Meant to come out with this chapter sooner, but my body had other ideas. Owing to a complication from a very old surgery, I was complaining of pain in my abdomen. Was admitted in hospital on Monday and only just got discharged on Friday.

As he followed the crowd back inside the castle, Harry suddenly heard his name being called. He paused and glanced around before spotting Angelina Johnson wading over towards him. She reached over and grabbed his hand, "There you two are! Come on! Team meeting! Very urgent. You others are welcome to join as well."

Angelina dragged him and Katie over to where Alicia, the twins and Robyn were sitting. The dark-skinned girl plopped Harry down on the seat and he had to juggle the egg in order to avoid dropping it. Ron, Mackenzie, Hermione and Neville also sat down, though they were horribly confused. Angelina spoke, "So I just spoke to McGonagall. She said that the Quidditch games are going to be rushed through, because they need the Pitch for the Third Task. As for our own situation, we have a big problem because we are down one person because of Oliver's departure."

Ron piped up, "But surely you can train Robyn for the Keeper role."

She sighed, "Actually. McGonagall said that since Harry is now a Tri-Wizard champion, he's ineligible to participate in Quidditch this year. Says that he has to focus on this Tournament, and Quidditch would be a distraction."

There was a groan from most of the group. Angelina grimaced, "Yeah, I don't like it either. So even with Robyn, we're still a man down. Also, no offence Robyn but you're not the right build for a Keeper."

Then George perked up, "Oi! We can field Ronniekins as Keeper. Let Robyn be the Seeker."

Fred picked up where his twin left off, "Then we stick with this line-up for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Robyn can train up and possibly take up the Keeper role next year."

Ron's head snapped up, "Me!? You want me as the Keeper? Please tell me this is one of your jokes."

Fred reached over and ruffled his youngest brother's hair, "No joke little brother of mine! Or have you forgotten all of those pick-up games at the Burrow? And don't tell us that you don't have a broom, you can ask Harrykins to let you borrow his Firebolt."

Ron's eyes lit up at the prospect, but then Harry countered with a frown on his face. He said, "Actually… I think we're better off with Robyn lending her broom to Ron and she borrows my Firebolt."

Ron's ears briefly glowed red in anger, but then he really thought about it. He opened his mouth, paused and then closed it again. He sighed, "Yeah you have a point. The Firebolt is the fastest broom in the world, and being a Keeper doesn't really need too much fast flying. Sorry… Wasn't thinking for a sec."

Harry said exasperatedly, "Ron, you can fly on my Firebolt at any time. All you have to do is ask. Look, you're my best mate, but think about what's best for the team. Robyn's going to need a fast broom to hunt for the Snitch and keep up with it."

He turned to Angelina, "Who are we up against first?"

She shot him a wry look, "Who else but Slytherin. I swear to God, every damn season we start off by facing them! Can't they switch it up for a change?"

He shrugged, "Anyway, now that that's sorted, let's go get ready for our next class. Then I've got to figure out the mystery of this stupid egg."

Just then, Bianca and Ginny passed by, and Mackenzie got up to join them. The twins' faces lit up like Christmas lights. They jumped to their feet and tailed after a rapidly reddening Bianca. The boys announced as they followed her, "There she is! All hail the almighty Historical exorcist!"

Her face now scarlet, Bianca scurried out as fast as she could. Harry raised a curious eyebrow, "Dare I ask?"

Alicia snorted, "Turns out, there's a rumour going around that she accidentally exorcised Binns. He's gone now, so Dumbledore is taking over until he finds a new History of Magic professor."

Harry sniggered, "Well… He won't be missed… Or wait… I take that back… He will be missed because everyone would miss their usual nap time."

The group shared a good laugh at that and they all made their way to the Common Room. Harry was the last to tumble in, still carefully holding the Golden Egg. However, he was nearly bowled out by the uproarious cheer from the Gryffindors.

There were mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer on every surface; Lee Jordan had let off some Filibuster's Fireworks, so that the air was thick with stars and sparks; and Dean Thomas had put up some impressive new banners, most of which depicted Harry decked out in full battle armour. He nearly shed a tear when Dean got a particularly great shot of his shield with Zoe's figure chasing a boar.

Meanwhile, Lee Jordan managed to liberate Harry's egg and with a grunt of effort, lugged it onto a table. He wheezed, "Blimey! This is heavy. Come on Harry! Open it! Let's just see what's inside it!"

Several other voices echoed the sentiment. Lee passed Harry the egg, and Harry dug his fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and prised it open.

It was hollow and completely empty — but the moment Harry opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room. With his hands clapped to his ears, Fred bellowed, "Shut it!"

Harry complied and waited while everyone took a moment to recover. Seamus demanded, "What was that? Sounded like a banshee... Maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"

Neville suggested, "Fight the Cruciatus?"

Hermione shot him the stink-eye, "Don't be ridiculous! That's illegal!"

The next day, Harry bumped into a moody Cedric. He asked, "Found out about the Quidditch restrictions?"

The older boy moaned, "Yes! So unfair! I was looking forward to a rematch."

Then his handsome face brightened, By the way, remember I mentioned that Cho heard a rumour about a Duelling Club? Well, it's actually a competition, and again, the Tri-Wizard champions are barred from entering. At least I'm glad that we're still eligible to play Capture The Flag."

Harry sympathetically mumbled, "Bugger… That's a shame. Still… Would be fun to watch."

The next day after lunch, Dumbledore requested everyone to stay behind. He announced, "My dear students… I feel that we should do more for our esteemed guests. As a result, I believe that we should have a duelling competition!"

That aroused a cheer from the Hogwarts students. The wizard continued, "Sadly, I must inform Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory that since they are Tri-Wizard champions, they are not permitted to participate, but can still watch the tournament."

Harry and Cedric adopted mildly disappointed looks briefly, but perked up at the second half of the sentence. One by one, every year was organised and had an opponent. However, an interesting situation cropped up when it transpired that Bianca di Angelo was left without an opponent. She was all prepared to step back when Dumbledore gently coughed, "Ms di Angelo? Do not fret. You shall still have a chance to participate. That is, if you would allow me the honour of being your opponent?"

That one statement drew a gasp out of everyone, but he simply smiled and winked at her, "Don't worry, my dear. I shall go easy on you."

She swallowed a small lump in her throat and nodded, "Thank you Headmaster Dumbledore. I won't let you down!"

Bianca tottered away, wondering how the Tartarus she got herself into this situation. She flopped down next to Harry, who gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. He mumbled, "Whoa Bianca… Breathe… It's okay… It's just an ordinary duel. Don't think about who your opponent is. Just focus on your spell work."

The olive-skinned girl took a deep breath and calmed down, and they watched the duels play out. Ron and Hermione were surprisingly evenly matched, but Hermione managed to trick the redhead into a mistake and stunned him. Ginny vs Mackenzie was another fierce battle, with the latter just edging out the win. Though Harry did note that Ginny was quite the spitfire in her wand work and Mackenzie had adopted his grappling stance at the beginning of the duel.

Finally, it was Bianca's turn, and with slightly wobbly legs, made her way to the end of platform. Dumbledore calmly took his place at the other end and took up a traditional stance. Bianca shook off her nerves and adjusted her own posture, placing her legs as if she was about to fire an arrow. Referee Professor Flitwick glanced at both opponents before raising his arm to begin the duel.

Within the next few minutes, there was a flurry of spells from both ends. Despite his old age, Albus Dumbledore was still pretty spry. Meanwhile, Bianca was mixing attack and defence, even alternating between Protego spells and using her demigod reflexes to dodge. The duel seemed to carry on for ages, until she caught him off-guard with an Expelliarmus spell. Jaws were on the floor and there was pin drop silence as Dumbledore's wand flew into her hand and she caught it. Just as she did, a miniscule shudder overtook her body, and then she glanced at him with wide eyes. Her shocked gaze then switched to the wand in her hand, back to a proud Dumbledore, back to the wand, and back to Dumbledore.

Bianca stammered, "I-I don't-"

Her response was drowned out by explosive cheers from everyone in the Great Hall. Still pale, she advanced towards Dumbledore and held out his wand with a trembling hand. He simply smiled genially at her, closed her fist around the wand and whispered, "Keep it, my dear. As a souvenir."

Dumbledore then reached into his robes and pulled out another wand with a wink in her direction. Wordlessly, she staggered back to the cheering crowd. Mackenzie and Ginny were the first to reach her and hug her tightly. Harry also came running over and hugged her, cheering, "Knew you could do it! Proud of you! Nico is going to be so jealous!"

Soon, December arrived, bringing with it a wave of sleet and frigid winds. In Care of Magical Creatures class, the Skrewts were having a massive civil war. By the time things were relatively under control, Harry's Skrewt was among 10 that managed to survive. Each of them was now approaching six feet in length. Their thick gray armour; their powerful, scuttling legs; their fire-blasting ends; their stings and their suckers, combined to make the Skrewts the most repulsive things Harry had ever seen.

Hagrid brought out several large boxes and suggested that they could see if the creatures hibernated. It got worse when Rita Skeeter came bustling by to check things out. She eyed the creatures and the damage to the class before asking Hagrid, "What are these fascinating creatures called?".

"Blast-Ended Skrewts," grunted Hagrid.

"Really?" said Rita, apparently full of lively interest. "I've never heard of them before . . . where do they come from?"

He clammed up, his eyes shifting around, searching for help. Hagrid caught Harry's eyes and the latter decided to throw him a bone. He mouthed behind Skeeter's back, 'They're origin is still a mystery, but that is what we're trying to find out. Don't know much about their eating, sleeping, predatory or mating habits. I was hoping that the students and I could discover it together.'

The giant man's eyes lit up gratefully and repeated Harry's words aloud. This was somehow enough to satisfy the Daily Prophet journalist. When she walked away, Harry breathed a sigh of relief, "I don't like her. One bit. Something about her smells off."

Ron looked at him incredulously, "Smells?"

As they walked back to the castle for their Transfiguration lecture, Harry glanced around him and noticed people out of earshot. He whispered, "I'm an Animagus. I brewed the potion after Second Year, with the help of Sirius and Remus."

Ron was pretty fascinated, "Oh right, I remember you mentioned that, a while ago. What form was it again? I think you told us, but I don't remember."

"Direwolf."

His eyes sparkled, "Wicked! Just like your dad, and uncles Sirius and Remus! Thought of a name yet?"

Harry shook his head, "Still workshopping it."

At Transfiguration, they were practicing turning guinea fowl into guinea pigs. Harry had to suppress his laughter a few times, especially as memories of Percy Jackson being turned into a guinea pig, invaded his mind.

Finally, McGonagall clapped her hands sharply to get everyone's attention. She announced, "Students, the Yule Ball is approaching — a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above — although you may invite a younger student if you wish —"

She ignored a shrill giggle from Lavender Brown. McGonagall continued, "Dress robes will be worn, though not compulsory. Boys are allowed to wear suits and tuxedos, and girld can wear gowns, so long as they are not particularly scandalous. The ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then… The Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to — er — let our hair down."

Lavender giggled harder than ever, with her hand pressed hard against her mouth to stifle the sound. Harry could see what was funny this time: Professor McGonagall, with her hair in a tight bun, looked as though she had never let her hair down in any sense.

The older witch levelled a disapproving glare at Lavender, "But that does NOT mean that we will be relaxing the standards of behaviour we expect from Hogwarts students I will be most seriously displeased if a student embarrasses the school in any way."

The bell rang, and there was the usual scuffle of activity as everyone packed their bags and swung them onto their shoulders.

Professor McGonagall called above the noise, "Potter — a word, if you please."

Harry assured his three friends that he would be fine and they reluctantly left. Professor McGonagall waited until the rest of the class had gone, and then said, "Potter, the champions and their partners traditionally open the ball. You are a Hogwarts champion, please do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner."

He bowed, "Yes, professor."

As he walked back, he mentally went over the list of girls that he knew. He did consider Hermione, but found it a bit awkward around her since she was one of his best friends. Mackenzie was also ruled out because he didn't feel comfortable dancing with his own cousin. Ginny was an option, but she still had a tendency to be shy around him. That left only Katie and Bianca as viable options. Katie made sense because she was his 'girlfriend', while Bianca would be a good choice.

However, ever since she had beaten Dumbledore in a duel, her popularity skyrocketed. Also considering the fact that she did everyone in school a favour and exorcised Binns, made her even more popular. Her olive complexion, silky dark hair and freckles also made her quite the looker.

He was about to go find Katie when he bumped into Padma and a rather bashful Parvati. The Ravenclaw cheerfully said, "Hey Harry! I was looking for you! It seems my sister has something to say."

The Gryffindor twin was still a bit nervous. Tracing circles on the ground with her toe, she stammered, "Umm… Harry? I-I was… I was wondering if you would like to go to the Yule Ball with me. I-I wanted to thank you for saving my life and thought that this would be the best way to repay you. I know you are in a relationship with Katie and I don't want to get in the way of that! Can we go as friends?!"

He mentally thanked the Hunters, Silena and Fleur's efforts in being more comfortable around girls and how to treat them. Harry smiled, "Of course, Parvati. I'd love to. Just as friends, though. Don't want to fuel the infamous Hogwarts rumour mill."

That did the trick in relaxing her a bit. Parvati laughed, "Don't worry about that, Harry. Lavender and I practically control the rumour mill with Penny Haywood. I heard Penny got a ton of suitors, but turned them all down for Silvertongue."

The next day, the list of people going home for Christmas, was completely blank. Ron watched a random group of girls walk by and moaned, "Why do they have to move in packs? How're you supposed to get one on their own to ask them? You got a date?"

He nodded, "Parvati asked me. Was her way of saying thanks for saving her life."

Ron grunted, "Huh… Figured you'd go with Katie, Mackenzie or Bianca."

Harry snorted, "Going with Mackenzie would be too awkward, since she's family. Would you take Ginny?"

Ron shuddered, "Nope! Too weird! Did not need that image in my head."

Harry chuckled and continued, "Taking Bianca is risky, especially because of her recent rise in popularity. And you've got to admit, she is a looker. Think she's the third-most popular female after Fleur and Penny Haywood. Penny's pretty much taken herself off the market by going with her boyfriend Silvertongue. Also, McGonagall told us that the Champions cannot take each other to the Ball. Me taking Fleur would be awkward because she's like a sister to me, and she's too old for me. Katie also said that she was okay with me going with Parvati."

"Ahh, okay."

Then an idea struck Harry, "Oi! Ron! You can go with Hermione! Look mate, you two already know each other, so it makes sense."

Ron's eyes lit up, "Cor! I didn't think of that!"

He scrambled off to the library with a hurried, "Thanks mate!".

As the days passed and the Yule Ball drew closer, everyone was buzzing about it. Hermione was practically beaming when Ron asked her to the Ball. Meanwhile with the preparations, Dumbledore had bought eight hundred barrels of mulled mead from Madam Rosmerta. It seemed to be fact, however, that he had also booked the popular music group, Weird Sisters. Harry mused to Neville, "I wonder if they take requests."

The boy shrugged, "Never know. Not like there's much of a choice between them and Celestina Warbeck."

Harry groaned, "Bloody hell! The wizarding world needs more music. Heck! The Muggle world has multiple genres and different singers and bands. Remind me to introduce you to some of them. Actually, I wonder if the Weird Sisters will know any Muggle music."

Neville shrugged, "Maybe…"

Just then, Harry saw Viktor Krum approach him. He said stiffly, "Potter? I need help."

Harry joked, "I already have a date Viktor, and I'm not sure if the Wizarding World is open to same-sex couples, mate."

Krum ignored the banter, "Potter… As you know, I have fangirls because of Quidditch fame. I no need for date so… How you say… vapid and shallow. Earlier, I thought of asking bushy-haired friend… Her… Hermy-"

"Hermione?"

"Da, but she was going with Weasley friend. I wanted to ask your permission to take your cousin to Yule Ball."

Harry nodded back at him, "Sure, go ahead Viktor. Just… Make sure you treat her right. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to write."

"I vill."

Some days later, Harry was having breakfast in the Great Hall when the mail came in. He spotted Hedwig swooping in with a slightly amused look on her face, and was that a Howler?

Sure enough, she was carrying a familiar red envelope, which began twitching violently. As she landed, he eyed the envelope warily and asked, "How bad is it?"

In an amused tone, she hooted back in reply, "Nothing bad, Boss. Humiliating? No promises!"

Harry reached over gingerly, and the rest of the students waited with bated breath. It burst open and a shrill voice squealed loudly, "EEEEEEEEEEE! HARRY! I AM SO, SO, SO GLAD YOU WROTE TO ME ASKING FOR HELP! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU HAVE A YULE BALL EVENT, MISTER?! NOW… DON'T YOU FRET! BIG SISTER SILENA WILL RALLY THE GIRLS TOGETHER. GIVE US THREE DAYS AND WE'LL WORK OUR MAGIC! BY THE TIME WE'RE DONE WITH YOU, YOU'LL BE THE TALK OF THE TOWN! MOM HERSELF WOULD APPROVE OF IT! OH! AND I EXPECT LOTS AND LOTS OF PICTURES WHEN YOU GET BACK TO CAMP! TOODLES! SILENA!"

With that, the Howler stopped screaming and then tore itself to shreds. Harry's salt and pepper hair was blown back and standing on end. Next to him, Neville laughingly mused, "Well… Never seen a Howler used like that before."

Harry let out a small bark of laughter, "Yeah… Silena gets very… er… passionate about fashion. Also, the Yule Ball is a pretty romance-themed event, so I'm not surprised she freaked out."

The day of the Yule Ball dawned. Harry's sleep was suddenly interrupted by someone pouncing on his bed and a cold slimy sensation on his face. He opened his eyes to see Sirius in his Animagus form perched on the bed plastering his face with slobbery kisses. He transformed back and beamed, "Wake up kiddo! It's Christmas morning! Don't tell me you're going to waste the day sleeping in?"

Harry grumbled and wiped his face, "Okay, okay, you old fleabag. I'm up."

He enjoyed a wonderful morning opening various presents and gifting presents to his friends. Sometime after lunch, the group was hanging out in the Common Room, when Hermione checked her watch. She jumped up immediately, "Well… I've got to go at get ready for the ball."

Ron gaped at her incredulously, "Now?! The Ball's bloody hours away! There's plenty of time!"

Harry just grabbed his shoulder and cut off any protest. He said, "Mate… It's a general unspoken rule for any girl that she needs a LOT of time to get ready for a special occasion. You don't question why. Trust me, I say this as a bloke in an all-female household. Come on, let's go out and have a snowball fight while we wait."

He and the other boys spent a few hours pelting snow at each other. Initially, they split up into teams of two, but it soon evolved into a game of targeting Harry. Since every one of his shots nailed a target, they all ganged up on him.

By 6:30PM, the snow-covered boys trudged back to the Common Room to get ready. Sirius handed him a large rectangular package, which he confirmed was from Silena, and the Howler was his idea. Sure enough, his beautiful sister really came through for him. Inside the package was a really smart-looking silvery glittering tuxedo. On the breast pocket was an expertly embroidered symbol of a crescent moon and an arrow crossing over it. He also had a crisp white shirt and a small pre-made bowtie. Completing the look was a pair of jet black trousers.

He quickly managed to get ready and expertly manoeuvred the bowtie to its proper place. Then he peeped in on Ron, and practically choked on his spit. Harry coughed, "Ron… What the bloody hell is THAT?!"

He was forlornly holding up something that looked to Harry like a long, maroon velvet dress. It had a mouldy-looking lace frill at the collar and matching lace cuffs. With a miserable look on his face, Ron changed into the robes. If anything, he looked even worse.

Harry knew he had to act, and act he did. He suddenly seized Ron by the lace collar and began dragging him off. Harry babbled "OXI! OXI! OXI! You are not going to the ball like that!"

He continued dragging the protesting boy, all the way to the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry politely knocked on the door, and after a few minutes, a Beauxbatons girl with brown hair opened the door, "Oui?"

Harry replied back in perfect French, "Bonsoir, could you please tell Fleur Delacour to meet me urgently? Tell her it is a fashion emergency."

She took a look at Ron and her eyes widened, "Un moment, s'il vous plait."

In five minutes, Fleur opened the carriage door. She looked stunning in robes of silver-gray satin. She asked, with confusion on her face, "Harry? You needed my help with- SACRE BLEU!"

Her hands flew to her face in a perfect impression of Edvard Munch's The Scream. She moaned, "Oh mon petite ami. You were right! Zis IS a fashion emergency."

She reached over and seized Ron by the arm, "Cinq minute, s'il vous plait?"

With a yelp, the redhead was dragged inside and Harry coolly waited. In four minutes and 50 seconds, the door opened and Ron Weasley staggered out, completely winded and clutching his original dress robes, bundled up in his arms.. Fleur appeared right behind him and… was she blowing away a wisp of smoke from her fingertips?

Harry looked him over, and his robe was replaced by a dapper grey suit and a maroon tie. Fleur grinned, "Not bad, if I do say so myself. Oh, and Harry? You look especially dashing tonight! Silena really outdid herself. Save a dance for me!"

As they walked back, they spotted a group of Slytherins coming up the steps from their dungeon common room. Malfoy was in front; he was wearing dress robes of black velvet with a high collar, which in Harry's opinion made him look like a vicar. Merula Snyde in very frilly robes of pale pink was clutching Malfoy's arm. Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing green; they resembled moss-colored boulders.

Finally, they reached their own Common Room, just in time to see Hermione and Parvati walk out from the Girls' Dorms. Parvati was draped in a stunning white sash with gold trimmings, that seemed to loop around her waist for ages, before the end of it rested on her right shoulder and was held up by a safety pin. Underneath that, she wore a gold top that was cut off above her belly button.

Harry grinned, "Wow! Parvati! You clean up really nice! What is that?"

She had a light blush on her dark skin, "Padma and I wrote to our parents and asked for some traditional Indian saris. Should have known that Mama would go all out and order Kanjeevaram saris, straight from Kerala. Do you have any idea how expensive they are?! We would have settled for a simple salwaar kameez, but Mama had other ideas. I'm just glad that she didn't deck us out in heavy gold jewellery. I don't think my poor neck could take the weight."

He chuckled, "I'm almost afraid to ask"

Parvati gave him a once-over and her eyebrows shot up, "By the way, you look amazing! I guess that Silena girl really came through?"

He laughed again, "And then some."

Then he looked at Hermione, and his jaw dropped. Ron's expression was no better, and he simply murmured, "Bloody hell! I've hit the jackpot."

Harry gasped, "Wow! Hermione! You clean up really nice! Actually… That's an understatement."

The girl blushed violently and rubbed her forearms. She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow — or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling — rather nervously, it was true — but the reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever. She stammered, "Th-thanks Harry… Ron… Both of you look incredible!"

Harry regained his senses, "Sorry if we kept you waiting. Had to deal with a fashion emergency. Silena came through for me and she's outdone herself. I promised her pictures. Meanwhile, we had to rush to Fleur because Ron's original dress robes were an eyesore."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Surely it couldn't be that bad…"

Ron shot her a deadpan look and unfurled his dress robes. Hermione practically gagged, "Oh! Gods! No! I would not be caught dead next to someone wearing that! No offence, Ron."

He grumbled, "None taken… You should have seen the row I had with Mum before the start of the year. This thing belonged to her great aunt."

With everyone ready to go, they climbed out of the portrait. Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, but Karkaroff was scowling as he watched Krum and Mackenzie, who was looking quite dolled up. Silena had worked her magic on his cousin as well, and she was reaping the rewards.

Ludo Bagman wore bright purple robes with large yellow stars. He was clapping as enthusiastically as any of the students; and Madame Maxime, who had changed her usual uniform of black satin for a flowing gown of lavender silk, was applauding them politely. But Mr. Crouch, Harry realized, was not there. The fifth seat at the table was occupied by Percy Weasley.

When the champions and their partners reached the table, Percy drew out the empty chair beside him, staring pointedly at Harry. Harry took the hint and guided Parvati to her seat. He then sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes.

The redhead leaned over and murmured, "I've earned a promotion. I've been appointed as Mr. Crouch's personal assistant."

Harry smiled at him, "Congratulations! Where is he anyway?"

Percy shrugged, "I'm afraid to say Mr. Crouch isn't well, not well at all. Hasn't been right since the World Cup. Hardly surprising — overwork. He's not as young as he was — though still quite brilliant, of course, the mind remains as great as it ever was. But the World Cup was a fiasco for the whole Ministry, with your kidnapping. I think you might have missed that someone cast the Dark Mark in the sky. Mr. Crouch suffered a huge personal shock, because it turned out that his house-elf was caught with the offending wand."

Harry asked, "Can house elves cast spells?"

Percy shrugged again, "Honestly, I'm the wrong person to ask about house elf behaviour. Whether she did or not, it still caused a bit of a scandal, so he had no choice but to dismiss her immediately. Since then, he's been getting on but he needs looking after. On top of this, is the tournament, and the aftermath of the Cup to deal with — that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around — no, poor man, he's having a well-earned, quiet Christmas. I'm just glad he knew he had someone he could rely upon to take his place."

Harry nodded, "Hope he feels better."

With that, he glanced around the table to see his fellow champions. Krum and Mackenzie were talking quietly in serious tones, and he caught glimpses of the conversation. Turns out, he was giving her knife-fighting tips. Fleur was looking a little grumpy, as her date Roger Davies from Ravenclaw, was nearly drooling all over her. She mouthed to Harry, 'Save me, mon ami! I wish I went with you. You have better control than these lecherous pigs. I'm half-tempted to join the Hunters, but it would make mother mad.'

He shot her a sympathetic smile and looked at the next pair. Cedric and Cho Chang were half-snuggling against each other. Yuliya had chosen a fellow Durmstrang classmate, and Marion was with Harry's Gryffindor classmate, Ben Copper.

Looking around him, he spotted Ron and Hermione sitting and eating at another table. Neville and Ginny were with them. The twins had chosen Angelina and Alicia, while Katie was with Lee Jordan. Colin Creevey was also feeling a bit small, as he felt a bunch of glares at his back while he was dancing with Bianca.

After dinner, The Weird Sisters trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments glanced at the champions' table. Harry looked at Parvati and held out his hand, "Would you care for a dance?"

She smiled brightly, "I would be delighted!"

As he led her to the dance floor, she whispered, "To tell you the truth, I was a little worried. Can you see around you? Most of the boys are pretty awkward around their dates. I was afraid you would be the same."

He murmured back, "I've had a lot of dancing lessons from Silena and Fleur. Also, growing up in an all-female household meant that it was pretty much drilled into my head that I should treat a girl properly."

Looking around him, everyone else was dancing too. The two of them swayed with the music and he occasionally twirled her around. After two more songs, everyone decided to switch partners. His new partner was none other than Hermione. The two of them swayed a little and he murmured, "Honestly, I really debated on who to take to the Ball. I did consider going with you, but since you're my best friend, I thought it would be too awkward."

She replied back, "Hey, it's okay… It's a bit awkward for me too. Though I'm glad you got Ron to get his head out of his arse and ask me. Knowing him, he would have left things to the last minute. Who else did you consider?"

"I ruled out Mackenzie, because she's my cousin. Ginny's still a bit bashful around me, so my realistic options were Katie and Bianca."

She nodded, "Makes sense, since Katie's technically your girlfriend. Also, you know Bianca pretty well. Though in hindsight, poor Colin's kind of suffering."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Fleur approach the lead singer. If he remembered from what Parvati told him, his name was Myron Wagtail. He could have sworn that he spotted a ghost of a smile on her face, and his eyes narrowed.

After the song finished, Fleur approached him and asked for a dance. As she led him to the middle of the dance floor, everyone cleared the floor. When he clasped her hand, he deadpanned, "You've got something planned, don't you?"

She replied with an innocent look, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Suddenly, the band transfigured their instruments into different ones. Then the sound of a violin began to play a familiar tune. Harry shot her a look, "Tango?"

She replied back affirmatively, "Tango."

Fleur placed a dainty hand on his shoulder and he placed one hand on her waist. What followed next was 3 minutes of a spell-binding tango between the two. They matched each other's steps before Harry pulled her into a small dip. They continued their fast and furious tango until Harry dipped Fleur low and they posed, panting heavily. (1)

The stunned silence was replaced by a thunderous applause as the two bowed. The regular dancing programme resumed, with people occasionally switching dance partners. As Harry kind of expected, his dance with Mackenzie was awkward for both of them. Fortunately, his dance with Katie was better. Parvati attempted to have a second dance, but was beaten to the punch by her twin sister.

After a while, Harry wandered off to take a breather from dancing. Suddenly, his sharp ears picked up snippets of conversation nearby and he crept closer to observe. Apparently, Professor Snape and Headmaster Karkaroff were having a hushed discussion.

Karkaroff fiercely whispered, "Severus, you cannot pretend this isn't happening! It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it —"

Snape curtly responded, "Then flee. Flee — I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."

The Durmstrang man stalked off and Snape stood there. After a few moments, he said, "Potter, I know you're there. Please step out."

Harry slipped out of his hiding place, "Professor, I won't lie, I overheard the conversation. He's also starting to notice, isn't he?"

The dour Potions professor replied, "Indeed. I sincerely hope that if he does come back, his stay will be very short-lived. Anyway, the dance is that way, Potter. Good night."

As Harry returned, he overheard another interesting conversation between Hagrid and Madame Maxime.

Maxime asked with a purr in her voice, "What did you know, 'Agrid?"

"I jus' knew . . . knew you were like me. . . . Was it yer mother or yer father?"

While taking cover behind a stone reindeer, Harry heard another voice. The eerily familiar voice purred, "OOO! This ought to be juicy!"

Harry looked around him and didn't see anyone, apart from a beetle crawling along the stone reindeer's back. Harry strained his ears when he heard the beetle speak, "Go on, Mr. Hagrid! This is very fascinating! I'm sure our readers would love this!"

The Knut dropped for Harry and he reacted instantly. With the beetle not paying attention to him, he quickly captured it with his hands, hearing a startled squeak. Taking care not to crush his prisoner, he casually strolled up to Hagrid before he could put his foot in his mouth, "Hey Hagrid!"

The man beamed, "Hiya Harry! I say, ya look great in that suit! Suits ya better than a dress robe."

Meanwhile, Madame Maxime was looking relieved. She stood up and primly said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Hagrid. I'm afraid I must retire back to my carriage, alone, please?"

Hagrid was looking crestfallen, but accepted it anyway, "Another time then!"

"Maybe…"

Harry walked away calmly, and once he was out of eyesight, he bolted for his dorm. Inside, he dug through his suitcase with one hand, while the other struggled to keep hold of its prisoner. Finally, he managed to fish out the empty Ophiotaurus sphere. He opened it and threw the beetle inside. When it tried to scuttle out, he whipped out his wand and stunned it before performing the Animagus reversal spell. On cue, a rather ruffled Rita Skeeter was sitting into the sphere, which he quickly closed.

She banged on the reinforced glass, "You can't do this to me! I have my rights! I'll sue you for this! The readers will hear about this! I will have my story one way or another!"

Harry glanced at the irate reporter. He said, "Didn't Professor Dumbledore bar you from entering Hogwarts? I guess this is how you flouted the rules. Don't worry Rita, I'll make sure to inform the Headmaster about this."

The demigod heaved the sphere bag inside the suitcase. This resulted in her muffled protests being muted. With that out of the way, he went back and enjoyed the rest of the ball.

Just as he, Ron and Hermione were trudging back to their dorm, Dumbledore came ambling by. He leaned over and quietly spoke, "Harry? would you mind popping into my office? Someone's here to see you, they say its urgent."

Harry calmly followed the Headmaster to his office. Inside, he stumbled upon a familiar face, "Tonks? What are you doing here? I thought you were still on the mission? Was your cover blown?"

Sirius and Remus were also present and trying to calm her down. She had been holding back tears and shook her head. Tonks mournfully looked at him, "It's worse, Harry… I'm pregnant."

(1) Imagine the tango scene from the 1992 movie, Scent of a Woman.