Thank you for the reviews, i really apprecicate them. This chapter is really a calm before the storm enjoy... or not... just review whatever you think.

Title: Trouble Minds and Desperate Times

Main Characters: Hermione, Harry, Ron, Draco (in later chapters), Jasmine, and a few others

Summary: There's a new girl at school, but is she friend or foe? And this time has Harry fallen a little to far in? Dumbledore is still with them and Ron & Hermione are hiding a secret.

Spoilers: Everything.

Other: Set in the 7th year. Dumbledore is still alive and Harry is forcing himself further and further into the ground. Will the new girl pull him out? Or will she step on his head! The first few chapters are quite short, but then they get longer.

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's because it isn't mine.

Chapter 5

The Boxing Day Ball

Harry woke to find it was already ten o'clock. He swore under his breath- he'd missed breakfast. He sat up in his bed, thinking about the day before. And then realising, to his slight horror, that today was Boxing Day, which in turn meant the Boxing Day Ball. He smirked to himself. He knew today would be better then the last ball had been. Mainly because this time he'd got a date that he actually likes. Oh, and the fact that there were no dragons involved. He got dressed, and when he reached for his socks, he found the pair that Dobby had got him for Christmas. And it occurred to him that he could simply go to ask the house elves for food.

Harry wasn't given a very warm welcome into the kitchen, because once Hermione had dragged Ron and himself down there for her S.P.E.W campaign. Let's just say the house elves weren't too pleased about Hermione asking them if they wanted to be freed. Harry soon found Dobby, thanks to the enormous pile of hats he was wearing. "Oh, hello Harry Potter, sir! Is there anything I can do for sir?"

"Yeah, thanks Dobby, I missed breakfast and was wondering if you could maybe make me something."

"Hmm…scrambled egg on toast, please"
"And a bagel, please," said a familiar voice behind him.

Harry turned round to see Jasmine, "You sleep in too?"

"Yeah," she replied, "plus you're fan club told me you'd be here."

"My what!"

"Haven't you noticed the fourth year girls that follow you round? Oh, what do they call themselves again? I remember, Hero Harry Fan Base- for everything to do with 'The Boy Who Lived'. Lucky you!" she said, grinning.

Harry looked at her incredulously, "You are joking, right?" his voice incredibly high-pitched.

Jasmine stifled a smile and pretended to look sombre "Fraid not, hun. You better watch your back. Mind you, saying that, so had I, I've never had such dreadful looks then from them. Watch what you eat, they'll get you any way you can"

Harry could only recall a few times when Jasmine had eaten in the Great Hall. "You don't like to eat in the Hall do you?"

"No, well, when I went to primary school, which included wizards they found out about me being Salvius's daughter and tried to poison me. I find it hard to eat food that I haven't prepared myself, or at least seen someone else prepare. I got in a hell of a lot of trouble that day."

"Why? They poisoned you!"

"Yeah, I know but to stop myself from dieing I had to perform spells in front of muggles, plus I was underage."

Jasmine looked down, wringing her hands.

It was obvious that she had taken what had happened really to heart. Harry couldn't believe a primary school kid would do that. But then, he remembered how he'd reacted to finding out her secret. Harry's stomach squirmed. He hated all the starring and being called 'The Chosen One', but at least he'd never been called a Death Eater. "Sir, Miss, here is your breakfast," Dobby told them, holding up two plates.

"Thanks."

They walked back to the common room, "sorry," Harry said/

"What for?" Jasmine asked, confused.

"For, for what those people did to you, poisoning your food. That's awful, I mean, all those people judging you because of-"

"Harry, Harry, it's ok," Jasmine interrupted him.

But Harry was still fuming. "Bloombury," he spat at the Fat Lady and she swung open.

Harry and Jasmine sat down in a sofa together. They ate their breakfast without saying much. "Hey, what time does the Ball start?" Jasmine asked.

"Urm… well, we have to go to the hall at three."
"Okay, I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall at three thirty."

Harry, at first thought that maybe she'd misheard him, but then he remembered the plight of social etiquette and being fashionably late. !"Oh gosh, it's already eleven," she said.

"You need four and a half hours to get ready!"

"Not just me, I'm doing Hermione as well."
Harry laughed, "Hm can I watch."
She scowled and hit him on the arm, hard. He pretended that it didn't hurt and grinned back. "I mean I'm getting her ready as well. I wonder where she's got to."
Hermione and Ron came through the portrait hole. "Oh, Hermione, I was just wondering where you'd got to. We need to start getting ready."

Hermione looked shocked, "But, but, it's only eleven o'clock."
"I know, but we both need to be showered and it takes at least an hour and a half if not two to do just me, and for both of us it's gonna take must longer," Jasmine replied, looking almost panic-stricken.

"Oh, I'll go have a shower," Hermione replied, rushing off.

Ron and Harry burst out laughing as soon as the two girls were out of earshot. "Oh my God! I wonder if Hermione knows what she's got herself in for." Harry said, still laughing.

"So, how long do you take to get ready?" Ron asked.

"Ten minutes, including shower maybe twenty. But, then again I'm taking Jasmine so an hour."
"Hmmm… yeah, lucky bugger."
"So how's it going between you and Nada?" Harry asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. I haven't really seen her. I've been given a ton of work off Slughorn. I better go and do that."

That was odd. Harry looked round, the practically empty common room, not sure what to do. He really didn't fell like homework, so he just sat there.

Ron finally emerged. "Hey Harry, we've got about an hour left."
"Okay, come on, we better get ready."

They both went up to the dormitory and started to get ready. Ron pulled out his dress robes, the ones that Harry had paid for, even though Ron had no idea about this.

"Mmmm," Ron murmured approvingly, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"You nervous?" Harry asked, trying in vain to flatten his hair.

"Urm… not really."

"Just me then."

To Harry's surprise Ron didn't laugh. What he said next showed real friendship, as it would have been so easy to just laugh. "Hey, mate, you'll be fine. She really like you, you know, I've seen the way she looks at you. Don't worry."

"But, people don't know about us yet and I'm just worried that something's gonna go wrong."

"Oh yeah how did you guys keep your relationship so quiet?"

"Easy, you just don't kiss in public. People just assume you're friends or that you haven't actually admitted to each other that you like them."

"Yeah, I guess, but to be honest it's not you that should be worried."

"What do you mean?"

"Well don't you think all the guys are going to pat you on the back? I mean you are with, ahem, the hottest girl in the wizarding community. The only problem is; why is she going out with you?"

Harry laughed. He had to hand it to Ron; he had a brilliant way of cheering people up. Harry glanced down at his watch, "Oh God, ten minutes left."

"It's fine, we're both ready."
They both sat down on Harry's bed. Harry felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. After about five minutes of awkward silence they both headed downstairs. They wondered down to the entrance and waited at the bottom of the stairs. Harry felt like Dementors would have been an easier route, but hey-ho. Harry turned to see Jamie Forsith, Hermione's date. He was slightly shorter than Harry, but undoubtedly handsome, with the sort of hair that never stood up, and perfect grades. "Hi, Jamie, you waiting for Hermione?"

"Yeah, oh my gosh!" Jamie replied looking up the stairs. Hermione had appeared. Her hair was down, but it wasn't bushy, it was elegantly wavy. She was wearing a red dress, with thin straps and it came out at the waist, where a ribbon was tied. Harry looked at Ron standing next to him, his mouth wide open. "I've got to errrr… go meet urm… meet…"

"Nada?"

"Yeah, Nada." Ron muttered, grudgingly.

Harry looked back up the stairs and gasped. Jasmine was standing at the top of the stairs. She was wearing a jade green dress, matching sling backs and looked stunning. Her eyes looked beautifully outlined and her hair was tied loosely back and into a side parting so she had a slight fringe. But the best thing was beyond doubt the way her face lit up when she spotted him. "You look stunning," he told her.

She grinned at him "Thanks, you look great, I love these cloaks, really manly."

A couple of giggling girls groaned and talked off when Harry took Jasmine's arm. "You ready for our coming out?" Harry asked.

"Ha, you make it sound like we're a gay couple."

Harry looked shocked. "Oh, I, er, didn't mean…"

Jasmine kissed him on the cheek and he stopped. "Come on."

She took the door handle, paused and then slowly opened the door.

People started whispering. There had been many questions about who Jasmine and Harry were going to go with. Most people actually stopped dancing to look at them. Jasmine grinned cheekily up at Harry and whispered in his ear, "Let's give them something to look at, I've done a few courses in the old ballroom dance thing."

She took both of his hands. "But, I haven't" he replied feebly.

"Don't worry you don't need to be."

But Harry didn't feel so sure. She bowed and he did the same, they started to move and he felt himself moving too. Harry had to say, they were actually quite good. People actually gasped a couple of times. Jasmine spun and whispered, "Catch me."

She lent backwards and he caught her just in time. He held her there for a few seconds, just starring down at her, and then kissed her with a long lingering kiss. And then he pulled her back up. To their utter amazement people around them started to clap. They hadn't noticed while they had been dancing, but people had formed a circle round them. Harry saw Ron on the outside of circle, not looking too happy as he looked on Hermione and Jamie, but Nada seemed blissfully unaware. "I'm just going to say hi to Hermione. I suggest you go to tell Ron to stop looking so surly, because he may soon be slapped."
"Sure, I'll meet you by the drinks."

Jasmine nodded and walked over to Hermione. "Hey Herm, hi Jamie, would you mind if I borrowed Hermione for a second?"

Jamie, who was starring intently at Jasmine nodded. "It's working," Jasmine said to Hermione when they were out of Jamie's earshot.

"Huh?" Hermione replied, trying to look innocent/.

"Ron, he looked so jealous!"

"I don't know what you mean," Hermione replied, but she didn't even try to hide the coy smile on her face.

"Come off it, I know that you fancy Ron and he fancies you."

"Do you really think he does?"

"Hey, can we dance?" Jamie asked as he appeared.

Jasmine winked and walked off.

Harry was waiting at the drinks table when Jasmine got there. "Shall we sit down for a minute?" Harry asked, his feet hurting slightly from the dance.

"Sure."

They found a table near the back of the room and sat down. Suddenly there was a voice from behind them. "Ah, Harry, I was hoping to catch up with you," Harry turned to see Dumbledore staring down at them.

Dumbledore looked at Harry and then at Jasmine. "Hello Jasmine, I hope you don't mind, this won't take long."

Jasmine looked slightly taken aback, "Oh, er, of course."

She stood up and walked towards the dance floor. To Harry's great disappointment he saw her start dancing with Angus Freewood, a very tall seventh- year that looked a hell of a lot like Cedric Diggory. Harry couldn't help but smile at the irony of how people like him always seemed to get his girl. "Harry, I was wondering if you would come to my office on 13th February. It's really very important."

Jesus, that's a long time away. "Yes, fine."
"Good, good, enjoy yourself Harry. And please be careful," Dumbledore gave a nod towards Jasmine.

And with that he walked away. Harry searched his mind, what had Dumbledore meant? Be careful?Harry, slowly, walked back over to Jasmine, his mind whirling, "Oh hey babe," Jasmine said, seeing Harry and breaking away from Angus.

Harry looked confused. He didn't think she had ever called him babe before. She walked over to him, taking his hand and kissed him hard on the lips for a good few minutes. Slowly, an uncomfortable and rather jealous Angus wondered off. "Sorry," Jasmine said, breaking away.

"For what?"

"For, well, the whole babe thing and kissing you in front of Angus. Let's just say the guy can't take a hint and stares intently at about eight inches south of where he should be looking."

It took Harry a few minutes to get what she was saying. He smiled, but was annoyed that he'd let that man dance with her.