Hey everyone,
I'm going to be honest with all of you; I had almost NO inspiration to write these chapters this month. The first half I worked on editing To Read Into The Universe and I got about 10 to 15 chapters in and after that a story idea that had been bugging me all month kept my attention for almost another week. I wrote 11 chapters in just three days, just to get the whole thing out of my head and even then I just wanted to write on.
I was actually planning to just write first page previews for all of these stories – bar Harrison and Harry, The Fidelius Kept Secret and The Unspeakable Escape Program which had chapters pre-written – and just promise you guys two chapters for next month alongside posting the 11 chapters of my new story this month. But I decided on the 22nd to just see how far I could get with all these stories and go from there.
Wish me luck,

Venquine1990
PS. Special Shout-out to Jostanos for making a dress suggestion. I think I found a few good designs to go with. Hope you like them.
Also Shout-Out To:
RainRaven
Shadow Wolf 15846
ThunderClaw03

Chapter 27
The Yule Ball – Part 01

24th of December 1994
Great Hall, Hogwarts
Jillian's POV

Tonight is the big night. I know today is actually Christmas Eve, but because of the Ball did Sirius and I agree that we would do gift giving tomorrow morning. I also agreed with Cedric and Angelina that I would get to spend the first day of Christmas with my new father and the second with them and them alone. We would also go and spend New Year's Eve with Angelina's parents and then visit Cedric's family the day after, on the first of January.
But I don't really care for any of this, I am busy trying not to tear my dress up as my nerves are going crazy while Angelina and are heading down to meet with Cedric. Like every other girl in Hogwarts are we actually enchanted so that we will be invisible to all eyes until we reach the top of the last staircase and I am beyond nervous and worried about what he will think when he sees us. "You look great, Jill. Relax. You'll make his mouth drop."
Angelina gently whispers at me and I whisper back: "You will definitely. I don't know about me." But the girl just shakes her head, doing it just light enough that it doesn't mess with the gorgeously messy knot that she has tied her hair in just for the night. I myself actually managed to get my hair in what I call the Belle-Ballroom style, a bun at the back of my head with most of my hair flowing out from the bottom of the bun.

I am mostly nervous about my dress, not just about Cedric's reaction, but that of the school as a whole. Both Angelina and I actually decided to go for a sweetheart neckline, but we also both have a transparent overlay on top of this that reaches from our neck down to our wrists. And both overlays are inlaid with star-shaped sequences. Angelina's dress is a soft pink and is more A-line, while mine is closer to a purple hue and has a wider and more flowy skirt.
Dad also taught me a charm that he put into the overlay that would change it to be the same color as the rest of my dress if I get too many negative or offensive comments send my way and I know he taught Angelina the same charm. Yet at the same time do I feel sure that Angelina will be less inclined to use this spell, while I feel my worries overwhelming me more and more, especially because of one vital reason.
The Yule ball – is open to all Houses, including the Hyenas of each and every House. And the idea that I get to show myself off to so many sick, perverted minds with my shoulders and arms barely covered make me almost feel as if my entire dress is nothing more than the overlay and that I am not even wearing a bra or the panties that I was able to buy. Only the idea that I am going to be in the constant presence of my friends and Champions helps with that.

Fleur actually knows about our dresses as Angelina confided in her when she realized what I was worrying about and she swore that she and her date would be with me whenever Cedric and Angelina are having a private dance or something. And I just know that Angelina is planning to make sure that there will be as little time of this happening as possible and that Cedric will be on board with her the minute he hears about it.
Yet then, just as we are about to reach the top of the staircase, do I whisper: "Sorry Angelina." But the girl just smiles at me and I activate my enchantment. And even though it's only a spell, do I still feel much stronger and much more confident as we both take our positions at the top of the staircase. And the fact that all of the chatter in the Entrance Hall stops as we do makes me feel a little giddy as I seek out the only eyes I care about.

Cedric actually looks absolutely incredible. His blonde hair has been combed back, allowing for the fullness of his face to come out better and he even seems to have applied something to his skin to make it look healthier than usual. Even his eyes, gorgeous as they are with their charcoal grey color, seem to somehow stand out more than usual. And while his suit actually looks like it's a Muggle design, do I then notice something else.
Cedric is drooling. His mouth is opened wide and he is gaping at Angelina and me, his eyes constantly switching between us. And to my amazement does he seem capable to somehow keep his gaze from going down past our waists, even though we are both wearing dresses that accentuate that area as well as our hips. This makes my smile widen and makes me feel confident once again that I really did make the right choice for my male partner.
"We should go help him out before he starts embarrassing himself." Angelina giggles at me and I giggle back before I whisper: "Am I the only one who thinks he looks amazing in that suit?""It's definitely Muggle design and thank heavens for that. I can only imagine how much of his hunky form his dress robes would have hidden from view. Can you imagine?" And while we walk down, do I whisper: "I'd rather not."

And we giggle yet again, apparently loud enough to pull Cedric out of his stupor. He rushes for us and actually grabs each of us by our respective right hands, kissing them both and softly whispering: "I will definitely be blessing the Goddess of magic for allowing me the divine privilege of being in your presences tonight, ladies. You look so gorgeous, calling you Goddesses would be an insult to how beautiful you look this evening."
At this I try my hardest to hold back a squeal and giggle instead yet then I move my face closer to his and whisper: "Both our dresses have a transparent overlay that is visible from the top of our sweetheart necklines. I just changed mine to be the same color as I didn't like the idea of showing that much skin." And Cedric makes both my day and my night as he whispers back: "Keep it; it looks way better on you this way."
Angelina nods to prove she agrees and then Fleur comes over. And to my utter shock is she actually dressed in a gorgeous silver version of Belle's Ballgown. "Fleur, where did you get that?" I can't help but ask and the Veela answers: "Our magical community is really close to this Muggle tourist attraction called Disney Land Paris, because Muggles consider it the most magical place on earth. Our tailors like to take inspiration from the characters that are showcased in that park and the shows that revolve around it."
And while I instantly demand for myself to head for Paris, France for my first upcoming holiday trip and make a mental note to tell Sirius of this, do I then hear a familiar voice ask: "What? Am I invisible or something?" And when I turn to look past Fleur, do my eyes widen. Dressed down to the last detail, from his hair that is also combed back and tied into a ponytail to his brown-leather shoes, like Prince Adam – is Bill Weasley.

"Bill, what are you doing here? I thought Fleur was going with Viktor!" This makes both of the two others wince and Bill mutters: "You know how Karkaroff hasn't been seen since Krum asked Fleur to the Ball? Turns out he's been causing international scandals for Fleur all over the continent by spreading rumors about her in countries that speak in languages she can't understand. She called her date off and he stopped as well.
It's petty, but unfortunately Madam Maxime is needed here and both Krum's father and Fleur's are too busy with the Winter Solstice session of the ICW to do proper damage control or to stop him. They are making preparations and those will come out after the meeting tomorrow and Karkaroff did negate some of his rumors, but – yeah. Besides, Fleur and I met this one time we both wanted to come visit you and we just – hit it off.
We were already friends when Viktor asked her and I do admit I have quite the fancy for her, so when Fleur called it off, I just – took my shot. I just hope Ron isn't going to make a mess of things. I hear he's been making a bit of an idiot of himself whenever he's around Fleur." But to this I shake my head and say: "That's the old Ron, Bill. I'm sure Ron will be at his best this year.""And it looks like you're not the only one, Jill."

Angelina says and I turn around, my eyes widening before a large grin grows on my face. Angelina's best friend Katie Bell looks incredibly gorgeous in a form-fitting forest green dress that has spaghetti straps over her shoulders and a small slit at the left ankle and her colors match perfectly with Ron, who is actually wearing a soft golden set of dress robes with bits of fur visible here and there, giving it a bit of a Gryffindor vibe.
The two are actually coming down together, Katie apparently having no interest in letting Ron wait for her here at the bottom of the stairs, and they spot the five of us looking at them. Ron sends me a huge grin and I happily return it, feeling as if the last two months never happened and that our friendship is still what it was before Halloween and the choosing of Champions. Yet even though I know this isn't the case, does this still make me feel great.
"You all look amazing. The teachers are going to be so proud of you all, you are going to make them so happy that you guys are the ones to represent their schools. Wait, where's Krum?" And only then do I realize that we haven't seen the Bulgarian Champion and Seeker yet. Professor McGonagall then approaches us, dressed in very nice-looking Scottish dress-robes with a tartan pattern all over and seems to have heard the question.

"No need to concern yourself, Mss. Bell. Mr. Krum and the Bulgarian Ministry agreed that, in order to apologize to Mss. Delacour and France in general, Mr. Krum would not openly or publicly represent Durmstrang this evening. He is already inside and I suggest you both do the same. It's about time for a temporary closing of the doors so that the Champions can be properly announced." At this Katie nods and wishes us luck as she and Ron leave.
And while I feel my nerves renew themselves as they rush through my body a second time, does Professor McGonagall then make things both better and worse as she asks: "Mr. Diggory, who will you be opening the Ball with? Mss. Spinnet or Mss. Potter-Black?" And yet Cedric makes everything better as he says: "Angelina, Professor. And I do believe that Lord Black is waiting for his daughter inside the Great Hall."
The woman nods and Cedric gently kisses me on the cheek as he says: "As promised. I'll meet you inside. You look incredible." At which I sigh and mumble: "So you do, my handsome prince." And this makes Fleur giggle, proving she gets my secret little reference to a movie that came out recently and that, according to what I heard from Katie, is taking the Muggle world by storm. I head out and over to the hall doors.

And Sirius is indeed waiting for me there, his grin almost splitting his face in two when he sees me and he wraps a warm arm around my form as he says: "You look gorgeous, my little princess. Let's head inside so I can boast with the fact that you're my daughter now." Which makes me giggle as that is something Sirius has been saying over and over ever since he officially adopted me, something which reached the Daily Prophet the following day.
It had instantly gone through the entirety of Hogwarts, everyone talking about it like it was the most shocking news ever, even though the article of the previous day had officially declared my godfather innocent of all charges and by the Wizengamot declared to have ended his probation early due to brilliant behavior, both as a teacher and as a godfather. Yet Sirius had been quick to explain me why this was going on.

"Yesterday's article declaring me a free man already makes – shall we say – free to hunt by the ladies. Becoming the father of the new Potter Heiress and uniting our two very powerful and very influential families together just makes me more eligible. The reason all these students are talking about it is because most of them only have one parent left, thanks to the war. And for those who only have their mothers left – they're now dreaming of being in your shoes."
This had astounded me and I had startled myself by actually feeling envious and annoyed with these students and even catching myself on the thought: "No, I am not going to share my father with them. They're not worthy. They don't deserve to have my father be theirs as well." And Sirius had apparently been able to read my thoughts off of my face as he hugged me close, kissed me close to my hairline and whispered:
"Don't you worry your sweet, pretty little head, Jilly. I have no interest in getting hitched and am constantly checking both myself and my foods and drinks on potential potions or spells. Dobby is even checking all my mail for me to make sure I don't get anything nefarious or dangerous. I'm here for you and you alone and I plan to keep it that way for a long time to come. Trust me, little love, no one is going to steal this daddy away from his daughter."

"I'm really proud of you, you know." Sirius says, drawing me from my thoughts and I already know what he means. Yet this makes me feel disappointed with myself and I mutter: "I activated the enchantment.""I know you did, that's why I'm proud. The enchantment makes the dress even more beautiful. It was the right choice to make. I knew you would make it." And this makes me smile at him yet again, feeling reassured.
"You know, Granger and Ginerva actually tried to make a scene about Ron going with Katie. Apparently they're still aggravated about the fact that he's a Hyena, even though he can return to being a Lion." Sirius tells me, yet I just shrug, not willing to care about the two tonight. Yet then suddenly a voice yells: "HEY, YOU SLUT!" And I turn my head, shocked to see something bright green thrown at me.

Wait what?
Yeah, due to time constraint, I decided to divide the Yule Ball into two parts and end the first on a Cliff Hanger. Though let me make one thing clear; the bright green thing was THROWN not CAST! Still, next chapter is going to start with a bit of a confrontation regarding this as well as the official opening of the Ball and Jillian enjoying her evening. After that we are going to skip to the Second Task – and return Voldemort into the story.
The tension rises,

Venquine1990