Everybody got up late on Boxing Day. Hermione was touched that all her dormmates had, indeed, put on the pajamas she'd given them, and they spent a happy lazy morning recounting their own stories of the ball to each other. Daphne had been utterly enchanted with Zakir, declaring him "a perfect gentleman" and "a prince in disguise", which made Hermione and Tracey roll their eyes but exchange a fond expression, both of them happy for Daphne. Millie had danced with Geoffrey Hooper a few times before he'd gone off to join in the breakdancing circle the Gryffindor boys had created, and then she'd wandered the magically conjured gardens.
"Snape was there," Millie said, smirking, "blowing rosebushes apart to catch people snogging in the dark. He was arguing with Karkaroff about something, but it was funny to see him catching people and deducting points. He was put out whenever he caught one of the foreign students – he couldn't exactly deduct points from them."
Tracey had been rather swept up by Adrian all evening, she admitted – he'd intended the Yule Ball to be some wonderful romantic date for them, so she'd spent most of the evening engaged with him and hadn't done much else. Hermione just nodded, letting Tracey slide without any more details, and they turned to Pansy.
"So I have the gossip this time?" she said, smirking. "Me, having the gossip before Tracey for once?"
"Oh, shut up," Tracey huffed, but it was without heat.
"Firstly," Pansy said, looking at Hermione, "you should know that everybody was talking about your robes."
"They were?" Hermione asked, pleased, and Pansy snorted.
"You came to a school dance dressed in hundreds of thousands of galleons' worth of diamonds," Pansy said flatly. "What did you expect?"
Hermione winced, while the others laughed.
"I—I wanted to sparkle, to be pretty," she admitted. "Viktor Krum is so famous, I wanted to make a statement, to look as important and worthy to be on his arm—"
"Well, while Viktor looked fine, you outshone him by a mile," Pansy said frankly. She smirked. "Alexia Rosier and her friends in particular were seething. They kept arguing that you had to have used fake crystals or moissanite, but anyone with any taste could see that your diamonds were real."
"It was really beautiful," Millie added in. She smiled. "You looked more like a character from legend than a real person, but it was beautiful, Hermione."
"Like a fairy tale," Daphne agreed, a bit wistfully. She shook her head a moment later, refocusing. "What are you going to do with your robes now?"
"Err—" Truthfully, Hermione hadn't considered beyond going to the ball and making a statement. She supposed she'd just hang her robes up with her other ones – maybe in a garment bag to prevent the diamonds from snagging on other things – but now it suddenly seemed odd, to have a dress worth hundreds of thousands of pounds just hanging in her school closet.
"Maybe she can auction it off if the press liked it," Tracey said, eyes gleaming. "I'm sure someone got a photo of you in it, Hermione. We'll have to see what the Prophet had to say about you and Fleur."
Pansy had more gossip – The Weasley Twins had tried to spike the punch but had been caught. While Professor McGonagall was busy dressing them down, telling them how they should be ashamed of themselves, Lee Jordan had actually spiked the punch, with the Weasley Twins' attempt being a planned distraction the entire time.
"I didn't even know there was punch," Hermione said, laughing. "I just had water and butterbeer all night."
"That's because you're sensible," Daphne said. "Anyone with any sense wouldn't drink a red punch at a dance. That's just asking for your robes to get stained."
"There's more," Pansy said, eyes gleaming. "They didn't spike it with alcohol. They spiked it with a Babbling Beverage."
They all gasped, and Pansy nodded, smirking.
"From what I heard," she said, "by the end of the ball, three Gryffindor couples had broken up, several boys had challenged each other to duels at midnight, and one Ravenclaw had professed his undying love to a Hufflepuff girl who had no idea he existed. In addition to all the other chaos it caused."
Hermione laughed. "Bet McGonagall wishes they'd just used alcohol."
"How did I miss all this?" Tracey complained. "I didn't notice any of this going on."
"You were rather wrapped up in Adrian, weren't you?" Daphne said, smiling.
"Or wrapped around him," Millie muttered.
"—so it makes sense you might not have noticed," Daphne finished. "A lot of people had already left the ball by the end of it. Zakir and I stayed dancing the whole time, but I think you and Hermione both left before the end."
Hermione flushed.
"Yeah, Viktor and I went to walk in the rose gardens," she said, keeping her tone casual. "I don't know how you do it – dancing all night long is exhausting."
"Fun, though," Daphne said with a giggle, her face turning pink. "Good practice for doing other things all night long after your wedding."
There were scandalized shrieks and fussing, but even as Hermione exclaimed along with the others, making Daphne blush even brighter, part of her realized they couldn't play at youthful shock and ignorance with this much longer. After all, Hermione had already started exploring nighttime activities, and Tracey had already gone all the way.
Part of her was sad at the thought – it was fun to act shocked and scandalized, and she would miss it – but part of her wondered what would come next. Would they discuss how far they'd gone with their partners openly? Would they gossip about it? What did 'girl talk' become after girls grew up into women?
Hermione had no idea, but she supposed she'd figure it out over time. It was unavoidable, but at least she was confident she'd still have female friends then, and they could figure it out together.
Fleur appeared at breakfast, looking very tired but pleased.
"My apologies for leaving the ball early," she told Hermione. "I was too worn out and simply could not stand to be awake any longer. But if you would like, we can all share in your Bûche de Noël now." Her eyes sparkled. "If you did not devour it all yourself."
Hermione laughed.
"I did not," she said, smiling. "But that sounds fun."
It was fun – Fleur and Hermione met in the classroom where Beauxbatons students had been receiving instruction, the one with the squashy chairs. Hermione brought her dormmates along, while Fleur brought her friends.
"Léa, Manon, and Juliette," she said, introducing them all. She paused. "And Jules."
"Am I an afterthought?" Jules complained.
"You are an annoyance," Fleur shot back, and Jules grinned widely.
"Good," he said. "Glad to know I'm succeeding."
Hermione introduced her dormmates in turn, and they all sat down to each the large cake. Fleur helped Hermione cut it, cutting carefully around the sugar-spun decorations. Tracey had had the sense to run to the Kitchens for plates and utensils, and everybody was in a good mood as the cake was shared around.
"This is delicious," Hermione moaned, savoring the cake from her fork. "Merlin, Fleur, I didn't know you could bake like this!"
"It never came up," Fleur said, laughing. "But I am skilled in many things, Hermione, in addition to magic and baking."
"Like discovering my date, 'e is gay," Manon said dryly, tossing her dark hair and giving Fleur a dirty look. "Which I did not need to know."
"I said nothing!" Fleur protested. "I did nothing!"
"You didn't wear your circlet," Léa said, nodding at Fleur's head, where the osmium tiara now sat once more. "And Aiden didn't respond to your allure."
"More than that," Manon said, rolling her eyes. "'e would not shut up about 'ermione's dress. 'e kept going on about it, wanting to know the designer, wondering at the spells used to make it."
"Really?" Jules's eyes lit up. "What was his name again?"
There were giggles among the girls as everybody settled into a comfortable comradery and ambiance. The younger girls had been almost hesitant to talk and participate, but upon seeing the older girls tease each other the same way they did to each other, they seemed to loosen up and feel more comfortable.
"So how does the allure work?" Tracey asked Fleur. "Hermione said is doesn't affect her, that it only affects men – but it doesn't affect men if they're gay?"
Fleur hesitated.
"I know—there are parts to it," she said. "One part is very basic – if someone is not attracted to women, the Veela allure will not touch them."
"Par example," Jules said, stretching out and gesturing grandly at himself, and Fleur rolled her eyes.
"The second is more physical," she said. "The allure – it only affects men. It does not affect women who love women – only men."
"Really?" Millie was fascinated. "So like – what does the veela magic touch? Some innate male thing inside of them? Or what?"
"I don't know." Fleur was indignant. "It is annoying, when men come after me from the allure. I have not run scientific tests on it."
"Pity," Millie sighed. "I think it'd be fascinating."
Hermione wondered herself. From what she'd observed, she'd guess the Veela allure really did affect some physical part of men's bodies, not some innate male magical thing they had. She wasn't about to venture her hypothesis aloud, though – part of it was based on what she'd observed with Luna's reaction to Fleur, and Hermione wasn't going to potentially out anything personal or private about Luna in any way.
"Blaise was fine, though," Daphne observed, confused. "He treated you like a gentleman all night." Her eyes went wide and she gasped, scandalized. "Does Blaise Zabini like men?!"
Fleur laughed.
"He does not," she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She glanced at Hermione. "His coven bond helps ground him. It protects him from the allure."
Daphne seemed let down at the loss of such a potential scandal, but she cheered up a moment later.
"Zakir – he reacted to your allure, I think, but not strongly," Daphne said. "I know he's not gay. What does that mean?"
"Ah, ma petite souris," Fleur sighed, giving Daphne a fond smile, "it means he was too taken with you to notice anything else."
"The Great Hall could have been burning down," Millie said, deadpan, "and he'd still just have been looking into your eyes."
Daphne blushed a brilliant red, pleased, and that led to questions about Daphne's intentions with her Yule Ball date, which Daphne was rather uncertain of herself.
"I—I think my courtship to Cassius has been—will be—ended shortly," she said, glancing at Hermione.
"Tomorrow," Hermione said, nodding. "The coven's going to visit your mother, and I'll bring it up then."
Daphne relaxed.
"So—I guess at that point, to see what he wants?" Daphne ventured. She sighed dreamily. "He's from a good family, but he's been seeing Gryffindors before this, and they don't do courtship properly. I think he'd be open to approaching this the right way? But I'll have to wait and see."
The next morning, Hermione found the Daily Prophet had, indeed, covered the Ball.
.
TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS DAZZLE AT YULE BALL!
Viktor Krum and partner Hermione Granger stun all in robes made from precious gems!
.
The headline was accompanied with a photo taken of Hermione being spun around, laughing in Viktor's arms, before twirling under his lifted arm and back into his hold, and then the photo repeated. The photo was in full color, and Hermione was mildly impressed with the Prophet's ability to capture some of the sparkle and shine of her dress. There were other photos – one of each of the champions and their date – but the photo of Viktor and her was by far the largest, and the majority of the accompanying article was speculation about them.
.
TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS DAZZLE AT YULE BALL!
Viktor Krum and partner Hermione Granger stun all in robes made from precious gems!
.
Viktor Krum made waves Christmas night, appearing with companion Hermione Granger at the Yule Ball held at Hogwarts. Shockingly, Krum and Granger eschewed the traditional fashion of dress robes for such occasions, instead wearing bespoke couture robes encrusted with jewels and silver. Granger wore an elaborate ice blue gown with diamonds embroidered into the fabric in snowflake patterns, while Krum wore a rich blue doublet, embroidered with silver and sapphires.
"Those are, without a doubt, genuine gems," said Curtis Hughes, master jeweler. "The gem at Krum's middle alone is at least 100 carats. I've never seen a real gem so large."
When asked about the cost of such robes, Hughes scoffed.
"Those are priceless," he told reporters. "Krum's sapphire alone would easily fetch a hundred thousand galleons at auction, if not twice that. Hermione's dress – I've never seen so many diamonds in one place before, of that high quality. She's literally wearing millions of galleons' of diamonds like it's nothing. I don't think any one person would even have enough money to buy her robes as is, as opposed to buying a section of the garment for the gems embroidered into it."
Krum and Granger's appearance in such luxe garments caused quite the stir, especially because it is known that neither Krum nor Granger have anywhere near the funds to purchase such robes. Some people have speculated that Granger herself made the robes, using Acromantula silk and magic, while making the jewels with alchemy.
"Hermione asked permission to use one of the old Alchemy classrooms not long before the ball," Professor Severus Snape, Head of Hermione's Hogwarts House, told our reporter. "Who am I to say what she did while locked inside?"
Reporters were also able to confirm that the House Elves of Hogwarts had helped someone with a laundry project recently – where some type of garment was dyed periwinkle and another royal blue. With this confirmation, the rumors of Granger pulling off an astounding feat of alchemy to make all the gems of her dress and Krum's robes seem more credible.
"Miss Granger looked stunning, and Mr. Krum no less so," said Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Master Alchemist. "But as much as you think this was done as some sort of grand statement of wealth, I would encourage you to look beyond the material worth of what they wore. At the core of this, you have two teenagers going to a school dance, one of whom is a very powerful witch – but a witch who wanted to look pretty at a ball."
Krum and Granger were not the only ones looking pretty at the Yule Ball – Beauxbatons champion Fleur Delacour wore robes of shining silver, attended to by her companion Blaise Zabini, a student of Hogwarts, who wore striking violet robes. Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory opted for more traditional black dress robes, with his companion Cho Chang wearing a lovely silvery cheongsam herself. Blackwell champion Harry Potter appeared in green dress robes that matched the color of his eyes, accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who wore robes of rich plum.
"All of the champions dressed appropriately and got along well," said Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang. "I was surprised by Krum's robes, certainly, but he and his little date certainly made a statement, didn't they?"
The Yule Ball was a wonderful opportunity for the Tournament Champions to all relax for a moment. As the New Year draws ever closer, so too does the Second Task in February, with a new potentially deadly challenge the champions will face. The champions, more than anyone else perhaps, deserved a lovely Christmas holiday and break, which the Yule Ball helped provide.
.
"Millions?" Millie whistled. "Damn. You could fund your fortress several times over by selling off your robes, Hermione."
"I don't need to sell them," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Whenever you want to break ground, Millie, just give the word – you'll have the budget you need."
Millie grinned. "Wicked."
"Photo is good," came a familiar amused voice from behind her. "First time not in Quidditch leathers, I think."
Hermione turned with a laugh as Viktor grinned at her, taking a seat next to her.
"I not know robes worth so much," he told her, his lips quirked. "It feels unequal. Grimoire kit was not worth much."
"You made that grimoire kit for me," Hermione objected, offended on his behalf. "You got all the pieces and bits and assembled it for me, and it was an incredibly thoughtful and personal gift. Similarly, I made your robes. They're equal."
Viktor chuckled.
"Grimoire kit took most of afternoon, maybe," he told her. "Not three days nonstop."
Hermione faltered at that.
"…to be fair, I was also making my robes during that time," she protested, but it was a weak protest, "so it wasn't just yours."
"Is unequal. I must to give you present next," Viktor declared, eyes bright with mirth. "I not want it said that I am bad at dating you."
"Viktor!"
Conversation at breakfast consisted of questions about where the Durmstrang students had been on Boxing Day. To Hermione's surprise, they hadn't just been holed up on their ship.
"Karkaroff got international Portkey," Dmitri said with grudging respect. "We had big party with our families. Was nice."
"At Durmstrang?" Draco asked, eyes wide. "I thought the location was a secret."
"Not at Durmstrang," Alexei said, shaking his head. "No. Vas held at banquet hall in da Balkans."
"You cannot say that!" Dmitri objected. "Then they will know Durmstrang is not in the Balkans."
Alexei made a face while the others around them laughed.
"Surely dey know dis already?" Alexei complained. "Balkans are not north enough."
"I'm disappointed," Draco admitted. "Part of me was holding out hope that you all lived in Wallachia in Dracula's castle."
"In Romania?" Alexia made a face. "No. Absolutely not. No one vants to mess vit vampires."
"Honestly, I thought it was in Scandanavia until I met you all," Theo said, smirking. "Now I'm fairly certain it's somewhere between Moscow and St. Petersburg."
"Why not Bulgaria?" Viktor complained. "No one remembers poor Bulgaria until is time for Quidditch, it seems."
Hermione smiled as the table bickered good-naturedly over geography. Viktor glanced down at her, his eyes warm, and Hermione smiled back. Part of her was relieved that nothing seemed to have really changed between them – she'd been worried that there'd be something awkward between them now, since they'd fooled around. But Viktor's behavior seemed unchanged towards her. He was maybe a little warmer, a little more affectionate? But they'd just gone to the Yule Ball together, so it was hardly out of the question for that to happen.
She wondered at her worry. She'd never thought for a moment that Fleur would treat her any differently after they'd gone to the Coven House on the full moon, after the werewolf ritual. Why was she concerned that Viktor might?
Hermione wondered if part of her worry was tainted from Tracey's own experiences with Adrian. It was possible it was also just from fear of social repercussions, should any of the sordid details of her nighttime activities get out. Pureblood society, with its formal courting system, seemed like it would have decidedly outdated and misogynistic opinions about such things.
