Hermione was reading on her bed that evening when an odd, sibilant gong sounded. She looked up curiously, only to hear it again, and she exchanged a bewildered look with Tracey and Daphne before they went out to the common room to investigate.

It was Professor Snape. He was ringing an enormous silver gong decorated with green serpents in front of the glass that looked into the lake. The gong went up to his waist, and Hermione wondered if he'd conjured it or if there was a secret place to keep this gong for the Head of House to use – and if so, where.

It seemed to be the latter – Snape kept ringing the gong, repeatedly, until the gong suddenly vanished. Snape seemed to be expecting this, and he stood up straight to address them all.

"Slytherins," he said. "Now that you are all here, there is something I must say to you all."

His lips thinned, like he was sucking on a lemon.

"There is," he said, with great reluctance, "to be a Yule Ball this year. It is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament."

There were immediate murmurs and gasps, before everyone quickly hushed at Snape's glare.

"Now," Snape said curtly. "There are several things you should know about the ball."

"First: The ball is only open to fourth years and above. Younger students may only attend if invited by an older student."

That seemed patently unfair to Hermione – why shouldn't the younger ones get to come too?

"Second," Snape continued. "The ball will begin at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, and end at midnight. It will be held in the Great Hall—"

"Wait," a seventh year objected. "It's the Yule Ball, but they're having it on Christmas?"

"Yes," Snape snapped. "Keep up."

"But why—"

"Third," Snape stressed, cutting off the student. "Dress robes are to be worn, and there will be dancing. Attendance is not mandatory. But, if you do attend—" Snape's eyes cut over to Hermione and Tracey, "—make sure you know how to dance."

"Any questions?"

The first question was from a spotty fifth year, who asked if they were required to bring a dance partner. Snape clarified that no, they were not – only the champions would be required to bring a partner, as it was traditional that they would open the dancing.

"Harry's not going to like that," Tracey murmured to Hermione. "Asking a girl out?"

"He just won the first task," Hermione pointed out. "Do you think girls are likely to say no?"

"No idea," Tracey said, smirking. "But I bet if he was offered the choice, he'd rather take the dragon on again."

Someone had asked about dress robes for the boys, and someone else asked if they were allowed to go with students from the other schools ("As this entire event is ostensibly to promote 'international cooperation'," Snape drawled, "I would think the 'yes' would be obvious.") and if the younger years could have their own dance somewhere else. When Snape looked up for any other questions, Hermione raised her hand, and it was with a look of mild dread that Snape called on her.

"If the Yule Ball is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament," Hermione said, her voice loud and clear, "given the tournament is now a Tetrawizard Tournament, will the students of Blackwell's School of Spells be attending the ball as well?"

That set off a fierce round of whispers and hissing. Most students had only glimpsed the strange, mysterious school at the First Task before they'd flown off again. The idea of the strange staff-carrying students at the ball…

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea," he said. "I daresay that this fourth school was not properly accounted for in the original planning. And it's likely that the organizers would like to keep it that way."

"Purposefully excluding one of the schools participating in the event?" Hermione asked innocently. "That sounds like a great way for the organizers to accidentally cause an incident in front of our international visitors."

Snape's eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Why, Miss Granger," he said, his voice silky. "I do believe you're right." There was a pause. "How absolutely terrible it would be if such a thing were to occur."


"Snape told us after sundown, so tomorrow is the first day anyone can ask someone to the ball," Daphne told Hermione, once they all went back to their dormitory. "For an event like this, it's customary to ask someone only in the daylight."

"In the daylight?" Hermione repeated incredulously. "Why?"

"I mean…" Daphne nibbled on her lip. "It has to do with—well, even though it's being held on Christmas, it's still being called the Yule Ball—"

"Traditionally, you ask someone in daylight to spend the longest night with you," Pansy said flatly. "Modern sensibilities limit that to the duration of an evening Yule event, but that's where it comes from."

"Right," Daphne said, nodding. "That's why if someone holds an event in the summer, on the longest day, you ask your partner to accompany you before the event during the night."

"And then the event is during the day?" Hermione said, astonished. "Not the evening?"

"Well, they go until sundown," Daphne said diplomatically. "But there's a reason winter balls are more popular."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Got it."

With that, conversation turned to dates and who they were hoping would ask them. Daphne stressed again that as the girls, they needed to wait to be asked, not ask themselves, shooting a look at Hermione as she did. Hermione rolled her eyes but held back her rant on gender equality.

"But I was planning on asking Hagrid," Millie complained. "Now you're saying I can't? He'll never ask me."

"Hagrid?" Daphne was scandalized. "You can't ask a teacher!"

"Pity," Pansy said with a sigh. "I wanted to ask Snape."

"Pansy—!"

Hermione and Tracey dissolved into giggles at Daphne's theatrics, which soon devolved into Daphne thumping both Millie and Pansy with her pillow as they teased her, naming progressively more ridiculous people to ask to the ball.

"Who are you hoping to go with?" Hermione asked Tracey. "Pucey?"

Tracey nibbled her lip.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "Adrian is… well." She paused. "I have to be careful here. We started 'courting' Christmas last year. The Yule ball will mark a year."

"Is that significant?" Hermione asked, curious.

"I'd be surprised if it wasn't," Tracey said, sighing. "I just… I dunno. I don't want to be locked down to just one guy forever, you know? I want to live a little, date around."

"You should probably break up with him then," Hermione suggested, wincing. "I mean, he's besotted with you. He'd ask your father for permission to marry you tomorrow."

"I don't know why he's besotted," Tracey said, almost grumpy. "I didn't do anything…"

"You don't do any one thing to make someone fall in love with you," Daphne said, tossing her hair and returning primly to her bed as if she hadn't just had a pillow fight. "That's not how love works."

Hermione's mind went back to Tom and Voldemort's lessons on purposeful eye contact, and she held back a smirk.

"Who do you want to go with, Hermione?" Tracey asked. "Wait, strike that – who are you hoping asks you?"

The revision was thoughtful – Hermione wanted to go with Fleur, but that wasn't going to happen – so Hermione considered.

"I'd be okay with a few people," she said, shrugging. "Blaise, Draco, Theo – any of them would be okay. Anthony Goldstein, too."

"What about Viktor?" Tracey said slyly, and Hermione bit her lip.

"Do you think he would ask me?" she asked. "He's a champion – he'll have very high visibility. Do you think he'd really ask a younger foreigner?" She hated how her voice sounded – there was an odd, vulnerable note to it, like she was shy or sad. "I mean, Hogsmeade is one thing, but the Yule Ball… that's another."

"He hasn't so much as glanced at another girl since he got here and laid eyes on you," Pansy said flatly, "including your Veela girlfriend. Who else do you think he would ask?"

"And why wouldn't he ask you?" Daphne seemed genuinely puzzled. "You're of an age, and his intentions are honorable. You're only two years apart."

"Is it really only 'of an age' that matters?" Hermione asked, gnawing her lip. "He's two years older than me, and three years above me in school—"

"Not in magical capability, though," Tracey snorted.

"It really does just matter if you're of an age or not" Pansy answered, shooting Tracey a look. She gave Hermione a grim look. "It can be much worse. Some girls have come of an age at 11 and been engaged the next week."

"That's barbaric and horrible," Millie spat. "Treating girls like breeding farms or chattel."

"I didn't say I liked it," Pansy snapped, "just that it happens."

"Well, it shouldn't happen—"

"Then when Hermione remakes the world, we'll just have to make sure that we revise that bit, won't we?"

"I'd go with Viktor," Hermione told Tracey, feeling a thump in her heart at the thought. "If he asked, I mean. I think—I'd like that."

Tracey gave her a slow, mischievous smile.

"Better be sure to sneak extra knickers into the ball," she said, snickering. "Being held in his arms for hours, dancing the night away—"

"Oh, shut up," Hermione said, throwing her pillow at Tracey, and Tracey shrieked and grabbed her own pillow, launching herself at Hermione to promptly beat her with it. Pansy and Millie's tiff soon followed suit, and soon all five of the 4th year Slytherin girls were beating each other up with pillows and shrieking with laughter and scandal, thoughts of the ball left to wait until the morrow.


Hermione awoke very suddenly, unsure what had woken her. She peered into the darkness, trying to see what had roused her. It took her a moment to spot a large, glittering bird made of a dark blue magic, a dark light against the shadow of the room. As if being seen changed something, the bird swept forward to nudge Hermione again, its wing tickling Hermione's face and nose.

"Alright, alright," Hermione whispered. "I'm coming. Hang on."

She dressed quickly, throwing on her robes. She put on her warmest cape as well – it was very early still, and the House Elves wouldn't have yet stoked the fires to warm the halls. Glancing back at her dormmates, Hermione briefly considered pausing to leave a note, before dismissing it. She didn't know where she was going to begin with, so there'd hardly be value in the action.

The glittering blue bird led Hermione through the dungeon halls and up into the Entrance Way. It swooped through the doors, leaving a glittering trail, and with a sigh and prayer Filch wasn't nearby, Hermione opened the door, slipping through as quietly as possible.

It was barely dawn, the sky only beginning to brighten in the distance, the sun not yet peaking over the horizon. It took her eyes a moment to adjust and relocate the glittering blue bird, and she followed it down over the grounds. As they drew closer to the Black Lake, Hermione began to get a notion of who had sent for her, and when a familiar tall figure in matted furs came into sight, Hermione smiled.

The magical bird swooped in and landed on Viktor, who looked up to see Hermione. The bird gave a triumphant 'caw' from his shoulder before disappearing in a cloud of blue sparkles, its job now done, and Viktor's eyes brightened.

"Hermione," Viktor said, smiling. He sounded genuinely happy to see her, despite the absurdly early hour.

"Viktor," Hermione said, smiling slightly back. She shivered. "What's up? It's very early, still."

"I know," Viktor told her. He shrugged, deliberately casual. "I wanted to know if you want to watch sunrise with me."

Hermione looked at him curiously.

"…why?" she asked. "I will, but why are you asking?"

"Surprise romance date is not enough of reason?" Viktor asked, making an angelic face, and Hermione laughed.

"If that was it, you'd ask me to watch the sun set with you," she teased him back, fond, and Viktor gave an overdramatic sigh, before giving her a smaller, genuine smile. There was a note of nervousness there, Hermione noted, which made her heart flutter.

"Is Saint Nicholas Day, today," he admitted. "Today is first proper day can to ask someone to winter ball. And—" Viktor gestured toward the brightening horizon, his face flushed "—I wanted to be with you for daybreak, so I ask you first."

Hermione felt her cheeks turn pink.

"You got up this early and planned this just so you could ask me to the ball?" she reiterated.

"So could ask you first," Viktor emphasized. "First is important part."

"You couldn't just wait until breakfast?" Hermione teased him, but Viktor shook his head.

"Pretty witch like you, everyone want ask as soon as possible," he told her. "I cannot go in Slytherin common room to fight and to ask you then too. I needed other way to see you first."

Hermione was smiling.

"Is that how it works?" she asked. "Did you think I'd just say 'yes' to the first person who asked me to the ball?"

Viktor smiled a crooked grin at her.

"I have no idea," he admitted to her, his eyes sparkling. "But I hope if I ask you first, would be easy decision for you for what to say to everyone that ask after."

He sat down on a large root of the tree by the lake, patting the spot next to him, and it was with a fond smile that Hermione sat down next to him, snuggling into him a bit for warmth.

"Is it this cold in Bulgaria?" she asked. "Or at Durmstrang, rather? That's further north."

"Durmstrang is very cold," Viktor told her seriously. "If not careful, toes can fall off."

They continued talking quietly as the sun inched its way towards the horizon, discussing the differences between the schools in terms of logistics – the temperatures of the buildings, their risk of hypothermia, their grounds, and the libraries. At some point during their discussion, Viktor reached over and took Hermione's hand, holding it. His hand was large and warm around hers, and Hermione felt something warm in her chest as well.

When the sun finally climbed over the horizon, making it officially sunrise, despite all of Hermione's reservations and over-analysis the previous night, when Viktor turned to her and asked her if she would give him the honor of being his companion and accompanying him to the ball, his eyes warm and full of hope, she found her 'yes' was effortless to give.