Chapter 28: December Blossoms
Friday 23rd December 1994.
Filius growled softly to himself as the students assembled in front of him.
Expressions on several of the twelve faces clearly showed that many of the children before him still believed they were being unfairly treated. While he'd only had their side of events, he had been far more sympathetic. But the actions they had taken, often against members of their own house, were not something he would tolerate under his care.
The rest were moping unhappily, but he assumed that had more to do with the instruction he had given to have their things and meet him in the entrance hall no later than 8 am this morning. Which had meant a rushed morning and a harried breakfast that the last was only now coming from, trunk rolling along behind.
He swept his eyes over the assembly as several other students walked past, looking at the group with curiosity.
"You all know why we are here." He said firmly. "I have sent detailed letters home to every one of your parents, and they are all aware of why you are returning with the Express today. I hope you will use this time to consider your actions, because come the new term, there will be no more leniency for such behaviour in Ravenclaw House."
Filius glanced at Miss Sheringham, one of his former seventh-year prefects, and he sighed to himself. She looked the most livid of any before him, though that may have been due to having her prefecture stripped from her rather than the fact she would be missing the Yule Ball.
However, when he had learned she had led a group of girls to corner young Miss Granger in a corridor and attempt to curse the girl into staying away from Mister Potter…
In the five years he had been the Head of Ravenclaw House, he had never been so disappointed in his students. One whiff of fame had been enough for many of them to lose their heads and behave abominably.
"If everybody is ready?" He called to the group as he turned.
"No, I am not." Filius sighed again as he turned once more to look at the eldest student in the group. "This is ridiculous."
"Ridiculous is how you have behaved, Miss Sherringham. You were," he emphasized the word heavily as he turned, "one of my prefects. A position I awarded you out of trust that you would support and aid your fellow students. We do not reward misbehaviour, and the way you twelve have behaved is not something we accept at Hogwarts."
His eyes locked onto the tall girl and he continued. "Should you return in January, you will be expected to behave far better than you have so far. But should you find this stance untenable, you are welcome not to return."
Most of the anger seeped from the girl as she had clearly hoped her last-ditch comments might change his mind. But Filius was set, and Minerva agreed heartily. This behaviour was unacceptable for Hogwarts students.
If Albus could see that and begin ensuring he monitored the school better, how could Filius do any less? He hadn't even realized how hands-off he had become with his own house until this matter had risen, and he was going to correct that mistake fiercely going forward.
"Now, follow me. The Express will not be leaving without you all aboard, and I'm sure the handful of other students heading home will be most upset if you cause them to be late for their holidays."
He spun about and began to walk out of the Hall, the dejected group following along behind with the sound of dragged trunks echoing in the large space.
ϟ
Saturday 24th December 1994.
Harry guided Hermione gently through the side opening to the large Entrance Hall, his hand delighting in the feeling of the soft fabric beneath his fingers as they rested on her lower back.
It had taken over a full minute for his train of thought to recover when he had first seen Hermione step out of the girls' dorm in the floaty blue dress she now wore, but it was so worth it to see her smile. Nemea and Mipsy had worked on it for hours, getting every detail just right to her specifications and it made her look even more beautiful than he already found her to be every day.
There were already dozens of students in the large hall, milling about and talking before drifting through the large doorway and into the Great Hall. He couldn't yet see any of his few friends in the crowd, so the two moved toward the doorway only to be stopped short by Professor McGonagall.
"Not quite yet, you two. The Champions shall enter together once everyone else is seated. If you please?" She indicated a small alcove to the side of the door and the two retreated into it, looking out over the other students.
There were many bright and varied colours of clothing amidst the group. From the Durmstrangs and their heavily furred cloaks and jackets in earthy reds and browns. To the silvers and golds most of the Beauxbatons boys and girls were adorned in.
A large portion of the Hogwarts students bucked the trend and were decked in what Harry could only describe as an old and tacky black tuxedo with a long tail that brushed the floor.
From the faces he recognized, most of these students hailed from the Slytherin House, and he considered this might be one of those pureblood tradition things he'd occasionally heard about while travelling the school. A tug on his sleeve had him turning to follow Hermione's gaze and he noted a pair of girls coming down the stairway from upstairs.
The first was in a flared yellow skirt that had a colourful repeated pattern of exotic flowers embroidered evenly across its surface below an identically coloured crop top with a similar pattern which was much tighter in its arrangement. Over her left shoulder and arm rested a see-through shawl of lighter fabric hanging down almost to the floor with her arm pointing down as it was now. A sliver of dusky skin peeked out from between the skirt and top and her right arm was completely free of fabric. A pair of golden earrings completed the look as Padma casually descended the stairs into the hall.
Luna beside her, however, was wearing a dress that screamed her personality all over the castle in spades. It was a shining silver in colour, covering from her collar to mid-calf above the absent shoes. The look on the girl's bright face showed Harry this was by choice rather than missing items though, so he didn't allow it to worry him tonight. Over the surface of the fabric was a pattern similar to Padma's, though hers were of varied animals that were animated and dancing over the dress all of their own accord. Harry only recognized some of the animals as they frolicked back and forth.
Rather than shiny jewellery to match her companion though, Luna had a pair of thin corks hanging from her ears. And a necklace made of very small but shiny yellow fruits that appeared to hover slightly above her throat as she walked. They gestured the pair over and were only given a slight glance by the Deputy Headmistress as they arrived before she returned to watching for the other champions.
"You both look lovely tonight." He offered as the pair stopped inside the alcove as well.
"Thank you, Harry. You look rather dashing yourself," Luna replied, smiling brilliantly as she took in his dark green robes and swept-back hair.
Hermione gave the two girls an overplayed look of shock and tightened her grip on Harry's arm. "Back off ladies, he's all mine." She joked and the four began to laugh quietly in their little private corner. "Looking forward to the dance?"
"Very much so. Mother was most approving of our decision. She made my dress herself. Parvati's is much more flashy, but basically the same. Hers is entirely red, though not made of nearly as much lace as she had originally asked mother to use. Sometimes I think she forgets we're only fourteen."
"We all try to grow up too fast sometimes." Hermione acknowledged and the others nodded.
Hushed whispering through the other students in the hall drew their attention as Fleur glided up into the entryway through the front doors. She too wore a silver dress, but hers shifted in the light all on its own, appearing to be made of some liquid material as it wove and flowed over her figure. Her silvery blonde hair was up in a complex bun of some sort that Harry couldn't figure out as she stepped forward and the crowd broke around her and her date, a boy Harry remembered seeing on their visit to the Durmstrang ship for lunch a few weeks before.
"Eevening," Fleur greeted with a gentle curtsey as she joined the group, not even needing McGonagall to direct her over. Evidently, Fleur had been to far more of such events than Harry or Hermione had.
"Hello," The four replied almost in unison, setting off a new spate of laughter between them all. "That dress is incredible," Padma continued, admiring the moving fabric.
"Oui. Maman and grandmere made it togezer. A nearly lost art of ze Veela." Fleur smiled at the group before she turned to the boy by her. "Zis is Alexi, 'e is from Durmstrang but 'is conversation is quite good."
"A pleasure." The boy greeted them with a tight bow, and they returned in kind as more muttering from the crowd drew their attention once again.
Another beauty of Fleur's calibre was standing in the entryway on the arm of Viktor Krum, and Harry was unsure which of the two was getting the most adoring looks. It made him very glad he'd spent most of his life out of the spotlight. He hated when strangers looked at him like that. With an air of practice, Viktor and his date soon made their way through the crowd and noted their position, joining them quickly.
With a sharp bow that clicked his heels together, Viktor silently greeted them all. The girl on his arm had fiery red hair that was held up in a similar style to Fleur's and her skin seemed to shimmer even more than her golden dress that appeared to also be made in the same style as the female champion.
Viktor pulled his wand for a moment and tapped it quickly against the air, the sound from behind him dropping off and drawing another raised eyebrow from the nearby Deputy.
"Much better. Good evening, I vould like to introduce you all to Mady..."
"Madeline!" Fleur called when she caught sight of the girl, drawing her eye with a smile. "When were you going to tell me, cousin?"
"And miss zat look on your face, nevair. Eet is good to see you, Fleur. Viktor tells me you did very well een your task."
"Cousin?" the confused Durmstrang champion questioned.
"Oui, my grandmuzzer is also her grandmuzzer." Mady smiled as she glanced over the group.
"Vere you going to tell me?" The boy asked softly.
Mady smiled at him and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "You know I like to surprise you, dear."
"Oh, fresh." Nym's cheery voice broke over them as they noticed her standing there in the nearly empty Entrance Hall. "Love a good surprise, me."
The group parted to allow her to join but before anyone could speak, Professor McGonagall tapped the two Ravenclaws on the shoulder. "Inside girls, we'll be starting in a moment, now all the Champions are present."
She guided the two away and they waved before disappearing into the Great Hall. The eight remaining teens gave each other a slight grin as the conversation had been momentarily derailed by the interruption.
"Surprises," Viktor said to himself before looking up at the others. "If you don't mind, I have request." His eyes flickered to Fleur as he steeled himself for the next part. "Mady and I hoped to use tonight to officially announce… our engagement."
Fleur gasped aloud and her eyes fixed on her cousin with a look that demanded answers. "Sit wiz me, cousin. We'll talk zen." Mady replied.
"Surprises indeed." Nym laughed, drawing Harry's eye to her. He smirked at the dress she wore, a black thigh-length flared skirt over ripped black stockings, with wilted dark red roses over the bodice. It was very Nym.
He turned to the boy at her side and was stunned for a moment with surprise filling him now as it was not Cedric as he had expected. The boy on her arm was from Beauxbatons and seemed like he was out of his depth with the topics of conversation they had walked in on.
Harry gave her a questioning eyebrow and Nym just smiled in return.
Before any further discussion could be held, McGonagall was once again interrupting.
"Champions, gather round, please. You will be entering shortly, in a line if you will. Your name shall be called and you and your date shall proceed inside and to the table at the front of the hall. Dinner shall be first, then you will open the dance. Any questions?"
When no one replied, she waved a hand, indicating they should line up and with a couple of nods, Viktor took the front of the line and handed McGonagall a small sliver of paper. Upon reading it, the Transfiguration professor's eyebrows took another trip skyward and she glanced at the smiling pair before her. With a nod she watched as the others lined up behind, Fleur slotting in behind her cousin before Harry and finally Nym.
"We will begin momentarily." The professor smiled as she ducked inside the hall, their view being immediately cut off as a magical snowfall filled the large doorway behind her back.
Harry felt butterflies begin to squirm in his stomach. He hated this publicity stuff so much. And he felt slightly bad for hoping that the famous Quidditch star's big announcement pulled some of the stares he knew he would gather over the coming event. A soft hand squeezed his own and his eyes flicked to his partner, a gentle understanding smile on her face.
He took a moment to take in her beautiful gown and light jewellery and returned her smile. "You look beautiful, Hermione."
"As do you. Now be good arm candy and smile for the sycophants please, dear."
All four Champions laughed aloud at the comment with the two boys accompanying Nym and Fleur looking confused at the comment. But before either could ask a question, a loud voice called out.
"Honoured guests and eager students. Introducing Bulgarian Quidditch Star and Durmstrang Champion, Viktor Krum and his fiance Madeline Celice."
Loud whispers immediately spilled from the hall as Viktor and Mady grasped hands and entered looking far more regal in their movements than Harry felt he could hope to achieve. He smiled as he noticed Fleur's slightly reddened face as she tried to cover the fact she was still shocked by her cousin keeping something like that from her.
As Viktor made it about halfway into the hall, the announcer spoke again. "Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Beauxbatons Champion, Mademoiselle Fleur Delacour and her date Alexi Romanov."
Harry glanced at Hermione who appeared to share his surprise at the name. Both clearly wondered if the boy was related to the former royal family of Russia, or if it were simply a coincidence.
It would explain the vanishing of the last daughter from the public muggle record if she had joined a magical family. The pair refocused on the opening to the hall, now bare before them and Harry gulped as the announcer spoke again.
"Wizards and witches, introducing our Wild Card Entry and the Boy-Who-Lived," Harry growled to himself and Hermione tightened her grip on his hand, "Harry Potter and his escort Hermione Granger."
Applause louder than either of the previous Champions had received spread over the hall as the pair moved forward. Harry tried to glare at the announcer on his way into the hall but his eyes were instantly drawn to the incredible change the hall had undergone.
The floor appeared to be covered in ice, yet was every bit as grippy as the stonework tended to be normally. All the walls too were covered in a layer of ice, but there were patterns carved into the cold surface. Lions and eagles, snakes and badgers in countless combinations surrounded the walls.
The Hogwarts crest was proudly arrayed on the back wall behind two tables on the Teacher's plinth at slight angles so those sitting at them would face both each other and the hall at large.
The students were gathered around large circular tables with about a dozen seats at each that had replaced the usual long straight tables. Each had a small ice sculpture of a magical creature perched in the centre that moved and seemed to converse with the students gathered about it.
The delay of shock upon seeing the hall full of such grandeur had led both his fellow Champions to have made the walk to the front so almost all eyes had swung about to fix on Harry and Hermione as they stood stunned in the entrance.
He began moving forward and felt the stares follow his movements, so he distracted himself by further inspecting the hall. Winter vines draped from the upper reaches of the hall around the walls, dangling artfully over the walls and forming large columns in the corners.
The ceiling, as ever, showed the night sky beyond, but Harry wondered if the Ministry had performed a weather control ritual to get the perfect cloudless starry sky that still somehow had a light flurry of snow falling above the Great Hall.
When they finally made it halfway down the lengthy hall at their sedate pace, Harry heard the announcer speak once again. "And finally, introducing the Hogwarts Champion, Nymphadora Tonks," Harry couldn't help the smile on his face as he pictured the face his cousin would currently be sporting at having her full name shouted to the entire school, "and her date Jordi Barbero."
Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Nym enter through the curtain of illusory snow at the far end of the hall, her face every bit as disgruntled as he had expected before she too noticed the decoration.
In the momentary glance, however, he now noticed that on either side of the large doors, the rear wall had enormous renditions of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons crests on the left and right respectively.
He couldn't help but feel impressed at the amount of work the Ministry had put into changing the Great Hall of Hogwarts into a veritable winter wonderland for the event. His attention returned forward as he and Hermione reached the step up onto the dais that normally held the long teachers' table and the pair headed right to the half-empty table for the champions.
He smiled at his fellow competitors as they rounded the end of the table and took their seats beside Fleur's date, noting that the French champion was busy chatting with her cousin in French far too quickly for him to catch much of anything they were saying.
The chairs that had been provided were far more comfortable than the usual hard wooden bench and he got quite comfortable as he watched his cousin approach slowly up the centre of the hall.
A quick glance across to the other table on the raised platform showed the Ministry representation of Bagman, Crouch, a woman in the most garish pink dress and cardigan Harry had ever seen, and a slightly familiar man in dark robes that were horribly offset by his bright green bowler hat.
Bookending them on either side were Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall at the left and Karkaroff and Maxine to the right. Matching the eight seats that were arrayed on their own side.
When Nym arrived and sat beside Hermione, the man in the green hat stood and addressed the hall.
"Good evening all, and welcome to the Yule Ball. We at the Ministry congratulate our Champions on a marvellous showing in the first task and hope that we'll all enjoy the two remaining tasks to come. But for tonight, we are gathered for merriment and friendship. To that, I raise a toast." Glasses of a sparkling liquid appeared on all the tables in front of everyone and they all grabbed the glass to join the toast. "To our Champions and their schools. Best of luck to all."
Everybody took a swig from the glass and Harry was surprised. It had a similar texture to the champagne that Natalie had let him try on their last visit to France, but he could tell there was no alcohol in it. As the toast ended, a round of applause sounded throughout the hall and the man bowed before retaking his seat and everyone's focus was drawn to the small menu laid upon their plates.
Harry focused on his own and noted a very rich beef stew he found to be intriguing and he tapped it with his finger, but nothing happened. He glanced up at the table opposite them and noted the adults were all ordering their meals aloud.
He copied their action and immediately the menu vanished and a high-sided bowl full of steaming stew appeared on his plate, accompanied by a second smaller plate of buttered chopped up breadstick. His stomach growled at the sight and the table filled with laughter as the champions all heard the sound.
Harry glanced to his right and noted Hermione had gone for some sort of fish and vegetables while his cousin had gone for steak and chips. He smiled at them both and soon lost himself to the delicious texture of the stew he had ordered.
Harry leaned closer to Nym as they ate and whispered quietly. "So… going to explain there? I thought you were dating Cedric?"
Nym gave him a cheeky smile in return, swallowing before answering. "We kissed, sure. And a lot more." She said with a cheeky wink. "But we both think we're better off as just friends. I mean, he's my best friend after you two. But it seems he has a bit of a crush on Miss Chang over there."
Nym nodded to where her Hufflepuff classmate who was sitting with a beautiful Asian girl dressed in a dark blue dress covered in lilac flower petals. He seemed engrossed in conversation with the girl and Harry chuckled to himself at the sight.
"So, who is this then?"
"Jordi is a delightful chap who asked me out last night. Seems most people had figured the same as you. So, I said yes and we spent a few minutes in a broom closet to celebrate."
The poor Beauxbatons boy to her other side coughed and sputtered as he choked slightly on his food at her words. He glanced fearfully at Harry who simply smiled in return, knowing how much his cousin loved messing with people. Though he had no doubt the snogging in question had occurred as she said.
While it seemed Jordi was confident enough to ask her on a date, he wasn't quite prepared to deal with a conversation with Nym's family on said date. The meal progressed mostly in silence after that, with only Fleur and Mady continuing their discussion toward the end of the table.
Apparently, Mady was related to one of the members of the Bulgarian Mascots and had met Viktor during the previous Quidditch season. The pair had hit it off immediately and had secretly been dating for almost two years. Viktor had surprised her by asking for her hand the day of the World Cup Final, and Harry was mildly impressed they had managed to keep it a secret until now.
Dinner passed quickly into dessert, with another slim menu replacing the empty bowl and, with dancing soon to be on the cards, Harry decided to go for a lighter option. He placed his order and as before the menu vanished to be replaced by two thick biscuits that looked fresh from the oven, a glimmer of steam rising from the golden-brown surface. the chocolate chips embedded in the surface looked sufficiently molten and it was accompanied by a chilled dollop of whipped cream to the side.
He licked his lips and got a slight nudge from his right. Harry smiled at Hermione who was digging into her own fruit salad while once again Nym was biting into what looked to be almost a full quarter of a deliciously indulgent chocolate cake topped with strawberries and cream with an ice cream side.
Harry broke apart the warm biscuit before him and delighted in the smell as it wafted up to his face, the steam lightly caressing him as it whispered over his skin. Dipping the sharp edge into the cream he took a bite and his taste buds danced at the flavours.
He made a note to give the elves a visit in the morning and congratulate them on a job damned well done. The food had been sublime.
As the Champions all finished up their dessert the table was cleared once more with a single note appearing before them all instructing them to stand.
Both the Champions and the adults opposite stood almost as one and with a flicker both the tables they had been using were gone. The sound of chairs scraping against the smooth icy floor filled the air as the students copied them and within moments all the tables had gone.
In their place, long straight tables had appeared along the walls covered in finger foods and bowls of punch, all the ice sculptures that had been centrepieces were now spaced evenly along these new tables while a large empty space filled the middle of the enormous hall.
The sixteen on the dais moved forward, the champions following as the adults led down and to the side and with a final flicker of magic, the dais was no longer empty. A full set of instruments appearing atop it and a new set of adults ducking out of the side chamber at the back of the hall brought a rousing cheer from the students.
Harry recognized the Weird Sisters, though he'd never seen them in person before as they grabbed their gear and prepared to play.
Another tug on his hand had Harry's attention turn away from the now stage and back to the floor which the adults had quietly shooed the students to the edges of, leaving a large open space that the four champions moved into with their dance partners, ready to commence the second portion of the evening's frivolities.
As the band struck up a familiar tune, Harry smiled and pulled Hermione close, his hand closing on her own and his other lightly resting at her waist. Soon the world fell away as they began the dance and all that was left in their world was the other.
Brown eyes looked into green as the pair simply moved together. Harry didn't even have to think about the moves of the dance, and could have looked a fool to all the world for all he cared right now. All that mattered was he was sharing a school dance with his girlfriend.
This moment was one of a few he'd experienced recently that clarified why they had made the slightly dangerous choice to attend the school. Safety was good and all, but keeping himself locked away in the Manor hadn't prevented someone from entering him into the tournament.
While he may have been bodily safe, he wasn't perfectly so. And with their preparations and guardians on hand, they felt confident that they could have the experience that had been mostly kept out of reach, without risking their safety in any major way.
Something like a school dance might not be every fourteen-year-old boy's greatest delight, but in Hermione's arms, Harry found there was nowhere he would rather be tonight than right here.
A gentle bump to his side knocked Harry loose of the fantasy he had descended into and drew a giggle from his partner as he looked up to see two towering bodies wending their way across the floor. The large Rubeus Hagrid gave him a mortified look of apology that Harry simply returned with a broad smile.
The tales he'd heard of the giant man from his family made it clear he didn't have an angry bone in his body and he sometimes simply forgot how large he was.
Harry's eyes continued over the dance floor and he noticed it was a lot more crowded now as the other students had joined in. He noticed that a completely different song was playing and wondered just how long he had become lost in Hermione's presence, and how long he would have remained so had the Gamekeeper not bumped him on the way past.
As the new song ended, Harry found a familiar pair standing beside them as the students all clapped the Weird Sisters who were announcing a slight pace change.
"Having fun?" Luna asked, a broad smile on her face as she released Padma's arms, the pair having been waltzing about without a care in the world a moment ago.
"Very much so." He replied and with a glance to Hermione, offered the wee blond a hand. "May I?"
Luna smiled brightly at the two of them and Padma offered her own hand to Hermione. "You may."
They positioned themselves for another round of waltzing and were surprised when a far more modern sound spread out from the stage and the students around them began to hop and shift in time with the music. The four laughed together and switched to a foursome dancing like carefree children rather than the more strictly formed dances they'd been doing before.
They soon found the other Champions joining them and the larger group began to do some wacky dance moves, laughing and giving each other suggestions as the hours passed in the simple delight of spending time being foolish with people you called friends.
In fact, they were so busy having fun that they barely noticed they'd formed a slightly impenetrable barrier that managed to turn away the many fame-eyed people seeking dances with Viktor, Harry and several of the others.
Beyond their initial small group, only a handful of other friendly faces managed to break through the barrier, with the likes of their recent additions of Neville and Ginny managing to join the group, further swelling its ranks and strengthening the barrier against unwelcome approaches.
It was several hours of vigorous dancing later that a slightly exhausted group were informed the dance was over by the attending teachers and the students began filing from the hall through the suddenly small seeming cavernous entryway. Hundreds of bodies still taking quite a long time to funnel through the bottleneck. As most of the students had stuck it out dancing right until the end.
Which was how Harry came to be in the position Luna found him in right now. "Look at that, mistletoe."
Harry glanced up and there were indeed several pieces of the plant hovering about the crowd. It seemed they were set to hover over couples as he saw a second one above Viktor and Mady, who quickly followed tradition and kissed.
Harry turned to a smiling Hermione and leaned in, happily meeting his lips with her own and Harry thought it was a perfect end to the wonderful experience of the night. He couldn't help but smile when he heard Luna once more though.
"Good idea. Mistletoe is usually infested with Nargles, but they don't like to bother people who are too happy."
The boy smiled heavily as he pulled away from his partner and gave Luna a gentle hug. "Never change my friend. Never change."