A/N: Hello again everyone! Sorry if this update isn't as quick as I wanted; I've had some personal matters to settle. Thank you so much for the positive feedback! Please continue to support me in my writing, as it really encourages me to post updates faster. I do not wish to impose, but reviews are very much welcome and appreciated *wink wink. I hope you guys enjoy this next one!
Review Responses:
ranchod das chanchad: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! I'm glad you found Harry switching classes to be a nice move! I was personally nervous of how you readers might find that touch to the story, but I'm happy you found it nice! As for Ron, you will just have to stay tuned and find out hehe And regarding the dark arts scene, I have to admit, I may have been too technical with that part, but I hope the identity I'm trying to give my OCs (original characters) is slowly becoming clearer, especially with this current chapter. You're very welcome! And thank you so much again for reading! I can honestly say I look forward to your comments every time I post a chapter :)
decadenceofmysoul: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! Thank you for the kind words! I hope you enjoy this next chapter
Jarno: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! And thank you for the kind words as well! As I mentioned in one of my review responses, I personally don't plan to make Harry overpowered (for now), and this next chapter may explain or give you clues on why I have decided on so. I heavily agree though, with Dumbledore and Voldemort being overpowered; in fact they're so overpowered they made the entire point of Aurors useless in the series (in my opinion). Your last sentence is very interesting; in fact, that is precisely the reason why I chose to write this fic based on year 4 and not year 5 and beyond. For that exact reason. I don't want to give away too much at this point, so I'm afraid I'll have to stop here. I hope you stay tuned for the rest of the story though
ValnizS: Thank you for taking the time to read and review! And thank you as well for the kind words! I hope you enjoy this next chapter then! And don't worry, I won't go into detail too much hehe. I apologize if the previous chapter was super technical, but I just wanted to clarify some details before proceeding as to not confuse you readers in the future.
Harry suppressed a shudder. The way his best friend was still glaring at him made him wish he didn't return to the common room so soon, even if it was already late. After his shower, he threw on his night clothes plus a robe (to be a little less informal) and headed downstairs for his 'scheduled talk'. As soon as Hermione saw him, her glare was immediately plastered back onto her face. And when he sat across her on their table, her glare hardened even further to a point where Harry was certain not even Voldemort could hope to match it.
Which was why he was absolutely flabbergasted when the brunette's expression relaxed as she closed her eyes and took a calming breath. She opened her eyes a few seconds later, traces of the animosity her gaze possessed just moments ago completely absent.
"Harry," she began gently "I've been worried about you. Especially lately. Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?" her tone contained a mixture of both the warm, genuine concern of a best friend, and the desire of a passionate learner to broaden her knowledge. It was so unlike the young woman who seemingly wanted to murder him with her eyes just a little while ago.
Harry smiled. He suddenly remembered that this was Hermione Granger after all. She was the only person he knew that had the ability to sound caring and demanding at the same time. Sure, he sometimes found her bossy nature annoying, but he could see that she was trying to not to push him too much to the point of discomfort.
However, the boy's smile vanished as he pondered his best friend's question. He chose not to talk to Hermione about what's been happening with him the last few days, but that didn't mean he wouldn't if she asked him to. And now that she did, he unfortunately didn't know where to start.
Hermione seemed to read his thoughts "Would it be better if I asked questions instead, then?" she asked slowly.
Harry shot her a small smile and nodded "Okay"
The brunette returned his smile briefly before she narrowed her eyes in thought "What kind of errands does Professor Moody ask you to do every afternoon?"
Harry gulped. He glanced around the common room and found that there was still quite a number of people around. Deciding not to risk being overheard, he stood from his seat, causing Hermione to raise her eyebrows in worry. He went around the table and took the seat beside the brunette instead.
He then sighed before turning to her "I lied. I've never done any errands for Professor Moody" he admitted lowly, his voice just above a whisper.
Hermione did as he did and glanced around the room before turning his attention back to him "I figured as much. So, what exactly have you been doing these past few days?" she asked, her volume matching his.
Harry felt comfortable enough to answer his best friend's question honestly…to an extent "Remember when you told me to write to Sirius? About the dream and what we saw at the World Cup?" Hermione nodded "He wrote back to me just a few days before the First Task. He told that we should talk face to face, so we did"
Hermione's eyes widened "You did? Where? How?"
"In this very room, actually" he gestured towards the common room fireplace "I don't know how he was able to do it, but he used the fireplace as a sort of…tool? The pieces of coal and firewood were arranged to take the form of his face, and he was able to talk to me in that way, as if he were literally just a few feet in front of me"
His words greatly fascinated the brunette "That sounds brilliant! I'm not too knowledgeable on the various methods of communication involving magic, unfortunately, but I'd say that's quite nifty! I wonder if that could be done using different mediums, or even simultaneously under similar circumstances and variables. I'm sure I can find more on that in the library…" Hermione paused for a moment as what seemed like recognition flashed over her features "Now that I think about it, maybe it works similarly to floo powder? But instead of completely transporting a person, it merely allows a partial corporeal presence for a limited amount of time. Interesting…"
Harry shook his head in amusement. His best friend had a tendency to rant whenever a topic that piques her interest comes up. He didn't usually mind (although it does get…off-putting sometimes mainly because it's not the time and place for it), but he figured he should refocus on the task at hand before they stray any further away "It does. Anyways, he and I had a talk about the tournament in general. He advised me to be more cautious…given everything that's been happening lately. He also asked for more details regarding the dream I had"
The brunette frowned in concern "You still haven't told me anything significant about your dream"
Harry resisted the urge to avoid his best friend's gaze "I told you, I don't remember everything enough to clearly make sense of anything"
Hermione eyed him carefully as she spoke her next words "You-Know-Who is up to something, isn't he?"
Harry's eyes widened alarmingly. This time he couldn't refrain from turning away from the brunette. Just exactly how much did she know? He knew she was aware that his dream had something to do with Voldemort one way or another—she saw him clutching at his scar while she was trying to wake him last summer. But he never actually told her anything explicitly. Moments of silence passed before Harry replied wearily "What makes you think so?"
"I'm not. I just took a guess. So, I take it I'm right?"
Harry sighed and hung his head. There was no use hiding that at this point "Yes"
Hermione reached out and rested a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder "It's okay, Harry. You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm just worried about you" In all honesty though she much preferred if he did talk about it.
The boy gulped "It's just as I said. I can't make sense of anything enough for me to understand" Unknown to her, a small part of him actually wanted to come clean and just tell her how detailed his dreams have been of late given that she was on the verge of discovering so on her own, but his gut told him that it simply wasn't the right time yet.
The brunette beside him grew even more worried. While she was sorely tempted to demand answers from him, she didn't want him to close off either. It was painfully obvious that the boy was uncomfortable with the current topic of conversation. She knew him well enough to know that prying any further at the moment will most likely cause him to resist even more. No, he would have to tell her what she wanted to know on his own volition. Hermione couldn't help the silent, exasperated sigh that escaped her lips.
"I understand, Harry. What did Sirius say about the tournament?" the brunette asked, shifting the topic before her urge to nag him got the better of her.
Harry exhaled in barely-concealed relief, which did not escape his best friend's notice "He just told me to be careful and wished me luck. He had no idea who put my name in the Goblet either, and said that Dumbledore really had no choice but to let me compete. Champions are unfortunately magically bound to participate in all three tasks, and I'm no exception" Harry answered with a hint of sadness in his voice.
His best friend's frown deepened "Did Dumbledore really not say anything more than that? He didn't even tell you about any of his possible suspicions on who might've slipped your name in the Goblet?" the brunette had already asked something along the same lines a few days after Harry was named a Tri-Wizard Champion, but she felt like she had to make sure.
Harry shook his head "No, he didn't. It's just as I said before—he just told me I had to carry on. He hasn't spoken to me about the matter since. He's probably just as lost on this as we are"
Hermione bit her lip. She didn't like how seemingly hopeless her best friend sounded at all "I'm sure he's getting to the bottom of it, Harry. He probably didn't tell you anything else because he didn't want to burden you any more than he already has by making you compete in the tournament"
Harry nodded weakly with a sad smile "You're probably right. Anyways, that was pretty much all Sirius and I talked about at the time. He wrote to me again last week about how we should talk again, so we did just that this past weekend. He asked about how the First Task went and its aftermath. He also had some…suggestions on how to help me for the rest of the tournament"
"Help you? How?" Hermione asked with raised eyebrows.
"My 'errands for Professor Moody'" Harry answered, punctuating his words with his hands.
The brunette's eyes narrowed suspiciously "What does Professor Moody have to do with Sirius?"
Harry smiled at her tone "I'm not too sure either, to be honest" his smile widened when she glared menacingly at him "Sirius asked me to head to the bridge just outside the castle after my afternoon classes last Monday. He told me that I was to meet with some people who wanted to help me, and that I could trust them completely. To my surprise, they turned out to be Professor Lupin and a woman by the name of Tonks—a close friend of his. They've been training me every afternoon since then. I'm with Remus every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He's currently teaching me the shielding charm. I also have Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings with Tonks for physical conditioning. That explains why I walked in covered in sweat earlier. And no, they don't train me in the school grounds. We use one of Tonks' training rooms in her family's manor for our sessions"
Silence reigned. The boy intently awaited the brunette's reaction to everything he just said. He watched as her expression morphed into the same one she usually wears whenever she studies for an important exam, as she was no doubt attempting to dissect and digest every tidbit of information he divulged just moments ago. She was staring so hard at the table in front of them in thought that he was surprised the table didn't just magically turn into stone.
A few minutes later, she finally looked up to meet his gaze, an unreadable expression marring her features.
"Does Dumbledore know about this?" she asked curtly.
Harry shook his head "To my knowledge, no. I haven't told him anything, and I doubt Sirius, Remus, or Tonks has. We've all sort of agreed to keep my training a secret for the time being. I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows though"
The brunette hummed "I suppose that explains why I don't see you in the afternoons often anymore. That's good, Harry. It's nice to know you're being very productive with your time" she suddenly glared at him. Hard. "But that doesn't explain why you've been missing meals at nighttime. And don't tell me you're having dinner in the Kitchens. Dobby told me that you haven't eaten dinner so far this week. Not even once. Don't you know that you can get sick if you don't eat after long periods of physical exertion?" she reprimanded sternly.
Harry scratched the back of his neck sheepishly "Well, it's not like I mean to. I'm just so tired that I go straight to bed after showering. Besides, I make up for it during breakfast the next day anyways"
Hermione scoffed "That doesn't mean you won't get sick if you keep that up! Are you seriously trying to make me worry so much?"
The boy grimaced "No, of course not. Like I said, I've just been really tired. And sometimes I don't even have an appetite. It's not always worth the trouble to go downstairs to eat. Especially when your limbs are aching"
The sheer stupidity of her best friend's statement made her grit her teeth "Oh, eating is not worth the trouble you say? So, I suppose you getting ill is?" she drawled sarcastically.
He winced and resisted the urge to palm his face "That's not what I mean, you know that"
She crossed her arms defiantly, her glare still in full force "You are going to eat dinner every night, Potter. End of discussion"
Harry sighed. There was no point in arguing any further when Hermione went into 'Professor Mode'. He raised his hands in surrender "Okay, okay. I will from now on. I'm sorry"
Hermione's expression suddenly softened before she exhaled deeply "Seriously, Harry. I'm just looking out for you. I'm quite certain that Professor Lupin's teaching you more advanced spells now, so you'll need all the energy you can spare. Your magical core is drained more rapidly when you cast higher-level spells, which I'm sure you're aware of. Plus, you have physical condition as well. And don't forget—you're training every day of the week except Sundays, so your body is more than likely to break down at this rate. So please, be more careful"
Harry smiled in gratitude "I will. And thank you, for you know, always having my back"
Hermione returned his smile with her own "I do have another question though"
"Yes?" Harry urged her to continue.
"Why did you start taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes when your schedule is already packed?" the brunette asked with a concerned look on her face.
"That one's actually Remus' idea. He said taking those two subjects alongside my training would help me improve even more. He mentioned how Arithmancy could be used to predict how successful a spell cast would be, and how Ancient Runes may help me understand how to use certain spells better" Harry answered.
Hermione stared at him blankly "And you consented to taking both subjects just like that?"
Harry nodded "Of course. I'll take all the help I can get to survive this tournament"
Hermione bit the inside of her cheek upon hearing his response. There was one more question that she was so desperately trying to keep from spilling out of her lips. If Harry's reaction to her inquiries earlier regarding his dream indicated anything, it was that he wouldn't answer her sufficiently should she decide to give in to her urge to ask him.
Why was he 'training' so much?
Surely it couldn't just be the tournament he was worried about? Right there and then, Hermione realized that what Harry was hiding from her was much bigger than she initially imagined. Getting lessons outside school? Taking two new classes? Having weird, 'vague' dreams? It was all too obvious for her to not notice. Whatever he was hiding was enough to make him take on a workload that even she herself would find challenging. Just what exactly was happening to her best friend?
In the end, she decided to put it off for now. She'd ask him again…very soon.
Instead, she asked him about something that was hopefully a little bit more trivial than her original question. "I…I see. You're correct. That's why I started taking both classes last year as they have a lot of practical uses. What about Potions for you, though? I noticed you've been studying a lot more on it this week. And don't say it's because you're trying to make up for the time you spend training. You haven't read up on any other class after all"
A wistful smile spread across Harry's lips "That's…" he began as a faraway look settled upon his visage "…a little personal"
Hermione stared at him curiously. He seemed happy…and sad…at the same time? Nevertheless, the brunette decided that she was contented with his answer. If it was personal to him, then she wouldn't bother him any further about it…for the time being.
She nodded before pulling something out of her pocket. Harry noticed this and turned to see what his best friend was trying to get. A moment later, Hermione's hands reemerged from her pockets clasping what appeared to be…something wrapped in napkins.
Hermione sat the object down on his side of the table and unwrapped the folded napkins. Upon seeing what the napkins concealed, Harry felt his hunger make its presence known in his stomach. In front of him were several sandwiches and two pieces of treacle tart laid out for him to enjoy.
"You said you'd eat dinner every night. You can start tonight"
Harry met her gaze and shot her a warm, genuine smile "Thanks. I owe you one"
She shook her head at him "Just don't get sick and we're even" Harry simply chuckled and reached for a sandwich.
"Oy, Harry" they both turned to see a certain red-headed boy approach their table "up for a game of Wizard's Chess?"
"Sure mate, after I finish my meal" he replied with a small smile.
Ron nodded and sat down across him "It's the first time I've seen you eat dinner this week. Where have you been anyway?"
Harry and Hermione locked eyes again. He smiled sheepishly as she glared almost imperceptibly in return.
Ron furrowed his brows at the sight "You two okay?"
"Yes" they both replied in unison.
Ron simply shook his head "Completely mental, the both of you" he muttered to himself.
"Good to see you, gentlemen" the young blond man greeted "Today's meeting is officially in-session. Let's start with you, Matkovic. I've heard you have some rather interesting findings to present"
Matkovic nodded "Certainly. I've come to a few conclusions upon inspecting the wand fragment Lux and Nagant were able to recover from their previous mission. From what I've found…"
The Russian proceeded to recount his observations and suspicions to his fellows the same way he did with Lux. By the end of his explanations, the blond seated at the head of table had a contemplative look on his face.
"Excellent work, Matkovic. It appears there is so much more to that particular Death Eater than we originally thought. Lux, Nagant, splendid work you two" the mentioned men nodded in acknowledgement. The blond then turned to the man sitting across Matkovic "How about you, Desmond? How are things on your end?"
"I am still attempting to accelerate the aging process of the spheres. I already have four that are ready for use. Give me a few more months and I'll have at least one for everyone"
The blond nodded "Nicely done. The rest of you, report in"
Everyone took his turn to talk, either reporting on developments on his current assignments, or giving updates on key areas of interest. Finally, it was the blond's turn to speak.
"All seems to be in order, gentlemen. But the reason we are all gathered here today is not just for a simple debriefing session" he declared, everyone else's attention solely on him "A few days ago, I was approached by Sirius Black—he wished to speak to me in person, as he reported to have valuable information regarding Voldemort's current whereabouts" he paused and gauged the reactions of those around him. As he expected, everyone remained stoic and attentive "Mister Black believes that Voldemort's plans have been set in motion, and that this may be proven by the events that have transpired in Britain since the World Cup incident last summer"
The blond took a deep breath and continued "As you may already be aware, there is an iteration of the Tri-Wizard Tournament that is currently taking place in Britain. And, as fate would have it, the host school this year happens to be Hogwarts. However, as the papers have reported, there are four contestants in this year's tournament. One of those contestants, happens to be fourteen-year-old Harry Potter. According to Mister Black, Mister Potter has been on the receiving end of the oddest occurrences since school started last September. Mister Black mentioned that he has been in contact with Potter, and that the boy was not the one who entered his name into the tournament. In other words, he is being forced to compete against his will due to the magically binding nature of the Tri-Wizard Contract. The First Task concluded almost two weeks ago, and Potter is still fortunately alive. It may also interest you all to know that Potter was present at the night of the Death Eater attack during the Quidditch World Cup last summer. He confided to Mister Black that he also personally saw an 'unknown figure' summon the Dark Mark just meters away from him. The both of them are convinced that there is something at work against the boy—that something being Voldemort and his followers. I wish to hear your thoughts on this. I personally believe we should at least consider Mister Black's words. What about you gents?"
"If I may," Lux began, earning a nod from the blond "did Black tell you why he went to you? If I remember correctly, isn't Albus Dumbledore the headmaster of Hogwarts?"
"He did. And yes, you are correct, Lux. The reason is simple: Mister Black shares my initial supposition—that Dumbledore is already aware of these events, but has chosen a more passive approach to the matter. Mister Black believes Dumbledore is simply awaiting more events to unfold before making his move" the blond smirked wryly "The man has not changed a bit after all these years"
"What of the British Ministry? What have they done in the face of these unusual events?" Marcus asked.
"Unfortunately, they are completely idle. Fudge is more than content to dismiss the presence of the Dark Mark as mere propaganda, a ploy to rattle Wizarding Britain into senseless panic. He has repeatedly 'assured' the public that the Ministry is 'in control of the situation', and that nothing significant is to be made of the incident"
Lux chuckled "Why am I not surprised? I knew you Limeys were bad news the moment I met you"
The blond smirked in amusement "It's a good thing we're on the same side then" his expression turned slightly more serious "Given Matkovic's assessment from Lux and Nagant's findings, I daresay we've found ourselves in a rather interesting position"
"I am certain that none of us doubt Black's words" started Matkovic, eliciting a nod from everyone present "I assume you already have a plan then?"
The blond nodded and turned to Desmond "Desmond, what do you know about prophecies?"
The teal-head knit clicked his tongue before answering "Not a whole lot, I'm afraid. Prophecies vary in nature, so I'm not sure if what I know applies to your question in particular. What do you wish to know about?"
"Accessibility"
"Well, prophecies in general tend to concern specific people. Typically, only those directly involved in a prophecy may activate and access its contents. However, knowing how frighteningly proficient some of us are at disarmaments and charms, I'm sure that will be easy to bypass assuming we have a way to…procure a blood sample of one of the prophecy's subjects"
A brief silence followed. It was broken by Marcus who was staring at the blond intently "Why do you ask?"
The blond simply smiled "I think it's time I pay my old school a visit"
"You say the boy is growing wary?" a snake-like voice hissed.
The man nodded respectfully "Yes, my lord"
"How so?"
He wet his lips and gulped "He has begun following a training regimen of sorts with Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Every afternoon after his classes, he meets with either of the two and they Apparate to an unknown location. The boy does not return to school grounds until past dinnertime, and when he does, he is always either physically exhausted, or his magical core is drained"
A moment of silence passed. His lord, as inhumane as he looked, was clearly displeased. What was left of his face was twisted in what seemed to be a scowl.
Hoping to be of even more use to him, the man added "Shall I pursue them, my lord?"
His lord hissed in disagreement "No. Let the boy remain ignorant of our suspicions. Even if the twat 'trains' to his heart's content, he will be nowhere near as powerful as even you by the time our plans come to fruition" he answered with a low, dark chuckle "What of his behavior within school grounds?"
"The boy has begun taking different classes, my lord. Yesterday, he formally started taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. There is nothing else notable aside from that"
His lord hummed "I see. And what of Dumbledore?"
"Just as you said, my Lord—the old coot is content to simply sit back and let matters develop further. He has not done anything significant that will hinder us from accomplishing our goals, nor does he plan to"
His lord cackled "What an arrogant fool. He dares underestimate me, and he shall pay dearly for it"
The man allowed an evil grin to spread across his lips at his lord's words. Albus Dumbledore will indeed pay for his foolishness…very soon.
A few minutes of silence passed. The man kept his gaze trained on his lord's…appearance. His thoughtful expression made it clear that he had something in mind, but for some reason he held back from speaking of it.
Hoping he would not be punished, the man decided to lightly probe his lord's thoughts "What do you wish to be done next, my lord?"
His lord grinned maliciously (though it looked more like a faint grimace) "I believe it is time to offer Lucius an opportunity to redeem himself"
"Any idea what we're here for, mate?" Harry heard Seamus ask Ron, who was sitting beside him on his right.
"Dunno" Ron replied with a shrug "I just hope it's not additional class work"
"Aye"
Harry looked around the room. Sure enough, it was certainly not a place that was conducive to…well…learning. The room was spacious enough for around thirty or so people. There was a large, full-body length mirror on the corner of the room beside the doorway, and the only source of light inside the room was the rays of sunlight seeping through the windows. Two opposite rows of chairs covered the width of almost the entire room—the girls sat on one row, and the boys sat on the other, so that they were all facing each other. Well, they would have been if there wasn't a large contraption that, oddly enough, appeared to be an old gramophone perched on the very center of the room. Filch was currently tinkering with the device while muttering to himself.
'What do we need a gramophone for'? Harry thought inwardly. Gramophones were used to play music. And if there was music in the Wizarding world, then that probably meant…
Professor McGonagall chose that exact moment to enter the room. Everyone's attention (save for Filch) snapped to her as she walked to a stop in front of the gramophone.
She cleared her throat and began "Good day, everyone. I am sure you are all wondering why we are gathered here today" a chorus of nods and affirmative hums followed "The purpose of this session is to discuss another event that our beloved school will host—the Yule Ball" Minerva paused for a moment before continuing "The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament since its inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests will gather in the Great Hall for well-mannered frivolity. As representatives of the host school I expect each and every one of you to put your best feet forward, and I mean this literally because the Yule Ball is first and foremost…a dance"
Groans came from the boys' side while squeals and excited whispers erupted from the girls' side. Harry himself did not notice this as he was too…well…taken aback with this latest development. As Minerva silenced her students and went on one of her infamous lectures (something about her not wanting to see her Gryffindors act like baboons), Harry had one resounding thought in his mind.
A dance.
A. Dance.
A. Fucking. Dance.
The boy wanted to burst out laughing right there and then. There was an event, between all three schools, and there was dancing involved?
At that moment Harry Potter knew exactly what he was not going to do on Christmas Eve.
He began to think of possible excuses he may use to skip the event. He figured he could ask both Remus and Tonks to train him just past the brink of physical illness. And if that didn't work, he could always 'unsuccessfully repel' one of Remus' spells during one of their sessions. Normally the boy wouldn't go to such lengths to evade a social event, but this one was a dance. It's bad enough that he has a dozen left feet, but it's even worse that he has to subject some unfortunate potential partner of his to several dead toenails and sore feet.
Nope, there was no way in hell he was going to attend this ball. And that's that.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not notice Professor McGonagall approach his side of the room. When he finally did notice, the older woman was a few feet away from where he sat. He suddenly felt anxiety brew in the pit of his stomach, but relaxed when his Head of House stopped and turned to the redhead beside him. She held her hand out and beckoned Ron to join her.
This caused Harry to save his scheming for later as he fully turned his attention to rather odd couple who made their way to where his Transfiguration professor stood just moments earlier. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips when Ron was asked to put one of his hands around the woman's waist. The boy was unfortunately unable to fully see the redhead's expression, as he could only see the side of his face, but Harry could feel just how uncomfortable he was. He didn't exactly blame the youngest male Weasley—he would probably be a million times more awkward himself.
Harry was not able to suppress a snort when he heard someone whistle suggestively as soon as Ron's hand came in contact with the professor's waist. He turned to the source of the noise and had to bite his lip to restrain himself from laughing upon seeing the Weasley twins looking teasingly at their younger brother. Seconds later, Filch adjusted the gramophone's turntable, then some seemingly old waltz song started playing. The odd couple began swaying to the music as Harry's seatmates (particularly Dean and Seamus) started bawling in laughter amongst themselves. The raven-haired boy took another glance at the Weasley twins—big mistake. His hand shot up to cover his mouth as his body trembled in barely-contained laughter; the twins were 'dancing' like complete idiots, moving about side-to-side in an exaggerated manner with stupid grins on their faces.
The boy didn't care if McGonagall took house points off him, or even gave him detention—it admittedly felt good to laugh. Merlin knows when the last time he'd ever laughed genuinely was. Apparently, the site of the Weasley twins acting like dunderheads was more than enough to put an end to his sad streak.
When his professor urged everyone to participate and start dancing, the girls eagerly got on their feet and made their way to the dancefloor while the boys seemingly sank on their seats. Harry decided to play it safe and quietly slipped out of his chair to stand near where the twins were. While the twins didn't harass Harry after he was named Tri-Wizard Champion, they didn't explicitly support him either, so he was in rather neutral ground with them at the moment.
"Aw, what's the matter, Harry? Dancing not your cup of tea?" Forge asked teasingly once the boy was within earshot.
Harry shook his head with an amused smile "Definitely not, mate"
"We beg you to reconsider, oh great one" Gred chimed in "After all, Ronnikins is out there having the time of his life!" he finished as all three of them went into near hysteria.
As the hour progressed, it was apparent that only Neville and a handful of other boys had any intentions of practicing their waltz. When the dreadful period was mercifully over, the boys couldn't get the hell out of the room fast enough.
As Harry bade farewell to the twins and grabbed his shoulder bag, he heard his professor call out his name.
"Mister Potter, a word, please" Professor McGonagall said.
For a brief moment Harry thought about what his professor might possibly want from him. Before he could come up with anything solid, or worse, over think, he simply shrugged and made his way to her.
"Yes, Professor?" he asked as he gripped his bag's strap to keep it from sliding off his shoulder.
"I would like to inform you that since you are Tri-Wizard Champion, you will be part of the opening ceremony of the Yule Ball. This is because tradition dictates that the three, in this case four, champions are the first to dance" Minerva explained.
Harry knit his brows in confusion "Pardon, Professor, but I don't quite understand"
His professor smiled mischievously, causing him to gulp "It means that your event attendance is mandatory, Mister Potter. Absolutely no exceptions" she sternly emphasized her last sentence.
At that moment, Harry felt a small part of him die.
Well shite.
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed that one! So, we are almost at the Yule Ball—I am personally very excited to write the coming chapters hehe. Please continue to support me by reviewing/faving/following this story. Again, reviews are appreciated but not required, although honestly more reviews would encourage me to update faster. So please indulge me *wink See you guys next time!