Harry settled into a seat at the foot of the bed across from Ella's bed. Her family was standing all around the room, contentedly. Hermione was sitting next to Harry as he began to tell the story. "It was then my turn, I stood up and I waited for the whistle. When it came, I went out and saw everything in front of me," he started off. "I looked for the Golden Egg and it was sitting in the middle of the stadium. I saw the Horntail at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over the rocks, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon me, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, leaving yard-long gouge marks into the hard ground." Ella could tell that it was going to take time for him to tell the story but she had all the time in the world to hear him say it. Harry took a deep breath and began again, "I didn't want to look at the crowd but I heard them. I put the noise out of my mind and focused on the task at hand. It spit out fire and I hid behind a rock. I wasn't sure as to what to do at first. I was only permitted a wand, then I remembered that I could use a Summoning Spell. I've vaguely heard Hermione say 'Your wand, Harry. Your wand,'" he said as he smiled at her. She smiled back. Edward whispered to her what Hermione was thinking and it made Ella smile at what Hermione thought. "Then I raised my wand and shouted, 'Accio Firebolt!' I just sat there behind the rock, hoping and praying. I looked behind it and saw it coming. It was speeding through the air and turned an edge and stopped in midair near me. I mounted onto it and kicked off from the ground. A second later, something miraculous happened… I soared upward and I saw the Horntail shrank into a size of a dog. I felt like I was back in a game of Quidditch," he said, smiling ruefully. "I looked down and saw where the egg was. I was thinking about diversionary tactics. I dived. The Horntail's head followed me. I knew what it was going to do and pulled out of the dive just in time; a jet of fire had been released exactly where I would have been had I not swerved away. I soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following me; its head revolving on its long neck.

"I plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but I nearly missed the flames but the tail came whipping up to meet me instead and I swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed my shoulder, ripping my robe, but I didn't care. I wasn't thinking about it. Now I zoomed around back of the Horntail and it occurred to me that the Horntail didn't want to take off because she was too protective of the egg. I thought of something that will make her leave the egg. I had to do it carefully and gradually. I began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave me off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on me. Her head swayed this way and that, watching me out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared… I still flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with me, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, like a snake before its charmer. I rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. I was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat, her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now… she shot fire into the air which I dodged… I could tell that her jaws opened wide. And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane and I dived. Before the dragon knew what I had done, or where I had disappeared to, I was speeding towards the ground as fast as I could go, toward the egg now unprotected by her clawed front legs, I took my hands off the Firebolt and seized the golden egg. With a huge spurt of speed, I was off and soaring out over the stands, the egg was safely tucked under my arm. For the first time, I heard the crowd, who was just screaming and applauding for me as loud as they could. I never felt like that before!" he said as he explained what happened.

"Well, I'm glad that you're safe from the first task and that you've completed it. You did get checked up, correct?"

"Um… yes," Harry hesitated.

"Harry, I know that you asked Carlisle to check up on you," she said smiling. Harry nodded and smiled. There was a knock at the door and everyone saw that it was Ron. "Come on in, Ron. I'm sure that you want to talk to Harry about something. Am I right?"

He nodded and turned to Harry. He pulled Harry away for a bit of privacy and said, "I reckon you have to be barking mad to put your name in the Goblet of Fire." Hermione stood up and went to the table next to Ella's bed and poured some water into a cup.

"Caught on, have you? Took you long enough."

"I wasn't the only one who thought you'd done it. Everyone was saying it behind your back," he said.

"Brilliant, that makes me feel loads better," he replied.

"Least I warned you about the dragons," he said.

"Hagrid warned me about the dragons," Harry pointed out.

"No, no, no, I did. No, don't you remember? I told Hermione to tell you that Seamus told me that Parvati told Dean that Hagrid was looking for you. Seamus never actually told me anything, so it was really me all along. I thought we'd be all right, you know, after you'd figure that out," he explained.

"Who-? Who could possibly figure that out? That's completely mental," Harry said.

"Yeah, isn't it? I supposed I was a bit distraught," he replied.

"Boys," Hermione said. Ella smiled.

"We'll never understand, Hermione. It's one of the mysteries in life," Ella informed her.

"Ah, but women are just as mysterious to us as we are to you," Edward replied, smiling.

It was morning and everyone was eating lunch. The Cullens had made their entrance known in the Great Hall. Harry heard the commotion and looked at the entrance. He smiled and got up. He walked over to where Ella was standing. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor McGonagall needed my assistance today and I have plenty of energy for it, but I wanted to come here first. Did you finish eating your breakfast, Harry?" she asked as she saw him wiping his mouth.

"Could you sit with me?"

"Of course, Harry," she said. Harry led her to where he was sitting. Edward had sat across from her and next to Hermione who was reading the newspaper.

Hermione was frustrated, "Look at this! I can't believe it! She's done it again. 'Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl seems to be developing a taste for famous wizards. Her latest prey, sources report is none other than the Bulgarian bonbon, Viktor Krum. No word yet on how Harry Potter's taking this latest emotional blow.'" She was fuming at the article that Rita had written about her.

At that time a young boy had approached Ron, "Parcel for you, Mr. Weasley."

"Thank you, Nigel," he said as he accepted the parcel from him. The young boy stood there, looking at Harry. Hermione looked at Ron and cleared her throat. "Not now, Nigel. Later. Go on," he said as he tried to dismiss him away. Nigel walked away, looking a bit distraught. He looked at Hermione who was looking at him with some disgust. "I told him I'd get him Harry's autograph." He looked at parcel heading and said, "Oh look, Mum's sent me something," opened the gift and said, "Mum sent me a dress!" He brought out a maroon looking dress robe.

Harry started to smile, "Well, it does match your eyes. Is there a bonnet?" he looked into the package and saw a white shirt and held it against Ron's chest, "Ah ha!"

Ron felt embarrassed, "Nose down, Harry," he went up to Ginny, who was a few seats away, "Ginny, this must be for you."

"I'm not wearing that, it's ghastly."

He caught Hermione and Ella laughing, "What are you on about?"

"They're not for Ginny, they're for you. Dress robes," Hermione said.

"Dress robes? For what?" he asked. Everyone who was in earshot were laughing at Ron's expression. After he put things away and had it sent to his dorm room, they all went towards Professor McGonagall's classroom. When everyone was entering her classroom, they noticed that there was one row of chairs up against one side of the wall and another row of chairs across the other side of the classroom.

"Boys, please be seated on this side and girls, on the other," McGonagall commanded. Filch was working on the gramophone. Once everyone was seated, she started the class by saying, "The Yule Ball has been a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament since its inception. On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered frivolity. As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward. And I mean this literally, because the Yule Ball is, first and foremost, a dance," students were starting to talk, "Silence! The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly 10 centuries. I will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"

Fred leaned towards George and said, "Try saying that five times fast."

"Now to dance is to let the body breathe. Inside every girl is a secret swan slumbers, waiting to forth and take flight," McGonagall said.

Ron nudged Seamus and said, "Something is about to burst out of Eloise Midgen, but I don't think it's a swan.

McGonagall turned around and said, "Inside every boy a lordy lion prepared to prance. Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes," he answered hesitantly.

"Will you join me, please?" she asked, waiting for him to join her. Seamus and Harry pushed him forward once he stood up. "Now, Mr. Weasley, place your right hand on my waist," she instructed.

Ron looked back at his classmates who were trying to hold in their laughter, "Where?"

"My waist. And extend your arm. One-two-three," she started off. "One-two-three, one-two-three..."

Harry saw the twins' facial expression and whispered towards the twins and said, "You're never gonna let him forget this, are you?"

The twins shook their heads and said, "Never."

"Everybody together. Boys, on your feet!"

After classes were done, Ron and Harry were walking through the main hall, "Why do they have to travel in packs? And how are you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?" They both stopped in front of a group of girls who were looking at them a bit scary and they both walked away.

"Blimey, Harry. You've slayed dragons. If you can't get a date, who can?"

"I think I'd take the dragon now," he replied.

Before anyone knew it, it was Christmas Eve and the night of the Yule Ball. Ron and Harry were walking down the stairs, "Leave it alone," Harry said as he saw Ron toying with his dress robe.

"Poor kid. I bet she's alone in her room, crying her eyes out."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Hermione, of course. Come on, Harry. Why do you think she wouldn't tell us who she's coming with?"

"Because we'd take the mickey out of her if she did," Harry replied.

"Nobody asked her. Would've taken her myself if she wasn't so bloody proud," Ron said and their dates had approached them. Ron's date looked at him and didn't know what to think of his evening wear.

McGongall approached them, "There you are, Potter. Mr. Potter, are you and Miss Patil ready?"

Harry was genuinely confused, "Ready, Professor?"

"To dance. It's traditional that the three champions- well in this case four- are the first to dance. Surely I told you," she said.

Harry replied, "No."

McGonagall thought that she had told him and said, "Well, now you know." She looked at Ron and looked at what he was wearing but didn't comment on his choice of clothing, "As for you, Mr. Weasley, you may proceed into the Great Hall with Miss Patil," she said and then saw someone that she needed to talk to, "Oh, there you are. Now, I need you all to line up in the procession, please. Oh, you are very late," she told Viktor. Harry stood next to his date while looking at Cho who was standing next to Cedric. He couldn't stop looking at her.

"Oh, she's pretty," Parvati said.

Harry assumed that she meant Cho, but he looked at Parvati and turned around and saw that it was Hermione, "Yeah, she is." The champions had made their entrances; Harry was immediately looking around to see if Ella was there. He had seen her standing next to Dumbledore with Edward standing next to her. They were both dressed up and looking beautiful.

"Harry, put your hands around my waist," she whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"Now," she said. He looked and put his hands around her waist and started dancing. After a few beats of dancing, Dumbledore and McGonagall joined in, then followed by Edward and Ella. Everyone started to join in the dance. Once the dance halfway over, Ron and Harry were sitting at a table while everyone else was dancing, the Patil twins were sitting next to them, bored,

"Ruddy pumpkinhead, isn't he?" Ron asked.

"I don't think it was the books that had him going to the library," Harry said. A young boy from Durmstrang had come and asked Parvati to dance which she gladly accepted.

Hermione and Viktor had stepped away from the dance, he kissed her hand. Hermione joined Harry and Ron, "Hot, isn't it?" Viktor's gone to go and get drinks. Would you care to join us?"

Ron immediately said, "No, we'd not care to join you and Viktor."

"What's got your wand in a knot?" Hermione asked.

"He's a Durmstrang. You're fraternizing with the enemy," Ron replied.

"The enemy? Who was it wanting his autograph? Besides, the whole point of the tournament is international magical cooperation is to make friends," she said.

"I think he's got a bit more than friendship on his mind," he replied. Hermione stood up, turned around to leave but she faced him once before leaving.

"Are you going to ask me to dance or not?" Padma asked.

"No," he said. She stood up and left.

Ella and Edward approached them and Harry stood up, "Miss Cullen, Mr. Cullen."

"Harry, have you danced at all tonight?"

Harry shook his head, shamefully, "I think I could do one dance with you?"

"Of course," Ella said and they both left to go to the dance floor.

Hermione had come back to where Ron was sitting. "Where's Harry?"

"Dancing with Ella," Edward replied.

"Hmm, that's nice," she said.

"Are you up for one more dance, Miss Granger?" Edward asked as he stood up and offered his hand.

She smiled, "Yes," and she accepted his hand, leaving Ron to his own thoughts. He sat there, cringing at them. Deep down, he knew that he couldn't blame anyone but himself. He just didn't know how to ask Hermione to the ball or even tell her that he liked her. Since he didn't want her to know anything, he just simply decided to take it out on her. But watching her dance with Krum and now Edward, he wished that it could have been him. She was smiling as Edward was twirling her around to the soft music. He looked over at Harry and Ella and he was doing the same thing as Hermione and Edward. As soon as the dance was over, Edward, Ella and Harry were walking out of the Great Hall, talking about something important. Ron figured that it had to relate to the Tournament. He knew that Harry relied on Ella for support. He just sat there and sulked. Hermione went to get something to drink before making an attempt to talk with Ron. But before she could, she saw Ron coming over. He was glaring at her and she couldn't understand why. "What is wrong with you, Ron?" she asked as they walked outside to the stairway.

"He's using you," Ron informed her.

"How dare you! Besides, I can take care of myself," she told him.
"I doubt it. He's way too old."

"What? What? Is that what you think?"

"Yeah, that's what I think."

"You know the solution then, don't you?" Hermione asked.

"Go on," he said, feigning interest.

"Next time there's a ball, pluck up the courage and ask me before somebody else does, and not as a last resort!" she said.

"Well...that-that-that..." Ron choked up. He knew that she was right. "I mean, that's just completely off the point...Harry!"

Hermione turned around and said, "Where have you been? Never mind! Off to bed, both of you!"

"What's wrong?" Harry asked Ron.

"They get scary when they get older," Ron answered.

"Ron, you spoiled EVERYTHING!" she said

"What's this about?" Harry asked. No one really answered his question. But Harry and Ron both went back to their room. Hermione had sat on the stairs, crying. Ella and Edward had seen her crying and sat next to her.

"Oh, Hermione," Ella said, hugging her closely. "He's a typical teenage boy who is unsure of how to react to a beautiful girl. He's at an age where he's starting to notice girls as women now. Don't you agree, Edward?"

"Yes, you're right, Ella," he said. "He's afraid of his new emotions and isn't sure how to react to them. And because he's unsure about what he's experiencing, he's taking out his frustration out on you."

"Why couldn't I meet someone like you? Someone who knows what he wants?" Hermione asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, but I will say this, that one day you'll have someone who knows what he wants. Maybe you've already met the right one and he just doesn't know how to say what he wants to say it," Edward said crptically. He then stood up, walked around Hermione and offered his hands to Ella and helped her stand.

"Hermione?" she said softly. She looked up at Ella with tears still in her eyes. One had torn down her face, Ella caught it, "Beautiful young lady, just be patient and he'll come around," she told her. With that said, Ella and Edward had left her on the stairs in her own thoughts. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and then stood up and walked up the stairs to her dorm room. She knew that Ella and Edward knew what they were talking about and was glad that they were there when she needed them, despite the fact that they didn't have to.