* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART THREE

The Eighth Year

Chapter 33: Happy New Year

It was the 31st of December, and everyone in Potter Manor was excited about the New Year's party that night, especially its host.

The girls were already in the large ballroom; they had gotten dressed up and looked gorgeous as usual. As the host, it was Harry's job to stand by the door and welcome his guests as they arrived. Draco had volunteered to keep him company which he was quite grateful for. Harry was aware he could be awkward at times.

For one night, only the powerful wards surrounding the house had been let down to allow visitors in. Draco even had a security guard on the door to make sure unwelcome ex-Death Eaters or reporters didn't get into the party.

"You've come a long way," Draco said to Harry as he stood next to the Gryffindor in his scarlet silk dress robes.

Harry frowned because he didn't understand what his friend meant. They only had a few minutes before the guests started to arrive when Draco smiled and elaborated, "When we met, you were a half-blood who didn't know what his blood status meant. Now you're embracing your father's side of the family. You have grace and style; look at you throwing elaborate parties. You might not like it, but you're one of us now."

Harry didn't quite know how to take that, but he couldn't ask Draco if he was insulting him or not because, at that moment, the guests started to arrive.

The Weasley's were first; they came in a huge group with all of their dates. Accompanying Bill was Fleur, and George had brought Angelina along. Percy brought along his new girlfriend, who Harry had been informed was called Audrey. Harry was a little surprised to see Ron and Lilly show up together, and he hoped that this surprise didn't show on his face. Ginny had come with Blaise. Then right at the back of the pack, Charlie swept in with none other than their very own Professor Sinistra.

Harry's surprise must have shown on his face because Charlie winked at him, "The best thing about coming back to the UK, getting the girl who I let get away before I left," he said as he tightened his arm on Sinistra and made his way into the ballroom.

"That's...'" Harry trailed off.

Draco finished, "Interesting?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed as he looked towards Ron and Lilly, "You two made up then?"

Lilly shrugged, "He grovelled."

"Yeah, I did," Ron said sheepishly.

Harry smiled slightly, "I'll catch up with you later, mate," he said, and he patted Ron on the back as other guests began to spill in.

As Ron and Lilly entered the ballroom, Harry and Draco welcomed Narcissa and Andromeda, who had Teddy with them. Close behind them were Elizabeth and John Granger, who arrived through the front door by Muggle transport.

The next group arrived together, which didn't surprise Harry or Draco because they were the type that travelled in packs. They were Lareina Greengrass, Salvadora Nott (Theo's Stepmother) and Lotus Cauldwell (Sadie's Mother). With them were Astoria and her boyfriend, Dennis Creevey.

After that, most of the people arriving were their fellow eighth-year pupils. Some pupils from lower years were invited too, including Luna, who looked like a Muggle hippy in the cream dress she was wearing. It was embroidered with flowers, and her hair was bushy and had multi-coloured braids in it. Harry held back a chuckle as he hugged her and asked her how her Christmas had been.

"Oh, it was wonderful," Luna said brightly, "Daddy took me to Scotland to see the Kelpie there that the Muggles call Nessie."

"Oh, did you see it?" Harry asked.

Luna nodded, "Oh, yes, it was marvellous! It even bit me!" she proudly showed him the cut on her arm.

"I'm glad you had a good Christmas," Harry said with a smile as Luna walked into the hall.

From behind him, Ron grinned and said, "She's brilliant, isn't she?"

Harry grinned as he turned to face his friend, "She's fantastic," he agreed with a laugh as he turned back to greet the next few guests. He noticed that Ron tensed up slightly when the remnants of his old Quidditch team entered the hall. Harry didn't know why the presence of Oliver Wood, Alicia Spinnet or Katie Bell would make him uncomfortable, but he made a mental note to ask Ron about that later.

The next group were the teachers from Hogwarts. McGonagall had brought a date, and that date was none other than the Minister for Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry felt a bit more daring, a bit more like his father when he greeted the Headmistress.

"Evening Minister," he said, smiling at him, "And I see that you are here with Professor McGonagall."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at him as if sensing a Potter-like comment or joke coming on. Ever since he had defeated Voldemort, Harry had become more like his father, in good ways rather than bad ones.

"I can just see the headlines tomorrow Kingsley," Harry grinned, "Minister and Minnie: A Magical Match."

Kingsley chuckled, and even McGonagall looked like she was fighting a smile, "Mr Potter, you become more like your Father with every passing day."

Harry bowed, "Thank you very much," he said, which caused McGonagall to smile for a fraction of a second before making her way into the ballroom with Kingsley.

Hagrid turned up with his fiancé, Olympe. Trelawney and Filch came together, and Harry couldn't believe the change in them. Trelawney looked like the woman in James and Lily's wedding photograph again, and Filch even scrubbed up okay. Flitwick and Sprout came together as friends, and Aberforth also turned up to the party. He looked a little awkward and out of place until Neville made his way over to the older man. Amongst the other guests were Cho Chang and Viktor Krum, who immediately caught Susan's eye and made a beeline for her.

"Is that everyone?" Draco asked. He glanced at his watch.

Harry frowned and shook his head, "Not quite," he said.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Draco frowned, "I thought the only Muggles coming were Hermione's parents?"

Harry smiled vaguely at the blonde as they made their way to the large front door, "I have family too, Draco."

Draco's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, and he looked down. He seemed embarrassed about the fact he had forgotten that Harry had some family left. They said no more as Harry opened the door and welcomed his Aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley.

"Hey," Harry said as he hugged his Aunt and shook Dudley's hand, "I'm really glad you could come."

"Thank you for inviting us, Harry," Petunia said. She looked down at the floor with an expression on her face similar to Draco's, "Goodness knows we don't deserve your kindness after what we put you through."

"Sorry, Harry," Dudley said quietly from his spot next to his Mother.

Harry, however, only shook his head, "See this man here," he said as he pointed to Draco, who looked up in surprise.

"He made my life hell when I started at Hogwarts, he was my arch enemy, and now he's a close friend," Harry said, "The point is that I don't hold grudges. Now come in and enjoy the party."

Petunia smiled as Harry took her by the arm and led her into the ballroom. Draco and Dudley walked behind them a little awkwardly, and Draco was relieved when they seemed to reach the room finally and parted with Harry's Muggle family.

Harry took a deep breath as they walked into the hall, and Draco stopped him by placing an arm on his shoulder, "Harry," he said quietly, "Are you sure you want to do this? I can do the talking if you like."

Harry smiled gratefully at Draco and shook his head, "I appreciate the offer, but this is my house and my party. I'll do the talking."

Draco nodded, "You know, for someone so famous, you should really be an ace at public speaking."

Harry shrugged, "I've never exactly been ordinary now, have I?"

Draco chuckled at the question and merely shook his head as Harry took to the stage.

The crowd went quiet when they saw their host on the small stage. Harry smiled and said, "I would like to welcome you all to my New Year's party here at the newly renovated Potter Manor. As some of you may know, I've always preferred New Year's celebrations to Christmas celebrations because I feel welcoming in a New Year is something that ought to be celebrated. I've never felt that more than this year because it makes me very happy to say with complete certainty that when the bells ring tonight, and we welcome in the New Year, it will be our first year without the dark wizard we knew as Voldemort ruling over our lives."

Harry paused to take a breath, "I owe the defeat of Voldemort to many people, several of whom are in this room tonight. However, I lost many people who I wish could be here to see this great New Year welcomed in. So as much as tonight is a time of celebration, it is also a time of grieving. I'd like you all to raise a glass to the fallen of both the Great Wizarding War and the Second Wizarding War," Harry said, and as he finished his speech, he raised his champagne glass. All through the crowd, glasses were raised, and three words echoed around the large ballroom.

"To the fallen!"

Harry smiled, "Let the party begin!"

There were cheers as the band behind him started to play, and Harry left the stage and headed towards Draco, Daphne and Hermione.

Draco patted Harry on the back, "You were brilliant."

"Well, it helped that there were no reporters," Harry remarked as he thought of the times he had frozen giving speeches and statements to huge crowds of fans and reporters.

"How wrong you are," A voice behind Harry said.

He would recognise that voice anywhere, "How did you get past security?"

Rita Skeeter only winked, "A marvellous speech Mr Potter, it will make the front page of the Prophet, I'm sure."

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco, who clicked his fingers which caused his security guard to come running, "Get her out of here," Draco said.

The wizard clad in black dress robes nodded, "Yes, sir."

Without further ado, Rita Skeeter was dragged out of the party amidst chuckles from the crowd.

Dean Thomas and Theo Nott didn't exactly follow the rules, but they didn't do anything illegal either. At least that's what they told themselves when they followed Rita Skeeter out of Potter Manor and managed to corner her before she apparated away.

"We have something that might interest you," Dean said. He glanced behind his shoulder to make sure they weren't being watched, then handed her a brown envelope.

Rita got a glint in her eye when she opened it and saw five pictures. The first few were of Draco and Harry standing very close together before the dance practice; the others were of them dancing.

"I'll give you 1,000 Galleons if you let me print these in the Prophet," Rita said.

Theo snorted, "I don't think so. The saviour of the wizarding world and the bad boy who turned good at the end of the war? They're worth more than that."

Rita only looked slightly miffed, "I was under the impression Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy were dating girls, Miss Greengrass and Miss Granger, I believe?"

"They are," Dean assured Rita, who narrowed her eyes at the picture, "Then what is going on in this picture?"

"We don't have a story for you, Rita, just some pictures," Theo said. He was wary of the sneaky reporter.

"If you had a story, I'd give you 2,000 galleons," Rita said sneakily.

Theo and Dean shared a glance; Skeeter must have been a Slytherin.

"Mate, you are not considering making a story up for money," Dean said as he gave Theo a warning look.

"Okay, fine," Theo said, after a moment's pause, "There is no story, Draco taught Harry how to dance, and we took photographs."

"Well, that's good enough for me, 1,100 galleons?"

"1,800?"

"1,500, final offer," Rita said firmly.

Dean and Theo shared a look, then nodded, "Done," they said finally, and they shook Rita's hand. She wrote them a check, and they handed her the envelope.

Rita grinned and flashed her white teeth at them in the process, "Pleasure doing business with you boys."

Dean pocketed the check, and the two boys made their way back into the house, and to the party, nobody had even noticed that they had disappeared.

Inside the ballroom, while Dean and Theo had been sneaking around to get a fat check, Harry and Draco had been dancing with their girlfriends. Susan was over by the drinks table, looking amused and exasperated as she turned Viktor Krum down yet again, but the Bulgarian wouldn't stop pursuing her.

"Nice dress,"

"You're looking at my breasts, aren't you?"

"Uh," Krum was flustered, "No?"

Susan only raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged, "It is hard not to with you in a dress like that."

"Are you still following me?" Susan asked as she grabbed a glass of butterbeer and handed one to him.

"Thank you," Krum said as he took the glass, "And if I remember, you kissed me at the Yule Ball."

"I kissed you once, so you're stalking me?" Susan asked the Bulgarian in amusement.

"We kissed three times," Krum said.

Susan smiled, "You counted?"

"Maybe," Krum said, "Dance with me at least?"

"You said that last time," Susan said as she smiled sheepishly at the Quidditch player.

"And look how well that night ended," Krum said. He held out his hand for her. Susan couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face as her mask broke.

She put down her drink and took his hand, "One dance," she said, and she let him lead her to the dance floor.

"You said that last time."

"I know."

Dudley and Petunia stood around a little awkwardly after Harry's speech. The older witches and wizards tended to stick together in groups while the kids and teenagers danced. Molly Weasley saw them and made her way over to them, "Hello, you must be Harry's Aunt Petunia. I'm Molly."

Petunia looked relieved to have someone to talk to, "Harry talked of you often; he said you were like a mother to him."

Molly smiled slightly, "Oh, he's a dear, isn't he? Why don't you come over and meet my family?"

Petunia went with Molly to meet the rest of the Weasley's and Dudley was going to follow, but then he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. He saw the girl from Exeter University that he had become friends with. Cho was standing by the drinks table. He couldn't quite believe it as he made his way over to her. When he reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around. She gasped when she saw the man behind her.

"Dudley! Harry didn't tell me you were invited!"

"He didn't tell me you were either," Dudley said. He silently cursed his cousin, "I didn't know you knew him."

Cho looked down, '"Yeah, we...um...we were close when we were at Hogwarts together."

Dudley gaped, "Close? As in... wait, you're a witch?"

Cho grimaced, "Come on, I'll tell you somewhere quiet," she said, and she led the way out of the ballroom. She led him up to the balcony on the floor above, which overlooked the whole ballroom.

"I was scared to tell you, you're my only friend at university, and I thought it might scare you off. I only found out on Christmas Eve at the Yule Ball that you and Harry were related," Cho said as she tried not to look too guilty.

"The Yule Ball? Is that a wizard thing?" Dudley asked. He was clueless about her world.

Cho nodded as she looked at the party going on below them, "It's held at Hogwarts but usually only for special occasions. I went to one in my fifth year when I was dating a boy called Cedric Diggory."

She saw the flash of recognition on Dudley's face which was closely followed by guilt, so he remembered tormenting Harry about that then, Cho thought to herself.

"Harry had a crush on me in my fifth year and then at the end of it, Cedric...well, he died," Cho said, she let out a long breath she had been holding in, "And I dated Harry briefly in my sixth year, but he had been too close to Cedric, and it hurt too much. I fought with him in the war and the final battle."

Dudley was silent as he took all of this in, "I'm still your friend Cho. This doesn't make me hate you or anything. You know that, don't you?"

Cho had to admit that she was surprised by Dudley's reaction, but she nodded, "I was going to tell you at some point...I just wasn't sure how to do it."

"Well, I guess we have Harry to thank then," Dudley said in amusement as he looked down at the crowd and spotted Harry's jet black hair even from high up. His cousin was smirking at them. Dudley rolled his eyes at this and waved at Harry.

"Come on. I reckon we should enjoy this party. And what the hell is butterbeer?"

"Hermione, are you friends with Ron's girlfriend?"

Hermione frowned at the older girl who had just approached her by the drinks table, "Uh Lilly? Yes. Why?"

Angelina Johnson bit her lip, "I know something about Ron that I feel she should know about."

Hermione's eyes widened, "No... he didn't..."

Angelina glanced behind her, "Is there anywhere quiet around here?"

Hermione nodded and led Angelina into the back corridor to the kitchen. As soon as the door behind them was shut, Hermione said, "Please don't tell me he cheated on her."

"I can't," Angelina admitted, "And I shouldn't go into too much detail either. It's just that...well, he slept with my friend and didn't tell her that he had a girlfriend. She found out through me, and she feels dreadful."

"Well, whoever she is, it's not her fault that Ron's a sleaze," Hermione growled, "Why would he do this to Lilly?"

"Ron said he and Lilly had a big fight about the Yule Ball," Angelina said in an undertone, "He went out to a bar and well, you know he can get carried away."

"I know," Hermione said darkly, "But that's not an excuse Angelina."

"Trust me, I know it isn't," Angelina retorted, "And I've let Ron know just how angry I am with him, but he's playing a game with her now, Hermione. He's acting like everything's fine, and I feel that she needs to know."

"You're right," Hermione sighed, "She does need to know, but I think that it should come from me. I'm her friend, and I could break it to her gently."

"I know," Angelina nodded, "I've never met the girl. I don't know how I could break the news to her."

"Who did he sleep with, Angelina?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Hermione, do we need to go into that?" Angelina asked quietly.

"Yes," Hermione said, "Because Lilly's going to need closure, or it will drive her mad."

"I'm just looking out for my friend here," Angelina argued.

"And I'm looking out for mine," Hermione said, "We both have friends who are being hurt right now, Angelina! Don't get me wrong, Ron's one of my best friends, but right now, he's testing the limits of my patience."

"And mine," Angelina sighed, "He slept with Katie, alright? They met up in a bar on boxing day…they were both upset because Katie and Roger had broken up not long before Christmas...if that helps Lilly, then I suppose you should tell her that."

"Thanks, Angelina," Hermione said honestly as she opened the door and the noise of the ballroom flooded the hall, "I've got to go and find Lilly."

"Hey Lil, can I talk to you in private?"

It had taken a while for Hermione to grab Lilly on her own. She had been dancing with Ron or talking to the Weasley's, and in the end, Hermione had waited for the girl outside of the bathroom to grab a moment with her.

Lilly jumped, "Merlin Hermione! You scared the pants off of me!"

"Sorry," Hermione said sheepishly, "I just need to talk to you; come on."

Lilly frowned as Hermione grabbed her arm and pulled her into the library. It was a feeble plan, but she hoped the smell of old books and parchment would comfort or calm her, "Okay, Hermione, you're freaking me out now. What's going on?"

"There's no nice way of saying this," Hermione said as she chewed on her lip, "So I'm just going to have to say it, and I'm so sorry, Lilly."

"Just spit it out, whatever it is," Lilly said. She wasn't the most patient person in the world.

"Ron cheated on you," Hermione said quickly, "On boxing day."

"What?" Lilly hissed, "What do you mean he cheated on me?"

"I mean he...well he...he slept with someone else," Hermione said with a grimace.

"That fucking dick!" Lilly said as her cheeks reddened, "I'm going to kill him! But I'm going to rip his balls off first and feed him them through his-"

"Lilly!" Hermione interrupted, "I think you're getting a little carried-"

"I am not getting carried away! This is me being calm, Hermione! Totally, completely calm!" Lilly shouted.

Hermione bit her lip, "Look, Lilly, I know he's a complete idiot, but-"

"There is no but here!" Lilly raged, "If you try and defend that fucking prick right now, I swear to God Hermione, I will blast you into the bloody basement!"

"I'm not defending him. He has been an arsehole," Hermione said, "He's a clueless, heartless, stupid prick, and you are completely allowed to hate him, but-"

"There is no but!" Lilly practically spat, "I do hate him! What whore did he sleep with anyway?"

"Katie Bell, and she's not a whore," Hermione said quietly, "She's a friend of mine, and she's a very nice person. Look…I know this is true because Katie is friends with Angelina, George's girlfriend. She told Angelina what happened, and she felt dreadful when Angelina told her Ron had a girlfriend. She had no idea, Lilly."

"He didn't even tell her that he had a girlfriend?" Lilly shouted, "Oh, fuck this! I am going to fucking kill this bastard!"

"Lilly, wait!" Hermione called as she jogged after the girl. She was clearly on her way back to the ballroom where a scene was very likely to kick off, "Lilly, I think you should take a minute to calm down first!" Hermione shouted across the entrance hall.

"I am calm!" Lilly snapped unconvincingly as she stalked into the ballroom. Hermione cursed under her breath, and she crossed the marble floor of the entrance hall as quickly as she dared in high heels. By the time that she reached the ballroom, Lilly had already found Ron, and a scene was well and truly kicking off.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Lilly was shouting, "Do you think just because you happened to be with Harry Potter when he won the war, you can just go off and sleep with whoever you want? Even when youhave a girlfriend?"

Ron's face paled, "What?" he said quietly, "What the hell are you on about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ron!" Lilly snapped, "Do I look like an idiot?"

"No," Ron muttered, "Can we not do this here, though? Everybody is watching."

"All the better then," Lilly said bitterly, "Now all of your friends can know how much of a dickhead you are!"

"Woah, Lilly, it was an accident!" Ron snapped, "I didn't mean it, alright? I was drunk and-"

"Oh, so your dick just accidentally happened to slip into her-"

"Lilly!" Neville exclaimed. He stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Neville!" Lilly snapped.

"He's done wrong, Lil, but this isn't the time or the place," Neville said firmly, "You're making a scene."

"Oh, wouldn't want to make a scene, would I?" Lilly asked irritably, "So it's okay for him to fuck someone else and cheat on me? But I can't make a scene because it's not becoming? Well, do you know what, fuck that! Fuck being an elegant woman who doesn't let it show when a man has wronged her."

Narcissa stepped forward and put an arm around Lilly, "Lilly, is it?"

Lilly frowned up at her, "Uh…yes."

"I am Narcissa," She said calmly, "And while you do make a valid point, this is not the time or place."

She began to lead Lilly away from Ron, and as she did, she said, "You are quite right. It is not fair that we ought to sit by while the men sleep with who they want and come home to us. It's a common thing in a pureblood marriage, and it is demeaning and wrong. We find that it is better to serve revenge the way it is meant, cold."

Neville glared at Ron, "It's disgusting, the way you treated her. If it weren't for the fact that I knew damn well, she would curse me for doing it; I would knock you out right now."

"It's okay, Nev," Ginny said as she patted him on the back, "I'll sort him out."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Oh, because you're so high and might- AGHHHHH."

Harry smirked, "Well-played, Gin."

Ginny slipped her wand back into her bra and grinned, "I do love a good bat-bogey hex."

Neville chuckled and averted his gaze to Lilly as she sat at a table with Narcissa, Lareina and Lotus. He caught Draco's eye and said, "So…that's happening."

Hermione chuckled, "It reminds me of Macbeth."

Harry snorted, "The three meddling witches?"

"Exactly," Hermione said.

"Well, my mother is certainly meddling," Draco said in amusement.

As Ron stomped out of the room, Harry shouted, "Back to the party, everyone!"

The band started up again. It put the commotion out of the minds of most, and people began to dance once more.

Daphne rolled her eyes, "So much drama in one party."

"Hey, we wouldn't be us if we couldn't go somewhere without there being lots of drama," Harry joked.

Hermione nodded her exasperated agreement, and the four of them made their way back to the dance floor. They stayed there until the clock struck 5 to midnight.

At that point, Harry took Daphne by the hand and led her up to the stage. He kept a grip on her hand while he gave a short speech before the start of the countdown, "Let's celebrate the end of a year filled with pain and sorrow but also with a victory. Let's celebrate the birth of a new year and a new start, a chance to move on from all that has happened this year."

The clock was almost at midnight, so Harry and Daphne started the countdown to the dawn of the New Year.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1!"

The clock struck 12, and it was officially 1999. There was cheering around the hall as the bells rang, and fireworks went off around the room. Harry winked at George, who was on the balcony with several boxes of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes new indoor fireworks. The room was lit up with brightly coloured fireworks as Harry and Daphne raised their glasses.

"Happy New Year!"

They clinked their glasses together and drank deeply from them. All around the hall, people were doing the same. They toasted, kissed and hugged. Draco kissed Hermione, Harry kissed Daphne, and everything just felt so unbelievably right.

"Are you crying?" Daphne asked Harry under her breath. She raised her hand and wiped away the stray tear that had fallen from his eye as he kissed her.

Harry looked sheepish and embarrassed, "I'm just happy. I didn't think I'd see it to the millennium, and now I'm one year closer."

Daphne smiled, he didn't show his emotions very often, but she appreciated it when he let her in like that, she kissed him on the cheek, "You'll see 2000, and I'll be standing right next to you to bring it in with style," her voice was firm, and Harry knew it was a promise.

"I love you, Daphne," Harry said. He didn't particularly care that the whole room could see them at this point as he took a step closer to her and captured her lips in a searing kiss. She gasped in surprise but kissed Harry back with just as much fervour.

"You've never done that," Daphne said as Harry broke the kiss to cheers from the crowd, "You've never kissed me in public like that."

Harry grinned broadly and took her hand, "There's a first time for everything."

Daphne shared his smile as he turned and held her hand up; both of them got cheers from the crowd. The loudest cheers by far came from the front, where their friends were standing with silly grins on their faces. Not for the first time that night, Harry appreciated how amazing his friends were.

* ~ TBC ~ *