Trying to solve the clue within the golden egg was nigh impossible. The incessant wailing and shrieking that came from within it caused a headache nearly instantaneously and Hermione was to her wits end with it. Ron was no help at all. He always chose to sit off to the side and would sandwich his head between two of the fluffiest pillows he could find. Within a week, Harry too developed this habit, leaving the decoding and headaches to Hermione.

"Why can't we do this inside the castle?" Ron complained.

The trio was currently sitting along the shores of the lake, noses and fingers numb from the winter air. Hermione had conjured up a ball of blue flames inside a glass jar and they took turns warming their hands as they all stared glumly at the golden egg between them.

"Where else would we do it?" Harry asked. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and tugged his hat down further over his ears.

"The common room?" Ron suggested meekly.

"Are you off your rocker?" Hermione demanded. "Fred and George would slip us something untasteful if we opened this thing in the common room again."

"The…library?"

"And now you've actually gone flying off your rocker." Hermione dropped her head into her hands.

"What?" Ron appeared to be genuinely taken aback from her reaction.

"Mate," began Harry, "Madame Pince would have our heads if we so much as brought the egg into the library."

"Well I still don't see why we have to do it out here in the cold."

Hermione tuned out the two boys as they continued to talk. She picked up the egg and looked at it from each angle to determine if there was some sort of etching on it that would provide her with a clue. The entire surface was smooth. Even the parts of the egg that slid open when the top was unclasped fit seamlessly back into the metal and couldn't be felt when a hand was slid across the surface. Hermione tuned back in to the conversation that Ron and Harry were having.

"Did you see the flyer on the board in the common room today?" Harry asked.

"No," Ron said as he aimlessly twirled his wand through the air. "What'd it say?"

"Gryffindor fourth years and up are to meet with McGonagall next week in one of the unused classrooms in the Transfiguration wing."

Hermione's brows rose, nearly into her hairline. "You know what this means, right?" she asked as she recalled a certain bit of information that she stumbled upon as she read up on the tournament's history. Ron and Harry stared at each other for a second before they turned and shrugged. "It means that there's to be a Yule Ball."

The two boys looked as clueless as ever. "Yeah," Ron drawled out, "what does that have to do with anything?"

"Throughout the history of the Triwizard Tournament, there has always been a Yule Ball on Christmas Day. And as is custom, the champions and their dates begin the Ball with the Champions Waltz."

Ron threw his head back and guffawed. He elbowed Harry through the laughter. "You have to dance in front of everyone!"

Harry's cheeks turned red. He punched Ron in the arm before shoving him over, nearly knocking over the jar with the flames in the process. "Well I bet that you can't even get a date for yourself without any help," Harry jested, giving Ron another shove as his redheaded friend sat back up, still laughing.

"At least I don't have to learn to waltz," Ron threw back, finally sitting back up.

"I wouldn't quite say that, Ronald," Hermione interjected. "The other guests typically join in halfway through the dance." Now it was Harry's turn to laugh and then get shoved over. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly. I bet neither of you will even learn the waltz until Christmas Eve."

The library, save for all the dust and the smell of rotting parchment, was actually quite a nice place to relax. The school library at Beauxbatons was certainly cleaner and had a lot more windows for natural light, but there was some sort of charm about the Hogwarts library that drew Fleur to it. She was sure it wasn't the dust though. That bit was just a little overpowering.

Fleur was strolling leisurely down the Muggle Studies section, a single lithe finger gingerly tracing the spine of every tome she passed. She wasn't searching for anything in particular, just waiting to see if any titles caught her eye. The Television: A Critical Study; Toasters, Cellphones, VHS Players and Other Muggle Contraptions; and The Driving Force of RC Vehicles were some of the many titles that Fleur encountered – all of which were written by pureblooded wizards, if Fleur recalled correctly. She pulled the book about RC vehicles – whatever those were – from the shelf and flipped through the first couple of pages, two pages of which were all about the different shapes of batteries that could go into an RC vehicle.

"Definitely a pureblooded author," Fleur murmured to herself. She slid the book back into its place. "Why wouldn't zey 'ave an 'alf-blood or muggle-born write zese books?"

"I wonder the same thing sometimes."

Fleur turned to see Ginny Weasley leaning against a shelf at the end of the aisle, several thick books tucked under one arm.

"Bonsoir, Ginny," Fleur said, dipping her head in greeting – she didn't think that any members of the Weasley clan were particularly fond of the customary cheek kisses.

"Hey, Fleur," Ginny dipped her head in return. "You lookin' for anything in particular? I could help you find it. After all, Hermione has dragged me to every corner of this blasted library."

"Non," the corner of her lips lifted slightly at the mention of Hermione, "I'm just – 'ow do you say – browsing."

Ginny nodded in acknowledgement. "So," Fleur could see a shift in Ginny's eyes, "what gave you the idea to duplicate yourself when you faced the dragon?" She suddenly smirked and winked. "Gave Hermione quite the scare too."

Fleur smiled, choosing to ignore the slight heat that rose into her cheeks. "Well, I knew zat dragons 'ave a very tough 'ide zat protects zem from spells, so I figured zat I had to alter ze environment in some way." Fleur shrugged. "I learned a duplication charm een fourth year. Eet was just a spur of ze moment zought to use eet on myself."

"Were you scared?"

"Imagine a 'umongous winged lizard covered een spikes and 'as ze ability to spit fire," Fleur said. Ginny's eyes widened and she averted her eyes. "Now take ze fear zat you feel from zinking about zat, and multiply eet by a zousand."

"Sorry," Ginny said sheepishly. She refused to meet Fleur's eyes.

"Non, do not apologize." Fleur simply waved a hand to brush it off. She was certain that she would never have to worry about facing another dragon in the near future. "I just advise you to steer clear of any 'uge fire breathing lizards."

"One of my brothers works with dragons in Romania," Ginny said with a laugh. "He was one of the handlers for the first task. I'm sure I'll see more dragons in my lifetime."

Fleur walked out of the aisle and took a seat at one of the many tables in the library, Ginny turning and following her example, setting her stack of books down in front of her.

"So 'ow many siblings do you have?" Fleur asked. If Hermione accepted that they were mates, then she would have to get to know her friends. Why not start now?

Ginny sighed and ran a hand through her fiery locks. "Six. All brothers, and each one equally as hardheaded and stubborn as the next."

Fleur couldn't say that she wasn't surprised. She only had Gabrielle. She couldn't imagine having five more siblings. "What are their names?"

"Bill is the eldest, then there's Charlie – he works with the dragons – and then Percy. Next is Fred and George – they're twins, you've probably seen them scurrying about the halls – and then Ron, and you already know him."

"Oui, the purple boy," Fleur said with a smile, earning a laugh from Ginny.

"That's certainly one way to describe him." Ginny grinned once more before her expression shifted to one of curiosity. "But I don't know why he turns purple around you. I mean, he's always been an idiot around girls, but he's never acted the same way that he does around you."

Fleur gulped and her eyes widened. The other girl was smart, Fleur knew that much. It was probably only a matter of time before she found out that Fleur was part Veela and told Hermione. She swallowed heavily. She wanted to be the one to tell Hermione herself, but to do so, she might have to tell Ginny first to keep her silent.

Ginny noticed the sudden shift in Fleur's behavior. She titled her head a bit to one side, a single eyebrow rising in confusion. "Something wrong?"

"I may know what ees causing Ron to behave so strangely around me," Fleur said slowly, testing Ginny's reaction. Confusion flashed through Ginny's brown eyes.

"What, like a spell or something?" Ginny asked.

"Non, not exactly." Fleur sighed. "Eet ees out of my control."

"You're part Veela, aren't you, Fleur?" Ginny laughed as Fleur's jaw dropped open in surprise. Fleur spluttered indignantly, trying to formulate a rebuttal but failing. "It's okay, Fleur. My mum's best friend is part Veela. She had the same effect on Bill, Charlie, and Percy. The others were too young to really be affected the last time that she visited."

"You don't mind zat I didn't tell you before?" Fleur asked nervously, dipping her head and averting her eyes in the process.

Ginny reached across the table and gently touched one of Fleur's hands to get her attention. "There was no reason for you to tell me," she said softly. Fleur took a deep breath and slowly let it back out. "Does Hermione know you two are mates yet?" She felt Fleur tense under her hand. "I'll take that as a no."

"Please, do not tell 'Ermione any of zis," Fleur pleaded. "She 'as to fall een love with me on 'er own, ozzerwise eet won't work."

"Well surely she can know that you're a Veela!"

"Oui, she may know zat much, but nozzing more. Eef she finds out zat we are mates…"

Fleur left her sentence unfinished, though Ginny got the message clearly enough. She could not express just how important it was that Hermione developed her feelings naturally. If she found out that they were mates before the feelings fully developed, then the entire partnership would crash and burn – and Fleur would be left with no mate. Veela are very loving and familial creatures, and a Veela with no mate is just on the verge of being considered an empty husk. Fleur may be just a quarter of a Veela, but she would be affected to a smaller extent. She'd be able to form relationships with others, but none would be as strong as the relationship with her mate would have been.

"Don't worry, Fleur," Ginny said, trying to convey as much emotion into that one sentence as possible in the hopes of calming Fleur. "Hermione will fall in love with you without ever knowing."

"Zank you…" Fleur turned her head away from Ginny to hide the grateful tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"But I do have one recommendation for you," Ginny stated with a small grin.

"What?"

"Ask Hermione out soon. Her answer may surprise you." Ginny winked before she stood from her seat and scooped up her books. "See you later, Fleur. Your secret is safe with me."

Ginny Weasley then disappeared around a bookshelf, the end of her robe swishing at her heels.

The rest of the week dragged on in a slew of Potions, DADA, and Charms homework. Hermione, of course, had finished most of her homework before the week was done, though the same couldn't be said for Harry and Ron. Hermione had finished the rest of it before Friday night, allowing her to spend the weekend rereading Hogwarts: A History while the boys scrambled to begin and then complete their own homework. Before anyone knew it, it was time to meet McGonagall and learn the Champions Waltz.

The entirety of Gryffindor House, minus third years and below, lined the walls of a very large, empty classroom. Professor McGonagall stood near the door, greeting everyone that came through, though Ron surmised that she was making sure that everyone showed up. He was adamant that her bun was even tighter and her pointed hat even straighter than usual.

In the center of the room was a giant, ancient looking gramophone with a long twisting horn that loomed over everyone. Filch stood slouched over beside the gramophone, Mrs. Norris tucked tightly in his arms and his yellow eyes scrutinizing every student that passed near him.

Ron leaned over to Harry with a grin. "You think Filch is gonna be teaching us to waltz?"

Harry hid a snort behind his hand as Hermione rolled her eyes. "I bet Mrs. Norris would be his partner."

At that, Ron gave a shout of a laugh, drawing the gaze of every person in the room, including both Mrs. Norris and Filch. The former bared his yellowed, crooked teeth while the cat hissed menacingly.

"If Mr. Weasley is finished harassing Argus, we will now begin." McGonagall said sharply, glowering over the top of her glasses in Ron's direction. Everyone snickered as Ron's ears turned bright red. "Now, as I am sure most of you already know, the Yule Ball is a tradition that accompanies the Triwizard Tournament." There was a chorus of giggles from some of the girls behind Hermione. "The champions will begin the Ball with the Champions Waltz –" Ron nudged Harry with his elbow. "– but the guests join in halfway through the dance with their partners." Harry nudged Ron. McGonagall's eyes scanned the faces of all those assembled until she settled on one person in particular. "Mr. Weasley, would you be so kind as to join me in the center?"

Ron whipped around to see Fred and George behind him. The both of them shot him a wink that was closely followed by a smirk. They both pulled their wand from their robes and tapped the top of their head, causing their figures to fade from view and leaving Ron as the only Weasley she could be requesting. Harry gave Ron a shove forward and he stumbled into the center of the room, his ears flushing once more. He warily approached the professor.

"Put your hand on my waist," McGonagall instructed.

Ron balked and this time his face turned red. "W-where?"

"My waist, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said sternly. Professor McGonagall grabbed Ron's left hand in her right, and placed her other hand on his shoulder as Ron gingerly put his hand on her waist. Hermione could have sworn that McGonagall had an amused smile on her face but then it was gone within a second. "I expect everyone to pay very close attention, because I will not have you all besmirching Hogwarts' reputation by acting like a bambling, bumbling band of baboons. Argus, music please." Filch cranked up the gramophone. "And now, we dance."

Despite Ron being in the typical leading role, McGonagall quite clearly led the two through the waltz, counting loud enough for the entire room to hear over the music. The gramophone was old, that much was obvious, but it still played the music loud and clear. Professor McGonagall and Ron twirled and flounced along with the dips and crescendos in the music.

Fred and George rematerialized beside Harry, their charm wearing off. Harry leaned over to them and said, "Don't let him forget about this."

"Never," the two replied simultaneously.

To the disappointment of everyone, the song ended shortly and thus ended the entertainment of watching McGonagall dance with a bumbling Ron.

"I hope you all paid close attention, because it's now your turn!" McGonagall announced. Her statement was closely followed by a chorus of groans.

In no time, she had everyone paired up and Filch had started the music again. Hermione had gotten paired with Neville, Ron with Parvati Patil, and Harry to Lavender Brown. Despite being incredibly clumsy in the beginning, Hermione only had her toes stepped on three times. Neville was really quite a good dancer when he was given a little instruction. He could lead Hermione through the steps rather well until it got to the point in the song where he had to lift her and spin. It seemed that most of the pairings had difficulty with that part as well. Most of the people that even attempted the lift were wobbly and unbalanced, and Ron even dropped Parvati, much to McGonagall's chagrin.

For the next hour, McGonagall tried her hardest to teach the waltz, though some were absolutely worthless. Hermione and Neville were rather successful when compared to Ron and Harry – Neville had actually executed the lift perfectly. Twice. Ron had dropped Parvati every time they attempted the lift, and he had even tripped over his own feet at one point, sending the both of them toppling to the stone floor. Harry simply never tried the lift.

McGonagall rubbed at her temples, her eyes squeezed shut. "That's all for today. We'll meet again next week."

With that being said, everyone streamed from the classroom, Ron leading the pack. Harry and Hermione followed after him at a slower pace.

"I still can't believe that McGonagall made Ron dance with her," Harry laughed. "That's sure to fuel a couple patronuses."

Hermione smacked his arm. "You can't be making fun of him. You weren't doing any better than him at any rate."

"I didn't drop Lavender though," Harry argued petulantly, a slight pout forming on his lips.

"You didn't even attempt the lift," Hermione pointed out. She smiled as he crossed his arms across his skinny chest.

"I don't know how I'm going to dance in front of everyone," Harry confessed.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione murmured. "You've killed a basilisk, drove off a hundred dementors, and faced a Hungarian Horntail, but you can't dance in front of the entire school?"

"This is completely different," Harry argued, though he did crack a bit of smile. "I have to separate a girl from her pack of friends and ask her to a ball." He turned to look at Hermione, a smile dancing across his lips. "Why do girls travel in packs anyway? How do you get one away from the rest?"

"Lasso one," Hermione suggested.

Harry threw his head back and laughed. "Lasso one? That's sure to be interesting."

"You'll be fine, Harry. They're just girls."