Alduin met with Kingsley as soon as the Head Auror could make time for him, thinking over his theory again and again, frenetically, trying to convince himself it was insane and he was just being paranoid. On some level, it absolutely was insane, and yet...it would not leave him alone.

"What is it, then?" Kingsley asked him the moment they were alone in his study, looking tired. Alduin felt vaguely guilty for adding to his burden, but he did agree to take on the job.

"My brother-in-law brought me a spell that could, in theory, be used to control Moody. I'll have to arrange for someone to check," hopefully Snape would be willing, "but I've been thinking about who could, theoretically, be both intellectual enough to know about the spell and be out of Azkaban and have enough access to Hogwarts to pull off the Goblet trick...and...have you learnt anything else from the house elf, Winky?"

Kingsley frowned. "No...what are you getting at, Alduin?"

"We know she's possibly at least tangentially involved. We know it would have to be someone who is smart and competent and has access to semi-obscure dark spells. We know it's someone with access to Hogwarts. Kingsley...what if it's Bartemius Crouch?"

Kingsley stared at him for almost a full minute. "Are you insane?" He then asked. "Crouch the Death Eater Menace? The most violent, uncompromising fanatic of them all? What would be the point?"

Alduin shook his head. "I don't mean he worked for Riddle in the war. Obviously, that would be idiotic. But what if he joined with him after? We've been looking for someone else than Pettigrew, someone who cast the Mark at the Cup..."

"What would be the point?" Kingsley asked. "I could get it if Barty was still alive, maybe, as a way to make up for his mistake and get his son out of prison, but he's dead. What can Riddle offer him?"

"Revenge?"

"Against himself?"

"I don't know, I just...it would e a complete disaster if it was true, and so it won't leave me alone. I don't think we can just leave any chance, however small, that it's true."

"Alduin, listen. You don't even know if Moody is under any kind of control. Find out, first. If he is, we don't necessarily need someone with access to Hogwarts, since Moody would ensure that – and that would be a complete disaster in and of itself. I'll try to talk to Winky, and maybe casually enquire after Bartemius, but I won't do anything else until you bring me that confirmation, understood?"

Alduin gave a deep sigh. "Understood," he said.

Kingsley had a point. Speaking to Snape was first priority.

-hp-hp-hp-hp-

Until now, Harry had been mostly sort of vaguely aware that Parvati was quite pretty, but on the night of the Yule Ball, he realized she was beautiful.

They met in the common room, as agreed, and Harry actually nearly stumbled when he saw her. Even among the colourful robes all around her, she stood out in her shocking pink, and also simply by how amazing she looked.

Harry attempted to voice the last thought, and she smiled at him. "Thanks," she said. "You look very well too. Shall we?"

Harry nodded and offered her his arm, which earned him another smile. Sophie and Ron went just after them, and Parvati spotted Dean, who'd managed to secure the company of her sister, and called to him: "Padma's waiting for you in the Entrance Hall!"

"All right!"

Dean headed out, opening the portrait hole, and Harry slipped in after him and held it for Parvati, winning another smile, and an eyeroll from Sophie. Perhaps she was well suited with Ron after all, since Harry didn't think she had to worry about something like that from him.

"I wonder who the Champions are taking," Harry said after a while, to start some kind of conversation. "I know they open the dance, so I guess they tried to get someone who won't embarrass them in that..."

Parvati grimaced a little, and at Harry questioning look, explained: "Well, um...Padma told me Cedric is going with Cho."

Harry smiled. "Good for him – and for her too, I guess, sine the Goblet declared him the best of all Hogwarts!"

"You aren't...I mean, you don't mind?"

"Why?" Harry asked, genuinely surprised.

"Well, I mean...you dated her."

"Sure, but that was over half a year ago." He shrugged. "She broke up with me basically because she said I was too young for her, so I think she should be happier with him, given he's a year older – more than, given that he was old enough to put his name in the Goblet."

"So you think you're totally over her?"

To Harry, this was a strange question. "We were together for just a few months. Of course I am."

Before Parvati could say anything more, they were in the Entrance Hall and their attention was caught by people from all the other houses. Harry did, indeed, spot Cedric with Cho, near a Ravenclaw group that also contained Horatio with, to Harry's surprise, Kiara, and Su with a boy Harry thought was Terry Boot, the grandson of their second year defence teacher. Padma was just meeting Dean, but he didn't see Hermione anywhere.

As he looked around for her, he spotted the Slytherin group coming in instead, Draco at the front with Pansy by his side, followed by Theo and Daphne. Tracey, he knew, was going with a sixth year boy, but it seemed Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent were all left without partners. He wondered why Millicent didn't agree to go with one of them, but then perhaps she didn't want to be saddled with such an impossible conversation partner for the whole evening. Harry would certainly much rather go alone than go with a girl as stupid as those two boys, guilty as the thought made him feel. They were not bad, really, but...well.

He'd have liked to go talk to Draco, but with Pansy on his arm he had very little desire to, so he was glad for the distraction of the front door opening and the Durmstrang representatives stepping in, Karkaroff at their head, alongside with Krum and- was that Hermione?

Harry stared. He had never seen her dressed up before and it changed her even more than it changed Parvati. Also, he was astonished at seeing her with Krum. As far as he knew, she disliked Quidditch as much as Parvati did. He wondered what they talked about for a moment, then realized than someone who won the Champion position must be interested in much more than only Quidditch.

The Champions were called to the side and it was only now that Harry spotted Fleur Delacour – she was with Roger, who seemed as entranced by her as Ron was. Harry snorted a little.

"Look at him," he muttered to Parvati. "He looks half hypnotized."

Parvati did look, though only fleetingly. "He's not the only one," she pointed out. "Are you immune?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't think so – I mean, my cousin told me not to look at the World Cup, so I don't know how I react to Veelas, but when it comes to Fleur...I mean, I can see she's pretty, but..." He shrugged. "I dunno. She doesn't seem to affect everyone the same, though."

"I always figured it was because some people just weren't attracted to women," Parvati said with a shrug, "but I mean, you dated Cho, so I assume that's not the case."

Harry fought the blush he just knew was trying to creep up his face. "Yeah, no, I...no. I dunno." Though he supposed it did explain why Alexandra hadn't covered her eyes at the Cup. He tried not to find the fact that Mrs. Malfoy did strange or fascinating. He just knew Alduin would make fun of him for his Muggle sensibilities. Also, Draco would probably kill him.

Fortunately he was saved from having to continue this conversation when Professor McGonnagal called all regular participants of the ball inside the hall.

There was about a hundred small tables, reminding Harry of his cousins' wedding, plus one larger one, instead of the usual five, and Harry turned to Parvati to see if she had a preference. She gave a light shrug, and they headed to one of the tables near the open space to have a good view. Padma and Dean joined them there soon, as well as Ron and Sophie and Neville and Ginny. Seamus arrived with his girlfriend, and the last free places were snatched by Daphne and Theo.

"I just had to get away from Pansy," she muttered. "She's unbearable tonight."

Harry wanted to pity Draco, but then he realized this disaster was of his own doing.

When everyone was settled, the Champions entered to a swell of ceremonial music. Harry watched them with interest, especially the completely transformed Hermione. Was that really her hair?

"Are you sorry you aren't there?" Parvati asked him.

Harry shook his head. "Not on your life."

"Really?" She seemed surprised.

"Yeah. Get enough publicity as it is..."

"I'd think it would be exciting!"

Harry shook his head again. "You just always have to watch what you say super carefully, because everyone's ready to make so much of every word..."

"Oh." Parvati frowned. "I never thought of that..."

Harry remembered how Alduin told him Rita Skeeter had been about to publish an article claiming he attacked her when she tried to interview him before he managed to stop it, and didn't say anything.

That is, until the champions reached the Head Table and he noticed that next to Ludo Bagman, where he would have expected Mr. Bartemius Crouch, there was Percy Weasley instead.

"Ron!" He said, turning to his friend. "What's your brother doing there?"

Ron, who seemed to have only just noticed as well, shook his head. "I have no idea."

"We have to ask him once the dinner is over," Harry declared, and picked up the menu from his table. This, too, reminded him of the wedding, and he ordered some salmon. Soon they all had their meals, and the conversation stalled for a moment as they concentrated on them.

After his first hunger was sated, Harry turned to Padma, sitting two places away from him, and asked: "How did Hermione meet Krum, do you know?"

Padma grimaced. "No idea. I didn't even know she was going with him until tonight! I assume Su knew, and I don't know if Lisa and Mandy did, but she didn't tell me or Morag." She shrugged. "We don't talk that much, so I'm not super surprised, but still. The biggest piece of gossip of this year, and I didn't know!"

"Theo saw them together in the library once or twice," Daphne said, and Theo nodded to confirm her words, "so maybe that was where?"

"In the library!" Sophie said, shaking her head. "Who knew that was the place to get international Quiddtch star dates..."

Harry shared his theory about Krum probably being more than a Quidditch star, and Daphne grinned at him. "Jealous, Harry?"

Harry blinked, confused. "Of whom?"

"Would you prefer it if he noticed you instead of Hermione?" Daphne clarified, and Harry felt a blush spread over his face once more. What was it with this evening and everyone talking about...this stuff?

"Well, you have to admit he's kind of wasted on Hermione," Ginny commented. She looked very well this evening, too, in green dress robes that complimented her hair nicely. "He might be smart and all that, but that's not what he became famous for, is it? So it's probably not what he's best at..."

"But maybe everyone wants to talk to him about Quidditch?" Dean suggested. "I suppose you can get fed up even with that."

Ron shot him a scandalized look, and Padma muttered "even" under her breath.

Further conversation was interrupted by Dumbledore asking them to stand up, and their table, along with all others, floated towards the wall to clear the dance floor, and a stage appeared.

"Weird Sisters!" Padma all but squealed. "I didn't know they'd be playing here!"

"I didn't know either," Daphne said with deep interest. "I guess Dumbledore has some pleasant surprises in store, too..."

The first dance belonged to the Champions, and they all watched in silence. Harry had to admit all three couples looked very well on the dance floor. Much better, he was sure, than he would have looked.

Once that dance was over, he offered his arm to Parvati and they headed out to what he was pretty sure was a mazurka. He was still grateful for the chance to verify by watching more experienced dancers, though, and wondered how many dances Parvati would wish for. Mazurka and slow waltz were fine, but Viennese waltz and the reel were giving him trouble, and he sincerely hoped Alduin was right and minuet and the others wouldn't be demanded of him yet, because that would probably kill him.

They managed the mazurka relatively well, and even the witch dance that came after, astonishingly, and then Harry remembered with profound relief something Alduin had said was acceptable and asked Parvati if she wanted to get something to drink.

She agreed, and they returned to their table with glasses of punch. Only Sophie and Ron were still there, the others were all dancing.

"Back so soon?" Parvati asked them.

Sophie grimaced. "Dancing. Not my favourite thing."

Parvati shook her head like she couldn't understand something like that.

Harry didn't say anything, occupied with the other thing Alduin told him was appropriate, which was asking all of his friends to dance. He knew Neville and Theo, at least, would know this was expected, but Theo wasn't really friends with the Gryffindor girls, so that left Neville. He came after the next dance, and true to form, promptly asked Parvati, freeing Harry to do the same with Ginny and return to the dance floor for – thankfully – a slow waltz.

"I'm really grateful Mum taught me how to dance during the summer," she muttered as they moved around the floor. "Dancing with you, people will inevitable stare a little."

Harry grimaced. "Sorry."

She shrugged, as much as she could while waltzing. "I don't care, but I'm glad I'm not completely embarrassing myself."

After one dance, Harry returned and asked Daphne. Dean seemed to have got the clue and joined the game by asking Parvati, so Harry didn't have to worry about his partner being bored – another thing Alduin had lectured him on – and could then dance with Padma,

Once this was done, he was grateful to sit down again and have some more punch. Harry wondered whether he was expected to go and find Kiara, Su and Hermione as well, not to mention Angelina, Alice and Katie were sure to be somewhere too. And Hannah and Susan? He grimaced. He hoped not. His feet would probably fall off.

Instead, he asked Parvati again after some time, and then offered her a walk outside when he felt in danger of some minuet.

She agreed, and together they discovered that the grounds by the castle have been transformed into a rose garden, with a number of couples strolling through – and, apparently, some hiding in the bushes, given the sounds that could be heard from there. Parvati giggled, and as Harry steered her elsewhere, she slid her hand down his arm and interlinked her fingers with his.

Harry was surprised, and thought of Parvati with Kiara last year, but then he thought of what Alduin had told him, that it really wasn't as simple as either or. He looked at Parvati, and she gave him a tentative smile. After a small hesitation, he returned it and pressed her hand, and they continued strolling in silence.

After all, he thought, why not?