Ch. 12
The victory party for Harry was a huge affair. He and Krum were tied in first place. He had to figure out the secret of the Golden Egg by the morning of February the twenty-fourth. All the answers to the Second Task was inside the egg.
To Harry's surprise, when he opened the egg, it contained a small wooden box with no noticeable way of opening it.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
Harry smiled. "It's a Muggle Puzzle Box. You have to figure out the right way to push on secret panels to get the box to open up. I'm guessing that it's also spelled."
"You look happy, Harry," Neville said as he watched Harry examine the box from every angle.
"I am. This is going to be fun!"
Harry worked on the box when he had free time. He found, to his surprise, that only by dispelling the charms on the box, he could find the first panel, but that only activated a whole new set of charms. He kept a list of the spells by his bed, planning on sending it to his mother to see if any branch of the family could use his information after the task. This box would make the perfect Training tool for learning how to disable spells.
He was pleased when Hermione told him that she had found Dobby. He was now working in the kitchens. Uncle Henry, as it turned out, had questioned Dobby about his dream job. When Dobby answered it was to work for Harry, Uncle Henry worked out a deal with Dumbledore. Dobby would stay at Hogwarts while Harry was In school, and work for Uncle Henry during the summer. Harry visited Dobby, who was more then just pleased to see him. Winky was working in the kitchens too, but she had taken her new freedom and clothes with such despair that all she did was cry. Harry finally went over to her and asked if she would be happier rebound to a family, and reminded her that his uncle could use a 'top rate' House Elf like herself. This cheered Winky up a bit, but she declined.
Winky went into a new crying fit when Hermione told her that Mr. Crounch was a judge for the Triwizard Tournament. Winky insisted that she was a proper House Elf and would always keep Mr. Crounch's secrets.
Harry soon found out the hard way that visiting the kitchens was off-limits. Snape was true to his nature, checking the parchment every night. He had told Harry to stay after class that Friday after the first task.
"Mr. Potter, the parchment turned brown on Sunday. What did you do?"
Harry bit his lip. "I accidentally overheard about the dragons, sir."
Snape didn't seem to believe him. "And Monday, it turned black!"
"I told Cedric about the dragons, sir. I thought it was only fair that we all know what we were facing."
"How did you know that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would know?" Snape inquired.
"Part of my accidental overhearing, sir. It was mentioned that Karkaroff and Madam Maxine had seen the dragons. I held the belief that they would tell their Champions, so I told Cedric."
Snape stared at him and then shook his head. "As much as I'd like to expel you for breaking a rule, Potter, being a noble idiot seems to have worked in your favor. Just be careful of what you 'overhear' from now on. Now get out!"
After Harry's visit with Dobby, Snape made sure that Harry knew that the kitchens were off limits. Since Harry hadn't know he was breaking a rule, Snape seemed gracious enough to forgive him. He told him that the next time the blood changed color, however, he'd have detention with him.
"I shall endeavor to do my best and stay far away from detention, sir." Harry said before he left.
A few days later, McGonagall told her students about the Yule Ball. Each Head of House was to teach a year of students dancing so that Hogwarts did not look foolish in front of the other schools. McGonagall got Fourth Years.
"You'll be expected to participate in the opening dance with your partner," she told Harry when she noticed that he was not paying attention to her lecture.
Harry nodded. He knew ballroom dancing. Tori had taught him and Sloane varies different styles. Dancing, she had explained to them, is like fighting. It helped them know how to move their bodies if faced with danger.
"Now, let's pair up and I'll teach you a very basic dance," McGonagall said. The girls lept forward, eager to dance, but the guys hung back. With some prodding, almost everyone found a partner.
"Uh, Professor, we have more guys then girls," Harry said as he faced off with Blaise Zabini. They were the only two left.
"I suppose you two will have to partner up. Pick which one will lead this time and the other will lead next time," McGonagall exclaimed. Really, the solution seemed so easy to her.
Harry and Blaise faced each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly, Blaise bowed low to Harry and said, "Why, Henrietta, would you care to dance?"
The Slytherians in the room laughed, believing that Harry would be embaressed by this. Instead, in true Mars fashion, Harry planned on turning the tables on the boy.
Giggling girlishly, Harry blushed and said, "Why Blaise, I never thought you'd ask. I'd be delighted."
Blaise frowned, but took Harry's hand and the lesson was on the way. When they passed Slaone and Millicent, Harry whispered, "I have the feeling you won't let me live this down."
"Of course not," Sloane answered. "What are brothers for?"
Harry knew immediately who he wanted to ask to the dance, but he didn't know if he could work up the courage. Since last year, he had a crush on Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker. He would have loved to ask her to the dance, but she was always surrounded by a pack of giggling girls.
Ron, who was trying his hardest to overcome his jealousy over Harry, went over a list of potential girls with Harry. Harry shook his head, only thinking of Cho and how to get her away from the pack to ask her out. Ron also shot down his own suggestions, which angered Hermione.
"So, you'll take the only girl who'll have you, even if she's horrible!" Hermione cried.
"Sounds about right," Ron had said before Hermione turned and ran off.
Sloane didn't want to waste any time in asking Hermione to go to the dance with him, but Fate and Trouble were out to ruin his life as much as Harry's. It was an unexpected sight that greeted Sloane when he entered the library, ready to talk to Hermione.
"So, you vill come to the dance wit me?"
Victor Krum, hero of the World Cup and the Durmstrang Champion, was asking Hermione out. Sloane closed his eyes as Hermione nodded, eagerly taking the date.
"Oh, drat!" Sloane said, stepping out of the shadows. "Looks like you've got great taste in women, Krum. You beat me!"
"Sloane? What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
Sloane gave her a sad smile. "I was going to ask you to the dance, Hermione. Guess I was five minutes too slow."
Krum looked surprised. "You are not mad?"
"No. All's fair in love and war, you know. Good luck you two. And Hermione, don't worry. I won't tell a soul until you do." Sloane said and walked off. Inside, he was dying. If he was lucky, maybe he'd get to dance with her at the Yule ball.
Sloane wasn't paying much attention to where he was going until he ran into a sobbing girl from Durmstrang. The girl had long black hair and pretty brown eyes. She would have been beautiful if she weren't sobbing as if her heart were breaking.
"Hey, are you all right?" Sloane asked.
"No. I haf no date for the Yule Ball. I vanted to ask someone, but he has a date already," the girl sniffed.
"Same here," Sloane said. Then a little light went off in his mind. "Say, would you like to go with me?"
The girl looked him over. "I do not know. Headmaster Karkaroff is very picky over who we attend the ball with."
"Well, I'm Sloane Mars. I don't think he'd mind if you went with me."
The girl's eyes widened and she nodded. "I am Rusalka Karkaroff. I am the daughter of the headmaster."
Sloane smiled. That explained why, when Karkaroff brought all boys to compete, he brought one girl. "How about I meet you in front of the Great Hall. I'll be wearing black and silver."
"Sounds like a plan."
Harry was shocked when he heard that Sloane had a date. He had been shot down by Cho and ended up asking Parvati Patil to the dance. Ron would be going with Parvati's twin, Padma. Neither Harry nor Ron knew whom Hermione was going with, and Ron tried to trick Hermione into telling. It made Sloane chuckle every time he saw Hermione outwit Ron.
The day of the Ball was filled with excitement and energy. Dobby had woken Harry up to give him his Christmas gift (a pair of mismatched socks). Harry, at a loss, confessed that he didn't have anything at the moment, but would get Dobby an extra special gift soon. Ron handed over the sweater that he got from Mrs. Weasley, and Dobby seemed to think that it was the best thing ever.
The rest of Harry's gifts were more satisfactory. Hermione had gotten him a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland; Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs; Sirius, a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot; Lupin and his mother sent him a few defense books and a note on how proud they were of him.
"Looks almost like Tori and Professor Lupin are becoming an item." Ron commented.
"Yea, but mom's letter mentions something about special plans for the holidays, and Lupin's mentions that he's going to spend the holiday with some of his friends." Harry said. Secretly, he hoped that his mom and Professor Lupin got together. He really liked Lupin and knew that he liked Tori.
An hour before the dance, Harry and Ron changed into their dress robes. Ron's robes were maroon with moldy-looking lace at the cuffs. He stared envious at Harry's black and emerald green robes with the Mars family crest over his heart. To try and make up for the fact that he was a little better off, Harry used a Severing Charm along with a Mending Charm to fix Ron's sleeves and get the lace off.
They went down to the front of the Great Hall to meet their dates. Ron was eagerly looking for Hermione, wanting to know who she was going with, and nearly missed his own date. Parvati was dressed in robes of shocking pink and gold, which looked good against her dusky skin. Padma was in robes of turquoise and looked just as good, though Ron didn't seem to notice.
It wasn't until Harry was standing near Krum as they waited for the doors to open did he notice Hermione. He was shocked. Her hair, normally bushy, was pulled back in a sleek bun and she wore robes of periwinkle blue that complemented her nicely.
"I'm shocked, Hermione," Harry whispered. "I honestly thought that Sloane was going to ask you out."
"He did, but I had already accepted from Victor." Hermione explained. "He wished us luck though."
Harry grinned, though he knew that it must have hurt his brother. Though, he mused as he saw Sloane, he seemed to have recovered quite nicely. Hanging on Sloane's arm was a beautiful girl from Durmstrang.
Sloane's date wasn't the only surprise for the night. Harry's eyes spied something amiss at the teachers' table, just a little ways away from where the champions and judges were sitting. Once again, Tori Mars was spending Christmas at Hogwarts, and this time she was there as the date of Severus Snape.
Tori's red hair was pulled up in an elegant knot with soft curls that graced her face. Her dress robes were black and gold, and it was strange to see her in wizard's clothes after all the times she had worn Muggle clothing. EvenSnape had changed and his normally greasy hair was clean-looking and tied back.Snape seemed to be enjoying his evening with her, even smiling as they talked.
"He looks ten years younger when he smiles like that," Hermione said, her eyes following Harry's gaze.
Harry nodded. It was kind of strange to see his professor look so happy. He had never thought that Snape could be happy unless it was the day he kicked Harry out of Hogwarts.
When it came time for the Champions to dance, Parvati pulled him from his seat. Dancing with her was hard since she insisted on steering instead of letting him lead. He could see several other couples join them including Ginny and Neville and Dumbledore and Madam Maxine.
When the music stopped and a faster song started, Harry tried to escape.
"Oh, I like this song!" Parvati said.
"I'll do the slow dances, but I can't dance to this," Harry explained. "I look like a full-body dry heave."
"A what?"
"What he means is that he's horrible and wants to save you the embarrassment." Sloane said, leading his date over by Harry.
"Sloane, I need to talk to you." Harry said, motioning for Sloane to follow him off the dance floor. "It's about mom."
Sloane was about to ask what about mom, when Tori was suddenly dipped right between them.
"Hello boys!" Tori said as Snape brought her back up.
"Mr. Mars, Mr. Potter." Snape acknowledged and then artfully sashayed Tori away.
"What is your mother doing here?" Parvati cried, watching as Snape and Tori danced.
"I'd say it looks like the Mambo." Sloane said. He and Harry stood there, shocked, as they watched their professor dance rather provacitively with their mother.
"I never knew Professor Snape could dance like that," Sloane commented.
"I never wanted to know Professor Snape could dance like that," Harry said.
Harry and Sloane, plus their dates, sat out the fast dances. True to his word, Harry danced every single slow dance with Parvati, which made her happy. They watched as Tori Mars was asked to dance by several different men, including Karkaroff, Fontaine, Bagman and Moody.
Ron was upset over who Hermione was there with, obsessing to such a point that Padma left him. Ron never noticed, but he did notice when Hermione left him. Sloane's eyes narrowed slightly as he realized why the two Gryffindors were so angry.
After several more dances, Ron got tired of watching Harry have fun. He also scowled when Sloane and Hermione danced, their dates dancing together. So, when a fast song came on and Harry sat down, Ron suggested they go for a walk.
Sloane waved them off, content to watch his mother dance with Dumbledore. Ron led Harry outside, and Harry had a feeling that he was supposed to say something to cheer his friend up. However, they heard an unpleasantly familiar voice before he could say anything.
" . . . don't see what there is to fuss over, Igor."
"Severus, you can't pretend that this isn't happening!" Karkaroff's voice sounded. It was hushed, as if he didn't want anyone to overhear, but the anxiety was evident. "It's becoming clearer every day. Surely you've noticed!"
"Then flee," Snape said curtly. "I will make your excuses, but I am staying."
"Do you think it has anything to do with her?" Karkaroff asked. "Is it because she came back that this is happening?"
"I doubt she has anything to do with this," Snape hissed. "In fact, I'm sure of it."
Karkaroff's voice started to raise, "But none of this happened until she was discovered!"
"Leave her alone, Igor," Snape muttered silkily, "or you will have me to deal with."
The two of them came around the corner. Snape had his wand out and blasted some rosebushes, sending two students fleeing back to the castle.
"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Snape snarled. "Ten points from Hufflepuff as well, Stebbins!" Then he spotted Harry and Ron. "What are you two doing out?"
"Walking, sir." Harry said.
"Keep walking then!" Snape told them, brushing by them, his long black cloak billowing out behind him. Karkaroff hurried after him.
Harry shrugged and turned to Ron. "Shall we continue?"
Ron was about to say 'yes' when Tori appeared. "There you are. I'm going to be going soon and thought it would be nice to actually talk to my sons."
"Sorry, mom. You were having so much fun that I didn't want to interrupt." Harry said.
Tori smiled. "Come on. One dance with your old mother."
"Mom!" Harry looked properly horrified.
Tori's smile got bigger. "You'll have to have something to tell the therapist when you're older. Come on. It's a great repressed memory. Besides," she added, looking around, "you have to save me from dancing another set with Moody. I swear that trick eye of his is looking through my clothes!"
Harry gave a dramatic sigh, but he went with Tori. Neither one of them saw the hurt look on Ron's face as they left him in the gardens.
"Harry, dear, I needed to talk you," Tori said as they danced.
"Sure, mom, what is it?"
Tori bit her lip before answering. "Honey, has living with me really been so horrible?"
Harry started and nearly missed the next step in the dance. "What do you mean?"
"I read that article, and it got me thinking." Tori said. "I know you want to know more about your parents and that you do miss them even though you might not remember them -"
Harry sighed. "Mom, I love you. I do want to know about my parents, but not so that they can replace you. I'm curious, that's all."
"So, you don't hate living with me?"
"Of course not!" Harry snorted. "In fact, mom, I want to be teacher. Once I know for a fact that this whole Voldemort issue is taken care of and there is no danger of him returning, I'm changing my name back to Daniel Mars and England can hire me like it would anyone else."
Tori grinned. "That sounds like a bad movie plot. Teacher by day, Dark wizard hunter by night - he is Daniel Mars."
Harry laughed, twirling his mom artfully around the dance floor.
Tori and Harry took a quick spin on the floor and then Harry went looking for Ron. Ron sulked, not wanting to talk to Harry after that.
At the end of the night, Harry was ready to sleep for a week. Cedric had tried to tell him the secret of the Puzzle Box, but Harry already knew it. Tori had received a kiss good night from Karkaroff and Fontaine, one on each cheek, much to the embarrassment of Harry and Sloane. Snape, true to his own fashion, gallantly kissed Tori's hand.
In the Common Room, Harry found Ron and Hermione fighting. Though he only came in on the very end, it was evident over what had started it. Ron's resentment over who Hermione had gone with had sparked it off. Hermione's own anger about being the last girl Ron that would have asked had ended the fight.
Two day later, as Harry was working on the Puzzle Box again, Rita Skeeter's newest article came out. A nice picture of Tori dancing with Harry appeared below the heading of Dark Lady dances with Boy Who Lived.
The whole article was about Tori's Dark Lady status and how Dumbledore should be more careful about whom he lets near the famous Harry Potter. There was even a slight blurb in the article over how Tori had danced with released Death Eater Karkaroff, ex-Auror Moody ("Who had been the one to bring Tori Mars from her hiding in America to stand trial," the article read."One must wonder why they are suddenly so friendly or why the esteemed ex-Auror had begged for more then one dance.") and even the Headmaster himself.
Harry groaned as he read the article. This was not going to go over well with the family. How did Rita Skeeter get that picture and see the Ball when she hadn't been invited? In fact, he didn't recall seeing that photographer either.
Two weeks after the article, the Daily Prophet was being sued by the Guerra family as well as the Mars family. Sloane proudly told Harry this over breakfast one morning, including that Skeeter was now on probation. Harry countered with the fact that he had finally solved the Puzzle Box. Now, he had to research the ways to win the Second Task.
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Happy Thanksgiving!