After lunch we did our whole 'Christmas Snowball Fight'. Ron, Fred, and George were on one team. Harry, Draco and I were on another. Hermione opted to watch us instead.
I noticed that George and Fred would go after Draco more, so I made sure to even the odds by getting them when they were going after Draco. Harry must have noticed it too because he started purposefully jumping in front of any snowballs meant for Draco.
Fred got the hint, but George would still go after Draco on purpose.
At five o'clock Hermione called me.
"We need to go get ready." She said.
"What, you need a whole three hours?" Ron asked.
I took that moment to lob a snowball right at his head.
"Yes, yes we do." I said as Hermione and I linked arms.
It took us two and half hours to get Hermione's hair done. I had more experience with hair spells so I was the one doing her hair.
I had decided to do an elegant top knot and with how bushy her hair was, it needed to be smoothed out every twenty minutes.
During that, I told her what I knew about makeup, and that was eyeliner and mascara. Those two things alone did wonders for her beautiful brown eyes.
Once I managed to get it what I wanted it to do, I helped her put on her dress.
For me, I had decided to take off my headband. Instead, I braided my hair into two braids, and then I put them over the top of my head like a princess crown. I pulled out some strands and curled them loosely by my ears and over my temple.
I applied my eyeliner and mascara. I took out my black nose ring and put in my emerald stud. When Hermione helped me put on my dress, she touched her nose.
"Why not red or gold?" She asked.
"You'll find out." I winked at her.
"Are you going to do your black hair or leave it blonde?" Hermione asked when I did my actual twirl in my dress.
"I'm going to leave it blonde." I decided.
She nodded and together we snuck out of the common room.
It was pretty easy since no one else was paying attention to two girls walking out. They were still comparing and waiting when we left.
"My date's Warrington." I finally told her.
"Mine's Krum." She told me.
"No way!" I looked at her with wide eyes.
"I know. I was just as surprised as you!" She said as we walked down the marble staircase.
"Well congratulations!" I gave her arm a squeeze.
"Thank you. I better go wait outside. Viktor wanted to meet up at the doors, but I told him I can meet him outside." Hermione said when we reached the floor.
"Okay, I'll see you in there." We hugged each other.
"Have fun!" I waved at her as she left the Entrance Hall.
I turned to look around the hall. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were meeting with each other. Padma was standing in a turquoise dress, clearly waiting for Ron to join her.
Cedric was escorting Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, around. And then Warrington came up the stairs. He was wearing black robes that had just a hint of emerald green around the trimming.
He looked around, scanning the room. He looked at me a couple of times, and it wasn't until I smiled that he realized.
"You look beautiful." He said when he reached me.
"You look handsome." I smiled at him.
"I noticed that Christensen tried her trick on you earlier." He said when he offered me his arm.
"She tried. Only an idiot tries the same trick twice." I took his arm.
He let out a chuckle as he led me to the doors.
"Red suits you remarkably well." He said as we walked.
"Thank you. I think it has something to do with my house colors, but we'll never know." I winked at him.
He let out a laugh at that.
The rest of the Slytherin's came up the stairs.
Pansy was wearing the most horrendous dress of pink frills. And Crabbe had mossy green robes.
"Oh poor dears." I said.
Warrington nodded in agreement.
The front doors opened and the Durmstrange students came in. Viktor came in leading the group, and Hermione was nervously grinning as she walked with him.
"Champions over here, please!" McGonagall's voice called.
"Time to go, shall we?" He offered his arm to me.
"We shall."
McGonagall was in red tartan robes and looking quite stressed. She had an ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat.
"Wait here, everyone will be going in before you and you shall walk in a procession." She instructed us.
Fleur Delacour had asked Rager Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain to be her date and he wouldn't stop staring at her. Hermione was nervously looking around while Viktor was standing next to her.
"Is that Hermione Granger with Viktor Krum?" Warrington asked me, his voice low as Harry and Padma joined us.
"That is." I nodded.
Warrington nodded at that.
I turned to Harry and waved to him.
His jaw was dropped and Parvarti was looking between Hermione, Viktor, and I with disbelief.
"Hi Harry! Hi Parvarti!" Hermione greeted them.
Harry didn't say anything to either of us as the Great Hall doors opened.
Viktor's fan club glared at Hermione as they walked past.
I got some glares from the Gryffindor house as they walked by me and Warrington. Slytherin was glaring at me, while only a few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students glared.
George was especially furious when he recognized me standing next to Warrington.
Warrington matched his glare when George and Alicia passed by.
"This is not going as well as I thought…" Warrington admitted to me.
"It's going better than I thought." I shared with him.
"Better?" His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.
"I thought I would be hexed by now." I admitted.
He shook his head and let out a strangled sigh.
Ron didn't look at me, or Hermione, when he passed us. Parkinson didn't have anything mean to say to Hermione. She was also in shock at Hermione's transformation.
"Breath, Cassie." Warrington whispered into my ear.
I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding onto.
"I didn't expect you to be so nervous." He let out a small chuckle.
"Me neither." I admitted.
Once everyone was settled, McGonagall led us to the large round table at the top of Hall. It was placed where the teachers usually sat.
The Hall had been decorated for the occasion. Silver frost sparkled in the candlelight, garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossed the starry black ceiling.
"Kind of wish it was snowing instead of a starry night. Make it just a tad more romantic." I said to Warrington.
He laughed over the applause of everyone.
Besides the large table at the top, there were smaller tables placed around the Hall. Each could seat around a dozen or so people. I did notice that there was a mixture of people sitting around that were from the different houses.
People may not like that Warrington and I are together, but I could see there was a small difference starting. Ron was glowering at Hermione and I when we passed him.
Padma was sulking next to him.
Dumbledore looked surprised when he saw me walking with Warrington, but he smiled nonetheless.
Karkaroff was wearing the same expression as Ron when he watched Hermione and Viktor. Ludo Bagman was here, wearing bright purple robes with yellow stars on them, he was clapping enthusiastically with the rest of the students.
Madam Maxime had traded her usually black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk. She was beautiful in it.
I stumbled when I saw that the fifth seat was not occupied by Mr. Crouch, but by Percy Weasley.
He glared at me but looked pointedly at Harry. I sat on Parvati's side and Warrington sat next to Karkaroff.
"I've been promoted," Percy said to Harry as they sat down.
Warrington pulled my chair out and when I sat down he pushed it in for me.
"I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him." Percy finished.
"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked.
"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising - overworked. He's not as young as he was - though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was.
But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehavior of that house-elf of his, Blinky, or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but - well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left.
And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with - that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around - no, poor man, he's having a well-earned Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place!" Percy did not skip a single beat.
I looked at Warrington and couldn't suppress the eye roll.
"Aren't you a friend of the Weasley family?" Warrington asked me.
"Only with some of them. The others have let their opinion of me be clouded with who my father is." I said, not bothering to keep my voice low.
Percy made a huffing sound but Harry was the one who cleared his throat.
Percy bowed his head but I stared Harry straight in the eyes.
'Don't start a fight.'
'I make no promises.'
Dumbledore chuckled in his seat and picked up his menu.
"Pork chops." He spoke.
Pork chops appeared on his plate.
I looked at my menu and decided on the prime rib.
Prime rib, mashed potatoes, and a healthy side of vegetables.
Warrington nodded at my selection and ordered baked ham that smelled delicious.
I looked up at Hermione, thinking she would be a little angry about how much more work this must be for the house-elves, but she was in a deep conversation with Viktor.
"Vell, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking," Viktor was talking to her.
"I don't think he's said more than twenty words to me." I kept my voice low as I leaned towards Warrington.
"He hasn't spoken to me." Warrington shook his head as he took a bite of his food.
" - though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying everyday, over the lakes and the mountains!" Viktor was telling Hermione.
"Now, now, Viktor!" Karkaroff laughed, but it didn't sound warm. "Don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"
"This is kind of intimidating." Parvati whispered to me.
"It really is." I agreed with her.
I missed what Dumbledore had said.
"Well, Dumbledore," Karkaroff pulled his lips back, showing off his yellow teeth. "We are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"
"If Professor Dumbledore knew all of the secrets Hogwarts had to hide, do you really think you would be here? Sir?" I asked, taking a sip of my water.
Karkaroff's eyes flashed at me, but Dumbledore was chuckling.
"I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts' secrets, Igor," Dumbledore took the attention off me.
Warrington had let out a single chuckle and was covering it by drinking from his goblet.
"Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turning on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I have never seen before, containing a really rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had vanished. But I must keep an eye out for it. Possibly it is only accessible at five-thirty in the morning. Or it may only appear at the quarter moon - or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder."
Warrington, Harry, and I all snorted at that.
Karkaroff gave a humph and went back to eat his dinner.
"How did you find out you were related to the Malfoy's?" Warrington asked, keeping his voice low.
"Draco told me, or… more like, tried to be rude about it? I didn't have a clue the Malfoy's or Black's were related." I told him as we started to finish up our food.
There was a slap on the table, causing us to jump.
Then Davies slapped his hand on the table.
"Like that. Yeah!"
Warrington and I shared a look before snickering into our drinks.
'He wouldn't be bad company at the Malfoy dinners… I'll have to ask him over the summer.'
The next chapter is going to be thrilling for you guys!
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Pamela Hutchins: Here's to more screaming! Just wait until next week!
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