…GOoHS…

Chapter 14

The Yule Ball

Professor McGonagall was more relieved than Harry was when he told her that he had found a dance partner for the Yule Ball. Harry couldn't blame her; he didn't think her toes could stand another round of dancing with him as her partner. Unfortunately for Ginny though, her feet were the ones in danger now.

He had been so stiff during their first practice lessons with Professor McGonagall that he barely moved from his spot on the floor. To their professor's horror and exasperation, they discovered that Ginny was almost as bad as Harry when it came to dancing. Unlike Harry though, she was eager to learn, if only as to not embarrass herself in front of the entire school. Fortunately, she had a natural gracefulness in her movements, so graceful that Harry looked like a twig standing unyieldingly next to her.

Harry had been taught by tutors since he was a child along with Lucas, but even then, he didn't dance. Pureblooded wizard upbringing (which their father suggested instead of sending them to muggle primary school) required tutoring in the arts and that included dancing. While he excelled in playing instruments, he was dreadful at dancing. Being ill and being confined to the bed for most of his childhood crushed his chances of ever learning to dance properly.

Lucas had learned how to play the guitar but that was it. He had a natural talent for dancing, surprisingly, but his attention span wasn't enough for him focus on learning other art forms that required him to sit still. Harry sorely wished he had even an ounce of his grace and talent on the dance floor. He was bad but he didn't want Ginny to be laughed at because of him too.

"Potter, it's one-two step back and twirl. Not…" Professor McGonagall gestured wildly in the air around Harry and Ginny. "…whatever that was."

Harry lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Professor."

"Never mind," the stern Professor sighed heavily. "I think that's enough for today."

Harry meekly nodded his head and walked towards the chair where he had left his belongings. Ginny didn't follow him. Instead, she went to talk to Professor McGonagall about something. She was waving her arms around in the same actions as the dance they were learning and Harry realized that she was asking their teacher about her form. Harry thought she looked quite alright but apparently Professor McGonagall found some fault in it and adjusted the position of her arms.

Harry let them be and gathered his things. He also gathered Ginny's things so he could just pass it to her after she was done talking with Professor McGonagall. He then waited for them to finish discussing the dance at the sides, feeling very out of place. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall beckoned him over and Harry obediently walked to where she stood.

"Now, Potter, the ball is next week and that means we will start rehearsing with all four champions and their partners starting tomorrow. I want you and Miss Weasley here at six in the evening. Be on time, please."

Harry and Ginny both nodded and said, "Yes, professor," and then walked outside the room together. Harry looked glum and Ginny started twisting the strap her bag as she wracked her brain for something to say.

Harry eventually sighed and said, "I'll be going this way, Ginny. I need to meet up with Hermione for the… for Ancient Runes."

Ginny could see in his face that he was very troubled about the practice with the other champions tomorrow. He distractedly waved goodbye to her and trudged down the corridor before she could say anything to him. Ginny watched him leave for a while before heading back towards the dormitories.

She had received a letter from Mrs. Potter that morning, telling her that her dress would be delivered that afternoon to her bed and that they wanted her to try it on and tell them if she and her mother, Mrs. Weasley, needed to make more adjustments. Ginny personally felt that the two of them were going overboard with the whole thing.

She thought the first one they settled on was alright but then Mr. Potter insisted that Harry and Lucas should have new dress robes tailored for the occasion and Mrs. Potter's eyes practically twinkled at the prospect of having a dress made for her too, especially since Harry mailed them about her being his partner to the ball.

Just like that, their first choice of dress robes they were given before they left for Hogwarts were sent home, useless. Ginny had hoped her mother would decline Mrs. Potter's proposition but, to her dismay, Mrs. Weasley was immediately on board and the both of them spent the last three weeks on her dress.

It wasn't like she could do anything to change their minds anyway. Nothing short of her breaking off her promise to go with Harry to the ball would stop them from their passion project. Lucas joked once, while he helped Harry practice his dance moves, that they should at least look good even if they made complete fools of themselves on the dance floor.

Both she and Harry didn't appreciate the joke.

Just two days before the ball, almost every student in the Gryffindor common room had gone crazy over the Yule Ball. Boys and girls alike would walk around the common room in their ball attire, sometimes showing off, sometimes asking others for help on how to wear it. It had become such a common sight that Harry didn't even blink when Lavender Brown walked out of her dorm room wearing her dress.

He just sighed and settled down on the couch, where Lucas, Dean, and Seamus were lounging around. Lucas scooted over to give him some space to sit on and Harry gratefully slid next to him. Harry took off his school bag and placed it on his lap, grateful to be free of his heavy books. He enjoyed reading them but carrying them around was pure torture. He would have casted a featherlight charm on the bag but it wasn't his. He had borrowed it from Lucas while his was away being cleaned after his ink bottle opened up and spilled everywhere. Unfortunately, Lucas quite enjoyed lugging around a heavy bag because he liked to think of it as training weights.

"What's the count now?" Harry heard Seamus ask.

"That'd be seven, counting Helena Alderton. Look," answered Lucas. He jerked his head towards the direction of a dark-haired seventh-year showing off her dress to a blushing seventh-year boy, who they assumed was her partner.

Harry rolled his eyes. The "count" was the number of people who walked around in their Yule Ball attire. Harry thought it was rather silly that Lucas and his friends started the "count" when Dean was one of the first few who walked around the common room in his dress robes.

"How about it, Harry?" Lucas asked, wriggling his eyebrows playfully. "Fancy adding to the count?"

Harry shoved his face away. "Parade around if you want but don't drag me into it."

Lucas cackled. "Come on! Join me! I just got the final version of my dress robes. I had them change the inner fabric. Too hot, you know?"

Harry ignored him and opened up his bag to take out the book he had been reading for Arithmancy. There was a quiz coming up the day after the Yule Ball and he was determined to ace it.

Lucas, realizing that he was being ignored, stood up and said something to Dean and Seamus, who clapped and whooped at him and then he disappeared up the dormitory staircase.

The next time Harry saw him, he sashayed into the common room, wearing his full dress robes. Seamus and Dean whistled and whooped at him as he posed for them. The other students also joined in and clapped their hands at Lucas' boldness. Harry felt himself about to pass out from second-hand embarrassment.

"Well? How is it?" Lucas asked, extending his arms so they could look at his dress robes clearly. It was a handsomely tailored gray and silver tailcoat suit accented by a maroon cravat. Harry's design was similar except his was black and gold and his cravat was just a plain white. He had tried it on once, when it arrived a week ago, and didn't take it out again. He thought it looked nice but it felt a lot more extravagant compared to everyone else's usual black and white formal dress robes.

Lucas, who had a large array of dress robes, didn't say no to a new one. In fact, he was so used to the entire process that he didn't need to be fitted. He just gave his own input and that was that. Harry left decisions regarding his dress robes to his father's hands since he didn't know what to do.

"That's eight!" Seamus said loudly over the whoops and cheers.

Lucas gasped dramatically as if he was scandalized by what Seamus said. "An eight? Me? Why, Mr. Finnigan, that's an insult!"

Seamus rolled his eyes. "I meant, the count's eight now. You're a five at best, Potter."

Everyone else laughed at that and Harry tuned them out. He had no business getting involved with his brother who was very determined to parade around the room without feeling embarrassed. Lucas knew he looked good in his dress robes and he didn't hesitate to show off.

Just then, the portrait door swung open and Ron walked inside with Hermione and Ginny behind him. They joined the crowd that gathered around Lucas to see what was happening, but upon seeing that it was just Lucas, turned to Harry's location instead.

Ron's expression looked stormy when he sat next to Harry. Harry looked inquisitively at Hermione and Ginny. They both exchanged looks, as if asking the other which one should answer. Finally, Hermione leaned forward.

"He's sulking about his dress robes," she said.

Harry's eyebrows rose and looked back at Ron. Ron grumbled under his breath.

"It can't be that bad?" Harry said.

"Exactly. It's nothing to be worried over, Ronald. You'll look fine," said Hermione.

"Just you wait! I swear, I'll look like my great aunt Tessie!" Ron howled.

Ginny snorted but immediately tried to hide it as her clearing her throat. Harry raised an eyebrow at her. She mouthed "later" to him. She then stood up and stood closer to Harry.

"Never mind all that, we need to go," she said.

Harry looked up at her in confusion. "Go? Go where?"

"Last dance practice before the ball. Hermione and I only walked up here to get you. She didn't want to stay down there with—"

"Yes?" Ron said, suddenly leaning forward and looking very much interested in what Ginny was about to say next. "Her partner, right? Who is it? Come on, tell me!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron. "My partner? I thought you said I was going to the ball alone? I remember it vividly, in fact."

Ron made a face at her. "Oh come off it. You refuse to tell me who you're going with so naturally a bloke's got to assume—"

"Assume that that means I'm lying?" said Hermione, crossing her arms across her chest.

Ginny sighed and nudged Harry. "C'mon, we should leave before this turns ugly."

Harry agreed with her. He didn't need another one of Ron and Hermione's fights. Ginny gestured to Hermione and she stood up to follow them out of the common room.

"Oi! Are you just going to leave then?" Ron called out after them.

"Yes." Hermione answered shortly.

"Why are you leaving with them then? It's not like you need to dance! It's not like you have a partner!"

"I'm getting away from you, Ronald Weasley! Piss off!"

Hermione seethed and stormed out of the portrait hole. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks and followed after her, not quite knowing how to respond after that. Harry sent Ron an apologetic look before running off to follow Ginny.

The Yule Ball, as many students had been told, was a grand affair, however, none of it showed in the loud and disorganized mess of young witches and wizards that gathered outside the Great Hall. There were loud calls for their partners and joyous shrieking from the girls that huddled together and the teachers shouting announcements on top of that.

Harry grimaced when he stepped down from the last few steps of the staircase as he joined the sea of party-goers. If it wasn't for his obligation to attend as a champion, he never would have even considered being here. He fiddled with his cufflinks and his collar as he navigated his way through the crowd, firmly planting his eyes to the ground as he did so.

"Hey! There you are!" he heard Ron's voice say.

Harry looked up and felt immensely relieved when he saw Ron with Lucas, along with their dates, Romilda Vane and Parvati Patil. There was apparently some drama involved with their partners, according to Ginny. Romilda had wanted to ask Lucas to the ball but Parvati beat her to it. Lucas overheard Parvati bragging about going to the ball with the Boy-Who-Lived to Romilda and so he suggested that Ron take Romilda Vane to the ball, since they both don't have dates anyway. Ron was desperate at that point so he agreed but Romilda, still hung up on Lucas, only agreed because she could be in close proximity to the famous Boy-Who-Lived this way.

Having been told that detail, the normally oblivious Harry could see the tension between the two girls. Romilda glared at Parvati while the latter held Lucas' arm protectively. She glowered right back. Ron wasn't paying attention. He was more worried about what he was wearing.

Harry took pity on his best friend and beckoned him over. Ron was confused but went to him nonetheless.

"I'll be right back," he whispered to Romilda. Romilda didn't give any indication that she was listening but Ron didn't really care.

"Alright, mate?" Harry asked, inspecting his dress robes.

Ron grimaced. "No! I look like a Bloody Baron reject!"

Harry stifled a laugh unsuccessfully and Ron glared at him.

"Oh, yeah, laugh it up," he muttered.

Harry rolled his eyes and tapped his dress robes with his wand a few times. He knew enough Transfiguration to pull this off and he would do anything to spare Ron some embarrassment. Fred and George had gotten their older brothers' more modern dress robes to borrow and Ginny had been given a new dress (courtesy of the joint effort of Molly Weasley and Lily Potter) specially made to match Harry's newly tailored dress robes, leaving Ron with the ancient hand-me-downs.

Almost instantly, the ruffles and frayed ends on Ron's robes turned into normal lapels and the long coat shrunk into tailcoats. In a few seconds, the hideous robe turned into something that didn't look all that different from the design of the dress robes that most of the students wore. The only difference was that it was still a dark brown color but it oddly suited Ron well.

Ron gave a disbelieving laugh and examined his new look. Harry shrugged and put his wand away.

"You look alright, I guess," Harry said.

Ron scoffed. "Alright?! Mate, you made a miracle happen! Thank you!"

He hugged Harry tightly and then immediately turned around to show off his new look to Lucas. Even Parvati, who was busy fighting with Romilda, gaped at Ron. Harry smiled to himself as he watched them and then craned his head around to find Ginny. Having no luck, he moved away from the bustle of the crowd and went back to the staircase where it was less crowded.

Professor McGonagall spotted him before he could reach his destination and she called him over. Harry obediently went over to her but not before looking around again for Ginny.

"Ah, Potter, good, good. Have you seen Miss Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Harry shook his head. "I've been looking for her too, professor."

Her eyes narrowed on a stray crease on Harry's robes and she pointed her wand at it to smooth it over. She briefly eyed his unruly hair with annoyance before sighing and deciding not to fight that battle. "When you see her, please come find me at the entrance to the Great Hall."

She walked away, shooing any students that gathered too close to the entrance. Harry went back to his original destination, which was the staircase, and waited for Ginny to come down. A few girls who were also waiting for their dates at the staircase eyed Harry and giggled. Harry blushed and avoided their gazes.

He focused instead on smoothing down his hair. Lucas didn't even bother with his unruly hair. He liked it messy like their father. Harry had also long accepted that his hair couldn't be tamed and would be content in wearing it in its natural state if it wasn't for his current predicament of having to parade into the Great Hall and dance in front of everyone. Professor McGonagall wanted everything to be perfect tonight but Harry's hair wasn't going to cooperate.

As he continued to try to fix his hair unsuccessfully, someone tapped his shoulder. Harry jumped and turned his head to address the person but he felt his words die down in his throat.

"Have you been waiting long, Harry?"

Ginny stood in front of him, looking very radiant and beautiful in her dress robes. It was white with some tasteful gold accents and a nearly transparent short cape at the back, fastened with ornate gold pins by the shoulders. The ends of her dress and the cape sparkled unnaturally like fireflies and Harry suspected that his mother may have had charmed it. Lily and Molly weren't lying when they said their outfits were meant to be a matching set. The girls that had been giggling near Harry gasped and started whispering amongst themselves.

Harry tried to speak but no words came out so he closed his mouth again. Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh no… I look stupid, don't I?" Ginny said worriedly. Her hand went up to her hair, which she had let fall neatly to one side while the other side held an elegant gold pin that sparkled under the lights. "I told Mrs. Potter that the dress was more than enough but…"

"N-No," Harry stammered. He cleared his throat as if to dispel all the words that had gotten stuck there since Ginny's arrival. "You look great. B-Brilliant. I-I mean…"

Ginny's eyes widened and she blushed immensely. She thought her mother and Mrs. Potter had gone overboard with her Yule Ball outfit and she walked downstairs fully prepared for the jeers and horrible feedback but she got none of that. So far, she had only gotten amazed gasps and envious looks. Even Harry stumbled over his words when he saw her.

Harry took a deep breath to compose himself and held out a hand to Ginny in a way that would make his childhood etiquette instructors proud. Ginny blushed even more as she took hold of his offered hand and let herself be escorted towards the entrance where the other champions and their partners had gathered.

Professor McGonagall hurriedly beckoned them over and had them stand in line, right behind Cedric and Cho. Harry tried not to look at the couple in front of him, especially not Cho, who looked very beautiful in her dress. Harry thought she was pretty when he saw her around Hogwarts before but now, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

"Now, the moment those doors open, you will do as we rehearsed, understood?" Professor McGonagall told the champions. They all nodded and went back to standing around and chatting with their dates.

Harry, meanwhile, felt his stomach drop when he was reminded of the dance. Ginny noticed him looking very queasy and she put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Hey, think of it as quidditch, yeah?" she whispered to him.

Harry knew she meant well but her suggestion sounded outlandish to him. "Thanks… but I don't think the quidditch analogy's meant for this Ginny. It's dancing."

Ginny smirked. "Harry, if you can get past a dragon by treating it like quidditch, then something as simple as a dance will be a walk in the park. Besides, how different is this from quidditch really?"

Harry didn't think he could speak with his stomach filling with dread and anxiety so he let her continue her efforts to comfort him. Cho looking back briefly to smile at him was also not helping.

"We dress up in our gear, go out in front of hundreds of spectators, and show off how hard we've been practicing. See? Just like quidditch," he heard Ginny say.

"Y-Yeah but unlike quidditch, I don't have even a smidgen of skill in dancing," said Harry, focusing on her now. He felt bad for Ginny. She could have gone with other guys who weren't pathetic like him.

Ginny looked at him and grinned. Harry was momentarily taken aback at how seriously she took her role of being his partner. Her grin showed him that she believed in him a lot. It made Harry feel worse because he couldn't do the same.

"Then that's the time when you rely on your teammates, don't you think?" she said. "This time, it's just me but you can rely on me all the same, Harry. Don't think about anything else. You know the steps. I know you do. Just focus on us when we're dancing out there. All the people, the noise, the attention, you're used to tuning it out when you play. Why should this be any different? Focus on the game, alright?"

Harry stared at her dumbly for a few seconds, still not done processing what she said. Ginny, seeing his reaction, looked embarrassed and looked away uncomfortably. Harry immediately felt bad. He wanted to allay her fears but he was still in the process of calming himself down. He slowly felt himself start to loosen up when he replayed her words inside his head. He exhaled and shook his nerves out.

She was right, of course she was right. He couldn't let his anxiety win. Not tonight. Not when Ginny was expecting to have a good night at the ball. He wouldn't dampen her night. She didn't deserve a bad Yule Ball experience.

Tune out everything. Focus on the game. No people staring at him. No Fleur. No Viktor. No Cedric.

No Cho…

Harry suddenly felt the ends of his lips twitching. He couldn't stop the stupid smile that crept onto his lips. He couldn't believe it but the cheesy quidditch analogy had actually worked.

He smiled at Ginny and held out his arm for her to hold as McGonagall announced the start of the ball. Ginny hesitantly entwined her arm around his. She was still unsure if she had made a fool of herself, spouting off the Quidditch nonsense. Thankfully, Harry dispelled her worries when he whispered, "Thank you, Ginny," to her as they walked arm in arm.

"Harry, you did great!" exclaimed Lucas proudly when they finally met up after the first dance. He and Parvati were still panting but they both looked like they were having the time of their lives.

Harry grinned at his brother. "Thank you. Ginny was leading me."

He gestured to Ginny beside him, who looked as exhilarated as Lucas and Parvati. Harry thought she had been brilliant during the entire thing. She made dinner a pleasant affair because she talked very easily with Hermione, who, until then, Harry hadn't recognized. Hermione huffed irately when the lights finally flickered on inside his head and muttered something about boys to her lap afterwards.

When Ginny mentioned quidditch, it was no surprise that the other two male champions and Cho joined in. Among the people who were seated in the champions' table, it was only Hermione and Fleur who didn't play the sport. Roger Davies would have normally joined them, being the Ravenclaw quidditch captain, but he was still deeply entranced by Fleur and her Veela charm. He listened to her intently as she criticized everything about Hogwarts and agreed to everything she said, rather pathetically.

When the time came for the first dance, Ginny reminded Harry to tune everything out again. Harry initially followed her stiffly but he eased into it after Ginny whispered encouragements to him the entire time. Harry had surprised himself at how easily he recalled the steps when he wasn't worrying about everyone scrutinizing him. The first dance wasn't as bad as he had thought, not when Ginny Weasley did her best, which Harry appreciated.

The music started up again and it was livelier and more upbeat than the song before it. Parvati squealed excitedly and dragged Lucas with her to the dance floor.

"I love this song! Come on!" Harry heard her shriek as she and Lucas joined the quickly thickening crowd on the dance floor.

Harry's eyes strayed to Ginny, who looked amused at all the dance moves that were displayed in front of them. Ginny felt his eyes on her and she grinned cheekily at him.

"How about it, Harry? Are you up for another dance?"

"I…"

Harry wanted to decline, but he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy his dance with her earlier. Besides, wouldn't it make him a bad partner if he didn't dance with her?

The choice wasn't up to him in the end. Lucas, who had let loose fully, dragged him, Ginny, and sulking Ron (and his partner) to the dance floor where he and Parvati danced energetically yet gracefully around them. Ginny giggled and started dancing with them. Lucas cheered when he saw her dance and he turned to Ron and tried to get him to dance with them. Ron let himself be swung around by Lucas but his attention was somewhere else.

Harry followed his line of sight and saw Hermione at the end of it. She was having a great time with Viktor Krum. He twirled her around and laughed around with her and Harry couldn't see the reason why Ron would glare at their direction. Hermione looked like she was enjoying herself and that was enough to make Harry happy. He would have thought Ron would be more ecstatic that Viktor Krum had gone with Hermione to the ball. Ron was such a huge fan of his.

Harry suddenly felt someone tug at his hands and he turned back to his group. Ginny smiled mischievously at him as she swung his arms from side to side.

"Come on, Harry. Dance with us!" she said.

Harry gave a nervous laugh. "I don't know how."

Ginny giggled and started dancing on the spot. "Me either! Just go with it!"

Harry smiled and shrugged. He didn't worry about the scrutiny as much now, not when Viktor Krum himself had started doing silly dance moves a few feet from him. Hermione laughed out loud at his poor dance moves. Harry thought there was no reason to let himself be swallowed by his anxiety again so he let himself relax and started swaying in place to the rhythm of the music.

Ginny, Lucas, and Parvati cheered when he did that and their dancing became much more animated. Harry grinned and joined in. For once, he wasn't plagued by thoughts of his health interfering with this momentary happiness. He had been given a gift that night at the World Cup and he didn't intend to waste it.

In this moment, surrounded by his friends, dancing away without care, not caring if they looked like fools, Harry never felt more alive.

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry for the long delay. I've been very sick these past few days and didn't feel that up to writing. There's a bit of the Yule Ball and a bit of happiness before Harry's back to his regularly scheduled misery.

In other news, I've edited Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 and added a few new scenes. One reviewer mentioned having this story extend past their fourth year and I honestly didn't think about extending it past that. I always thought it would just end at the end of their fourth year but I edited some story points so I can explore extending the story in the future if I so choose.