Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
A/N: I definitely should have written this note last chapter, but I really can't write Krum's accent. So, in order to not be so terrible at it that it's offensive, I've just decided to not. Assume he has an accent. I'm only making a halfhearted effort at Fleur's, so assume her accent is more pronounced as well. Sorry that I didn't retain very much from my two linguistics classes. Hope you enjoy!
"This is worse than the dragons," Harry commented to his father from where he was secluded in an alcove and watching the packs of girls giggle as they walked down the corridors between classes and across the courtyard by the clocktower.
"You're so dramatic," James laughed and draped an arm over his son's shoulders. "It's a dance, not a death sentence. Just ask someone…ask the Cho girl. You seem to like her. You look over at her a whole lot anyway. Careful or you might be a bit stalker-ish there."
Harry followed James's gesture towards where Cedric and Cho were talking over on a stone bench and rolled his eyes at his dad's remark. He definitely didn't look their direction that many times. Cedric laughed at something Cho said, and Harry felt his heart clench and his stomach drop. Ok, so his father was right, he did look over there a lot, but he wasn't looking at Cho. Cedric was his friend, he was allowed to look at his friend, right? Why did it make him feel uncomfortable that he was talking with Cho though? He didn't feel that way when Ron talked to Hermione.
"Or ask your Weasley friend," James continued with an awkward clear of his throat. "You hang out with him a lot and…your mother and I, we wouldn't care if you prefer boys over girls. You know that, right?"
"Huh?" Harry looked over at his father and frowned. "That's allowed? Vernon always said…"
"Let me stop you right there," His father sighed heavily and raised a hand to stop his son. "Your relatives are terrible excuses for humans, and you shouldn't believe anything they've told you over the years. If you want to date your friend Ron, then you should ask him out. If he likes you back, then there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sorry I haven't thought to have this conversation with you before…"
"I don't like Ron, Dad. He's just a friend…basically my brother," Harry assured his father with an amused chuckle. What his dad had said really changed everything though. He had to think over it for a minute. "Does everyone know this?" He vaguely motioned to the other students at the school. "What about Sirius?"
"Well," James cleared his throat and shuffled shifted his weight where he was sitting again. "It's not as big of a deal in our society as with the muggles, but I can't promise you that there aren't bigots as well as all those pureblood racists you already know about. I wouldn't be concerned about Sirius at all though. Yeah, he's a bit of a player and obsessed with women, but he actually dated Remus for a little while our sixth year. It didn't work out between them, and they decided to just be friends, but it wasn't because either of them had a problem with someone liking their own gender."
"Huh…I didn't know that. I guess we're still only fourteen, but now that I think about it, none of my friends have actually told me they are interested in anyone specifically. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention," Harry really considered it then. He'd never actually paid any attention to even his own attraction for his fellow students at all since he expected to not be among the living much longer. Was he more attracted to girls or guys?
He looked over at Cedric and Cho…they were both very good looking. Did he find one more attractive than the other? Well…it was Cedric that he kept looking at. Was that feeling in the pit of his stomach jealousy? "Dad…?"
"Yes, son?"
"I think I might find Ced a little more attractive than Cho…" He said slowly, not really sure what this meant for his friendship with Cedric…or what Ron or Hermione would think about that. He also wasn't sure it that applied to other people besides the Hufflepuff seeker.
"Ok…so, are you going to ask him to the ball?" James chuckled and smiled down at his son who he still had his arm around. "He's your friend…just walk over there and ask if he might want to go with you. If he says no, then shrug it off and ask someone else. It doesn't have to hurt your friendship."
"No…" Harry said slowly, shaking his head. "That's not it…it's…it's just weird to ask out someone, someone who's alive."
"I hate to break it to you son, but you currently reside in the land of the living and not the afterlife. Your options are a bit limited," James leaned back to look at his son with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.
"Yeah but…I'm dead," he sighed and shook his head. "That's just…I don't know. It feels wrong to me. I might find Cedric attractive, but being with someone living…romantically...it just doesn't feel right…" He said, blushing bright red. His heart might not work, but his magic was getting quite a bit of exercise moving his blood to his face currently.
"It doesn't feel right for you, or do you think it would bother him?" James asked in clarification, a considering look on his face.
"I don't know…maybe both?" Harry concluded after some thought.
James ruffled Harry's hair, earning a glare. Harry was starting to think that the spirits wanted his classmates to believe there was a magical wind always following him around. "Harry…we really don't know how long you'll be in this world. Do you want to be alone that whole time? It might be longer than you think. Maybe you just need some time to think over this before making any decision."
"Yeah…that sounds right," he agreed. "I'll think it over…besides, it's not like Cedric likes me that way at all. See him over there with Cho…I bet they're dating or at least interested in each other. They sure hang out enough anyway."
"He hangs out with you just as much," James shrugged, now paying more attention to Harry's Hufflepuff friend than he had before.
"I'll think about it," Harry promised his dad before standing from the alcove he'd been sitting in and grabbing his things. "I should head to History of Magic now though…Sirius really has made class much more interesting. I think we're starting in on the Spanish Inquisition today."
"Binns is still sulking over here on our side," James laughed and disappeared while Harry rushed back into the castle.
Harry hadn't made much progress in his self-reflection a couple days later as he wondered down to the dungeons for Potions. He'd been chatting with Luna and the twins about an invention they were working on together to turn someone temporarily into different types of animals when they ate it. It all sounded extremely interesting, and the three friends were all excited to add in something called a crumple-horned snorkack as one of the animals someone could turn into. They had gotten stuck on adding anything that wasn't a bird, but supposedly small birds were easy. Since Harry had just left them in the library, he was alone as he made his way to class.
A silvery ghost crossed his path, causing Harry to pause and let her pass. An idea crossed his mind, causing Harry to smile and follow after the Ravenclaw ghost. "Hey, stop for a minute…" He called out as he jogged behind her.
The woman didn't seem to hear him as Harry chased her down an empty corridor. "Hello…erm, Gray Lady…?!"
Harry reached out and tugged on the woman's sleeve right before she could ghost through the wall to leave the corridor. "Excuse me?!" The woman looked down in surprise at the teen who had a loose hold on her ghostly sleeve. Her eyes widened before she took in who it was that had stopped her. "Oh…it's you…the dead one. What do you want?"
"Oh…er," Harry really hadn't planned this out. It was a spur of the moment thought that he'd acted on. He let go of her sleeve and blushed in embarrassment. "Well…er, there's this Yule Ball thing that's happening in a few weeks. Have you heard about it?"
The ghost crossed her arms and looked down her nose at the teen that was just a few inches shorter than her. "I may have heard the friar mention something of the sort," she responded with a questioning raise of her eyebrow. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well…I'm one of the champions, and erm, well we have to take someone and do a dance to open the thing," Harry rubbed the back of his neck, second thinking this whole decision. "Er…would you like to go with me?" He finally rushed out with a blush at the end.
The ghost stared at him in shock and disbelief. "You're asking me to this ball? A ghost?"
"Well, er, I'm dead, and you're dead, and well, you're closer to my age, physically anyway, than Nick…and Myrtle is a bit…much," he winced at the thought of taking Myrtle. That would be terrible! She would cry and make inappropriate comments all night.
The ghost actually laughed. Harry always thought she looked a bit depressed, but here he was standing in an empty corridor with the Ravenclaw ghost and she was laughing like he'd just told the best joke she'd ever heard. "Yes, Myrtle is definitely a bit much," she agreed with a nod between chuckles.
"Well child…do you know how to dance?" She asked with an appraising look on her face.
Harry's eyes widened. "Er…well, no…and I couldn't actually touch you since I'm trying to keep the living people from realizing I'm dead…"
The ghost sighed and gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not going to a ball with someone who can't dance. I don't care if you have to keep your hands to yourself, actually I prefer that. You must learn to dance before then though. Ask the Baron…he's a wonderful dancer," she told him as she looked him over assessingly like she was weighing his merits.
"Wait…are you agreeing to go with me?" Harry asked in shock when her words sunk in.
The ghost shrugged. "It is not like I have plans," she said dryly. "I'll go, but I will not be embarrassed by your horrible dancing. Get lessons, or I'll just leave you on the dance floor," she warned him with a sharp poke to his chest with her transparent finger.
"Right, yeah, I can do that," he assured her quickly with a nod. She turned and started to float away. "Wait…what's your name? I've only ever heard you called The Gray Lady."
"Helena Ravenclaw," she smirked at him over her shoulder before disappearing into the stone wall.
"Poppy! Dobby!" Harry dramatically fell into the armchair in the medi-witch's office, surprised that Sirius was already in there drinking tea with the two he'd come to see. "Do any of you know how to dance? McGonagall tried to teach us, but I just can't seem to get it. Maybe it's because my feet are dead, but they really don't want to move in time with the beat."
"I learned, but it's been about twenty years since I tried to dance with anyone," Sirius smirked at him over his tea. "Remus insisted on leading then anyway."
"Dobby?" Harry turned pleading eyes on the elf. "Do house elves dance?"
"Yes, Dobby could teach yous house elf dances, but it's probably not the same kinds of dances as wizards," the elf gave him an apologetic look.
"Right, Poppy, it's either you or the Bloody Baron, and I really, really don't want to have to go ask him to teach me how to dance," Harry did his best version of puppy-dog eyes at the woman.
The older woman stood with a roll of her eyes at his antics but also with a fond smile. She held out a hand to him. "Dobby, some music please," she smiled over at her assistant who popped a record on the player in the corner of the office.
"Thank Merlin," Harry sighed and took her hand. "Can you imagine learning anything from the Bloody Baron?!"
Sirius snorted. "Why was he even an option?"
"My date suggested him," Harry shrugged as Poppy arranged one of his hands on her waist and held out the other one.
"Master Harry has a date to the ball?!" Dobby jumped up and down, clapping his hands. "Who is it? Master's Wheezy or Hermy?"
Harry laughed and trod on Poppy's foot. "Sorry, erm, no I'm actually going with Helena."
"Helena? I don't remember you mentioning her," Poppy looked at him questioningly. "Is she a Hufflepuff? No, that girl's name was Helen..."
"Er…Ravenclaw," Harry blushed. "As in her name is Helena Ravenclaw."
"Excuse me?!" Sirius coughed and Poppy stopped mid-step. "There is a founder's heir at the school? I don't remember teaching one!"
"Er…she goes by The Gray Lady," Harry laughed. "I figured it'd be fitting to go with a ghost. Dad wanted me to ask someone living. He suggested Cedric, but that just didn't feel right…plus, Ced doesn't like me that way."
"Do you like him that way?" Poppy was leading now as they danced around her office to the classical music being played on the record player.
"Sort of?" Harry blushed. "I think I probably like guys more…but also, it's too strange to be with someone living…"
"What did James say to that?" Sirius looked pale but smiled at his godson, more worried that he might be alone while he was in the land of the living more than anything else. "Also…can you actually date a ghost?"
"I'm not dating Helena," Harry rolled his eyes. "And…maybe? I can touch them, but I'm not really saying I want to date a ghost either. It's just all really strange, you know. It's not like there are other people like me out there. Dad just didn't want me to be alone if I didn't want to be. He said to think about it and give it time."
"For once, James Potter shows a bit of maturity," Poppy chuckled. "He's right though. You have plenty of time to think about it. You're only fourteen. Besides, it'll be fun to go with a ghost. Can you imagine the Albus's face?! Just make sure you pretend you can't touch her. There will be people from the ministry at the ball."
"Course. I already talked to her about it, but she said I still had to learn to dance," Harry grimaced.
"Well, you're going to have to learn to lead then," Poppy nodded. "Sirius, you dance with Dobby, we're all going to do this since we're chaperoning anyway."
The tiny elf offered a hand very dramatically to Sirius. "You really think you're leading?" The tall man raised an eyebrow at the elf.
"Dobby is a great dancer," he glared and Sirius finally just shrugged and took his hand.
"Right…now, those who are leading, step forward first with your right foot," Madam Pomfrey instructed sternly as Harry and Dobby tried to step on the beat of the music.
"Did you really ask Fleur Delacour to the ball loudly in the middle of the Great Hall?" Cedric asked Ron with a smirk when he plopped down on the bench beside Harry at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.
"It was traumatic," Ron groaned and Dobby patted his shoulder with a deep sigh.
"Dobby tried to asks Winky out in the kitchens, but she told him to bugger off," Dobby sympathized. "She's still upset that she not have a family right now though."
"At least you didn't yell at her in the middle of a dozen people," Ron was definitely turning bright red. "Harry…what're we going to do? We have to have dates…Why do they all move in packs?" his eyes went wide before he turned to Hermione. "Hey…'Mione…"
"No, I already have a date. You snooze, you lose," she smirked at their friend. "Ask me earlier next time if you want to go with me."
"Oh really? Who are you going with?" Harry asked, trying to get better about paying attention to who his friends liked.
"That'll just have to be a surprise," she smirked at him and a pouting Ron.
"So…Harry, you don't have a date?" Cedric raised a questioning eyebrow, something in his expression that Harry didn't understand. He seemed almost too nonchalant about the question.
"Er…I actually do have a date, but she's just a friend," Harry responded, frowning as Cedric's expression dropped. Was he upset Harry already had a date? Did Harry just hope that he was disappointed?
"Erm, I thought you were going with Cho? Aren't you two dating?" Harry asked, trying to figure out what his friend was feeling.
Cedric slowly shook his head. "We're good friends," he corrected. "I might ask her though if she doesn't find someone else. We could go as friends too. Who are you going with?"
"Yeah, mate? Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked with a mouthful of eggs. "Also, does she have a friend?"
"If Cho already has someone, you two should just go together," Harry waved between the two of his friends. Both Cedric and Ron grimaced a bit. "Or not…"
"Yeah, mate, sorry, but I think I'll keep looking," Ron flushed apologetically at Cedric.
"No worries, believe me. I'll ask Cho," Cedric shook his head but still looked a bit upset.
"So, Harry…who are you going with?" Hermione asked Harry again with an interested grin.
"I'll tell when you do," Harry smirked back at her. "It'll be a surprise."
"Dobby thinks Master Harry is starting to be a wonderful dancer," the elf cut in as he gave a piece of bacon to Hedwig when she swooped down to visit. She didn't have any mail but preened when Harry gave her head a scratch and Dobby fed her bacon.
"You're practicing?" Ron asked in complete shock.
"Er, yeah. I have to open the stupid thing with Ced here," Harry rolled his eyes. "I think I'd rather face the dragon again."
"Speaking of…any progress on the egg? I've got nothing so far," The Hufflepuff champion asked with a frown.
"Not yet. Honestly, I've been a bit distracted with the ball, who to ask, and figuring out if I like girls or guys or ghosts or whatever…" Harry sighed tiredly. It had been a long week.
"Excuse me?!" Ron choked on the piece of toast he'd been eating.
"And…? What did you decide?" Cedric turned hopeful eyes on his friend.
"Still thinking about it," Harry shrugged. "I kind-of didn't expect to still be breathing and all at this point in my life, so I haven't given it much thought."
"Wait…ghosts are an option?" Hermione frowned in confusion.
"He can touch them. Nearly Headless Nick hugged him the other day," Cedric answered for Harry who just looked a bit sheepish.
"Ergh! Please don't go to the ball with Myrtle!" Ron groaned dramatically after having been cornered by her at Harry's death day party.
"I promise I'm not going with Myrtle," Harry assured him vehemently. "Now, Ced…that egg, what do you think the screeches are? Also, hear anything from Fleur or Krum about it?"
"Only about Ron's misguided attempt to woo our French friend," Cedric smirked at their tomato-red friend. "As for the egg…I literally have no clue…"
"Here, you might have to shrink them down a bit," Harry threw an old fashioned but still fairly stylish set of dark blue robes with white trim at Ron who was standing in front of the mirror, looking in horror at the lace on his dress that was supposed to be passing for robes.
"Thank Merlin! Where did you get these?" Ron gasped and shrugged out of the ancient robes as quickly as possible.
"They are Salazar Slytherin's," Harry informed him from where he was straightening his own overly fancy robes that Sirius had bought him. As soon as he'd seen Ron pull the lacy robes out of his trunk, Harry had immediately went to raid Slytherin's closet. Gryffindor had finer robes, but they were also the height of fashion in the dark ages, so obviously dated now. Slytherin had gone for planer robes, so they were less obviously a thousand years old, even though they were still clearly not the height of fashion now.
"What?!" Ron squeaked, with one leg in the blue trousers. "I'm wearing Slytherin's clothes?!"
"Yeah, there was thankfully a preservation charm on his wardrobe. He wasn't thrilled with you borrowing them, but Mum talked him around," Harry explained.
"They're just clothes, and it's not like he can wear them now anyway," Lily Potter huffed from where she was standing and watching them get ready. "That man is ridiculous sometimes!"
"Mum, at least turn around," Harry blushed since Ron was changing right out in the middle of the dorm.
She snorted and rolled her eyes before pointedly turning around. "Tell your friend that the trousers button on the side."
Ron had fallen over in shock at the news that his best mate's mum was standing in their down while he was getting dressed. "The buttons are on the side," Harry relayed before trying to flatten his hair down one more time.
"You look very handsome, dear," she gave her son a watery smile.
"Thanks Mum," he smiled over at her.
"She's not still looking, right?" Ron asked in horror before he pulled his shirt off.
"Nope," Harry assured him as Lily rolled her eyes again. "Are you coming to the ball?" He asked her.
"I'll pop in, but just to see you dance with your date. You were getting quite good at your last lesson," she said.
"I think my date might try to smother me if I make her look bad," Harry laughed. "She's a bit scary."
"At least you aren't going with Hermione. She's really scary," Ron commented now that his shirt was buttoned. "I really hope Parvati doesn't want to dance. I never did figure it out."
"Tell Ron to just put his hands on her waist and sway. It might not be impressive, but at least he'll be dancing with her," Lily instructed with a snort at the redhead.
"Move it, mates! We'll be late!" Neville hurried out of the bathroom excitedly.
"Right…you heard the man," Harry straightened Ron's cloak and waved his wand, using the spell his mum taught him to shrink the trousers to better fit.
"Thanks," he sighed in relief. "Parvati would hate me if I showed up in that dress," he grimaced at the lacy fabric that was in a pile at the foot of his bed.
"Yeah, well, don't spill anything on these or Slytherin might haunt you," Harry smirked and pushed his sputtering friend out of the dorm.
"Champions and dates! Line up!" McGonagall sternly instructed the champions while the rest of the student stragglers entered the Great Hall. "Mr. Potter! I told you to have a date!" She sighed resignedly at Harry. "Merlin, you best not think I'm going to dance with you!"
"I do, ma'am. I promise," Harry smiled as his beautiful, ghostly date drifted down the grand stairway beside Hermione who looked a little confused at why the Gray Lady was following her.
"Ah, Ms. Granger," McGonagall nodded.
Harry smiled broadly at his gorgeous friend. "Wow, 'Mione looks great! But, she's not my date."
"She's mine," Viktor Krum was grinning like an idiot beside Harry before he quickly walked over to take Hermione's arm. "You are the most beautiful woman here," he assured her vehemently.
"Thanks," Hermione blushed at the attention.
"Your date then?" McGonagall impatiently raised an eyebrow.
"Well…you clean up well, I suppose," Helena gave him another once-over when she came level with the fourth year. "I hope you learned to dance. I will not be made to look bad."
"I promise, I had an excellent teacher," Harry assured her quickly. "Er…you look…good." She was a ghost, so she couldn't change her clothes or anything, but he figured he should say something. Helena tossed her long, silvery hair over her shoulder and looked pleased at the sentiment regardless.
"Harry…is the Gray Lady your date?" Cedric asked, seeming to hold back a laugh from where Cho Chang's arm was looped through his.
"Her name in Helena," Harry told the assembled group and stood taller.
"Thank you, Harry," Helena gave them all an imperious look. "Well, is this a ball or are we all just going to stand around?"
"Merlin," McGonagall breathed out before shaking her head. "In all my days…all right, line up. I don't know how this is going to work, but see that you make it," she ordered them all, especially Harry.
"I think you two are lovely together," Fleur smiled kindly at Harry from where she was standing next to Roger Davies who looked a bit stunned to be attending the ball with the French champion.
"Thank you," Harry smiled. "You are beautiful as always, Fleur."
"Save me a dance," she winked at him before she and her date moved in front of Krum and Hermione who was chuckling and shaking her head at Harry.
"You will dance with me the first dance, the last, and at least two in the middle," Helena informed him. "You may dance with whoever you like besides that. Unless you are terrible, and then this will be our last dance."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry nodded as he tried to flatten his hair one more time before the Deputy Headmistress opened the doors.
Harry must have been fairly good because Helena held him to all of those four dances and another fifth for good measure. The entire student body and professors gasped in shock as Harry entered with the champions and his ghostly date. Sirius and Poppy were laughing at all the reactions from the corner of the room by where Dobby was helping to serve drinks. Ron just rolled his eyes at Harry and instead turned all his attention to Hermione where he seemed completely stunned.
"May I have this dance," Harry gave Poppy a dramatic bow and held out his hand when he finally wasn't being monopolized by Helena.
"Do you want me to lead?" The medi-witch laughed and followed him out on the dance floor happily. Her hair was up in the severe bun she only wore while at the school, but her light green robes made her look much more comfortable than her standard healer robes.
"And not show off all your hard work?" Harry winked at her and gave Fabian and Gideon a little wave over to where they were dancing together by the punch bowl and egging on the twins and Lee Jordan who were trying to spike it.
"Are you having a good time?" She asked him in genuine interest.
"A blast! I think I might try to ask Cedric to dance though," he answered her nervously. "You think that would be ok?"
She smiled and took over to spin Harry out and back again. "I think he'd be lucky to dance with you," she laughed when he stumbled back in.
"Can Dobby cut in?" The elf stepped up and tapped Harry on the back.
"Have fun you two," he winked at his little friend and headed off to find Cedric.
Harry found Cedric and Cho chatting with Fleur and her date. "Er…hi," he awkwardly said, walking into the middle of their conversation.
"Hello, 'Arry," Fleur smiled up at him from where she was sitting.
"Hi…oh, er, Cho, you look great," Harry offered with a small smile.
"Thank you, so do you," she smiled back.
"Could…well, would maybe...?" Harry sighed. "Cedric, would maybe want to dance with me?" He rushed out with a wince.
"After that, he better," Cho laughed and gave Cedric a bit of a shove to get him to stand.
Cedric just smiled and took Harry's hand with a little squeeze. "I'd be honored," he said with feeling.
Harry thought his smile might sprain a muscle in his cheeks he was so happy. "Is that a house elf dancing with Madam Pomfrey?" He heard a sixth-year Slytherin asked.
Harry looked at Cedric and they both broke down laughing. Cedric put an arm around Harry and he fit in perfectly under the slightly taller teen's arm. Harry's breath caught in his throat as Cedric took a confident step and they were dancing. With Cedric taking the lead, Harry didn't even have to count in his head and he relaxed into the movements for the first time that night. "You having fun with your date?" Cedric asked, his breath ghosting over Harry's hair.
"Yeah, I get the feeling she's trying to make the Bloody Baron jealous possibly. She keeps looking over at him," Harry shrugged. "She's nice though…just a bit stern. You having fun?"
"I am," Cedric breathed out. "You know…I was kind of hoping to come with someone else though."
"Really?" Harry pulled back to look up at the kind, brown eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. "I thought about asking someone else," he bravely added, hoping they were talking about the same thing.
"Yeah…?" The Hufflepuff's smile broadened at that and Harry was certain they were actually talking about the same thing.
"Yeah," Harry nodded and took the chance to rest his head against his friend's strong chest. Cedric's steps faltered for a second before he held Harry just a bit tighter and started dancing once more.
"Hmm, Harry?" Cedric asked as the music started winding down.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know how to swim?" He asked out of the blue.
Harry frowned and looked up as they stopped dancing with the music. "No, I don't," he said in confusion.
Cedric nodded with a frown. "Meet me tomorrow after dinner in the entrance hall. There's something we need to do then."
"Ok," Harry nodded back. As Cedric walked back to Cho, Harry's smile came back and broadened.
"What happened to you?" Helena asked as she joined him on the dance floor.
"Tomorrow is Saturday…I'm meeting Cedric after dinner on a Saturday in the entrance hall…" he replied dazedly as the music started up again.
Helena just snorted and gave him a surreptitious poke where no one could see. "I do not understand what that means at all, but you owe me this dance."
Harry laughed and just held his arms up, not touching his dance partner. "Whatever you want, Ms. Ravenclaw."
"You will follow me, child," Helena told Harry as the last song ended and everyone began to make their way back to their beds for the night.
"Er, ok…" Harry tiredly stumbled along behind the ghost who just passed through anyone who got in her way on the way out of the Great Hall.
"Harry?" Ron called out from where he was leaving the hall, having been abandoned by Parvati early on in the night when he wasn't paying her much attention.
"I'll meet you in the tower. Helena wants me for something," Harry shrugged and trotted down the corridor, trying to keep pace with the ghost.
Harry was dead on his aching feet when they reached the seventh-floor corridor by a painting that showed a man trying to teach trolls ballet. "You will pace in front of this stretch of wall and think about needing the room of hidden things three times," Helena instructed.
Harry sighed. "Why am I doing this?" He asked before pacing as instructed.
He gasped in surprise when a door appeared on his third pass. "This is the Room of Requirement or the Come and Go Room," Helena explained while Harry opened the door and ogled the mounds and mounds of forgotten and lost items. "This is just one of the infinite number of rooms it can produce. This was one of my mother's finest creations," she added sadly on at the end.
"Wow, thank you for showing me this!" Harry exclaimed. "So, I just pace three times and ask for what I want in a room?"
"Yes, follow me," she said abruptly and moved down an aisle to their left. "You were very kind to ask me to your ball this evening. I haven't felt this alive in many centuries," she informed him wistfully.
"I believe I may actually be ready to pass on to the next life if you will do one small thing for me," she said, stopping before a large wardrobe and more piles of random items. "Will you help me one last time, Harry Potter?" She asked, with her large gray eyes boring into him.
"Help you pass on to the afterlife?" He asked with a kind smile. "I would love to help you. I think your mother would really like to see you. You remind me a lot of her you know."
Helena's eyes widened. "You can see those who've crossed over?"
"I can…and I would be happy to help you cross over yourself," he assured her with a nod. "What can I do for you to leave you at peace?"
Helena waved her hand towards a glittering tiara that was sitting innocently amongst several textbooks, an ugly bust, and a wig that looked moth-eaten. "Will you take this?" She asked him. "Someone took this before…a student many years ago. When he returned it, it was dark and it contains a vile curse," she explained. "It was my mother's. To my shame, I stole it when I was alive."
Harry held a hand over the object, not sure what the curse was. His eyes widened and he let out a breath as he felt the exact same darkness and death that he had when he'd touched Tom Riddle's diary. "Was the student's name Tom Riddle?" He asked, picking up the tiara with the corner of his robe and slipping it into his pocket.
"It may have been," Helena nodded. "That sounds right."
"Great," he groaned knowing this night just got longer since he'd now have to talk to Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and maybe even Ravenclaw. "What do you want me to do with the crown-thing?"
"Diadem," she corrected. "And you may do with it as you will. Destroy it, turn it into your ministry, throw it off a cliff, whatever. It is enough that I give it to someone else who I trust will find the best solution to its existence and the curse."
"That I can definitely promise you," he smiled at her kindly. "Erm…Mum! Dad!" He called out, hoping someone was around to hear him.
"I'm here Harry," Lily appeared. "You danced beautifully."
"Thanks Mum…er, Helena," he turned back to the confused ghost. "My mum, Lily Potter is here. If you'd like to cross over, she can show you around and get you settled in. Right, Mum?"
"Of course, Harry. Rowena has been waiting for this day for a long time," Lily moved closer to the young ghost.
"Mum says that your mother is looking forward to seeing you," Harry smiled at her.
Helena sighed and shook her head. "I'm not sure I believe you, Harry. But…I'm ready regardless. It's time. Thank you for taking the diadem."
"Come visit me once you get settled in," he told her as the ghost and his mum both started to disappear.
Harry turned and groaned once more when he realized that he'd now have to find his way back out of all this mess and alone this time.