The air in the town center seemed to betray the excitement of the people. The day of Princess Hermione's ball had arrived, and the streets were now full to capacity with people. When they ventured out after breakfast to pick up the last touches for their ball looks, Harry found that he could barely breath while moving through the shops. Dean had gone back to do a rotation of guard duty at the palace, but assured them that he would be at the ball when they arrived.

They didn't have any more near misses with the Dursley's, owed to the fact that the streets were too crowded, and if Harry did see Petunia's extraordinarily long neck or Vernon's pudgy mustachioed face, he had time to duck into the mass. Ginny insisted that they arrive back at the Leaky Cauldron in time for lunch, saying that Luna was going to come and get ready with her. This led to Harry meeting Luna Lovegood and her husband Rolf Scamander.

"You are surrounded by wrackspurts you know." Luna told him, barely a minute after the two had been introduced. Ron just shot Harry a sort of smug 'I-told-you-so' smirk and shook Rolf's hand.

"Urm…thanks." Harry responded. Its not that he was necessarily uncomfortable around Luna, but there was an ethereal quality to her that made her seem otherworldly. Rolf then introduced himself to Harry, and he was rather shocked at how calm and collected the man was. He was a good complement to the bewitching woman. They sat around one of the tables in the dining room, and began to play with the chess board that was being neglected by its previous players. Harry was rubbish at the game, so he refused to play after his first defeat, but Ron and Rolf seemed to be pretty evenly matched.

"So what is it you do Scamander?" Harry offered, trying to break the air of discomfort that had settled around the men as the girls traipsed off to Ginny's quarters to get ready for their evening. Ginny had to threaten Harry with physical violence earlier to agree for her to assist him in getting ready for the ball, and he was not looking forward to being poked and prodded.

"Research. I am studying animals abroad. We have been in Africa for some time. Luna wanted to return though, before she gets too far along." Ron and Harry both stared at the man, but they were clearly caught off guard by different parts of his statement.

"You let her go with you to research abroad?!" Ron asked, as at the same time Harry went, "Too far along in what?"

Rolf's cheeks burned, and the red-headed man fussed with the neatly trimmed mound of curls on the top of his head. "Oh urm…I wasn't supposed to…Luna always says I'm terrible at keeping secrets. Firstly, she actually lets me go with her, it is her commission by the University anyway. Dumbledore said he's never seen a more accomplished beast master than my wife. Secondly…" This time he looked between Harry and Ron and leaned in. "She's pregnant, although do not tell Ginny that. We wanted it to be a surprise for later. She wants to ask her to be a godmother."

Ron and Harry looked gobsmacked at that and froze in place for a moment before clapping the timid man on the back and offering their congratulations. "Can't believe Luna's gonna be a mum. I still remember when she and Ginny were little girls playing make believe. Luna always walked around wearing cloaks and saying she was some sort of witch." The three men laughed at that and continued with making small talk until Ginny descended the stairs in her ball gown.

The gold fabric of the gown glistened in the low light of the torches on the wall, and Harry couldn't help but suck in a breath. She looked absolutely stunning. Her long red hair had been pulled back into an intricate up-do, and she wore a bright red lipstick to match the red flowers that spread from the waist of the gown.

"Blimey Gin. You look spectacular." He mused, pulling her into a tight hug. Ron seemed torn between agreeing that she looked beautiful and being upset that his baby sister was already so grown. Eventually the prior won out and he sent her his complements as well, accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. Rolf seemed to nod his agreement as well, and Harry realized why Ginny had come down.

"Alright Potter, its time to get you ready. You as well Ronald. Rolf, Luna will be down in a moment. She said she wanted to stop by her father's house before heading up to the palace. Something about news to share." There was a curious and hungry glint in Ginny's eyes, and Harry let out a startled laugh, which he very unsuccessfully tried to cover with a cough. Glaring at the boy with dark hair, she grabbed his sleeve and dragged him up the stairs.

When he, Ron, and Ginny arrived back at the boy's room, Harry was surprised to find not one, but two owls waiting for him at the window. The first owl, Harry noticed, had a letter and a small parcel attached to its leg. Untying the two, he turned his attention to the other bird. The second owl seemed skittish, and unsure of Harry, so it took some coaxing for him to release the letter without trying to bite his fingers. When he did finally succeed in getting the letter, he noticed immediately that it was adorned with Sirius's messy scrawl. Not wanting to wait another moment, he quickly tore into the wax seal and drank up the words from his godfather. Ron and Ginny sensed that what he was about to read was private, and left the room quietly.

My dear Harry,

How many times have I told you not to use my stuffy aristocrat name. Just because I am Lord Black doesn't mean you have to call me that. It reminds me too much of my bitter shrew of a mother.

As for your news, I am delighted to see that my godson may be made into an honest man yet. Do not apologize for your delay in correspondence, as I just as easily could've written to you. I am sure your mother would have loved this girl. Kind, intelligent, and beautiful…you do seem to have developed the same taste in women as your father. Young William does not need my help to be a rake, but he is indeed rather smitten with this French beauty we've run into. I believe that she might return with him to England when we are done here.

Speaking of which, I may be returning soon. The King and Queen here have taken a liking to me, and I may be close to securing a treaty with them. At this rate, I should be home within a few weeks' time. Do not forget that I think of you every day. Your father and mother would be so proud of you.

I will write more soon.

Yours sincerely,

Padfoot

Harry couldn't help but smile at the use of his godfather's nickname. When he had been growing up, before Sirius had been stationed on the continent, he always used to call him Pronglette after his father's nickname. His smile faded after a moment though, as he turned his gaze to the other letter he had received. There was only one person who this could be from. The letter was tied closed rather than sealed with wax, and it was easy to tell that this person did not have enough money for fancy parchment or quills.

Mr. Potter,

I can not say that I was surprised to receive your letter. I have been waiting since I learned of your mother's death for you to reach out. You must have many questions and I find that I am rather ashamed of how I have behaved in all of this.

Your father and your godfather were my two closest friends in the world. We had a fourth friend, Peter, but he turned out to be sniveling rat and a coward. Your father…he did not have a reason to befriend me. It was not advantageous; I am a poor man from a poor family with no useful connections, and yet he chose to treat me as a brother. When faced with the news of his death so young, I did not know what to do. I blamed myself and fled from everything; from Lily in her grief, from Sirius and his heartbreak, and from you. This caused some tension between me and your godfather and well, it was my turn to be a coward. My biggest regret though is not coming to your mother's funeral, and if you can never forgive me I will understand.

When I visited your father shortly before his death, he gave me a great task. A task that I did not think I was right for, or that I deserved to be given. I may have been right, I may have been wrong, but nonetheless, I find that I can now fulfill my old friend's dying wish.

Enclosed with this letter you will find a small parcel. Take this time to open it.

Placing the letter down, Harry grabbed the small object. It was a piece of aged leather wrapped in twine, and when he pulled the ends, it fell apart to reveal a brilliant ring. The gold ring was glimmering, a giant ruby sitting in the center, flanked by a circle of clear cut diamonds. Etched into the face of the ruby, was a very delicate P. It took a few more moments of staring for Harry to break his eyes away from the hefty piece of jewelry. Turning his eyes back to the letter, he finished reading it.

As you can see, that ring is the signet ring for your house. As the rightful heir and head of your house, it is time that I bequeath it to you. James was afraid, that if you knew your position and your privilege that you would squander your young years just like he did. He was determined to raise you away from all the pomp and circumstance. Your mother grew up poor, a commoner, and she showed James that privilege and parties are not the most important things in life; a lesson your father desperately wanted passed down to you.

I do not know when I will be ready to meet you…to face you after all my years of shame and cowardice, but I promise that one day I will take you up on your offer, and I will tell you all about the man who was my best friend and the woman who he loved.

My parting message is one of hope (something your father used to tell me when my sickness was at its worst): be brave enough to heal yourself, even when it hurts. Take it from someone who has spent the last decade refusing to let old wounds heal. The pain will fade, but the love they felt for you never will.

Your humble friend,

Remus Lupin

There were tears threatening to spill over the edges of his eyes when he finished reading the letter. He closed his hand so tightly around the ring that for a moment, he thought he might have crushed it.

"Harry I know you're having a moment, but we really do have to get you ready if we're going to be on time for the ball." He nearly jumped as Ron's voice sounded from behind him, and he couldn't help his look of surprise. Still clutching the ring in his hand, he rubbed the tears from his eyes. Folding the parchments he had received, he placed them in his new book, assuring that he would be able to re-read them at a later point. Nodding to Ron, he quickly followed the boy out of the room. Right before they arrived at the room, Harry pulled the ring onto his ring finger, finding a warm comfort in the fact that it fit perfectly. Ginny was only a few doors down, and when they arrived, she had both his and Ron's outfits laid out on the bed.

Ron, the poor bloke, was wearing his father's old court outfit, which was well made, but about twenty years out of fashion. Harry's however, were a much newer design. They dressed quickly while Ginny went to pick out her jewelry. Looking in the mirror that hung on the wall near the door, Harry couldn't help but think that he looked rather dashing in his new fancy clothes. Most of the time, he wore the same baggy and worn gray clothing, so this well-tailored suit was a welcome change of pace.

"What do you think?" Ron asked, trying to hide his grimace as he inspected himself in the mirror. The robes were flattering, albeit a little outdated, so Harry just gave his friend simple praise. "Well it may not be the height of fashion, but you look good mate. Very prince-like." This seemed to be the right thing to say, as his friend beamed.

Ginny emerged then, and Harry groaned as she held a tub of goo and eyed him like she was a wolf and he was a lost lamp.

"Your hair is too noticeable Potter. You want to sneak around, we need to tame that mess."

It took nearly half the jar of Ginny's mixture that she had purchased the day before at the Apothecary's and twenty-five minutes to successfully get Harry's jet-black locks to lay the way that Ginny wanted, but in the end, all three of the room's occupants had to agree that he was nearly unrecognizable.

"Next you'll need to remove your glasses." Ron advised, earning a nod of agreement from his little sister, who was now removing the excess goop from under her fingertips.

"I can't bloody see without them." Harry protested, but the gingers seemed unconcerned.

"You can wear them until we get there, but there is no way we can fit your glasses over your mask. You'll just have to trust us to keep you from bumping into people; well except for the person you want to be bumping into." Harry could feel his cheeks burn at Ginny's comment, and he was at a loss for words. It would only be a short while longer before he would see Susan again, her golden-brown curls once again captivating his mind.

"Earth to Harry!" Ron called, snapping his distracted friend out of his stupor. Noticing the golden mask that he had picked out a few days before being held out to him, he took it and tied the ribbons around the back of his head. One last glance in the mirror (although blurry now that his glasses were safely in his coat pocket) and Harry was convinced that no one in the world would recognize him.

"I cannot believe you've made us late Ronald. You just had to stop for sweets didn't you?" Ginny chided, exiting the carriage they had rented for the evening. The footman helped her off, followed by Ron and Harry. Harry found that while he had been overwhelmed by every new location in the past, the effect was slightly less glamorous without glasses. Not that the greyish blobs in front of him weren't perfectly nice. The two red-headed blobs continued to bicker as they lead him to the entrance doors. Ginny's mood suddenly took a turn for the better when a brownish blob that Harry assumed to be Dean approached. They arrived at the top of a grand staircase, and if he squinted his eyes, he could make out that they were in a grand ballroom decorated in beautiful blue tones.

"Alright, Dean and I will go down first, then you two can go in whatever order you wish. The princess has already been announced, so there's no need for a formal introduction of our names. Lucky for you Harry." He nodded tightly at Ginny's instructions, desperately searching the crowd of blobs for a golden brown.

Ginny and Dean did indeed go first, followed by Ron. He garnered some attention from a squealing girl, and Harry assumed that was likely Lavender Brown, and Ron would spend a good portion of the rest of the evening avoiding the silly bint. When it came time for him to descend the grand stairs, he was surprised to find a hush had fallen over the ball room. Dancing had stopped, and suddenly a wave of whispers broke out. He couldn't hear much, but it seemed they were all desperately trying to figure out just who he was.

Scanning the blobs as he came closer to them, his eyes connected with a flash of brown in the distance, and he made his way towards the center of the dance floor. As he approached it became clearer and clearer that he this was his intended target. Fidgeting with his mask and pulling some invisible lint off his collar, he bowed deeply and grabbed the hand of the girl he had approached.

"I believe I asked for a dance." He greeted, kissing her knuckles lightly and standing tall. There was something different about her when he looked up, and it took him a moment to place it. He curls were slightly less wild, tamed into pretty ringlets that fell down her back. She wore an ivory colored dress with blue ribbons tied around the arms and blue satin decorating the back. Her mask was white and gold, matching the gold of his own mask. No, none of that was what was different though, no what was different, was she was wearing a crown.