DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Harry awoke the day of the Ball feeling more refreshed than he had in quite a while. Ron was already up and walking about the room searching for his shoes. Harry had slept in longer than he expected, but he couldn't immediately think of any reason why that might be bad.
The morning and afternoon were destined to be uneventful. Many of the students had chosen to sleep in as well, especially after the celebrations the night before. Harry lounged about with his friends, unwilling to go outside into the frigid winds.
After lunch, there was even less for him to do. Harry and Ron sat around the common room, lazily watching a group of younger students teaching their rats to play a game similar to football. It wasn't thrilling, but it did pass the time.
Hermione, along with almost all the rest of the girls in fourth year and higher had disappeared shortly after lunch, leaving the Gryffindor common room, and most of the castle itself, with an eerie feeling of silence and desertion.
The early dinner that night had a similar feeling, though there were a decent number of girls there with their hair pinned up on their heads or wrapped around shimmering cylinders. None of the Gryffindor girls had come down, and when when Harry and Ron returned to the common room, they discovered why.
As they walked in, Ginny was walking down the steps from the girls dormitory. She was wearing a set of long black robes, which were obviously not what she was planning on wearing to the Ball. However, her hair fell in a smooth, gleaming sheet down her back and her eyes seemed to have an unnatural sparkle in them.
She froze when she saw Harry. A small smile spread across her face as she saw his reaction. She hopped down the last of the stairs.
"Are they finished serving dinner already?" she asked as she ran lightly to the portrait hole.
"Well, we are back here," Ron replied unenthusiastically. "You should have come down earlier. You've missed it completely."
"Oh, I wasn't planning on it," Ginny said dismissively. "It's just a bit later than I thought." She pushed open the portrait and stepped through.
"Where are you going, then?" Ron called out before the hole closed.
Ginny's head poked back in, making her hair sway gracefully and picking up coppery accents off the torches. "Nicking food from the kitchen, of course," she said with bright smile. Her head disappeared and the portrait closed behind her.
Ron sat down heavily on a nearby couch. "Mental, the lot of them," he muttered. "How long can it take to get ready for some ruddy ball?"
Harry shrugged. "Quite a while, it seems. I guess I've never tried doing anything with my hair. Maybe it really does take—" Harry looked at the clock "—er...four hours."
"Your hair's a lost cause, mate," Ron joked. "A good ten minutes is too much time to waste on it."
Ginny returned to the common room a few minutes later, carrying a single basket. She gave both of them warning looks as she reminded them that there wasn't much time before they were supposed to be in the Great Hall. Without another word, she bounded up the stairs leaving Ron and Harry sitting with the few boys who were still procrastinating like they were.
Eventually they gave in and went up to their dormitory to clean up and dress for the Ball. For once, Ron felt pride in his clothes, and he took longer than usual to make sure the dress robes fit just right. Harry focused on his hair instead, hoping to get it to lay flat, but compromising instead on simply having it lay in a casual manner that suggested he might have intended it to look that way.
It didn't take them long before they deemed themselves ready. Together with Neville and Seamus, they walked down to the common room where a number of boys were waiting for their dates or their friends to finish getting ready. The four of them claimed a grouping of soft chairs, with Ron taking one which faced the stairs to the girls dormitory.
As they waited, Harry noticed Ron repeatedly tugging on and smoothing his robes, trying to get them to look better. He was obviously nervous, and it took a bit of concentration for Harry to keep from laughing.
It was almost too much when Harry looked up to see Ron staring over his shoulder at the stairway. Harry heard the soft clicking of shoes approaching and turned to see Hermione walking toward them. She looked like an older version of the Hermione from the Triwizard Tournament Ball. Harry tried to ask Ron if he wanted to leave, but Ron wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was staring at Hermione, who seemed to be fighting her own embarrassment.
"Well, we should be going," Hermione said quickly, trying to cover the color rising in her face.
"Aren't we waiting for Ginny?" Harry asked. Seamus had asked a girl from Ravenclaw, so he would be meeting his date outside the Great Hall like Harry.
"No, Harry," Hermione said firmly. "I'm sure Seamus will keep Neville company. Hannah is probably already waiting for you."
Reluctantly, Harry followed Ron and Hermione as they walked down to the Great Hall. When they reached the foot of the stairs in the Entrance Hall, Hannah was no where to be seen. For a moment, Harry panicked. What if something had happened to her?
"Relax, Harry," Hermione said. "I didn't expect her here. I just didn't think it would look right for us to wait for someone else's date," She put special emphasis on the last three words. Harry felt relieved but a little annoyed at her behavior.
He took up his designated position in front of a large painting of Clive the Clever, a wizard who helped develop the first form of Veritaserum. Ron and Hermione stood near him. Hermione looked surprisingly radiant, and Ron kept switching between looking impatient and staring at her. Harry tried to tell them he could wait alone, but Hermione gave him a brilliant smile.
"We'll stay, I think," she said in a firm voice. "No one will bother you if we're here."
Harry didn't know why their presence would suddenly stop people from bothering him after five years of it failing completely, but he wasn't in a mood to argue about it either. He stomach felt tense, and his head was starting to ache. He unconsciously rubbed his forehead.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron said. "Is something happening? Did you see something?"
"No," answered Harry with a sigh. "I'm just nervous, I think." Ron nodded and seemed to relax, but his reaction had made Harry think. How certain was he that it truly was only nerves. There were still loads of Aurors around. Surely they'd see any danger before Harry did.
Still, the doubt grew in his mind. The I.C.W. wouldn't be here for much longer, and there hadn't been a single incident. When Ron and Hermione weren't looking, he tried to close his eyes and see if there was anything he could sense. He saw nothing, but felt immediately dizzy and his head throbbed.
"You're certain you're alright, Harry?" Hermione asked when he opened his eyes again.
"Yeah, it's just a bit of a headache, honestly. I haven't felt anything all day."
"Drink this, then," Hermione said as she handed him a small vial of purple liquid from a pocket Harry didn't realize she had. Harry shrugged and downed the liquid in a single gulp. Almost immediately he felt his head clearing and the pain disappearing. He thanked her and pocketed the empty vial.
"What was that? A pain relief potion?" Ron asked Hermione. She nodded reluctantly. "You have one of these with you all the time, do you?" he continued. "What did you think you'd need it for?"
"Relax, Ron. We made them for tonight. It was Ginny's idea."
"Right. That explains it all, doesn't it?" Ron replied sarcastically.
Hermione tried explaining how several of the girls had chosen to wear some horribly uncomfortable shoes (which looked smashing, according to them) and that the potions would help them ignore the pain. Harry and Ron both looked to Hermione's feet, where she was wearing the same shoes she normally did, only charmed to look shiny and new and in the same deep blue as her robes.
"How uncomfortable could they be?" Ron asked. "You wear them almost every day."
"Well, they are, but it's not like I dance in them..." Hermione answered slowly. "I didn't need the potion, but... well... It was just a precaution. Ginny's got four of them. I just didn't want to ruin— It doesn't matter. It helped Harry, didn't it?"
Ron frowned and looked from Harry back to Hermione. "How many more do you have in there?" Hermione stared back at him. Harry grimaced and turned away. He tried not to listen as his friends inched dangerously closer to fighting only minutes before the Ball.
As he searched for something else to pay attention to, his eyes stopped at the top of the stairs. Ginny was slowly walking down with Neville, making even his careful steps look clumsy in comparison.
Harry recognized the robes right away. He'd seen them in the Mirror the day Fred and George had bought them, though the effect was quite a bit less dramatic then. Hanging from her neck was the necklace he'd given her for Christmas. It was shining brilliantly and casting warm highlights on her face and hair. Harry smiled, and unconsciously reached for his own necklace.
As she walked down the stairs, Harry couldn't take his eyes off her. As she reached the foot of the stairs, Harry realized that Ron and Hermione had stopped bickering. Harry tore his eyes away from Ginny to see the warning glare Hermione was giving him.
Neville and Ginny walked over toward Ron, Hermione and Harry. Neville had a giddy smile on his face, and Ginny's arm interlocked with his. He looked proud and confident, and the students in the Entrance Hall were staring at him as much as Ginny. He'd managed to look stately and almost impressive. It wasn't hard to understand why. For perhaps the first time in his life, other people were going to wish they were him.
"Hello, Harry," Ginny greeted him warmly. Neville was still smiling, but there was something off about him. Harry recognized it a moment later. Neville was still quite nervous, despite his proud, controlled appearance, and he didn't seem at all comfortable now that he was around other people.
"We should... you know... go find a table," he told Ginny as he started to pull her toward the door.
Ginny resisted and instead tugged him over toward Harry. "Don't worry about that, Neville," she said with a bright smile. "Katie's already handled that. She reserved one for the whole Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Anyway, I said I'd meet Hannah. We're going to sit together. She's more fun than Hermione." Hermione returned a playful scowl.
Ginny pulled Neville over toward the others so that they were standing to Harry's right, facing Ron and Hermione. She complimented Hermione on her dress and hair, and they started talking about the rest of the people around them, commenting on the different robes, and who everyone had brought as a date. Harry scanned the hall, watching for Hannah.
The Entrance Hall was teaming with activity. Aurors and other security wizards were walking from the Great Hall and the front doors and back. Harry counted a number of professors moving about between clumps of students. Most of them were headed into the Great Hall for the start of the Ball. One of them, however, paused and took notice of Harry and his friends.
"Good evening, Miss Granger," Madam Pince said as she stopped in front of the group of them. "You do look quite stunning tonight. I'm sure whatever boy you're waiting for will be quite pleased."
"Thank you, Madam Pince," Hermione replied. "I'm actually with Ron," she said with a nod.
"Ahh. Of course you are," Pince said with a warm smile. "I'm glad to hear it. I couldn't imagine the thought of you going to the Ball alone. I cannot remember another student who I've been happier to see in my library, that is, when you're not shouting with these two," she said, giving both Ron and Harry disapproving looks. "You really should come by more often. It's been some time, hasn't it?"
Hermione frowned. "I... er... I've been busy, I guess."
"Yes, yes. I suppose you have," Pince said in a somber tone. "I'm terribly sorry. Tonight is for celebration. I'm sure you could all do with a bit of that. You see that Potter here has fun." She turned and gave Harry an uncharacteristically warm smile. "I'll assume your date is simply late, and that you haven't forgotten to find one?"
"I'm sure she's here somewhere," Harry said as he took a moment to search the passing students again.
"Excuse me, Potter, but what is that about your neck?" Pince asked. Harry looked down to see the necklace Ginny gave him poking out over his collar. Pince was eying it warily. "That is a strange talisman. I would hardly expect to see it on you, Mr. Potter."
"Oh, well— er... It's nothing really. It's just something I picked up at—"
"Why do you have a snake talisman, Harry?" Neville asked. "Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?"
"It's nothing, honestly. It's just a—"
"May I, Mr. Potter?" Pince asked with her hand held out. Harry paused for a moment. He'd rather no one see it at all, but he didn't want anyone to complain about it either, so he shrugged and carefully removed the chain and handed it to Madam Pince.
She looked at it for a moment, then pulled out her wand and traced the tip across the snake pendant. After a minute and about six different spells, she handed it back to him with a very serious look on her face.
"You really must speak to the Headmaster about that, Potter," she said. Harry stared back at her in surprise. Pince merely frowned and put her wand away. "Whatever you think that is, you've been lied to. It is little more than cheap metal and polished glass. There are absolutely no enchantments at all upon it."
"Oh," Harry replied, feeling relieved. "Right. I knew that. It's just a necklace."
"You just keep a snake on a chain around your neck?" Neville asked.
"Now, now, Mr. Longbottom," Pince admonished him. "There is nothing wrong with Mr. Potter's choice in adornment, despite its... mundane nature. I simply expected something of higher quality, more like the lovely necklace you gave Miss Weasley."
Neville looked to Ginny, and then back at Madam Pince. "I... er... I didn't buy her that."
"Didn't you?" Madam Pince remarked. "Where did you obtain such a fine jewel, Miss Weasley? I cannot imagine they are easy to obtain. Or cheap."
"My brothers bought it for me," Ginny explained without hesitation. "I did them a bit of a favor this fall, and they figured I'd like it."
Pince stared suspiciously at Ginny. "That must have been quite a favor. Knowing their reputation, I think it's best if I leave you now, before I learn anything more about this favor. Good evening, to all of you, and please, do try and enjoy yourselves."
"Don't see her out of the library much," Ron mumbled as Pince walked toward the Great Hall.
"She's very busy," Hermione replied, "and really rather nice when she doesn't have to run about picking up books students left lying about, or telling them to keep quiet."
"Which is almost never," Ron mumbled. Hermione simply shook her head and changed the subject.
"I really thought Hannah would've been here by now. I wonder if she's forgotten and gone to wait for you by the Fat Lady."
"Maybe she's stood you up," Ron suggested with a chuckle.
"After yesterday?" Neville said incredulously. "Not bloody likely."
He'd found her before he realized it. She was wearing simple, elegant black robes with silver trim, and she was quickly making her way down the stairs with a pair of her friends behind her. Her hair was was swirled up on top of her head and her face seemed to glow faintly. She saw Harry and flashed a warm smile.
Harry couldn't help but stare as she walked toward him. She was beautiful. It wasn't like she was normally unattractive, but she'd gone out of her way to be impressive that night. She began blushing as she walked up to the Gryffindors, knowing that they were all staring at her.
"Hello, Hannah," Ginny greeted her. "You look... really good tonight," adding in a more strained voice, "I see Harry agrees." Harry's smile dropped and his eyes locked onto Ginny's face. She was forcing herself to smile.
"Oh! We're in your way," Ginny said sweetly, still staring at Harry. "Of course you'll want to stand by Harry." Ginny tugged on Neville's arm and started walking toward Ron and Hermione.
Harry turned to smile at Hannah who looked genuinely happy. He tried to think of something nice to say, something that normal people said to their dates. "Hello, Hannah," he started, "I think you look really nice. Those robes are really great, and I like—OWW!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry," Ginny apologized sweetly. "Was that your foot?"
Harry groaned in pain. Ginny had dug her heel into the toe of his shoes as she passed, making pain explode through his foot.
"Yes!" Harry gasped through the pain. Luckily, it was quickly ebbing, probably due to the potion Hermione had given him earlier.
"Hey, be careful," Hannah said as she walked up next to Harry and put an arm around his shoulders. "He needs both of those to dance."
"You're joking, right?" Neville laughed. "Harry's a dreadful dancer. Everyone knows that. Ginny did you a favor."
"Actually, he dances quite well," Hannah said in his defense.
"Since when?"
"Since I spent an evening dancing with him in the Room of Requirement," Hannah answered with a clever smile.
"You what?" Ginny exclaimed, looking outraged.
"You spent a night dancing with him? Alone?" Neville said.
"Yes," answered Hannah, looking quite satisfied with herself. "We had music and stars and candlelight. It was quite romantic, really."
"What a great idea," Ginny said. "I wish I would have thought of that." The corners of her mouth twitched, as if she were fighting back a smile.
"Right. If anyone else would have tried it, they'd end up with a week of detention from Filch," Neville added with a trace of bitterness. Harry gave him a strange look.
"Why's that?" Harry asked as he looked between Neville and Hannah, who seemed surprised at Neville's comment. "I thought Filch hated everyone."
"It's not her. It's because she's with you," Neville said testily. "You always get away with things that no one else would, you get everything you want, and it's always the best."
"What are you talking about Neville?" Harry said after he recovered from the shock of hearing Neville's tone. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Is there a problem, Mr. Longbottom?"
Everyone turned to look at Professor McGonagall who had silently stepped up behind Neville and Ginny. Harry answered first.
"No, Professor. We were just—"
"Then perhaps you could be so kind as to keep your voices down," she reprimanded them. "Miss Weasley, perhaps now would be a good time for you to find your table." McGonagall's face was stern, and it was fairly obvious that this was an order. Ginny frowned and walked off, leading Neville into the Great Hall.
"Mr. Potter, may I have a word with you?"
Harry's lips tightened into a thin line. Ron and Hermione gave him a sympathetic look before turning to leave. Hannah turned to follow them reluctantly.
"You may stay, Miss Abbot," added McGonagall, surprising Hannah. Slowly she walked back over to where Harry stood. He noticed her face looking a little more pale than she had been, oddly enhancing the color of her lips and eyes.
Harry prepared himself to be lectured about causing problems, but it never happened. Instead, McGonagall started quickly explaining where the professors and Aurors were supposed to be throughout the Ball. The Aurors would mostly be patrolling the castle while a only a pair of them would be watching the Great Hall with at least four professors.
"Several members of the Confederation will be there as well," McGonagall assured him. "The students will be quite safe. Miss Goldwater will be in her common room, and Professor Flitwick will keep an eye on her. Nonetheless should you... see anything, or notice anything happening around the castle, please let us know." McGonagall started to walk off, but stopped. "Is something wrong, Miss Abbot?"
"Well, Professor, I—" Hannah paused to look at Harry, then her shoes. "I was looking forward to dancing."
"With Potter?" McGonagall asked, as if it were the silliest idea in the world.
"Well... Yes. I thought we'd be dancing in the Great Hall, like the rest of them."
"And I assure you, you will be in the Great Hall," McGonagall said, her voice still heavy with surprise. "I will leave the choice of dance partner up to your own wisdom, but Harry will certainly be at the Ball."
Hannah's eyes narrowed as she looked from McGonagall to Harry. "How's he supposed to know what's going on around the castle? And what's special about Claire Goldwater?" Harry felt a pang of anxiety. Of course Hannah wouldn't know either of those things. He'd barely told anyone else about the Map, and only Ginny knew about Claire. McGonagall gave him a questioning look which he immediately understood.
He turned to Hannah and hooked her arm around his as he led her toward the Great Hall. "I have some things to explain to you."
"You've had something like that for this long and you haven't told the rest of us?" Hannah asked angrily after Harry told her about the Map.
She'd waited patiently through the start of the Ball, which had been mostly boring as the Confederation members introduced themselves, and a number of other people made an assortment of short speeches. She even seemed enjoy herself through the first dance, though it had been obvious that she wouldn't wait much longer for an explanation.
Shortly after the first dance, they'd slipped off to a quiet corner. Harry sat with his back to the wall, and watched as Ron and Hermione took turns giving him curious looks. Ginny's expression was somewhat more difficult to decipher, but Harry didn't think it seemed as if she were upset that they were talking.
He'd explained to her about the Map, and where it had come from. He even pulled it out of his pocket and activated it under the table so he could give her a brief look.
"Do you know what we could do with this thing?" she exclaimed when she realized its potential. "We could watch the entire castle!"
"That's the problem," Harry mumbled.
Hannah's eyes narrowed. "You're hiding more than just you and Ginny..." Suddenly, her eyes widened, and Harry could almost see the idea enter her mind. "It's Claire Goldwater, isn't it? That's what McGonagall meant. You use the Map to watch her. Why?"
Harry gave a resigned sigh and searched the floor for Ron and Hermione. They were still dancing, and didn't seem to be paying attention to him anymore. "She has a godfather—"
"A pretty worthless one, according to her," Hannah commented. "I think everyone in the D.A. has heard her talk about him. Sometimes she pretends he's the one she's trying new hexes on."
"Right, that'd be the one. Well, it's me," Harry finished. Hannah's jaw dropped in surprise. "She doesn't know it," Harry explained quickly. "Neither does Ron or Hermione. No one knows. Only Ginny, me and the professors."
"And me," Hannah said quietly.
Harry tried to explain, and hoped that it would make sense to her. If everyone found out that he was her godfather, then she would become a target again. It was what Voldemort was waiting for. He wanted it to be a public display of Harry's failure. So long as no one knew, there wouldn't be anyone to be shocked or outraged or to hold Harry responsible. There wouldn't be any reason for Voldemort to attack her.
"You can't even tell her?" Hannah asked, looking quite a bit less cheerful than she had been when she'd walked down the stairs. "You can't even trust her to keep the secret?"
"No," Harry replied seriously. "I shouldn't have told you, but I can't have you asking about it either." He couldn't explain much more. He told her that she'd have to trust him. He wasn't ready to tell anyone else about being able to talk with Voldemort.
Hannah seemed to be alright with that and they decided that they'd talked for long enough. With a smile, Hannah pulled him back out onto the dance floor.
As they danced, Harry found his eyes searching out Ginny, whether she was dancing with Neville or sitting at the table talking to Hermione. He didn't get much time to speak with her at all, since whenever he tried to talk with her, Neville would ask her to dance.
He'd been able to talk to Ron and Hermione, and he'd explained that he'd told Hannah about the Map. They'd mostly abandoned the dance floor, and without any obvious limping on Hermione's part, or any embarrassment on Ron's. Hannah had wanted some time to talk with some of her friends, which gave Harry time to talk with Ron and Hermione.
He quietly told them that he still felt a little off. He'd tried to pass it off as nerves, but after an hour of dancing and talking, he couldn't imagine what he felt nervous about. The feeling felt like an odd uneasiness in his stomach, as if he was forgetting something dreadfully important.
Ron and Hermione tried to reassure him, and a quick look at the Map convinced him that there wasn't any danger. The place was still crawling with wizards. So Harry ignored his growing discomfort, and went back to dancing with Hannah. Hermione even stole him for a few songs, and tried to warn him about glancing at Ginny a little too often.
Harry ignored her as well, but tried to be a little sneakier about checking on her. She didn't seem to be complaining, but she wasn't dancing like she had with Harry. All of her movements were a little more hesitant. Harry wondered how many times Neville had stomped on her feet.
Author's Notes:
I think this is one of the smallest chapters. It's a little short on substance, but I couldn't really leave it out. It's valuable stuff for the next chapter.