The air in the common room over the next four weeks was one of celebration. Though Bastila was thoroughly annoyed by it all (and the practically heroworship she was receiving from the other Slytherins, younger and older alike) she spent the free time with Daphne out on the school grounds. Draco refused to speak to Bastila after what had happened with his parents, and had taken to avoiding her whenever he could.
Nyssa meanwhile, had taken to roaming the Forbidden Forest and the school grounds freely. Only at Hogwarts could a giant snake slithering through the corridors not cause mass panic. She had always been liked by the students before, and accepted by the staff based on the words of Dumbledore. Now since the first task Nyssa was being regarded with outright respect and admiration for the part she had played. The staff too seemed to have become more taken with the serpent, and after the shock of seeing her travelling around had worn off, no one was batting an eye. Bastila hadn't had the heart to reduce the serpent to her normal size, and with the protective spell she had cast over her, Salvia Hexia, and a great many others she had learned since the first task, Nyssa was now impervious to most magic and non-magic attacks.
With her whole life now close to perfect, (Minus Draco's avoidance) Bastila threw herself into her classes, and had even spoken with Professor Dumbledore about picking up a new one: Care of Magical Creatures.
After the first class with Hagrid, the class immediately became one of Bastila's favorites. She was fascinated by all the different creatures the Wizarding world had to offer, and was surprised to find that all the mythical creatures she'd read about as a child in the muggle world were in fact real. Centaurs, Unicorns, Mermaids and too many others. This led to Bastila spending a great deal of time at Hagrids house. They were occassionally joined by Nyssa, who often took to roaming the Forbidden Forest. (Bastila couldn't convince Daphne to go with her, as Daphne had claimed an inexplicable fear of magical creatures brought on by seeing Bastila fight the Dragon in the first task.)
Which also meant that Bastila was having to spend time with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Alone. Bastila didn't mind Hermione, or even Harry, but Ron Weasley grated on her nerves like no other. Though she did get pleasure out of Ron's fearful behavior whenever Nyssa was around.
In no time at all, snow, ice and chilly winds had descended upon Hogwarts. Winter had arrived, and with it, Christmas. It was the day before the Christmas Holidays (Which would last two weeks) when the announcement was made: Hogwarts would be hosting a Ball, called the Yule Ball, and the Champions were required to attend. They were also required to have dance partners, since it was traditional for the Champions to open the dance.
The announcement of the ball caused something of a panic in Harry and Ron, who were worried about their abilities to find dates, while Hermione was oddly quiet and secretive about her own date, or lack of.
But for Bastila and Daphne, they didn't worry at all. It was a given that they would be going to the Yule Ball together, and Bastila was excited to no end about it. Drinks, music, and dancing in the arms of the girl she loved on Christmas Eve! However, there was still one small problem for Bastila.
"I don't have a dress."
Severus looked up from the potion he was brewing to find his adopted daughter standing before him, staring at him coolly. "I presume that statement relates to the announcement of the Yule Ball this morning?" He replied with an amused smirk. Bastila could never keep her composure around him, and Severus knew it.
Sure enough, Bastila found her lips twisting into a smile, and her eyes glittered warmly. "You presume correct! So, where do Witches get fancy dresses in the Wizarding world? Or am I going to need to pass all the way back into the muggle world and find a shopping mall?"
"Diagon-"
"Don't say it!" Bastila cried, exasperated. "Is that seriously the only place in Britain for magical people to go shopping? It's not even that big of an alley!"
Severus laughed softly, something that was becoming increasingly easier to do around Bastila. "Then I shan't say it, my child. Though it isn't the only place in our world to shop, it is the most prominent and well known." He resumed stirring his cauldron.
Bastila glanced at the contents of the cauldron, then smiled. "Blood-Replenishing Potion. Is someone hurt?"
Severus returned her smile. "Very good. There's no need to worry, however. This potion is not for anyone in particular, it is merely going to be placed into my private stores. It is never wrong to be prepared."
"Speaking of preparations...My dress?" Bastila raised an expectant eyebrow.
Severus's smirk returned. "I hadn't forgotten. I will speak with the Headmaster about taking you to Diagon Alley-" Bastila swore. "-To have you fitted with a dress during the Christmas break."
"Wonderful! Thank you!" Severus braced himself against Bastila's fierce embrace and gushing, but returned the hug nonetheless.
"Now, have you discovered a way to open the golden egg?" Severus asked as they drew apart.
Bastila let out a sigh of frustration at the mention of the egg. "Not yet. I've tried millions of spells, I've tried breaking it, I've tried everything!"
Severus raised an eyebrow at that. "You tried to break it?"
"It was a last ditch effort!"
"The answer will come to you in time. Don't worry." Severus paused. "Try to remember to keep the egg with you at all times. You might very well come up with the answer to opening it at the most...Unlikely of times."
"Not you too. You sound like Professor Dumbledore! He's always so CRYPTIC!" Bastila complained. Bastila saw something flicker in Severus's eyes for the briefest of moments, and then it was gone.
"Yes, the Headmaster does have a tendency to shroud himself in secrecy and riddles." He said, his voice all of a sudden carefully neutral. Then the warmth returned. "You have Care of Magical Creatures very shortly. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be late, given how much of an interest you've taken in it."
"Hagrid will forgive me for being late. I need to talk to you about one last thing though." Bastila answered, not moving from where she stood. In fact, she was visibly nervous. She toyed with her hair as she tried to work out what to say. Severus just waited patiently, not saying a word. Finally Bastila said, "You know the Christmas Holidays start tomorrow. I was wondering if I'd be spending it with you. At Snape Manor."
Severus met her eyes and smiled. "I was hoping to discuss this with you as well. I think it would be...Prudent for you to spend the Christmas Holidays here at Hogwarts." At Bastila's dismayed look, Severus hastened to explain further. "It is not that I do not wish to spend the Holidays with you! It is just that Snape Manor isn't yet an appropriate place for me to raise a teenage girl. It is not clean, it is not organized, it has hardly any lights or foods you would like. And that is not to mention that a room for you needs to be prepared."
Bastila smiled with relief. "So your mansion is smelly and gross, and you don't think a girl like me could live there?" She teased.
Severus's nostrils flared before returning to normal. "If you want to say it like that...Yes. I was hoping to make the Manor more fitting for you over the year and then move you in at the start of Summer. It was also supposed to be a surprise." He finished with a mutter, looking put out.
"Blue."
Severus's face showed his confusion. "What?"
"When you get me a bed, the sheets and blankets and pillows, it all needs to be blue. Blue is my favorite color." Bastila answered, supressing a giggle.
"Whatever you desire." Severus replied sincerely. He again reminded Bastila about her Care of Magical Creatures Class, and Bastila gave him one last hug before reluctantly leaving the dungeons.
When Bastila arrived at Hagrid's Hut for class, it was to find Hagrid (Along with the usual odd assortment of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors) gathered around the Blast-ended Skrewts they'd been caring for. Blast-Ended Skrewts were hybrid creatures bred by Hagrid. They had six legs at odd angles and could shoot sparks out of their backsides that propelled them forward. The males had stingers and the females had suckers on their body to suck blood. The skrewts didn't hibernate during winter.
"Hello Hagrid." Bastila greeted the large man, who she'd long suspected was half giant, not that that made a difference to their friendship. "Sorry I'm late, I had to talk to my dad about the Yule Ball and Christmas Break and...Sorry."
"Ah 's alright Bastila." Hagrid waved her apology away with his large hand. "Jus' get to caring for yer Skrewt, eh?" He said with a grin.
"Have you seen Nyssa around?" Bastila asked curiously.
"Matter o' fact I did. Saw her 'bout an hour ago heading inter the Forbidden Forest. She likes spending her time in there." Hagrid replied, chuckling.
Bastila nodded her thanks and began work on her "Assignment" with great enthusiasm.
The end of class came quickly, and with it the end of the school day. Bastila found herself trudging through the snowy grounds of Hogwarts back up to the castle with her classmates. They were all glad to be away from the Skrewts, except Bastila, who was only happy to be out of the cold.
Climbing through the portrait into the Slytherin dormitory was the most wonderful thing for Bastila. She wasted no time in sitting in one of the plush armchairs in front of the fireplace. Bastila and just one other Slytherin girl were the only ones in the common room, since everyone else had gone home for Christmas break. To Bastila's immense joy, the other Slytherin was Daphne Greengrass.
"You're not going home to your family?" Bastila asked tentatively as Daphne sat in her lap and wrapped her arms around her neck.
"You're not going home to yours?" Daphne countered, giving Bastila a quick kiss on the lips.
Bastila submitted to the kiss for a moment, then pulled back and shook her head. "Daddy says the Manor isn't an appropriate place for a teenage girl. He'll have it ready by the time Summer comes."
"He's right you know. He probably has all sorts of dark artifacts laying around." Daphne said with a laugh.
"At least he'll be getting rid of them now. Let's watch his mood improve drastically. I've read that continued exposure to dark artifacts and dark magic turns the person themselves dark. It seduces them."
"That explains you and me." Daphne said, breaking out into giggles.
"What do you mean?"
"Your blood family is dark, my blood family is dark, we can't help but be drawn to one another!" Daphne explained through fits of laughter.
Alone in the common room, the girls laughed and talked all through the night, lapsing into silence only to move up to the dorm room, where they climbed into bed together. Despite this, it was a long time until they finally fell asleep.
Bastila awoke on the first day of Christmas break to find Daphne had already awoken and had left the dormitory. Bastila felt a tiny pang of hurt at this, but then ruthlessly crushed it beneath thoughts of all the kinds of fun and joy she was going to have with Daphne during the break. Bastila dressed quickly, brushed her hair and went down into the common room. Not finding Daphne there, Bastila figured she had gone to breakfast, and went to the Great Hall.
There, Bastila found nearly every Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff at their tables. There were also Beuxbatons and Durmstrang students here and there. All the teachers were at the Head table, as usual. Apparently almost everyone had decided to stay for the Yule Ball. There was only one student seated at the Slytherin House table.
Daphne.
Bastila walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down next to her, then gave her a quick and passionate kiss before helping herself to breakfast.
"Hey, you." Daphne giggled, giving Bastila's thigh a squeeze. "Sorry I didn't wait up. I was just so hungry!"
Bastila rolled her eyes. "A likely story." She replied in between bites of muffin.
"A true story." Daphne shot back, her eyes light with amusement.
"Have you seen Nyssa around?" Bastila asked.
"If I have, she's gone invisible again." Daphne answered with a smirk.
Bastila laughed, spitting muffin bits everywhere. "You could have just said no!"
"That wouldn't have been as fun."
"True." Agreed Bastila. "So what do you want to do today?"
Daphne just shrugged. "I was hoping you'd have an idea."
"Well..." Bastila said thoughtfully. "Have you ever had a snowball fight?"
Daphne shook her head in confusion. "Is that a Muggle thing?"
"I guess so! I haven't seen any magical people doing it. But it's a really fun Muggle thing!" Bastila said excitedly. "I used to have them all the time with a friend in the Muggle world!"
"So, right after breakfast?" Bastila added, reigning herself in.
Daphne smiled widely and kissed Bastila's cheek. "Right after breakfast. If it's really so fun, then I can hardly wait."
Half an hour later, they were down at the lake in the snowy, cold weather. (Bastila had insisted on going back to the dormitory to pick up her golden egg.)
"Why again, did you need to bring that?" Daphne asked, pointing to the egg Bastila had in her arms.
Bastila just rolled her eyes. "Because, my dad said to keep the egg with me at all times. He said I might find a way to open it at the strangest of times. A snowball fight down by the lake seems like a pretty weird time for that to happen, don't you think?"
"Uh-Huh."
"Snowball fight time!"
"Bas! I don't even know what to do!" Daphne cried, holding up her hands helplessly.
Bastila smiled patiently and set her egg on the ground. "I'll show you." She then bent down, scooped up snow in her gloved hands, pressed it together carefully and showed it to Daphne. "Snowball, see."
"That's it? A ball of snow?" Daphne said, her voice full of disdain.
Bastila grinned. "What else did you expect from a SNOW BALL?"
"Okay, how do we fight with snow?" Said Daphne, throwing up her hands in exasperation.
"Like this!" Bastila tossed her snowball at her Girlfriend and laughed maniacally when it hit her right in the face.
Daphne stood silently for a moment, then broke into laughter herself. "You're kidding! That's so stupid!"
"It's FUN stupid!" Bastila countered, starting her work on another snowball. When she was finished, Daphne gave her a weary look, but Bastila just stepped up to Daphne and handed her the snowball. "Your turn. You get a free hit!"
Daphne shook her head, muttering about how incredibly stupid snowballs were before she raised her arm and- Daphne pressed the snowball against Bastila's chest and let it fall down into her sweater. Daphne stood back, laughing as she watched Bastila hop around like a frog as she tried to get the freezing snow out of her shirt.
"You are so evil!" Bastila cried after she'd freed her breasts of the snow.
"I'm a Slytherin." Daphne replied, smiling sweetly as she held up another snowball.
"You're going down!" Bastila quickly made her own snowballs, though she was struck in the butt by two of Daphnes' during that time.
Soon the snow battle was on in full. With the girls running around each other, using an old tree to hide behind, and snowballs being thrown with abandon. It wasn't long before it escalated to incorporating magic. They were able to levitate and aim several snowballs at once, and Bastila had even created what she affectionately called "Snow waves" which were exactly what they sounded like. Daphne had to throw up shield charms every time these came her way, least she be swept away in the currents of snow.
It wasn't until a few hours later that the fight was called to a halt in favor of lunch, and they returned to the castle and entered the Great Hall to eat. Bastila spent most of the lunch hour talking to people. First with Daphne, then with Severus and Dumbledore at the Staff table. With Severus, their talk was about potions and schoolwork, as usual. Bastila knew full well at this point that her adoptive father wasn't the type for small talk. But at the same time, she could tell that he sometimes at least tried. Bastila's conversation with the Headmaster was entirely different. It was about Tom Riddle and his childhood. Since only few knew that Voldemort was once a boy named Tom Riddle, Bastila was free to talk about Tom with Dumbledore.
Before she and Daphne went back out to the lake again, Bastila had asked Severus and Dumbledore about going to Diagon Alley for her dress. Dumbledore had told Bastila that she and Severus would be able to go the next day, a Sunday. When Bastila had then asked Daphne if she'd like to come, Daphne had said she already had her Ball outfit. Which lead to Bastila pestering her for the next hour or two about what her dress looked like. Daphne refused to budge, however, and would only say that Bastila could see it on the night of the Yule ball, so Bastila soon dropped the matter.
Still, it was a very happy Bastila that accompanied Daphne back to the lakeside. Once there, Bastila proposed yet another "Crazy Muggle idea" as Daphne called it.
"Ice skating!" Bastila declared. Looking out at the lake, she could tell that it was definitely solid enough. And if it wasn't, Bastila could reinforce it with a quick cast of Duro, or one of her more recently learned spells: Glacius. The freezing spell. Glacius, when used, would conjure ice from the tip of the wand, which in turn could extinguish fires, create ice blocks and cool off fire salamanders. The spell was also capable of freezing several feet of water solid within seconds. All in all, it was one of the more practical and useful spells Bastila had learned since coming to Hogwarts.
When Bastila explained the concept of ice skating to Daphne, Daphne had surprisingly expressed interest in it, but pointed out the problem of not having ice skating boots. Bastila, on a spur of the moment decision, sat on the snowy ground and took her boots off. She pointed her wand at the bottom of one and concentrated her magic, visualizing the shining metal forming along it, willing her magic to make ice skate blades just like the ones she'd had when she used to ice skate as a child.
A few seconds passed before, remarkably, liquid metal appeared on the bottom of the boot. Bastila watched in awe as the metal twisted and elongated before solidifying into ice skating blades. Bastila gave a whoop of delight, and shot a quick grin at Daphne, who looked completely dumbstruck.
"Close your mouth before I decide to kiss it." Bastila teased.
"You just keep amazing me with what you can do." Daphne replied, giving a rare blush.
Bastila just smiled, then started doing the same metal forming technique with her other boot. She put them on and tested them for a moment, then had Daphne sit down so she could create hers as well. When Bastila was done she cast the freezing charm on the lake, completely solidifying a sizable amount of water. Looking it over, she was satisfied with her work. She now had a large pond sized area of icy surface to work with.
Taking hold of Daphnes' arm, Bastila led her out onto the ice. Keeping hold to be sure Daphne wouldn't fall, she began to glide around the ice.
"This is fun." Daphne commented, giving an uncertain smile. "It feels like flying, almost."
"It's supposed to. If you let yourself get lost in the feelings and the movements it's amazing." Bastila said, smiling brightly. "Here, watch me." She let go of Daphne and glided to the edge of the ice, then she turned around and went back the other way. She rocked her feet and hips, gaining momentum as she glided across the ice. Then she lifted a leg up and did a complete twirl, ballerina style, before sliding to a halt in front of Daphne.
"It's sort of a dance." Bastila breathed as she took hold of Daphne again. Standing so close and looking into her eyes, Bastila couldn't resist leaning in and kissing her passionately.
"That was..Beautiful." Said Daphne, gesturing toward the ice marks Bastila had left from her spin. Her eyes were shining, and her face was lit up by a warm smile. "You used to do that in the Muggle world?"
"Not so much lately...But when I was younger, yes." Bastila answered, thinking back to her childhood. It seemed like a lifetime ago. And that almost frightened her.
"Of course. I almost forgot, coma girl." Daphne teased.
"I'm your coma girl." That earned Bastila a kiss on the lips, and she grinned broadly.
"My turn to go ice skating. I want to see if I can preform that spin you did!"
"Alright." Bastila grinned. "Ten Galleons says you fall on your butt though!"
Daphne matched Bastilas' grin as she began to glide away over the ice. "You'll regret those words, sweetie."
Bastila stared hard at the ground. She clenched her wand tighter while her mind went through every spell she knew. If she was going to die, then she was going out with a bang. She looked at Voldemort, right into his evil red eyes.
Voldemort cried out, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" quicker than Bastila could ever have anticipated. There was a flash of green light, and then a jet of green lightning came flying her way.
Bastila's mind was frozen. Everything was in slow motion now as she thought furiously about how to keep that lightning bolt from striking her...
Her mind clicked, and a wall of pure ice simply appeared in front of her. The ice wall shattered in the next instant when the killing curse struck it, but Bastila was still standing. Still living.
Time started up again, and Bastila was already on the move. She threw herself sideways behind a headstone and looked around desperately for Harry and Cedric as she listened for the approaching footsteps of Voldemort-
Bastila woke up screaming and fighting against the blankets and the arms wrapped around her. Bastila clawed herself free after a moment and fell, hard, off her bed. Her head hit the nightstand, and Bastila heard her wand clatter to the floor in the dark. As she sat there in a daze, hearing the concerned voice of Daphne, Bastila became aware of where she really was.
She was in the Slytherin dormitory at Hogwarts, and it was the middle of the night.
"Bas, are you alright?"
Bastila grabbed her wand and got to her feet, rubbing her forehead where it had struck the nightstand. 'Lumos' She thought absently, causing the tip of her wand to light up and illuminate the entire dormitory room. Then she sat on the bed beside Daphne, letting herself be pulled into a loving hug. It was a long time before they spoke again. Bastila just sat there in Daphne's arms, with Daphne stroking her hair and murmuring words of comfort.
"Was it about your mother?" Daphne whispered softly after around half an hour had passed. They were laying back down again. Bastila was still in Daphne's arms, laying on her chest.
Bastila had finally calmed down enough to speak, and her voice trembled when she said, "No...It was something else this time."
"You don't have to tell me." Daphne replied quietly.
Bastila was quiet again for a few seconds. Then she relaxed further into Daphne's arms with a sigh. "I was in a graveyard. I was surrounded by Death Eaters...And, HE was there. Voldemort. I was dueling him, and I..I was so terrified and it all felt so REAL! I was there, Daphne, I could feel the cold air and I could...I was there. So were Harry and Cedric. We were all THERE!"
Daphne tightened her hold on Bastila, though from stress or in an attempt at comfort, Bastila couldn't tell. "Oh, I'm sorry Bas...That's awful." Breathed Daphne. "But it was a dream, that's all. Everything's okay, Bas. And hey, the Yule Ball is tomorrow night!"
Bastila finally brightened at mention of the Ball. "I'll get to see your dress, right? The one you haven't let me see or have any information about at all for...Oh, about two weeks?"
Daphne gave a short laugh. "Of course you'll get to see it. I'm not showing up to the Ball naked."
"That wouldn't be too bad..."
"For you, maybe."
As the evening of the Yule Ball arrived, the air in the Slytherin common room was full of nervousness and anticipation. Chief source of these feelings was Bastila Phoenix, though she kept it hidden beneath her usual air of coolness and no one was any the wiser about what was really happening inside her head.
She'd never been to a dance in her life, and she'd been stressing herself to death over the fear that she'd do something wrong. Maybe spill a drink on someone, or trip during a waltz or even tear her dress open! What an embarrassment that would be!
Severus entered the common room while Bastila was in the middle of her mental gymnastics, and he spared her a kind smile, as if he knew what she was thinking right then. Bastila thought that was very possible, given his mastery of Legillimency.
"I have been instructed by the Headmaster to bring the lot of you to the Great Hall. The Ball is about to begin. Follow me." Severus addressed the crowd of finely dressed students.
Bastila immediately dashed up to the dormitory room, nearly tripping on the floor-length, strapless, moon blue dress she now wore. Idiot, she cursed herself mentally. Her hands shot up to check that her silky smooth, shining black hair was undisturbed before she pushed the door open and walked into the girls dormitory.
When she entered the room, she was met with the sight of her Girlfriend. Except that she was nearly unrecognizable as Daphne Greengrass.
Daphne's blonde/white hair had been tied up into a ponytail, and she wore a sleek black dress that hugged her body tightly in all the right places. Bastila was struck speechless, and a part of her thought that Daphne had to have incredible guts to wear something so snug and slim! Bastila's own dress was puffy and wide, with the aim of NOT doing exactly what Daphne's dress was doing for its wearer.
"You look gorgeous!" Bastila exclaimed, getting her mind back under control as Daphne approached with a magnificent smile.
Daphne, in typical Daphne fashion, rebuked the compliment. "Not as gorgeous as you! I can't wait to get you out of that dress!"
Bastila felt the heat rising in her cheeks, but she grinned nonetheless. "Wow, you're already thinking about after the Ball?" She teased, taking Daphne's hand and leading her back into the common room.
"I like to plan ahead." Daphne replied as she was dragged down the stairs.
"Yeah well...You should try to plan for the here and now, just for tonight." Bastila said back, smiling brightly. "There's only one Yule Ball, if the books about Wizarding History are correct."
"Funny, it looks like you're planning ahead." Said Daphne, pointing to the wand holster strapped to Bastila's forearm.
"It's just in case." Bastila said in a quiet voice. "After what happened with Crouch Jr...I'm not taking chances. I guess I'm a little paranoid. But being around all those people at the Ball..." Bastila had bought the wand holster during her trip to Diagon Alley when she had gotten her dress, but she'd never told Severus the reason: She didn't think Voldemort was the type to give up after one failed plan. Surely he'd find some other way to get at her and Harry. And a crowded Ball full of unsuspecting students and staff was the perfect place to strike. As for Bastila's wand holster, the holster was magically charmed so that no one but her could touch it and remove the wand. It was charmed to be feather weightless, and Bastila could also cast a disillusionment charm on it if she wanted to. Though she knew she'd feel better having it in sight.
"I understand. I'm bringing mine too." Daphne said quickly, flashing Bastila a comforting smile. She pulled up her dress to reveal a wand holster strapped to her left thigh, then dropped her dress back down again. "Hexes will be cast if anybody tries to screw with you, or me for that matter."
Bastila smiled. "Thanks for understanding."
When Bastila and Daphne joined the other Slytherins, Severus finally led them out of the dungeons to the entrance hall. Students from all the Houses were milling about, and soon after that they were joined by the Durmstrang and Beuxbatons students.
"Champions over here, please!" Professor McGonagall called.
"See you in a minute." Bastila said to Severus with a shrug. After getting a bemused look from Sev, Bastila and Daphne headed over to McGonagall and the other Champions with swan-like grace.
Finally, the champions were led into the Great Hall. But, like Daphne, it wasn't entirely recognizable. The walls of The Great Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. Bastila could see several people already making note of where the mistletoe was placed. The House Tables had vanished. Instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.
Bastila wasn't entirely sure what to think about the judges. Dumbledore was smiling benignly at the Champions, while Karkaroff wore a sulky expression not unlike the one that frequented Severus's face during potions class. Ludo Bagman was clad in robes of bright purple with large yellow stars, and was clapping more enthusiastically then many of the students. Madame Maxime had, for once, changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, and was applauding politely. But Barty Crouch Senior wasn't there. Instead, the Head Boy of Gryffindor, Percy Weasley was holding out the chair beside him to Harry Potter. He wore brand-new, navy blue dress robes and was smiling smugly as Harry sat down next to him.
"So, er, when do we get food?" Bastila asked as she and Daphne sat at a table of their own. Bastila was starving. The golden plates before them were empty, but each of them had a small menu. Setting the example, Dumbledore looked from his menu to his plate and said, "Pork chops!" Pork chops appeared. The rest of the hall began placing their orders with their plates.
"Excuse me, is there room for one more here?" A low voice said in Bastila's ear.
Bastila felt ripples of fear and panic go through her body. Her mind was awash with terror as she jumped in her seat, her wand sliding out of its holster and into her waiting palm. She was on her feet and spun around in an instant. She shoved out with her hand, hard, catching whoever it was in the chest, a move that sent the assailant reeling backwards and landing on the hard stone floor with a heavy thud. Bastila's wand was aimed down at the person before she could even think.
The inhabitants of the Great Hall nearest Bastila were quiet, and McGonagall was on her feet as well scolding sharply, "Miss Phoenix, what do you think you're doing?! Put that wand away!"
Finally, Bastila's mind caught up with her body, and she realized who it was she had just shoved and nearly cursed into oblivion. Still trembling with adrenaline and fear, she raised her arm parellel with her body, letting her wand slip down into the holster and lock back into place. She bent over and helped Draco Malfoy to his feet, apologizing repeatedly to him even as she still trembled and felt her heart seized by fear that wouldn't leave.
Draco just scowled. "Glad to see your reflexes haven't faded. I was wondering if I could sit with you and Greengrass." He looked down for a moment, then back up. "I know I've been avoiding you since the day of the first task, and... Sorry, Phoenix."
"Right, okay. Apology accepted! Go right ahead. Sit." Bastila said quickly, sitting down again and gesturing for Draco to do the same. Her throat felt strange, and she felt upset and tearful, though she was doing her utmost best to hide it from everyone around her.
Daphne moved over grudgingly to allow Draco to sit between her and Bastila.
McGonagall, seeing that the situation was resolved, simply seated herself once more, her eyes sharp, her nostrils flaring.
Severus, however, came swooping over to Bastila, his calculating eyes full of concern. "Are you alright? You appear to be quite...Unnerved." Severus said softly, leaning down to look her in the eyes while he spoke to her.
Bastila smiled weakly, balling her hands into fists and trying desperately to stop her body from shaking. She couldn't stop the water in her eyes, however, and a few small tears fell down her cheeks. What in the world was wrong with her?! She was going to pieces over Draco? "I'm okay. I guess...Maybe. Damnit." She whispered, looking down at her clenched fists and shaking knees.
Bastila looked cautiously at Daphne out of the corner of her eye, half expecting her to whip out her wand and hex Draco, given the furious look on her face. Severus's hand on Bastila's knee brought her attention back to him.
"Do you need to leave the Great Hall to collect yourself?" Severus asked, his face now showing his worry and alarm openly.
"No!" Bastila protested, her voice a little louder than she'd intended. Several people stared at her.
Severus sighed and reached into his cloak, from which he drew out a little vial full of a blue potion. He pulled off the stopper and held it in front of Bastila. "Then I suggest you drink this. It is a Calming Draught." He said kindly. "It will allow you to regain control of yourself within moments."
Bastila accepted the potion and drank it down before handing the vial back to Severus. Sure enough, Bastila felt an eerie sense of peace and calmness descend over her mind within the next few seconds. She smiled gratefully and hugged Severus. "Thanks."
"It was not a problem." Severus replied, smiling back. Though his eyes still regarded her with concern. He stood straight and stepped away before heading back to the Teachers table with Dumbledore and McGonagall.
As Bastila ordered her food and chatted with Daphne and Draco (After having assured them she was indeed fine now) Bastila could hear McGonagall's harsh words to Severus a few feet away.
"I cannot believe you, Severus! How can you not punish the girl?! She assaulted Mr. Malfoy and nearly cursed him!" Said McGonagall furiously.
Severus remained calm in the face of McGonagall's wrath, and Dumbledore just sat with his usual twinkling eyes moving between the two teachers.
"If you knew anything about the sufferings children often undergo in life, you would have realized that my daughter suffered an automatic bodily reaction. It was an instant defense undertaken by her mind without any concious thought in reaction to a threat." Severus said calmly.
"A THREAT?" McGongall screeched. "Good heavens, Severus, I hardly consider a fourth year to be-"
"You foolish woman! Do you not realize what my daughter is going through?!" Severus snapped, his eyes blazing. "I have seen what just occurred with her in many children before her! It is an instinct, a pure reflex brought about in children who have undergone intense traumatic events too terrible for the mind to even cope with! It is no more preventable or thought about than blinking every time the sun strikes your eyes!"
McGongall was quiet now and her eyes were wide. "Surely you are not saying that your daughter has been-" She began quietly.
"I'm not sure." Severus cut her off quickly, his eyes troubled. "But what we have just witnessed with her is, as I said, quite common in children who have been...Mistreated. I am quite surprised, however, not to have seen any such signs before this evening. I will endeavor to pay closer attention to her."
That was the point in which Bastila stopped eavesdropping. She'd heard enough. She hadn't been abused, she thought furiously. She was just on her guard against Death Eaters and other people who wanted nothing more than to kill her! What was so wrong about that? Bastila's anger at what she'd overheard vanished quickly, however, as she started to bite into her steak and potatoes and began to chat with her friends again.
She had to admit, she'd really missed Draco.
An hour passed, and the tables were cleared away. The Great Hall was turned into a dance floor, and a stage was made. A Witch musical group called the Weird Sisters went up on the stage and began playing, and Bastila had to admit they weren't half bad. Bastila listened to the slow song for a minute before she realized she and Daphne were supposed to be dancing, along with the other Champions and their partners who were already out on the floor. She seized Daphne's hand and led her into the center of the Great Hall, feeling happier than she ever had in her entire life.
The two easily slipped together, but for a few seconds Bastila just stood staring at Daphne. Realizing her date had no idea how to dance, Daphne took Bastila's hand and placed it gently on her waist, gripping the other with her own hand. She steered, so that all Bastila had to do was revolve slowly on the spot. Several teachers had now joined them: Dumbledore was dancing with Madame Maxime, and even Moody was dancing, if rather ungainly, with Professor Sinistra. Bastila's right hand holding Daphne's waist, the left holding her hand as they danced in a circle, Daphne's free hand slowly slid down Bastila's lower back, coming to rest a few centimeters above her butt. Bastila could feel Daphne's fingers on the top of her butt, though Bastila didn't comment on it and merely praised herself for picking the style of dress that she had. Due to the tumescent nature of her dress, it would be very difficult for any onlookers to tell just where Daphne's hand was positioned on her body.
Bastila lost herself to the dance as she stared into Daphne's eyes, grinning like an idiot. Bastila didn't care, though. This was her dream come true! Feeling more confident, Bastila stepped up closer to Daphne and started to lead them around the dance floor, maneuvering around the other dancers.
"You should have told me you had no idea how to dance!" Daphne exclaimed as a way of breaking the silence, grinning as well. "I could have saved you from looking so stupid!"
"Way to rub it in." Bastila replied, giggling a little. "I'm sorry I never took dance lessons as a child. I guess you have, though. You seem to know what you're doing."
"It's a pureblood thing." Daphne sighed, her grin fading a little. "We're taught to be perfect, proper supremacists. Which means dinner parties and dances with other blood supremacists."
"Hey, at least it means we get to dance together." Said Bastila cheerfully.
Daphne smiled at that. "I suppose that's a good way to look at it."
They continued to dance across the floor until the song ended. Another song started up, though, which brought about quick, energetic dancing that Bastila really didn't care for. Some of the tables were set up in the entrance hall, which was where Bastila and Daphne found themselves after nearly an hour of dancing. They sat together, just talking, joking and laughing and having a very good time. Soon after, Bastila suggested they go for a walk out on the grounds, and Daphne readily agreed.
"You'd think there would be a spell to clear out hot air." Bastila said, sighing gratefully as they walked through the courtyard in the cool of night.
"Maybe you should invent one." Daphne teased.
Bastila instantly stopped and turned to face Daphne. "Invent a spell?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"Yeah. How do you think the Wizarding world gets spells in the first place? It's not like they're just there. Spells go in and out of style like anything else; People make new ones all the time." Daphne said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Bastila's mind reeled, wondering why she'd never thought about this in all her time in the Wizarding world. "Do you know how that would work?"
Daphne shook her head. "How to create a spell? Not me, no. You could find some spell inventor and ask them if you really wanted to find out."
"Or read a book about it..." Bastila said thoughtfully, resuming her walk through the courtyard. Then again, she already had so many books right now that she could hardly keep track of them. Learning about the Wizarding world wasn't an easy task.
"You read way too much already!" Daphne said teasingly. "Why add more books to your growing collection?"
Bastila was quiet as they reached the edge of the courtyard. She looked out over the grounds, and her eyes were drawn to the frozen lake. The site of so many good memories.
"You okay?" Daphne asked, bringing Bastila out of her remembrance.
Daphne was looking at her closely. Bastila smiled and took her hand without thinking. "Just remembering all the good times. All the love, joy, and..Everything really. My life has never been better since joining the Wizarding world. It's like..." Bastila paused, searching for the right words to express herself. "It's as if my whole life was a dream, in the Muggle world, and now that I'm here...I've woken up. I feel brighter, better...More real."
Daphne lay a hand on Bastila's cheek and drew her into a long kiss. "That's because this is where you truly belong." She whispered to Bastila after they pulled apart, her eyes sparkling with tenderness. Bastila leaned in to return the kiss, but a loud bang followed by the appearance of a man swathed in a heavy black cloak caused both of them to jump apart.
He reached out and grabbed hold of Bastila's arms without a word. Bastila resisted, and Daphne drew her wand on the man. But before Daphne could do anything, the world fell into chaos for Bastila.
Everything around her began to spin and twist, color and light flashed around her, and then just as suddenly it all stopped. Bastila found herself rolling across the ground, but it was snow and grass rather than the stone of the Hogwarts courtyard. Her dress was smeared with green, was soaked with mud and snow and it was thoroughly disheveled, but she figured that was the least of her worries.
She leapt to her feet when she finally stopped rolling, her wand sprang into her hand as she looked around wildly, trying to figure out just where the man had brought her.
Her eyes now fully adjusted to the sudden darkness, Bastila could now see exactly where she was.
And then her heart stopped.