Thank you to all of my supporters, with a special thank you to my awesome tear supporters: Jo Daviz, Antar Das, LegendaryWasabi, Oli Wieszun, Ibuki Mioda, SvenGTX, Optimum Prime and Jack Schriner. I love you all.
With the drive for the cover art progressing there is now a poll up for the Pat re on supporters to vote on which one they want to be done first. If you want to read the next two chapters of both my fics and have a say on which story gets its cover first, then now is probably the best time. That is because of how the billing works you will have just missed this month and won't be charged a penny until the start of December.
As always chapters 32 and 33 are already up at Pat re on /Lowten
Chapter 31 The Yule Ball
It wasn't long after their Christmas dinner that the three teenagers left to return to the school for the Yule Ball. Harry had arranged with Hagrid that he would send one of the school carriages down to collect them so they didn't have to walk all the way there. The thestral-drawn carriage dropped them at the steps that led up to the main doors to the castle, where the trio split up. Hermione went to get ready for the ball with Fleur in the Beauxbatons carriage, so Harry climbed all the way up to Gryffindor Tower with only his dress robes in a suit bag for company.
The Gryffindor common room was its usual chaos, though the girls were a lot less present than normal, most likely up in their dorms getting ready for the ball. Harry said hi to a few people as he passed, and when he entered his dorm he found Ron being comforted by Seamus over the state of Ron's robes. Harry felt a little sorry for the redhead after he looked at the robes; they looked like an old dress from over a century ago. Harry hung his dress robes on his four-poster and decided that he would try and see what he could do with Ron's robes. Ron was going to try cutting the lace ruff off with a severing charm, but Harry convinced him to let Harry try transfiguring it instead. After a few tries, Harry was able to turn the ruff into a thick white hem instead. A few colour charms on the rest of the robes made them look a lot better. Not great, they still looked like a bad fashion choice, but they didn't look ridiculous like they did before.
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(A/N: Note that while everything said in this section is written in English, they are in fact talking French.)
Fleur led Hermione through the small school (inside the Beauxbatons carriage!) to the dorm that Fleur was sharing with a few other girls. The rooms were not that different to the ones in the Gryffindor Tower, though Hermione guessed that this was a case of function. The biggest difference was that the rooms were square, rather than round, and the room was decorated in Beauxbatons colours rather than the red and gold Hermione was used to (though Hermione would love for the cold stone floors in her dorm to be replaced with the warm wood that was currently under her feet).
Fleur introduced Hermione to her roommates, who were already starting to prepare for the ball. The girls were friendly, especially after they realised that Hermione spoke passable French.
"Right Hermione, you take this one for your hair, and this one for your skin, and this one for your face, and get yourself in the shower. Let's see if we can make Harry's jaw hit the floor when he sees you," Fleur said as she dumped potion bottles into Hermione's hands.
Hermione found herself bundled into the bathroom, where she quickly disrobed and jumped into one of the shower cubicles before looking at the bottles in her hands: Sleekeazy's hair potion, Tasha's body glow wash, and Beautylicious clear skin tincture. Hermione smiled at the bottle of Sleekeazy's when she saw the small coat of arms on the back of the bottle, indicating the House that the potioneer who invented the potion belonged to. It was Harry's great-grandfather who invented the potion to help deal with the curse that was the Potter hair. Hermione heard Fleur get in the shower cubicle next to hers and lost herself for a few moments of fancy while she pictured herself peeking at the French beauty, but shook herself out of it. She stuck her head under the water and began washing herself.
After her shower and drying off, Hermione sat in front of Fleur's dressing table, wearing nothing but a towel, 'putting her face on' as her mum would say. Justine, one of the girls sharing the dorm with Fleur, saw Hermione's makeup bag and came rushing over to Hermione. "Nope, this just won't do. This is a little girl's makeup kit, you are on the arm of a champion tonight, no? The center of attention? Then you need to shine. Come join me at my dresser and I'll have you sorted in no time." The excitable girl then proceeded to pull Hermione over to another table and sit her down. While Hermione would normally dislike being pulled around like that, Justine had a bubbly and happy personality. She reminded Hermione of Lavender, if Lavender was French and didn't act like an airhead.
As Justine applied the powders and creams to Hermione, the two girls talked. Apparently Justine was a first-generation witch from just outside Paris, and her parents were dermatologists who worked in the makeup skin cream industry. They did the tests on new products to make sure it was safe for people to use on their skin, so as a result her parents often had free samples from the companies with whom they worked. This meant the girl had access to all the makeup she wanted to play with growing up, and had learned quite a lot over the years. Most of the other girls were going to the ball with boys from Beauxbatons, but Justine was going to the ball with a Ravenclaw that Hermione wasn't familiar with. The girls all joked about what they might do with their dates, until they realised that Fleur was looking at them with more than a hint of melancholy. She was going with a friend from Beauxbatons; Alphonse was openly gay so Fleur trusted him enough to have his hands on her, a requirement for the dancing, even if she let her control of her allure slip a little.
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Harry fiddled nervously with the stole of his dress robes as he stood in the school entrance hall waiting for Hermione, Fleur, and Fleur's date. Neville stood next to Harry with Parvati; apparently Parvati had asked Neville in the end, as she didn't like any of the boys who had asked her, and she knew that Neville hadn't been able to work up the courage to ask anyone after being shot down by Ginny, who was apparently attending with a Ravenclaw.
"So Harry, how was your Christmas at home?" Neville asked.
"It's been great, mostly. Sirius did drag me to the Solstice meeting of the Wizengamot, but apart from that it's basically been like having a family," Harry told his friends.
"Well, I'm happy things are finally working out for you," Neville said with a genuine smile on his face.
"Well mostly, you and Hermione are still stuck in the tournament, and after the first task that's got to be stressful." Parvati sounded worried for them.
"Tell me about it. Hermione and Fleur are both stressing out. We worked out our clues, and since then it's been nonstop trying to work out how to deal with what's coming. We took Christmas off because we need the break, but it will be right back to business a-" Harry stopped because Neville tapped him on the shoulder and pointed behind Harry.
He turned to look at what Neville was pointing at, and he froze as his brain tried to catch up to what he was seeing. Hermione and Fleur had just walked in, escorted by Fleur's date. Hermione was wearing a periwinkle blue set of robes, the top half was a form fitting bodice that emphasised the fact that Hermione was quickly becoming a woman. The skirt was floor length but it faded out until it was almost invisible at her ankles. She had paired it with a lilac shawl, and her hair was tied up in a loose elegant knot. The fur on her ears and tail practically shined, and the only jewellery she wore was the pendant Harry had given her a year ago. She looked breathtaking. Fleur was wearing a silver robe that fell loosely off her one shoulder, not unlike the pictures he had seen of people who lived in places around the Mediterranean during the time of the Romans. Her skirt had a slit up one leg that stopped just shy of risking indecency, her hair was loose but she had added an elegant weave to her normally straight hair.
When they walked over to Harry, their faces beaming with smiles, Harry wanted to tell both of them just how good they looked. However, instead all he managed to get out was, "Hermione uh… and Fleur uh… wow. Uh yeah. Wow"
Both girls seemed to find his current lack of vocabulary highly amusing, as both leaned in and gave Harry a kiss on his cheek, with Fleur adding. "You're looking pretty 'Wow' yourself, Harry."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall entered and took all of the champions and their dates through the hall into the same little trophy room that they had used when the names came out of the goblet. The professor informed them that they where to wait here until they were announced, then go and take their seats, before she left to deal with something else.
As soon as the professor left Hermione dragged Harry over to Ali and then threw her arms around the older girl. "Merry Christmas Ali. How are you liking a real white Christmas? I should have invited you to Harry's for the day but I didn't know my parents would be there. I know you can come down tomorrow, I'm sure they would love to see you. You look fantastic in those robes, by the way."
Ali laughed. "Hermione, stop, take a breath. Give me a chance to answer. First, Merry Christmas to you as well. And this isn't my first white Christmas, or did you forget that we all went to the Alps for a skiing holiday a few years ago? I'd love to come see Emma and Dan, but don't you think you should ask Harry first if it's his house? And thank you, you look great as well."
Hermione blushed when she realised she had invited someone to Harry's house without asking him, but before she could say anything Harry said, "Hermione doesn't need permission to invite anyone, especially not you Ali, you are always welcome."
Ali, Fleur and Hermione all retreated into a corner to chat and left Harry with Fleur's date. The two of them talked a little, but his English wasn't exactly great and Harry's French was even worse, so the two soon fell into a slightly awkward silence. It was only now that Harry looked around at the dates of the other champions. He didn't recognise most of them, as they were from the other schools, but one stood out because he was staring at Harry as if he was hoping to cause Harry to spontaneously burst into flames. Emilia Ivanova's date was none other than Draco Malfoy, and when Malfoy saw Harry looking his way he sneered at Harry before turning back to his date.
Soon, the announcements of the champions began and they entered the Great Hall. As Harry and Hermione walked out of the trophy room, there was a flash of a camera and Harry saw Colin Creevey; apparently he had been allowed to come to the ball, if only to take photos. Harry made a mental note to talk to the young Gryffindor to get copies of the photos for his photo album.
Originally, there was going to be one champions table that would also seat the heads of the three schools and the judges. However, as there were now twelve champions and eleven dates (Harry and Hermione being the only champions to pair off), twenty eight people at one table just wasn't going to work. Instead, the champions table had been replaced by four "team" tables. Harry's table included himself, Hermione, Fleur, Alphonse, Professor McGonagall, and the evil woman from the Ministry who had taken over the judging from Bartemius Crouch, she who had tried to get his team disqualified twice. It was easy to see why she was seated here; because Harry and Hermione hadn't brought separate dates like the other champions, this was the only champions table that had room for the toad-faced women. Fleur and Alphonse got to their table first and Harry watched as he held out Fleur's chair for her, so Harry did the same for Hermione, earning him a smile, though he did catch her adjusting her chair as he sat down in his chair between Hermione and Fleur.
Once everyone was seated, Harry heard the tinkle of tapping glass to get everyone's attention from Professor Dumbledore. "Ladies and gentleman, it's a pleasure to see you all here this evening. The Yule Ball used to be an annual event here in these halls of learning, and when Hogwarts hosted the first Triwizard Tournament the guests from the Durmstrang Institute and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic were of course invited to join us." Harry could hear Fleur translating for Alphonse during Dumbledore's speech. "Thus, our little tradition spread to the other schools and became a traditional part of the tournament. Alas, after the events of the Blood War, some of our more enjoyable traditions fell to the wayside while we focused on more pressing matters. However, with the return of the Triwizard Tournament, it is time to revive the Yule Ball.
"We have a Delicious feast prepared for us by the kitchens, and once we are all fed and watered we can all let our hair down and have fun dancing the night away. Originally, I had planned to arrange some lovely chamber music for the dancing; however, I have been reliably informed that the tastes of teenagers these days favour more towards a different style of music. So, it's my pleasure to announce that we have the Weird Sisters here to, and I quote, 'rock your world.'" A cheer went up around the room at that announcement. "All that is left for me to say is Merry Christmas, and tuck in!" Dumbledore sat down and picked up a menu, and then said something and his plate filled with food.
The adults at each table seemed to know what they were doing, and both Professor McGonagall and Interim Director Umbridge picked up their menus and told their plates what they wanted, and the meals appeared on their plates. The students, getting the idea, picked up their menus. Harry looked at the selection available. There were six choices, two from each school, Hogwarts in Britain, Beauxbatons in France, and Durmstrang (though no one but the headmaster and deputy headmaster of the school knew where it was - Harry suspected somewhere cold and close to Russia, given their language and uniforms). Hermione and Fleur both chose bouillabaisse, Harry considered following suit as he had developed a fondness for the French stew, but instead chose steak and chips.
They ate in silence for a few minutes until Professor McGonagall asked, "So Delores, did you finally get confirmed as the director of International Cooperation?"
"No, the French are saying that they don't trust me, and it's causing holdups. I'm sure they will come around eventually though," Umbridge replied.
"I doubt it." Fleur added.
"And just what would someone like you know about it? Such things are far beyond someone of your heritage. Even in a barbarian's country like France, the Head of International Affairs is of the purest of blood," Umbridge sneered at Fleur
Harry glared at Umbridge for the way she was talking to Fleur, but before he could say anything Fleur put her hand on his thigh under the table, telling him she would deal with it. "Well, I do know that he knows you tried to kill his daughter. That's the sort of thing he holds a grudge about."
"Oh you must be mistaken dear, I haven't tried to kill anyone, much less anyone of consequence." The toad sounded condescending as she spoke.
Harry couldn't keep his mouth closed any longer. "Strange, I seem to recall you twice trying to disqualify my whole team, and doing so while knowing it would kill Fleur here, as well as the risk of death stripping anyone of their magic holds. So if you're going to say you never tried to kill anyone, you should probably do it someplace where not everyone in attendance remembers what you did." The venom in Harry's voice was enough to make Umbridge shift in her chair.
"Like I said, no one of consequence. Just a couple of half breeds and the remnants of a fallen house that abandoned their pride as wizards long ago" Umbridge snapped back at Harry, causing everyone at the table to gasp in shock save Alphonse, who wasn't able to follow the conversation and was looking uncomfortable at the tension.
"Out of curiosity, Director Umbridge. Do you know the name of the French Director of International Affairs?" asked Hermione calmly just before Professor McGonagall, who looked ready to complete the transfiguration on the woman and turn her into a complete toad.
"I am a busy woman, I don't have the time to remember the name of every so-called diplomat I meet. That's what the Weasley boy is for."
"If you had learned his name, then you would know that Director Sebastian Delacour is Fleur Delacour's father," Hermione said in a tone that people who didn't know her would mistake it for calm. Everyone saw the colour drain from the woman's face as she understood what Hermione was saying, and she got a slightly green look that made her look even more like a toad than she did before. She sat stewing in her silence while Professor McGonagall decided to ask how they were getting on with their clues. She was delighted when she heard that they had already solved them all and that they were working on ways to deal with the indicated challenges, but the oppressive atmosphere at their table quickly dampened their spirits.
When dinner was over, it was time for the champions to open the ball. Harry took Hermione's hand while the champions' tables and chairs vanished to create the dance floor. Eight people carrying a strange assortment of instruments filed onto the raised platform that normally held the staff table, and a few seconds later they started playing something that was a mashup of classic rock and a traditional waltz.
Hermione pulled Harry into position and he wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand with the other. Everything else was forgotten for the length of the song. Harry and Hermione had no cares in the world; it was just the two of them and the music. Harry had no illusions that he was a good dancer, but it was fun. Once the song ended Hermione leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips, her high heeled shoes more than making up for Harry's slight height advantage. Harry hadn't noticed, but everyone had joined them on the dance floor: Hagrid was dancing with Madame Maxime, Dumbledore was dancing with Professor McGonagall, and even Snape had joined them with Professor Babbling, though he looked like it was under protest.
After the first few songs, the music switched to a more modern rock music style and the dancing switched with it, going from ballroom to something more fun. Harry and Hermione danced a few more songs together, then decided to sit down to recover some of their energy. While they were dancing, the dining tables the rest of the school had been using were replaced by smaller ones on the perimeter. Hermione waved at Fleur, calling her over and she dragged her date over with her. Despite it being Harry who wanted to sit down first, for some reason he was the one who was sent for drinks. The drinks table was crowded, so he waited for his turn before grabbing four goblets of the punch. When Harry got back to the table, the three of them were all chatting in French, so he just handed out the drinks. One unfortunate side effect of Alphonse joining them was that either he or Harry would be left out of a conversation, and it appeared to be Harry's turn. He took a sip of his punch and noticed it had a bit of a weird flavour, but it took him a few seconds to realise that someone must have spiked the punch.
After about ten minutes Alphonse stood up and offered his hand to Hermione. She took it and stood up, giving Harry a kiss on the cheek before saying, "I'm going to dance with Alphonse for a bit." She then told him in a quieter tone, "And you're going to dance with Fleur." Hermione and Alphonse then disappeared into the sea of dancing students.
Harry turned to a smiling Fleur and stood up, offering her his hand. "May I have this dance?" Fleur's smile widened as she nodded and accepted his hand. The fates seemed to love to toy with Harry, because as soon as the two of them got to the dance floor, the music switched to a slow dance. The two teens blushed lightly but didn't back down, Fleur stepped forward and put Harry's hands on her waist before she put her arms around his neck holding him close. Despite how embarrassed both of them were, they started to sway in time to the music, and it only took a few minutes for them to relax and go with it. Harry was surprised at just how easy it was to just go along with Fleur, there was an easy comfortableness between the two of them and Harry realised it was probably due to the bond the two of them shared. It was a little disturbing to think about, but right now he just wanted to go with it and enjoy the night.
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Hermione smiled a little as Alphonse spun her around as part of the dance. The Frenchman was a rather skilled dance partner and she was enjoying dancing with someone who really knew what they were doing. Not as much as she enjoyed dancing with Harry, but she was still having fun.
"So how do you feel seeing Harry and Fleur together on the dance floor? You said you were worried about getting jealous," Alphonse asked in French.
"I am a little jealous, but nothing like what I feared. I don't feel like I'm losing anything, it's more like I wish it was my turn," Hermione told him, her French still stiff and formal, lacking the comfortable familiarity that would only come with practice.
"Wishing for your turn with which one?" Alphonse joked.
Hermione sighed in exasperation. "I'm not even sure anymore. You don't know how weird it is to suddenly find out you also like girls."
Alphonse laughed. "Oh I think I have a good idea. A lot of gay people have that 'Oh!' moment." Alphonse turned them so Hermione could see Harry and Fleur over his shoulder. "And I was the one Fleur came to when she started having feelings for girls."
Hermione mentally berated herself for a moment before apologising. "Sorry, I forgot you're gay for a moment, of course you understand."
Alphonse nodded, "Yeah, that is why Fleur came to me. You quickly start questioning yourself after something like that, suddenly you're not the you that you thought you were, and if you are wrong about that, what else might you be wrong about?"
"Yes," Hermione was glad someone understood. "It didn't help that Harry and I were fighting at the time. Harry potioned the whole school, changing everyone's hair colour as a prank. But it was a potions accident that left me with my additional features, so I took it badly. I was even thinking I was a lesbian for while there, which was ridiculous as I knew I found Harry attractive then, but I wasn't thinking clearly."
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Harry danced with Fleur for a few more songs until Hermione cut back in. Harry and Fleur both made the mistake of assuming Hermione was asking to have her date back so she could dance with Harry some more. However, Hermione had other ideas, and after giving Harry a peck on the cheek she took Fleur off so that they could dance together
Harry got himself another drink, opting for a cold butterbeer this time and decided to watch Hermione and Fleur as the two of them moved to the upbeat song the band was playing. A part of him was wondering how he had gotten so lucky that while Fleur and he hadn't built a relationship yet, she was so confident that they would that she already wanted to marry him. Not just accepted that she would because of some contract, but actually wanted to. Also, while he and Hermione had never really approached the matter with any seriousness, the few times they talked about the future that's how she saw their future as well.
Harry could still hear the echo of his uncle's voice in the back of his head and thought in this case he just might be right. Who was he to think he deserved so much? Both girls were beautiful, smart and amazing. No one deserves them, yet he had them. He realized he didn't care what that annoying little voice said, he wasn't going to give up on his chance to have the family he always dreamed of, even if the family in the dream had changed somewhat.
After almost half an hour, Fleur brought back a smiling Hermione. "Thank you for letting me intrude for a bit Harry, but here's your date back."
"Thanks Fleur, I was starting to wonder if you were going to keep her for yourself," Harry smiled and joked back.
"Oh, I was definitely tempted to keep her!" laughed Fleur.
Hermione blushed as the two jokingly fought over her. "Enough, you two, it's embarrassing."
Harry looked at Fleur as a flash of understanding passed between them, and they both moved to Hermione's side so that she was sandwiched between them and kissed her on the cheek at the same time before they said in unison "We're sorry." That just made Hermione blush more, but she smiled as well.
Hermione wasn't in the mood for more dancing just yet, so Harry took the two of them on a stroll in the garden that Professor Sprout must have set up for the occasion. The two of them calmly strode along the winding path, arm in arm, surrounded by sweet smelling flowers that without the assist of magic would never bloom at this time of the year or this far north. They found a bench in a small secluded alcove that hid them from anyone walking along the path and took a seat.
It didn't take long for the teenage hormones to have their say. It started with a chaste kiss from Harry, only tasting a hint of the earlier punch on Hermione's lips, mixed with the taste of the lipstick she was currently wearing. Despite the chill of the late December air, things between Harry and Hermione quickly started to heat up; the kisses deepened and hands were bolder, wandering over each other's body. They weren't as bold as they often were, however, as they were out in public and their formal robes were less forgiving to such behaviour. Harry had just started trailing a line of kisses down Hermione's neck with a rough plan of reaching Hermione's exposed collarbone when they were interrupted.
"Potter! Granger! This is a school, not an orgy. Straighten yourselves up and get in. Twenty points from Gryffindor." Snape shouted at them, startling them as they had no idea the man was there. Harry helped Hermione straighten her barely ruffled robes as she straightened Harry's stole while Snape stood there glaring at them. Personally, Harry suspected that Snape was coming down on Harry and Hermione just because he could, now that he had finally found the two of them breaking a rule. He had been hovering as much as he could get away with ever since he was put on probation by Professor McGonagall.
Harry and Hermione made their way back to the Great Hall, passing a few other couples as they went (including Hagrid and Madame Maxime) and a lone Headmaster Karkaroff. Once back in the Hall, the teens spent the next two hours alternating between dancing and stopping to have a drink and rest their feet. The last song of the night was a slow dance, and this time Harry and Hermione finished it with a kiss that wasn't interrupted before the two of them joined back up with Fleur and got into a carriage that took them back to Harry's house. All three of them collapsed on Harry's bed, the two girls too tired to face a third set of stairs. They were asleep in minutes
A/N
referring to France as a country of barbarians. Traditionally there has been a lot of conflict between Britain and France with both sides hating the other and being at fault. Nowadays it's mostly a joke but there are always some people who still hold a grudge (probably on both sides)