Good News Everyone! I managed to get through all of book 7's editing, and we can now start posting on a weekly basis rather than every other! Much thanks to those who reviewed, the moral support has been greatly appreciated, and I am quite pleased with the outcome of the new additions. without further preamble, please enjoy!
Chapter Ten
The Yule Ball
Despite the very heavy load of homework that the fourth years had been given for the holidays, Hermione had it finished it record time. It helped that she, Harry, Ron, Faykan and Draco had chosen to spend all their free time in the Room of Requirement instead of their crowded common rooms.
Draco and Rom were currently practicing curses and hexes from a book that Hermione had found in the library. Harry was watching Faykan put the finishing touches on the Animal Spirit potion, he figured it would be ready right after the ball for them to use. Hermione was curious and excited to begin work on her animagus form, ever since seeing Professor McGonagall first transform, she had fallen in love with the idea of changing into an animal at will.
Hermione hadn't seen the Goblet of Fire again, and was slightly annoyed that her opportunity to call Fay out on the theft had passed, but she would be keeping a closer eye on the boy from now on.
Ron continued to pester Hermione about who her date for the ball was, but she felt it would be more fun to spring the surprise on him at the last minute. It meant keeping the others in the dark as well, but their reactions would be priceless when they found out that she was invited to the ball by their idol, Victor Krum.
Nott was still being an arse, especially to Faykan and Hermione, but she had new ways of dealing with the pompous git. A quick mention of Professor Moody or a rabbit joke would send Nott into a fuming fit, thus turning the tables on any attempt of bullying. This worked until Nott got angry enough to hex, and caused Hermione's already large front teeth to grow rapidly. But it was nothing that Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix, and Hermione actually let the nurse shrink her teeth to normal size, thus eliminating the one feature that Hermione truly hated about herself the most.
On Christmas Eve, as they made their way up to the tower from dinner, one of Faykan's ravens came soaring up the spiral staircase, Pigwidgeon following behind happily for no reason. The Raven landed on Faykan shoulder and offered its letter while Ron's tiny owl circled its owners head, twittering madly. People passing him were pointing and laughing and a group of third-year girls paused and said, "Oh look at the weeny owl! Isn't he cute?"
The girls instantly surrounded Ron and Pig, crooning and giggling at Ron and his owl. Hermione felt a wave of anger at how annoying the girls were being, but Ron finally scattered the girls, and together they continued on to Gryffindor Tower.
Everyone in the common room was much too busy in letting off more holiday steam to observe what anyone else was up to. Ron, Harry, Faykan and Hermione sat apart from everyone else by a dark window that was gradually filling up with snow, and Harry read the letter out loud:
Dear Harry,
Congratulations on getting past the dragons. Whoever put your names in that goblet shouldn't be feeling too happy right now! I was going to suggest a Conjunctivitus Curse, as a dragon's eyes are its weakest point…'
"That's what Krum did!" Hermione whispered.
'…but your way was better, I'm impressed. Don't get complacent, though. Harry. You've only done one task; whoever put you in for the tournament's got plenty more opportunity if they're trying to hurt you. Keep your eyes open particularly when the person we discussed is around and concentrate on keeping yourself out of trouble. Keep in touch; I still want to hear about anything unusual.
Sirius
"He sounds exactly like Moody," said Harry quietly, tucking the letter away again inside his robes. "'Constant vigilance!' You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls..."
'Well, if we took your glasses away then… maybe…" Faykan said, sniggering slightly.
"But he's right, Harry," said Hermione, "you have still got two tasks to do. You really ought to have a look at that egg, both of you, and start working out what it means..."
"Hermione, they've got ages!" snapped Ron. "Want a game of chess, Harry?"
"Yeah, okay," said Harry. Then, spotting the look on Hermione's face, he said, "Come on, how're we supposed to concentrate with all this noise going on? I won't even be able to hear the egg over this lot."
"Oh I suppose not," she sighed, and she sat down with Faykan to watch their chess match, which culminated in an exciting checkmate of Ron's, involving a couple of recklessly brave pawns and a very violent bishop.
~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~
Harry awoke very suddenly on Christmas Day to the sound of tapping on the window. Rolling over slightly he pulled on his glasses and looked out between his curtains. A white bird was pecking at the window, but it defiantly wasn't an owl. The rest of the boys in the dormitory were stirring, so Harry slipped out of bed to pull the window open.
The bird, which was revealed to be a gull, fluttered in as the window opened, and watched Harry as he returned to his bed. The gull offered its webbed leg to Harry, a small package tied to it. Surprised, Harry took it, and the bird took off out the window immediately after.
"What was that Harry?" Seamus asked sleepily.
"Just a bird with a present… for me," Harry muttered confusedly. "Go back to sleep."
"Nah . . . presents!" said Seamus, spotting the large pile at the foot of his bed. Ron,
Dean, Faykan, and Neville decided that now they were awake they might as well get down to some present opening too. Harry turned back the tiny wrapped present the gull had brought. The paper was shining green and gold tied with a sea blue ribbon.
Setting it aside Harry decided to open his other presents first. Hermione had given Harry a book called 'Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland'; Ron, a bulging bag of Dungbombs; Sirius, a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot; and Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all Harry's favorites: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees. There was also, of course, Mrs. Weasley's usual package, including a new sweater (crimson, with a picture of a dragon on it, Harry supposed Charlie had told her all about the Chinese Fireball), and a large quantity of homemade mince pies.
Ron was ecstatic with Harry's and Faykan's presents for him, a Chudley Cannon hat from Harry and a sleeve wand holster from Faykan. Faykan had received much the same things as Harry, aside from the odd little package. When Harry couldn't stand waiting any longer, he called Fay and Ron over to watch as he opened the present from the gull. Inside was a letter on old looking parchment, and a small box. Harry read the letter first, and gasped when he realized it was written in elvish.
'To Mr. H Potter,
By the grace of the Valar, I send you this aid. I have looked into your future and I've seen death. Behold Vilya, the ring of Air. May it assist you in your most dire needs, beloved child. Use it in wisdom, and love.
May the blessings of the Elves go with you,
E'
Harry turned to the box and opened it. Faykan's eyes widened. Inside was a golden ring, set with a large sapphire. Harry could feel the magical emanating off of it as he removed the tiny ring from the box and slipped it on his finger. Harry had expected it to be cold, but the ring warmed his entire hand. It was an amazing feeling. Harry saw the look of wonder on his friends' faces, but he had no answers for them.
"Vilya…" Faykan breathed, and Harry noticed the red ring on his best friend's finger for the first time in three years.
It was glowing warmly, and as Harry looked at it, a name sprung to his head, "Narya…" he said softly watching the light glint off the red ruby set in the gold band of Faykan's ring.
"You've been given a kingly gift Harry," Faykan said solemnly, stood and went about putting his presents away.
Together the three Gryffindor boys met up with Hermione in the common room, and they went down to breakfast together. They spent most of the morning in Gryffindor Tower, where everyone was enjoying their presents, then returned to the Great Hall for a magnificent lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbage's Wizarding Crackers. Harry was curious as to why no one seemed to notice his new ring other than Faykan now, but dismissed the idea for the moment, favoring the notion of enjoying Christmas with his friends.
They all went out onto the grounds in the afternoon, and Draco joined them; the snow was untouched except for the deep channels made by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students on their way up to the castle. Hermione chose to watch Harry, Faykan, Draco and the Weasleys' snowball fight rather than join in, and at five o'clock said she was going back upstairs to get ready for the ball.
"What, you need three hours?" said Ron, looking at her incredulously and paying for his lapse in concentration when a large snowball, thrown by George, hit him hard on the side of the head. "Who're you going with?" he yelled after Hermione, but she just waved and disappeared up the stone steps into the castle.
There was no Christmas tea today; as the ball included a feast, so at seven o'clock, when it had become hard to aim properly, the others abandoned their snowball fight and trooped back to the common room. The Fat Lady was sitting in her frame with her friend Violet from downstairs, both of them extremely tipsy, empty boxes of chocolate liqueurs littering the bottom other picture.
"Lairy fights, that's the one!" she giggled when they gave the password, and she swung forward to let them inside.
Harry, Faykan, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville changed into their dress robes up in their dormitory, all of them looking very self-conscious about their various different robes. Faykan threatened to use a Sticking Hex on Ron's head if he refused to wear the golden crown from their first year as part of his attire. Flushing madly, Ron wore it, and suffered through Faykan's consistent references to the 'Weasel King.'
"I still can't work out how you two got the best looking girls in the year," muttered Dean as they made their way into the common room after they were all dressed.
"Animal magnetism," said Ron gloomily, adjusting the crown on his head for the fiftieth time.
The common room looked strange, full of people wearing different colors instead of the usual mass of black. Parvati was waiting for Harry at the foot of the stairs. She looked very pretty indeed, in robes of shocking pink, with her long dark plait braided with gold, and gold bracelets glimmering at her wrists. Harry was relieved to see that she wasn't giggling.
"You err… look nice," he said awkwardly.
"Thanks," she said. "Padma's going to meet you in the entrance hall," she added to Ron.
"Right," said Ron, looking around. "Where's Hermione?"
Parvati shrugged. "Shall we go down then, Harry?"
"Okay," said Harry, wishing he could just stay in the common room. Fred winked at Harry as he passed him on the way out of the portrait hole.
The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Parvati found her sister, Padma, and led her over to Harry and Ron.
"Hi," said Padma, who was looking just as pretty as Parvati in robes of bright turquoise. She eyed Ron up and down conspicuously, lingering on the bright crown for several seconds, and then smiled. Apparently Ron had passed some kind of test.
"Hi," said Ron, not looking at her, but staring around at the crowd. "Oh no ..."
He bent his knees slightly to hide behind Harry, because Fleur Delacour was passing, looking stunning in robes of silver-gray satin, and accompanied by the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies. When they had disappeared, Ron stood straight again and stared over the heads of the crowd.
"Where is Hermione?" he said again.
Ginny came over to them, leading a girl with waist length dirty blond hair, pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes, wearing a simple silvery dress with blue ribbons. The girl seemed very aloof, gazing around at the crowds of people with a glazed expression. "Faykan Undol," Ginny said, "may I introduce Luna Lovegood, Luna, this is Faykan."
"Pleased to meet you," Faykan said, taking her hand. Luna looked at him with a sort of quizzical expression, "Aren't you rather old to be at school still?" she asked. Everyone raised their eyebrows, and after several seconds, Faykan responded, "One can never be too old to learn."
Luna smiled. "Here," Faykan said, pulling out some Knuts from his pocket, then transfigured each into pieces of jewelry, a necklace of silver and blue stones, a pair of matching earrings and a small tiara with sapphires, "these are for you." He said offering them to Luna, who took them and put each on slowly, smiling as she did so.
A group of Slytherins came up the steps from their dungeon common room. Nott was in front; Pansy Parkinson in very frilly robes of pale pink on his arm. Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing green; they resembled moss-colored boulders, and neither of them, Harry was pleased to see, had managed to find a partner. Last came Draco, wearing dress robes of black velvet with a high collar, which in Harry's opinion made him look like a vicar, who came over to take Ginny's hand, which caused Ron to widen his eyes.
"You! You asked my sister!" he said loudly.
"Oh be quiet Ron," Ginny said, "I like Draco, and so why not have one of your best friends take me to the ball." Ron was huffing and very red when Draco and Ginny walked quickly away.
The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by a pretty girl in blue robes Harry didn't know. Over their heads he saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights, meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.
Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"
Parvati readjusted her bangles, beaming; she and Harry said, "See you in a minute" to Ron and Padma and walked forward with Faykan and Luna, the chattering crowd parting to let them through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; they were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down.
Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Harry pointedly looked anywhere else, and his eyes fell instead on the girl next to Krum. His jaw dropped.
It was Hermione.
But she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow, or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling… rather nervously, it was true… but the reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever; Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.
"Hi, Harry, Faykan!" she said. "Hi, Parvati!"
Parvati was gazing at Hermione in unflattering disbelief. She wasn't the only one either; when the doors to the Great Hall opened, Krum's fan club from the library stalked past, throwing Hermione looks of deepest loathing. Pansy Parkinson gaped at her as she walked by with Nott, and even he didn't seem to be able to find an insult to throw at her. Ron, however, walked right past Hermione without looking at her.
Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.
The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.
Harry concentrated on not tripping over his feet. Parvati seemed to be enjoying herself; she was beaming around at everybody, steering Harry so forcefully that he felt as though he were a show dog she was putting through its paces. He caught sight of Ron and Padma as he neared the top table. Ron was watching Hermione pass with narrowed eyes. Padma was looking shocked.
Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff wore an expression remarkably like Ron's as he watched Krum and Hermione draw nearer. Ludo Bagman, tonight in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry suddenly realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by Percy Weasley.
When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand new, navy blue dress robes and an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined.
"I've been promoted," Percy said before Harry could even ask, and from his tone, he might have been announcing his election as supreme ruler of the universe. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."
"Why didn't he come?" Harry asked. He wasn't looking forward to being lectured on cauldron bottoms all through dinner.
"I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. He hasn't been right since the World Cup, hardly surprising, overworked. He's not as young as he was, though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, and then, Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock with the misbehavior of that house-elf of his, Blinky, or whatever she was called. Naturally, he dismissed her immediately afterward, but… well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left. And then we had the tournament to arrange, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with - that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around - no, poor man, he's having a well earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place."
Faykan asked whether Mr. Crouch had stopped calling Percy "Weatherby" yet, which caused the back of Percy's neck to turn pink.
There was no food as yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each of them. Harry picked his up uncertainly and looked around, there were no waiters. Dumbledore, however, looked carefully down at his own menu, and then said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!"
And pork chops appeared. Getting the idea, the rest of the table placed their orders with their plates too. Harry glanced up at Hermione to see how she felt about this new and more complicated method of dining, surely it meant plenty of extra work for the house elves? But for once, Hermione didn't seem to be thinking about S.P.E.W. She was deep in talk with Viktor Krum and hardly seemed to notice what she was eating.
It now occurred to Harry that he had never actually heard Krum speak before, but he was certainly talking now, and very enthusiastically at that.
"Veil, ve have a castle also, not as big as this, nor as comfortable, I am thinking," he was telling Hermione. "Ve have just four floors, and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger even than these, though in vinter, ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them. But in summer ve are flying every day, over the lakes and the mountains…"
"Now, now, Viktor!" said Karkaroff with a laugh that didn't reach his cold eyes, "don't go giving away anything else, now, or your charming friend will know exactly where to find us!"
Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Igor, all this secrecy... one would almost think you didn't want visitors."
"Well, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, displaying his yellowing teeth to their fullest extent, "we are all protective of our private domains, are we not? Do we not jealously guard the halls of learning that have been entrusted to us? Are we not right to be proud that we alone know our school's secrets, and right to protect them?"
Dumbledore smiled as he recounted a tale of finding a new room just that morning on the seventh floor.
Harry snorted into his plate of goulash. Percy frowned, but Harry could have sworn Dumbledore had given him a very small wink. It was humorous to Harry because he knew that Dumbledore was referring to the Room of Requirement.
Meanwhile Fleur Delacour was criticizing the Hogwarts decorations to Roger Davies.
"Zis is nothing," she said dismissively, looking around at the sparkling walls of the Great Hall. "At ze Palace of Beauxbatons, we 'ave ice sculptures all around ze dining chamber at Chreestmas. Zey do not melt, of course . . . zey are like 'uge statues of diamond, glittering around ze place. And ze food is seemply superb. And we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs, 'oo serenade us as we eat."
Roger Davies was watching her talk with a very dazed look on his face, and he kept missing his mouth with his fork. Harry had the impression that Davies was too busy staring at Fleur to take in a word she was saying.
Luna was explaining some sort of creature to Faykan that lived in mistletoe and was called something that sounded like 'nargals'. Faykan was politely paying attention to her as she spoke, eating slowly and sneaking glances around the Hall.
Harry looked around the Hall. Hagrid was sitting at one of the other staff tables; he was back in his horrible hairy brown suit and gazing up at the top table. Harry saw him give a small wave, and looking around, saw Madame Maxime return it, her opals glittering in the candlelight.
Hermione was now teaching Krum to say her name properly; he kept calling her "Hermy-own."
"Her-my-oh-nee," she said slowly and clearly.
"Herm-own-ninny."
"Close enough," she said, catching Harry's eye and grinning.
When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.
The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments, and Harry, who had been so interested in watching them that he had almost forgotten what was coming, suddenly realized that the lanterns on all the other tables had gone out, and that the other champions and their partners were standing up.
"Come on!" Parvati hissed. "We're supposed to dance!"
Harry tripped over his dress robes as he stood up. The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune; Harry walked onto the brightly lit dance floor, carefully avoiding catching anyone's eye (he could see Seamus and Dean waving at him and sniggering), and next moment, Parvati had seized his hands, placed one around her waist, and was holding the other tightly in hers.
It wasn't as bad as it could have been, Harry thought, revolving slowly on the spot (Parvati was steering). It was rather similar to the Malfoy's Yule party he and Faykan attended last year. He kept his eyes fixed over the heads of the watching people, and very soon many of them too had come onto the dance floor, so that the champions were no longer the center of attention.
Draco and Ginny were dancing nearby, and Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime. He was so dwarfed by her that the top of his pointed hat barely tickled her chin; however, she moved very gracefully for a woman so large. Mad-Eye Moody was doing an extremely ungainly two-step with Professor Sinistra, who was nervously avoiding his wooden leg.
"He is so creepy!" Parvati whispered as Moody clunked past. "I don't think that eye should be allowed."
Harry heard the final, quavering note from the bagpipe with relief. The Weird Sisters stopped playing, applause filled the hall once more, and Harry let go of Parvati at once.
"Let's sit down, shall we?" he asked.
"Oh… but this is a really good one!" Parvati said as the Weird Sisters struck up a new song, which was much faster.
"No, I don't like it," Harry lied, and he led her away from the dance floor, past Fred and Angelina, who were dancing so exuberantly that people around them were backing away in fear of injury, and over to the table where Ron and Padma were sitting.
"How's it going?" Harry asked Ron, sitting down and opening a bottle of butterbeer.
Ron didn't answer. He was alternatively glaring at Hermione and Krum and Draco and Ginny, who were all dancing nearby. Padma was sitting with her arms and legs crossed, one foot jiggling in time to the music. Every now and then she threw a disgruntled look at Ron, who was completely ignoring her. Parvati sat down on Harry's other side, crossed her arms and legs too, and within minutes was asked to dance by a boy from Beauxbatons.
"You don't mind, do you, Harry?" Parvati said.
"What?" said Harry, who was now watching Cho and Cedric.
"Oh never mind," snapped Parvati, and she went off with the boy from Beauxbatons. When the song ended, she did not return.
Soon, Faykan and Luna appeared, sitting nearby, "Hey," Faykan said, sitting between Harry and Ron, as Luna was standing off to one side, weaving on the spot with the music. "How's it going?"
"Good," Harry replied, but again Ron didn't answer.
Hermione came over and sat down in Parvati's empty chair. She was a bit pink in the face from dancing.
"Hi," said Harry. Ron didn't say anything.
"It's hot, isn't it?" said Hermione, fanning herself with her hand. "Viktors just gone to get some drinks."
Ron gave her a withering look. "Viktor?" he said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?"
Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?" she said.
"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you."
Hermione stared at him, and then at Harry, who shrugged.
"Ron, what…?"
"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "He's competing against Faykan and Harry! Against Hogwarts! You, you're…" Ron was obviously casting around for words strong enough to describe Hermione's crime, "fraternizing with the enemy, that's what you're doing!"
Hermione's mouth fell open.
"Don't be so stupid!" she said after a moment. "The enemy! Honestly… who was the one who was all excited when they saw him arrive? Who was the one who wanted his autograph? Who's got a model of him up in their dormitory?"
Ron chose to ignore this. "I s'pose he asked you to come with him while you were both in the library?"
"Yes, he did," said Hermione, the pink patches on her cheeks glowing more brightly. "So what?"
"What happened? Trying to get him to join spew, were you?"
"No, I wasn't! If you really want to know, he… he said he'd been coming up to the library every day to try and talk to me, but he hadn't been able to pluck up the courage!"
Hermione said this very quickly, and blushed so deeply that she was the same color as Parvati's robes.
"Yeah, well… that's his story," said Ron nastily.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Obvious, isn't it? He's Karkaroff's student, isn't he? He knows who you hang around with... He's just trying to get closer to Faykan or Harry, get inside information on them, or get near enough to jinx 'em…"
Hermione looked as though Ron had slapped her. When she spoke, her voice quivered.
"For your information, he hasn't asked me one single thing about Harry or Fay, not one…"
Ron changed tack at the speed of light.
"Then he's hoping you'll help him find out what his egg means! I suppose you've been putting your heads together during those cozy little library sessions…"
"I'd never help him work out that egg!" said Hermione, looking outraged. "Never. How could you say something like that…?"
People were starting to stare at them.
"Ron," said Harry quietly, "I haven't got a problem with Hermione coming with Krum…"
But Ron ignored Harry too.
"Why don't you go and find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are," said Ron.
"Don't call him Vicky!"
Hermione jumped to her feet and stormed off across the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd. Ron watched her go with a mixture of anger and satisfaction on his face.
"Are you going to ask me to dance at all?" Padma asked him.
"No," said Ron, still glaring after Hermione.
"Well, I'm going to go use the loo…" Faykan said, getting up and leaving rather abruptly.
"Fine," snapped Padma, and she got up and went to join Parvati and the Beauxbatons boy, who conjured up one of his friends to join them so fast that Harry could have sworn he had zoomed him there by a Summoning Charm.
"Vare is Herm-own-ninny?" said a voice.
Krum had just arrived at their table clutching two butterbeers.
"No idea," said Ron mulishly, looking up at him. "Lost her, have you?" Krum was looking surly again.
"Veil, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks," he said, and he slouched off.
"Made friends with Viktor Krum, have you, Ron?"
Percy had bustled over, rubbing his hands together and looking extremely pompous. "Excellent! That's the whole point, you know, international magical cooperation!"
To Harry's displeasure, Percy now took Padma's vacated seat. The top table was now empty; Professor Dumbledore was dancing with Professor Sprout, Ludo Bagman with Professor McGonagall; Madame Maxime and Hagrid were cutting a wide path around the dance floor as they waltzed through the students, and Karkaroff was nowhere to be seen. When the next song ended, everybody applauded once more, and Harry saw Ludo Bagman kiss Professor McGonagall's hand and make his way back through the crowds, at which point Fred and George accosted him.
Thankfully, Bagman came over to their table, and started to chat with Percy, allowing Harry and Ron to escape. Pretending they wanted more drinks. Harry and Ron left the table, edged around the dance floor, and slipped out into the entrance hall.
The front doors stood open, and the fluttering fairy lights in the rose garden winked and twinkled as they went down the front steps, where they found themselves surrounded by bushes; winding, ornamental paths; and large stone statues. Harry could hear splashing water, which sounded like a fountain. Here and there, people were sitting on carved benches. He and Ron set off along one of the winding paths through the rosebushes, but they had gone only a short way when they heard an unpleasantly familiar voice.
~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~
"Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening!" Karkaroff said, following the Potion Master around the small fairy lit garden area set up for the Yule ball. "It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it…"
Severus was growing annoyed with the cowardly Durmstrang Headmaster, for the last three months he had been following Severus around, begging his advice and worrying him with the man's concerns regarding the signs of the Dark Lord's return
"Then flee," Severus said curtly. "Flee… I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."
Severus and Karkaroff came around the corner, Severus had his wand out and was blasting rosebushes apart, partly to uncover students and partly to relieve stress. Squeals issued from many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them.
"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Severus snarled as a girl ran past him. "And ten points from Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!" as a boy went rushing after her.
Then he saw Potter and Weasley, "And what are you two doing?" he said.
"We're walking," Weasley said defiantly. "Not against the law, is it?"
"Keep walking, then!" Severus snarled, and he brushed past them, Karkaroff hurried after him. "Igor, I need to return to chaperoning these students, you must cease this, run or stay. I really do not care." Severus said, and Karkaroff finally slumped away.
Severus sighed in relief, but it was short lived. As he entered the entrance hall, a Ravenclaw boy came sprinting down the marble staircase, caught sight of Severus, and ran flat out toward him. Severus recognized him as Anthony Goldstein, "Professor," he panted, wheezing slightly as he stopped in front of him, "Come quickly; our project has been attacked."
Severus realized what he referred to immediately. Together they ran back the way they boy had come, up the stairs and down the first floor corridors, stopping outside the boy's loo. Michael Corner was standing in front of the door, but moved aside as Severus and Goldstein approached, "He's in there with Boot; he's been really messed up."
Severus pushed the door open, preparing for the worst.
Severus heard the sounds of a boy crying immediately as he entered. One of the mirrors were shattered, the sink beneath it had blood on one side of the porcelain bowl. Water was covering the floor. Severus turned and saw Boot kneeling next to someone, the boy who was making all the noise. He was lying in a small pool of water mixed with blood, covered in bruises and cuts, his dress robes ripped and barley hanging on his body. Boot was trying to calm him, but the boy cowered away every time Boot came near.
Severus pushed Boot aside as he approached, looking down at the wild blue eyes of Faykan Undol. The boy was shaking violently, trying to protect himself as Severus neared him. Severus looked around; there were conjured ropes, severed by magic, still attached to Undol's wrists and ankles, and the boy's wand was gone.
"How did this happen?" he asked Boot, who shrugged, "We were looking for him at the ball, we've modified the spell you taught us to track one person anywhere in the castle, and we followed his signature here when he didn't move for nearly a half hour, and we found him exactly like he is now.
Severus turned again to Undol's prone form, "wait outside," he told Boot, who obeyed immediately.
Severus removed his large black outer robe, and set it aside, pulling out several Calming Daunts and Pain Relief Potions. Undol whimpered in pain and struggling weakly as Severus took his head forcefully in one hand and poured the potions into him.
It took several agonizing minutes for Undol to return to minimal consciousness, "Mr. Undol, its Professor Snape. I'm going to escort you to the Hospital Wing, will you trust me?"
Undol gave the tiniest nod, still partially convulsing on the ground, and Severus levitated his large black cloak around the boy as an added layer against the chill of the castle, and then urged him to stand. The boy fell over with a cry of pain as he tried to stand, cringing and shivering. Severus sighed, and took the boy in his arms, lifting him up, resigned to carrying him to the Hospital Wing himself. He awarded the Ravenclaw boys thirty points each for rescuing another student, and sent them back to Ravenclaw tower with orders to tell no one of what happened.
Undol moaned slightly and wrapped his arms around Severus' neck to steady himself from the jostling gait of Severus' hurried strides. He burst into the Hospital Wing, and looked around, thankfully no students were in at the moment, and Madam Pomfrey bustled out, gasped and hurried to help Severus lower the battered boy onto the furthest bed from the doors. She conjured privacy screens while Severus worked on the minor cuts and buries, healing them quickly and effectively. He then ran several diagnostic spells over the boy, and was revolted at his findings.
The boy's body had been beaten badly and had several bones broken, but by far the worst damage had been done to his mind. The boy had a dark curse plaguing his every thought, and Severus had little to no idea what it was, let alone how to combat and counter it.
"Poppy, I'm going to need more calming daunts, bone mending potions, along with fresh cloths as well as dreamless sleep, and all the pain relief you can find me." The old matron looked horrified, but said nothing as she acquired the requested items.
Undol had calmed to the point that he was only silently crying and whimpered softly when Severus touched him. "Undol, I need you to drink this," Severus said, holding the clear goblet half-filled with Skele-gro that Poppy had brought him moments later. The taste must not have even registered with the boy, Severus thought, but that was probably to be expected with the curse in his mind.
After helping the boy into the hospital pajamas, Undol lay on his side, facing away from Severus in shame or fear, still moaning every so often in pain. Unfortunately, Severus now had to ask the one awful question. "Mr. Undol, I need to ask you what happened. Who did this to you?"
The boy looked at him, tears staining the front of his face, and shook his head hurriedly, looking away again. "Undol, you need to tell me." Severus said in a calmer tone. It was imperative that he find who did this. Such things were not tolerated at Hogwarts. Undol shivered in fear, but didn't look at Severus again.
"May I at least see what happened with legilimency?" Severus asked.
Undol spoke finally, in a low voice riddled with fear and wavering terribly, "You have some idea what had to have happened Sev… Please don't make me relive it."
Hearing the boy's voice sound so tiny and utterly broken nearly shattered Severus' composure. Undol had been always so strong, so confidant and assured of himself; it was unbearable to see him rendered so low and fearful. Severus took the boy in his arms, holding him close, but unable to voice any gentle reassurances.
"Please Faykan," he finally managed, his own voice shaking, "Please let me in."
Finally, Undol pulled away from Severus, looking him directly in the eye with those two dulled blue orbs, and nodded slightly. Severus squeezed the boy's shoulders, and then slipped into his mind.
The boy's mind was in shambles, as if someone had reached in to attempt to tear it out. If Severus had wanted, he could have attempted to pull the boy's past forward, finally learn the answer to all the riddles. But… he suddenly didn't care who the boy was anymore. Severus pitied Undol, pitied him for what had befallen him, for whatever had happened. He coaxed Undol to present the memory of his attack himself, refusing to take it by force.
The vision came into focus, swirling like the silvery mess of a pensieve. Severus landed in the same bathroom he found Undol in. The boy was washing his hands in the sink, when the door behind him opened. Either Undol didn't hear, or he was distracted, as he didn't react to the sounds of multiple footsteps behind him.
Severus turned, but the people who entered were blurred, their form shifted so that the identity of the people were indiscernible. Severus could only make out that it was indeed three other males, and were probable around Undol's age group. The attacker's voice called out, blurry and garbled so that Severus could not recognize it. "Fancy meeting you here, Undol, all alone without your friends."
Undol turned, in the memory he must have recognized the other people because his wand was in his hand in an instant. Several rounds of spells were exchanged, but the center and smallest of Undol's attackers yelled "Not this time!" as he charged, grabbing Undol's head and smashing it into the mirror behind them, shattering the glass, knocking Undol to his knees. The attacker didn't let up, lifting Undol and slamming him into the sink several times, until Undol's hold on his wand slackened, and the attacker knocked it away.
"I've waited too long for this," the other boy said as he conjured ropes to tie Undol's arms and legs, spreading him eagle against the farthest wall from the door. "Lock the door, and watch for anyone approaching." The main attacker commanded the others, who obeyed immediately. The smallest boy returned to considering Undol, "Now, what to do with you. Perhaps…" and the attacker began to beat Undol, slamming fists and feet into Undol's soft tissues, only stopping when Undol was screaming in agony.
Then finally the attacker stepped back, and if Severus could make out the face he would assume the boy would be smiling, "That's better… and now I will make you know why I'm better than you Undol." A wand appeared, jabbing at Undol as pain and torture curses replaced the physical beatings. Undol screamed, struggling violently, but the ropes held his tightly, so even if he knew wandless magic he could not use the hand motions to cast a spell.
"A small break?" the torturer taunted Undol, releasing the curses and letting Undol breathe. The indefinite form leaned in towards Faykan's face, and Severus could feel the wicked smirk even if he could not make it out, "The Dark Lord will rise again Faykan Undol, and your precious Potter will die at his hands. You have failed, and soon you will know how lost you truly are. In the mean time, a little gift my father taught me just for you. Sucumbere intro moeroris!" both vision Undol and Severus widened their eyes as the dark curse was spoken, a powerful curse that assaulted the mind of its victim, plaguing their memory with their worst fears, spun in new and cruel ways.
Severus turned away, not wanting to see the moment Undol's sanity was shattered, but knew the moment as Undol's screams started anew. Severus left the memory, unable to tolerate any more of it.
Undol blinked as Severus left his mind, fresh tears creeping down his face. The boy buried his head into Severus' chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "Please…" Severus heard the boy whisper, his voice was still so very tiny and broken, "Please… don't tell… anyone…"
Severus lowered the boy back onto the hospital bed, "I promise, I won't. But I want to visit you again soon, to help you get over this traumatic event." He said, softer and gentler than Severus remembered saying anything in his life. For some reason, the small nod that Undol gave in response meant the world to him.
Sucumbere intro moeroris : Suffer in despair (latin)
Potential Spoilers Ahead, You Have Been Warned!
Aaaand this scene... Yeah, there's a bit of a lot that happened, and was remade multiple times in the original edition... Let's just say that there was a very importantly dropped plotline that I am much happier with it being removed. Hermione's observations of Harry and Faykan at one time had some basis in fact, if you catch my drift, and I decided against it after a while, and had to clear out some consequences of that plot line... Although I left some of the part regarding Nott as it help differentiate him from the canon Draco that he had thus far been leaning towards. in the end I am more pleased with the result, as it give Nott more of a darker nature while still steering away too heavily from topics that were not even remotely needed for this story. Although ironically it seems that a similar theme keeps trying to recur in my stories, only for it to not actually happen...Veneficus and Blaise comes to mind, but for those who've read that story you already know how THAT ended up... heh... Anyway, yeah, weekly chapter updates now, so that's great for everyone! and after this 2 week bout of Stormreaver writing, I will finally officially start Project: Raven's Flight, and begin writing some original content... super excited and slightly terrified for that! Until next time! ~F