Author's Note: Hey, I'm back! I haven't died from Lice but yea, I'm editing and writing this chapter while I'm at home away from nosy mothers and annoying people, anyway, enjoy! Also, there might be some very heavy description that my friends *Ahem* Victoria *Ahem* wouldn't be able to read without laughing so...yea, ON TO THE CHAPTER!
As they walked in, they all gasped in awe at the drastic difference the Great Hall took on. Light snow fall was coming from the ceiling which disappeared before it hit the ground, the walls and empty portraits were covered in ice and the portraits had icicles hanging off of them. There were tables lining the walls from the doors to the stage across from the right side of the room, straight from the door was a large table for the staff while the stage was for the band, The Weird Sisters, who were on stage waiting for the Champions to start the Ball.
When the Champions all entered, they all entered with their dates by their sides before the Guardians, who were behind them and were grateful that they didn't have dates. Shade kept up a guarded front but was secretly looking throughout the crowd for Charlie, not knowing that he was doing the same thing. The rest of the Guardians were scanning thew crowd like aurors, looking for hidden wands, daggers, and suspisious behavior.
Finally they made it to the dance floor, the Guardians walked off to the side still scanning the crowd before the Champions' dance started. Cedric was a flawless dancer, he glided across the floor like a ghost with Cho by his side. Meanwhile, Fleur was dancing with the boy she invited, they were sliding across the floor not as elegantly as Cedric was but it was close. Viktor was twirling, spinning, and prancing across the floor with Hermione holding on for dear life yet she was laughing happily so it wasn't too bad. Harry though, he was stiff, awkward, and didn't know what to do with his legs or arms, Parvati wasn't any better so all together, you got a hurricane of out of control arms and legs which wasn't very good yet very funny.
After the headmaster started to dance, the rest of the students joined the Champions on the dance floor. The Guardians walked over to the snack table after scanning the entire crowd for any weapons or the like. After a few moments, Draco strolled up to the table, his eyes not leaving Alice's face, and walked straight up to Alice who didn't see him until Shade pointed him out to her.
Draco cleared his throat gently before holding out his hand slightly, "Would you like to dance?"
Alice looked slightly shocked but it melted into a smile before she grasped his hand gently, "I'd love to."
They both walked onto the dance floor, moving in sync to the music and to each other as the others watched the crowd.
"So... Why is a Slytherin like you, asking a Gryffindor like me, to dance?" Alice asked.
"Well, I've actually been wanting to talk to you for a while now, I just didn't know how," Draco replied sheepishly.
Alice giggled softly, "Well, you would normally start by walking up to someone and saying Hi."
He chuckled and nodded, "I guess that helps. I have to ask though, where are you from?"
"Well, Griffin guards are normally found up in the mountains, since we are very scarce and people would like to hunt us, we have a hidden village in the mountains surrounded by our greatest warriors to protect us from outsiders, we originally built our homes and nests from gold but that attracted hunters, thus the warriors," she explained, she knew that she shouldn't be telling him this yet something about him compelled her to trust him.
Draco nodded, absorbing what she just said, "Wow, I didn't know that... Could you tell me more? Do you have life mates? Where did you originate from? Can you change certain parts of your body? If so, how? And can you fully transform into a Griffin?"
Alice laughed and shook her head gently, "Draco, breathe! I can tell you more; we do have life mates, unfortunately though we don't know who they are when we see them like Dragon guards, we have to have had spent time with them in order to know. Griffin guards originated from India though we actually don't know. I can change certain parts of my body and I guess I use magic? No one really knows how Griffin guards transform, and yes I can fully transform into a Griffin, but it's a different type of Griffin, I am a Lion-Griffin."
Draco smiled and laughed softly, "Sorry, I guess I should slow down."
Alice shook her head, "No, curiosity is a great thing to have! Always be curious, how else do we learn more about the world?"
"I guess you're right, you know, for a Gryffindor, you're not so bad," he said honestly.
"Well, right back at you Slytherin Ice Prince," she teased, using his nickname she learned from other students.
Draco and Alice laughed, spinning around the dance floor, chatting, laughing, and smiling for the rest of the night.
Julian sighed as he watched Alice and Draco before turning his gaze to Viktor who, oddly enough, was staring straight back at him. Julian blushed lightly before snapping his gaze down at his goblet, swirling the liquid around inside slightly. Victoria and Shade went somewhere else, leaving him alone which was a perfect thing for Viktor. Julian placed his goblet down before heading towards the doors, Viktor following him in the crowd of people too engrossed with the dance to notice him.
Julian walked out the doors and back to the Quad where Viktor and himself practiced dueling.
He didn't notice as the taller male walked up right behind him until Viktor asked, "Why aren't you in the Hall with the others?"
Julian gasped and spun around, shouting exasperatedly, "Don't DO that!"
Viktor chuckled deeply, his piercing black eyes staring at him, "You didn't answer me."
Julian shifted nervously, slightly intimidated by the taller male, "Well, I wasn't very comfortable around all the couples and decided to leave."
Viktor chuckled and nodded, "I know the feeling, would you like to sit?" he gestured lightly to the bench near one of the fountains.
Julian smiled softly and nodded, he and Viktor walked towards the bench and sat down. Viktor took off his cape which, in doing so, revealed his red Bulgarian outfit which perfectly outlined his lean Quidditch muscles. Julian tried very hard not to stare but found that it was futile, he sighed softly before peeling off his robes and vest un-tucking his white shirt and putting his cane off to the side, not knowing that Viktor was trying very hard not to stare at him.
Julian ruffled his hair slightly, unused to longer hair than his military cut, before turning towards Viktor, "So, have you figured out what the second task is yet?"
Viktor's eyes were glazed slightly as he thought but he shook his head, snapping back to reality before sighing, "No, it is very hard to understand."
Julian nodded and sighed tiredly before looking up at the windows, he chuckled slightly before Viktor asked, "What's so funny?"
Julian shook his head, "We can still hear the music, it's that loud."
Viktor chuckled slightly before an idea hit him, he got up off the bench and turned towards Julian, reaching his hand out towards him.
Julian looked at him confused but he paled and shook his head, "Oh no, I can't dance."
Viktor smirked at him and shrugged, "How do you know?"
Julian looked at him uneasily but decided to throw caution to the wind and grasped Viktor's hand, getting off the bench and leaning towards him.
Viktor pulled him against his chest and chuckled slightly as Julian blushed, "Just relax and follow me."
Julian nodded and tried to follow Viktor but it was hard, he kept looking down at his feet until Viktor gently grabbed his chin and turned his face up close to his, he couldn't help but get lose in Viktor's black eyes. Julian finally stopped looking at his feet and he was able to dance in sync with Viktor, when he realized it, he laughed like a child who rode a bike for the first time without falling. Viktor smiled as he heard Julian laugh, letting his low chuckle blend in with his laugh. The wind blew slightly, playfully ruffling Julian's hair like a mother would with her child before it stopped.
Victoria went off to find Julian but smiled as she saw Viktor follow him out and decided to leave it be. She sat down at one of the tables and sighed, rubbing her temples slightly, dances didn't go well for her. She was startled out of her musing as two lean bodies placed themselves on both sides of her.
"Now Forge, what could a lovely lady like this, be doing here?"
"Well, I don't know Gred, she must not fancy dancing."
Victoria smiled and looked up at the twin red heads, "Hello Fred, George, how is the dance going for you?"
"Not very well-"
"We saw you here alone-"
"And wanted to see if-"
"We could cheer you up?" they said the last part together a little uncertainly.
Victoria giggled as she heard their broken speech, "Well, you've done a great job so far, thank you but wouldn't you rather be spending time with your dates?"
The twins shook their heads in sync, "We'd rather spent time-"
"Here with you than with-"
"Those pompous self-centered-"
"Teenage females," they finished together.
Victoria looked at them in shock but knew where they were coming from, "Well, I doubt I'm very good company but, by all means, I could use some company."
The twins smiled before they leaned their elbows on the table, "So, young thestral guard-"
"Do you not like dances?"
"Not particularly no, my father would always try to sign me off to another thestral guard's heir," she said with a sigh of annoyance.
"Well, would he do that?" said Fred.
"Well Fred, most of them were pompous arses that I wanted to kick off a cliff so I denied any and all contracts," she said shocking them both.
"Ok, one question-"
"How did you know that I was George and-"
"That I was Fred? Most people-"
"Can't tell the difference between-"
"Us, not even our mother," they said curiously.
"Well, Fred almost always talks first and you both have different shaded eyes plus..." she trailed off as she said the last thing.
"Excuse me but-"
"We didn't catch the last part," they stated.
Victoria blushed and cleared her throat before saying, "You both smell different..."
They looked at her questioningly, "How is that possible?"
"Well, I AM a thestral guard meaning I have a better sense of smell than most guards and humans," she replied.
"So what do I smell like?" George asked.
"You have a more sweet smell, like vanilla and cherries," she said, the blush ever present on her face, amusing both twins.
"And me?" asked Fred.
"You smell more like rosemary and lavender," she answered.
The twins both smiled, "Well, at least we smell good, right Forge?"
"Indeed Gred," said George.
Victoria smiled gently before asking, "So, I hear you both are Marauder level pranksters, mind telling me some of your pranks?"
The twins smiled before telling her all about the pranks they've done, earning a smile and a rare laugh from her. They stayed like that for most of the night, laughing and telling stories and jokes. Unknown to Victoria, a pair of mud brown eyes watched her every move, jealousy and rage clear in their eyes before someone tried to talk to them.
Shade was walking through the crowd before someone grabbed his arm and spun him around, knocking into a hard chest.
Shade winced slightly before looking up, realizing it was Charlie he smiled, "Have fun did you?"
Charlie barked out a laugh, "It was too amusing really."
Shade rolled his eyes and hit his arm playfully, "So mature."
Charlie stuck his tongue out at him slightly, "Maturity is over-rated."
Shade laughed but his breath was caught in his throat as Charlie dragged him onto the dance floor, "You do realize that I'm worse than Harry right?"
Charlie glanced at Harry; who was still trying to dance, key word being trying; and winced slightly, "Well... You can't be THAT bad right?"
He gently grabbed Shade, pulling him flush against his chest, and rested his feet on top of his, he remembered that this was how his father taught him how to dance the right way.
Shade giggled and glared playfully at Charlie, "You do know that I'm not a child too?"
Charlie shook his head and looked at him with an ignorant grin, "Completely slipped my mind."
Shade laughed and leaned into Charlie slightly, sighing, this was where he belonged; his entire core thrummed happily from being so close to Charlie.
"So, are you leaving when the tournament is over?" Shade asked, looking up at Charlie sadly.
Charlie could feel his self control crack and tried not to look back into Shade's eyes, "Maybe, I might try for the Care of Magical Creatures professor spot, other than that, I really don't know what I'll be doing."
Shade smiled before pulling Charlie off the dance floor and out into the Courtyard (Julian and Viktor aren't here, they're in the Quad for those of you who forgot). He lead them to a bench and sat down, patting the stone next to him indicating that he wanted Charlie to sit. Charlie sat down and unconsciously wrapped his arms around Shade. They stayed like that for a while before jolting slightly as the clock struck midnight, telling everyone that the dance was over before going silent.
Charlie sighed before lifting Shade up, "I guess this is it, may I walk you to your rooms?"
Shade nodded and slipped his hand into Charlie's larger one before leading the way to his rooms, the other Guardians were doing the same with the people they were hanging around with that night.
As they reached his rooms, Charlie leaned down slightly, brushing his lips against Shade's cheek before hugging him, "Goodnight, Balaur."
Shade blushed and beamed up at him, he realized that Balaur was Romanian for Dragon, before flying through his portrait.
As the clock rang, Julian jumped slightly and accidentally leaned hard into Viktor, knocking them to the ground.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"It's fine, we should get back to our rooms," Viktor said, helping Julian up before walking with him to Julian's rooms.
Viktor stopped Julian as he was about to fly through his portrait before leaning in to kiss Julian's cheek, what he wasn't expecting was for Julian to snap his head up at him in confusion, accidentally making Viktor brush his lips against Julian's. Julian pulled back quickly, flushed red as Viktor stepped back slightly, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed. Julian looked up and saw that Viktor didn't really intentionally do that so he quickly leaned forward, kissing his cheek gently before shooting through his portrait. Viktor looked at where Julian stood in shock before walking back to the Drumstrang side of the castle, a permanent smile on his face.
Victoria and the twins were still at the table when the clock struck 12, Victoria jolted slightly, sending her into Fred's side.
"Well, look at this Gred, she's warming up to me," he teased before she pulled back, gently whacking his shoulder.
"Idiots," she said but there was no malice, only amusement.
The twins smiled before they both offered her their arms.
"I believe it's only right to escort a lady back to her rooms, right Forge?"
"Agreed Gred."
Victoria smiled gently before taking both of their arms as they walked her back to her rooms. They stopped right under her portrait and the twins looked at each other before they both leaned forward, kissing both her cheeks, and leaning back, a mischievous smirk on both their faces.
She blushed bright red before glaring playfully at them, "Was that really necessary?"
"Well, we wanted to let-"
"You know that you have-"
"Become one of our-"
"Favorite people in the-"
"Top ten list, right Gred?"
"Indeed Forge."
She smiled as she shook her head gently, "Alright, good night boys."
She turned and flew through her portrait, shouts of disapproval followed after her as she flew away.
Draco and Alice had moved to one of the tables before the clock rang, startling Alice.
"Well, looks like time's up," Alice sighed.
"Well, will you allow me to walk you to your rooms?" Draco asked.
Alice nodded and smiled before they made their way to her portrait; as they arrived, Draco looked like he wanted to do something but didn't know how to. Alice huffed and rolled her eyes before grabbing him by the collar and pulling him forward, kissing him on the cheek gently in contrast to how she pulled him. She smiled and giggled slightly as he started to imitate a fish.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow Draco."
"Y-Yea, see you tomorrow, bye Alice!" he said with a smile before heading in the direction of the dungeons.
Alice shook her head in amusement before flying through the portrait, feeling like tomorrow had more surprises to bring her.
Author's Note: Hey guys, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! sorry that this chapter is so late, I got hit with writers block hard after I started this chapter, anyways, hope ya'll enjoyed, next chapter's figuring out the egg and the second task, I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE SECOND TASK, AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Anyway, see ya'll in the next chapter, bye!