December 1946
If it weren't for the fact that robes had been exchanged for casual clothes, it would have been practically impossible to tell that term had actually ended the Monday after the Hogsmeade Trip. Minerva was convinced that Gryffindor Tower had actually shrunk, despite a lot of the younger students not staying and nobody from the other houses boarding in the Tower over the holiday, since everything seemed just that bit livelier than usual. Of course Christmas was always the cause of much excitement, but with the anticipation of the Yule Ball added to that and then magnified by the sheer number of people still at school, the whole castle felt busier than ever.
Although Minerva already had her partner, a thought that made her grin whenever it crossed her mind, the subject of who was going with who was still a major conversation point. Some pairings had been as obvious as Minerva and Larry themselves had reportedly been; such as Abraxas Malfoy with Druella Rosier who was frequently seen hanging from his elbow, and Nancy and Ernest much to the despair of a very jealous Shirley Miller. By the time Christmas Eve came around Irma had been left without a partner, but that didn't seem to either surprise or bother her that much.
"It makes sense really. I hardly talk to anyone except all of you, and the only two Slytherin boys who tolerate me already have partners," Irma insisted to a still protesting Septima, though thanks to Septima's heavy knit scarf muffling most of the words she didn't really need much volume to override her. Despite the heavy snowfall they were actually out on the grounds, sat huddled up in their thickest clothes on the snow-free patch of grass below the Astronomy Tower. Minerva was still cold beneath her high collared coat and thick tartan scarf, but the chilled air made a nice contrast from the stuffiness in the Tower and it was helping keep Ro's cabin fever at bay.
Septima pulled down her scarf before arguing back, but the irritation in her voice wasn't directed at Irma. "That's half the point! What possessed Alphard Black to pick Eileen Pince over you?"
Ever the peace-keeper, Millicent placed a gentle hand on Septima when she crossed her arms in evident frustration. "He probably had no other choice. About not going with Irma I mean; you're both considered 'disgraces to the family', or something equally stupid." She rolled her eyes at that, and both the twins gave their own signs of exasperation. "If Alphard was seen dancing with Irma then either Orion or Cygnus would report it back to the family, provided the Daily Prophet didn't get there first."
"In that case he'd probably go the same way as our mother did, disowned and blasted off the family tapestry," Irma said with her eyebrows raised, the dramatic emphasis in her voice suggesting she was trying to make light of it.
"You actually have a family tapestry?" Ro asked, looking up from where she was drawing Quidditch-related diagrams in the snow with the tip of her wand. Even with the absence of the usual Quidditch Tournament she was hard at work formulating strategies for the weekend of fun matches they'd been promised in January.
Irma nodded. "I've never seen it though, and doubt I will. From what Walburga once described to me it features the faintest hint of our names with a massive scorch mark through the lot." The faintest hint of bitterness had crept into both her tone and expression, but she gave another slight nod at Minerva's concerned glance.
Deciding the conversation was straying into dangerous territory, Minerva spoke before anyone else could continue. "From what I've heard, Hubert Thatcham is going with Sylvia Macmillan." Irma hummed in agreement, her frown softening as soon as the topic of her family ties was dropped.
"Is there really no-one else who you could go with?" Poppy asked, concern evident in her wide eyes despite her regular shivering. She'd insisted Irma take her duffel coat since she always seemed to be short on winter clothing, claiming that she was used to the cold from living in the dungeons. Minerva suspected it might be more to do with negligent parenting. To compensate for giving her coat away, Poppy was wearing a turtleneck and at least two sweaters on top along with one of Ro's many wooly hats and the coat she'd worn in their first two years at Hogwarts, but she was still trembling from her position under Minerva's arm. Considering the coat was too small to do up properly and it was adorned with several poorly-mended holes from their fanged Puffskein problem that wasn't much of a surprise.
"I'd rather go by myself than with someone I don't know," Irma said with a shake of her head. "I did think Neil Lament was going to ask me since all the girls in sixth year turned him down- most likely because he's a halfblood. That tends to matter when you're a Slytherin."
Minerva hummed in agreement, knowing from Malcom's friend Imogen Farley that life wasn't easy in the dungeons for anyone not pureblood. Now that she thought about it, she could count on one hand the number of non-pureblood Slytherins she knew; Neil, Imogen, Hubert, his brother Noah in Robbie's year, and Irma herself. In another attempt to steer the conversation after hearing Irma's slight bitter tone return, she added "For a Quidditch Captain he isn't particularly popular. Potentially because he lost all his matches last year."
Ro had snorted with laugher at Minerva's snide comment, but suddenly seemed to quieten down. "He actually asked me yesterday when I went down to the broom shed. He seems like a decent sort so I said yes."
"I'm surprised no-one on the Quidditch team asked you. You are their Captain after all," Poppy pointed out.
Focusing on Poppy for the first time rather than her snowy diagrams, Ro shrugged. "Well it's no surprise that Nancy and Ernest are going together, and Maggie said yes when Cleatus asked her. Larry going with Min only leaves Anthea, and I'm pretty sure she was asked by Benji Bones."
Minerva nodded to confirm her last statement. She knew from accidentally overhearing them as an Animagus that Anthea been going out with Head Boy Benjamin since the end of the previous year, but since it wasn't her secret to tell Minerva hadn't mentioned anything.
"Well then, we've got-" Millicent paused to glance at her wristwatch, "-27 hours until the ball starts, but in the meantime I vote we go and get some dinner?"
Poppy wriggled out from under Minerva's arm and stood quickly, brushing off the few flakes of snow that had gathered in her lap as she declared "Yes, before we catch our deaths out here!"
"Crikey, it's really that time already?" Ro asked. Septima checked her own clock which hung around her neck and nodded with a surprised expression, before breaking into a grin as Ro's stomach rumbled loudly.
"That's all the confirmation we need," Minerva said as they all laughed and clambered to their feet.
Waking up the next morning in Gryffindor Tower felt odd, since it was the first time they'd spend Christmas morning in their dormitory without at least Irma boarding with them. But it wasn't long before that was remedied; once they were dressed they took their presents down the stairs into the Common Room where Irma, Septima, and Millicent all joined them within a few minutes. The highlight of the morning for everyone was when Minerva opened her present from Malcolm and Robbie to find a selection of cat toys, which had most of the Quidditch Team roaring with laughter along with her friends. The rest of the house had just regarded them with mild curiosity and confusion, which faded quickly when no-one gave them an explanation. The truth of her Animagus training had obviously been let out during the first task, but as there had been no official acknowledgement it just felt more like a poorly kept secret.
With no usual Christmas lunch due to the feast that was part of the Yule Ball, with the exception of a small lunch to keep them going they had most of the day to themselves. This was spent almost entirely outside, with everyone suitably warm since Poppy had been sent a new wool coat with a massively oversized hood for Christmas and had officially given her old one to Irma. The snowman making that started with a group of Gryffindor firsties quickly spread to an inter-house competition when a number of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and even a few Slytherins joined in, and before long it was an inter-school event when some Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students got to work on their own creations. Durmstrang's winning masterpiece was hardly surprising considering the school was somewhere in Scandinavia, but it was a pleasant surprise to see them truly enjoying themselves when away from the stern gaze of Professor Rykov. When the sunset finally chased everyone inside Minerva thought it was the perfect atmosphere to start the Yule Ball on.
The focus turned to getting ready for the ball the moment that Minerva, Poppy, and Ro were back in their dormitory. They helped each other with their hair first since Ro had rightly pointed out that with the length of Minerva's hair she'd struggle doing it by herself, and Minerva didn't want to waste time trying to prove her wrong. Poppy was able to pin and curl Minerva's hair up into an elegant bun after only two attempts, all the while trying not to laugh too much at Ro struggling to put her scruffy bob up into rollers. It took a short debate to persuade Poppy to wear her hair down for once, and after emerging victorious Minerva just pulled the curls closest to her face back into a loose braid so they wouldn't bother her.
"You chose those flowers accurately," Minerva commented as she pinned the frosted poppies Poppy had collected into the braid, still trying not to look in Ro's direction for too long in case it made her hands shake with laughter.
Poppy only hummed in agreement, but Minerva could practically see the smirk through the back of her head.
Happy with their efforts, they left the remaining hair pins scattered on the desk and went back to their own beds to get changed. Minerva's dress was a dark plum-purple in heavy cotton, bunched around the off-shoulder neckline then fitted at the waist before spreading out to fall into vague pleats around her ankles. Apparently it had been impossible to find anything longer that wouldn't be baggy at the torso, and her mother's suede heels only made that more noticeable despite adding less than two inches to her height.
Just as Minerva gave a satisfied nod at her own reflection, Poppy's voice asked from behind "Well? What do you think?" Turning around to meet Poppy's shy smile, it was hard for Minerva to stop her mouth from falling open at the sight of her.
While Poppy had always been daintily pretty, contradicting greatly with her hands-on approach to everything she did, when out of her knitwear with her blonde curls free from the usual low bun she looked nothing short of beautiful. Her dress couldn't have been more perfect; the floor-length skirt was made of layered chiffon, and while the bodice was white the colour progressed with each layer of chiffon into a bright poppy-red.
"Wow Pops, you look incredible," said Ro, flinging back her hangings and jumping off the bed to land by Minerva's side. Minerva nodded earnestly, Ro's words echoing her thoughts exactly, before her attention switched to Ro's outfit. Clearly noticing this, Ro met Minerva's gaze and grimaced slightly as she said "It doesn't really work, does it?"
The outfit didn't look bad by any means, but not even Ro's confident stance could stop it looking a little out of place. Her dress was a lot shorter than either Minerva's or Poppy's, the circle skirt reaching to just below her knees. The black torso was a halterneck style she'd tied in several knots behind her neck and the skirt was golden which, while probably pretty on the hanger, clashed interestingly with Ro's yellow eyes. She had absolutely refused to dance in heels so was wearing a brown leather version of their lace-up school shoes, which only added to the conflict of colours.
"I think it's just that we've never seen you in a dress before," Poppy pointed out, a thoughtful frown on her face. It was very true – other than their school uniform, Ro was never seen not wearing trousers. She often liked to complain that the boys got to wear trousers while she was stuck in a skirt.
Ro shrugged. "I guess so, it feels just as weird. Come on, if we're meeting the Irma, Septima, and Mill before it starts we've got to go."
"Sure you're not forgetting something first?" Minerva asked, unable to conceal her amused smile.
The confusion written across Ro's face was all the answer she needed, so Poppy gently turned her by the shoulders so she was facing the mirror. Catching sight of her still-rollered hair, she burst out laughing and gestured wordlessly for someone to give her a hand. Once her hair was loose and safely secured with a modified sticking charm, they left their wands on their bedside tables and let the dormitory door fall shut behind them.
The common room was an explosion of bright colours and excited chatter. Minerva could feel herself being watched as she stepped carefully down the girls' staircase, but her lack of self-confidence suggested that her dress was made of steel rather than cotton. The timid grin was still on Poppy's face as Lyall came over to greet her at the bottom of the stairs in a Muggle-style brown tweed suit with a gold pocket watch, her eye-catching dress meaning she was getting just as much attention as Minerva was. Ro, on the other hand, showed no sign of doubt in her nonchalant lean against the stair banister despite wearing the oddest outfit Minerva had ever seen someone attend a formal event in.
"Mi-Minerva!" stammered the voice she had been waiting to hear, and she looked over to see Larry rushing over to her in his typical sweet-natured flustered state. He was dressed in a white high-collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a dark red silk waistcoat patterned with swirls, and carried a matching red outer robe over his elbow. His ascot scarf was the same colour as Minerva's dress; she'd shown him a swatch of the material so they could have a little colour-coordination. "I- um- wow- it's incredible- you- ah-"
He broke off when Minerva couldn't restrain her light-hearted giggle, red dusting his cheeks as he self-consciously adjusted his ascot. "I get it. Thank you," she said gently, rolling her eyes at Ro's unsubtle ahhing behind her.
"Come on all you lovebirds, we still need to find the others!" Ro said, taking both Poppy and Minerva by an elbow so she could steer them towards the portrait hole, Larry and Lyall laughing as they hurried on behind.
The Entrance Hall was even more packed than the Common Room had been, despite the efforts of the Heads of Houses to get people into the Great Hall. Minerva quickly spotted Irma waving to her from the mouth of the corridor that lead to the Dungeons, and with her were both Septima and Millicent with their partners. Ro left them to find Neil Lament first while Minerva led Larry, Poppy, and Lyall towards Irma.
"You look amazing," Irma said with a genuine smile that was reflected in her eyes. The concern Minerva had felt about Irma being the only one without a partner melted away at the sight of her looking so comfortable and content.
Her gaze straying to Irma's outfit, she grinned as she replied "So do you, it suits you so well." Her dress was black and quite simple, straight across the chest with thin straps and a bodice that showed off her slim figure, but the center of attention was the beautiful short lace cloak that only reached to her elbows and was fastened with a loose velvet collar around her neck. She'd simply plaited her hair, and was wearing the black heeled lace-up boots she'd brought in Southend over the summer that made her quite noticeably taller than Septima.
Since Philip and Irvin had been approached by a few other boys in sixth year, Septima and Millicent rushed excitedly over to stand beside Irma. "Poppy that dress, it's amazing!" gushed Millicent, her eyes alight.
"So's yours, I haven't seen that dress style in London since I was really young!" Poppy said excitedly, and Minerva agreed with her. Millicent looked like she'd come directly from the 1920s. She was wearing a cream-coloured dress heavily adorned by lace and sequins, short with a low neckline though the frills on the skirt took it down to about knee-length. Her hair was in a very similar style to Ro's though the rollered curls were slightly longer and more organised.
Millicent grinned, shifting on her feet so the frills jumped around. "I don't get why they went out of style, I knew this was the dress as soon as I saw it. And Minerva, you two both look great!"
"We tried to look like we'd thought about it a little bit," Larry said, his words coming easily since he knew Minerva's friends well from all the time they spent in Gryffindor Tower. Minerva was glad; she'd wondered if Larry's presence would affect the usual comfortable dynamic between them all but it seemed she'd worried for no reason.
A shouted greeting to Irma, Septima, and Millicent alerted them to Ro's return, with Neil Lament looking incredibly nervous a few steps behind her. His cheeks reddened as he met Irma's cool expression, as she was clearly the only one of the girls without a partner. After sweeping her gaze around them, Ro started "So, Septima, Larry, are you two going all out with house pride tonight or were the colour choices an accident?"
There was a moment as everyone's eyes switched from Septima's dress to Larry's waistcoat, before they all burst out laughing. Although Larry's waistcoat and robe were too dark to be true 'Gryffindor Red', Septima's floor-length gown was nothing short of 'Ravenclaw Blue'. It looked to be a similar material to Minerva's though the deep blue looked shinier and more pearly, with a strapless bodice secured at the front with a few material buttons. She'd pinned the front sections of her hair at the back of her head in a small bun, clearly sharing Minerva's concern about hair while dancing, but the rest had been curled and left loose.
"Just thought I'd point it out," Ro grinned as she received two exasperated looks. "Love the cloak thing Irma, and those boots look even better than in the shop window" Ro said, toying with the edge of the lace around Irma's shoulders.
"Well I don't like them," Septima grumbled with false irritation, looking up at her twin for possibly the first time ever. The height difference had once been very firmly in Septima's favour, but now it was impossible to tell which of them would end up taller. Minerva had a sickle placed on Septima winning while both Poppy and Ro thought Irma would snatch victory at the last minute, but Millicent reckoned that in all irony they'd end up the exact same height.
They all grinned at the sight of Irma's sly smile and Septima's frown, a role reversal of the twins' usual personalities. "Welcome to my world," Ro said as Minerva rested an elbow on her shoulder, "even Larry's shorter than Minerva, but to be honest who isn't?" That caused another round of laughter when they met each other's gazes and saw her point.
Professor Dumbledore's quiet yet perfectly audible call of "May I have the Champions and their partners over here please?" caught everyone's attention, with Minerva and Larry bidding everyone a quick goodbye before dodging through the still crowded entrance hall. Reynaud and his partner reached the Professor at the same time as they did, Reynaud wearing a navy blue tailcoat with a cream shirt that was ruffled at the collar. His partner, a mousey-haired girl who Minerva assumed was another Beauxbaton student since she didn't recognise her, was in a dusky pink sleeveless dress with the ruffled skirt longer on one side than the other in a pearly material similar to Septima's.
"Bonsoir, Minerve!" Reynaud cried excitedly, kissing her lightly on each cheek in the gesture that had taken Minerva by surprise the first time he had done so. This time though it was Larry who seemed almost alarmed, his hands hovering hesitantly by Minerva's elbow when she stepped back. "Zhis is Ghislaine, my girlfriend, as you would say."
Just like Svetlana's heavy accent gave Minerva's name about three additional 'v's, Reynaud's airier dialect lost the 'a' altogether and Minerva was slowly starting to get used to them both. "Bonsoir Reynaud," she beamed in return, adding "It's good to meet you," to Ghislaine who nodded in response.
"Ah, hello Mr Lemay, Miss Dubois," Professor Dumbledore greeted them, causing Minerva to wonder how he would know Ghislaine's surname. "And here come Miss Tolstoy and Mr Kozlowski."
Minerva glanced in the direction the Professor was looking to see Svetlana practically dragging her partner through the Entrance Hall in her haste to reach them, with Professor Rykov giving her a disapproving look from behind. She was wearing a white shirt with baggy sleeves secured just below the elbow and a black dress over it, but the full calf-length skirt was covered in satin stripes of all different colours. Her thick ginger hair was in two fishtail braids secured by red ribbons, adorned by a flower crown of poinsettias frozen in the same way Poppy had frozen her poppies. Her partner, a broad-shouldered boy of the same age with short brown hair, wore a black tunic decorated in red tassels over the same white shirt and black knee-length boots. The vibrant colours were similar to many of the Durmstrang students, an unexpected change from the plain maroons and greys of their usual uniforms.
Svetlana smiled widely at both Reynaud and Minerva when she arrived, but Professor Dumbledore continued before she had a chance to speak. "Now you're all here and nearly everyone else is seated in the Great Hall, if you could line up in your pairs we'll make our way in. Miss McGonagall, Mr Spencer-Moon, as Hogwarts Champion and partner you two should lead the way. You'll all be seated at the staff table for the meal."
Although she'd have preferred to eat with her friends, Minerva wouldn't turn down the opportunity to get to know Svetlana and Reynaud better. She took Larry's elbow as they stood side by side in front of the doors to the Great Hall, returning his nervous smile as Professor Dumbledore opened the doors with a swish of his wand and lead them up through the Hall.
While the Christmas decorations in the Great Hall looked beautiful every year, the staff had outdone themselves for the Yule Ball. The walls had been charmed to look like frosted glass, with snow-dusted garlands crossing the starry ceiling, and the torches had been dimmed to give the Hall a warm atmosphere. Instead of the usual House tables the Hall was filled with smaller circular tables, with a path down the centre of the Hall that led to the staff table. As Professor Dumbledore led the Champions down the aisle Minerva caught sight of Ro and the others sat around a table with their partners, grinning brightly as she smiled in their direction.
Professor Dippet was sat in his usual seat at the centre of the staff table, with Madame Marguerite and Professor Rykov on one side of him and Mr Rabnott and Madame Crickerley on the other. With the exception of those five places there were chairs on both sides of the table in order to fit everyone on, the rest of the staff filling up the rest of the seats except six that had been left free for the Champions. Minerva took a seat next to Professor Merrythought with Larry sitting opposite her, the Ravenclaw head regarding them both with a bright smile as they sat down.
"You look wonderful Minerva, every inch the Hogwarts Champion," Professor Merrythought said warmly. Her dress was her usual royal blue colour, made of velvet with a low cut front and a wide satin ribbon around her waist. The long lace sleeves worked well to hide the scarring that marred her handless arm below the elbow, something Minerva supposed she would be more conscious of considering the event. After pausing to request her plate for food, everyone following in Professor Dippet's wake, she added "As do you of course, Larry. You two make quite the couple, the Hogwarts Triwizard Champion and the son of the Minister for Magic!"
Minerva laughed at the realisation that she was right, but to her surprise Larry turned bright red and started suddenly choking on his first mouthful of potato. Svetlana gave him hardly a second before pounding her fist between his shoulderblades until he waved frantically for her to stop. "Thanks -um - you've got a strong thump-" he stammered to Svetlana before continuing to Professor Merrythought in an equally flustered tone "-and we're not a couple-I mean I don't think- if Minerva wanted-um-"
Professor Merrythought only left Larry stumbling for words for a few more seconds more before coming to his rescue. "Oh I didn't mean anything like that," she assured him, though her smile came close enough to a smirk to suggest otherwise.
To distract from the warmth Minerva could feel creeping up her cheeks at the thought of what Larry had been stuttering out, she looked at Svetlana instead and said "Thank you for not letting him choke. And your outfit is beautiful."
"Vell, couple or not I thought you may like him better vhile alive," Svetlana replied, grinning broadly at both Minerva and Larry's flustered faces. "And zhis is traditional Polish dress. At Durmstrang ve like to be proud of our heritage. You see my friend zhere, Nadezda?" Minerva followed where Svetlana was pointing to see a girl with long dark curls sat at a nearby table, wearing a red patterned waistcoat and a white dress with short sleeves and a long billowing skirt embroidered with red and gold flowers, with a ruffle of white lace around her neck. "She is from Czechoslovakia, zhat is von of their costumes."
Minerva nodded in acknowledgement as she looked around the tables dominated by Durmstrang students, admiring the different dress styles worn by them all. "So there are people from all over Eastern Europe at Durmstrang?" she asked.
Nodding, Svetlana gestured to her partner as she said "Piotr and I both Polish, but students here from all of..." she paused then, asking Piotr a hurried question in Polish
"Kraje komunistyczne?" Piotr repeated, and after Svetlana nodded he turned to Minerva. "Communist area," he said, his voice deep and even more heavily accented than Svetlana's. "After Muggle Var ve have new Headmaster. Is strict Russian, very strong Soviet. Many students leave if not from Communist country. Zhey go to Beauxbaton instead."
Reynaud spoke in a low tone as he added "Zere were so many new student after ze war, ze Palace became so very crowded. But we 'ad people leave from Allemagne, ah, you call eet Germany I zink, students from ze East now go to Durmstrang."
"But ve must not tell you zhese things. Is vorbidden." He glanced warily down the table where Professor Rykov was taking with Professor Dippet and Mr Rabnott; Professor Merrythought was wisely making a point of not acknowledging the Champions' conversation despite being sat right next to them. While Minerva's knowledge of the current affairs in Eastern Europe were limited, she assumed that with Larry's political background and his thoughtful expression she'd be able to ask him later more about what Piotr had glossed over.
When the dinner was over, Professor Dippet requested for everyone to stand before moving all the tables and chairs to the edge of the Hall with a flick of his wand. The staff table was replaced by a piano and set of microphones once the staff and Champions had moved out of the way, the atmosphere changing to a hushed excitement when the door behind the staff table opened and a tall woman with warm brown skin appeared through it. Minerva had heard the rumours that Celestina Warbeck had been booked for the Yule Ball and it was clear they were correct. The applause was mixed with a few uneasy murmurs when her band joined her, but they soon quietened when it was realised that the five young witches were only dressed to look like banshees and weren't the real thing.
Her gaze switched from Celestina to Larry when he gently touched her elbow, his nervous smile making a reappearance as he asked "Are you ready?"
It was time to dance. Minerva tried to give a more assured smile as she nodded for him to lead the way onto the floor, Svetlana and Piotr following them with Reynaud and Ghislaine bringing up the rear. The band's pianist played a few introductory chords as they faced each other, Larry hesitantly placing one hand on her waist and holding Minerva's hand in the other, her breath suddenly catching at the skin contact. The sudden bout of nerves faded a little at catching sight of Ro and Poppy's grinning faces in the background behind Larry, Irma giving her a single encouraging nod which she barely had time to return before the music started.
Thankfully the song was a slow one, since Minerva was convinced she would trip over her own feet if they were going any faster. As Larry was steering she gradually let herself relax and before too long she was actually enjoying herself, and judging by the slightly upturned lips on Larry's 'concentrating face' he was too. The Champions only had the floor to themselves for about a minute before Professor Dippet took Madame Crickerley's hand and led her out onto the floor, clearly signalling that people could join in with their partners. Professor Rykov and Madame Marguerite both looked distinctly uncomfortable as they danced together, taking Minerva's mind back to the conversation at the top table.
Grateful that they were roughly the same height so could talk without it being too obvious, Minerva asked "Do you know anything about what Piotr was saying?"
"I know some but I doubt it's everything," Larry said, able to meet her gaze properly since they were pretty much just revolving on the spot. "My father likes me to keep in the loop. The whole of Muggle Europe was all but divided in two after the War, and that's had quite a big affect on the Wizard population there too. Like Reynaud said, all students from the West attend Beauxbatons and all students from the East attend Durmstrang."
Minerva nodded, the situation starting to make more sense now that she had some background knowledge. "I don't think that happened without conflict; have you seen Professor Rykov and Madame Marguerite?"
Larry shook his head, so Minerva took control briefly to turn them around and let him see the two Heads from where they'd previously been behind him. His restrained snort of laughter was enough to nearly send Minerva into giggles.
When the song ended, Larry took a step away from Minerva to bow as did the rest of the men. Minerva curtseyed in response, trying not to think too hard about how acutely she could feel the absence of his hand on her waist through the cotton bodice. "Did you want to keep going?" he asked when the introduction to the next song started, "it's a little faster."
"I think I can manage, but I'll apologise in advance for stepping on your feet," Minerva said, grinning a little sheepishly as she took his hand again.
The rhythm was even faster than she had expected, and quite a few pairs left the dance floor after the first couple of bars. Professor Dippet had retired back to the staff table and Madame Crickerley was now dancing with Professor Beery, which Minerva thought was a good thing since she doubted the frail Headmaster would have coped with Madame Crickerley's enthusiasm combined with the fast-paced tune. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Merrythought were dancing together nearby, with Professor Merrythought leading so that her wrist was on Professor Dumbledore's shoulder and he could hold her hand. Poppy was grinning like a child at Christmas as Lyall spun her around, blissfully oblivious of Druella and Abraxas sneering at them from across the floor.
Clearly Larry had noticed it too as he muttered quietly "I'll be sorely tempted to stick my foot out next time they go past."
Minerva gave a low hum of agreement before an idea suddenly came to her. "Can you get us closer?" she hissed in Larry's ear, to which he nodded without comment. When they were side by side with the Slytherin pair, Minerva gripped Larry's hand tightly to keep her balanced as she glared at Druella's feet with all the conviction she could muster before whispering the incantation to the Trip Jinx.
It was as if Druella had catapulted by an invisible spring. Abraxas' effort to keep her upright ended with him being dragged along as well, the crowd of people standing at the edge of the dance floor parting as they skidded briefly before landing in an undignified heap. While most of the dancers ignored the interruption, Druella started to make such a fuss that both Professor Slughorn and Madame Quinine abandoned their partners in the middle of the dance floor to tend to her. Professor Bishop and Professor Epsilon looked at each other for a brief second before shrugging and continuing the dance together.
"Very impressive, but not very Championlike," Larry said, his tone full of admiration and exasperation in equal measure.
Minerva raised her eyebrow as she met his gaze and said teasingly"Don't try and say you weren't tempted to do the same."
"Touché," he laughed just as the music came to an end. This time he didn't step back as he asked again if she wanted to continue.
Just as she was about to nod, the sound of familiar shouting caught her attention from across the Hall. "That sounds like Ro, we should see what's going on," she said hurriedly, not letting go of his hand as she lead him off the dance floor.
Irma greeted her with a dark look when they arrived at the table she and the others had been seated at earlier, before her gaze flickered back to where Neil Lament was practically withering at the knees under Ro's ferocious glare. "If you're not going to ask me to dance then what was the point of asking me to this stupid Ball in the first place!" she demanded, the anger in her voice so intense that Minerva thought she would be shaking too in Neil's place.
Neil didn't seem to have an answer to that, beginning to speak a few times before falling silent with a twitchy shrug. "Well then you can bog off and leave me alone!" she shouted, waiting until he was scurrying towards the doors before falling heavily into the chair next to Irma's.
Placing a comforting hand on Ro's shoulder, Irma addressed Minerva and Larry as she asked "Are you two still dancing? I told Poppy, Septima, and Millicent not to sit out on my account."
Minerva shook her head, pulling up a chair to sit in front of them both and motioning for Larry to do the same and complete their makeshift square. "We might go back later but I think a break's in order," she said, Larry agreeing with a laugh. "Besides, we won't leave you alone all night."
Irma gave her a grateful smile. "It's a good place for people watching. I got a perfect view of Druella's little... accident." The pause before 'accident' was punctuated by a raised eyebrow and Minerva couldn't contain her laugh.
Ro suddenly jumped in with a cry of "I knew that had something to do with you!", coming back to life after being slumped in her chair since Neil's hasty exit. Something clearly catching her eye, she looked around Minerva and asked "Have you seen what Marilyn's wearing?"
Minerva pivoted her chair around so she had a better view of the dance floor, quickly finding their Quidditch Instructor who was dancing with another woman Minerva didn't recognise. Rather than wearing a dress, Marilyn was in a white shirt under a satin purple waistcoat and baggy maroon trousers, her hair partly pinned up like Poppy's and a violet pinned to the collar of her shirt.
"You'd have looked brilliant in that," Minerva said, to which Ro nodded enthusiastically.
"Is that Professor Harper dancing with Professor Rykov?" Irma asked, causing Minerva's eyes to roam the dance floor again until she'd spotted them. The Ancient Runes teacher was indeed waltzing with the Durmstrang head at the edge of the dance floor, talking in what didn't appear to be English.
Clearly Larry had picked up on this too as he said "Since Professor Harper's a linguistics teacher she might know other spoken languages too, which could be why he's with her. Still, it looks a little odd. What happened to Madame Marguerite?"
"Dancing with Dumbledore," Ro said, using her hands to lift herself up in her chair for a bit of extra height.
"That sounds like a book title," Larry pointed out, making all four of them burst out laughing again.
Once they'd regained control of themselves, Minerva set about trying to find Professor Merrythought since she'd been partnered with Professor Dumbledore the last time Minerva saw. After a few minutes she spotted her with Mr Rabnott, who looked thoroughly confused as the Professor tried to switch his hands around so he wasn't holding her wrist. The music had started to come to an end before he appeared to understand, by which time she threw her arms up in despair and left him to rejoin Professor Dippet.
Seeing that Ro's smile had started to slip again as she watched partners prepare for the next dance, Minerva leaned over to whisper a quick request in Larry's ear. He looked at her briefly, waiting for a confirming nod, before he stood in front of Ro and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked.
Ro looked up from where she'd rested her chin on her elbows, her mouth slightly agape. She looked past him to Minerva first, then stood up and grinned broadly as she placed her hand in his. "You may," she said, the spark returned to her eyes.
Minerva moved to sit next to Irma so they could both watch Ro and Larry dancing together. "That'll make her evening," Irma said quietly, a fond smile gracing her features.
"Are you sure you're happy not being up there?" Minerva asked in a tone that invited no argument, tugging at Irma's hands so she'd look at her properly.
Irma held her stern green gaze for a moment before saying "Yes. Really. I'm much happier on the sidelines than in the spotlight."
Satisfied enough to let the topic go, Minerva turned her attention back to the dance floor. It was easy to pick out the Quidditch players from the crowd of dancers purely from the confidence with which they moved, showing none of the awkwardness in their body language that some people were clearly struggling with. Ernest and Nancy were getting a few sidelong glances as they ploughed their way around the dance floor, seeming not to notice that they were going a lot faster than everyone else and there were couples moving very hastily out of their way. The Durmstrang girls' costumes looked even more spectacular when they were dancing from a distance, the colours glowing in the light and their skirts spinning upwards to show the layers of petticoat underneath.
"So," Irma started, catching Minerva's attention from where she'd been enthralled watching Svetlana dance. "You and Larry. Now he's made the first move, what are you going to do next?"
Minerva shrugged, stalling for time as she thought. Irma added "Let me rephrase that; what would you want to happen next? Because I somehow don't think you want this to be a one time thing."
"I just like him a lot," Minerva sighed. "He's kind, and clever, and he gets on well with all of you. That's the most important thing, I'd always put you all first."
Irma nodded in acknowledgement. "And that's good to hear."
The corner of her lip lifting slightly, Minerva continued "Professor Merrythought assumed we were together, and between choking on his drink he said something about we could be if I wanted to be. I'm assuming that means it's up to me to take the next step."
Irma nodded again, smiling as she patted Minerva's knee. "Ro was right back in the Three Broomsticks. We can all see how much you've wanted this, and you clearly like each other for who you are. That's the right reason to choose someone."
Minerva looked at her properly then, knowing her choice of words hadn't been accidental. Irma held her gaze unwaveringly despite the shadows dancing behind her eyes, nodding in response to the question Minerva didn't even need to ask verbally anymore.
"Thank you," she said softly, to which Irma smiled. She didn't need to say that aloud either, but she still always did.
Author's Note:
And here we are at last. 7000 words exactly (le gasp) of Yule Ball magic.
I feel like this is a milestone for both me and our girls. Because we're currently in fifth year I feel like this is the equivalent of prom for them- Minerva and Ro are actually older at this point than I was at my prom since I'm a July baby and our prom was at the end of June. Since prom felt like such a big milestone for me and all my friends I suppose that's why I feel like this is such a milestone for AYT. You can hardly see the firstie pre-teens from the first chapter in these elegant (ish in Ro's case) young women. I sound like I'm talking about my own children xD
I've actually known exactly what everyone's dresses would look like since not long after I started to write this. Google Images helped me out a little since I typed my ideas in and picked an image I liked to base the final description on, with the exception of Poppy's dress which was completely of my own creation. I loved the idea that the Durmstrang students would wear their national folk dress, since I have a real love for national costumes. I did dance competitions for 5 years and there's a class where we perform a tradition national dance in the correct costume so I've become very accustomed to them. My chosen country was Poland, and Svetlana's outfit is an exact replica of my own beloved costume.
It was quite interesting to explore how the affairs in Europe post-WWII might affect the wizarding world, and since we have one school firmly in the East and the other firmly in the West this seemed like the most logical response. I've been studying Russian and Cold War history for 4 years now as part of both my GCSEs and A-Levels so I really love the period, and I couldn't not include a few made up details when I had the opportunity.
There are far too many little details I love to point out, so instead of rambling on forever here I'll let you chose your own favourite bits. This is the first chapter where I haven't a) procrastinated on or b) worried about finishing quickly. Since it felt like such a momentous chapter I wanted to take my time and make it as perfect as I possibly could. I've been writing this continuously since about a week after the last chapter was posted, whereas usually I'll go ages without writing and then churn the whole thing out in no time at all. Seriously, I enjoyed writing this chapter from start to finish.
Since AYT's second anniversary has passed since I posted the last chapter, I feel like I should mention it at least in passing. I still love writing this fic just as much as I did from the day I started it, despite the much more infrequent updates, but it's the incredible feedback that has made this so rewarding. From the people who have been here from the start to those who have just discovered and binge-read the entire thing (which gets harder with every chapter so serious kudos to you), I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
I'll try and write the next chapter in the same way I did this one, but there's a very high chance I'll end up reverting back to my last-minute-method very quickly! Anyway, I truly hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it, and until next time :)