Ch 24 Another Closing Ball
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't usually wear earrings quite so large and feminine, nor necklaces quite so prominent. She had even asked Winky to get the jewelry from their home in Britain instead of wearing what she brought with her. She was still wearing one of her trouser suits, but the blouse was perhaps the most feminine one she owned. She turned and went into Ron's arms, snuggling into his tall frame.
There was nothing wrong with him being taller, and physically stronger.
"What is going on in that mighty brain?" Ron wondered, kissing the top of her head.
"Thank you for the necklace, Ron," Hermione cooed, shyly smiling.
"Rose picked it out," Ron explained with a shrug. "I just paid for it. I thought it was a little much, fussier and bigger than you usually wear, but she said you needed some more feminine jewelry.
"It was expensive, too. After growing up poor, it is hard to explain how good I feel being able to buy something like that for you. You do look nice in it. I still say you are a bloody beautiful witch."
"I think sometimes I just need to relax and be your bloody beautiful witch," Hermione muttered.
"Something is on your mind, Hermione," Ron pressed.
"Rose," Hermione explained. "Rose thinks she is a big disappointment because she is not a leader. Remember when they took the train for the first time, and you told Rose she needed to beat Scorpius? Well, he is very much the leader, the better Magi, the published writer, and Rose has found herself by being his helper. She looks up things for him and helps him and maybe has really found herself, but she thinks because she is not … "
Hermione looked up at Ron. "Have we really wanted her to be something she is not?"
"I never thought I would like Draco Malfoy's child, but Scorpius is as good a wizard as I could hope for as a boyfriend for our Rose," Ron reflected. "If she wants to be the queen of Malfoy Manor, or if he wants to be a writer and live a modest life and she is fine with that, whatever makes her happy is fine with me."
"She is a very different person than I am," Hermione declared.
Ron nodded yes.
Hand in hand they left their room for breakfast.
Families were eating together this morning, so Hermione and Ron met Hugo, who was sitting at the table already. Rose and Scorpius joined them as Hermione and Ron were just sitting down.
"Good morning, Scorpius and Scorpius's girlfriend," Hugo kidded.
"Good morning, immature baby brother," Rose snapped.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Granger-Weasley," Scorpius jumped in with. "This is so much better than the painfully quiet and proper meals at Malfoy Manor.
"Who are you going to be learning to dance with, Hugo? Dancing lessons start for you next year. Roseanne Creevey? Jane Clark? You know them both, and they are both in Gryffindor. Or haven't you found anyone who will put up with you yet?"
Hugo frowned, didn't answer, and the discussion moved on to other topics.
Harry and Ginny were eating with Albus and Cleo. Ginny looked at Cleo and confirmed, "So you met with centaurs yesterday."
"How do you know?" Albus asked.
"An Auror who watches over you saw it on a map of the valley," Harry explained.
"Who did you meet?" Ginny wondered
"We met with some new centaurs, a herd that lives here in Switzerland," Cleo replied.
"The same way you meet with the centaurs at Hogwarts?" Ginny pondered, thinking of Cleo telling her about stripping to the waist to meet with the mares.
Cleo shyly nodded yes.
"Rose and Ginny Wang as well?" Ginny wondered.
Cleo huffed, "You have much more on than you do with one of those skimpy bathing costumes at the pond! We were covered up way more than French bathing costumes cover. There were just different parts that were not covered. It is, well, it doesn't bother me but is was, I guess, embarrassing for Rose and Ginny."
"There is something really wrong about the way centaurs were created," Albus explained, wanting to avoid how they were dressed and get into something more substantive. "We are learning more about it. Some of the way they breed and bear children is dangerous and, it is just not right. Please do not say anything about it to anyone. We have Magi and Elf healers working with them for the first time, to make breeding safer and better. They really want to keep some of their procreation, how they do it and the problems they have, secret."
"Is there anything else we can do for them?" Harry wondered.
"I guess, if Cleo and I are going to be the next rulers, with Galadriel and Thorin of course, I guess there may be some way we can change their status or something," Albus suggested. "I'm worried that way too many things are waiting to happen. One mistake and everything could fall apart."
"It feels a little like it did before the Battle of Hogwarts," Harry reflected. "Something is going to happen next year, and something the year after. I just don't have any idea what."
"We have to stay here and get back into that cave," Albus told his father. "Jesus and Ginny Wang need to stay here to open the doors. Mrs. Wang has kept them apart this last week, but she needs to let Ginny stay here for a week or two as we go through that cave."
"I think one of the prophetesses is talking to Patricia Wang, Ginny's mother," Harry told his son. "I think she may be staying to chaperone Ginny."
"All the MELL students will be meeting between now and the closing dinner and ball," Albus reminded everybody. "We will even have lunch together. Gabrielle wants to go over the current state of documents translated from and into Elfish, and after the new laws and guidelines from this year's International Conference of Witches and Wizards I have to admit that it is something we need to do."
"Everybody has things to finish," Harry admitted. "I will see you in the dressing rooms this afternoon.
The closing dinner started the same as the opening dinner, including the same beings marching in right at five o-clock in the afternoon. This time everyone except Gerhardt Richter sat down. Mr. Richter announced, "All the laws and standards have been translated into Elfish, English, French, German and Chinese. I understand that the Spanish translation is slightly delayed because of some minor differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and that spoken in the Americas, but it should be finished in a day or two. Arabic, Korean, and a number of other languages should be ready by the end of the week.
"Information about the Translation and Publication Department is at each table, if your language is not on the list or if you need more information."
Gerhardt then sat down, and the meal began. Unlike the opening dinner and ball, it seemed that everyone was on their best behavior, and neither Cleo nor Galadriel had to say anything.
Harry did let the group know, "The Swiss Aurors have detained six of the most pugnacious wizards, and kept then from coming to the ball or dance."
Emilie DuMond was walking towards the head table when she spotted Rose and Scorpius, who were talking to Hermione and Ron. She headed straight at Rose, and started right in, "Rose, Gabrielle says you have the best fashion sense in the whole school. Why is Cleopatra dressed in that fairy tale princess costume?"
"Because it fits who and what she is," Rose insisted. "I've tried to dress Cleo in subtle clothes, but they don't look right on her. They just are not her!'
"You would think someone who might be the next titular head of witches wouldn't be such a cartoonish character," Emilie complained, her hands on her hips. "Is she responsible for all you Magi and Elf Language Learners pairing up so quickly?"
"She can see if two people are a good pair, a good match," Rose proposed. "She and I have talked, and unless a couple are already friends she says there is no way she can tell if they would be a good couple."
"Ujarek Eseven Emilie scoffed. "Well, at least he is dressed like a normal wizard."
Ujarek Harry Eseven wore a normal suit, navy blue with subtle silver stripes, and a tie in Slytherin colors. He and Gabrielle did make a good looking couple on the dance floor.
Emilie turned and walked over to the head table, just as Cleo and Albus left for the dance floor. The melody was fast, so Harry and Ginny stayed at the table. Emilie looked at Cleo and Albus, and seeing that they would be hard to talk to sat down across the table from Ginny.
"Mrs. Potter, is Cleo responsible for all the Magi at Hogwarts pairing up so soon?" she asked Ginny.
"No," Ginny replied. "There is something going on at Hogwarts that seems to be making Magi mature faster, but we are almost positive Cleo is not responsible for it.
"Cleo does like babies, maybe too much, but she and I, and other people, have been reasonably successful in controlling that in her that wants other Magi to have babies."
"Many of the MELL students seem to be pairing up," Emilie objected.
"Is that so strange? You are in school with your hormones and emotions changing and maturing. It's natural for couples to pair up and break up," Ginny countered. "Cleo and I have talked about that as well. Cleo can see if couples are capable of being good couples. Some of it has to do with who is available. If you never meet someone you will never really fall in love with them. I was in love with the idea of Harry Potter when I was a child, but I didn't really fall in love with him until I met him, and fell out of love with the idea of Harry Potter and fell in love with the very real person, with all his insecurities and issues.
"The Magic and Elf Language Learners have a world of shared experiences, and it is natural that they would be drawn to one another."
"At least he is from North America," Emilie admitted, shaking her head, as she arose and left the table.
There was a slow dance, and Harry and Ginny danced. It was followed by a faster dance, but Harry and Ginny just stood at the edge of the dance floor, touching and talking and doing their best to avoid having anyone talk to them. Harry spotted Albus and Cleo and told them, Mum is tired, and we are leaving early.
None of the beings at the head table stayed past the end of the dance.
2021