A/N This is a REALLY REALLY REALLY long chapter...sorry to those of you short chapie peeps! A lot happens here...PLEASE REVEIW *mwaz* Okay, have fun...
Chapter Eighteen
Of Potions, Proposals, and a Cappucino
As Ron sat down for dinner, he immediately realized that one was missing among their number...Sirius.
"Where's Padfoot?" Harmony said, looking up and down the table and frowning.
"At Severus Snape's funeral, I expect," Remus replied, as if this were obvious.
"Who's Severus Snape?" She asked, her frown darkening.
"Sirius didn't tell you?" Mindy replied, looking surprised.
"No," She said shortly. Ron snorted.
"He's the most evil teacher at Hogwarts. He taught Potions, terrorized the Gryffindors...not a nice guy. And he's dead. I'm over it," Ron held up a finger and closed his eyes suddenly. "Wait, wait wait!" He said, and for five seconds he kept his eyes shut and breathed in deep, then he opened them. "Yep, I'm over it."
"That's not funny," Mindy said, trying not to laugh. "Severus and Sirius...hell I might as well tell you--"
"Are you sure?" Remus interrupted, looking the teenagers over.
"Why not?" Mindy replied. "They've been protecting him for years, and whether Sirius realizes it or not they deserve the truth." Ron and Harmony were getting rather annoyed by now.
"Fine," Remus sighed. "But if you get in trouble, I had NO part in this." He said. Ron rolled his eyes and, just to tell him that he wasn't impressed by all this kryptic talk he reached over and sipped his drink as Mindy turned to tell them.
"Severus and Sirius...they're brothers." Mindy said. The drink Ron had been casually sipping came flying in all directions from his mouth.
"WHAT?!" He yelled, as Harmony picked up her napkin. "Sirius and...SNAPE? They're brothers?!"
"Half brothers, techinacally," Remus replied, not looking up from his food, but eating as if this weren't news (which, to him anyway, it wasn't).
"Uh-huh," Ron said, turning back to his food, not really wanting to know. Sirius and Severus's faternity issues were enough to keep him occupied for a while. The four ate in silence for a few more minutes.
"Well, I have all my stuff packed," Mindy said suddenly. Harmony and Ron looked up at her.
"You're leaving already!" Harmony cried.
"Well, they don't have a professor..." Mindy said, and Harmony sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I guess it will just be us and Sirius, boys," Harmony said, grinning at Ron and Remus. Remus cleared his throat.
"Actually...I was planning to go with her," Remus said.
"You are!" Harmony and Ron exclaimed.
"You were?" Mindy asked, not shouting, but surprised just the same.
"You think I'm going to let you trot off to school and leave me behind again?" He asked, grinning. Mindy giggled.
"Yes, that would be rather cruel, wouldn't it...but what if Dumbledore..."
"Dumbledore will give me something to do Mindy, trust me," Remus replied.
"But...but...You're both leaving?" Harmony asked. Mindy and Remus turned to her again.
"I'm sorry, Harm, it's not that we don't like it here--"
"It's great, but..."
"We belong at Hogwarts," Mindy finished. There was an awkard pause.
"Well, I'm going to bed," Remus said suddenly.
"Yeah, me too," Mindy said standing up. "Goodnight, kids!"
"G'night," Harmony and Ron murmered.
They both stared down at their food, and then, at the same time, they looked up at each other. Ron looked at her beautiful face, and was sharply reminded of her inhuman ears. *Do WE belong in differnt worlds?* He thought. *Do I belong at Hogwarts, while Harmony belongs here?* The very thought tore him in two.
He didn't know that Harmony was thinking the same thing.
"Wanna go for a walk?" Harmony asked suddenly. Ron nodded greatfully and stood up, holding out his hand. They walked outside and into the garden, as if it were their very last night together.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun was just beginning to rise, sending it's first rays of golden light on Hogwarts. Hiding in the still very dark shadows of the edge of the forest were five distinct figures.
"Now you behave yourself, Mindy, you're a professor now," Sirius said jokingly. He didn't show how much he was going to miss them. Having them around constantly reminded him of their days at Hogwarts.
"You are? Geez, I feel sorry for the students," Harmony teased.
"Don't forget, I'll be there to keep an eye on her," Remus said, putting a protective arm around her waist. Only Sirius understood what that meant to them.
"Oh. My. God. Mindy a professor and only Remus to keep an eye on her? Man, I'm glad I don't go to Hogwart anymore!" Ron said, laughing.
"Shut up!" Mindy said. Then she gave Harmony a hug.
"Well...goodbye, then," She said.
"Yeah, take care!" Harmony smiled.
"Have fun!" Ron winked.
"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do and you'll be fine." Sirius said. Mindy laughed.
"If I take that advice I'm sure to be fired. Tootles!"
They waved until Mindy and Remus slipped into the huge oaken doors of Hogwarts, and were out of sight. Then Sirius, Ron, and Harmony were quiet for a moment. Ron and Sirius were remembering their first time slipping those doors.
And Harmony was dreading her passage through them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Albus had just conjugated a cup of cappucino when he heard a knock on his door. He took a glance at his pocket watch, which revealed it to be 6:26 in the morning. He mused briefly why someone was knocking on his door at 6:26 AM when he was trying to drink his cappucino before opening the door.
He was quite surprised to see Miranda Himalia standing there, looking quite perky.
"Good morning, Professor!" She chirped, and Dumbledore could do nothing but stare.
"Good morning...do come in, Miranda. Remus, you as well," Dumbledore said, holding the door open for them. He wasn't surprised to see Remus at all.
"What are you staring at?" Mindy asked him, frowning.
"Miranda Himalia, perky before noon," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling. "It's quite a sight to see."
Remus laughed, but Mindy just looked rather put-off.
"Oh, c'mon Professor, I wasn't that bad!" She objected.
"This coming from the girl who threw an alarm clock at Sirius Black and landed him in the hospital with a concussion," Dumbledore said. Remus howled with laughter.
"It was for only Quidditch, and it was 6:30 in the morning!" She whined.
"Guess what time it is now." Dumbledore replied.
"Uh....9?" She said.
"6:30." Dumbledore smiled as Remus continued to laugh.
"Shut UP, Moony!" She said, hitting him on the arm.
"Hey, that hurt!" He said, rubbing the spot where she had punched him.
"It was supposed to," She snapped. Suddenly Dumbledore began to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Mindy asked him.
"You two haven't changed a bit." Dumbledore replied.
"And just what do you mean by that?" Mindy demanded. Dumbledore just smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, onto business...do you have ANY teaching experience, Miss Himalia?"
"No," She replied.
"Have you ever worked with teenagers?"
"No,"
"Do you have any which potions to use for which classes?"
"No,"
"Welcome aboard, Professor Himalia!" Dumbledore exclaimed, holding a hand for Mindy to shake. She gave Remus a quizzical glance, and realized that he was doing everything but running from the room to keep himself from laughing.
"All righty then, boss," She said, shaking his hand.
"And Remus...you can be here to protect the school at these dark times." Dumbledore continued, looking at the werewolf with twinkling eyes.
"When do I start?" Mindy asked. Dumbledore thought for a moment.
"You'll need time to look at your schedule and Severus's upcoming lesson plans..."
"This afternoon?" Mindy said. Dumbledore smiled to himself...she really had no idea what it took to be a professor.
"Of course." He dismissed them, so Remus and Mindy took their leave. They had not walked far down the corridor that held the gargoyle when they bumped into somebody.
"Crystal!" Mindy smiled. Crystal gave her a hug, and smiled at Remus. She was glad to see that Mindy hadn't left him behind again. Mindy returned the hug somewhat awkwardly. She didn't know if she had really forgiven Crystal in the depths of her heart...and she didn't know if Crystal had forgiven her.
"Hey you two, don't go huggy on me," He teased. "I'm still getting over the fact that you can look at each other properly."
"Don't be silly, Moony," Mindy replied, rolling her eyes. She expected Crystal to do much the same, but her chocolate eyes were wide with realization.
"What is it?" Remus asked, frowning.
"Mindy, no here knows we get along!" She cried.
"So?" Mindy asked.
"If we are...civil, then someone might ask us when we found the time to reconcile."
"And?" Mindy asked, still not understanding what she was getting at.
"And what are we supposed to tell them?" Crystal asked, looking at her pointedly. Remus nodded with understanding. Mindy rolled her eyes again.
"Aw, c'mon Crystal! Can't we tell them that was a long time ago and we've grown up now?" Mindy whined, sounding about seven years old.
"Mindy, since when do either of us give up on grudges?" Crystal asked, raising an eyebrow. Mindy grinned devilishly.
"Good point...so we just have to pretend we hate each other like we did back in the good old days?" Mindy asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
"That won't be difficult." Crystal teased.
"I take that as an insult." Mindy said huffily.
"Good, that's the point." She replied. She and Mindy stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into giggles. Remus was utterly confused.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So wait...Potions isn't cancelled?" Neville asked, confused.
"No, Neville," Hermione repeated. "They annoucned that there was a new professor at lunch. Weren't you listening.?"
"I just thought that maybe she would start tomorrow." He replied woefully. The idea of a new professor was not changing his opinion on Potions.
"C'mon, we'd better go if want to be there on time," Harry said, looking at the clock. He took Hermione's hand as they walked through the halls to the Potions classroom.
They entered just before the bell rang and took their seats. They looked around nervously for the professor. They waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, fifteen minutes later, they heard the door open and spun around as two people came rushing in.
"Sorry I'm late," The woman said. She was pretty, with long blonde hair and soft green eyes. She was blushing at the moment as she tried to handle a tall stack of papers and kept dropping them. Finally she muttered something under her breath, and dropped them all.
"Well, I feel better now," She said, looking up at the students. "Hello, my name is Miranda Himalia. Technically you're supposed to call me 'Professor Himalia' but I probably won't even recognize it as my name, so just Mindy is fine, if that works better for you."
Harry stared at her in shock. Who WAS this woman? She was nothing like Snape in the least. He noticed several sighs of relief floating around the room.
"Okay, um...roll call, of course. I say your name, you say here, ect ect, ya'll know the drill. Okay, Brown, Lavender!"
"Here!" Harry waited patiently for her to call his name.
"Potter--" She stopped and stared at the list. Harry sighed, he hated being recognized for his famous deed he didnt' remember.
"Harry Potter?" She said in shock.
"Yeah," Harry sighed.
"Whoa. I didn't know James' son was in this class! And passing! Whew, I'm impressed." She muttered to herself. Harry looked at her quizzically, but she had already called 'Rilvestra, Demitri'.
"Who's that?" One of the Ravenclaws (Harry recognized her as Lisa Turpin) asked, pointing at the man sitting in the back of the class who had entered with Mindy as she finished taking the roll.
"Professor Lupin!" Dean exclaimed. Harry spun around, and it was indeed Remus Lupin. His eyes lit up. If Lupin was here with her, Mindy was definately cool.
"Yes, that would be Mr. Remus Lupin." Mindy said, sounding rather annoyed. "Who shouldn't even BE HERE because he can't BREW A POTION to save his life!"
"And you can't teach a class to save your life, so I figure between the two of us these kids might actually learn something." Remus shrugged. The class laughed.
"Yes, well...shut up, Moony!" She replied, sticking her tongue out. Harry felt his heart lift up--she had called him by his Marauder nickname.
"Well, um, Professor Snape left many things to grade and I can't read his handwriting, so I've decided that we'll start with something new. The problem is, I spent so much time trying to read his sloppy handwriting that I haven't figured it out yet. So, today we're going to play an ice breaker."
"Ice breaker?" Neville squeaked, sounding somewhat frightened.
"Uh-huh," Mindy replied. "Ice breaker refers to a game that helps new people get to know each other. And although I'm sure the Gryffindors know the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws know the Ravenclaws, how much do you really know about each other? And I don't know...most of you. So, allow me to explain the rules." She looked around the class. "Okay, the desks have got to go," With a wave of her wand, she gracefully swept the desks away. "Pull your chairs into a circle, that's it. Okay, the rules, the rules...
"There's somebody in the middle, for a start. That person says their name and one thing about themself. Then, they call out a feature, for example 'All people with blue eyes'. then everyone with blue eyes has to stand up and switch chairs. You realize that I'm standing and you all are seated, which means that, including myself, there is one less chair than there are players. The last person standing after everyone else has switched has to be in the middle...Did that make any sense?" She said, talking rather quickly. 'When does she breathe?' Harry wondered. He nodded, and saw that so was about half of the class.
"Okay, let's start...wait a sec. Remus, you're going to play too!" She said, looking at Lupin, who was comfortably seated outside the circle.
"Awww, do I have to?" He whined, pulling his chair into the circle.
"Okay then!" Mindy chirped. "Um...I'm Mindy, naturally, and my fact is..." She looked around the room as if she were playing I spy. "I lived in Australia for twenty years. Okay, all the people who are wearing white socks!"
Harry watched as the people around him scurried to find other seats. He smiled...he was wearing a pair of socks Dobby had knit for him. He looked, and realized Hermione was standing. He laughed out loud.
"Okay, I'm Hermione Granger, and I'm Head Girl. That was easy. Okay, all the people who like Quidditch!" She said, winking at Harry, then laughing as he tried desperately to find a seat. To her disappointment, however, he was too quick for the competion.
"Hi, I'm Terry Boot, and I'm an alcoholic," Said the standing Ravenclaw, earning a gale of giggles. "All right...all the people don't like Divination!"
With much laughter (and a lump on the head for Neville) there was only one person who had not been in the circle...Remus.
"All the people who are werewolves!" Mindy exclaimed in frustration after her third turn in the middle.
"That's just not fair." He said playfully as he allowed Mindy to take his seat and stopped in the center of the circle. "Hi, I'm Remus Lupin, obviously. And...something you don't know about me..." It seemed he was having trouble coming up with something. He spun around slowly, looking at everyone in the circle, before his eyes stopped at Mindy. He smiled at her, looking her square in the eye.
"And I want to marry your Potions professor." He said. Harry felt his eyes widen. WHAT?
"Are you asking me to marry you?" Mindy asked in astonishment, standing up.
"Maybe I am asking you to marry me," He answered.
"And maybe I'm accepting," Mindy smiled. And right there, in the middle of a circle of students, he wrapped her into a kiss.
"And five points from Gryffindor for being a smart ass." She said as she pulled away, though still smiling.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mindy was walking on air that night. She was going to marry Remus! She had wanted it for so long...
She crawled into bed, smiling to herself even as she fell asleep...and into a dream.
~*~
"Mindy, you're a very beautiful girl."
"You say that all the time, Wes," She teased, laughing. Wesley was a wonderful man, and she had fallen in love with him...though it was the same as falling in love with Remus. She had pushed Remus out of her mind, however. He was back in England, and here she was, in beautiful Australia, with a sweet, handsome guy who claimed to love her.
"That's becuase it's true!" He replied, tugging gently at her hair. "Mindy, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."
"Anything," She said, her heart melting to her boyfriend.
"Min...will you marry me?" He got down on one knee and produced a beautiful diamond ring. She gasped. She looked up at Wes in shock, and for a moment, she saw Remus, holding out a little black box. But then he was Wes, her sweet, adorable Wes, looking at her with large anxious eyes.
"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Yes, I will marry you!" His face lit up as he slipped the ring on her finger. Laughing, he picked her up and spun her around, and when her feet touched the floor, he wrapped her into a kiss...
She was incredibly nervous about returning to England for the reunion. She did not show it, however. She was not angry at Crystal....until Crystal reminded her of their feud. Her hopes of forgiveness turned sour.
The fact that Remus smiled at her made it no easier. Somewhere, hidden beneath her love for Wes, were her feelings for Remus. She did not want them bothered. She was glad Wes was there with her.
She missed her daughter. Raina had her father's dusty red hair and her mother's sea green eyes. She reminded Mindy of a softer Lily, so it came as no surprise that her name was Raina Lily Ravine. It was Mindy's first long time from her daughter, and she was somewhat uncomfortable leaving the infant with Wes's parents.
She talked with old friends, and smiled at old Moony. She could not avoid his beautiful brown eyes...so different from the smiling blue orbs Wes had. She was relieved when Wes came, and she could remind herself that she was happily married. It made it easier to pretend she didn't see the pain in Remus's eyes...
The weight of the world had hardly daunted Miranda Ravine to the outside eye. She was a sucessful woman, raising four children with her husband around working on research in the universty she had graduated from. She worked on trying to developing potions for a number of useful things, and had built quite a name for herself in Australia.
However, sometimes emotions she had locked away resurfaced, and Mindy would call in sick for work. She had only half coped with James and Lily's death. Everyone had celebrated the downfall of the evil wizard in Britain...and Mindy would still dream sometimes of lifting the newspaper and seeing the name 'Harry Potter'...and finding out that his parents were dead. That Sirius Black, one of her best friends, had been working for Voldemort and had brought about Lily and James's deaths. That Peter was also dead.
Wes tried, but he could never really undertsand why Mindy cried for them. He did not know the bonds that held the Marauders together. It was times like that that made her wish she had Remus's shoulder to cry on. She had hidden him away in the depths of her mind, where she couldn't feel guilty about marrying Wes...even though at least part of her heart would always belong to Remus.
That day, Mindy had been looking forward to going home. The next day was the birthday of her youngest child and only son; Evan. Wes, her daughters (Raina, Holly, and Summer) and her were planning a big party...he was going to be ten years old.
Mindy apparated to a small forest just outside of town. She lived in a Muggle town near Sydney, almost on the coast. She always apparated here because she lived in a Muggle town and didn't want to be seen. Then she began the walk home.
Suddenly she heard screaming and saw flashes of color. The darkening twilight was lit up by a sickening green light. Mindy's eyes were inevitably drawn to what she already knew was there.
The Dark Mark.
She dropped the bags of party supplies she was carrying and ran without thinking to her house, praying for the impossible. When she arrived, she found what was left of her beuatiful white house smoldering. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes travelling over the wisps of smoke. She saw a half burnt piece of wood that she recognized as the dinner table, and the black remnants of Holly's favorite quilt.
As the Magical Law Enforcement squad began to arrive, Mindy fell to her knees. She screamed up at the sky, seeing nothing but the grinning green skull through her tears...
~*~
Mindy woke up panting and crying. She was damp with sweat, and her side ached as if she had really been running. She pushed off the covers and jumped out of the bed, staring at it as if it were the reason for her nightmare. Slowly her breathing returned to normal.
Wes...she suddenly felt guilty for her happiness with Remus. The complete happiness she had never had with her late husband. Was Wes going to haunt her dreams when she married Remus like Remus did when she married Wes? She fell into the only chair in her dark room and put her head in her hands.
She was momentarily transported back in time again. The breeze was lifting her hair...it smelled like salt. She was leaving for Britian tomorrow, but she had to visit them one last time. The five headstone were omninous and gray.
Wesley Charles Ravine Raina Lily Ravine
1967-1994 1978-1994
Loving husband and father The light of her parents' lives
Holly Willow Ravine Summer Julia Ravine
1980-1994 1982-1994
The joy of her parents' lives The sunshine of her parents' lives
Evan James Ravine
1984-1994
The apple of his parents' eyes.
Mindy pulled herself out of it, but the headstones still seemed to be there, reminding her that she had just left them back in Australia. She shook her head, trying to make the vision leave her. She came to the conclusion that she needed some hot chocolate. Mindy being Mindy, she was convinced that conjured chocolate did taste that good (so, as a matter of fact, was Dumbledore) so she slipped into her bathrobe and crept into the teachers lounge.
She opened the door quietly, knowing that Crystal's room was nearby, and not wanting to wake her. She tiptoed inside, and silently started creeping toward Dumbledore's stash of hot chocolate.
"Mindy?" A voice came out of the darkness, scaring her out of her wits. She jumped and put a hand to her heart. She spun around to see Crystal herself, in a long blue bathrobe, rising in concern.
"Oh Crystal...it's you..." She breathed, trying not to sound too panicked.
"Mindy, what's wrong?" Crystal's dark eyes searched Mindy's green ones. They were crying out for help.
"I...I had a dream...about Wes and Raina and..." Mindy suddenly began to sob. Crystal hugged her reasuringly, rubbing her back and letting her cry. She didn't realize that Mindy had been so affected...she mentally kicked herself. Of course she had been affected! Her husband and four children had been murdered!
"It's okay, Min, it's okay..." She whispered, as Mindy started shaking. She pulled away and gave Crystal a wobbly smile as her tears began to subside.
"Here, I just made it," Crystal said, sitting Mindy down and handing her a mug of hot chocolate. Mindy looked up at Crystal with a look of undying gratitiude that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate.
"Thanks," She whispered, and Crystal smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mindy had never imagined staff meetings to be so incredibly boring. While back in school, she and Sirius had been convinced that the staff spent their meeting time planning new and more terrible detentions. As it turned out, they talked more about the supplies needed in Herbology and the Charms curriculum next year. Mindy was soon asleep...as she had gotton almost none after her nightmare the previous night.
While Mindy slept, Dumbledore brought up the problem of the Valentine's Day Dance, which was open to seventh years and their dates only. It was to be held in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks, and no one in the staff was exactly jumping up and down to chaperone.
"What about you, Miranda, would you be willing to chaperone? Miranda? Miranda?" Dumbledore tried to get Mindy's attention, struggling not to chuckle as he realized she was in a slumbering state. She wasn't the first.
"What? Yeah, uh-huh..." Mindy replied, sitting straight up and trying to pretend that she had been paying attention the whole time.
"All right, that's one chaperone for the Valentine's Dance, now--" Dumbledore began.
"WHAT?!" Mindy exclaimed.
"Yes, Miranda, you just agreed to chaperone," Dumbledore explained, his eyes twinkling. Mindy felt her eyes widen...she had plans to spend Valentine's Day with Remus!
"But...but..." She spluttered. Seeing the odd smile on the Headmaster's face, she realized that she had been tricked into it and sighed in defeat.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore continued. "We will be needing a second chaperone..."
"Remus will do it," Mindy interrupted quickly. Dumbledore turned to her yet again, raising his eyebrows.
"Really, Miranda? He told you this?" He asked curiously.
"Well not exactly...but I'm sure he wouldn't mind..." She replied, looking at him hopefully. He shrugged.
"If he agrees it's fine with me," Dumbledore replied. "That's all, meeting adjourned."
Mindy was one of the first out of the room. She was absolutely mortified that Dumbledore caught her sleeping during a staff meeting.
Being that Headmaster and Deputy headmistress, Dumbledore and McGonagall had more papers than anyone else, and coincidentally, were always the last ones out of the room. As she finished stacking her papers, Minerva looked at Dumbledore curiously.
"What?" Dumbledore asked, not needing to look up to feel her gaze.
"If Miranda and Remus chaperone, we still have one problem," Minerva explained.
"Really? What would that be?" He asked in amusement.
"Who will chaperone them?" She asked. Dumbledore started to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mindy was spending as long getting dressed up as any of the young girls before the dance. She met up with Remus inthe Great Hall before it filled with students, because they had to be the first in Hogsmeade.
Remus was pacing the hall nervously. He was dressed his best deep green dress robes. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was a chaperone not a student! Why should something as simple as chaperoning a dance with his fiance be so nerve-racking?
"Remus?" Came a soft voice from behind him. He jumped and spun around. He felt his jaw drop.
"Mindy, you look....beuatiful," He stuttered. Her hair was up in a complicated bun which involved braids and many bobby pins...except for one tendril which fell down her right cheek, curling under her chin. She was wearing a spaghetti strap royal blue dress that went straight down to her ankles. It brought out the hidden blue in her eyes.
"Really?" She asked, looking away, blushing and biting her lip.
"Really really," He replied, smiling, and she laughed.
"Well you don't look too bad yourself...why are we just standing here? We're supposed to be down there already!"
"Right this way, m'lady," Remus relied, offering his arm. Mindy took it and smiled up at him as he led her out to the carriage. She felt like a princess from a fairy tale.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry was getting rather impatient. Honestly, how long could it take for her to get ready? He had been waiting for Hermione for half an hour. Ten minutes ago he had seen Parvati and Lavender come down and trot off giggling with Dean and a very red Seamus. Harry couldn't think of anything that could be taking Hermione this long. Just when he was about to storm upstairs and drag her to Hogsmeade, she descended down the steps. Harry felt his eyes bug out and he took a sharp intake of breath in surprise.
The dress was a pale lavender. It was strapless, but it had a shawl which was wrapped around her shoulders. The dress had a tight bodice, but it belled out slightly (but not like the ballon bell out Parvati had been wearing) at the waist. Her hair was piled up on her head in a trendy hairstyle, with one curly tendril falling on each side of her face. She had even applied a touch of make-up.
"Her...Hermione?" Harry croaked out. She bit her lip and looked down at her dress anxiously.
"Do you like it?" She asked.
"It...you...wow," He gaped. Hermione's face broke out into a smile.
"Men, they're all hopeless," She giggled, winking at him. He snapped out of his trance, and took her hand happily. He couldn't believe she had gone to all that trouble...for him! All his impatiance had vanished the moment he saw her face.
"Shall we go?" He asked.
"Naturally," She replied. The talked, laughed, and held hands down into Hogsmeade.
And there was a blessed moment in time where they knew only each other...not even Ron.
As soon as they got into Hogsmeade they were attacked by people, the girls squealing over Hermione's dress and the guys winking at Harry behind her back. AS the pub began to fill, Harry realized that he was rather hungry. The band (a group neither Harry nor Hermione recognized, but that Neville and Seamus seemed to know well) was playing, and many couples were already dancing, but the food was no where in sight.
"Hey, Remus!" Harry said, gesturing to him. He was no longer 'Professor Lupin' and everyone felt weird calling him 'Mr. Lupin', so Remus took a page out of Mindy's book and told the students to call him by his first name. He seemed to relax around her.
"Yes, Harry?" Remus said, moving through the crowd toward him.
"When are we going to eat? I'm starved!" He exclaimed.
"When all the seventh years get here." Remus replied, shrugging. Harry looked around him. Everyone he knew was here.
Everyone but Ron.
Harry forced the thought out of his head and plunged on. "Who's not here?" He asked.
"Um..." Remus pulled outa check list. Harry assumed (correctly) that it was one of Remus and Mindy's jobs to make sure everyone was there.
"Draco Malfoy," Remus replied. Harry made a face. It was just like Malfoy to keep everybody waiting. As he was walking back to where he had left Hermione (they had decided not to even attempt dancing until after eating) he passed Pansy Parkinson.
"Where is my Drakey?" She asked, paying her date (some fifth year) absolutely no attention. Harry made a face.
"Who are we waiting on?" Hermione asked.
"Malfoy," Harry muttered. Hermione made a face similiar to the one Harry had made. Soon they could here muttering all around them....where was Malfoy, and why was he holding up the entire meal? Everyone from every house was getting annoyed with him...even Crabbe and Goyle.
Then, suddenly, there was a rush of air as the door opened. Everyone turned to see Malfoy standing in the entrance. He was dressed in very nice black and silver robes that looked like they had cost a fortune, and he was...alone. Harry wondered why he didn't have a date after all the younger Slytherins who had begged to go with him.
"Hey Draco, where's your date?" Pansy purred. Draco raised an eyebrow and took a step into the pub. He then extended a hand, and Harry watched as a softer, more femine hand was placed into it. He pulled in his date, and Harry (along with the majority of the people present) gasped.
It was Ginny Weasley.
She looked absolutely beautiful. Her dress was a deep, Slytherin green. It had one sleeve on the left, and a slit up the left leg. Her hair was curled, and loose around her shoulders. Pansy immediately began to curse under her breath.
"Well, um...okay food time!" Mindy said, waving her wand and making platters of food appear in the middle of every table. However, Harry didn't notice. He was staring at Ginny. With Ron's absence, he felt it was his duty to protect her. They were chatting happily as they walked over to find a table. Harry stood up as they passed theirs.
"Malfoy," He growled. "We need to talk." Malfoy raised his eyebrows.
"I'll be right back," He said to Ginny. She smiled and sat down in Harry's empty seat next to Hermione.
"Malfoy," Harry hissed once out of the girls' hearshot. "What the HELL are you doing here with Ginny?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you care, Potter?" He drawled. He was enjoying the rise out of Potter.
"Why do I care?" He echoed in disbeleif. "Because I know you're up to no good, that's why!" Harry spat, unable to think of a better reason than the obvious. Draco allowed this two entire raised eyebrows.
"Can't I take my girlfriend to a dance without getting the third degree?" He asked. Harry's mouth fell open, and he was almost spluttering as he replied.
"Your WHAT?" He demanded. Malfoy smirked.
"That's right, Potter," He replied. "For someone who seems to have his nose in her business an awful lot, you sure weren't paying attention to the fact that we've been dating since December."
"WHAT?" Harry exploded.
"Variation, Potter, variation." Malfoy drawled. He looked over at the table where Hermione and Ginny were immersed in (a very similiar) conversation. Harry pretended that he didn't see Malfoy's face light up as he saw her. He pretended that when Ginny turned, it was not for Malfoy. She could not betray them like this!
However, Harry could not pretend he didn't see Malfoy wave and Ginny smile and wink in return. Malfoy turned back to meet Harry's blazing eyes.
"Potter, if you're quite through, I am wasting my time," Draco said. He was being quite honest for a Slytherin. However, Harry failed to see this. He was convinced Malfoy had Ginny under a spell...or something else. At least, that's what he told himself. He couldn't deny the light in Ginny's face when she smiled at him.
"If you lay a FINGER on her..." Harry said quietly, leaving the rest to Malfoy's imagination. Malfoy rolled his eyes in return.
"Yeah, yeah, Potter. Quit acting like her older brother." Malfoy drawled, and Harry's eyes blazed. "I already had this lecture from him..." Draco muttered under his breath. Even though there was virtually no space between them, Harry could only make out a short stream of unintelligable babble.
"What was that?" He demanded feircly.
"Nothing, nothing...."
"Why are you here with...with....Malfoy?" Hermione asked as soon as Ginny sat down. Hermione spat his name in disgust. Ginny rolled her eyes. Honestly.
"Because he asked me to go," She shrugged.
"He's a MALFOY, Ginny!" Hermione hissed. "He's bad news! If you were really that anxious to come--"
"No, Hermione, that's not it," Ginny interrupted feircly. "I wouldn't have come with anyone BUT Draco."
"Wh...WHAT?" Hermione spluttered in disbelief.
"We've been going out since Christmas," Ginny explained, rasing her eyebrows. "Or haven't you noticed?" This threw Hermione off. She hadn't been paying Ginny much attention...maybe that's why she went running to Malfoy...
"Look, Ginny, I know I haven't been hanging out with you a lot. Is that why you're going out with him? For attention?"
"NO!" Ginny spat in disgust. "God, Hermione, what do you think I am? I'm going out with Draco because...because I like him. And he likes me. And....and..." She suddenly looked rather insecure, turning her gaze from Hermione's concerned eyes. "And I think I'm in love with him."
"GINNY!" Hermione gaped. "You're only sixteen! And...MALFOY?"
"Variation, Hermione, variation," Ginny mumbled. Hermione was so shocked over what Ginny had said before that she didn't even hear it. She could not believe Ginny had just uttered those words. The thought occured to her that Malfoy had her under a curse...or maybe blackmail.
"Ginny, has Malfoy done anything to you? A curse or...something else? Don't be afraid to tell me." Hermione said quietly.
"NO!" Ginny cried in mortification. "Draco would never do ANYTHING like that! How can you say such things?"
"Just look at him!" Hermione cried in exasperation. This turned out to be a bad idea, because when Ginny turned to look at Malfoy and Harry, Malfoy waved at her. Ginny's face lit up and she smiled, winking back. Hermione watched, dumbfounded. What amazed her the most was that Malfoy hadn't smirked...he seemed sincere in his smile for Ginny.
"Ginny...I don't think this is a good idea," Hermione pleaded desperately. "I don't know what Malfoy's up to. If Ron were here--" Hermione immediately cut off her sentence, placing her hand over her mouth. Ginny turned her head, her curls falling around her.
"Oh Ginny, I'm so sorry...that was way out of line," Hermione said quietly, gently touching the younger girl's shoulder. She turned back, and gave Hermione a half smile that sent her even further into guilt. How could she have used Ron as a tool for this arguement? Ron was her brother and he was...gone. Hermione couldn't bring herself to use the word 'dead' even in her thoughts.
"That's okay," Ginny said quietly. She looked up as the two boys approached, smiling gratefully at Draco.
She wasn't smiling because he would distract her from thinking about her brother's death (as Hermione thought) but rather because he could whisk her away so she wouldn't have to act like she was upset about the nonexistant death of her brother. She felt like she was manipulating one of her best friends, on top of lying to her. At the moment, she was more worried about the package she had sent to Ron than his 'death'.
"Are you hungry?" Draco asked her. Hermione shot a look behind them at Harry, who shook his head.
"Not really," Ginny replied, looking unenthusiastically at the many tempting dishes around her.
"Then may I have the pleasure of the first dance?" He asked, holding out his arm. She giggled and nodded, standing. They were the only couple dancing. The others watched as they ate...many Gryffindors and Slytherins losing their appetites.
Harry plopped down with a sigh. He looked back up at Hermione and managed a smile. She really did look beautiful.
"No luck?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"Quite the opposite...she said she was in love with him," Hermione replied, sighing. Harry's eyes popped out, and he put his head in his hands with a groan. If Ron knew Harry was doing such a bad job of looking out for his little sister, he would probably not be talking to him.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Remus asked in concern as he passed their table.
"Nothing." Harry replied, sounding as if something were VERY wrong. "Remus, are we allowed to drink at this shindig?"
"Not you minors," Remus replied, winking. "But I think I might have a mead..." He turned and headed off, presumably in search of Madame Rosmerta.
"Harry, don't worry about it," Hermione said lightly, trying to pretend she didn't see Ginny's head on Malfoy's shoulder. "Eat something. It's dinner time!"
"You're right, as usual," Harry smiled. "And I am NOT going to let Malfoy ruin this for us," He picked up his fork and winked at Hermione. "Bon appetit!" He said in a terrible French accent, sending Hermione into a fit of giggles.
It became easier to ignore Malfoy and Ginny as the dinner continued and other couples began to dance. Harry and Hermione were laughing and talking, eating slowly. Harry was in no rush to show off his terrible dancing skills. He was trying to think of ways to stall as he munched thoughtfully on his chocolate cake. He was so full he thought he would explode, but he kept eating to postpone the inevitable.
"Hey!" Mindy said, flopping down in the seat next to Harry. Hermione giggled. "Mind if I have a bite of that?" She asked, pointing to the remnants of Harry's cake. He pushed it toward her.
"Help yourself," He said, thankful that he wouldn't have to finish it himself. Mindy began devouring it.
"Hungry, Professor?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Well, I've just sort of been snipping at the student's food, and I haven't actually sat down to have a plate myself. Some of the students aren't as generous as Harry here," She said, rolling her eyes. Harry and Hermione gave each other a 'look'. They both thought she was nuts.
"Where's Remus?" She asked curiously, as she finished Harry's cake.
"I don't know," Harry replied, "He said something about getting a mead..."
"WHAT?" She asked, her eyes going wide. "James, don't you remember what happened last time you tried to give him alcohol? He--"
"Professor?" Harry interrupted, confused. Mindy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She realized when he interrupted her that the boy she was speaking to did not have the warm, chocolate eyes of her classmate, but the vivid emerald eyes of one of her best friends.
"I'm sorry, Harry," She said quietly as she opened her eyes to convince herself that it was indeed Harry and not James. She was quite anxious to avoid a conversation with him at this point, so she started looking over his head for Remus.
"You knew my dad?" Harry asked curiously, his head cocked to one side.
"I think I see Remus!" Mindy exclaimed with a little bit too much enthusiasm. She leapt up and ran off after him, unfortunately finding him in the midst of his second mead.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Is she ALWAYS this late for these dance thingies?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes. Most of Marigold's high society was alrighty in the Ball Room for the Valentine Feast and Ball, but Harmony was not. Sirius, who was standing next to him and assumed he was the victim of this question as he had been every five minutes for the last half hour, shrugged.
"I don't know," He said for the fifth time. Ron sighed.
"I'm going to talk to King Shinra," He muttered. Sirius looked over at him in confusion.
"Why?" He asked, frowning.
"Just..." Ron mumbled something, his ears going red, before turning and hurrying off in search of the king. Sirius rolled his eyes, turning back around to look at the steps leading into the ballroom to wait for Harmony. He felt his eyes widen and his mouth drop at what he saw.
"Hey," Crystal had never been one for fancy dresses, and compared to most of the blue blood sprites present her short, simple black dress was quite plain. However, its simplicity was what made it look so good...the dress went about halfway down her thigh and it was held up by two speghetti staps. She had cute black sandels and her hair was swept back into a french twist. She looked every inch the woman Sirius always knew she would grow to be.
And man, she looked HOT!
"Well, well, well, aren't I the luckiest guy here!" He grinned.
"Well, naturally!" Crystal smiled, standing on her tip toes to kiss him.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here?" Sirius asked. 'I would've done something with my hair' He thought.
"Because I didn't want to disappoint you if I couldn't slip away from Old Bumblesnore," Crystal said, sending them both into fits of laughter. Ron chose this particular moment to return from his conversation with the King, looking at Sirius, and even more so at Crystal, as if they had both lost it.
"Where IS she?" Ron asked in a whiny tone, interrupting the other two. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Ron, for the last time, I don't--" Sirius was cut off by several gasps, and Sirius, Crystal, and Ron turned to stare at the figure descending down the steps.
Harmony was beyone words. Her dress looked like it had been designed after a fairy tale. It was really white, but it seemed to catch the light and shimmer in shades of blue and pink and green as she moved. The bodice hugged her frame until her waist, where it belled out and took up quite a lot of room. Her sleeves wrapped around her arms, and at the wrists they belled out, revealing her soft, elegant hands. Her crown was a thin band of silver the rested on top of her hair, pointing down at the center of her forhead. A thread of silver was wound around the delicate silver band.
"Well Harmony, now you've gone and done it," Sirius said as she glided to her friends.
"Did what?" She asked.
"Ron's lost his voice and I don't think he's getting it back," He explained. Harmony giggled.
"Ron?" She said, waving her hand in front of him. Ron shook himself out of his daze.
"Huh?" He asked.
"Well, we're improving," Harmony sighed, and Sirius and Crystal laughed. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Let's eat," He suggested, holding his arm out to escort Harmony to the table. Many of the young bachelors present glared at the red haired human who had won the favor of the King and, more importantly, the Princess. Many had been trying to win her favor for years, some in hopes of the prize of Kingship, and others for just a touch from the beautiful girl. However, while she would dance and smile, each had known they didn't have a chance. Many didn't understand how this tall, awkward, red haired human had so quickly won her heart.
Harmony and Ron were oblivious to this as they sat at the head table and lifted their forks. It was a joyous meal, with the four and the King involved in lively conversation the whole time. Sirius told Shinra where he had hidden the exploding cheeseballs, and the old King's eyes twinkled and made him look ten years younger.
However, Harmony couldn't help but notice that Ron was rather fidgety the whole time. He kept looking over at Shinra and running his hands through his hair. He seemed nervous about something.
"Ron, are you alright?" She asked quietly when her father was busy distracting Sirius and Crystal with a story she had heard a million times.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," He replied distractedly. Harmony frowned.
"Ron..."
"No, seriously Harmony, everything's okay," He said, smiling at her. This did nothing to appease Harmony's worries as Ron leapt back into the conversation with a vengence. She pulled Sirius aside.
"What's wrong with Ron?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.
"Ron?" Sirius asked, frowning as he studied the red headed boy. He certainly wasn't acting like normal. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on his face.
"It's the Valentine's Dance at Hogwarts too, you know," Sirius explained softly. "It's the big seventh year dance...I bet he's feeling a bit homesick."
Harmony looked at Ron with compassion. She was not looking forward to being alone at Hogwarts for two months, she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Ron. Knowing his best friends thought he was dead and not being able to talk to anyone (well, except Ginny) for six months. She nodded at Sirius.
"Let the dancing begin!" Shinra announced as desert was finished. Music started up, and Ron stood, holding out his hand to Harmony.
"A dance, m'lady?" He asked, his voice somber, but his eyes dancing. Harmony felt her heart leap up in her chest. She didn't know why, but the very sound of his voice made her heart beat faster and her breathing more shallow.
"Of course, my knight," She smiled, taking his hand and letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. It was a waltz. She smiled, remembering all those months ago when she had danced with Ron in the pavallion during a dance quite like this one. She remembered how much she had agonized over which dress to wear...which one Ron would like. She remembered being on air when he kissed her. She danced, twirling and spinning, losing herself in the music, reminiscing and feeling nothing but Ron's arms around her.
Sirius and Crystal giggled from the table, for a moment watching the two hopelessly love sick teenagers.
"Do you remember when we used to dance like that?" Sirius asked. Crystal snorted in response.
"No," She replied. "But I remember James and Lily. Do you remember their first dance?"
"Yeah," Sirius replied, looking down at his goblet with an odd expression on his face. Crystal immediately felt guitly.
"You're not still carrying a grudge about that, are you?" She asked anxiously. She had been so lost in the memory of the perfect picture of James and Lily's first dance during their sixth year, that she had forgotten that Lily was supposed to be Sirius's date at that dance. It had caused the first and only major fight between Sirius and James.
"No," Sirius sighed, setting down the goblet he had been absently twirling. "No, it was a stupid thing to get mad about in the first place."
He was telling the truth about not being upset over James and Lily's dance. In fact, he had later realized it was one of the best things that happened to them, because it was the night they fell in love...and Sirius was not about to hinder that! No, that was not what was bothering him. It was just that when he saw the way Ron looked at Harmony, and the way she smiled back, he saw James in his black tux and Lily in her beautiful white dress, rivaling even to Harmony's, as they danced at their wedding: blissfully happy and innocent.
"Do you want to dance?" He asked Crystal, afraid she would be insulted if he didn't.
"No," She replied, watching Ron and Harmony with misty eyes.
"Neither do I," He replied. They sat and watched in understood and comfortable silence.
"Harmony, you know that I love you," Ron said, pulling Harmony back into his arms. She giggled.
"Of course...Puffy!" She teased.
"Hey!" He said, pretending to be offended, but not being able to stop the smile.
"Face it, Ron, you're doomed to be a puff ball forever!" She laughed. Ron felt his heart skip a beat. He loved the way the light played with her eyes when she laughed.
"Harmony, stop it, I'm trying to be serious here," He laughed.
"About what?" Harmony asked, cocking her head to one side.
"About...well...I was..." Ron began to stutter.
"What are you trying to say, Ron?" Harmony asked in concern. Ron stopped dancing. He reached into his pocket.
Ever since he was fourteen Ron had slaved, saving every penny he could muster, but never telling anyone. He never knew why, but he always knew one day he would be grateful. When Ginny had visited a few weeks ago, he had told where the money was hidden, and what to buy. His hand was now shaking as he pulled the little black box out of his pocket that was the fruit of all his labors.
"Harmony...will you marry me?" He asked, opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Harmony gasped as her hands flew to her mouth, feeling her eyes widen at this sight of the glittering ring...the glittering ENGAGEMENT ring. Everyone around them stopped dancing and turned to stare at the Princess and her human beau. All the chattering stopped...even the music came to an abrupt halt. The hall watched in anticipation as the Princess's eyes darted from Ron's hopeful face to the ring. She wanted to scream yes, but her body seemed to be in a state of shock where it wouldn't respond to her brain's messages.
Just as Harmony began to function and screamed with delight, the hall was filled with a loud bang and several whistles. While Harmony threw her arms around Ron, the rest of the hall turned in surprise toward the noise.
"You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" Crystal asked, rolling her eyes. Sirius stared back sheepishly, grinning through his 3 foot 7 1/2 inch long, scaggly, hot pink beard as he set down his goblet.
Chapter Eighteen
Of Potions, Proposals, and a Cappucino
As Ron sat down for dinner, he immediately realized that one was missing among their number...Sirius.
"Where's Padfoot?" Harmony said, looking up and down the table and frowning.
"At Severus Snape's funeral, I expect," Remus replied, as if this were obvious.
"Who's Severus Snape?" She asked, her frown darkening.
"Sirius didn't tell you?" Mindy replied, looking surprised.
"No," She said shortly. Ron snorted.
"He's the most evil teacher at Hogwarts. He taught Potions, terrorized the Gryffindors...not a nice guy. And he's dead. I'm over it," Ron held up a finger and closed his eyes suddenly. "Wait, wait wait!" He said, and for five seconds he kept his eyes shut and breathed in deep, then he opened them. "Yep, I'm over it."
"That's not funny," Mindy said, trying not to laugh. "Severus and Sirius...hell I might as well tell you--"
"Are you sure?" Remus interrupted, looking the teenagers over.
"Why not?" Mindy replied. "They've been protecting him for years, and whether Sirius realizes it or not they deserve the truth." Ron and Harmony were getting rather annoyed by now.
"Fine," Remus sighed. "But if you get in trouble, I had NO part in this." He said. Ron rolled his eyes and, just to tell him that he wasn't impressed by all this kryptic talk he reached over and sipped his drink as Mindy turned to tell them.
"Severus and Sirius...they're brothers." Mindy said. The drink Ron had been casually sipping came flying in all directions from his mouth.
"WHAT?!" He yelled, as Harmony picked up her napkin. "Sirius and...SNAPE? They're brothers?!"
"Half brothers, techinacally," Remus replied, not looking up from his food, but eating as if this weren't news (which, to him anyway, it wasn't).
"Uh-huh," Ron said, turning back to his food, not really wanting to know. Sirius and Severus's faternity issues were enough to keep him occupied for a while. The four ate in silence for a few more minutes.
"Well, I have all my stuff packed," Mindy said suddenly. Harmony and Ron looked up at her.
"You're leaving already!" Harmony cried.
"Well, they don't have a professor..." Mindy said, and Harmony sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I guess it will just be us and Sirius, boys," Harmony said, grinning at Ron and Remus. Remus cleared his throat.
"Actually...I was planning to go with her," Remus said.
"You are!" Harmony and Ron exclaimed.
"You were?" Mindy asked, not shouting, but surprised just the same.
"You think I'm going to let you trot off to school and leave me behind again?" He asked, grinning. Mindy giggled.
"Yes, that would be rather cruel, wouldn't it...but what if Dumbledore..."
"Dumbledore will give me something to do Mindy, trust me," Remus replied.
"But...but...You're both leaving?" Harmony asked. Mindy and Remus turned to her again.
"I'm sorry, Harm, it's not that we don't like it here--"
"It's great, but..."
"We belong at Hogwarts," Mindy finished. There was an awkard pause.
"Well, I'm going to bed," Remus said suddenly.
"Yeah, me too," Mindy said standing up. "Goodnight, kids!"
"G'night," Harmony and Ron murmered.
They both stared down at their food, and then, at the same time, they looked up at each other. Ron looked at her beautiful face, and was sharply reminded of her inhuman ears. *Do WE belong in differnt worlds?* He thought. *Do I belong at Hogwarts, while Harmony belongs here?* The very thought tore him in two.
He didn't know that Harmony was thinking the same thing.
"Wanna go for a walk?" Harmony asked suddenly. Ron nodded greatfully and stood up, holding out his hand. They walked outside and into the garden, as if it were their very last night together.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun was just beginning to rise, sending it's first rays of golden light on Hogwarts. Hiding in the still very dark shadows of the edge of the forest were five distinct figures.
"Now you behave yourself, Mindy, you're a professor now," Sirius said jokingly. He didn't show how much he was going to miss them. Having them around constantly reminded him of their days at Hogwarts.
"You are? Geez, I feel sorry for the students," Harmony teased.
"Don't forget, I'll be there to keep an eye on her," Remus said, putting a protective arm around her waist. Only Sirius understood what that meant to them.
"Oh. My. God. Mindy a professor and only Remus to keep an eye on her? Man, I'm glad I don't go to Hogwart anymore!" Ron said, laughing.
"Shut up!" Mindy said. Then she gave Harmony a hug.
"Well...goodbye, then," She said.
"Yeah, take care!" Harmony smiled.
"Have fun!" Ron winked.
"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do and you'll be fine." Sirius said. Mindy laughed.
"If I take that advice I'm sure to be fired. Tootles!"
They waved until Mindy and Remus slipped into the huge oaken doors of Hogwarts, and were out of sight. Then Sirius, Ron, and Harmony were quiet for a moment. Ron and Sirius were remembering their first time slipping those doors.
And Harmony was dreading her passage through them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Albus had just conjugated a cup of cappucino when he heard a knock on his door. He took a glance at his pocket watch, which revealed it to be 6:26 in the morning. He mused briefly why someone was knocking on his door at 6:26 AM when he was trying to drink his cappucino before opening the door.
He was quite surprised to see Miranda Himalia standing there, looking quite perky.
"Good morning, Professor!" She chirped, and Dumbledore could do nothing but stare.
"Good morning...do come in, Miranda. Remus, you as well," Dumbledore said, holding the door open for them. He wasn't surprised to see Remus at all.
"What are you staring at?" Mindy asked him, frowning.
"Miranda Himalia, perky before noon," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling. "It's quite a sight to see."
Remus laughed, but Mindy just looked rather put-off.
"Oh, c'mon Professor, I wasn't that bad!" She objected.
"This coming from the girl who threw an alarm clock at Sirius Black and landed him in the hospital with a concussion," Dumbledore said. Remus howled with laughter.
"It was for only Quidditch, and it was 6:30 in the morning!" She whined.
"Guess what time it is now." Dumbledore replied.
"Uh....9?" She said.
"6:30." Dumbledore smiled as Remus continued to laugh.
"Shut UP, Moony!" She said, hitting him on the arm.
"Hey, that hurt!" He said, rubbing the spot where she had punched him.
"It was supposed to," She snapped. Suddenly Dumbledore began to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Mindy asked him.
"You two haven't changed a bit." Dumbledore replied.
"And just what do you mean by that?" Mindy demanded. Dumbledore just smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, onto business...do you have ANY teaching experience, Miss Himalia?"
"No," She replied.
"Have you ever worked with teenagers?"
"No,"
"Do you have any which potions to use for which classes?"
"No,"
"Welcome aboard, Professor Himalia!" Dumbledore exclaimed, holding a hand for Mindy to shake. She gave Remus a quizzical glance, and realized that he was doing everything but running from the room to keep himself from laughing.
"All righty then, boss," She said, shaking his hand.
"And Remus...you can be here to protect the school at these dark times." Dumbledore continued, looking at the werewolf with twinkling eyes.
"When do I start?" Mindy asked. Dumbledore thought for a moment.
"You'll need time to look at your schedule and Severus's upcoming lesson plans..."
"This afternoon?" Mindy said. Dumbledore smiled to himself...she really had no idea what it took to be a professor.
"Of course." He dismissed them, so Remus and Mindy took their leave. They had not walked far down the corridor that held the gargoyle when they bumped into somebody.
"Crystal!" Mindy smiled. Crystal gave her a hug, and smiled at Remus. She was glad to see that Mindy hadn't left him behind again. Mindy returned the hug somewhat awkwardly. She didn't know if she had really forgiven Crystal in the depths of her heart...and she didn't know if Crystal had forgiven her.
"Hey you two, don't go huggy on me," He teased. "I'm still getting over the fact that you can look at each other properly."
"Don't be silly, Moony," Mindy replied, rolling her eyes. She expected Crystal to do much the same, but her chocolate eyes were wide with realization.
"What is it?" Remus asked, frowning.
"Mindy, no here knows we get along!" She cried.
"So?" Mindy asked.
"If we are...civil, then someone might ask us when we found the time to reconcile."
"And?" Mindy asked, still not understanding what she was getting at.
"And what are we supposed to tell them?" Crystal asked, looking at her pointedly. Remus nodded with understanding. Mindy rolled her eyes again.
"Aw, c'mon Crystal! Can't we tell them that was a long time ago and we've grown up now?" Mindy whined, sounding about seven years old.
"Mindy, since when do either of us give up on grudges?" Crystal asked, raising an eyebrow. Mindy grinned devilishly.
"Good point...so we just have to pretend we hate each other like we did back in the good old days?" Mindy asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
"That won't be difficult." Crystal teased.
"I take that as an insult." Mindy said huffily.
"Good, that's the point." She replied. She and Mindy stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into giggles. Remus was utterly confused.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So wait...Potions isn't cancelled?" Neville asked, confused.
"No, Neville," Hermione repeated. "They annoucned that there was a new professor at lunch. Weren't you listening.?"
"I just thought that maybe she would start tomorrow." He replied woefully. The idea of a new professor was not changing his opinion on Potions.
"C'mon, we'd better go if want to be there on time," Harry said, looking at the clock. He took Hermione's hand as they walked through the halls to the Potions classroom.
They entered just before the bell rang and took their seats. They looked around nervously for the professor. They waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, fifteen minutes later, they heard the door open and spun around as two people came rushing in.
"Sorry I'm late," The woman said. She was pretty, with long blonde hair and soft green eyes. She was blushing at the moment as she tried to handle a tall stack of papers and kept dropping them. Finally she muttered something under her breath, and dropped them all.
"Well, I feel better now," She said, looking up at the students. "Hello, my name is Miranda Himalia. Technically you're supposed to call me 'Professor Himalia' but I probably won't even recognize it as my name, so just Mindy is fine, if that works better for you."
Harry stared at her in shock. Who WAS this woman? She was nothing like Snape in the least. He noticed several sighs of relief floating around the room.
"Okay, um...roll call, of course. I say your name, you say here, ect ect, ya'll know the drill. Okay, Brown, Lavender!"
"Here!" Harry waited patiently for her to call his name.
"Potter--" She stopped and stared at the list. Harry sighed, he hated being recognized for his famous deed he didnt' remember.
"Harry Potter?" She said in shock.
"Yeah," Harry sighed.
"Whoa. I didn't know James' son was in this class! And passing! Whew, I'm impressed." She muttered to herself. Harry looked at her quizzically, but she had already called 'Rilvestra, Demitri'.
"Who's that?" One of the Ravenclaws (Harry recognized her as Lisa Turpin) asked, pointing at the man sitting in the back of the class who had entered with Mindy as she finished taking the roll.
"Professor Lupin!" Dean exclaimed. Harry spun around, and it was indeed Remus Lupin. His eyes lit up. If Lupin was here with her, Mindy was definately cool.
"Yes, that would be Mr. Remus Lupin." Mindy said, sounding rather annoyed. "Who shouldn't even BE HERE because he can't BREW A POTION to save his life!"
"And you can't teach a class to save your life, so I figure between the two of us these kids might actually learn something." Remus shrugged. The class laughed.
"Yes, well...shut up, Moony!" She replied, sticking her tongue out. Harry felt his heart lift up--she had called him by his Marauder nickname.
"Well, um, Professor Snape left many things to grade and I can't read his handwriting, so I've decided that we'll start with something new. The problem is, I spent so much time trying to read his sloppy handwriting that I haven't figured it out yet. So, today we're going to play an ice breaker."
"Ice breaker?" Neville squeaked, sounding somewhat frightened.
"Uh-huh," Mindy replied. "Ice breaker refers to a game that helps new people get to know each other. And although I'm sure the Gryffindors know the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws know the Ravenclaws, how much do you really know about each other? And I don't know...most of you. So, allow me to explain the rules." She looked around the class. "Okay, the desks have got to go," With a wave of her wand, she gracefully swept the desks away. "Pull your chairs into a circle, that's it. Okay, the rules, the rules...
"There's somebody in the middle, for a start. That person says their name and one thing about themself. Then, they call out a feature, for example 'All people with blue eyes'. then everyone with blue eyes has to stand up and switch chairs. You realize that I'm standing and you all are seated, which means that, including myself, there is one less chair than there are players. The last person standing after everyone else has switched has to be in the middle...Did that make any sense?" She said, talking rather quickly. 'When does she breathe?' Harry wondered. He nodded, and saw that so was about half of the class.
"Okay, let's start...wait a sec. Remus, you're going to play too!" She said, looking at Lupin, who was comfortably seated outside the circle.
"Awww, do I have to?" He whined, pulling his chair into the circle.
"Okay then!" Mindy chirped. "Um...I'm Mindy, naturally, and my fact is..." She looked around the room as if she were playing I spy. "I lived in Australia for twenty years. Okay, all the people who are wearing white socks!"
Harry watched as the people around him scurried to find other seats. He smiled...he was wearing a pair of socks Dobby had knit for him. He looked, and realized Hermione was standing. He laughed out loud.
"Okay, I'm Hermione Granger, and I'm Head Girl. That was easy. Okay, all the people who like Quidditch!" She said, winking at Harry, then laughing as he tried desperately to find a seat. To her disappointment, however, he was too quick for the competion.
"Hi, I'm Terry Boot, and I'm an alcoholic," Said the standing Ravenclaw, earning a gale of giggles. "All right...all the people don't like Divination!"
With much laughter (and a lump on the head for Neville) there was only one person who had not been in the circle...Remus.
"All the people who are werewolves!" Mindy exclaimed in frustration after her third turn in the middle.
"That's just not fair." He said playfully as he allowed Mindy to take his seat and stopped in the center of the circle. "Hi, I'm Remus Lupin, obviously. And...something you don't know about me..." It seemed he was having trouble coming up with something. He spun around slowly, looking at everyone in the circle, before his eyes stopped at Mindy. He smiled at her, looking her square in the eye.
"And I want to marry your Potions professor." He said. Harry felt his eyes widen. WHAT?
"Are you asking me to marry you?" Mindy asked in astonishment, standing up.
"Maybe I am asking you to marry me," He answered.
"And maybe I'm accepting," Mindy smiled. And right there, in the middle of a circle of students, he wrapped her into a kiss.
"And five points from Gryffindor for being a smart ass." She said as she pulled away, though still smiling.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mindy was walking on air that night. She was going to marry Remus! She had wanted it for so long...
She crawled into bed, smiling to herself even as she fell asleep...and into a dream.
~*~
"Mindy, you're a very beautiful girl."
"You say that all the time, Wes," She teased, laughing. Wesley was a wonderful man, and she had fallen in love with him...though it was the same as falling in love with Remus. She had pushed Remus out of her mind, however. He was back in England, and here she was, in beautiful Australia, with a sweet, handsome guy who claimed to love her.
"That's becuase it's true!" He replied, tugging gently at her hair. "Mindy, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."
"Anything," She said, her heart melting to her boyfriend.
"Min...will you marry me?" He got down on one knee and produced a beautiful diamond ring. She gasped. She looked up at Wes in shock, and for a moment, she saw Remus, holding out a little black box. But then he was Wes, her sweet, adorable Wes, looking at her with large anxious eyes.
"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Yes, I will marry you!" His face lit up as he slipped the ring on her finger. Laughing, he picked her up and spun her around, and when her feet touched the floor, he wrapped her into a kiss...
She was incredibly nervous about returning to England for the reunion. She did not show it, however. She was not angry at Crystal....until Crystal reminded her of their feud. Her hopes of forgiveness turned sour.
The fact that Remus smiled at her made it no easier. Somewhere, hidden beneath her love for Wes, were her feelings for Remus. She did not want them bothered. She was glad Wes was there with her.
She missed her daughter. Raina had her father's dusty red hair and her mother's sea green eyes. She reminded Mindy of a softer Lily, so it came as no surprise that her name was Raina Lily Ravine. It was Mindy's first long time from her daughter, and she was somewhat uncomfortable leaving the infant with Wes's parents.
She talked with old friends, and smiled at old Moony. She could not avoid his beautiful brown eyes...so different from the smiling blue orbs Wes had. She was relieved when Wes came, and she could remind herself that she was happily married. It made it easier to pretend she didn't see the pain in Remus's eyes...
The weight of the world had hardly daunted Miranda Ravine to the outside eye. She was a sucessful woman, raising four children with her husband around working on research in the universty she had graduated from. She worked on trying to developing potions for a number of useful things, and had built quite a name for herself in Australia.
However, sometimes emotions she had locked away resurfaced, and Mindy would call in sick for work. She had only half coped with James and Lily's death. Everyone had celebrated the downfall of the evil wizard in Britain...and Mindy would still dream sometimes of lifting the newspaper and seeing the name 'Harry Potter'...and finding out that his parents were dead. That Sirius Black, one of her best friends, had been working for Voldemort and had brought about Lily and James's deaths. That Peter was also dead.
Wes tried, but he could never really undertsand why Mindy cried for them. He did not know the bonds that held the Marauders together. It was times like that that made her wish she had Remus's shoulder to cry on. She had hidden him away in the depths of her mind, where she couldn't feel guilty about marrying Wes...even though at least part of her heart would always belong to Remus.
That day, Mindy had been looking forward to going home. The next day was the birthday of her youngest child and only son; Evan. Wes, her daughters (Raina, Holly, and Summer) and her were planning a big party...he was going to be ten years old.
Mindy apparated to a small forest just outside of town. She lived in a Muggle town near Sydney, almost on the coast. She always apparated here because she lived in a Muggle town and didn't want to be seen. Then she began the walk home.
Suddenly she heard screaming and saw flashes of color. The darkening twilight was lit up by a sickening green light. Mindy's eyes were inevitably drawn to what she already knew was there.
The Dark Mark.
She dropped the bags of party supplies she was carrying and ran without thinking to her house, praying for the impossible. When she arrived, she found what was left of her beuatiful white house smoldering. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes travelling over the wisps of smoke. She saw a half burnt piece of wood that she recognized as the dinner table, and the black remnants of Holly's favorite quilt.
As the Magical Law Enforcement squad began to arrive, Mindy fell to her knees. She screamed up at the sky, seeing nothing but the grinning green skull through her tears...
~*~
Mindy woke up panting and crying. She was damp with sweat, and her side ached as if she had really been running. She pushed off the covers and jumped out of the bed, staring at it as if it were the reason for her nightmare. Slowly her breathing returned to normal.
Wes...she suddenly felt guilty for her happiness with Remus. The complete happiness she had never had with her late husband. Was Wes going to haunt her dreams when she married Remus like Remus did when she married Wes? She fell into the only chair in her dark room and put her head in her hands.
She was momentarily transported back in time again. The breeze was lifting her hair...it smelled like salt. She was leaving for Britian tomorrow, but she had to visit them one last time. The five headstone were omninous and gray.
Wesley Charles Ravine Raina Lily Ravine
1967-1994 1978-1994
Loving husband and father The light of her parents' lives
Holly Willow Ravine Summer Julia Ravine
1980-1994 1982-1994
The joy of her parents' lives The sunshine of her parents' lives
Evan James Ravine
1984-1994
The apple of his parents' eyes.
Mindy pulled herself out of it, but the headstones still seemed to be there, reminding her that she had just left them back in Australia. She shook her head, trying to make the vision leave her. She came to the conclusion that she needed some hot chocolate. Mindy being Mindy, she was convinced that conjured chocolate did taste that good (so, as a matter of fact, was Dumbledore) so she slipped into her bathrobe and crept into the teachers lounge.
She opened the door quietly, knowing that Crystal's room was nearby, and not wanting to wake her. She tiptoed inside, and silently started creeping toward Dumbledore's stash of hot chocolate.
"Mindy?" A voice came out of the darkness, scaring her out of her wits. She jumped and put a hand to her heart. She spun around to see Crystal herself, in a long blue bathrobe, rising in concern.
"Oh Crystal...it's you..." She breathed, trying not to sound too panicked.
"Mindy, what's wrong?" Crystal's dark eyes searched Mindy's green ones. They were crying out for help.
"I...I had a dream...about Wes and Raina and..." Mindy suddenly began to sob. Crystal hugged her reasuringly, rubbing her back and letting her cry. She didn't realize that Mindy had been so affected...she mentally kicked herself. Of course she had been affected! Her husband and four children had been murdered!
"It's okay, Min, it's okay..." She whispered, as Mindy started shaking. She pulled away and gave Crystal a wobbly smile as her tears began to subside.
"Here, I just made it," Crystal said, sitting Mindy down and handing her a mug of hot chocolate. Mindy looked up at Crystal with a look of undying gratitiude that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate.
"Thanks," She whispered, and Crystal smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mindy had never imagined staff meetings to be so incredibly boring. While back in school, she and Sirius had been convinced that the staff spent their meeting time planning new and more terrible detentions. As it turned out, they talked more about the supplies needed in Herbology and the Charms curriculum next year. Mindy was soon asleep...as she had gotton almost none after her nightmare the previous night.
While Mindy slept, Dumbledore brought up the problem of the Valentine's Day Dance, which was open to seventh years and their dates only. It was to be held in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks, and no one in the staff was exactly jumping up and down to chaperone.
"What about you, Miranda, would you be willing to chaperone? Miranda? Miranda?" Dumbledore tried to get Mindy's attention, struggling not to chuckle as he realized she was in a slumbering state. She wasn't the first.
"What? Yeah, uh-huh..." Mindy replied, sitting straight up and trying to pretend that she had been paying attention the whole time.
"All right, that's one chaperone for the Valentine's Dance, now--" Dumbledore began.
"WHAT?!" Mindy exclaimed.
"Yes, Miranda, you just agreed to chaperone," Dumbledore explained, his eyes twinkling. Mindy felt her eyes widen...she had plans to spend Valentine's Day with Remus!
"But...but..." She spluttered. Seeing the odd smile on the Headmaster's face, she realized that she had been tricked into it and sighed in defeat.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore continued. "We will be needing a second chaperone..."
"Remus will do it," Mindy interrupted quickly. Dumbledore turned to her yet again, raising his eyebrows.
"Really, Miranda? He told you this?" He asked curiously.
"Well not exactly...but I'm sure he wouldn't mind..." She replied, looking at him hopefully. He shrugged.
"If he agrees it's fine with me," Dumbledore replied. "That's all, meeting adjourned."
Mindy was one of the first out of the room. She was absolutely mortified that Dumbledore caught her sleeping during a staff meeting.
Being that Headmaster and Deputy headmistress, Dumbledore and McGonagall had more papers than anyone else, and coincidentally, were always the last ones out of the room. As she finished stacking her papers, Minerva looked at Dumbledore curiously.
"What?" Dumbledore asked, not needing to look up to feel her gaze.
"If Miranda and Remus chaperone, we still have one problem," Minerva explained.
"Really? What would that be?" He asked in amusement.
"Who will chaperone them?" She asked. Dumbledore started to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mindy was spending as long getting dressed up as any of the young girls before the dance. She met up with Remus inthe Great Hall before it filled with students, because they had to be the first in Hogsmeade.
Remus was pacing the hall nervously. He was dressed his best deep green dress robes. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was a chaperone not a student! Why should something as simple as chaperoning a dance with his fiance be so nerve-racking?
"Remus?" Came a soft voice from behind him. He jumped and spun around. He felt his jaw drop.
"Mindy, you look....beuatiful," He stuttered. Her hair was up in a complicated bun which involved braids and many bobby pins...except for one tendril which fell down her right cheek, curling under her chin. She was wearing a spaghetti strap royal blue dress that went straight down to her ankles. It brought out the hidden blue in her eyes.
"Really?" She asked, looking away, blushing and biting her lip.
"Really really," He replied, smiling, and she laughed.
"Well you don't look too bad yourself...why are we just standing here? We're supposed to be down there already!"
"Right this way, m'lady," Remus relied, offering his arm. Mindy took it and smiled up at him as he led her out to the carriage. She felt like a princess from a fairy tale.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry was getting rather impatient. Honestly, how long could it take for her to get ready? He had been waiting for Hermione for half an hour. Ten minutes ago he had seen Parvati and Lavender come down and trot off giggling with Dean and a very red Seamus. Harry couldn't think of anything that could be taking Hermione this long. Just when he was about to storm upstairs and drag her to Hogsmeade, she descended down the steps. Harry felt his eyes bug out and he took a sharp intake of breath in surprise.
The dress was a pale lavender. It was strapless, but it had a shawl which was wrapped around her shoulders. The dress had a tight bodice, but it belled out slightly (but not like the ballon bell out Parvati had been wearing) at the waist. Her hair was piled up on her head in a trendy hairstyle, with one curly tendril falling on each side of her face. She had even applied a touch of make-up.
"Her...Hermione?" Harry croaked out. She bit her lip and looked down at her dress anxiously.
"Do you like it?" She asked.
"It...you...wow," He gaped. Hermione's face broke out into a smile.
"Men, they're all hopeless," She giggled, winking at him. He snapped out of his trance, and took her hand happily. He couldn't believe she had gone to all that trouble...for him! All his impatiance had vanished the moment he saw her face.
"Shall we go?" He asked.
"Naturally," She replied. The talked, laughed, and held hands down into Hogsmeade.
And there was a blessed moment in time where they knew only each other...not even Ron.
As soon as they got into Hogsmeade they were attacked by people, the girls squealing over Hermione's dress and the guys winking at Harry behind her back. AS the pub began to fill, Harry realized that he was rather hungry. The band (a group neither Harry nor Hermione recognized, but that Neville and Seamus seemed to know well) was playing, and many couples were already dancing, but the food was no where in sight.
"Hey, Remus!" Harry said, gesturing to him. He was no longer 'Professor Lupin' and everyone felt weird calling him 'Mr. Lupin', so Remus took a page out of Mindy's book and told the students to call him by his first name. He seemed to relax around her.
"Yes, Harry?" Remus said, moving through the crowd toward him.
"When are we going to eat? I'm starved!" He exclaimed.
"When all the seventh years get here." Remus replied, shrugging. Harry looked around him. Everyone he knew was here.
Everyone but Ron.
Harry forced the thought out of his head and plunged on. "Who's not here?" He asked.
"Um..." Remus pulled outa check list. Harry assumed (correctly) that it was one of Remus and Mindy's jobs to make sure everyone was there.
"Draco Malfoy," Remus replied. Harry made a face. It was just like Malfoy to keep everybody waiting. As he was walking back to where he had left Hermione (they had decided not to even attempt dancing until after eating) he passed Pansy Parkinson.
"Where is my Drakey?" She asked, paying her date (some fifth year) absolutely no attention. Harry made a face.
"Who are we waiting on?" Hermione asked.
"Malfoy," Harry muttered. Hermione made a face similiar to the one Harry had made. Soon they could here muttering all around them....where was Malfoy, and why was he holding up the entire meal? Everyone from every house was getting annoyed with him...even Crabbe and Goyle.
Then, suddenly, there was a rush of air as the door opened. Everyone turned to see Malfoy standing in the entrance. He was dressed in very nice black and silver robes that looked like they had cost a fortune, and he was...alone. Harry wondered why he didn't have a date after all the younger Slytherins who had begged to go with him.
"Hey Draco, where's your date?" Pansy purred. Draco raised an eyebrow and took a step into the pub. He then extended a hand, and Harry watched as a softer, more femine hand was placed into it. He pulled in his date, and Harry (along with the majority of the people present) gasped.
It was Ginny Weasley.
She looked absolutely beautiful. Her dress was a deep, Slytherin green. It had one sleeve on the left, and a slit up the left leg. Her hair was curled, and loose around her shoulders. Pansy immediately began to curse under her breath.
"Well, um...okay food time!" Mindy said, waving her wand and making platters of food appear in the middle of every table. However, Harry didn't notice. He was staring at Ginny. With Ron's absence, he felt it was his duty to protect her. They were chatting happily as they walked over to find a table. Harry stood up as they passed theirs.
"Malfoy," He growled. "We need to talk." Malfoy raised his eyebrows.
"I'll be right back," He said to Ginny. She smiled and sat down in Harry's empty seat next to Hermione.
"Malfoy," Harry hissed once out of the girls' hearshot. "What the HELL are you doing here with Ginny?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you care, Potter?" He drawled. He was enjoying the rise out of Potter.
"Why do I care?" He echoed in disbeleif. "Because I know you're up to no good, that's why!" Harry spat, unable to think of a better reason than the obvious. Draco allowed this two entire raised eyebrows.
"Can't I take my girlfriend to a dance without getting the third degree?" He asked. Harry's mouth fell open, and he was almost spluttering as he replied.
"Your WHAT?" He demanded. Malfoy smirked.
"That's right, Potter," He replied. "For someone who seems to have his nose in her business an awful lot, you sure weren't paying attention to the fact that we've been dating since December."
"WHAT?" Harry exploded.
"Variation, Potter, variation." Malfoy drawled. He looked over at the table where Hermione and Ginny were immersed in (a very similiar) conversation. Harry pretended that he didn't see Malfoy's face light up as he saw her. He pretended that when Ginny turned, it was not for Malfoy. She could not betray them like this!
However, Harry could not pretend he didn't see Malfoy wave and Ginny smile and wink in return. Malfoy turned back to meet Harry's blazing eyes.
"Potter, if you're quite through, I am wasting my time," Draco said. He was being quite honest for a Slytherin. However, Harry failed to see this. He was convinced Malfoy had Ginny under a spell...or something else. At least, that's what he told himself. He couldn't deny the light in Ginny's face when she smiled at him.
"If you lay a FINGER on her..." Harry said quietly, leaving the rest to Malfoy's imagination. Malfoy rolled his eyes in return.
"Yeah, yeah, Potter. Quit acting like her older brother." Malfoy drawled, and Harry's eyes blazed. "I already had this lecture from him..." Draco muttered under his breath. Even though there was virtually no space between them, Harry could only make out a short stream of unintelligable babble.
"What was that?" He demanded feircly.
"Nothing, nothing...."
"Why are you here with...with....Malfoy?" Hermione asked as soon as Ginny sat down. Hermione spat his name in disgust. Ginny rolled her eyes. Honestly.
"Because he asked me to go," She shrugged.
"He's a MALFOY, Ginny!" Hermione hissed. "He's bad news! If you were really that anxious to come--"
"No, Hermione, that's not it," Ginny interrupted feircly. "I wouldn't have come with anyone BUT Draco."
"Wh...WHAT?" Hermione spluttered in disbelief.
"We've been going out since Christmas," Ginny explained, rasing her eyebrows. "Or haven't you noticed?" This threw Hermione off. She hadn't been paying Ginny much attention...maybe that's why she went running to Malfoy...
"Look, Ginny, I know I haven't been hanging out with you a lot. Is that why you're going out with him? For attention?"
"NO!" Ginny spat in disgust. "God, Hermione, what do you think I am? I'm going out with Draco because...because I like him. And he likes me. And....and..." She suddenly looked rather insecure, turning her gaze from Hermione's concerned eyes. "And I think I'm in love with him."
"GINNY!" Hermione gaped. "You're only sixteen! And...MALFOY?"
"Variation, Hermione, variation," Ginny mumbled. Hermione was so shocked over what Ginny had said before that she didn't even hear it. She could not believe Ginny had just uttered those words. The thought occured to her that Malfoy had her under a curse...or maybe blackmail.
"Ginny, has Malfoy done anything to you? A curse or...something else? Don't be afraid to tell me." Hermione said quietly.
"NO!" Ginny cried in mortification. "Draco would never do ANYTHING like that! How can you say such things?"
"Just look at him!" Hermione cried in exasperation. This turned out to be a bad idea, because when Ginny turned to look at Malfoy and Harry, Malfoy waved at her. Ginny's face lit up and she smiled, winking back. Hermione watched, dumbfounded. What amazed her the most was that Malfoy hadn't smirked...he seemed sincere in his smile for Ginny.
"Ginny...I don't think this is a good idea," Hermione pleaded desperately. "I don't know what Malfoy's up to. If Ron were here--" Hermione immediately cut off her sentence, placing her hand over her mouth. Ginny turned her head, her curls falling around her.
"Oh Ginny, I'm so sorry...that was way out of line," Hermione said quietly, gently touching the younger girl's shoulder. She turned back, and gave Hermione a half smile that sent her even further into guilt. How could she have used Ron as a tool for this arguement? Ron was her brother and he was...gone. Hermione couldn't bring herself to use the word 'dead' even in her thoughts.
"That's okay," Ginny said quietly. She looked up as the two boys approached, smiling gratefully at Draco.
She wasn't smiling because he would distract her from thinking about her brother's death (as Hermione thought) but rather because he could whisk her away so she wouldn't have to act like she was upset about the nonexistant death of her brother. She felt like she was manipulating one of her best friends, on top of lying to her. At the moment, she was more worried about the package she had sent to Ron than his 'death'.
"Are you hungry?" Draco asked her. Hermione shot a look behind them at Harry, who shook his head.
"Not really," Ginny replied, looking unenthusiastically at the many tempting dishes around her.
"Then may I have the pleasure of the first dance?" He asked, holding out his arm. She giggled and nodded, standing. They were the only couple dancing. The others watched as they ate...many Gryffindors and Slytherins losing their appetites.
Harry plopped down with a sigh. He looked back up at Hermione and managed a smile. She really did look beautiful.
"No luck?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"Quite the opposite...she said she was in love with him," Hermione replied, sighing. Harry's eyes popped out, and he put his head in his hands with a groan. If Ron knew Harry was doing such a bad job of looking out for his little sister, he would probably not be talking to him.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Remus asked in concern as he passed their table.
"Nothing." Harry replied, sounding as if something were VERY wrong. "Remus, are we allowed to drink at this shindig?"
"Not you minors," Remus replied, winking. "But I think I might have a mead..." He turned and headed off, presumably in search of Madame Rosmerta.
"Harry, don't worry about it," Hermione said lightly, trying to pretend she didn't see Ginny's head on Malfoy's shoulder. "Eat something. It's dinner time!"
"You're right, as usual," Harry smiled. "And I am NOT going to let Malfoy ruin this for us," He picked up his fork and winked at Hermione. "Bon appetit!" He said in a terrible French accent, sending Hermione into a fit of giggles.
It became easier to ignore Malfoy and Ginny as the dinner continued and other couples began to dance. Harry and Hermione were laughing and talking, eating slowly. Harry was in no rush to show off his terrible dancing skills. He was trying to think of ways to stall as he munched thoughtfully on his chocolate cake. He was so full he thought he would explode, but he kept eating to postpone the inevitable.
"Hey!" Mindy said, flopping down in the seat next to Harry. Hermione giggled. "Mind if I have a bite of that?" She asked, pointing to the remnants of Harry's cake. He pushed it toward her.
"Help yourself," He said, thankful that he wouldn't have to finish it himself. Mindy began devouring it.
"Hungry, Professor?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Well, I've just sort of been snipping at the student's food, and I haven't actually sat down to have a plate myself. Some of the students aren't as generous as Harry here," She said, rolling her eyes. Harry and Hermione gave each other a 'look'. They both thought she was nuts.
"Where's Remus?" She asked curiously, as she finished Harry's cake.
"I don't know," Harry replied, "He said something about getting a mead..."
"WHAT?" She asked, her eyes going wide. "James, don't you remember what happened last time you tried to give him alcohol? He--"
"Professor?" Harry interrupted, confused. Mindy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She realized when he interrupted her that the boy she was speaking to did not have the warm, chocolate eyes of her classmate, but the vivid emerald eyes of one of her best friends.
"I'm sorry, Harry," She said quietly as she opened her eyes to convince herself that it was indeed Harry and not James. She was quite anxious to avoid a conversation with him at this point, so she started looking over his head for Remus.
"You knew my dad?" Harry asked curiously, his head cocked to one side.
"I think I see Remus!" Mindy exclaimed with a little bit too much enthusiasm. She leapt up and ran off after him, unfortunately finding him in the midst of his second mead.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Is she ALWAYS this late for these dance thingies?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes. Most of Marigold's high society was alrighty in the Ball Room for the Valentine Feast and Ball, but Harmony was not. Sirius, who was standing next to him and assumed he was the victim of this question as he had been every five minutes for the last half hour, shrugged.
"I don't know," He said for the fifth time. Ron sighed.
"I'm going to talk to King Shinra," He muttered. Sirius looked over at him in confusion.
"Why?" He asked, frowning.
"Just..." Ron mumbled something, his ears going red, before turning and hurrying off in search of the king. Sirius rolled his eyes, turning back around to look at the steps leading into the ballroom to wait for Harmony. He felt his eyes widen and his mouth drop at what he saw.
"Hey," Crystal had never been one for fancy dresses, and compared to most of the blue blood sprites present her short, simple black dress was quite plain. However, its simplicity was what made it look so good...the dress went about halfway down her thigh and it was held up by two speghetti staps. She had cute black sandels and her hair was swept back into a french twist. She looked every inch the woman Sirius always knew she would grow to be.
And man, she looked HOT!
"Well, well, well, aren't I the luckiest guy here!" He grinned.
"Well, naturally!" Crystal smiled, standing on her tip toes to kiss him.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here?" Sirius asked. 'I would've done something with my hair' He thought.
"Because I didn't want to disappoint you if I couldn't slip away from Old Bumblesnore," Crystal said, sending them both into fits of laughter. Ron chose this particular moment to return from his conversation with the King, looking at Sirius, and even more so at Crystal, as if they had both lost it.
"Where IS she?" Ron asked in a whiny tone, interrupting the other two. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Ron, for the last time, I don't--" Sirius was cut off by several gasps, and Sirius, Crystal, and Ron turned to stare at the figure descending down the steps.
Harmony was beyone words. Her dress looked like it had been designed after a fairy tale. It was really white, but it seemed to catch the light and shimmer in shades of blue and pink and green as she moved. The bodice hugged her frame until her waist, where it belled out and took up quite a lot of room. Her sleeves wrapped around her arms, and at the wrists they belled out, revealing her soft, elegant hands. Her crown was a thin band of silver the rested on top of her hair, pointing down at the center of her forhead. A thread of silver was wound around the delicate silver band.
"Well Harmony, now you've gone and done it," Sirius said as she glided to her friends.
"Did what?" She asked.
"Ron's lost his voice and I don't think he's getting it back," He explained. Harmony giggled.
"Ron?" She said, waving her hand in front of him. Ron shook himself out of his daze.
"Huh?" He asked.
"Well, we're improving," Harmony sighed, and Sirius and Crystal laughed. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Let's eat," He suggested, holding his arm out to escort Harmony to the table. Many of the young bachelors present glared at the red haired human who had won the favor of the King and, more importantly, the Princess. Many had been trying to win her favor for years, some in hopes of the prize of Kingship, and others for just a touch from the beautiful girl. However, while she would dance and smile, each had known they didn't have a chance. Many didn't understand how this tall, awkward, red haired human had so quickly won her heart.
Harmony and Ron were oblivious to this as they sat at the head table and lifted their forks. It was a joyous meal, with the four and the King involved in lively conversation the whole time. Sirius told Shinra where he had hidden the exploding cheeseballs, and the old King's eyes twinkled and made him look ten years younger.
However, Harmony couldn't help but notice that Ron was rather fidgety the whole time. He kept looking over at Shinra and running his hands through his hair. He seemed nervous about something.
"Ron, are you alright?" She asked quietly when her father was busy distracting Sirius and Crystal with a story she had heard a million times.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," He replied distractedly. Harmony frowned.
"Ron..."
"No, seriously Harmony, everything's okay," He said, smiling at her. This did nothing to appease Harmony's worries as Ron leapt back into the conversation with a vengence. She pulled Sirius aside.
"What's wrong with Ron?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.
"Ron?" Sirius asked, frowning as he studied the red headed boy. He certainly wasn't acting like normal. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on his face.
"It's the Valentine's Dance at Hogwarts too, you know," Sirius explained softly. "It's the big seventh year dance...I bet he's feeling a bit homesick."
Harmony looked at Ron with compassion. She was not looking forward to being alone at Hogwarts for two months, she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Ron. Knowing his best friends thought he was dead and not being able to talk to anyone (well, except Ginny) for six months. She nodded at Sirius.
"Let the dancing begin!" Shinra announced as desert was finished. Music started up, and Ron stood, holding out his hand to Harmony.
"A dance, m'lady?" He asked, his voice somber, but his eyes dancing. Harmony felt her heart leap up in her chest. She didn't know why, but the very sound of his voice made her heart beat faster and her breathing more shallow.
"Of course, my knight," She smiled, taking his hand and letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. It was a waltz. She smiled, remembering all those months ago when she had danced with Ron in the pavallion during a dance quite like this one. She remembered how much she had agonized over which dress to wear...which one Ron would like. She remembered being on air when he kissed her. She danced, twirling and spinning, losing herself in the music, reminiscing and feeling nothing but Ron's arms around her.
Sirius and Crystal giggled from the table, for a moment watching the two hopelessly love sick teenagers.
"Do you remember when we used to dance like that?" Sirius asked. Crystal snorted in response.
"No," She replied. "But I remember James and Lily. Do you remember their first dance?"
"Yeah," Sirius replied, looking down at his goblet with an odd expression on his face. Crystal immediately felt guitly.
"You're not still carrying a grudge about that, are you?" She asked anxiously. She had been so lost in the memory of the perfect picture of James and Lily's first dance during their sixth year, that she had forgotten that Lily was supposed to be Sirius's date at that dance. It had caused the first and only major fight between Sirius and James.
"No," Sirius sighed, setting down the goblet he had been absently twirling. "No, it was a stupid thing to get mad about in the first place."
He was telling the truth about not being upset over James and Lily's dance. In fact, he had later realized it was one of the best things that happened to them, because it was the night they fell in love...and Sirius was not about to hinder that! No, that was not what was bothering him. It was just that when he saw the way Ron looked at Harmony, and the way she smiled back, he saw James in his black tux and Lily in her beautiful white dress, rivaling even to Harmony's, as they danced at their wedding: blissfully happy and innocent.
"Do you want to dance?" He asked Crystal, afraid she would be insulted if he didn't.
"No," She replied, watching Ron and Harmony with misty eyes.
"Neither do I," He replied. They sat and watched in understood and comfortable silence.
"Harmony, you know that I love you," Ron said, pulling Harmony back into his arms. She giggled.
"Of course...Puffy!" She teased.
"Hey!" He said, pretending to be offended, but not being able to stop the smile.
"Face it, Ron, you're doomed to be a puff ball forever!" She laughed. Ron felt his heart skip a beat. He loved the way the light played with her eyes when she laughed.
"Harmony, stop it, I'm trying to be serious here," He laughed.
"About what?" Harmony asked, cocking her head to one side.
"About...well...I was..." Ron began to stutter.
"What are you trying to say, Ron?" Harmony asked in concern. Ron stopped dancing. He reached into his pocket.
Ever since he was fourteen Ron had slaved, saving every penny he could muster, but never telling anyone. He never knew why, but he always knew one day he would be grateful. When Ginny had visited a few weeks ago, he had told where the money was hidden, and what to buy. His hand was now shaking as he pulled the little black box out of his pocket that was the fruit of all his labors.
"Harmony...will you marry me?" He asked, opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Harmony gasped as her hands flew to her mouth, feeling her eyes widen at this sight of the glittering ring...the glittering ENGAGEMENT ring. Everyone around them stopped dancing and turned to stare at the Princess and her human beau. All the chattering stopped...even the music came to an abrupt halt. The hall watched in anticipation as the Princess's eyes darted from Ron's hopeful face to the ring. She wanted to scream yes, but her body seemed to be in a state of shock where it wouldn't respond to her brain's messages.
Just as Harmony began to function and screamed with delight, the hall was filled with a loud bang and several whistles. While Harmony threw her arms around Ron, the rest of the hall turned in surprise toward the noise.
"You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?" Crystal asked, rolling her eyes. Sirius stared back sheepishly, grinning through his 3 foot 7 1/2 inch long, scaggly, hot pink beard as he set down his goblet.