Harriet Potter and the Dark Lady of Avalon

by Xetarma

Part 5 of Harriet Potter and the Guardians of Atlantis. Returning to Hogwarts for her fourth year, Harriet Potter is forced to deal with the growing realization that she is falling in love with Hermione. Meanwhile, Voldemort plots his return. But Harriet's Defense Aganist the Dark Arts teacher, now the dark witch Morgana in truth, has her own plans.

6. The Yule Ball

Chapter 6: The Yule Ball

The end of the first task was a turning point in the mood of the school, not because of the events of the task so much, but because at this point everyone began to pay attention to the upcoming Yule Ball. It had been in the back of everyone's minds all year, but suddenly for students of a certain age it took on an all consuming presence. Perhaps things would have been different if the dragon tamers could have proved the Horntail had been tampered with, but they hadn't, so things weren't.

Bertha Jorkins had been a miracle worker, working tirelessly with Fudge and the Minister to make sure the population of Hogwarts, as well as the foreign students, would be able to return to their families for at least part of the holidays. The floo network was certainly capable of moving that many students within Britain, but internationally flooing the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons was extremely difficult as the centralized floo network limited the number of outward floo connections, and students from those schools would need to be returned to almost 30 different countries.

Traditionally this had been handled by forbidding any students who stayed for the Yule Ball to return home for the holidays in the name of fairness. But Jorkins and Fudge had done a heroic job of figuring out how to configure the floo network so that it could handle this output. Crouch Sr. had been impressed and had ordered an exception to the Hogwarts express rule.

As a result, anticipation of this holiday season was incredible. Everyone was getting excited, and a few teachers stopped even trying to teach anything exceptionally difficult during this period. It was a welcome respite, even if it was made up for by Snape intensifying his course work.

Harriet was initially as swept along as anyone else. Some small part of her hoped that she would be able to find a moment at the Yule Ball to speak with Hermione in some dark corner. She would draw back the older girl's bushy hair, and lay a kiss on her beautiful lips…

Harriet always shook herself out of this fantasy. Even if Hermione was receptive (which was by no means guaranteed), it would be far too risky. Maybe it would be safe in a broom closet, but Harriet didn't want her first kiss with Hermione to be in a broom closet. Especially since it might well be their last kiss.

At the very least Harriet intended to tell Hermione about her feelings for Hermione. But she recognized it might be a rough road. She was very thankful that Hermione wasn't looking for a date.

XXXXX

Hermione sat reading a book, and staring out at the lake as she thought about it. It was a cool day, but with a light jacket on it was still comfortable. The last comfortable day of the year probably, Hermione guessed.

The book was on centaur customs. Hermione had long been struggling with the way non-humans had been treated in the magical world, and centaurs had gotten worse treatment than anyone, except perhaps the elves and giants. Though to be fair, the giants had basically sealed their fate by refusing to stop eating muggles in the 18th century. The result of this Hermione would term a genocide on the part of the wizards, but she had to admit that the giants had made it very difficult to take any course of action other than suppressing them.

The real villain was the Statute of Secrecy of course. Prior to the Statute muggles had always had weapons capable of slaying giants, and firearms, even early matchlock weapons, had actually made it trivial. But when Wizards had begun wiping Giant attacks from the minds of muggles, suddenly the Giants had found a delicious source of food that would never be able to properly fight back. The results had been three centuries of brutal murder on both sides, Giants killing muggles for food, then Wizards killing Giants like animals. A terrible situation all around.

Centaurs had it very bad though. Their land was restricted, mostly to forests, even though they flourished best on the open plains. In some parts of Russia and Mongolia centaurs lived in peace in vast magically hidden steppe lands, but in Britain they had little land and few allies. They were surrounded by dangerous creatures whom they held at bay from Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, and their only thanks was increasing restrictions.

Hermione heard a voice clearing. "You are Herminie Granger, Harriet Potter's friend, that is correct?"

She looked up to see Viktor Krum standing there.

"Uh, yes, that's me," said Hermione, puzzled that he was approaching her, "but my name is pronounced Her-my-o-nee.'

"Her-my-o-nee, I saw you reading Broadheart's book," said Krum, indicating the book she was reading, "It is very good. I did not know how badly centaurs had been treated in Britain. In Bulgaria, most were driven out by Grindelwald's war. They live in Russia now."

"That seems to be a constant theme of magical society," said Hermione, "banish all the magical creatures to Russia, especially those that are inconvenient."

"And enslave those who are useful to us," said Krum.

For the next hour Hermione had a long discussion with Krum. He wasn't big on talking, but when he did make a point it was on target and insightful. Mostly he let Hermione tell him about the injustices she was studying, with occasional moments of agreement or short comments on how things differed in Bulgaria. Krum's comments revealed that he did not look at these things as intellectually as Hermione, but more out of his sense of empathy. He felt bad for these creatures, so he wanted to do better. He nodded politely as Hermione told him her ideas to improve things.

"I am not a planner, or a great thinker," said Krum honestly, "But I do like taking action. I have been trying to set up a charity for free elves in Bulgaria, but few elves will take the work it offers, and few wizards will give to it. I feel… frustrated, because I can see what should be done, what any decent person should do, yet no one takes the action to do it."

Hermione nodded. It was a conundrum.

"You think about these things, Her-mio-nee," said Krum, "and that gives me hope. You are very smart, and we need smart people to figure this out."

Hermione felt herself blushing. This was really very strange, why was Krum talking to her to begin with?

"I would like to talk with you some more," said Krum.

"I would like that," said Hermione.

"You are the most interesting girl at Hogwarts," said Krum, "I will be honest, the only other girl who comes close is your friend, Harriet, but she is more like me, and less thoughtful."

"Harriet can be plenty thoughtful when she has her head on straight," said Hermione, "but once her mind is made up she does prefer action." Hermione didn't want to think too hard about Harriet though. No, she wasn't supposed to interfere there too much. Bad things would happen to Harriet if she did.

"I like a girl who remains thoughtful throughout her troubles more though," said Krum, "I like you, and I would ask you to attend the Yule Ball with me."

Hermione stared at Krum, barely able to believe what he had just said. "Excuse me, did you just ask me to the Yule Ball?" she asked, trying to right her now reeling mind.

"No other boy has asked you?" asked Krum.

"Ha!" said Hermione, "Who would ask me to the Yule Ball! I'm… I'm just…"

"You are smart and pretty," said Krum honestly, "And I asked you."

"Yes," said Hermione, barely able to breathe as she said it. Viktor Krum had just asked her to the Yule Ball. The biggest Quidditch star in the world had just asked her to the Yule Ball!

"Shall we meet again then?" asked Krum.

"Tomorrow, the Entrance hall, at 3:00," said Hermione.

"See you then," said Krum.

As soon as Krum was out of sight, she stood up and ran back to the school. Back to Gryffindor Tower.

XXXXX

"I wonder if I can get Seamus to ask me to the Yule Ball," said Lavender, as the Gryffindor girls (aside from Hermione) lounged in their dormitory.

Harriet had to admit, this was really the first time they had all been talking about boys like this. Previously, any discussion of boys here had been about how annoying they were. But now, forced to try to wrangle up dates, everyone here was suddenly very interested in boys. Well, except for Harriet. She didn't mind them talking about it though.

"He likes you," said Sally, "He'll ask."

"I need to find a date," said Parvati, "I was thinking about Dean, but he seems to want to join the group Harriet is putting together."

"You could drop some hints to Neville," suggested Fay.

"Neville wouldn't be bad," agreed Parvati.

"He already asked Ginny Weasley," said Harriet, "He wants to take Hannah Abbott, but he knew he'd never have the courage to ask her. So he asked Ginny instead. Since only 4th years and up can go to the Ball without being invited, it was the only way for her to go."

"You could try Anthony Goldstein," suggested Harriet.

"He asked Padma," said Parvati, now sounding annoyed, "She said no, but still…"

Suddenly, Hermione ran into the dormitory and threw the door shut. She looked… Harriet didn't quite know what was going on, but she knew Hermione looked quite flustered.

"Viktor Krum just asked me to the Yule Ball," said Hermione.

Bitter disappointment hit Harriet like a prize boxer's right hook, but she immediately suppressed that. Harriet couldn't blame Krum for wanting to take Hermione to the Ball. If Harriet could have done so, she would have done the same. And the truth was that Hermione would get a chance to show everyone just how pretty she really was, on the arm of someone who was possibly the biggest Quidditch star in the world.

"You are kidding me," said Parvati.

Hermione gave her a hurt look.

"That wasn't about you," said Harriet, "Parvati's just having trouble finding a date."

"Oh, yes!" agreed Parvati, "That was just me marking how unfair it was that someone who wasn't looking for a date got asked by Viktor fucking Krum! I certainly didn't mean to imply you don't deserve it!"

Hermione laughed. "It's insane, isn't it?"

"Do you have a dress?" asked Lavender.

"Nothing good enough for this," said Hermione, "I need to contact my parents, get some money. Oh, there might not be enough time to get the money and then get a dress, especially if I need to get it altered."

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Harriet, "I have money. You can just pay me back."

"You are the best friend ever!" said Hermione, who hugged Harriet.

The hug lasted perhaps a little longer than Harriet expected. When Hermione let go, she looked at Harriet worriedly, "Oh bollocks, I just remembered that I promised we were going to be going as part of a group of friends!" said Hermione sadly, "I didn't mean to cancel on you…"

"It's fine," said Harriet, "You don't get an opportunity like this every day. It's Viktor fucking Krum!"

Parvati was eyeing Harriet oddly.

XXXXX

It wasn't too long before Parvati dragged Harriet into the showerroom for a private conversation. She felt sorry for Harriet, and knew that this would cause some complications.

"You actually all right?" asked Parvati.

"Yeah, no," admitted Harriet, "I had planned to reveal my feelings to Hermione that night, so you know, I am kind of upset here. Not that I blame Hermione. But this was a blow, I'll admit."

"It's just a date," said Parvati, "And there would have been a scandal if she actually took you. She deserves this."

"Preaching to the choir, Parvati," said Harriet, "But nothing you say will make it suck less."

"When Ron finds out that Hermione is going with someone, he's going to ask you, you know," said Parvati.

"Yeah," said Harriet, "Well, why not? As long as we just go as friends, I don't see the harm in it."

"Harriet, he is one of your best friends, and he has a huge crush on you," said Parvarti seriously, "Even if he goes with you as a friend, he's going to want some acknowledgement of his feelings. He thinks you return his feelings. I know that coming out is a big deal for a lesbian, but you need to tell him that you are one if he is going to be your date to the Yule Ball. If you don't it will end badly."

"I don't know," said Harriet, "Too many people know already."

"Maybe, but Ron is too close to you for you to hide this," argued Parvati, "Admit it, if you were into boys, you would be interested. Ron has every reason to think you return his feelings! You flirt with him all the time. I know you are just being playful, but Ron doesn't! Listen, you don't have to come out to him if you don't want to, but just tell him you don't want to go to the Ball with anyone."

"I don't want to go to the Ball alone," admitted Harriet, "I will consider telling him. I mean, I really don't actually mind him knowing."

Parvati made a sound of exasperation. That was not very promising at all. Harriet was not going to tell him, and she was going to accept his invitation. Parvati had no desire to be telling Harriet she had told her so after a goddamned disaster. Maybe it was time to talk to Ginny.

XXXXX

Ron was sitting for breakfast the next day, and having a good time of it. For once, Harriet was sitting with him rather than Hermione. He didn't fully understand why, but he did wonder. He wondered about a lot of things these days. Like all the time she was spending with Morgan Solaire.

Harriet was reading the Daily Prophet with an exasperated look on her face. "Ugh, looks like both Greengrass and Crouch kicked off their campaigns last night," she said impatiently.

Ron nodded. The laws about political campaigning in magical Britain were much less strict than those in non-magical Britain. Candidates for the elected Wizengamot seats could campaign for two months before the election, while candidates for Minister could campaign for three months. Luckily, after the last election had seen virtually all the airtime on the Wizarding Wireless taken up by political ads, the Wizengamot had banned political ads on the wireless.

"Greengrass barely concealed his intentions to repeal the Muggle and Muggleborn Civil Rights Act," said Harriet, "And… for fucks sake. Barty Crouch said that there is no danger that the muggles will discover the magical world."

"Would you expect a politician to say anything else?" asked Fred, who was sitting by Ron this morning.

"I'd expect him to take the possibility seriously. All he had to do is say that he has a plan!" insisted Harriet, "I don't think he actually has a plan. Oh wow, that is bad."

"I thought you didn't like the Statute of Secrecy," offered a puzzled Ron. It was very strange of Harriet to care about the integrity of the Statute at all.

"I don't want it to just fail when we have no plan for dealing with the fallout!" snapped Harriet, "Sorry, that came out a bit hostile, but this is staggeringly bad governance."

"What can you do?" asked George.

"I'm going to have words with him," said Harriet, "He's going to be at the Yule Ball."

"You think Barty Crouch will care about the opinion of a 14 year old witch?" asked Fred.

"Yes," said Harriet, "If that 14 year old witch inherits a Wizengamot seat in three years."

Fred and George laughed.

"Still, maybe a demonstration," said Harriet, "Excuse me, I need to, uh, write a letter."

"Summoning Kreacher again?" asked Fred.

"Of course not," said Harriet disingenuously. She stood up and ran off to find some privacy.

So much for getting some time alone with her today, thought Ron.

"You going to ask her to the Yule Ball?" asked George.

"We're going in a big group of friends," said Ron, "I think she mostly wants to hang out with her girlfriends."

Ginny suddenly sat down in the seat Harriet had just vacated. "Actually," said Ginny, "Someone asked Hermione to the Ball, so that plan seems to be off."

"Oh, really? Who asked her?" asked Ron.

"No one outside of the fourth year girl's dormitory knows," admitted Ginny, "But Parvati came to tell me last night."

"Why?" asked Ron.

"Because you are going to ask Harriet to the Yule Ball now, obviously!" snapped Ginny, "Listen, Harriet has some shit going on in her life right now that she has only told a few people. I only barely know about it, and she hasn't told any boys. She is not ready for a relationship. At all."

"So, if you want to ask Harriet to be your date to the Yule Ball, as a friend, go ahead," said Ginny, "If you keep in mind that you are just friends, I think you will both have a good time. But oh Merlin, if you try to ask her to be your girlfriend, or confess you are interested in her, or try to cause any public scene, you will regret it! I will make you regret it if nothing else."

"Listen to Ginny," agreed Fred, "Angelina hasn't told me much, but I am not blind. Harriet is definitely dealing with something."

"Why hasn't she told me?" asked Ron.

"Ron, when she gets around to telling a boy this, you will be the first boy she tells," said Ginny, "until then, respect her privacy."

"Okay," said Ron. What was bothering Harriet. And how would he be able to help? He didn't understand what this had to do with his feelings though. Maybe his opportunity would still come. After the Yule Ball. Right after, if he could manage it.

XXXXX

Harriet was surprised when Ron asked if he could speak with her privately after Charms. It hadn't even been a full day yet. She smelled Parvati's hand in this. Parvati had probably tried to extract some promise out of Ron that he wouldn't cause trouble.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Harriet.

"So I, uh, heard Hermione was asked to the Yule Ball by someone," said Ron, "That looks like it killed your 'big group of friends' plan."

"Yeah, unfortunately," said Harriet.

"So, I wanted to know if you wanted to go with me," said Ron, his nervousness palpable, "Go as friends I mean."

"You want me to go to the Yule Ball with you as friends," said Harriet, as if weighing every word. Parvati had definitely worked some magic here. She'd have to thank the girl.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," said Harriet after a moment.

Ron grinned. "Great," he said.

XXXXX

Later that evening Parvati was still being a buzzkill.

"You still need to tell Ron that you are a lesbian," said Parvati, "If you don't, you will regret it. I don't get it. You want to tell him!"

Harriet shook her head. Ron had already agreed they were going as friends. What trouble would he cause?

XXXXX

Astoria Greengrass was not entirely surprised when Draco asked her to come aside with him after lunch. She knew Draco must have been thinking about this. Now she had to see what exactly his intentions were. Astoria had to admit, she wasn't interested in a pity date, but at the same time she knew she was far too young to actually be dating for real. What precisely Draco intended would be interesting.

"So, I've been thinking, what with me courting you and all," started Draco a little awkwardly, "And I have been trying to decide whether I was going to talk to you at all. If you were in third year this might not be an issue, but as it is… well I have taken a lot of time to think about this."

Draco shook his head, trying to ward off some troubling thought. "Listen, I thought about what was fair for the both of us. And I tried to see if there was anyone I wanted to invite to the Yule Ball. And honestly? There isn't. Not really. Oh there are plenty of girls I find attractive, but I don't really have any that I have a connection with."

"That's fair," said Astoria evenly.

"You are a little young for a date, but I think that, after a long consideration, if I am going to invite a friend to the Yule Ball, I want it to be you," said Draco.

"Why?" asked Astoria, ready to reject him if he mentioned their courting.

"Because I have more fun when I am with you, than I do when I am not," said Draco.

"I would be glad to accompany you Draco," said Astoria, pleasantly surprised, "I'm glad you didn't mention our courtship agreement."

"That would have been a little impersonal of me, don't you think?" said Draco, "Listen, I like you, I am not trying to hide that. I care about you, and what you think about me. Maybe credit me with some basic human emotions."

"Never," said Astoria with a laugh.

Draco looked puzzled. "Because of my past?" he asked.

"Because you're a boy," said Astoria. And at that, Draco grinned back.

XXXXX

Angelina was lying in wait. She had stationed herself in the sixth year boys loo. As it was the middle of the afternoon, no one was there. But Angelina had nicked Fred's potion book, so he would think he had left it behind, and would be heading up the stairs shortly. And sure enough, he raced up the stairs, as if on cue.

Angelina grabbed his arm and pulled him into the loo. Fred's eyes went wide as he saw the look of grim determination on Angelina's face. He wasn't quite sure what to think of this.

"Hey Angelina," said Fred, "Do you have anything specific you want to talk about or are you just about to do unspeakable things to me?"

"Any specific unspeakable things you want me to do to you?" joked Angelina.

"Oh, I can think of a few, but they'd have to be worth being late to Snape's class," admitted Fred.

"Well, unfortunately this meeting isn't going to be quite that pleasurable," said Angelina, "See, I need you to do something, something you should have done days ago."

"Oh, so you need me to do unspeakable things to you!" laughed Fred, "Well, pull your trousers down and let me get started!"

"It's a nice gesture," said Angelina, "but I don't need any help in that department, not unless we are going to go a lot further than I think you want to right now. No, I am referring to the fact that McGonagall is riding my arse about not having a date to the Yule Ball. But for some reason the boy I want to go with hasn't asked me."

"Oh!" said Fred, turning a bit red, "Uh, well, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Yes," said Angelina. Then she leaned in and kissed Fred very thoroughly.

After she finished, Fred had a silly grin on his face.

"Uhhh, what brought this on?" said Fred, "I thought you wanted us all to stay friends."

"Someone tried to kill me in the first task. I know Dumbledore found no evidence of it, but he wouldn't would he? Not if the attacker was even semi-competant. I am terrified. Sometimes I just want someone to hold me, to let me know things will be all right."

"Why me though?" asked Fred, "You have always liked me and George both."

"I flipped a coin," joked Angelina.

"Really?" said Fred, his eyes going wide then he shook his head as he realised he'd been had, "Oooh you got me!"

"I… I really don't know why I gravitate to you instead of George," said Angelina, "Maybe you've just been a tad more sensitive to me. Whatever you do, don't stop making jokes though. It's what I love about you."

"George is an insensitive clod sometimes," joked Fred.

"Lucky for you," breathed Angelina, "There are perks to being my date."

And she ran her hand down his chest and on top of the front of his trousers.

"This isn't the first time you've touched, uh, that," said Fred with a smile, "Though it may be the first time you've done it without threatening to crush my bollocks."

"Or without grabbing your brother's junk at the same time," laughed Angelina as she pulled her hand away.

"And you haven't done it since the last time… when we both got a bit, ummm...," admitted Fred.

"I noticed," said Angelina, "Why do you think I kept holding on for so long?"

Angelina pulled his potions book out and handed it to him.

"You better get to class," she said.

"Uh, yeah, right," said Fred, "See you later then."

After he had left Angelina wanted to slap herself. That had gone further than she had anticipated. For some reason she just felt… a little randy. Oh, well. McGonagall should stop giving her trouble now.

XXXXX

The time suddenly seemed to fly as the Yule Ball approached. Harriet and the other Gryffindor fourth year girls had all decided together that Hermione would be the main focus of their efforts that day. Not that the rest of them would be looking bad, by any means, but Hermione would be center stage, so she needed to look her best.

Luckily, her mother had contacted Sirius, so Hermione hadn't needed to borrow money from Harriet for a dress. Harriet, Parvati and Hermione had spent two hours in Hogsmeade dress shopping, and had only made it that short because Hermione had gotten fed up with Parvati's nitpicking. Ultimately the periwinkle dress they selected was pronounced 'acceptable' by Parvati, though she clearly had opinions on the matter that she was suppressing. Harriet thought it made Hermione look beautiful.

Classes ended and everyone began to get excited. Decorations for the ball began to go up and an ice garden was being grown just outside the Great Hall. Something about it made Morgan sad, and when Harriet asked about it, Morgan simply replied that Helga Hufflepuff had often made similar gardens during her time at Hogwarts. Professor Sprout had made the garden, and it wouldn't surprise Harriet to find out that the current Head of Hufflepuff was intentionally recreating some ancient designs from the Founder herself.

The day of was Christmas, and the early morning was consumed with gift giving and opening. But after an early lunch, Parvati took command. Hermione was ordered to take a shower, then when she got back she barely had time to put on a pair of knickers before she was suddenly under the attention of the other Gryffindor girls.

Fay and Sally were in charge of Hermione's hair, and it required both of them, as well as a great deal of help from Harriet. Sleekeazy's Hair Potion made Hermione's hair more malleable, but it didn't untangle it. Hermione screamed in pain at their first attempt to comb it. Harriet had jumped in at that point and taken over the process of getting Harriet's hair ready to be styled (and had done so rather forcefully). Harriet's sure hand was able to untangle knots as well as soothe the pain on Hermione's head when she had little choice but to get a bit rougher. Once Harriet had removed the tangles the other two girls had begun working in earnest.

Parvati was handling the makeup. She might have been going overboard, because she gave a speech in which she told Hermione that she was going to be a fairy princess tonight and everyone would be envious of her beauty, even if someone vanished Hermione's clothes. Hermione had been fairly alarmed at this, though Lavender had assured her this wasn't at all likely to happen. Still, Parvati was determined to apply basic levels of makeup to as much of Hermione's body as possible.

"This is an older and subtler magic than anything we learn here at Hogwarts," said Parvati, "The magic of human attraction. Everyone is going to idolize you. "

In fact this had led to a bit of a standoff when Parvati had pulled down the back of Hermione's knickers and begun to apply some darkening powder to her bottom. Hermione had made it quite clear that this was where she was drawing the line.

"No offense, Parvati," said Hermione, "But aside from maaaybe Harriet here I am not comfortable with any of you handling my bottom or my vulva. Hands off."

Parvati turned to Harriet as if to ask her something, but Harriet just shook her head. "I am not handling Hermione's fanny or bum unless she asks me to," Harriet said, her voice brooking no debate.

Hermione had smiled at her, and had then insisted that she would feel most comfortable with Harriet applying the skin darkener to her chest and shoulders. Which was how Harriet got to feel up Hermione's breasts. She had blushed while doing so, but Hermione had just laughed at her embarrassment. After that Hermione had put on a strapless bra, and she had made clear that any further cosmetic treatments were going to be okayed by her.

Aside from Parvati's somewhat over the top perfectionism, the part that Harriet found the most difficult was that she was in her own underwear most of this time. The other girls were getting ready as well, but none of them wanted to risk getting makeup of any of the styling agents on their dresses. So Harriet felt a little awkward. That was strange, as Harriet, in general, wasn't exceptionally modest. And she certainly didn't mind the other girls who weren't Hermione looking at her. It had to be her crush on Hermione. Luckily Hermione thought her constant blushes and awkward moments were funny, and laughed at them. That actually made Harriet feel good, as it meant that at least she wasn't offended.

Lavender had pulled out a whole host of accessories, including hairpins, brooches, necklaces, earring and rings. Ultimately Hermione decided on two hairpins to allow Fay and Sally to properly try a more complicated hairstyle, and a short necklace with a brilliant imitation sapphire that matched her dress. She also chose two silver earrings, which changed shape to a different animal on each person's ears. On Hermione's ears they became otters, which seemed to satisfy her.

Harriet was the one who helped Hermione into her dress, and it was a relatively painless procedure, though at one point she had found herself holding the top of Hermione's backside in order to hold something in place. Once that was done, Harriet pulled on her own dress.

It was a dark scarlet, with white accents, which made Harriet think of it as Christmas-y. It was relatively easy to move and dance in, and had a lot of frills and other little elements. It was nowhere near as revealing as the dress Harriet had purchased for the New Year's Gala the year before, but as Harriet had bigger breasts than she had the previous year she still gave off a little bit of decollatage in this dress.

Hermione on the other hand looked fantastic. Her hair was up in a style that looked as if it should fall apart, yet was somehow held up by a mere two hairpins. Her face was radiant. Her dress was a brilliant shoulder baring number, but was otherwise quite conservative. She looked stunning.

"Oh, god. I want to kiss you in that," said Harriet honestly.

Hermione laughed, not dismissively, but in reply to Harriet's earnestness. If Harriet had noticed, she might have understood that much of Hermione's laughter had come from her unease with her own attraction to Harriet. But Harriet had not noticed.

Harriet went down first, planning on taking a back staircase rather than the Grand Staircase. She wanted to see the look on Krum's face when Hermione came down. On the way through the common room, she was stopped by Neville.

"Ron's a bit… perturbed," said Neville, "His dress robes are a bit… old fashioned."

When Harriet went up into the boys dormitory, she discovered this was not an exaggeration. But the real problem wasn't the fashion, which Harriet found charmingly retro, but the extremely poor condition of the robes. It was supposed to be starched and pressed, and give the wearer a large crisp presence when worn. Instead the robes were limp and flat making them look old and saggy. There was a lot of lace, but someone had tried cutting some of it off.

"I look terrible," said Ron, "especially next to you! You look really pretty tonight Harriet."

"Thank you, but really, Molly could have made these a bit more presentable," said Harriet, "Luckily for you, you are going to the Yule Ball with your very own fairy godmother."

Harriet waved her wand and suddenly the collars and cuffs of Ron's robes became stiff and starched again. The cut off lace had reattached itself, and the colour had changed from a sickly maroon to a scarlet that matched Harriet's dress. It was a bit old fashioned still, but it looked like the outfit of an old pureblood Warlock rather than the sad lump it had before. Harriet looked around the room, then saw a red and white Santa hat set up as a decoration. Pulling it down she cast another sorcery and the hat changed to match Ron's robes and stiffened so that it stood on end.

"I don't need a hat," said Ron dismissively.

"With those robes you absolutely do," said Harriet, "With this look you either go big or you go home."

Ron blushed. "Thanks Harriet, I look a lot better."

"You look almost handsome," said Harriet, "I used sorcery to do this though, so it's literally fairy godmother rules. Get back here before midnight. But I need to get downstairs to see the reaction to Hermione…"

Luckily Hermione hadn't descended yet, so Harriet managed to get to the bottom of the Grand Staircase in time. Angelina and Fred were already there. Angelina was wearing a strapless dress that looked like it was otherwise very modest, but when Angelina leaned slightly forward Harriet realised that this was deceptive. Angelina winked at Harriet as Harriet's eyes widened at the assets on display, before straightening up to take a more modest posture.

Cedric was going with Cho Chang, who was wearing a high necked dress that left a good deal of her back bare. Harriet could see the appeal. Cedric walked over to Harriet quickly.

"Tell Angelina, if she hasn't figured out her egg yet, that she should take a bath with it," whispered Cedric quickly.

"What?" asked Harriet. But Cedric was already gone. Harriet scowled.

It was at this time that Fleur came down. She was wearing a pale lavender dress that was cut extremely classically. Harriet immediately realised that the whole dress was designed to point your eyes to Fleur's face, which was radiant. Fleur also had her allure going, just a bit, but it wasn't enough to be anything more than an annoyance to Harriet.

Fleur said hello to her date, then walked over to Harriet of all people. "What do you think?" she asked.

"You look beautiful," said Harriet honestly. She saw Krum pacing in the corner. That was where she would need to look.

And then Hermione came down the stairs. She wore a periwinkle blue dress which bared the shoulders, and which seemed to make her look slim as well as emphasizing her figure. Yet the skirts of the dress flowed down, and some magic made it seem as if there were petticoats underneath, but of course there were none. Hermione's hair was up, straight, but folded back over itself, wreathing her head, almost as if a crown. Her face was radiant, seeming to almost shone from the makeup.

Harriet had never wanted anything in her whole life as she wanted to walk into that hall with Hermione on her arm. She looked at Krum, and his face was amazed. He went over to Hermione to greet her. Presently, they came down to talk to her.

"Really you should thank the other girls for how good I look," said Hermione, "Harriet and the others worked tirelessly on it."

"Parvati did the most," said Harriet, "And all she did was make the good parts of you stick out. Hermione, you look amazing."

"Thanks!" said Hermione with a giggle.

McGonagall walked out at that moment, and her eyes focused on Harriet. Uh oh, thought Harriet.

"I just wanted to see Hermione come down,'" said Harriet, "I will just slip into the Great Hall now by the back."

"Thank you Miss Potter," said McGonagall, who gave Hermione an understanding nod.

Harriet ran around a corner. She wasn't about to head outside to get in the Great Hall. She pulled out her wand, and apparated herself to the Trophy Room. Then she slipped into the Great Hall.

Ron was in the back, of course. Harriet grabbed his hand and began pulling him to a place they could see.

"Where were you?" asked Ron.

"Elsewhere," said Harriet.

"You said you were going to be with Hermione, but I couldn't find her either," admitted Ron.

"You'll see Hermione in a second," said Harriet.

She had finally managed to bring herself to the front of the crowd. She had pushed a few older students out of the way, but they were Slytherins, so whatever. Across the way, on the other side of the hall, she saw Draco and Astoria. Draco looked, well he looked like Draco, and Harriet didn't ever think she would find his face anything other than repulsive, but she did admit that he looked respectable. Astoria though...

She wore a midnight blue dress, against which her pale skin looked almost ashen. Astoria looked fey and strange, beautiful and terrible, and suddenly Harriet gasped. Astoria was not wearing makeup! She had wearing makeup all the other times she had seen her. This was her natural skin tone, her summer tan having long faded, and against her dress this made her look stunning. But Harriet suddenly worried about Astoria. That was not the skin of a healthy person, no matter how beautiful she looked.

Harriet's attention went back to the main entrance to the Great Hall as they swung open. The Champions and their dates came in. First Fleur and Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, then Angelina and Fred, then Viktor and Hermione, and finally Cedric and Cho all entered. The entire hall broke out in applause as they entered.

There was a dinner before the dance, so Harriet let Ron lead Harriet to a table. There they met Lavender and Seamus, and Parvati and Dean arrived shortly afterwards. Neville and Ginny also came to that table after a moment, and following them were Alicia, George, Lee, and Lee's date; a Ravenclaw named Cassandra who seemed a bit bored.

"Too bad Fred has to sit at the boring table," said George.

"You mean the table that has Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum?" asked Harriet.

"Good point," admitted George, "I guess I'm the one sitting at the boring table."

"No table with you could be truly boring," said Ginny teasingly.

"Thank you my dear sister, thank you," said George.

The meal was good, but Harriet had to admit that she felt that a normal Hogwarts supper was much better, and their feasts were far better. Harriet suspected the meal had been catered by some outside group, and wondered why that was. Parvati had a theory.

"Some of the Beauxbatons students were complaining about the Hogwarts food, and it is very British," explained Parvati, "I guess they decided to try something different. I would think that they didn't hire outsiders, but gave the castle elves some new recipes. Unfortunately the recipes don't seem to be so great."

Harriet had a good time regardless of the quality of the food. Parvati and Lavender were both in their element here, and watching them run roughshod over Dean and Seamus was fun. Neville and Ginny had engaged George and Alicia in conversation, so it had naturally turned to Quidditch. Cassandra seemed bored with that, and tried to get Lee's attention, but he wasn't really noticing.

As the meal ended, Harriet noticed that the Minister was, for the moment, sitting alone, as people stood and were beginning to mingle as they set up the dance floor.

"George," said Harriet, "Come with me and follow my lead."

"What are we doing?" asked George.

"I am going to annoy the Minister for Magic," explained Harriet.

"Oh, nice," said George.

The Minister was about to stand up, when Harriet arrived.

"How would you like a campaign photo with The Girl Who Lived, Minister?" asked Harriet.

Crouch's eyes went wide for a moment, then narrowed shrewdly. "It would be an honor, Miss Potter. I think they have engaged a Mr. Creevey to take pictures."

"I have a camera," said Harriet, and she thrust her hand down the front of her dress, "Sorry, this damned dress doesn't have any pockets."

She pulled out a small disposable camera. "See how small this camera is? Muggle ingenuity at its finest. I mean it fit inside my cleavage, and not that I want to put myself down, but there isn't exactly a whole lot of room there."

"Nope not at all," said George. Harriet grinned. She wasn't exactly happy he had chosen that statement to agree with, but it was exactly what she had asked for.

"The point of this Miss Potter?" asked Crouch.

"Just admiring muggle technology," said Harriet, "Did you know that muggle video cameras are also getting smaller? They won't fit in my boobs yet, but are easily portable. Did you know that Minister?"

"I didn't!" said George with a big fake smile, "But now I do!"

"I'm being lectured, aren't I?" said Crouch, his tone amused.

"And now they don't even need film to make video images. They have laser discs now in some countries, where video is stored digitally. That means you can make nearly instant copies of video files!" said Harriet.

"You don't say?!" exaggerated George.

"Is there any particular reason that I shouldn't just stand up and leave?" asked Crouch.

"None, unless you want to have this conversation again in three years, on the floor of the Wizengamot, after I have taken my Hereditary Wizengamot seat," said Harriet, innocently, except for the last three words.

Crouch actually laughed at that, which seemed unnatural. "Proceed," he said, his eyes now alight.

"Did you know that the muggles have something called the internet now?" asked Harriet rhetorically, "It can transfer digital information across the world in seconds! The amount of information it can transfer is low for the moment, but high speed internet is in the works and soon they will be able to transfer large video files around the world in minutes."

"Wait…" said Crouch, his face suddenly betraying that he was putting all the pieces together.

"So, soon muggles will be able to make a digital video camera with radios on it that can connect to the internet, meaning they will be able to distribute videos to the world as they make them. Isn't that wonderful? Surely this poses no threat to magical secrecy!"

Harriet handed the camera to George, giving him quick instructions how to use it, then walked over to a horrified looking Minister.

"Smile, Minister," said Harriet as she put out her right hand in a big thumbs up. And to Crouch's credit he did manage a sort of a smile before George snapped the picture.

"We'll send you the picture," said Harriet with a grin.

George managed to hold in his laughter until they got back to the group. Then Harriet and George both broke out in huge bouts of laughter, much to the puzzlement of everyone else.

Luckily, they didn't have to explain, as the dance floor was now prepared, and everyone filed down to watch the first dance. Harriet was excited, and she should have been. Hermione floated like a cloud during that first dance, and Krum was evidently a skilled dancer as well. But more and more Harriet just stared at Hermione. She was so beautiful tonight. Harriet just wanted to dance with her under the moonlight.

Suddenly Ron was proffering his hand. The first song was over and the second about to begin. Harriet took his hand reluctantly. Harriet had never danced herself before, but she had seen people do it and she was naturally athletic, so she wasn't worried. She wasn't looking forward to it though.

As the song started it was immediately apparent that Ron had received some sort of lessons. He wasn't graceful, but he was competent, and he could lead. And suddenly Harriet just fell into the rhythm of the music, her body moving to the beat of what seemed to be a waltz. She found that she very much liked this, and suddenly wondered why she had ever thought that she wouldn't. Ron grew more deft with his feet as Harriet grew more confident and soon they were dancing away.

Harriet didn't know how long they danced, but it didn't seem so long until it became clear that Ron was getting a bit winded. He was clearly trying to hide it for Harriet's sake, who was so clearly enjoying herself, but he was not really keeping up anymore, and Harriet had essentially taken over the lead.

"Do you need a break?" asked Harriet.

Ron shook his head from side to side to indicate that he could go either way, but Harriet saw through his facade of toughness. She led him to the side and let him sit down near where Lavender and Parvati were now sitting with their dates.

"Someone was enjoying herself," said Lavender with a laugh.

"Ooh, I really like dancing," said Harriet, "Why haven't I ever done this before?"

"You were raised by Sirius Black, that's why," laughed Seamus.

Harriet laughed as well.

"You haven't lasted as long as Hermione though," said Dean, pointing to the dance floor where Hermione and Krum were still dancing.

Parvati rolled her eyes at that. Dean didn't know what he was doing, but he wasn't helping. Still, Harriet didn't have long to fret. Hermione and Krum finished that song and finally went to sit down.

"Let's say hello," said Parvati, pulling Dean to his feet.

The three girls pulled their dates over to where Hermione and Krum were sitting. As they walked over, Harriet saw Neville and Ginny still dancing. They were talking easily and laughing. Harriet didn't think they were an item, but she did make a mental note to check into it.

Hermione's face lit up as they approached. "Hey everyone!" she said happily.

"We just want to make sure you aren't holding her against her will," Parvati joked to Krum. He laughed.

"Hardly," said Hermione, "Viktor has been a perfect gentleman."

Most of the group sat down. Harriet was still standing though.

"Gonna go get punch," said Harriet, "Want any Ron?"

"Uh, yeah thanks!" said Ron.

"Oooh I'd like punch," said Hermione.

"I vill get it for you," said Krum.

Parvati elbowed Ron. "What is wrong with you?" he snapped at her.

"Don't sweat it Parvati, I volunteered," said Harriet. She didn't want Ron acting too gentlemanly after all. He might think he was owed something.

Harriet and Krum headed towards the punch bowl. As Harriet began pouring punch, Krum stood in front of her. "You vere staring at me," he accused.

"I was staring at Hermione," insisted Harriet.

"I have had an issue, where sometimes people use their friends to promote themselves with me," said Krum, "rather than let their friends decide for themselves…"

"You think I'm jealous of Hermione?" interrupted Harriet, "Oh my stars no, no, you are so wrong. I'm not jealous of Hermione. I'm jealous of y…"

And that was when Harriet snapped her mouth shut. She had said too much. She finished pouring Ron's punch. She was the absolute worst at keeping secrets!

"Oh," said Krum, as he now poured out the punch for him and Hermione, "She mentioned you a lot, so I assumed you had asked her to."

"Krum, if I wanted to talk to you, I would just walk up and talk to you," said Harriet, "I know what being a celebrity is like, after all."

"I see," said Krum, nodding, "Well, on the plus side, it seems clear that Hermione actually likes you."

"Wha… I… no…" said Harriet as she blushed.

Krum took the punch he had poured and walked back.

Harriet looked out at the dance floor. She saw Angelina dancing with Fred. Fred was staring at Harriet, as if he had just realised something. He leaned in and whispered in Angelina's ear. Angelina's eyes immediately went to Harriet, and she had a pleading look in her eyes.

He knows, thought Harriet. She gave Angelina a thumbs up. No point hiding it now.

Angelina whispered in Fred's ear and he nodded, then he shot Harriet a big thumbs up. To forestall any more drama, Harriet pointed towards George, who was dancing with Alicia, and then shrugged. Fred saluted back to Harriet.

Harriet sat down next to Hermione. Krum was talking Quidditch with the boys, but Harriet was determined to make this night about Hermione. No matter how much she wanted to talk Quidditch with an international Quidditch star. Hermione recounted the conversation at the judges table. Wisner had been extremely rude to Angelina, which didn't bode well for him not getting something wet dropped down his trousers. Fred had tried to share some brandy that he'd snuck in, but the only taker, aside from Angelina, had been Fleur, who had imbibed a rather copious amount. Then Harriet recounted her adventure with George and the Minister. Hermione loved it.

Soon though, Krum came to take Hermione to the dance floor. Parvati and Dean followed soon after, which caused the immediate departure of Lavender and Seamus. Harriet was alone with Ron.

"Want to go back out?" asked Harriet.

"Just a minute," said Ron, "You really winded me there."

"I was having fun," said Harriet.

"And you took the lead," said Ron, but his face was amused rather than annoyed.

"Yeah," said Harriet with a blush.

"You were good at it," said Ron, "if you prefer, you can lead from here on.'

"Thanks," said Harriet.

And then the familiar sensation of all of her senses being dragged towards one person struck Harriet. She looked up to see Fleur Delacour. She was alone.

"Have you seen Roger?" she said, eyes glancing around.

"Nope," said Ron happily, "Why waste your time with him when there's a real man right here."

"Yes, yes," said Fleur tolerantly, "I certainly don't want to run into 'im. 'e's so boring."

"Fleur," said Harriet, "He is far beneath a beauty such as yours."

"I should not 'ave 'ad so much to drink," said Fleur, "My allure control is completely shot!"

And suddenly Dean was there. "Miss Delacour! Let me show you the deepest secrets of love, that only I know!"

"Ah, yes…" said Fleur, getting a bit annoyed.

"Dean!" shouted Parvati, but as she approached she seemed to notice the vacant looks on Ron and Harriet's face.

"All right, Dean" said Parvati, her tone now sympathetic instead of mad, "Come with me and I will let you play with my boobs."

And that snapped Dean back to reality. He suddenly was very attentive to Parvati again, as she led him off… somewhere.

"Excuse me," said Fleur, "I need to 'ide for a few minutes."

And with that, Fleur was gone.

"Did… did you just flirt with Fleur?" asked Ron.

"Uh, yeah," said Harriet, "So turns out, Veela affect me. Which is why I get so stony faced when they show up. I am struggling to not make an ass of myself."

"Wow," said Ron with a laugh, "Well I have never heard of that! Doesn't that beat all."

"Dean's in for a good time," said Harriet suggestively.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Parvati's boobs are nice and round," said Harriet, "Touching them? Yeah, he's going to have fun."

"You aren't worried about Parvati?" asked Ron.

"She knows what she's doing," insisted Harriet, "Lavender on the other hand… well, she's probably got the biggest range of what she is willing to do right now out of all of us fourth year Gryffindors, but I am not sure she had a plan for getting Seamus to slow down. I don't think he'll go too far, but… She does have the biggest boobs though. That will keep him occupied."

"You are being awfully candid about your friends' breasts," said Ron a little confused.

Harriet shrugged. She was just being honest. "Just saying how it is. Why? Anyone you want to know about."

"Hermione," laughed Ron, half-joking.

Harriet was all too willing to think about those breasts however. "Bigger than Parvati's, smaller than Lavender's, perfect shape. And soft…" said Harriet wistfully.

"You sound like you like boobs," said Ron.

"I do!" laughed Harriet.

Ron laughed as well. "Well what about your boobs?" he asked. Harriet noted a change in tone. This was him asking seriously.

"Nothing to write home about," said Harriet, "Come on, you can see part of them right now."

Ron indeed looked straight at her chest. "They look great to me," he admitted.

Harriet groaned. "If I let you play with them, would you stop obsessing over them?"

Ron stopped, probably not quite believing what he was hearing. "Um, honestly, probably not," he said, his face turning slightly red.

"Worth an ask I suppose," said Harriet wryly.

"If I had said yes to that…" began Ron.

" If I had believed you, I would have let you, yes," said Harriet, "You are my friend. I'm not that… concerned with such things. I am glad that you didn't lie to me though."

"Well," said Ron as a means of changing the subject as another song began, "I am ready to dance again."

And so up they got and began to dance again. Once again Harriet was quite happy, and this time she led from the start. At one point Fred and Angelina cut in, Angelina peeling off Ron, and Fred spinning away with Harriet. Fred was a (perhaps not surprisingly) good dancer.

"Gotta scheme for you," said Fred.

"That sounds ominous," said Harriet.

"Nah," said Fred, "Figured I'd do you a good turn, for all the help you've been to Angelina. George and Alicia will help."

"Okay," said Harriet, not sure what this meant.

"I'll take you back to Ron in a second," said Fred, "Angelina's letting him stare at her cleavage. That boy really has a boob fixation these days, he'll love it."

"I know," said Harriet wryly.

"Call 'em tits if you really want to see him blush." suggested Fred.

Soon enough a laughing Angelina dropped off a furiously blushing Ron. "That girl has a dirty mind," said Ron.

"Did you enjoy staring at her tits?" asked Harriet, following Fred's advice.

Ron's face was, if anything, even redder. "She told me to!" he insisted.

"I know," said Harriet with a laugh, "And I don't care that you are looking at girls. At all. Have at it."

Ron gave Harriet a sceptical look, but didn't argue.

The last song of the orchestral portion of the dance came up, and it was a slow one. Intimate. And then out of the corner of her eye, Harriet saw Angelina and Fred approach Krum and Hermione. In seconds, Angelina was dancing with Krum, while Fred was with Hermione.

And then Alicia and George were there. "Mind if I cut in?" asked George, as he swept Harriet away from Ron. Ron found himself being spun away by Alicia, to the other side of the dance floor.

The music was slowing, and George pulled Harriet towards Fred and Hermione. And then… Fred and George grabbed each other, pressing Harriet and Hermione together. And then the twins were off, dancing and twirling with each other. Soon everyone saw them as they danced through the crowd. Leaving Harriet and Hermione dancing together on the edge of the dance floor.

"Really, those two," laughed Hermione.

"You don't mind, do you?" asked Harriet.

"Why would I mind dancing with my very best friend," said Hermione with a laugh, "They'll just say I'm dancing with the prettiest girl here."

"They can't," said Harriet, "Because I'm dancing with the prettiest girl."

Hermione blushed. "Thanks," she said, "Not just for the compliment, but for everything you did for me today."

"You're my friend," said Harriet.

"Well you are my best friend," said Hermione, "And I really, really am so thankful for the care and attention and love you have shown me."

The word love hung in the air, and suddenly the music crescendoed, and there was a long held out note, the climax of the song. And it seemed to Harriet that Hermione was leaning in to kiss her. Almost Harriet kissed her lips, but she remembered they were in public. Instead she went past Hermione's waiting lips and kissed her on the cheek. She felt Hermione's lips on her cheek as well.

"Anytime," breathed Harriet, suddenly realising they were locked in a close embrace, chest to chest, "Let's get you back to Viktor."

And Harriet let go of Hermione and led her back to her date.

XXXXX

Hermione sat down next to Viktor. "That was funny," she said with a laugh.

"The twins were very amusing," said Krum, but there was a slightly amused expression as he looked at Hermione.

The orchestra was tearing down and the Weird Sisters setting up. The rest of the dance would be more contemporary music. In the back, Hermione could hear Colin Creevey trying to coax Blaise Zabini to smile as he tried to take a picture of Blaise and Daphne.

"You know, you are very lucky to have Harriet Potter as a friend," said Krum, "she has been very supportive of you today."

"No offense to you, but Harriet may be the most wonderful person I have ever met," said Hermione before she realised how that sounded. "Oh I meant to say…"

"I know what you meant to say Hermione," said Krum calmly, "Perhaps you don't though. Ach, it does not matter. All that matters is that tonight we are having a good time.'

"I am," said Hermione, "You have been wonderful."

The band had finished setting up. "Well, let's go meet your friends then," said Viktor, "I think they want to dance with us."

He stood and offered his hand to Hermione. She took it gratefully and followed him onto the dance floor.

XXXXX

Astoria knew when she had outstayed her welcome.

The Weird Sisters had come on at about 9:30, and she had enjoyed dancing for a good half hour. But McGonagall was now glaring at her, and it was after 10. She was by far the youngest person here, and it was clear that McGonagall didn't quite approve.

"I think the time has come for us to retire," said Astoria.

"You noticed the old bat too?" asked Draco quietly.

"Professor McGonagall is very nice," insisted Astoria, "I think she's just worried about me. I am the youngest person here." McGonagall also knew about Astoria's problem, and Draco didn't. But that wasn't something she was about to open up about. Not now. Not after such a lovely evening.

Astoria walked over to Daphne. "McGonagall seems to want us to turn in," she said delicately.

Daphne was sitting next to Blaise and Tracey. Tracey's date had run off somewhere, but Blaise and Daphne seemed to be having a good time together. Astoria wondered. Daphne had point blank said she and Blaise were not an item. Astoria had always suspected that Blaise might be…

"It probably is a good idea that you get some rest," said Daphne, leaving her true concern unsaid.

"I feel fine," scoffed Astoria, "But I will go."

Draco led Astoria out of the Great Hall, and down into the dungeon. The Slytherin common room was deserted when they reached there.

"I had a very good time tonight Draco," said Astoria.

"So did I," said Draco.

Astoria stood still, wanting something to happen, but not sure what exactly she wanted to have happen. And then Draco bent down and kissed Astoria lightly on the lips.

"Good night," he said as he walked back towards his room.

Astoria stood, slightly stunned. He had kissed her. Well that was something. She smiled and headed for bed.

XXXXX

Angelina grabbed Fred at about 11, and led him out of the Great Hall and upstairs.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Fred.

"Something fun," said Angelina lightly. She led him upstairs to the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy.

"Ah," said Fred as the Room of Requirement opened up.

Inside there was a small loveseat next to a roaring fireplace, and not far from there was a bed.

"What's this now?" asked Fred.

"Honestly, I don't know how far I want to go tonight," said Angelina, "but I want to keep my options open. Though I will admit, the help you gave Harriet greatly increased my openness to going further."

"We don't have to…" started Fred.

"Fred, I am not going to lie to you and say I am in love with you," said Angelina, "I really like you, we are good friends, and I trust you. And on the other side, I am terrified that someone is going to kill me. I want you to make love to me. I want to feel safe. Just for tonight I want to be vulnerable. Please?"

And with that Angelina let her dress drop to the floor. She wasn't wearing anything under it.

It was the first time she had been naked while alone with him. Fred looked her up and down then took her hand.

"Okay, I will do my best," he said, a big grin on his face.

XXXXX

The Weird Sisters played on until almost midnight, but Harriet hadn't forgotten Ron's predicament.

"We need to get back to the Gryffindor common room before your robes go all wonky again," said Harriet, "Fairy Godmother rules, remember?"

"Right," said Ron with unsurprising alacrity.

So they quickly made their way to Gryffindor Tower. Parvati was in the common room, along with Dean. There were a number of other Gryffindors there as well. Ron waved Harriet over to a corner.

"I had a good time tonight," said Ron.

"So did I," said Harriet, "You are almost unobjectionable when you put your mind to it."

Ron laughed at the joke. And suddenly, Harriet realised what was going on. He was angling for a kiss. Well, Harriet couldn't see the harm. Still she had to give him just a bit of trouble.

"So you want to kiss me, is that it?" she said softly.

"Yeah," admitted Ron.

"Well, I suppose you did behave yourself, so I suppose you can kiss me if you want," said Harriet, "But we are going to have to have a conversation soon about some things."

Ron leaned in and planted a kiss on Harriet's lips. It was a bit wet for Harriet's taste, but Ron kept it short. It wasn't unpleasant, Harriet supposed, she didn't mind it. But it did nothing for her.

Unfortunately, it was immediately obvious that the same was not true for Ron. He had a big grin, and was seemingly very pleased with himself. Suddenly Harriet felt extremely uneasy, as she realised that perhaps she had let her guard down too soon.

"Oh man, thanks Harriet, that was really great," said Ron, "It was my first kiss you know."

"It was my first kiss with a boy," said Harriet quietly. Ron didn't get the message though.

"I just knew you felt something for me," said Ron loudly, "I knew it."

"I do," said Harriet icily, "We are very good friends. And I believe you were asked not to do this."

Everyone in the common room was staring now. Which was bad. It meant that Harriet couldn't just tell Ron the truth right now.

"But you kissed me!" objected Ron.

"I let you kiss me because you behaved, because you didn't try to push your crush on me for the whole night," said Harriet, "I was not trying to imply…"

"Imply what? That you like me? That you are attracted to me? I know you've been flirting with me! Why are you so reluctant to admit it?" yelled Ron.

"Don't do this," pleaded Harriet, "Not here. Let me say this somewhere else. Please!"

"Are you even slightly interested in being my girlfriend?" said Ron angrily.

And finally Harriet had had enough. He had pushed her over her limit. And for one second she didn't care if she hurt him or not.

"No," she said, her voice quavering at the end as the full impact of what she was saying to him sank in.

And it was at that exact moment that the clock struck midnight. And Ron's robes returned to their limp, shabby, broken original form. Without a word Ron ran up the stairs.

Harriet looked over at Parvati. Parvati didn't say I told you so. She didn't need to.

Harriet went upstairs to the dormitory and took a long shower. Then she dressed herself in her warmest pajamas and threw herself into bed. Moments later, she felt someone else get in next to her.

"I heard what Ron did," said Hermione, "I don't understand it all, but I'm sorry he didn't heed your warnings."

"I should have explained why it was so important," said Harriet.

"Well you were a good friend to me today," said Hermione, "So I will be a good friend to you now."

Hermione climbed under the covers and wrapped her arms around Harriet. "Happy Christmas Harriet," she said.

Harriet closed her eyes, and fell asleep feeling the heartbeat of the girl she loved beating into her back.

XXXXX

Hermione sat awake, holding her best friend. She was now determined to protect Harriet, just as Harriet had protected her in first year. But it wasn't Ron she needed protection from. No, Harriet would handle that, whatever she needed to do.

It was Morgan. Somehow, the events of tonight had broken the spell on Hermione. She remembered Morgan's threat clearly, and understood that she had been bewitched by Morgan. Somehow, Morgana had taken over the person of Morgan Solaire.

Hermione wasn't going to take this lying down. She was going to do her research, and prepare every weapon she could muster. She would pry her best friend from the clutches of the Dark Lady of Avalon if it was the last thing she did!

Author's Note: And a Merry Christmas to all of you! Two chapters for Christmas, one of them the Yule Ball.

This is pretty much the climax of the "Ron has a crush on Harriet" arc. I think Ron's being a bit of a baby here, of course, but that's more because he got his expectations up when he was warned not to than anything else. Harriet's pissed at him, but she also knows that she shouldn't have expected anything else. Ron's just not particularly mature yet.