Chapter Forty One: The Yule Ball
The Yule Ball is held.
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The week following their binding was a busy one. With exams concluded and results pending, everyone in the castle prepared frantically for the Yule Ball. Hermione watched as the teachers and prefects began to organise the decorations and work towards making the Yule Ball a truly memorable occasion. It was an important event not just for the school, but for the aspirations of the Order, which used Hogwarts and it's separation from the Ministry as a way of showing their independence. Hogwarts had a reputation since the time of Dumbledore of not being dictated to by the Ministry, and now Severus and Minerva were keen to demonstrate the school's disassociation with pureblood dogma that still stalked the hallways of the Ministry.
Hogwarts under the leadership of Severus was a prime point of interest to people watching the leanings and politics of wizarding Britain. Through sitting in on discussions between Severus, Minerva and Kingsley Hermione had come to understand that the forces in the Ministry were trying to plan their own glittering Yule celebration that would be the focus of the pro-Fudge political movement. It was thought that if some kind of prestige was offered that the members of the Order could not refuse to attend. This would then show the world that it was the Ministry that was important in Magical Britain, and by definition this would bring honour to their representative, the Minister, who would be appointed come spring.
It puzzled Hermione that people in the Ministry still hoped that Fudge would take the prime position in the elections. Could they not see him for the toady and weakling he was? But Fudge was politically savvy and Kingsley was not a politician. Negotiations were underway, but as yet, the Order had not found a suitable figure to stand against Fudge. The thought of the toadying little man winning without opposition was disheartening to all.
Kingsley had taken the job of Ministry temporarily because someone from the Order had to and he was the most suitable. But the kindly wizard admitted that he was finding the task most unpleasant. He was not cut out for the flattery and deception that the top job called for. As a former Auror, he was much more straightforward, and it was not going down well with the mostly pureblood old vanguard that found in the Ministry a job for life.
So, Hogwarts was trying to showcase their impressive connections to the world and with the world. They wanted the world to be very aware that it stood as a strong and powerful counterpoint to the only other stronghold of power in magical Britain. Kingsley was giving the Hogwarts' ball all his support – it was the only way to stop the spotlight being cast on the Ministry and its own desire to host an event that showed the changes that had been wrought since the fall of Voldemort.
Hermione had never understood the delicate balance that was required when playing politics. Now she learned and watched as she spent time with the three heads of the Order. It was definitely interesting to see how power was maintained.
Hermione was present as Châtelaine when the house-elf matriarch met with Minerva and Severus to approve the menus. She also watched from the sidelines as both the Head Girl and Head Boy as well as the older prefects invited to attend the event entertained senior students, professors and Heads who had come for the festivities from Freyr, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Hogwarts under the leadership of Severus was keen to revive some of its older customs of closer ties with other institutions of magical learning.
Hermione felt occasional pangs of regret that she had never gained the opportunity to be Head Girl, or to even be made Senior Prefect, but she was enjoying her time with Astoria and Luna who had both not been surprised to hear that her soul-binding to Severus had been successful. Luna especially had explained that she had known that it was a sure thing.
"You're auras blend so well together," explained the blonde one afternoon. 'Your deep, bright purple and his deep pewter become a brilliantly dark and clear hue that is like looking at the night sky when the stars are just staring to appear. The way you work together, watching how easily you coordinate your actions and the way you move with each other, makes my heart ache. I hope I am as lucky in love as you and the Headmaster, or Draco and 'Tory."
At that, Hermione hugged Luna. "I am sure you will find true love," said her friend sincerely. "How could you not? You're perfect and the right person will realise that sooner or later."
Hermione knew Luna still had a major crush on Harry. But Harry was still learning to be his own man following his break up with Ginny. He was not ready for another relationship. And Luna, despite her attraction to Harry was not ready to settle down either. She was truly coming into her own in Magical Zoology, and was now fluent in Mermish. She was looking forward to travelling to Greece to spend a year working more closely with the Mer colonies of the Mediterranean.
Three days before the Yule Ball, Hogwarts closed for the winter holidays. Minerva and Severus had worked hard to ensure that every student had a home to go to over the break, with the exception of the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-year prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl who were invited to attend the festivities and represent the school.
The Yule Ball is, thought Hermione, by the looks of the preparations under-way, scheduled to be a brilliantly glittering affair. The castle looked even better than Hermione remembered it being during her first Yule Ball. The decorations were even more glamorous and ornate. It isn't really surprising, mused Hermione, given the very different tastes and personalities of the previous and current Headmaster.
The music was to be provided by a string quartet for the first half of the proceedings. Then, as the dancing commenced, an orchestra was to take over with the play-list carefully planned to include both Muggle and wizarding favourites. It really seemed as though a lot of thought had been taken with each step of the arrangements. She was really amazed at the amount of detailed planning that was going into each aspect of the ball. Seeing first-hand the lists upon lists that Severus seemed to peruse each night before bed really brought home the magnitude of the task she had taken on with her binding to the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Hermione had thought long and hard about what to wear to the ball. Narcissa was all for another ridiculously expensive shopping expedition, not only because of the Yule Ball and the approaching holidays, but because of her binding. However, Hermione had insisted that she had enough finery and another excursion, although enjoyable, just seemed unnecessary to the Gryffindor's economical nature. Besides, she already had the latest in winter fashions; more would just have been frivolous and wasteful. Nevertheless, Narcissa was already in the habit of buying her new daughter clothes and shoes when she went on her own shopping expeditions.
With much grumbling and teasing, Narcissa had accepted Hermione's decision to choose a gown from her collection. In fact, the Slytherin bowed to her daughter's wishes and gave Hermione, instead of the more customarily humungous trousseau, beautifully embroidered bed linen in elf-made Egyptian cotton and spider silk.
This show of what was for Narcissa practical economising made Hermione smile. But she could not deny that her new parents really were trying to ensure her happiness in all possible ways.
For the Ball, therefore, Hermione had settled on an amber, cashmere-and-silk blend gown that had been one of the first purchases that Narcissa had made from the winter collection on one of her shopping trips to Paris. It was ideal for the cold Scottish winter. Hogwarts, even with its many blazing fires, scones and torches was not by any stretch of the imagination a warm castle in the depths of the Yule season. Hermione could well remember the first spells she'd learned as a first-year, the warming charm and her bluebell flame being but two of them that had helped her stop freezing in her shared dorm-room and long, stone corridors.
Like all of Narcissa's many spur of the moment purchases it really suited Hermione perfectly. Narcissa's eye for colour and cut was superb. Hermione knew that her mother expected her to slowly progress to something more elaborate, but Hermione was still not comfortable in extravagant fashions. She preferred the simple, the elegant. Besides, just because she suddenly had more money than she knew what to do with did not mean she had lost her careful, middle-class sensibility when it came to economics.
She was more than willing to give money to worthy causes, to make sure good was done, but again, she didn't like the idea of cold, indifferent giving. She wanted to work hands on if she gave to a charity, to make sure her money reached the right people. She was glad the Order had decided to involve a Healer and someone from the Unspeakables in their efforts to rebuild the magical world. If they had only handed the money over to a Ministry official or a department, Hermione knew she would have had a hissy fit. But then as she thought about that a bit further, she realised that Severus, Minerva and Kingsley were not ones to trust the Ministry either. They too preferred to get their hands dirty as it were and see things change from the bottom up.
Pulling her spiralling thoughts back to the important matter of her dress, Hermione focused on her choice of attire for the ball. She had initially wanted to wear green in honour of Severus and her Slytherin connections, but she didn't want it to be so overt that she further antagonised the Gryffindors who would be present. The amber was Gryffindor enough to pass for the gold that was associated with her House, but it also allowed her to mix in some green so that she could unite the two halves of her loyalties. Thus, to go with the amber hue she wore old, gold jewellery studded with emeralds to complement the delicate and sparingly done gold and green silk embroidery that flowed like ivy leaves in artful patterns upon the gown. Then, to compliment both her jewels and her gown, she chose a stunningly high pair of peep-toe court shoes in green and gold brocade. They were from Antonio's, Narcissa's favourite shoe boutique, and came with spells to provide comfort, safety and success stitched into the lining.
She sometimes wanted to pinch herself when she thought how the Malfoy family jewels were now within her reach. She had never considered herself a girl's girl as it were, she had never thought much about jewels or clothes, but she realised that now that she was a woman, she liked the ability she possessed to dress up occasionally. She would always be most comfortable in her cord jeans or denims, but it was nice to know that she could raid the family vault and find stunning bits and pieces to wear. This set, for example, had been bought for a long-ago Malfoy bride by her husband for their twentieth anniversary. There were no names attached to the box but there was a faded and delicate note that accompanied the jewels. She liked knowing that she now had a history. A history in which a man loved his wife so much that he had brought the jewellery hidden in the lining of his cloak as he made his way from war ravaged Prussia to England. She wondered which war, and wished she'd been able to find a mention of the jewels in her little book of wonders as she had come to call her Malfoy legacy.
Narcissa had, of course, on more than one occasion mentioned how glad she was that Hermione was finally wearing the family jewellery. Narcissa, like her mother-in-law before her, had a Nordic colouring, and their pale blonde locks did not suit these more warm toned jewels. Narcissa tended to stick to the diamonds or the blue sapphires or blue diamonds or iolite and aquamarine sets. In fact, the warmest jewels she wore were the pale lemon-yellow sapphires that Lucius had bought her when Draco had turned one.
The Ball itself was, as expected, amazing. The Great Hall looked like something out of a fantasy novel. The entire floor had been covered by a soft carpet of never-melt, never-sink snow, so that it felt like a crunchy soft carpet under their heels. The ceiling was the winter sky with lighting being provided as though it were a bright moonlit night which reflected off the snow underfoot. Twelve giant Yule trees brightly decorated in silver, gold, burgundy and green flanked the doors and windows, allowing for private little nooks and crannies to be created with sofas and arm-chairs placed with side tables placed for quiet conversation. The head table had been removed as had the house tables. Instead, numerous round tables, spread with gold, linen-damask cloth were strategically placed around the outer edges of the hall. The well-thought out seating plan had been organised to allow the invited guests to mix and mingle with teachers, dignitaries and alumnae, who were scattered throughout the crowd so that there was a real feeling of solidarity and togetherness about the ball.
The feast was, of course, scrumptious. Hermione couldn't help but be awed at the gastronomical marvel, and she wondered how on earth the house-elves managed it all. The feast consisted of eight courses, each accompanied by appropriate wine, and for Hogwarts sixth-year prefects under the age, appropriate non-alcoholic beverages. Severus had told her when she had enquired beforehand that the goblets had been charmed to change shape and appearance, as well as to fill with the appropriate beverage according to the course being served, and that it was age sensitive, so that those under-age could not sneak in some liquor. The touch of a person would ascertain what their true age was, and that would ensure the type of drink the goblet contained.
Hermione knew she would have to seriously pick Professor Flitwick's brain to learn more about such a complicated charm. It sounded devilishly hard to do, especially for such a large number of guests. It had the advantage of showing off to the gathered foreign dignitaries the power of the people wielding such complex magic for such trivial purposes. Only the very strong and powerful could afford to spend their magic with such frivolous and non-essential of pursuits. It was practical, difficult and a subtle message all in one; very Slytherin in fact.
As the feast finally drew to a close, the master of ceremonies, who was a tiny little wizard who looked to be a clone of Professor Flitwick began the proceedings and handed the evening over from one dignitary to the next to make their planned for speeches for this public celebration of Hogwarts' rebuilding and reopening following the war. Hermione watched on with a soft smile. She felt a distinct change in her attitude to political posturing following her binding with Severus. She supposed it was because she had begun to see them through the eyes, not of a final-year student, but from those belonging to the Châtelaine.
Watching the sixth-year Hufflepuff prefect seated at her table she found it hard to imagine that she herself had been quite so young. Polly Barrows' eyes had been so wide to take in not only Hermione, but also the Russian Minister for Magic, Arvid, the final year student from Freyr and the other older Hogwarts students who made up their little table. Hermione, who had been placed between to the Russian Minister for Magic and the handsome dark-haired Swede enjoyed not only her dinner table conversation, but also their wry, whispered comments that accompanied all the over-the-top speeches.
The Russian Minister for Magic, Ivan Vladimirovich Orlov, despite his fierce appearance turned out to be a charming, amusing man with a very wry, sarcastic bent. He reminded her of an older, more relaxed Severus in fact. At first she had found his large, grey beard and bushy eye-brows quite alarming, but soon, the man who said he was as old as the Cossacks had taken on the role of a comrade. She wondered if all of the Order Members had been placed with people to charm and win over. She suspected that it was very much the case, for across the room she could see Harry sitting next to the incredibly beautiful Japanese sorceress, who was the head of their governing magical body. She knew Harry, too, must be winning over the slightly haughty looking woman, because her eyes were twinkling merrily at Harry's obviously genuine lack of artifice. If the dignitaries had thought that the heroes of the battle of Hogwarts were jumped up attention-seekers then they were being shown how untrue it really was.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears, however, when Severus, the final speaker, began his prepared oration. He touched upon the sense of achievement he and the staff felt to see Hogwarts brought back to its former glory, highlighting how much pleasure it brought everyone to see their students back at school, no matter their parentage and their political leanings. He talked about the importance of education in bringing enlightenment into the world, and he thanked the Head-teachers and Professors from the three visiting schools for joining them in seeing-in a new era of co-operation and re-education. She knew he meant every word.
The lighting changed in the Great Hall and the room took on the appearance of a glittering ballroom. With the sudden change in the Great Hall, the fifth, sixth and seventh year prefects began to perk up in interest. As the rich spice and berry fragrant smoke began to slowly spiral in complex patterns towards the ceiling and iridescent snow began to fall from above, the walls took on the appearance of gilt edged, mirrored surfaces that seemed to have been conjured right out of a fantasy tale. The atmosphere was, to say the least, even more enchanting.
This was the cue for the rest of the guests to stand up to circulate around the hall. During that tiny opening of time, the efficient house-elves cleared away the tables, set up the bar against the Slytherin side of the room and arranged bottles of wine, bubbly and beer based on each guest's desire on the now even more intimately shrunken tables. The string quartet played on while people rested after the speeches and the feast.
The dancing itself was magical. The first formal waltz was begun by Severus and Minerva. As the Head and Deputy Head, they led the dignitaries onto the floor. Soon though, just a few revolutions later, Kingsley took to the floor with the Head of the Order of Athena, the most eminent order of scholars in the Magical World.
Hermione had learned from Severus that an entrance to the Order was gained through invitation only. Candidates had to be approved and put forward by at least seven members before being called in for a series of in-depth interviews and tests that finally allowed entrance into the select band. Hermione had read that the fifth and final test was a word. A single word was presented to the candidate, and they would have to give their own personal understanding and explanation for it.
Watching the ancient but elegant mage who headed the Order, Hermione could almost see her crackling power as she danced with Kingsley. Her silver grey hair was tied up in an elegant French twist, her robes were pure white spider silk, and her position was announced by the owl shaped golden diadem that glittered upon her head. Hermione knew that being informed by the Order of Athena that their members would be attending the Hogwarts' ball had been a surprising development that had made Minerva almost giddy in astonished pleasure. In fact, Minerva had almost trembled with nerves when she had told Hermione how much of an honour it was to an educational institution when the Order attended one of their events. It was a validation of all that Hogwarts had been through and done for the Magical World. After all, the presence of members of the Order of Athena could not be requested, only gratefully accepted.
Once the two main couples had opened the dance, the rest soon followed, Hermione being graciously asked to dance by the surprisingly young and good-looking French Minister for Magic. He had just been appointed following their own ministry's post-Voldemort shake up.
The waltz with the French Minister Pierre Rosanvallon was followed by a lively polka with the Russian Minister for Magic, Ivan Vladimirovich Orlov. Then she was spirited off her feet by Neville, who was beaming with happiness. Neville like Harry and other War Heroes was present to ensure that the Ball was seen as the most important event in wizarding Britain's Yule celebrations.
As Hermione and Neville danced, her friend narrated how he had proposed to Hannah, and had been accepted. The joy that radiated from Neville's beaming face was so wonderful to see.
Hermione's dance with Neville was followed by a more sedate foxtrot with Arvid. He was then replaced by a bashful Harry, who seemed very pleased to escape the clutches of the dignitaries who he had been forced to ask to dance. Hermione couldn't help but grin at his deep sigh of relief at just being able to circle the floor with her in an ordinary manner, no conversation or small-talk required.
It was only towards the very end of the evening that Severus was finally able to come to Hermione. He, the man who really despised small-talk and dancing with strangers, had graciously danced with almost all of the visiting female dignitaries, and in the cases of the married visitors, their wives.
"Poor darling," said Hermione when he finally came into her arms. "Has it been so very terrible?"
Severus grimaced. "It has. I've been groped by at least two women. And I had to forcibly move the Spanish Minister for Magic's wife away from me while we were doing a waltz."
Hermione giggled. "I guess they are feeling your Veela allure," she said cheekily. She knew he worried that people would notice. But so far nothing too over the top had happened. It helped that he still continued to dress in his customary black robes and that even for tonight, he'd not worn anything other than the very smart dress robes he'd had made for the Order of Merlin ceremony all those months ago.
Eventually though, the night came to an end. As the final dance was called, Severus and Hermione danced with Narcissa and Lucius respectively. It allowed the two couples to, as the last minutes struck, exchange partners and so end the night in their spouses' arms.
Once the staff obligations for the holidays had been concluded, Severus and Hermione moved to Lestrange Manor. The house-elves were ecstatic at finally having a mistress again. They had felt extremely neglected these many years, and they demonstrated their delight at having a master and mistress to give them tasks. Tansy was just one example of the numerous elves who were highly trained and desperate to serve. For many years the house-elves had done what they had been ordered to do by the paintings and the ghosts of the Manor. Now, they had a live master and mistress to serve and obey.
Severus had, on the eve of their return to the Manor and the official start of Hermione taking over the duties of Mistress of the Manor, toyed with the alteration of the manor's name. They had both however felt that calling the house as old as it was Snape Manor far too pretentious for their home. Severus also argued that he didn't want to draw more attention to the house and a renaming would most likely require registration at the Ministry, which would probably be made much of in The Daily Prophet.
Hermione agreed; the fewer people who knew where they lived, the happier they both would be. Besides, Severus admitted that although he couldn't find evidence to back up his suppositions, he felt that some of the house's wards were linked to the Lestrange name.
Severus' only worry was that Hermione would find it an unpleasantness to reside in a home that bore the name of die-hard Death Eaters. It was a tricky situation. He wanted a new start, had been, in fact, working long and hard for this new world order without the oppressive presence of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Ensuring their names lived on in his home did feel wrong. Nonetheless, the wards of the Manor were impressive and almost impossible to recreate. Their very antiquity ensured that they could not be breached. The Ministry Aurors had, for example, failed over and over again to enter the Manor even after all three of the Lestranges had been taken into ministerial custody.
Hermione listened to her beloved's fears patiently. Finally she said with a cheeky grin that eased his worries, "Darling, I don't think there can be a better revenge than to use their wards and protections for our own safety. We are living in their house; we are enjoying their ancestral holdings. What irony."
Severus laughed. "Thank all the Gods and Goddesses for you. You're right. I can't think of a better revenge than to live in their house and bring up our mixed blood children in their home; now ours for all time."
A/N: Love it or hate it, please let me know what you think.