A/N: I think this chapter is utter crap. I hate it and this is actually the fourth revision of it. I just cannot write a dance. So, here it is…as is. I hope you enjoy it more than I do.

(((o)))

At six that evening, Harry and Rose flamed up to the castle with their invisibility cloaks. Together they snuck into Gryffindor tower Harry made sure that Rose made it up to her dorms without incident before making his way back to his house. He took his time getting ready seeing how he didn't have to be back to the castle for the Ball before 7:30. The first thing he did was take a relaxing shower.

While in the shower Harry took some time to organize his thoughts. He hadn't done his Occlumency exercises since before he was pulled between dimensions and his mind was in dire need of it. The first and foremost thing on his mind was Rose. He didn't want to admit it, but Christmas day had shaken him to his very core. They were a couple now, and Harry had no idea how to proceed. When he had first arrived here, he had assumed that Rose was just like he was, only female. But that assumption was crushed not too much later. They may occupy the same niche but Rose couldn't be more unique.

Beyond the obvious; Rose's feminine quirks, they had minor differences. They both played quidditch, but where as Harry was a seeker, Rose preferred chaser. Harry excelled at curses and charms. Once Rose understood the intent behind it, she began to excel at transfiguration. Rose had made some progress with her animagus transformation. In just a week, she had managed to sprout sparse plumage over her body. They were both phoenix animagi, but where Harry was white with blue and gold tipped feathers, Rose's feathers were gold that faded to orange then red. She had a more normal coloration than Harry did.

The list went on…

Rose had a temper. Not just once a month, (sorry…) but constantly. Harry loved her dearly but felt like he had to walk on eggshells around her. Harry didn't start to become sullen and snappish until his fifth year but that was because of the reawakened link between himself and Voldemort. Harry supposed that it was simply that Rose took more after her mother than Harry took after his.

That was the other thing; Harry had taken to thinking about the two of them as coming from different parents. There were enough differences between the two of them that he could only assume that their parents; while being technically the same people were different. Regardless, Harry sorted all the thoughts and memories about Rose into her own 'folder' in his mind.

Once Rose was out of the way, Harry moved on to his, in his opinion, shoddy performance in acquiring the last two horcruxes. Never, since Voldemort's defeat, had he been so lax and careless. He hadn't fallen to just one trap, but two, and nearly lost his arm in the process. Then, to top it all off, Rose had to save him from the last one. Harry shook his head and vowed to restart his training. Voldemort might be weaker than he was, but Riddle was no slouch either.

Lastly, as the water began to cool, Harry turned to his presence in this dimension. Why was he here? In all his experiences with magic, if he learned one thing it was that magic always had a purpose. Something, or someone, had brought him here and Harry was determined to find out. The problem was, who and why? Harry didn't know where to start.

Harry turned off the faucet and towel dried himself. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Harry went into his room and pulled his dress robes from the closet. His robes were simple, but fashionable. They were a rich goldenrod that would go well with the maroon of the robe Rose had selected for herself. Harry was vaguely aware that he and Rose were Gryffindor colors and enjoyed the irony of it all. The two heirs of Gryffindor. Harry took a moment to smooth out some of the silver piping on the robe before donning it. He ran his fingers through his hair to get it to lay in some general direction; he still couldn't get it to cooperate without magic, and his fingers left slight gold highlights.

The last touch he made was charming gold flakes in his green eyes before putting on his shoes and flaming to the castle.

(((o)))

Harry glanced at his watch for what seemed the millionth time that night. It was 7:45. Rose was supposed to meet him in the entrance hall fifteen minutes ago but she was late. Harry never was one to understand women. It had taken him, even with the Occlumency exercises, only twenty minutes to shower, dress, and charm himself ready for the dance. He couldn't understand what was taking her so long. All she had to do was put her gown on, style her hair, make up…

Ok, maybe he could understand why she was late. But still, Harry didn't think she needed all that. She was beautiful enough without a fancy hair-do and make up.

While Harry was pondering all this he felt someone approach him from behind. While he knew that this moment was coming, he still dreaded it. The person behind him was the last person on earth he wanted to deal with right now. "Hello, Albus," Harry said levelly. "What can I do for you this fine evening?"

Harry didn't hate the old man. Far from it actually. He just didn't trust the Headmaster to make the correct decisions. Albus Dumbledore always subscribed to the 'for the greater good' approach. How Harry hated that term. It was what had doomed both him and Rose to terrible lives with the Dursleys. Harry had no clue why Dumbledore thought that the best thing for the two of them had been to place them with muggles who hated magic. Nor did Harry understand why Dumbledore had kept his and Rose's heritage from them despite how much better it would have made their lives. But even through all of that, Harry didn't hate the man. He felt that Dumbledore was a wise, if barmy grandfatherly figure and he was truly crushed when Dumbledore died.

"I see that you already know who I am," Dumbledore remarked with a pleasant smile. "You must be the young Harry Evans. My, the rumors certainly were true."

Harry knew the rumors. That he looked like a young James Potter. They made sense, seeing as he was the only son of a James Potter. Still, Harry decided to push back and see how far the Headmaster would bend. "Oh?" he asked nonchalantly. "What rumors would those be?"

Dumbledore waved his hand about in the air as if clearing it. "Oh, nothing of importance. You simply remind some people of a former student of mine."

"James Potter?" Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. "Yes, I get that a lot. And no, I'm not related to him." Harry could see the gears turning behind Dumbledore's eyes as he processed Harry's last statement. Harry never was a good liar, and he hoped that Dumbledore wouldn't see thought his for a while at least.

The two of them stood there silently and a smug look grew on Harry's face at the rare look of impatience on Dumbledore's. Harry could only imagine that Dumbledore hoped that Harry was a naïve little boy that would spill the beans without any prompting. Harry began to count in his head, waiting for the moment when Albus would crack. He managed to make it to 37 before Dumbledore said, "So, tell me a bit about yourself. You seem to be quite the mystery around Hogsmeade."

Direct and to the point, Harry thought. Normally Dumbledore would double-talk and drop innuendo to trick people into saying exactly what he wanted them to say. It seemed that this Dumbledore was either a bit more impatient than the one he remembered or Harry was simply that frustrating. Harry hoped for the latter. "Let, see…" Harry said, trailing off like he was thinking. "I'm male, I stand five foot eleven, I weigh about sixteen stone…" Harry noted with some amusement that the twinkle vanished from the Headmaster's eyes. He decided to drop the old man a bone. "I moved into Hogsmeade about three and a half months ago."

The twinkle returned full force; Dumbledore had obviously thought he managed to get something from Harry. Actually, Harry simply regurgitated something that most people knew already. "I find life stories fascinating," Dumbledore said happily. Harry assumed that it was meant as encouragement to continue but Harry had noticed Rose waiting at the top of the stairs.

"I'd love to continue this chat, Headmaster, but fortunately for me, my date is here," Harry said. He turned away from Dumbledore without waiting for a return and faced his date.

Harry's breath caught in his throat as Rose descended down the steps, her heels clicking on the stone. Harry hadn't had the chance to see the gown she had picked, only the color, but he felt it was more than worth the wait. The gown hugged her torso and hips but was flared gently past her thighs, the hem barely brushing her ankles and showing off her matching red pumps. It was low cut in front, revealing enough cleavage to entice without seeming garish. Rose had her hair styled in an elaborate knot on the back of her head and had just enough makeup to accentuate her already delicate features. In short: she was gorgeous.

Harry stepped up to the foot of the stairs and held an arm out for Rose to take. "Wow," he breathed. "You look breathtaking."

Rose blushed demurely. "Thank you," she said softly. "You look rather dashing yourself. I'm sorry I was late."

"Well, it was more than worth the wait," Harry said. Rose blushed again and Harry could tell that the girl hadn't ever had the chance to dress up. She didn't know how to take a compliment very well. "What took you?"

"I couldn't get my hair right," Rose said. "Eventually Lavender and Parvati took pity on my and helped out. They did my makeup without me even having to ask."

Harry chuckled softly. "I'll have to thank them then."

The two of them continued chatting amiably when McGonagall called the champions over to her. Harry and Rose walked over and Harry nearly laughed at the look of shock on the transfiguration professor's face. McGonagall was almost as hard to shock as the headmaster, but she seemed transfixed by his appearance. "Professor," Harry greeted. "You're looking lovely tonight."

Harry struggled to keep the shock from registering on his face. McGonagall actually blushed! He could die now a happy man. From the look on Rose's face, she felt the same way. McGonagall smiled at Harry. "Thank you Mr. Evans," she said. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise."

Harry and McGonagall talked about trivial things for a bit while they waited for the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students to enter the hall. Harry happily told her that he learned from the best transfiguration teacher ever, and Rose snorted. McGonagall looked reproachfully at Rose and was about to say something when Rose gasped. She had just spotted Hermione at the top of the stairs. Hermione was dressed much like before, her periwinkle gown exactly like Harry's own ball. Harry noticed a guarded look of jealousy in Rose's eyes.

"She's…beautiful." Rose said, the jealousy tainting her voice.

Smiling benignly, Harry gave Rose a gentle nudge. "If you think she's beautiful, you didn't look in the mirror long enough."

The comment diffused Rose's unwarranted envy and she left Harry's side to go talk with her friend. Harry looked back over to McGonagall and noticed that the teacher was looking at him strangely. Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"It's nothing," McGonagall offered. "I just had the strangest sense of déjà vu." Harry figured that he must have repeated something James told Lily. It wasn't the first time he had done that, and it wouldn't be the last.

Soon, the other champions arrived; Fleur with Roger Davies and Cedric with Cho and they all made their way to the champion's table. Rose made sure she sat next to Hermione so they could continue their hushed conversation and Harry ended up next to Roger, who was nodding stupidly at everything Fleur had to say. Harry laughed to himself. Something's just couldn't be changed.

Harry noticed that Krum seemed more sullen than usual, most likely because Hermione was ignoring him in favor of chatting with Rose. Harry nearly snorted his goblet of wine when he heard Rose whisper, "I still say my date is better with his broomstick…"

"You knew?!" Hermione exclaimed. Rose nodded. Hermione took a good long look at Harry, who seemed uncomfortable under her gaze. Then Hermione smiled knowingly at Rose. "You landed yourself a nice one."

Harry looked over at Cedric and Cho who seemed smitten with each other. He was glad that Cedric had turned his attentions away from Rose but felt a bit of pity for the oriental girl. The Cedric in this dimension was an ass and Harry wouldn't wish him on Voldemort. He looked briefly back at Hermione who was eyeing him like she would look at a particularly difficult puzzle. Harry tried to ignore her and ordered his food from the menu.

As soon as he said, "Prime rib," the meal appeared on his plate. Taking his cue, the rest of the table ordered their food; Rose ordered the basted chicken breast. As the meal wound down, the conversation turned rather uncomfortable. It seemed that everyone at the table was curious about Rose and her mystery date. "Remember to stick with the story," Harry sighed through their link.

Rose nodded mentally and answered Cho's question. "We met when I was in primary school," she said. "I was on my way back to my Aunt's house when my cousin and his goons cornered me in an alleyway. I had no idea what they were going to do to me, but then Harry showed up and chased them off."

Harry had to give the girl credit. She put all the right inflections in all the right places. If he hadn't known it was made up even he would have believed it. "She and I were friends from then on," Harry finished with a warm smile at the girl. Rose looked back up at him and when their eyes met, Harry felt a tingle suffuse his entire body. It felt unnatural. He quickly looked away.

"When did you decide to become a couple?" Hermione asked.

Clearing his throat and trying to clear the feeling still lingering to his spine, Harry answered. "I was home schooled, so I didn't know about magic until much later than even Rose did," He explained. "Once I achieved my magical diploma from my instructor, I moved here to Hogsmeade and found out that Rose was a witch and going to Hogwarts, and then…well…there you have it."

Satisfied with their answers, the others went back to their own conversations and Harry opened the mind link. "Rose, did you feel that?"

Rose nodded. "What was it?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out…"

Rose was filled with a sense of love for Harry. She had assumed that when he looked away that something had frightened him, and he was going to break it off. She felt silly now. Harry wouldn't let something as trivial as a strange feeling run him off. She grabbed his hand under the table and he squeezed it reassuringly.

Soon, the lights dimmed signaling that the dance proper was about to begin. The champions and their partners made their way to the now clear dance floor and took up positions. The first dance was a traditional waltz, and now Rose understood why Harry had focused on waltzing more than any other dance style. Both she and Harry thought the Weird Sisters playing a waltz was odd though.

Harry could almost feel Rose's nerves through their clasped hands. "You'll do fine," he said gently. "Just remember, one, two, three and follow my lead."

As soon as Rose nodded, the music started. It was an upbeat ¾ time and they began to dance around the floor. Rose smiled up at Harry and him back at her. She was having fun. They didn't notice that they were leading the other champions or the looks from the rest of the student body. They were excellent dancers. Once they set the rhythm the rest of the students joined in with their partners. Harry and Rose finished the waltz and went back to their table, laughing and panting from the dance.

They sat at the table, enjoying each other's company and Harry looked at Rose. "Rose, look me in the eyes again," he said. Rose did so, but neither of them felt the shock that they felt earlier. Once again Harry wondered what it was.

As the night went on, it was inevitable that they encounter some of the less favorable people in the school. Draco came over, looking much like a vicar and brought Pansy with him. "Well, Potter," He sneered. "Looks like you found a date fit for a mudblood."

Harry was about to say something but Rose beat him to it. "At least I didn't have to go to a dog pound for my date, Malfoy," she spat back. Pansy huffed and dragged Draco away before he had the chance to retort.

Harry looked impressed. "That was sharp, Rose," he complimented. "Nice."

Rose stuck her nose up in an exaggerated imitation of a noble. "If he can insult my date, I can insult his," she sniffed haughtily. "Besides, I knew you wouldn't let it offend you."

Then, sure enough, Ron decided to try and ruin their night. He approached the table and glowered at Harry. "So you're the reason I don't have a date!" he accused. "What did you do to her? Bewitch her?"

Harry could only blink at the accusation. Ron was the last person he would have thought would blame him for stealing his girlfriend. He had no idea that Ron had any feelings beyond platonic friendship for Rose. Sure, he had given her a charm bracelet for Christmas, but Rose was a girl. Harry sat there in a stupor while he listened to Ron make an ass of himself. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and snapped. "Shut up, Weasley!" he growled, standing up. Ron flinched as Harry's magic made itself known. "You lost your chance when you blamed her for putting her name in the goblet. If you could look past your bloody jealousy, you would have been able to see that Rose is loyal. More loyal than you'll ever be." Ron looked affronted but before he could say anything, Harry beat him to the punch. "Get out of my face," he commanded.

Ron walked away, compelled to leave Harry and Rose be. Rose looked sideways at Harry. Where she wasn't exactly opposed to what Harry had done, she didn't think he had to be so harsh and she told him so.

"If I wasn't harsh with him, he wouldn't have left us alone," Harry said his voice a bit sad now. He remembered his own falling out with Ron and still missed his friend dearly. Sure Ron had been a jealous prat, but up until his defection, he was as loyal as could be. "Remember what happened in my dimension," he added in a whisper.

Harry and Rose got up for one last dance, requesting something they could dance a tango to, and once again wowed the watching crowd with their skills. Once they were finished, they returned to the table with a flushed and excited Hermione. She was positively glowing as she gushed about how wonderful Krum was. "I still wish we could tell her," Rose said through the link.

Harry mentally shook his head. "We can't and you know it," he chided.

"Why not?" Rose whined and Harry was reminded that she was still just fourteen years old, despite how mature she acted.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Rose," Harry said cautiously. He was even surer now that Hermione was keeping an eye on them. "She's been watching us constantly all night, listening for either of us to slip up and say something that would give the old goat a clue."

"Maybe she's just curious," Rose offered, but didn't sound too sure.

"Maybe," Harry conceded. "Tell you what. Let's see how Sirius takes the news. If he takes it well, we'll think about letting Hermione know."

It was all Rose could hope for. Finally the night came to its end. Harry left to get the two of them one last drink from the dregs of the punch, and left Rose with Hermione. Krum had long since gone back to the ship for the night. The two girls were comparing how their nights went when Dumbledore confronted Rose. If he couldn't get answers from Harry, he would from Rose.

"Good evening Ms. Potter, Ms. Granger," he offered amiably, his eyes twinkling. "How are you two doing? Enjoy the dance?"

Rose immediately went on guard and erected her feeble Occlumency barriers. She could only hope they were strong enough to keep the old man out until Harry could come to her rescue. "Can I help you, sir?" Rose asked tightly.

Hermione watched the exchange wide eyed, fearing the coming confrontation.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well then, on to business," he said with no twinkle. "I need to know where you've been staying this holiday."

Rose looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She had no idea what to say. Did she dare try to lie to the Headmaster? "Um…uh…you see…" she stuttered.

"It's none of your business," Harry said. He had returned with the glasses of punch and Rose thanked him for the rescue through the link.

All traces of the grandfatherly figure vanished from Dumbledore's visage and suddenly everyone left in the great hall could feel his commanding presence. "Mr. Evans, as long as she is a student at this institution it is indeed my business," he said. Everyone in the great hall flinched at the old mans aura and looked at the argument. Harry, however, wasn't cowed.

He simply glared back coolly. "I thought you would have picked up on my hints earlier this evening," he said softly. His magic was equally as commanding as Dumbledore's. There was so much magic in the air that Rose and Hermione had to back away from the two angry wizards. "It. Is. None. Of. Your. Business. Besides, you won't be able to do anything come the end of the hol's."

"And just why would that be?" Dumbledore growled.

Harry smirked slyly. Now for the trump card… "You know as well as I do; and now Rose does, that she could be emancipated any time she wants," he said loudly enough for the people around to hear. Dumbledore's face paled and Harry went on. "Expel her if you want. I'll simply resume her lessons with a private tutor; one that won't try and kill her every year."

With that, Harry left a speechless Headmaster in the middle of the floor and returned to Rose's side. "Ready to go home?" he asked. Rose nodded and Harry bid goodbye to Hermione before the two of them vanished in a flash of fire.

Dumbledore stood there in shock. Once again, Harry Evans had managed to mess things up, and both he and Rose managed to apparate through the wards. With a weary sigh, Dumbledore sagged and looked his age. He had come to a difficult decision.

It was time to reassemble the Order of the Phoenix.