A/N: Fast fly Gabriel's fingers over the keyboard! Of course, I thoroughly read and review each chapter before posting, but these chapters are going exceedingly well. Most of the next one (or the one after that, depending) is already written, so expect another update after this fairly soon. Bit of fluff coming up at the end of this chapter.
I want to just say a few things before getting to the responses. I've figured out why it felt awkward for me to put Umbridge in my story, even though she seemed to belong there. Since she only existed in Phoenix, I've had to introduce her outside of canon. It feels like stealing, but that's not what I've been trying to do. Oh, and I've passed 100 reviews, and I got a whole bunch for chapter 26 (see below)! Thank you all! Enjoy the next chapter!!
Buffy Summers1: Welcome to the story! I don't know how long you've been with it, but it's great to hear from you. I'm glad you think it's high quality – a well-written story is my ultimate goal.
Kaye: Thanks for reviewing again! I hope another update so fast makes you happy. About your question – Harry thinks Umbridge is doing some sleight of hand. It's like watching a magician do a trick. He'll keep you busy watching one hand so you don't see what the other one is doing. Likewise, Harry suspects that Umbridge has an agenda that she's hiding by being so obvious in what everyone sees her doing. I'm glad someone else likes Professor Thornby. I think she's fun too. Get over that stomach virus soon, okay? Let this story be your chicken soup.
Jedi Buttercup: Thank you so much for continuing to review! Heh, I'm glad someone liked the Patronus thing. I don't think Parvati needs to be as bubbleheaded as Harry perceives her to be. She's just waiting to be discovered.
phoenixtearsp322: Does Snape have a soft side? I think he does, but it will be hard to drag it out, and I doubt Harry will be the one to do it. What we have here is a case of grudging respect. Hmm... killing Umbridge. Might do that in a later story. I'm so glad you liked the language I used! Variety is the spice of life. And while we're on the subject of vocabulary... "ire" means the same thing as "anger" or "wrath", so that's what I was going for. I hope this doesn't stop you from continuing to nit-pick. No one else is doing that and you're filling an important role. One of the best ways to improve one's own writing is to read extensively. So there you go, a new word for "anger" to put in your arsenal. Just so you know, I really look forward to your reviews of each chapter.
totallystellar: That inspiration dust is really doing its thing. Keep sprinkling it and this story will be over before you know it, but like I said before, a sixth year story will follow! As for Bigelow the gigolo... heh. This is a pretty clean story, but I don't know what he was like in his salad days. ;-)
Danae: Yeah, isn't Lupin a sympathetic character? He definitely needs some love. He and Celeste may have to walk through some fire in the future, but stay tuned... we've got some Remus/Celeste fluff in the next chapter. Or the one after (as I said before, it depends on how things fall out). Ron's potential will be revealed VERY SOON!
Quill: Nice to meet you! I am making quick updates a habit as best I can, as long as they come out right. When they don't it can be really frustrating for me to get them to work.
chuckleseviltroll312: Dumbledore would have turned down Fudge's request to put Umbridge at the school for a week if he thought he could afford it. As it is, both sides are walking on eggshells. Dumbledore isn't ready for open conflict with Fudge (more open than it is already, anyway). Fudge is chipping away at him, but he's not ready for open war yet, either. How many chapters? As many as it takes, but like I said, the story will continue past the end of this one. Nice to see your name in the reviews again!
Chapter 27: The Invitation
Umbridge's departure was met with relief from just about everyone. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went over the Daily Prophet with a fine-toothed comb nearly every day for two weeks after she left, but her visit was never mentioned. Neither did any editorials on Harry, Dumbledore, or the state of Hogwarts appear. The whole affair was a source of confusion for Harry. He was sure that Umbridge had been using her very obvious spying as a coverup for something else, but there was no telling if he was right. Umbridge was a wild card that could come into the game at any time. The idea was not exactly comforting.
With the Umbridge hiccup gone, Harry's life settled back down once again. Then again, settled didn't really describe any of Harry's days. He was busy from sunup to sundown, especially with Quidditch. Angelina had developed a new move called the Sloth Grip Roll, and the Gryffindor team spent every moment they could get on the pitch. Between that and his homework, Harry was swamped. He even considered skipping the Dueling Club meetings, but Ron and Hermione convinced him to keep going.
Ron was riding a wave of popularity, as were all the victors from the informal tournament. He found himself talking with upperclassmen who had barely spoken to him before, and groups of girls would titter in the hallway whenever he passed by. He preened a bit under all the attention, and both Harry and Hermione thought him a bit silly, but they left him alone.
Things were going rather well for Harry. He was excelling in all of his classes, including Potions. Snape's limp was gradually vanishing and he was getting about without the help of a cane. When the crutch vanished, so did some of his extreme irritability. Snape was never friendly to Harry, but he had stopped cutting him down at every opportunity. He even gave a very faint word of praise now and then when he gave Harry his marks for the day. Usually the praise was masked by a derisive comment, but Harry had learned to see it for what it was.
When he thought about it later, Harry decided that he should have seen it coming. His life was seldom ordinary; whenever a period of quiet seemed to be settling in, something happened to disturb the balance. This time the scales were tipped by the rushing of great white wings.
One ordinary morning, a small army of beautiful white owls soared into the Great Hall with the rest of the Owl Post. The students pointed excitedly, but the owls all landed on the staff table, one before each professor. All, that is, except one. Harry blinked as a lone snowy bird fluttered down before him. It stretched out its leg and Harry took what it was grasping. It was a letter in a smooth, creamy envelope. On the front it read "Harry Potter, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" in delicate calligraphy.
"Oooh, what's that?" said Hermione, leaning over to look.
"I don't know," said Harry. He flipped the envelope over. On the back was a seal in red wax with a little coat of arms in it.
"That's the Ministry's seal," said Ron. "Sometimes Dad gets letters from work, and those are always on them."
"What does the Ministry want from me?" said Harry, breaking the seal and pulling out the envelope's contents. The parchment inside was of the finest quality, thick and heavy. There was a silver border that rippled and flashed as if covered by a fine sheen of water. In the middle, in perfect black script, was the message.
Minister Cornelius Fudge
requests the honour of your presence
at the six hundred and fifty-fourth Ministry Gala
on Saturday, the sixth of March
at seven o'clock in the evening
The Grand Ballroom
Ministry of Magic, London
Harry looked up at the staff table. The professors were smiling and laughing with each other over their letters. Several of the students were looking between them and Harry, obviously wondering what they had received.
"This looks like a big deal," said Harry. "How come only I got one?"
"I don't know," said Hermione. Ron shook his head.
"Why would Fudge invite me to a party?" said Harry, shaking his head.
"It sounds awfully formal," said Hermione. "The honour of your presence... I wonder who else got them besides the professors?"
For the rest of the meal, Harry, Ron, and Hermione theorized about the letter while the other students whispered and pointed at them. The murmurs only got worse when a very high-spirited Professor McGonagall came walking up to the Gryffindor table. "Potter, you will come with me," she said. "Bring your letter."
Harry exchanged a last look with his friends before following her out of the Great Hall. She led him to a small room where Professor Thornby and Dumbledore were waiting.
"I thought you might like to know what this is all about," said Dumbledore, holding up his own letter.
"Yeah, that'd be nice," said Harry. "Why did I get one of these if no one else did?"
"Because of who you are," said Dumbledore. "The Ministry Gala is a very old tradition in our society, dating back hundreds of years. It is a very formal dinner and ball given by the Minister of Magic whenever he sees fit. It began as an annual event, but that is no longer the case. Nearly a decade has passed since the last Gala. All Ministry employees from the Aurors down to the janitors are on the guest list. The Minister himself invites the most important witches and wizards of the day. It is traditional to include the Hogwarts teaching staff, but it is very rare for underage wizards to be personally invited."
"But Fudge hates me," said Harry. "Why didn't he just leave me off the list?"
"He doesn't hate you – he's afraid of you because deep down he knows you've been telling the truth these past few years," said Professor McGonagall. "You were invited because you are simply too important to overlook. Failing to include the Boy Who Lived would have been seen as an unforgivable slight to you."
"Do I have to go?"
"Don't you want to?" said Professor Thornby.
"I didn't have much fun at the Yule Ball last year," said Harry.
"You will not be the only student there, if that is what bothers you," said Dumbledore. "You are allowed to bring a date, and I daresay that all nine Weasleys will be there."
"Really?" said Harry, his spirits lifting a bit.
"Children of Ministry employees are welcome to attend. Above a certain age, of course," said Professor McGonagall.
"And they can bring dates, too?"
"Yes," said Professor Thornby.
"Okay, then one of us can ask Hermione," said Harry. "That's not so bad, then."
"This is a very formal occasion," said Professor McGonagall. "You will need a new set of dress robes – very tasteful ones, I should say – and you will certainly need to learn how to dance. It will not do to look a fool in front of Minister Fudge."
Harry cringed at the memory of last year's ball. Parvati had done most of the leading; he had had no clue of what he was doing. "How am I going to learn that?"
"Oh, I can teach you to dance," said Professor Thornby. "You'll be the belle of the ball before I'm finished with you." She laughed at the horrified look on Harry's face. "Don't worry, I'm only joking. In fact… we could hold dance lessons in lieu of the Dueling Club for a few weeks."
"Why would you need to teach everyone else?" said Harry in confusion.
"There are hundreds of Ministry employees," said Professor McGonagall. "Add in their children and all the escorts, and this will be the event of the year, Potter. You wouldn't believe how many people find a way to come."
"But nobody else…" began Harry.
"None of the other students yet know that they will be able to attend, no," said Dumbledore. "But I expect that within the week all the Ministry employees will have received their invitations, and then this bleak midwinter mood should lift considerably." His eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles.
By the time Harry left the small conference, every student seemed to have found out the contents of the letters. Harry re-entered the Great Hall to find every female eye turned to him. There was a predatory gleam in them that made him uneasy.
Harry told Ron and Hermione what the professors had said. "Oh, cool!" said Ron when Harry told him that he'd be going too. He didn't seem to notice the hopeful glance that Hermione threw his way. "This is lucky – I'm finally going to get some attention from the girls."
"More than you're already getting?" Harry muttered.
"What'd you say?" said Ron.
"Nothing," said Harry. Hermione smiled at him knowingly and took a bite of her oatmeal.
"I mean, no one ever thought I was special or anything," Ron prattled on. "But then I made Keeper and won that tournament, and now this! Of course, I don't think it will last or anything. I'm just going to enjoy it while it's here."
"I think your head's too big already," Harry said under his breath. Next to him, Hermione choked on her oatmeal.
"What's that?" said Ron.
"You're hearing things," said Harry. He slapped Hermione on the back and she took a gulp of orange juice.
"What's wrong with you two?" Ron said suspiciously. Hermione covered her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt at stifling her laughter. "Okay, what did I do?" he demanded.
"You're just so funny," said Hermione, and she left the table, giggling behind her hand.
"Don't ask me about girls," Harry said innocently when Ron turned his glare on him. "You saw how well the thing with Cho went."
"Barking mad," said Ron. "I've been saying it for years."
"Takes one to know one," Harry muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
**********
Harry was not especially looking forward to learning how to dance. He knew that it would be better to know how to do it than not, but the Yule Ball had been so unpleasant that he preferred not to think about dancing at all. After dwelling on the idea all day it was a relief to throw himself into the Dueling Club. All the members attacked their lessons with renewed fervor regardless of how they had performed in the tournament. All four Weasleys especially made an effort. Ron seemed eager to retain his position at the top of the fifth-years' food chain. Fred and George had done well enough themselves, but they seemed more interested in coaching Ginny, who had performed so admirably. Ginny spent her time trying to get them off her case. When the class ended and the students were leaving they were still engaged in their verbal joust.
"That's our little sister," said Fred, ruffling Ginny's hair.
"Knock it off," she said, pulling away. "You don't know as much as you think you do. Why don't you bother Ron for a while?"
"Hey!" said Ron.
"But Gin, we're so keen to see you succeed," said George. "With that talent, you could grow up to be something really cool. An assassin, maybe."
"Assassin?!"
"A perfect little spitfire assassin," said Fred.
"I'll show you a spitfire," Ginny growled as she attacked.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed. "Come on," said Harry. "I need to get started on that Potions essay."
"A moment if you please, Harry," said Professor Thornby. Harry and his friends stopped, and Ginny and the twins ceased their tousling. "What do you say to your first dancing lesson?"
Harry glanced sideways at his friends. "Don't you want to wait until everyone else is –"
"You'll learn more one-on-one than you will in a group lesson," she said. She pointed her wand at a corner where a black cloth was covering something lumpy. The cloth flew away to reveal a tidy arrangement of stringed instruments. "Our music," she said. "Come."
"He can jinx with the best of them, but can he dance?" George said loudly.
"This ought to be good," said Fred. The others grinned at him; Harry fought the urge to stick out his tongue at the twins. Professor Thornby clearly wasn't giving Harry a choice, so he reluctantly walked up to her. Behind him, the others settled themselves onto benches to watch. He wished they would leave and spare him the impending humiliation.
"Right," said Bellaton. "You're going to learn a simple box step first. So when the music starts" – he waved his wand and the instruments began to play – "you step forward with your left foot, then bring your right foot up and to the right, like so…"
Harry followed the directions, stepping around in a little square. It really wasn't that difficult, he decided. Learning how to stand with a partner was harder than the box step itself. "Sturdy, not stiff," said Professor Thornby as Bellaton adjusted Harry's stance.
"There's a difference?" said Harry, feeling bewildered.
"You'll get the hang of it," said Bellaton. "The best dancers can lead even inexperienced partners around the floor with ease. Learn to lead, and your partner will do whatever you make her do. Come on, it's time to try the step as a pair."
"I'm going to step on your feet," Harry said to his guardian.
She smiled back at him. "We'll see."
Bellaton waved his wand around like a baton. "Aaand one, two, three, begin!"
Harry surprised himself by stepping in the right direction and then by doing it again. Professor Thornby followed him around in the little square.
"See? You're doing it!" said Bellaton.
"Go for it, twinkletoes!" shouted Fred.
"This'll be you in a few days," Harry retorted, and his friends laughed.
"Okay, keep going," said Bellaton. "We're going to start moving around a bit now, because it gets boring just moving around in one spot. When you step back, just step a little farther and turn your body a bit… that's it…"
Harry grinned. They were traveling around a little now.
"Excellent," said Bellaton. "Next is the underarm turn. When you step forward with your left foot, raise your right arm and –" Bellaton broke off. Harry had stopped dancing, and Professor Thornby stopped with him. She had completed a perfect turn before Bellaton had barely begun to describe it. The motion had felt as natural to Harry as breathing.
Harry stared at his guardian. "You wouldn't happen to be a good dancer, would you?" he said quietly, hoping his voice wasn't carrying.
She gave him a slow smile. "I've been told that I am an excellent partner," she said, getting the message immediately.
"This is so weird." Harry rubbed his forehead, trying to pinpoint the moment when knowledge of how to do the foxtrot had popped into his head, but he couldn't find it. Somehow he knew that he could lead Professor Thornby around the floor without any more practice.
"Well, at least you know that you won't embarrass yourself now," she said. She glanced over Harry's shoulder at Hermione and the Weasleys. "Perhaps it's best if you don't show off too much at present."
Harry sighed inwardly. Fred, George, and Ginny didn't know about his recent tendency to suddenly gain Professor Thornby's skills. He didn't like having to keep a secret this size from them, especially when he saw no reason to do so.
Harry and his guardian stepped apart. Hermione and Ginny made sounds of disappointment. "Oh, why stop now?" said Ginny. "You were doing so well!"
"I don't want to keep you from your homework for long," said Professor Thornby. "There's that Potions essay you were talking about."
"But this is so much more fun than Potions!" said Hermione.
Fred and George stared at her as if she had grown an extra head. "Wow," said George. "Did you hear that, Fred?"
"I heard, but I don't believe," said Fred.
"Oh, shut up," said Hermione.
"Well, we could give you a demonstration if you like," said Bellaton.
"Oh, yes!" Ginny and Hermione chorused together. Ron rolled his eyes.
"How about a Viennese waltz?" said Professor Thornby. "It's just about as elegant as you can get, and you'll see it quite a bit at the Gala."
"Excellent choice," said Bellaton, waving his wand at the instruments. The bows picked themselves up and began to slide back and forth over the strings.
The two professors faced each other in the middle of the room. Bellaton bowed and Professor Thornby curtsied. They effortlessly stepped into position, and with that they were off. They swept around the room in a large circle, turning as they went. Harry watched Bellaton's feet. He didn't feel as if he could just grab Ginny or Hermione and imitate him perfectly, but he could see the pattern in what Bellaton was doing. Harry knew that before tonight it wouldn't have made any sense to him whatsoever.
Everyone clapped when the song ended. A starry-eyed Ginny and Hermione were the most enthusiastic. "Oh, will you teach us that one?" begged Hermione.
Bellaton's short black beard made his teeth look very white when he smiled. "Of course," he said, "although I don't know how many of you will be able to manage it before the Gala. We only have a month until the big night. But if your partner knows what he's doing, ladies, he can twirl you all over though you barely know the steps yourselves."
Hermione and Ginny looked surreptitiously at Harry. "Don't look at me," he said, raising his hands. "I've only been doing this for ten minutes." The looks they shot back at him showed that they were not convinced. Fred and George were eyeing Harry in a way that made Harry rather nervous. If he continued to pull off these surprises, he wouldn't be able to put them off forever. He hoped that Dumbledore would let him tell them about last summer before they went looking for themselves.
**********
The children of the Ministry employees found out the good news sooner than Dumbledore had predicted. Within three days the entire school was buzzing. Students who were not affiliated with the Ministry at all were looking for ways to get to the Gala. There were suddenly many more 'eligible bachelors' around, and Harry was relieved when the pressure on him lessened.
Students were beginning to pair off, and Harry could see that McGonagall had been right – there would be many underage witches and wizards at the ball, many of whom he knew. Fred lost no time in inviting Angelina. Ginny asked Michael Corner, a fifth year Ravenclaw, and the twins teased her mercilessly when they found out. Ron, however, took to glowering at Michael anytime he was in view.
George came up with a clever scheme to get more of his friends to the Gala. "I wanted to ask Alicia," he said, "but she's automatically invited because of her dad. So I asked Katie and Alicia asked Lee, and now all of us will be there!"
Harry hadn't quite decided who to ask yet. Hermione and Ginny had both crossed his mind, as they were the two girls he knew the best. Ginny was already taken, though, and he wasn't sure if Ron wouldn't rather ask Hermione. Harry remembered well their argument after the Yule Ball; he wondered if Ron would take this chance to mend Hermione's feelings. She shouldn't be a last resort for anyone, he thought.
Cho also popped into Harry's head for a brief while. He had never ceased to admire her physical beauty, but they hadn't really talked since the Quidditch match. She had looked as if she wanted to apologize back then, but Harry hadn't let her, and now it would be up to him to bridge the gap. He wasn't sure that he wanted to. The problem was solved for him when he saw Will Hodges corner her in the hall to ask her to go with him. Her little squeal of delight was enough to tell Harry what her answer was.
When several days had passed and Ron had still not asked anyone to go with him, Harry decided to broach the subject of Hermione. Whether it was with him or with Ron, Harry was determined that she would be coming. On the way down to breakfast one morning, he very bluntly asked Ron about it.
"Hermione?" said Ron. His voice was more high-pitched than usual, and he looked distinctly alarmed.
"Don't flip out on me," said Harry, giving Ron a strange look. "I just thought that after last year you might want to make it up to her."
"Oh," said Ron. "Well, you see… I can't."
"What do you mean, you can't?" said Harry.
"Susan Bones asked me," said Ron, blushing to the tips of his ears. "Her grandmother is Amelia Bones, the Second Witch of the Wizengamot. Well, I guess she's the Chief Witch now that Dumbledore's gone, I'll have to ask Susan –"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry snapped. "I've been waiting for you to ask Hermione. She's probably feeling awful by now."
"I was too embarrassed, okay?" Ron said angrily. "I thought you'd make fun of me since a girl asked me and not the other way around."
"It's your brothers you'll want to worry about, not me," said Harry. "They will make fun of you. If you'll excuse me, I've got to go ask Hermione to the Gala."
A spasm crossed Ron's face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. Harry thought it looked a bit like regret, but it had been so brief that he couldn't be sure.
Harry did try, but he didn't get a chance to talk to Hermione alone that afternoon. Watching her face was very unpleasant for him. She did look very unhappy every time she saw a student couple giggling over the upcoming outing. To make matters worse, Ron wasn't saying much to her. Harry could have kicked him. He didn't care how embarrassed Ron was; judging by her pained expression, Hermione very obviously thought she had done something wrong.
The dead silence between his friends in the library that night finally became too much for Harry. He realized that an opportunity wasn't going to present itself anytime soon, so he might as well make one. "Hermione, could we go talk in the hall for a minute?" he said. "I don't want to distract Ron from his Potions essay." He shot Ron a black glare.
Hermione looked up in surprise. "Um, sure," she said, putting down her quill.
They headed through the library doors and stopped at the railing of a staircase. "So what is it that you can't say in front of Ron?" said Hermione, leaning on the railing to look at the floors below.
"I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Gala with me," said Harry.
Hermione turned to look at him. Every trace of sadness melted away in a beautiful smile. "Really?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Why are you so surprised? Ron and I would never leave you out."
"I figured that you were going to ask someone else," she said.
"I thought Ron was going to ask you first," said Harry. "Turns out that Susan Bones asked him."
Hermione giggled. "Did she? I didn't even know that she liked him."
"A lot of girls seem to like him nowadays," said Harry. Hermione's face fell a bit. "What's the matter?"
Hermione turned a pleading gaze on him. "Harry, this isn't going to be like a real date, is it?"
Harry suddenly felt very cold. "Were you hoping it would be?" he said in a strangled voice.
"No, no… I don't want to go on a date. But I do care about you, Harry," she said. Harry's eyes widened in alarm. "No! I mean… Oh, this isn't going well at all. What I meant to say is, you're –"
"Like a brother?" said Harry.
"Yes," said Hermione, meeting his eyes.
Harry slumped against the railing in sheer relief. "Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry," said Hermione. "That just wasn't coming out right. I thought I was offending you."
"I thought you made yourself pretty clear after your last dream," said Harry.
Hermione blushed. "I know boys don't like it when girls go all mushy on them, but it's true. You're one of the only friends I've ever had. Most of the kids in primary school made fun of me for being brainy. They called me Hamster Hermione because of my teeth…" She trailed off with a pained look in her eyes.
"I guess that's something else we have in common then," said Harry. "I got teased a lot too, mostly for my clothes. They were Dudley's hand-me-downs and they were always too big. Dudley and Piers beat up anyone who was ever nice to me." Thinking about it was depressing; the memories were still thorny. "You and Ron are the first real friends I've ever had." He paused. "So you never answered my question."
"Oh! I'd love to go with you," said Hermione, beaming at him. "You'll be fun to dance with, at any rate. Do you think we could do that Viennese waltz?"
"Definitely," said Harry. "This instant learning stuff is coming in handy, isn't it? I think we could even tango if you wanted to."
"I don't think the tango is a very platonic dance," said Hermione. "People already want to know who the Boy Who Lived is going with. They'd really talk if they saw us doing that."
"Eh, let them think whatever they want," said Harry. "Going with the Boy Who Lived is a dubious honor anyway."
"No, it's not," Hermione said. She stood up on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
It was Harry's turn to go red.