Disclaimer: I own none of the things you already know of.
Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.
Chapter 28. Christmas Ball. 1994.
A white Christmas came to Hogwarts, which saw Harry and Fleur sitting at the Hufflepuff table, along with the rest of their friends.
Susan and Holly chatted with Fleur while Daphne carried on a whispered conversation with Hannah. Harry and Luna sat together reading the Christmas edition of the Quibbler.
Hermione and Ginny had already dropped by at the beginning of breakfast to wish them a merry Christmas before they joined Neville and Ron and the Gryffindor table.
Breakfast came and went, and lacking a room where all the group could go, they elected to stay in the Great Hall.
Fleur reached out to take her slanted hat from Holly, who grinned and leaned away from the older witch, avoiding her grasping hand.
With a grin and a shake of her head, Fleur gave up.
''Olly?' the Veela asked.
Holly blinked, her smile fading.
'What is it?' she asked, and Fleur let out a breath.
'Harry showed me the Heart of Hogwarts, and after hearing the story of that day, I had expected it to be dreadful.' Fleur began, and the group fell silent.
Harry looked up from the Quibbler and watched Fleur as she searched for words.
'But that place is peaceful, almost like it exudes a sense of comfort.' Fleur finished, and Holly remained silent.
Susan sighed.
'I admit, I want to see that place again, if only to get a sense of closure about that entire event.' The red head whispered, but she was still loud enough for them all to hear.
Holly nodded and looked at Harry.
'Will you take us back down there, Harry?' she asked, and Harry frowned.
'Do you want to go now?' he asked, meeting both Susan's and Holly's eyes.
Both girls nodded.
Harry sighed.
He looked at the others.
'Do you all want to come?' he asked, and received a chorus of nods.
'Okay, follow me.' He said, standing from the table.
He led them out of the Great Hall. Holly held his left hand while Fleur held her other hand. Susan held Harry's right hand, and the others followed close behind.
Twenty minutes later, Harry stopped in front of the giant black steel doors of the Heart of Hogwarts. He released Susan's hand to push open the doors, then took Susan's hand again.
He stepped into the cavernous room filled with the crimson light of the Heart.
The girls behind him gasped at the crimson lit expanse and Harry squeezed Holly and Susan's hands.
'Are you two, okay?' he whispered, though it echoed through the empty room.
Susan nodded. She let go of his hand and walked to the left of the doors, where she'd been shackled.
Holly mirrored her actions after releasing Harry's and Fleur's hands.
Harry turned to the three other girls.
Daphne, Luna, and Hannah stared at the glowing red sphere behind him.
'This, is the Heart of Hogwarts. We haven't touched the sphere yet, so while you'll want to do so, please don't.' he said and at Daphne's nod, the three moved away, leaving Harry and Fleur alone.
'Are you okay?' she whispered as she ran a hand down his cheek.
Harry sighed.
'This place holds some horrible memories.' He admitted, as he ran a hand through his hair.
His gaze moved between Holly and Susan, both lost in their own thoughts on the other side of the room. Then his eyes settled on Fleur's crimson-stained eyes.
'Despite those memories, the place feels welcoming, even soothing.' He admitted with a small frown.
'Harry?' Luna's voice interrupted.
He turned to see Luna staring at him with an unusually focussed expression.
'Harry, you should commune with the Castle now.' She said, and she stepped up close to him.
He blinked.
'What? What do you mean?' he asked, and she gave him a soft smile and pointed at the glowing red sphere.
Harry turned to Fleur, who gave him a 'don't look at me.' expression and he sighed.
He turned back to Luna.
'What do I need to do to commune with the Castle?' he asked, and Luna blinked her large eyes at him.
'Touch the sphere.' She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded before he released it.
He turned to Fleur.
'Can you get ready to use some medical spells?' he asked, and Fleur's eyes widened for a moment before she nodded, her face a mask of focus.
Harry turned to the sphere and moved toward it.
With each step, the sense of peace inside him grew, until eventually he stood only a footstep away and reached out a hand, hesitating to make contact.
He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose, steadying himself.
He touched the sphere.
Harry opened his eyes, laying on the floor of the chamber that held the Heart of Hogwarts. Its crimson light stained everything it touched.
A high-pitched ringing filled his ears.
He blinked for a moment, before agony tore through his body and he convulsed.
Harry knew he was screaming, even if he couldn't hear it. He thrashed about, held down in place by Fleur whose eyes held fear and determination in equal measure.
His veins felt like they were on fire, his skin like ice.
It was similar to the Cruciatus.
Then it ended.
Fleur knelt over him, mouthing words he couldn't hear.
Holly and Susan knelt on his other side, doing the same while Daphne, Luna, and Hannah stood away, watching with worry marring their faces.
He lay back and the ringing in his ears faded, allowing him to hear voices.
'How are you 'Arry?' Fleur asked, and he blinked.
Fleur waved her wand over his chest, frowned, and did it again.
Holly cupped his cheek.
'Harry? Are you okay?' she asked, tears in her eyes and Harry groaned.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he struggled to get his brain working.
Harry looked up at Holly while Fleur was busy waving her wand over him.
'You know when dad dared us to hold an electric fence when we went camping as kids?' Harry asked her, and Holly frowned.
'Yeah?' she asked.
'It was nothing like that.' He said with a dazed chuckle.
Then everything faded to black.
Harry opened his eyes to find he was in the hospital wing. Fleur leaned over him with narrowed eyes.
He held up his hands in surrender.
'I didn't do it.' he said.
Madame Pomphrey pushed his hands down to his sides with a huff. She ran a scan over him with her wand.
'You're just as reckless as your father. After touching the Heart Hogwarts, you've been unconscious for a few hours.' The matron let out another huff before she moved away and opened the cupboard where she kept her potions.
'Is he going to be, okay?' Susan asked.
Pomphrey sighed.
'Mister Potter, I would really rather you not come back to this hospital wing. You do so far too much as it is. However, you will suffer no ill effects from this escapade. But I do ask that you not do it again.' She said, and he smiled.
'Am I free to leave?' Harry asked, and the matron narrowed her eyes at him.
'I know what you're doing, young man. But yes, you're free to leave.' She said, reluctantly.
Harry grinned and climbed out of bed. He looked at the girls.
'Do you all still have time to prepare for tonight?' he asked.
Fleur gave him a suspicious look, then leaned in to kiss his lips.
'I know you're up to something, mister.' She whispered, and his grin widened.
With one last look, the girls left.
Harry waved to Madame Pomphrey, who shooed him away.
Harry stepped out of the hospital wing and stood face to face with Luna, who looked at the floor.
'I'm sorry Harry. I thought something would happen if you touched the Heart of Hogwarts.' She said, and Harry placed a finger under her chin and raised her gaze to his.
He smiled.
'It's okay. I'm okay now. There's so much energy in the sphere, if only we could tap into it.' He mused and Luna paled.
'No Harry, please don't do that.' She whispered.
Harry cocked his head to the side.
'I won't. The sphere powers all the wards and stuff of Hogwarts. I wouldn't jeopardise the Castle for my own gains.' He said and Luna smiled up at him.
'I'm glad to hear that.' She said before she flounced off to join the rest of the girls.
Harry stood alone in the corridor as the slight blonde skipped down the hall and disappeared down a set of stairs.
He shrugged, then turned to walk toward the Room of Requirement.
Harry sat in the Room of Requirement in the configuration he and Fleur often used to study. It was their own library with a cosy fireplace in the centre of the room.
He sat on a couch in front of the flames with the Marauder's Map in his hands. There were clumps of names all around the school. Moody in his office, Dumbledore in his.
He saw Fleur walking through the hallways along the first floor, headed toward the Entrance Hall.
A single name stood out by the lake, Elizabeth Creevey. He frowned. He hadn't known that Colin, a Gryffindor boy in Ginny's year and one of her friends, had a sister at Hogwarts. But he shrugged and his gaze found each of his friends, all getting ready in their dorms.
Harry stretched and was about to put away the map when he noticed a group of names surrounded Fleur's in a hallway. He recognised the names of Lucian Bole and Peregrine Derrick, both seventh year Slytherins and a name stood out waiting in an empty room nearby.
Marcus Flint.
Harry knew Flint graduated the year before and he wondered what the boy was doing at the school.
His eyes widened as he remembered earlier in the year when he and Fleur had first gone to the Heart of Hogwarts. Lucian Bole was one of the Slytherins who had made Fleur uncomfortable.
A moment later, Harry leapt out of the Room of Requirement and rushed down the stairs.
'Damn, I wish I had a broom.' He growled, and a stray thought made him pause.
Harry looked out over the railing and saw the first floor far below him. He glanced at the map and saw Fleur being taken into the room where Marcus Flint waited.
Swearing, Harry leapt over the railing into a freefall down to the first floor.
He cast a Featherlight Charm on himself wandlessly, then with his wand, banished the floor. The resulting forces created a shallow crater in the thousand-year-old stone floor, and he landed with a thump. He fell to one knee before he took off toward the Entrance Hall.
A minute at full speed later, Harry burst into the room he'd seen the boys take Fleur into on the map and he saw Fleur, wandless, holding a ball of fire in each hand. She was a little battered; dirt and scratches marred her face and clothes.
Without a thought, Harry sent a wandless banisher at a Slytherin he hadn't seen on the map earlier, Pucey, who had also been one student bothering Fleur earlier in the year.
Pucey crashed into Derrick and they both hit the stone wall with a crack. With his wand, Harry fired a body bind at both Flint and another boy he didn't recognise. The other boy, along with Pucey, must have joined the group after Harry had last looked at the map.
Behind him, Fleur smashed a flaming fist into two other boys. She left them singed on the floor, groaning, and trying to crawl away from the enraged Veela.
Harry paused and stared at a dishevelled Fleur for a moment as her flames died away, leaving her looking pissed.
She stalked over to where Flint lay bound and knelt beside him, her face only centimetres from his.
'What was your plan, pig?' she snarled.
The recent graduate blinked at her, a love-struck expression on his face.
'I'd learned from my father that Potter had a half breed warming his bed. My father was upset, said that no scion of an Ancient and Noble House should sully themselves with such a creature.' Flint breathed.
Flints eyes darted to Harry's for a moment. Flint smirked, his expression turned cruel, before it turned back to meet Fleur's icy blue gaze.
'I could show you a good time, better than Potter.' Flint smirked.
Harry stepped forward, but Fleur acted first, and her fist shot out and broke the young man's nose.
Flint screamed and Harry cast a wandless Silencing Charm over him.
Fleur stood and let out a breath.
Harry stepped toward her and opened his arms. She moved in close and held him in a tight embrace.
'I didn't know you could throw a punch like that.' Harry whispered and Fleur giggled into his chest before she looked up into his eyes.
'You're not the only one with secrets.' She whispered back, and he smiled down at her for a moment before he sighed.
'Are you okay?' he asked, and she sighed, burrowing into his chest further.
'This sort of thing happens to Veela. My time at the Enclaves prepared me for this scenario. We need to learn to defend ourselves in the event our wands are taken away from us.' She explained, and Harry tightened his grip around her shoulders.
He kissed the top of her head.
Harry released her from his embrace and looked around at the fallen Slytherin boys.
'You should head back to the carriage so you can get ready. I'll deal with the trash.' He suggested, and she nodded with a smile, not giving the fallen Slytherins another look.
'You'll be there at seven thirty to pick me up?' she asked, and he grinned, kissing her.
'I'll be there.' He whispered, and she smiled at him.
Harry reached out a hand to her fallen wand, which shot into his grip, then handed it to her.
'Thank you, kind sir.' She said and sent him a wink and left the room.
Harry watched her walk down to the carriage on his map. Only stopping when she entered, and her name merged with a dozen others due to the maze of spell work that made up the carriage.
Harry cleared the map then pulled out his Potter mirror from his robes, where he always kept it after the events of the previous year.
'James Potter.' Harry said to the mirror, which buzzed a few times before he saw his father's worried face in the mirror.
'Harry? What's wrong?' James asked, worry in his eyes.
Harry glanced around the room and back to his father's face.
'Fleur and I were attacked at Hogwarts by a former student and a handful of current students.' Harry started and James' gaze hardened.
'I'm going to tell Dumbledore, but I wanted to give you enough time to arrive.' Harry finished, and James nodded with a scowl.
'I'm on my way.' James said, and his mirror went dark.
Harry glanced around the room at the bound and stunned Slytherins, then at the silenced form of Flint who looked to be crying.
Harry turned and walked out of the room and across the hallway to the painting that hung there.
In the painting, an elderly witch wore a thick bearskin cloak around her shoulders.
'Ma'am, can you inform the Headmaster that there has been an attack?' he asked, and the witch's eyes widened. She nodded and a moment later, she was gone.
Harry turned and moved back to the door to the room with the bound boys and leant against the wall opposite the door.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore appeared in a flash of flames, transported by Fawkes in front of the portrait of the bearskin wearing woman.
Dumbledore glanced around the corridor, before his eyes met Harry's and he rushed over to him.
'What is wrong, Mister Potter? Dear Gladys was distraught, saying there was an attack?' the ancient wizard asked, his electric blue eyes darted around the corridor, looking for threats.
Harry pointed to the door in front of him.
'In there. I've stayed out of the room since it happened. I didn't want to contaminate the crime scene.' Harry explained and Dumbledore blinked.
'Crime scene?' Dumbledore asked, worry creasing his aged features.
James rushed into the corridor, followed by a team of three Aurors. Their vibrant crimson robes flowed around them as they ran. James held a map in one hand, while his other hand held his wand in a white fingered grip.
'Has anyone been in the room since the attack?' James asked as he slowed to a walk, joining Harry and Dumbledore.
'I had Fleur leave for her carriage to prepare for tonight's festivities. Since then, I've been standing right here.' Harry said and James nodded.
Dumbledore blinked and looked between the two Potters.
James looked between Harry and Dumbledore.
'Headmaster, did you want to enter with me to investigate, then we will take Harry's memories and testimony.' James said, taking control of the situation.
James didn't wait for a response from the Headmaster and turned to Harry.
'We'll have to talk to Fleur about this too.' He said, and Harry nodded.
'Perhaps Auror Tonks could do so. Males tend to have a hard time around Fleur.' Harry suggested.
James smirked and turned to the youngest of the Aurors in the team, Harry's quasi-cousin he had seen little of since his first year, Nymphadora Tonks.
'Tonks, you heard the man. Hop to it.' James ordered.
Tonks winked at Harry before she ran down the corridor the way she'd came moments before.
Dumbledore stroked his beard, his gaze moved between the two Potters.
'I think I will have to join you in your investigation, James, my boy.' The old man said, and James nodded, then turned to Harry.
'Wait out here for us?' he asked, and Harry nodded.
James and Dumbledore entered the room, along with another Auror, leaving Harry standing outside the room with the last Auror.
'Hi, I'm Harry Potter.' Harry said, and the Auror met his gaze for a moment before he narrowed his eyes.
'Auror Symons.' The man grunted, then stared at the wall in front of him, ignoring Harry.
After twenty minutes of silence with Auror Symons, Harry's gaze leapt to the door of the room as it opened to reveal James and Dumbledore, followed by the unknown Auror who held a length of rope connected to Flint and the other boys.
Dumbledore looked exhausted.
James turned to the Headmaster.
'Is there anything else, Sir?' James asked and Dumbledore shook his head.
'No, it is all clear cut. These boys can't be shielded by their youth, they are all of age and do not hold any regret for their actions.' He muttered as he wiped his aged cheek absently.
James nodded and turned to Auror Symons, who stood at attention.
'Symons, you and Winters go back to the Ministry while I go find Tonks.' James ordered.
The two Aurors left down the corridor, away from them. They dragged a line of bound Slytherins and one graduate along behind them.
Harry turned away from their retreating backs and met James' gaze.
'Harry, you did a great job. That wandless banisher had some real power behind it. But as an Auror, I have a few questions.' James said, and Harry nodded.
After ten minutes of interrogation, James sighed.
'Is there anything else you want to add?' James asked, and Harry smirked.
'Only that I leapt down from the seventh floor to the ground floor to get here in time.' Harry said and James groaned.
'I'll talk to you about that later.' James muttered as Tonks entered the corridor with a wide grin on her face.
'You have good taste in women, kiddo.' She grinned and Harry laughed.
'I had to find someone to compare with you, or in this case…' he trailed off with a smirk.
'Why you little-' she growled and leapt at him.
She wrapped him in a headlock.
'You've sure got some cheek, speaking to an Auror like that.' She laughed as Harry struggled in her grip.
James cleared his throat and Tonks leapt away from Harry in an instant, her face pale.
'Fleur is much better suited to Harry than you Nym, she's just as serious as he is.' James smirked, and Nym let out a huff.
Tonks turned to James and pouted.
'It's not fair that you're my boss.' She complained, and James rolled his eyes.
'Get over it Nym, if you had anyone else as your superior you wouldn't get nearly as much leeway.' He laughed, and she gave a thoughtful frown before she nodded.
'Yeah, I guess you're right.' She huffed.
James smiled at Harry.
'You did a good job. Now, enjoy the Ball tonight, while you remember that you've given me some work to do.' He said and Harry shrugged.
'You'll just delegate most of it to Nym, anyway.' Harry sent a grin at Tonks, who glared at him.
James pulled Harry into a hug, which Nym joined a moment later.
'Have fun tonight, kiddo.' Nym said with a wink.
James rolled his eyes.
'Okay Nym, we have to go, you've got a lot of work to do before dinner at Grimmauld.'
Tonks sighed and turned to leave; she gave Harry a wave before the two left.
Harry turned to Dumbledore, who stood beside the door. His eyes looked troubled as he stared at the floor.
'Sir?' Harry asked, and the Headmaster sighed.
'I'm getting old. Nothing to concern yourself with Mister Potter.' Dumbledore cleared his throat and met Harry's gaze with a faux smile.
'You should prepare for the Ball my boy.' The Headmaster suggested and Harry nodded and turned to leave but paused.
'Sir?' Harry asked and Dumbledore blinked.
'What is it?' he asked, and Harry frowned.
'Fleur and I know about the Second Task. We believe the judges should take Gabrielle as her hostage.' Harry said and Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
'Why is that?' the old man asked, curiosity in his tone.
'After the events of the First Task, I want to be on hand should any other suspicious individuals appear. Seeing as how I was the one to encounter both mysterious women in the First Task.' Harry said and watched as the Headmaster considered his suggestion.
'I feel it is best if I were present to work alongside any other security personnel. I would use the mirror and any other restrictions you wanted to place upon me.' Harry added and Dumbledore sighed.
The Headmaster removed his half-moon spectacles and rubbed them on his robes before returning them. He gave Harry a penetrating look before he nodded.
'I concur. Will the maps you promised be ready by then?' Dumbledore asked and Harry nodded.
'They should be ready within the week.' Harry said, and the Headmaster nodded.
'Okay, off with you Mister Potter, I'll see you tonight at the Ball.'
That evening, Harry sat at the Champions table beside Fleur, who looked radiant in a tight silver dress that accentuated her figure with a floral design which resembled ivy. It crept across her chest, acting as a strap to hold everything in place. She continued the floral theme with a silver and diamond hairpiece shaped like a blooming Lily to hold her hair in place.
After dinner, Harry spent the first few dances with Fleur before she kissed him.
''Arry, you should dance with each of our friends.' She whispered in his ear, and he frowned.
'Do you not want to dance?' he asked, his voice soft and her ice-blue eyes met his with a familiar warmth in their depths.
'Of course I do, silly, but I think they would all like a dance with you. I can't be greedy all the time, just this once I think I can share you with them.' She whispered, and he smiled.
He leant down to kiss her.
'If you're sure?' he said, and she nodded, then led him off the dance floor.
Once seated, Fleur smiled.
'Susan, would you take my place for a moment?' Fleur asked and Susan rolled her eyes.
Susan stood and took Harry's hand.
'Oh, it's such a chore.' Susan laughed and Harry led her out to the dance floor while Fleur fell into discussion with the rest of their friends.
Halfway through the dance, Susan rested her head on Harry's shoulder.
'Poor Holly, the boy she took to the dance has eyes only for Fleur.' She said, and Harry nodded.
'Yeah, what was his name, Seamus Finnegan?' Harry asked, and Susan nodded.
'But at least she got rid of him and is with the others now.' She murmured.
The two finished their dance and Susan smiled up at Harry as he led her back to the group.
'That was nice, we haven't done that in a few years.' She said with a small smile, and he nodded.
'Yeah, just like old times.' Harry whispered, and Susan grinned.
Harry blinked as Susan released his hand and took Daphne's hand, giving it to Harry.
'Your turn, Daph.' The red head grinned, and Daphne blinked.
Her blue eyes met Harry's, then Fleurs, who smiled and nodded.
Daphne turned to Luna, who gave her a dreamy smile.
Harry led Daphne out onto the dance floor, and she melted into his chest.
'This is nice.' She murmured, and Harry smiled down at her.
'You and Luna make a good couple.' He whispered.
She looked up at him. A blush covered her cheeks.
Harry grinned.
'Whatever makes you happy, I will always back you up.' He said, and she beamed up at him, then melted into his chest again.
'You know I've always had feelings for you, right? Ever since our first year.' She murmured, and Harry squeezed her closer to him.
'I know. I'm sorry I'd never be able to return them.' He whispered, and she smiled up at him.
'You're special Harry.' She whispered, and with a small smile, she burrowed into his chest.
'But I think I can find happiness with Luna.' She added, and Harry smiled into her blonde hair.
'That's what's important. I will always be nearby for you, you know that, right?' he asked, and she nodded into his chest, holding him tight until their dance finished.
He led her back to the others, and Harry noticed Hermione and Ginny sitting with them.
'Hey guys, I didn't know you'd be joining us this evening?' he said as Daphne joined Luna at their table.
Ginny scowled.
'Neville was too busy glaring at you to pay any attention to me.' She growled and Hermione huffed beside her.
'Ronald kept standing on my toes while staring at Fleur.' Hermione sighed and Fleur stood, taking her hand.
'I am sorry Hermione.' Fleur said, and Hermione shook her head.
'No, it's not your fault. I can't believe I even agreed to go with him. I should have gone with Viktor when he asked me.'
Fleur turned to Harry and gave him Hermione's hand.
'Here, Harry will dance with you.' Fleur said with a soft smile, and Hermione blushed.
'B-but.' She stammered, but Fleur only smiled.
'It's okay, have fun.' Fleur said and Hermione turned and gave Harry a weak smile.
Harry led her out onto the dance floor and after a few seconds, she relaxed into him.
'Are you sure this is okay, Harry?' she asked and looked up into his eyes.
He smiled down at her and led her around the dance floor, careful not to go beyond her comfort level.
'It seems I'm dancing with all of my friends tonight. Fleur's right though, I'm sorry about Ronald.' He said, and she huffed.
'I don't want to talk about him at the moment. I'm happy right now.' She murmured into his chest.
'You're a much better dancer than I expected.' She muttered, and Harry gave a soft chuckle.
'When you're from an old family like mine, we're expected to know how to dance. I hated it when I first learnt, but I quite enjoy it these days.' Harry admitted, and she sighed.
'Because of Fleur?' she asked, her voice small.
Harry paused for a moment before nodding.
'Yeah, I think so. It was only after we met that I looked forward to formal events, because with her father being the French Ambassador, she had to go to them.' He explained and Hermione nodded into his chest.
'But why did she have to go to them?' she asked.
Harry laughed as he spun her, causing her long hair to fan out around her.
'Because of the way the old family politics go. Heirs and Heiresses have to be presented to the rest of the families.' He said and dipped her before he pulled her back to him.
'Even though they are French, because of Dominique's position, he is an honorary member of the Wizengamot. Therefore he is invited to all the events where the old families do their politicking.' He explained, and she blinked up at him.
'It all sounds so archaic.' She muttered, and he laughed.
'You're not wrong. But that's how it all works, at least for the moment.' He said with a grin, and she chuckled.
'You're still planning on changing the world then?' she asked, and Harry grinned.
'Definitely.' He said, and she sighed before she looked up into his eyes and the song ended.
'I really enjoyed the dance, Harry.' She murmured, a slight blush on her cheeks.
'Me too. I'm glad that I could help.' He said as they returned to the table and Ginny leapt from her seat and took his arm.
'He's mine now, right, Fleur?' Ginny asked, and Fleur shook her head with a grin.
'Only for the dance.' Fleur said, and Ginny pouted.
She led Harry out to the dance floor, and he was suddenly glad he wore comfortable shoes.
Harry led Ginny around the dance floor as she beamed up at him.
'This is more fun than I expected it to be.' She breathed and Harry laughed.
'Well, balls are supposed to be fun. If you're with the right people, anyway.' He said as he spun her, much to her delight.
'You're right. All Neville wanted to do was glower at you and the Champions. I don't think he's having a good year.' She said with a frown, which disappeared as he lifted her and returned her to the ground on his other side.
Ginny giggled and fell into him before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the song slowed down.
'I thought my dreams were coming true when Neville asked me to the Ball. I was so excited, I even used all of my allowance to buy this dress.' She said, her gaze elsewhere as she pressed her cheek up against his chest.
'I'm sorry it wasn't everything you wanted, Ginny.' Harry whispered, and she looked up at him with a weak smile.
'It's not your fault, Harry. Well, not really.' She ended with an impish smile.
Harry quirked an eyebrow.
'How is it my fault?' he asked, and she rolled her eyes.
'Because we all, unconsciously or not, compare other boys to you. Fleur is lucky.' Ginny explained, resting her cheek against his chest again as the song approached its end.
'I'm the lucky one. Not only do I have Fleur in my life, but I have the rest of you as well.' He whispered in her ear, and she pushed away from him with a laugh and slapped his chest.
'That's exactly what I'm talking about Harry.' She grinned, her chocolate eyes danced before she turned away and led him back to the table where the others sat talking.
As they approached, a Durmstrang boy strode away from Fleur with a glare aimed at him.
Harry frowned and met Fleur's gaze.
'What's his problem?' he asked, and Hannah laughed.
'What else? He thought that without you around, Fleur was easy game. Serves him right, pig.' Hannah glared at the Durmstrang boys' back.
Harry met Fleur's gaze, who rolled her eyes.
He nodded.
Luna stood from beside Daphne as Ginny sat next to Hermione.
'My turn?' she asked.
Harry gave her a soft smile. He held out his hand to her.
He led her out and their dance started slow. She met his gaze with a wide smile.
Neither said a word for a minute as they weaved through the crowd.
'Something is happening at Hogwarts. Something I hadn't seen until now.' She whispered, no trace of her usual dreamy voice present in her words.
'What do you mean?' he asked.
She shuddered, then clung to him as he moved them across the dance floor.
'Something has come to Hogwarts that shouldn't be here. It shouldn't exist, yet it does.' She whispered; Harry struggled to hear her over the rest of the noise in the Great Hall.
'The darkness is coming before it should.' She breathed as she looked up into his eyes.
'Luna, what do you mean, what darkness?' he asked.
Luna blinked.
She cocked her head and smiled up at him.
'What's wrong? Are you not enjoying our dance, Harry?' Luna asked, her usual dreamy voice returning.
Harry sighed and smiled down at Luna. He leant forward and kissed her brow.
'Never change Luna.' He whispered, and she beamed at him.
'Daphne tells me that too.' She grinned.
Harry spent the last hours of the Ball with Fleur. The two weaved through the others dancing without thought and Harry lost himself in her eyes.
'Your dress robes turned out well in the dark green. It's a treat for the eyes, the way it almost shimmers in the light.' Fleur whispered in his ear, and he grinned.
'That particular effect was insisted upon by a lovely woman who helped finalise the robes. I'm in her debt for her assistance.' He whispered back, and she pulled back to beam at him.
'You're very welcome.' She purred and Harry noticed the hunger back in her eyes as they stared into the others'.
Then the music stopped.
'The Yule Ball is over ladies and gentlemen, and it is now time to call it a night, or rather, morning.' Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the room.
Harry blinked and looked at his watch. It was almost two in the morning and only a handful of students remained in the Great Hall. None of the remaining students were their friends, they must have left earlier without him noticing.
Fleur leaned back to whisper in his ear.
'I wish we could have the rest of the night together, alone.' She purred.
Harry nodded into her neck and pulled her closer to him.
Harry held his hand on her waist as he turned to kiss her ear, and gave it a soft nip, causing her to shiver in his embrace.
He sighed as he saw Madame Maxime walking toward them.
'Our time is up.' He whispered as he pulled away from her. She sighed and released him from her embrace, she let her arm drop to wrap around his waist as she turned to face her Headmistress.
'It is time for bed Miss Delacour.' She said with her eyes narrowed at the two of them.
Fleur nodded then turned to Harry.
'Will you be in the usual place in the morning?' she asked, and Harry nodded.
'I'll be in the room, waiting.' He whispered.
Fleur grinned, before she stepped away from him and followed Madame Maxime out of the Great Hall.
Harry sighed and left the Great Hall behind them. Once out of sight, he placed a Disillusionment Charm on himself and made his way up to the Room of Requirement to fall asleep.