Second Gryffindor common room
"Now step forward, left, left, back." Mia droned in a bored tone. It was clear teaching was not really her forte or interest despite her own skill in dancing. Harry and Hermione did their best despite the lacklustre teacher as Harry preferred not to have his horrendous dancing abilities known to everyone.
Harry narrowingly avoided placing his foot on Hermione's like an unrefined ruffian and remembered to follow the entire pattern. The part of the routine they were practicing ended with a twirl that would end up with Hermione pressed against him. He was both dreading and looking forward to that bit of practice.
"I see you are making progress." Cressida noted as she entered the common room. "With the ball coming up soon I was starting to get worried." she noted factually as if Harry's inability to dance was a hindrance. Harry grimaced slightly as he focused on not stepping on Hermione's toes instead of the subtle verbal needles Cressida tended to throw in his direction in private.
The worst was that he knew it was her actually trying to help him. She had bluntly told him that his temper could be a problem and that she had assigned herself the task to see if she could help Harry in controlling it. Her current method consisted of throwing baiting comments and then chiding him if he bit one.
'Being a supreme king certainly isn't paying off.' Harry mused with a hint of sourness.
"We'd best call it a session however." Mia noted and her stomach soon declared the reason why. "Really, dancing lessons before breakfast… and we are waking up so early as well." she groused. "You are taking catnaps on every possible moment. Hermione is the only one who could complain." Harry rebutted. "And you said to yourself I should practice every possible moment since I am so horrible at dancing."
"True." Mia admitted as she yawned. Cressida rubbed her forehead and grumbled something about lazy knights that Mia either did not hear or purposefully ignored. Harry shook his head and hurried to his oversized room to shed himself out of the dress robes. The only thing he had succeeded so far was getting comfortable in them.
He also still found it very unfair he didn't have a clue what Hermione would be attending the ball in.
He rejoined the ladies downstairs and headed towards the great hall for breakfast. He was glad that time had softened his presence and people settled for just registering his entrance without making a fuss for it.
He settled down beside Hermione and dug in. The morning exercise had worked up an appetite. With a distant look he chewed on his scrambled eggs as he mentally revised the steps for the dances Mia had taught him when the arrival of the owls disrupted his concentration.
The owl obligingly dropped a daily prophet in front of him. Harry read the title and blinked, shook his head and read it again to find out it had not changed in the moment he had taken to clear his eyes. "Why is my choice of date a relevant subject for the news." Harry asked in disbelief. "That is a splendid question." Cressida agreed neutrally. "With your permission I can discuss this with the management of the Daily Prophet."
Harry was still too stunned that his new position would cause such inquiries on a public platform. He had, on Hermione's assistance, simply told everyone he had a date but he had not named her. Hermione had done the same yesterday after Ron had nervously shuffled over and asked her to be his date.
Harry still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the girls who happily accused him of being the heir of Slytherin and a cheater for getting his name spat out falsely by the goblet of fire would now want him to take them out for the ball. Even the French champion had asked him in a half-hearted attempt which made Harry suspect it was someone else telling to do so.
"Please do." Harry replied in the vain hope it would actually do something. He didn't think it would work however as Rita Skeeter was a rumor monger. "I hope this all goes away after the ball." "I don't think it will." Hermione rebutted as she put down the paper. "There will be at least one after analyses. I can't imagine what the tabloids Lavender and her ilk reads will say about it."
"Did you have to ruin my happy morning Hermione?" Harry asked with a pleading look.
Second Gryffindor common room
Harry's godslaying glare was utterly ineffective against Cressida as she made minor corrections to the extremely fine black robes she had seemingly conjured somewhere. Harry knew better however that the woman had managed to obtain his measurements somehow and had custom ordered the robes.
"Was this truly necessary?" he asked again. His tone was laced with annoyance. "Yes. You are a king Harry and you should show that during events like these. Just like you work actively on keeping your more childish urges under control when you are seen in public." Cressida answered.
Harry's lips thinned as he considered asking how much the robes had cost. He was no expert on materials but it was smooth, soft and the kind of black that kept that color regardless of the light that fell on it.
He glanced at Mia who was in her usual outfit and thus armour. "Shouldn't Mia at least polish her armour or something?" he asked petulantly as he couldn't find an argument to get himself dressed out in what he considered more acceptable robes.
Cressida glanced to the side with a thoughtful expression which in turn made Mia shoot Harry one that conveyed the sense of betrayal she felt at his comment. "Only if you plan to take her on more than one dance." Cressida replied. "More than one?" Harry asked puzzled. "If it is just once you are indulging your bodyguard or your own whims." Cressida replied.
"One dance will be fine Harry." Mia replied quickly and as soon Cressida's attention was focused on another perceived imperfection she shot Harry a smug grin. "Well this should be acceptable." Cressida said after a final pass. She gave Harry's hair a last withering look for refusing to bend to her will. "Then let's go to the entrance hall." Harry said.
Despite no longer being a champion he received the same treatment as them. Cressida had informed him the three champions would be introduced first and he would enter the hall last. He would then join the three champions with kicking off the ball after dinner.
Harry personally would have been completely fine with being another one of the crowd. Cressida and the ministry disagreed for differing reasons like protocol and proprietary. They did so with such a vehemence Harry just gave up and decided to go with the expected flow before he received another lecture from Cressida why he was the centerpiece of the pony show.
Upon entering the entrance hall he noted that the other champions already had their dates with them. Cedric Diggory had his long time girlfriend Cho Chang. Krum was with a Beauxbatons girl whose name Harry couldn't place and Delacour had a Ravenclaw young man who was more busy drooling in her general direction than paying attention. The disdainful expression on the Veela's face made it clear how she felt about the situation.
Only Hermione was missing and Harry could see Professor McGonagall was just a few minutes shy of personally dragging the girl into the room by the ear if she was going to be any more late.
Then Hermione appeared in a gown Harry was certain was far out of her budget. Cressida's expensive looking attire looked cheap compared to Hermione's flowing garb, small pieces of jewelry. Harry would have had words with the woman about the unnecessary expenses being made in his name if he wasn't busy with something else.
Like being entranced by the beauty he didn't know Hermione had. In the back of his mind it suddenly ticked that Hermione could be more than just a 'Best friend who happens to be a girl'.
He vaguely became aware of Krum's gaze and with a vague sense of the need to defend his territory he stepped forward. "Hermione, you look beautiful." Hermione blushed at the heartfelt comment and mustered a response. "You look handsome as well Harry." she replied.
Further fidgeting by two teenagers discovering a close friend as the other gender in a more significant manner was interrupted by Professor McGonagall. "Now all of you line up. Champions and their dates first. Mister Potter at the back." she commanded brusquely. Harry did as he was told and offered his arm to Hermione who took it with another blush.
Professor McGonagall shot a look towards Cressida and Mia. Cressida gave the older woman a nod and dragged her companion off to find another entrance into the ballroom. With a satisfied nod that all was well Professor McGonagall let the champions and campione into the room.
Hogwarts inner courtyard
Harry smiled as he stepped into the cool night air. A light layer of snow had covered the fields surrounding Hogwarts. The dinner earlier had been amusing to watch as Krum and his date struggled to converse in English neither of them mastered. Fleur Delacour had been sniping every point she could find to her drooling date who ate just as efficiently as a toddler.
Percy, who had been a replacement for Crouch had been trying to get his favor but Hermione of all people had cut that off by pointing out a ministry working had far more important things to worry about then the grades of students. Dumbledore had pleasantly cut in that he concurred with that, and those grades were his to worry about thank you very much.
The other Headmaster and Headmistress stayed well clear of the conversations and avoided drawing Harry's attention. Ludo Bagman had arrived tipsy and he had turned drunk during dinner, upon which Professor McGonagall tried to silently remove him. However the act of doing so had drawn attention and Harry was certain he would be in trouble the next morning.
After dinner the dances followed and Harry believed he had acquitted himself well. He joined the champions in leading the first dance. He then had danced a few more songs with Hermione before switching with Cressida and Mia. Despite being a Campione he felt like a rabbit surrounded by a pack of wolves as girls then tried to get him to invite them to a dance and he had called a tactical retreat.
Thankfully Hermione was willing to indulge him and provided cover by being his dance partner. However after dancing for a while she felt the strain and asked for something more quiet to recover. So with a lovely lady on his arm Harry had headed outside into the picturesque inner courtyards Hogwarts boasted.
The pair of teens headed to a bench and sat down. Mia and Cressida stepped away to give the pair a semblance of privacy. "We did better than I expected." Harry said to fill the silence. "We did?" Hermione asked skeptically. "Yes, Delacour might as well have danced with a swab for all the good he did. Krum and his girl were too busy stepping on each other's toes. Cedric and Cho weren't that good either."
Hermione thought it over and slowly nodded in agreement. "We worried about nothing then." Harry grinned in response. "I think we did." The conversation trailed off and Harry looked deeply into Hermione's brown eyes while she looked for the same secrets in Harry's green eyes.
Urged on by his hormones Harry slowly tilted his head and leaned forward. He was encouraged as Hermione mimicked the gesture and soon the pair pecked each other on the lips before blushing furiously and retreating. Then they were too busy stealing blushing glances at each other to miss the obvious amusement from Cressida and Mia.
None of them noticed a beetle rushing off with far more vigour an insect usually did in the cold season.
Second Gryffindor common room
Harry woke up and the first thing that hit him was that he had kissed Hermione, twice. Once in the courtyard and once before she left for the Gryffindor common room in the tower. The second kiss had a lot more certainty behind it. 'So… does that mean I am Hermione's boyfriend now?' Harry wondered as he stared up to the ceiling.
With that on his mind he started his morning ablutions. He came down the common room feeling refreshed but he still had a bushy haired young lady firmly in his mind. "My.. so distracted." Mia noted out loud startling Harry as she was right beside him. "Now that you have Hermione firmly in your grip. Should we worry you will turn your lecherous gaze on us, your majesty?" Cressida teased.
"What? No? Why?" Harry spluttered out confused. "What would make you think I would do that in the first place?!" he demanded a few moments later. Cressida chuckled before replying. "Your 'twin' in Japan, Kusanagi, is getting a reputation of lechery. According to some sources even heretic goddesses are not safe from his grasp."
"I fail to see how that would make me some.. Pervert." Harry said after a moment of silence. "Well, you are twins from the same adoptive mother." Mia noted. Harry frowned towards Mia. He then changed tack as he remembered another pair of twins. "Well then he is apparently the pretty one. I will have to be the smart one." he replied indirectly quoting the twins.
"Oh poo. No ravaging for me then?" Mia said in mock disappointment. Harry snorted and instead headed towards the exit. This made him miss the thoughtful look with a hint of thwarted desire from Cressida.
The portrait swung upon to reveal one Hermione deep in thought pacing a groove into the floor. "Hermione?" Harry asked surprised yet not completely so. "Ah.. Harry." Hermione replied after she nearly stumbled in surprise. The pair of teens gazed at the other and in a surge in boldness Harry stepped forward and extended his arm like he had done during the ball.
Hermione looked at his arm. "Uhm.. the ball is over." she mumbled and Harry grinned. "That doesn't stop me from being a gentleman to my girlfriend." he said far more confidently than he felt. Hermione blushed and had trouble meeting his eyes. But she still placed her arm on his communicating far more than she could in words.
Harry sagged slightly in relief, a motion Hermione mimicked as the pair headed towards the great hall for breakfast. Behind him a smiling Mia and a thoughtful Cressida followed. "They look cute together." Mia said softly towards Cressida as they trailed the teens. "They do." Cressida admitted. "What do you think of serving his majesty so far?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?" Mia asked in return and received an noncommittal shrug in return. "It's been alright. Not much has happened I suppose. But all the heretic gods that have been sighted have been dealt with by another campione." she turned her gaze back to Harry and Hermione. "So far it is just another bodyguard duty with a training bit attached to it. Not what I signed up for but I know it will take a couple more years for that."
"I suppose so." Cressida said neutrally. "What, are you unhappy with serving Harry?" Mia prodded curiously. To her disappointment Cressida did not reply. They continued the journey in silence towards the great hall.
It was more empty as usual as most slept off the late night. That however did not stop the swarm of owls swooping in and dropping the Daily Prophet on the empty spots the students usually sat. Harry unhurriedly grabbed a free copy and paused open seeing the front page picture.
"Wha… What?!" The readers of the Prophet exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of those who hadn't seen it yet. On the front page was a picture of him and Hermione sharing their first short peck while Mia and Cressida stood at the edges. Harry hurriedly scanned the contents to find the Prophet surprisingly neutral about his choice of girlfriend and instead focused on the possible love-geometry of him, Cressida and Mia.
"How did they make this picture?" Hermione asked as she turned beet red upon seeing such a private moment displayed in public. That Mia and Cressida were there, although polite enough to look away, already had the girl up during the night when her thoughts weren't straying to a certain green eyed boy.
Suddenly an aura of magic sprang from Harry as his patience snapped upon reading the article. "Harry?" Hermione carefully asked and his head turned to meet her eyes. She could see he was irritated, not genuinely angry, yet his magic bayed for his commands to fight.
"Deep breaths mister Potter." Dumbledore intoned calmly as he approached the displeased Campione. Harry snorted and closed his eyes. The shimmer of magic soon retreated back into him and he let out a deep sigh. "That annoyed me more than it should." he said conversationally. "It is a rather tasteless article." Dumbledore agreed.
"Perhaps we should make a personal joint statement towards the Daily Prophet?" Cressida suggested slyly. "I can imagine that as the Headmaster of Hogwarts having people sneak into the ball to take pictures that upsets the resident Campione is rather… aggravating." Dumbledore gave Cressida a searching look and then his eyes turned into full twinkling mode, making the night sky looking positively subdued in comparison.
"Indeed miss Layla. It would be such a bother scraping off whatever reporter off the walls the next time a reporter thinks he could violate the privacy of my charges. Although between the wards and our Campione. I am rather curious who gets this reporter first." he heaved his shoulders and sighed deeply. "However as much as my curiosity wishes to know, I am afraid I cannot let it happen."
Those who overheard the conversation gave Dumbledore a look wondering if he lost all his marbles. "Yes miss Layla. If you would be so kind as to join me." "With pleasure Headmaster Dumbledore." Cressida said, sounding far too pleased to the worry of those listening in.
Harry mused for a moment if he went too far by unleashing the two clever minded people with an issue to grind towards the Prophet's office. Then he saw the picture again and wondered instead if he could somehow add Hermione to the group.
'Sometimes, it is good to be king.' Harry thought wryly as he watched his Headmaster and bodyguard/teacher leave.