Disclaimer: I do not support Rowling's views. All Harry Potter characters and the Wizarding World, belong to her.
A/N: Hello! I'm back! I'm soooo sorry that this chapter is quite late, but I hope that the length and content make up for it hehe. Okay, onto the Christmas season of 1994!
The last week of the term gradually became livelier as it progressed. While professors like Flitwick, Vector, and Babbling gave up trying to teach them when their minds were so clearly elsewhere, other teachers were not so generous. In a rare mood, Severus was kinder than usual, only giving them one exam on poison antidotes. When Cassius was in his fourth year, they had two end-of-term exams, a written and practical. Being a ghost, Binns hardly had the perception of time and was unaware that it was even the holiday season again; he assigned a half scroll length essay on goblin rebellions. In Ophelia's opinion, it was a rather enlightening read on the intricate dynamics between goblins and wizards. Likewise, McGonagall and Moody kept them working until the very last second of their classes.
Even worse, they had been given quite a demanding load of homework assigned for the holidays. That didn't matter when the upcoming festivities were more enticing. The majority of Slytherin House left Hogwarts for the holidays, so being at the castle for once with nothing to do was both chaotic and entertaining.
Spending their Christmas Eve together, Ophelia and the other fourth year Slytherins were gathered in the boys' dorm. With Ophelia and Draco still not talking to each other, the group dynamic was strained at times, but they had grown used to it. It was already an entire month since Draco's vow of silence to her.
She wasn't at all angry that he kissed Natalia. After the shock of it settled, it was a drunken kiss that both parties regretted. Natalia came to her and apologised after rumours began to float around the common room that Natalia was getting in the way of her and Draco. Ophelia insisted that Natalia had nothing to apologise for, she and Draco weren't even dating.
Yet.
Since their thrilling dance, Ophelia was becoming more brazen by the day. She constantly tried to coax a word or reaction out of Draco, but he had an unwavering resolve. She even began to sit next to him in class again during the past week. He didn't bat an eye at the slight brush of her hand against his or reply to the notes she would write on his parchment during class. Admirable as it was, it was truly becoming a problem for her. It was fun being petty for the first week, but how could she get Draco to date her if he wouldn't even talk to her? She could just as easily end his punishment, but the thought of Draco furious and unable to speak to her when she walks into the Yule Ball with Harry, was too tantalising of a moment to pass on.
The true source of suspense in the group came from Theo and Daphne. Oblivious to Daphne's feelings for him, Theo had asked Sue Li to the ball–he was under the impression that Daphne liked Blaise. Ergo in Theo's mind, an odd love triangle had formed between the three of them. For everyone else, it was agonising.
Tracey, Pansy, Millie, Greg, and Vince were sitting near the fireplace, playing a game of Exploding Snap.
Suddenly Millie exclaimed, "Aw, this is the first time we've all hung out this term!"
Tracey nudged Millie's side.
"Ow!"
Tracey gave her a pointed look.
Although the five of them were having a good time, three people, in particular, were not. Daphne was quietly fuming. Whenever she turned to a new page of her copy of Witch Weekly, she slammed the page down, huffed, then was silent until she repeated the process. Theo was pretending to read his book, and Draco was watching his Snitch fly about the room.
Millie muttered something that sounded like, "Oh."
Ophelia's bishop wrestled Blaise's knight that was protecting his king and dragged him off the board. "Checkmate."
Blaise groaned as his king took off his crown and threw it down. "Damn! Ugh, I can't see your face anymore. Get out of our room," Blaise teased.
She smiled as she put the pieces away. "Sorry, to hurt your feelings, Zabini, but you would think after years of playing together, you would be better."
Blaise stuck his tongue out at her, to which she only grinned at his annoyance. "Anyway, I've got to meet Cas. it's present time!"
"On Christmas Eve?" asked Vince.
"Family tradition. We choose one gift to open on Christmas Eve. Cas and I added our own twist and made it a sibling gift exchange. But knowing us, it's become a competition on who can get a better gift for the other," Ophelia explained.
Pansy sighed. "Must be nice to have a healthy relationship with your sibling."
"I thought you, Madelyn, and Christian were doing okay now?" Daphne questioned, looking up from her magazine for the first time all night.
"Yeah, but Addie is still a bit of a twit. Chris and I got better after I started Hogwarts, so I'm hoping the same thing happens next year when she starts school," said Pansy.
Blaise gasped. "Little Mads is already eleven? I swear she just turned seven not that long ago," Blaise said with a frown.
"That's what I say! She's eleven next month. All summer long she wouldn't shut up about becoming a Slytherin when she gets here." Pansy snorted. "Little does she know she's totally going to be a Puff. Addie doesn't have a cunning bone in her body."
Ophelia smiled. Despite Pansy's self-proclaimed hatred for her younger sister, it was obvious that she cared deeply about her. "A Parkinson in Hufflepuff? Your dad's gonna flip, Pans. See you later losers," Ophelia chuckled.
Before she left the room, she saw a glint of gold by the bathroom door. Ophelia hopped up and grabbed the Snitch out of the air. She stopped by Draco and offered her hand to him. "Come on, Dra, am I going to have to switch over to Seeker next year for us to win against Potter?"
The corner of Draco's mouth twitched as he took the Snitch from her.
Finally, some progress. And just in time for the ball.
Ophelia hummed a jaunty Christmas tune all the way to Severus's living quarters. She rapped a rhythmic series of knocks, and the door was opened by an annoyed Severus.
"Must you do that every time?" Severus drawled.
Ophelia sauntered by him into the room. "It's so you know it's me, Uncle Sevy," Ophelia said airily.
She plopped down onto a couch by the fire. She stretched out her hands to feel the warmth of the flames. "Ah, it's nice and toasty here. The boys' room is always so cold. Don't give me that look, Severus. I wasn't even there alone, all of us fourth-years were having sober fun."
Cassius exited the kitchenette, levitating a tray of tea and scones. "Everyone?"
"Yes, Dra included," Ophelia grinned, picking a scone off the tray.
"Operation DM is going smoothly then," Cassius said with just as much amusement.
Severus scowled. "Ophelia, I would rather not know the details of your sordid love affair."
She pursed her lips. "It's anything but sordid, Sevy."
Severus waved a hand, dismissing her insistence on the topic, taking a seat across from them. "Sure." With a flick of his wrists, he opened the latest edition of Potions Review and began reading from it.
Ophelia pointed her bitten scone at Severus, some crumbs flying onto the floor. "Bemoan all you want; it'll only make me overshare more."
Cassius nodded. "She's right. I called her annoying once when she was on her period and now, I know her cycle. Thanks for that by the way," he said with a grimace.
She almost spat out her scone while suppressing her laughter. "I forgot that I did that. To be fair, you should thank me. Because of that, I've desensitised you, and now you're an attentive boyfriend to Thalia when it's her time of the month."
Severus tsked. "Do I need to reiterate myself?"
Ignoring him, Ophelia continued, "Speaking of Thalia, what did you get her for Christmas? She told me what she got you and you're in for a treat."
Cassius perked up. "Treat you say?"
She snorted. "Yes, now come on! Sev over here is dying to know what you got your girlfriend for Christmas."
"How many times have I told you to not bring me into your sibling squabbles," said Severus, not even looking up from his paper.
Even through his biting words, she and Cassius knew that Severus was intently listening to them.
"Well I'll have you know, I'm giving her a ring," Cassius said proudly.
Ophelia dropped her scone on the ground while Severus closed the newspaper with vehement rustling.
"Excuse me?" asked Severus with rare bewilderment.
Ophelia burst into a laughing fit, which only made Severus stare daggers at her.
"Not an engagement ring!" Cassius explained between chuckles. "But I'm giving her my signet ring."
"That is practically the same thing," Severus quipped.
"I'm merely letting her know how much she means to me. Surely, you've had affection for someone in the past, Sev." Cassius pouted.
While Cassius was focused on picking up her dropped scone, Ophelia caught Severus blanch at her brother's statement.
She held back a smile. Even Severus is capable of falling for someone.
Changing the subject, "Cas, you're just stalling because you forgot to get me something, right?" Ophelia smirked.
Cassius pulled out a medium-sized gift from behind the couch cushion. "Like I would forget something so important."
Eager, Ophelia reached for it. Cassius held it up in the air, preventing her from grabbing it. "What about my present?" said Cassius.
She pulled out her wand and nonverbally summoned Cassius's gift that was sitting on the mantle above the fireplace.
Severus nodded in approval, but Cassius only rolled his eyes.
"Show off," Cassius mumbled.
"You can't blame me for wanting to practise nonverbal magic," Ophelia shrugged. "So do you want your present or not?"
He took it from her, exchanging her gift with his own.
Opening her present, she gasped in awe at the book that was in the wrappings. "Ni-san, you didn't!" She exclaimed in Japanese.
Cassius defiantly crossed his arms against his chest. "Yes, I will be accepting awards for being the best brother ever."
She carefully lifted her book up, turning it over in her hands. It was in pristine condition despite being decades old.
Curious, Severus leaned over to get a better look. "The Little Prince?"
Ophelia nodded her head in fervor. "First edition in the original French translation. How did you get it, Cas?"
"With the help of Gabriel and Manon. They had to visit at least ten vintage book stores in Paris to find a copy," Cassius said.
Ophelia reached over and gave him a suffocating hug. "Thank you."
"Of course." Cassius smiled.
She set her book aside. "Your turn!"
Cassius glanced at the meter-long cylindrical tube that she referred to as his gift. "What is this?"
"Just open it!" Ophelia held back a smile as she watched Cassius open it.
"Lia, this isn't what I think it is, is it?" Cassius blurted, holding a recognizable item from one of his favourite movies.
"The Skywalker lightsaber? Maybe," Ophelia sang.
He turned it over and over in his hand, admiring the detail of the lightsaber. "This isn't one of those Muggle toys. How did you get your hands on this?"
"A lot of correspondence with 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm. And I mean a lot. It's one of the props that they used in Return of the Jedi. There should be a letter in there too."
Cassius's mouth dropped. "You're telling me this is real?" If it was even possible, he held the lightsaber as if it were a child.
"How in Merlin's name did you even send letters to America from Hogwarts?" Severus asked.
Ophelia sent Severus a withering look that most people would be too afraid to give. "Like any other Muggle, Sevy. I got a PO box in London, then sent first class airmail to the studio. I've been exchanging letters for the past year, even got to talk with some Hollywood producers on the phone in one of those red phone boxes!" Ophelia said contently.
"When have you had the time to do all of this?" Severus added, both impressed and concerned that she had hid this secret for over a year. Ophelia wasn't one to shy away from ranting about her exploits to Severus.
"All through third year, Draco and I may or may not have been using the emergency London portkey every Hogsmeade weekend," Ophelia said nonchalantly.
"WHAT!" Cassius yelled, almost dropping his present in the process, then cradled it to his chest when he regained his composure.
"I would also like to reiterate that statement: what?" Severus said with the most emotional conviction he had all night.
She dragged a long sip from her tea for dramatic effect, leaving Cassius and Severus on the edge of their seats. With practised poise, she placed her cup and saucer back on the table, then delicately patted a handkerchief to her mouth.
"Merlin, Ophy, just explain yourself!" Cassius pouted.
She snickered and raised her hands in the air, surrendering to his protests. "Alright, Katsudon, I'll stop! I don't know what else I have to say, I thought I explained it rather thoroughly. I just took the portkey from home. Mum and Dad didn't even notice it was gone. With both of them busy with work, and my favour with the house-elves, it was a piece of cake. I will add that we occasionally flooed to the London townhouse instead of using the portkey if that's what you're truly worried about."
Cassius shuddered. "If you weren't my sister, I would be terrified of you."
Ophelia hardly paid attention to Cassius and Severus chastising her for not telling them about her illicit affairs. Not when her mind wandered to memories of her and Draco running around London doing ordinary Muggle things, especially one particular moment of Draco being chased around by a large black dog in Regent's Park.
Severus morosely sighed, there was no use in admonishing her when the events already passed and there was no news of the Statute of Secrecy being broken. He set aside his paper, then vanished their dishes back to his kitchen. "The two of you should get to bed, tomorrow is bound to be a long day."
A wave of fatigue washed over her with the mention of sleep as she stood to leave. "You're right," Ophelia said while suppressing a yawn.
Cassius perked up to the sound of the day ahead of them. "Speaking of, are you going to the ball tomorrow, Sev?"
To the Warrington's glee, Severus sneered at them. "Unfortunately. Headmaster Dumbledore has informed me that I am to monitor the ball and its surroundings for undesirable behaviour."
"Better be in your best dress robes, Uncle Sevy, I expect nothing less!" Ophelia cheered as they left the room.
Ophelia woke to the cheerful chatter of her friends on Christmas Day. Noticing the pile of presents at the foot of her bed, Ophelia was increasingly more awake than she usually was in the morning.
"Look who's finally up," Pansy drawled.
Ophelia levitated her pile of presents to the ground and joined her friends gathered near the fire and their little Christmas tree.
"Not even you can ruin Christmas, Parkinson," Ophelia grinned, nudging her in the side when she was finally settled in.
Daphne let out an excited squeal, and Ophelia held back a smile. Daphne's love for the holidays rivaled even the Muggles love for Santa Clause. "I was getting worried that we were going to have to drag you out of bed! All of us haven't spent Christmas together in years."
"Yeah, it was probably before first year, wasn't it?" Tracey questioned, head resting against Pansy's shoulder.
"We always meet up for New Year's Eve at Lia's place though," Millie added.
Daphne huffed. "That's not the same!"
Ophelia gave her a comforting pat on the back. "It's okay, Daph, we get what you're trying to say."
Daphne's pout turned into a smile at her words. "Thanks, Lia. Now, presents!"
The first present that Ophelia tore into was from her Aunt Mayako, a new set of Japanese stationery–both the Muggle and wizarding kind–from new self-inking quills to a simple, yet cute agenda for the new year. Uncle Stephen gifted her an autographed poster from the National Japanese Quidditch team. She was already planning where to place it on her share of the dorm wall near her bed.
Rounding out the last of her Father's siblings, Ophelia's Aunt Emiri and her husband Archie gave her a surprising postcard and knickknack. She usually received postcards from them whenever they travelled, but a Greetings from England and a red telephone box keychain was out of the sort. As always, the back of the postcard was blank. Ophelia ran back to her bed, and cast a silent Aparecium, revealing the words written by her favourite Aunt and Uncle.
Toshiko,
You will be just as surprised as we are to be back in England, but you'll be happy to know that we're going to be staying in London for the foreseeable future. Maybe one of these upcoming Hogsmeade weekends we can come to visit you. Or better yet, you can come to visit us.
Happy Christmas and see you soon!
Love always, Aunt Emi and Uncle Arch
Ophelia rejoined the girls, buzzing with happy energy. Pansy glanced at the postcard in Ophelia's hand and furrowed her brows. "Invisible ink?"
"From my aunt and uncle. I've been trying to get them to give me their recipe on how to make it for years, but they still won't budge," Ophelia explained.
The next round of presents Ophelia opened was from her friends. In a joint gift, Graham, Miles, and Adrian got her a Broomstick Servicing Kit and a new Beater's bat. Millie, Vince, and Greg got her an assortment of her favourite chocolates and candies. Thalia bought Ophelia a leather-bound journal with photos pasted from their summer together. In a brief note on the first page, Thalia expressed that she wanted Ophelia to chronicle all her most important moments. Tracey and Pansy bought her concert tickets to Spellbound, an all-witch music group the three of them preferred over The Weird Sisters.
"You didn't!" Ophelia exclaimed, holding the tickets up for Pansy and Tracey to see.
"We got four tickets. So Operation DM better be a fucking success," Pansy teased.
Amongst all the silver and green presents she had, Ophelia had yet to open a present wrapped in deep red with a gold bow. Not at all shocked that Harry had gotten her a gift, Ophelia thought it was endearing that it was a book about dragons. She was glad that she bought him and a few other choice Gryffindors gifts at the last minute.
"Ooo, Potter got you something?" Tracey crooned.
"He does have a crush on you!" Millie gushed.
Pansy chuckled. "He's not that special. So does half of the school."
In a rare moment, Ophelia flushed. "Hey! That's not true."
"All of the people asking you to the ball beg to differ," Tracey snickered, aiding her girlfriend's torments.
Ophelia promptly ignored them and opened her next present. Blaise had gotten her a stunning pair of black silk satin heels. She smiled as she held them for closer examination, it was the shoes she pointed out to him when she visited him in Milan over the summer. Like they always had since they were kids, Theo gifted a new book with his annotations. Likewise, he was to receive a personally annotated book for his present. She sighed in relief that they hadn't gotten each other the same book as they accidentally did last Christmas.
Coming to her final gifts, Daphne gripped her arm. "Are you ready for my present?"
Ophelia grinned and picked up the gift with Daphne's loopy cursive on the tag. Inside were two silver rings, both with delicate emerald and peridot gems. Daphne lifted two silver necklaces with matching oval pendants, one side was an engraved lily of the valley, and on the other was a gladiolus flower.
Ophelia laughed at the similarity to their presents to each other. "Birth flowers and birthstones. We truly do think alike, huh, Daph?"
Daphne laughed as well as they exchanged their respective jewellery, slipping their rings on and fastening each other's necklaces for one another.
To that, Tracey and Pansy giggled as if they were both shot with Rictumsempra.
"What's got you laughing?" Ophelia asked with an eyeroll.
Pansy took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. "Everything would be easier if the two of you got together. You're practically married already with those gifts," Pansy said, wiping a hand under her eye to brush away a tear.
Ophelia snickered. Pansy wasn't wrong with that statement. "Very true, Pans. Unfortunately, Daph doesn't like girls, and I've never seen her in that way."
"That's because you only have things for Quidditch players, Ophelia," Tracey boasted.
"Draco," said Millie.
"Terry!" Daphne exclaimed.
"Pucey," Pansy said, raising an eyebrow.
"Cho Chang, Maxine O'Flaherty, and Takashi Noda," Tracey added.
Unabashed, Ophelia shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a person on a broom. Or the way they straddle one," Ophelia smirked. The girls cackled at Ophelia's remark.
The last of her presents, Ophelia opened her gift from Severus first. Over the years, he had improved upon his gift giving. As a self-proclaimed tea enthusiast, Ophelia was delighted to see the tea kit Severus had gotten her. An assortment of tea leaves from around the world, she was extremely excited to bring one of them up with her for breakfast. An unusually large box from Kohachi, she opened it with caution.
"No fucking way!" Ophelia screamed. She raised a hand to her mouth. "Sorry."
Curious, all four of the girls leaned over to see what had Ophelia so shocked.
"Is that…" Tracey trailed off.
Ophelia lifted the broom out of its box. "A Firebolt," Ophelia said in awe. Upon reading the letter that Kohachi attached, Ophelia was even more shocked and hugged the broom to her chest. "It's a new model that hasn't hit the market yet, exclusive to Majime Equipment. Oji-chan said they got Randolph Spudmore to help design it."
"Cassius wasn't joking when he said that you're one of your grandfather's favourites," said Pansy.
Ophelia couldn't even deny it when their childhood and the broom in her hand proved it. "Oji-chan tends to favour those that he sees the most of himself in."
They all nodded morosely. Favoritism in that aspect wasn't unheard of in their families.
From her parents, Ophelia received an array of practical gifts; film for both of her cameras, new robes for the spring, and a tin of her mother's homemade gingerbread and sugar cookies.
Last but not least, the only thing left was the one present Ophelia was the most nervous to open. In his neat cursive, Happy Christmas, Ophelia was scrawled on the tag of the box.
She lifted the lid to find a snow globe that took her breath away. The scene inside of the snow globe was from a moment that Draco and she had nearly every Christmas season. Two little figures that resembled them were in constant movement, throwing snowballs–enchanted and Muggle-made. She didn't even need to shake it for the snow to fall in the globe. Somehow, Draco had managed to have the snow fall from a little grey cloud that hung over the figures of mini them.
There wasn't even a letter, but Ophelia already knew that the two of them were going to be okay.
As long as everything went to plan later.
The first time for any of them to stay at Hogwarts on Christmas Day, they were pleasantly surprised with the spread of food before them. Maybe it was still because they had Durmstrang and Beauxbatons guests, but the house-elves have prepped the works. It was already an immaculate breakfast, so they were surely in for a treat for the feast for the Yule Ball.
Ophelia was delighted to see that Draco was wearing the necklace she had gotten him for Christmas. Despite trying to hide it under his shirt, she could still see part of the gold chain around the nape of his neck as he left the table after breakfast.
Ophelia joined Cassius and his friends in a friendly snowball fight against some Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students. Well, as friendly as you can get with a group of teenagers that comprised overly competitive Quidditch players. Ophelia was unfortunately a prime target from not only the foreign students, but Cassius and his band of merrymen. So much so that she took to the skies with her new Firebolt and attacked everyone with snowballs from above.
The snowball crew tried to have a quick lunch; however, they were derailed by lively conversation. Gabriel tormented Viktor for his poor performance at throwing snowballs both with and without magic. Viktor argued that as a Seeker he didn't need a good arm or the accuracy that the other positions required. Thus, the entire Slytherin table became divided into pro and anti-Snitch debates.
On the way out of the Great Hall, she heard an urgent "Pst!"
At the top of the Grand Staircase, Hermione stood shyly, waving a hand at Ophelia.
She looked around, glad that Hermione had the decency to call for her with no one else around. She did still have a reputation to uphold, even though that said reputation was going to be put to the test later that night. However, she was quite certain that her relations to the other three champions superseded the fact that she was going with Harry Potter.
Ophelia climbed the stairs and ushered Hermione into an empty classroom. Closing the door behind them and casting a silent Muffliato, she turned to face the anxious Gryffindor. Even more anxious than she was during final exams, and that was saying something.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione. Considering the frantic urgency behind your sad attempt at a calm facade, I'm assuming I have something to offer you. Even though I have no idea what it is," Ophelia mused.
"Can you help me get ready for the ball?" Hermione blurted.
Well, I wasn't expecting that. "Why me? Don't you have Weaselette, Tolipan, and Roper? Not just them, Brown and Patil too. I would think they would be a better help than me."
"Weaselette? Oh! Ginny," Hermione said, wringing her hands. "I was, am, going to get ready with them—Ginny is going to the ball with Neville if you didn't know–but well, none of us have ever been to a dance. And I've been trying to think who I know that has and well–"
She held back a smile, somewhat touched by Hermione's words. "And you thought of me, then?"
Hermione nodded expectedly. "So, what do you say?
She glanced at the clock in the room, 1:45. What the hell. "I only have until 4, so I won't be able to help you get ready. But I'll impart as much of my knowledge unto you 'til then."
She began to take a seat at an empty desk, but Hermione only took her hand and dragged her out of the classroom and towards the stairs.
"Where are we going, Granger?" Ophelia asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"Gryffindor Tower," Hermione whispered.
"Good girl, Granger is taking a snake into the lion's den? Is that even allowed?" Ophelia grinned.
Hermione huffed. "Is that really what everyone thinks of me?"
Better to not let her know the more vulgar comments she heard about Hermione over the years. "Amongst other things. To be fair though, not everyone knows that you brewed Polyjuice when you were only thirteen. C'est un trop ragot bien croustillant, n'est pas?"
Hermione sent her a withering look, then hastened her step, tugging Ophelia further up the castle. Ophelia had only seen Hermione give such looks to Harry and Ron, but she was certain she didn't want to be on the receiving end of it again. "It is true though! Polyjuice is a juicy bit of gossip," Ophelia added, surpressing a chuckle at her own pun in both French and English.
"Ophelia, either you're in an unusually good mood, or are you always like this? I truly hope it's the former." Hermione sighed.
"Definitely the latter. But come on! It's Christmas, Granger, and I'm feeling the holiday spirit," Ophelia said defiantly. Defending her chipper mood to Hermione Granger was not on Ophelia's Christmas bingo card, that was for sure.
"I'm sorry, I'm just–really nervous about the ball," said Hermione.
Ophelia nodded sagely. "Aaaa, I forgot. You're going with Viktor, of course you're terrified."
Hermione stumbled, nearly bring Ophelia down with her. "How do you know that?" Hermione lowered her voice, "We haven't told anyone!" Hermione quietly exclaimed.
"The true question is what do I not know. Don't give me that look again, I feel like Weaselbee. It was obvious to me that he was going to take you. He's been badgering me for the past months for information about you. Why else would he know what subjects you like, where to find you–if it weren't for me." Amused, Ophelia watched the slow realization appear on Hermione's face.
The rest of the way, Hermione was too shocked to speak until they had stopped in front of a rather gaudy portrait of a presumptuous woman singing an aria. After a few minutes standing in front of the portrait, Ophelia leaned over to Hermione, "Did you forget the password or something?" She whispered.
"She doesn't like being interrupted," Hermione quietly replied.
Ophelia suppressed a chuckle. Definitely the oddest Christmas yet.
Ending on a high note, the lady was grateful to Ophelia's enthusiastic applause, bowing and grinning at them.
"Fairy lights," said Hermione.
The lady in the portrait narrowed her eyes at Hermione. "At least she enjoyed my performance, and she's not even from this house. I'll turn my eye to this for once, it is Christmas." The portrait swung backwards, revealing the common room behind her.
Hermione stepped into the hole; Ophelia close behind her. "Thank you for the lovely performance, ma'am!" Ophelia called to the lady as the portrait closed once again.
"You shouldn't entertain her, she has quite the ego already," Hermione frowned.
"I'm a patron of the arts, Granger, it was a thoroughly captivating act. Ugh, don't drag me around again," Ophelia groaned.
Hermione pulled her hastily across the common room, only able to catch a quick glimpse of red couches, and red and gold tapestries. Before they reached a doorway that she assumed to lead to the dormitories, Ophelia caught sight of a cluster of redheads. "Oi, Weaselette, come here!"
"Warrington?" Ginny questioned, perplexed to her presence.
Nearly everyone in the common room turned their heads at the sound of her name. Behind Ginny, she saw Harry sitting in an armchair, biting back a laugh.
"Oh no, this was that I was trying to avoid," Hermione said under her breath.
"Happy Christmas, Gryffindors! Nothing out of the ordinary here, just three girls talking," Ophelia said as if she was always meant to be there.
That was hard to believe when she was wearing the most expensive set of robes in the room, whereas many of the other occupants were in casual clothes, including Muggle attire.
Ginny hustled over to them, helping Hermione force Ophelia up the stairs to the girl's dormitories, before she said anything worse to raise suspicions.
Once inside the fourth-year dorm, Ophelia was once again met with surprised faces, along an intense wave of scents, hints of floral perfume and various hair products in the air. The room was considerably smaller than the Slytherin dorm. A circular room with five four-poster beds, and a stove heater in the center of dorm. She could easily tell which bed was Hermione's, the two shelves on either side of the bed were overflowing with books. However, the best feature of the room was the view of the castle grounds from their window. Being in the dungeons, Ophelia hardly had the chance to admire the Scottish Highlands. Ravenclaw has a better view though. Ophelia recalled the times she visited the other tower to see Cho or Terry when they still dated.
She took a seat on the trunk at the foot of Hermione's bed, the other girls flocking to her immediately.
"I didn't think you would be able to convince her, Hermione!" Lavender Brown squealed.
Parvati Patil nodded with just as much excitement there was to Brown's voice.
She raised a brow, her turn to give Hermione a pointed look. "And you call me conniving, Granger." She looked between the Gryffindors in front of her, even the more reserved Alice Tolipan and Sophie Roper were eager, hanging on to Ophelia's every word. She clapped her hands together. "Okay, what do you want to know?"
After advising them for hours, Ophelia left Gryffindor Tower, not before sending Harry a playful wave before leaving. On the way out she heard Ron Weasley's uproarious voice, "Bloody hell, Harry! You weren't lying, were you?"
Outside of the lion's den, Ophelia released a wholehearted laugh in the empty hall. She shook her head, unable to wrap her head around the fact she, a Slytherin–and a pureblood at that–was in Gryffindor Tower in the first place.
She cast Tempus, a little past four o'clock. Daphne was going to kill her if she wasn't in the dorms soon. She hustled down the stairs and raced through the dungeons to get to her dorm. No wonder the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams have high stamina. So many damn stairs.
"Acta non verba." She entered the common room, happy to find Cassius, Graham, Adrian, and Miles sitting together by a fire. "Brother, boys, quick word before I must get ready for the ball. I'm already late so what's a few more minutes," she said while squeezing into a seat between Cassius and Miles. "So, I was thinking on how we can improve the team for next year, stairs! I just came from the seventh floor to here in just under five minutes. Imagine, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw do that on the daily, so–" She stopped. "What's with the long face, Cas?"
"We're gonna go to our room, see you later, Lia!" Miles jabbered, then ran out of the common room and down the stairs to the dorm, Adrian and Graham leisurely following him.
She pointed her thumb at the boys' retreating frames. "What's with them?" She pursed her lips. "If my assumption is correct, this is probably Draco related? My relationships always give them the ick," Ophelia laughed.
Cassius snickered. "You just always have to be right."
She leaned back into the couch, hugging a green throw pillow to her chest. "There's no other way."
"Draco wanted me to tell you that he's going to the ball with this girl, Kaia. You've met her, she's a friend of Thalia."
Ophelia shook her head.
"Don't worry, Yoshi! He's just–" Cassius stopped mid-sentence. "Are you laughing?"
She raised a hand to her mouth, trying to stop her laughing fit.
Cassius looked around, they were the only people left in the room.
"He really chose a girl that already has a boyfriend?" said Ophelia, finally catching her breath.
"Kaia has a boyfriend?" Cassius asked.
"Back at Beauxbatons. Thalia, Kaia, and I talked about it weeks ago, last month even."
He flicked her forehead. "You're such a know-it-all! At this rate, I'm going to start joining your friends with calling you a Granger."
She smacked him on the chest with the pillow, much to his chagrin. "Please, I was just with Granger, and I hardly believe she knows anything about what goes on in any other house than her own. Let alone the other schools," Ophelia grinned.
She jumped to her feet. "Well, thanks for the info, Brother. I'm going to take a much-needed nap before all the drama that's going to ensue tonight."
"Wait, who's your date? You never even told me." Cassius pouted.
With as much ease as breathing, she slipped into Cassius's mind, mentally saying three words he wouldn't have expected. "A Hogwarts champion."
She watched him as realization dawned on him. "Really?"
"A lady never kisses and tells. Don't tell Dra though, Daphne is the only one who knows. Other than, you know," Ophelia intoned. "Now I really must go. Off to the Greengrass Salon!"
As soon as she entered her dorm, Ophelia was met with a vexed Daphne. "Where have you been! You've been gone for hours," Daphne fretted.
Ophelia kicked off her shoes and threw herself onto her bed. "A few errands to run. Yes, they were necessary, Daph."
Daphne narrowed her eyes at Ophelia but continued to use a charm to get out the wrinkles from her dress robes.
"So, who are you going to the ball with, Lia? It's starting in a few hours, and we've been trying to get it out of Daph while you were gone," said Pansy from her vanity, combing through her hair.
"I've lost track of how many people asked you the past few weeks, and you've been turning all of them down. You even said no to Krum's hot friend!" Tracey exclaimed.
"Hey!" Pansy scolded, her brush clattering against the surface of the vanity.
"Sorry Pans, but come onnnn, he is objectively very attractive!" Tracey explained. She hugged Pansy from behind, resting her head on Pansy's shoulder. "You know you're the only one for me."
Pansy rolled her eyes, but a tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks.
"His name is Bartosz–excuse you–and he's going with Manon," Ophelia replied with a smirk.
"They would look cute together. Now that you mention Manon, you declined Gabriel's cute friend too!" Millie chimed in.
"Leon, and that's because I didn't want Cas to be uncomfortable with me going with someone older than him!" Ophelia lied. Even though she wanted the other girls to know, Daphne, and now Cassius, were the only Slytherins to know that she was going to the ball with Harry. The less who knew, the better.
Daphne side-eyed her. "You still haven't seen your dress robes yet, right Lia? You already knew about the ball since the start of the year, so your mother bought you your robes at the beginning of the term. By the way, very rude of you to not tell us earlier! I packed my favourite dress robes, but they weren't ball material. You know how I ordered new ones? I had to pay nearly fifty more Galleons to get my robes finished in time!"
Ophelia sent her a grateful look. "Like fifty Galleons on clothes matter to you, Daph. Anyhow, I wanted to be surprised when the time came, so I kind of forgot about it until they announced the ball. Things have been hectic this term! Not to mention I thought I would be going with a different person a few months ago."
"We can eliminate Draco from her potential dates then," Tracey whispered.
"Davis," Ophelia warned.
Tracey grimaced. "That was insensitive, wasn't it?"
Pansy gave her girlfriend a look that most definitely represented 'You think?'
Ophelia reached under her bed and pulled out a large white parcel that she had stored there since the first day they came back to Hogwarts. A note with her mother's lacy cursive was tucked into the ribbon that bound the package. Opening the note, she read its contents:
Depending on how the year progressed, I'm hoping these dress robes will bring out a certain someone's eyes. If not, I still think you'll love it regardless. It is one of your favorite colors, isn't it?
With all my love, Mama
Ophelia opened the parcel to find a familiar colour she knew well. After everything that had happened, the only time he met her gaze was when they were forced to dance with one another a week ago.
"Oh wow," Daphne gasped.
Ophelia cautiously took out the dress and laid it on her bed. It was a grey dress with green undertones and off-the-shoulder sleeves. Detailing the entire dress were inlaid silver flowers and vines. Ophelia was simultaneously pained and comforted to be lost in the yards of tulle and fabric that reminded her of Draco.
"Mrs. Warrington went all out, didn't she?" Millie said in awe.
"She's the best. Have I told you your mum is the best? Because she is," said Tracey.
"Ha! Draco's going to shit himself when he sees you. Or more appropriately, ya know…" Pansy mimicked a lewd gesture.
Ophelia and Tracey laughed, disappointing Daphne in the process.
"There's still something left," said Daphne, ignoring their indecent commentary.
Remaining in the parcel were complementary silver heels that paired with the silver details of the dress along with a large black velvet jewellery box. Ophelia opened the final surprise to find another note from her mother:
I know you've always loved this parure whenever you saw me wear it, so I think now is a better time than any to pass it on to you. I'm sure you will have as many happy memories as I did whenever I wore these.
Underneath the note was a beautiful silver necklace embedded with diamonds, matching tassel drop earrings, and a delicate white gold tennis bracelet.
Ophelia smiled down at the jewellery and glanced back up at her friends. "If you guys didn't know, Draco is going to the ball with a Beauxbatons girl, Kaia. Cas told me when I came back just now."
"Oh, Lia," said Tracey. She crossed the room and grabbed Ophelia's hand.
Ophelia waved the thought away. "He had to go with someone! As long as it isn't someone I have to see in the halls next year, I couldn't care less. Besides, I'm taking it as a good sign that it's a ploy that he's using to try to make me jealous tonight."
"Now that's the Lia spirit we all know and love," Pansy bemused.
"Draco's going to go ballistic on whoever is going to be on your arm tonight because you are going to be drop-dead gorgeous," Tracey said.
"And we are going to make sure of it!" Pansy added.
Out of everyone in the room, Pansy and Draco's relationship went back the farthest. Furthermore, she and Pansy had the most complicated relationship out of all of Ophelia's friendships. She had to deal with a torrent of insults from Pansy growing up–most involved Ophelia 'stealing' Draco from her. Not that she cared for the torments, but it was unquestionably a tumultuous start to their friendship. "Even though you've known Draco since the two of you were in nappies?" Ophelia puzzled.
"Fuck the nappies. He fucked up by being a dumbass and not asking you to the ball. Let alone that he's too scared to say that he likes you even when he says he doesn't. Also, don't tell him I said this, but I like being friends with you more," Pansy said jokingly.
Ophelia could tell there was a hint of truth to her words. She laughed. "Well, you don't have to worry about who I'm going with then. He'll definitely push all of Draco's buttons."
"Well, let's stop dawdling, and let's get started! Lia, sit down," Daphne ordered.
Ophelia groaned. "No, no. I can get myself ready. You know I'm an efficient dresser! I was going to take a nap while you all get ready and then wake up an hour before the ball. Hair charm, make-up charm, accessories, dress, shoes, done!"
"Nope, you are being included in this, whether you like it or not. Sit your arse onto that chair," Tracey demanded.
"It's almost 4:30 and we have approximately three and a half hours to be ready upstairs in the Great Hall. So that means at 7:45 we need to be in the Common Room," Daphne asserted.
"Daph, please–" Ophelia pleaded.
Daphne interrupted her. "Please let me do this, Lia. You know I love validation from dressing well, and making others look amazing!" She lowered her voice and whispered into Ophelia's ear. "Besides, you're not the only one who wants to make someone jealous tonight."
She looked into Daphne's eyes. Daphne was hardly one to commit herself to a cause full-heartedly. Yet when she did, she was as Slytherin as one could get. "Fine. You know that I like being pampered." Ophelia took a seat at Daphne's vanity. "I better be a ten after this." She smirked at her best friend's reflection.
"Darling, you're already a ten. You're going to be out of this world," Daphne said, a devious glint in her eyes.
After hours of charms, products, and fabric thrown around the room, everyone but Ophelia was fully dressed.
"Hey! Don't lace it too tight, I'm still eating dinner." Ophelia pouted.
Daphne tugged on the laces of the corset bodice of Ophelia's dress until it was snug yet comfortable. Daphne delicately fixed Ophelia's now curled hair so it cascaded down her back. "Done!"
Daphne stepped back to admire her work. "Ophelia…"
Tracey, Pansy, and Millie turned to look at her.
"Shit, Lia," Tracey gasped.
"Aw, you look amazing!" Millie squealed.
Pansy nodded her approval. "If Draco doesn't fall to his knees when he sees you, it's his loss."
"Good," Ophelia crooned as she approached their full-length mirror.
Her mother truly knew her daughter's taste well. The color of her dress suited her complexion, as well as the way the fabric cinched her waist and fell along her frame. As a final touch, Ophelia fastened her trusty wand holster around her leg, latching her wand into place. One never knows when a wand is needed, even at a party.
The five girls headed to the common room surprised to only find Vince, Greg, and Blaise waiting for them.
"Theo and Draco went ahead," Blaise awkwardly explained.
"I already know about Kaia, Blaise," Ophelia reassured him.
Blaise let out a loud sigh, instantly relieved. "Oh, thank Salazar! I was worried I was going to have to cover for him. And may I say, ladies, you look gorgeous!"
He offered an arm to Daphne which she gladly accepted. Blaise patted the top of her hand. "Don't worry, Daph, we're going to show poor Theodore what he's missing."
Side-by-side, Daphne's cerulean dress robes complimented Blaise's all-white dress robes. Upon further examination, his robes were detailed with blue accents along the trim and cuffs. Likewise, Tracey's emerald green dress robes matched Pansy's gold nicely.
In a rare instance of insecurity, Greg stuttered, "Mi—Millie, you look very uh, nice?"
Millie looked down at her silk, cobalt blue dress. While Ophelia and the others laughed, Millie took his hand and smiled. "Thanks, Greg. You look quite dapper yourself."
Vince slapped a hand on Greg's back, comforting his best friend. "Cheer up, mate! You're thinking too much into this. Now let's go! There's a feast upstairs," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Vince's date, fifth-year Abigail Quentin, only rolled her eyes and took the arm he offered to her. "You always have food on your mind, Vince."
"It's one of the only ways into my heart," Vince grinned, then began leading the group up to the Great Hall.
Tracey waited for Vince, Abigail, Greg, and Millie to walk out of her ears' reach to lean over to Blaise and Daphne. "Is it just me, or is it simultaneously weird and comforting to see Vince apply himself in something other than food and Quidditch?" She whispered vehemently.
Pansy replied with as much gusto. "It's definitely not just you."
"Are we sure that's Vince? He hasn't taken anything, has he?" Ophelia narrowed her eyes at Blaise.
"We may have given him a few drops of Felix Felicis," Blaise said nonchalantly.
Daphne questioned Blaise about where they got the Liquid Luck, but Ophelia diverted her attention to Pansy and Tracey. They were thinking the same thing.
Ophelia threaded an arm through Blaise's other free arm. "Blaise. Sweet darling, Blaise. You know you're technically my fifth favorite Slytherin."
Daphne and Blaise both cried, "Hey!"
"Male! My fifth favorite Slytherin male," Ophelia reassured Daphne.
Daphne sighed with relief. Yet Blaise stayed offended and was joined by Tracey and Pansy's protests, realizing the implication that Ophelia had a separate ranking for the girls.
"The two of you can't be that surprised that Daphne is first. I haven't thought past that for the girls, but of course, I have for the boys. Cas and my father are tied for first."
Blaise raised a brow, encouraging her to continue.
"Next is obviously Draco, then Severus," Ophelia added.
"Your father and Snape shouldn't even count!" Blaise exclaimed over Tracy, Pansy, and Daphne's giggles.
"Then Theo, and finally you. Honestly, you should feel honored that you're ranked above Miles, Graham, and Adrian," Ophelia nodded gravely. "Ever since I found out that Adrian likes me, I just might have to put him above you."
"Lia, you're such a vixen," Tracey gushed.
"Anyway! You can maintain your well-deserved fifth place if you share a bit of that Liquid Luck with us," Ophelia beamed.
"Ophelia Toshiko Warrington!" Daphne exclaimed. "You are not going to get high off of Felix Felicis! Especially if you're going to make a move on Draco tonight, and dance with—"
Ophelia cut her off. "My wonderful and charming date!" Her voice edged with a sliver of malice.
"It's not like you need it, Lia. You have more confidence in your pointer finger than most people do at all," said Daphne.
She frowned. Deep down she knew that Daphne was right, but all the tension between her and Draco was coming to a head with each step they took closer to the Great Hall. She was willing to do practically anything to ensure her success.
"Sorry girls, but there was only enough for Vince. We bought one of the last vials from some seventh-year Ravenclaws," Blaise said. "I do have another form of contraband though." He patted his dress robes pocket, and a clink of metal was audible.
"I hardly believe one flask of firewhisky is enough to keep all of us buzzed for the entire night," Pansy taunted.
Blaise smirked. "And that's why I have two." He patted his other pocket. "Draco and the others are stocked up as well."
"Even Theo?" Tracey asked.
He nodded. "Not for himself, but just in case you guys wanted it. It would be hard to bring drinks in with those dresses."
Ophelia raised a hand to her heart. "What a gentleman. Daph, you're a lucky girl," she teased. Yet her mood was slightly stifled when she realized that they were now in the entrance hall which was packed with students.
Shit, I should've left with Cas. How was she supposed to find Harry in this crowd?
Over all of the chatter, Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"
That was easier than she thought it would be. "I'm going to go talk to Cas. I'll see you guys inside?" Ophelia asked, already stepping away from them. She didn't stay long enough to hear their replies.
She headed towards the direction where she heard McGonagall's voice. Ophelia promptly ignored some of the stares that other students were giving her. After rejecting Merlin knew how many people, the identity of her date was still a mystery to the entire school. So, she was relieved to see her brother's familiar frame standing beside Thalia, as well as Fleur and surprisingly Roger Davies by the doors to the Great Hall.
"Oh, thank goodness, I found you!" Ophelia cheered.
Thalia furrowed her brows. "What are you doing here? What am I saying? You look stunning, Ophelia!"
"Me? Look at you! Cas, I still don't know how you convinced this girl to be with you," Ophelia remarked.
Thalia brushed down the fabric of her lavender dress robes, a smile growing on her face. "Thanks."
"And I couldn't have put that into better words, myself, Ophelia," Fleur added in French.
Ophelia grinned, delighted to have Fleur join her in one of her favourite past-times, annoying her brother. "And you are looking quite gorgeous yourself, Fleur," Ophelia replied in French. While Ophelia's robes were gray with green undertones, Fleur was radiant in silver-gray satin. "To answer your question, Thalia, I'm waiting for my date to arrive."
The oak front doors opened and the Durmstrang students entered the castle, led by Professor Karkaroff and Viktor. The crowd parted ways for Viktor to have a straight path to the rest of the champions.
Viktor tugged at his robes as soon as he reached them. "Do I look okay?"
"May I?" Ophelia asked.
He nodded ardently and she began to straighten the cape that hung on his shoulders. Thalia and Fleur huddled closer to her and Viktor.
"The two of you are together, together?" Fleur whispered.
Ophelia glanced at Cassius who was now talking to Davies, an amused smile on his face. By the second, Ophelia was more and more grateful that she told him she was going with Harry. She wouldn't put it past Cassius to start a fight with Viktor despite their budding friendship.
Ophelia carefully looked both Fleur and Thalia in the eyes and gave them an imperceptible shake of her head.
"But if Viktor's not your date, then," Thalia muttered. Before Thalia could finish her sentence, Fleur tapped her best friend on the shoulder, drawing Thalia's focus out of her thoughts. "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?"
Fleur pointed at the two forms approaching them, drawing even more attention to their now completed group. Harry was in bottle green robes that brought out his eyes. Ophelia held back a smirk. In another life, Harry would have looked quite fetching in a Slytherin uniform. Beside him, Hermione was radiant in the periwinkle blue gown that Ophelia saw earlier. She was satisfied to see that Hermione took her advice. Instead of Hermione's original plan to use Sleekeazy to fully straighten her hair, she used it to transform her unruly hair into its natural state of curls in a half-up, half-down style.
Ophelia heard Viktor take a stifled breath, shocked by Hermione. She gave him a comforting squeeze of his arm. He gave her a weak smile.
He really does like her.
"Granger, you look lovely. Truly." Ophelia complimented.
"As do you! Thank you so much for your help, I've never had my hair look or feel this nice!" Hermione was practically glowing with confidence, even though she was nervously shifting her eyes to Viktor.
"Proper haircare goes a long way," Ophelia asserted. She turned her focus to Harry. "You didn't wear green because of me, did you?"
A tint of pink appeared on his cheeks, but he stood his ground, getting used to her teasing. "Mrs. Weasley picked it out for me."
Ophelia and Hermione laughed.
"Then you won't mind telling her that I thought she picked well," Ophelia asserted.
The doors to the Great Hall opened and the crowd of students slowly made their way past them and into the hall. She quickly noticed that Krum's fan club was giving her forlorn looks, under the impression that she was Viktor's date. Her friends other than Daphne thought she was too; cheering congratulations as they passed by the group of champions.
However, Draco didn't even acknowledge her or Cassius, walking right past them without looking at her. Kaia on the other hand at least gave her and Thalia a careful nod. Similarly, Ron Weasley donned expensive navy blue dress robes and didn't even recognize Hermione. Only saying a quick hey to Harry as he walked in with Maxine O'Flaherty of all people. She couldn't help but note that Weaselbee and Hermione would've looked wonderful together.
Once everyone was settled in the Hall, Ophelia said, "Hm, Weaselbee actually wore it."
"Do you know who gifted Ron those robes? He got a mystery parcel with his presents and was gratified by not having to wear the robes Mrs. Weasley gave him," said Harry.
"It was me," she said nonchalantly.
Harry and Hermione's eyes bugged at her statement.
Ophelia scoffed. "I couldn't let him walk around in those horrendous robes. He's your best friend, Harry, ergo his appearance reflects mine. And I would never let someone I know to be caught dead in that. Fashion is one of my passions, you know."
Cassius slung an arm around her shoulder. "A devout reader of Witch Weekly, this one."
"Can you line up with your partners, please? We'll be entering the Great Hall shortly," Professor McGonagall informed them. A course of agreement went through them as McGonagall went off to ensure the ball started on time.
Ophelia shrugged Cassius's arm off her, and stepped towards Harry, looping her arm through his. "And you, dear brother, still sleep with your baby blanket."
Cassius grimaced, ready to retort until Thalia pulled him away, lining up behind Fleur and Roger.
Ophelia could faintly hear Thalia tease him in Greek. "Is she telling the truth?"
"Um, you look nice Hermione," Viktor said hesitantly, free of his accent.
Once again, the Gryffindors were shocked by the continuing bombshells that were dropped on them.
Ophelia smirked. "No accent, Vik?"
He shook his head. "I trust her. And I guess Potter too."
Viktor offered a hand to Hermione, and they walked ahead of her and Harry.
She turned her head to Harry. "Are you ready?"
"Is it weird that I'm more nervous about this than facing a dragon?"
She laughed. Only Harry bloody Potter would find life-threatening danger more appealing. "I think that just makes me sure that you're you, Harry. Now come on, the rest of the school awaits."
Acta non Verba: literal translation: deeds, not words
A/N: Hello again, I am definitely going to upload the second part of the Yule Ball this month, so keep an eye out for that! Also, I just want to take all of you that are still sticking around to read this fic, I truly do appreciate each and every one of you 3
Please comment and favorite! I'd love to hear what y'all think :)
Contains content from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Chapter 22: The Unexpected Task
Chapter 23: The Yule Ball