Professor McGonagall had called out for Harry and Ron to pay attention to her instead of one another. He didn't mind the whispering at all, but he did mind the looks Hermione kept throwing at him.
He had already sat next to Susan, and Padma had willingly sat next to Hermione, despite being a bit ticked off at her fellow ravenclaw's action. Edmund took in a breath and focused his attention on the professor instead of his brother.
"The Yule Ball is approaching, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament-" A tradition means being forced to participate in it, especially as Hogwarts' champion. "-and an opportunity to not be at odds with our foreign guests anymore. At the ball, there won't be a sole champion to support, but there will be dance, and music."
Edmund glanced over at his housemate and smiled at the reaction she had to the announcement. It was suspected that Susan, an avid romance book reader, was excited at the prospect of a ball. "Will we have to wear dresses?" Susan whispered, "Oh I'd look dashing in red." Edmund shrugged and nodded. "You'd look good in just black clothes."
"After all these years, you're still laughing with my last name?" Edmund whispered back, just loud enough to gather the attention from one of his favourite teachers, Professor McGonagall. Her eyes had lasered in on Edmund and she smiled.
"I'm sure that you would all like a demonstration, since we have some time left." She held her hand up in his direction and Ron cowered behind Harry. Her finger ended on Edmund and she waved him over. He ignored the glances between Padma and Susan as he ignored Hermione's look on him.
At first, Hermione tried to make it up to him. She had gone out of her way to talk to him during class about it, which was abnormal because Hermione Granger doesn't talk in public about her feelings, most don't even know that she could have any.
Eventually, her questions, her seeking gazes died down when she started to spend her time again in the library. Edmund felt bad after he had bumped into her in the library, all she had done was mutter sorry, then realise who she had bumped into and lowered her head before continuing.
He hadn't been in the library since that ever happened. Padma had told him that she spends her time there because she couldn't manage to focus in the Ravenclaw tower despite having a spot that only she uses, and everyone else knows that she always uses it.
He walked across the floor and as he reached Professor McGonagall the music started playing. The sound of waltz started and Edmund had a blush on his face as he put his hand on Professor McGonagall's hip, keeping his hands light.
He could hear giggles of students and he glanced over at Padma and Susan, the two had gathered together to laugh at him during his distressed times, like usual. His eyes swept over Ron who had a smile on his face. Professor McGonagall had taught him how to waltz, she had enjoyed it and by the way they are dancing, she will forever enjoy dancing.
That was only the start and in his nervous streak, he misstepped. It was subtle but it still made a girl giggle. He froze at hearing the sound of her laugh, like the music, it was a rich and vibrant experience. For only a second, his knees got weak and he didn't move. Hermione Granger would forever make him stop in his step.
He clenched his jaw and continued dancing, until McGonagall skipped ahead to the last of the dance and had finally let him go. He could finally breathe when he stood next to Susan and Padma again.
He had said it before, that there was no getting over your first love, but Hermione Granger as a person in the whole, is just someone you won't ever be able to forget. He will never forget how she likes to drink her tea, that she barely drinks coffee but only whenever she's really stressed and needs to study.
Edmund packed up his bags and before he could leave behind the classroom, his name was called, quickly followed by Harry's. The two boys looked at each other, one more knowingly and the other more confused. It was amusing how clueless Harry can be at times, but he'll admit, at times it just makes him grind his teeth. How can one not see what is happening around him?
"Do you two have any clue who your partner will be for the dance?" Their professor asked them and Edmund smiled at Harry's surprised face.
"I thought of asking Susan or Padma, but I'd rather have them get their romantic moment." Edmund answered and Harry raised an eyebrow at him. One name on his mind and they aren't even on talking terms. To be smitten and to be angry is a storm weathering neither, both are doused in dread of seeing who will fall to the storm first. To see one fall is to finally succumb to the feeling.
"How nice of you, Edmund." She gave him a praising look, "I remember my first ball, such a handsome young man." Edmund let out an amused breath as she reminisced.
"I don't dance, Professor-"
"At the Yule ball you will, Mr. Potter." She said shortly, "Find a partner, both of you."
Edmund nodded and he stepped out of the classroom. "How am I going to find a partner?" Harry grumbled, "The Yule Ball is soon."
Edmund laughed and patted Harry's back, "Good luck finding one, I'm sure that most are all coupled up already." He said and stopped joking, "I could always ask around for you." He suggested.
"No, it's fine." Harry said and gave Edmund a small smile.
Harry stalked off to wherever Ron would be while Edmund walked in direction of the library. As much as he wanted to avoid it, he couldn't. Everything he needed for classes was in there and the Hufflepuff library wasn't enough nor did it have the books that he needed.
The smell of dust and old books hit him as soon as he entered the room and all he felt was a lump in his throat. Normally he could avoid the smell but he couldn't help but recognize it from across his classroom occasionally. He smiled at Padma and sat down next to her, "Didn't know you liked the library." Edmund stated.
"Observing a predator in the wild." She hummed and Edmund raised an eyebrow at her. With quill in hand she motioned over to the other Triwizard Tournament champion, pacing up and down a book aisle.
"Am I seeing damage from how much he's pacing?" Edmund wondered quietly as he watched Victor Krum walk up and down, and back up again. Everytime he turns, he turns with the heel of his foot, a fast movement around an axle.
"Right," She wrote something down, "I thought I was imagining it." She muttered. "Do you know why he's here?" Padma asked Edmund.
The Hufflepuff shrugged and followed the finger in the direction that Padma pointed at. "Oh." He said quietly as he looked at the aisle. He knew about the aisles where all of them sat, Padla sat in the tenth aisle, she likes to have light fall onto her pages. Hermione liked to sit in the sixteenth aisle, because she always read some older books and she'd rather persevere them naturally than magically. She doesn't like for the light to shine so brightly on her pages. "He's going to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball, isn't he?"
"I think so." Padma said. She had some concern in her eyes when she glanced over at him but Edmund just gave her a small smile. His friends were always concerned about saying something about Hermione around him, except for Susan, who will always tell Edmund anything that comes to her mind.
Edmund just clenched his jaw and smiled. "How old is Krum again?" He questioned quietly. He'll never not be concerned over Hermione, besides, Padma had called him a predator. It was a good basis to be concerned about someone.
"He's eighteen."
It wasn't that big of an age gap in the U.K. He had seen sixteen year olds go out with twenty year olds, even though it was creepy. "Oh." He let out a hum. He should get his book and start studying. "Do you think you could get a book from the sixteenth aisle?"
"No thank you." Padma shook her head, "I won't hear it from here and not look noisy about it, if he does ask her out today. Did you know he has been here the whole week?" Padma nodded solemnly
"No, I didn't." Edmund said and stood up from his chair, making sure that it didn't scrape the ground. The library was for peace and quiet, yet he couldn't find peace in the current environment yet.
"Dobro utro." The Hufflepuff greeted him a good morning and nodded at Viktor as the Bulgarian just turned around on his heel again. The Bulgarian nodded back and muttered a good morning to him too.
Edmund saw the familiar bush of hair leaning over a thick book. His steps were as quiet as they could be but it still sounded loud enough. He recognized the sketches in the book. If she had seen him, she didn't show any indication that she did. "The Phantom Atlas?" He asked, quietly.
She looked up at him, her face startled and her posture went ridgid. "Oh The-" She stopped herself, "Lupin." He had kept the name Lupin, and had just added Black. He was raised as a Lupin, he acted like one but he only had the blood of his father as testament to the Black family. "Yes, Phantom Atlas." She said and lowered her eyes again.
"Are you going to need it for a long time?" He asked quietly. He was leaning against a bookshelf now, his leg had still hurt from the first task and he wasn't going to put any weight on it unless necessary.
"I was reading up on the chapter that is coming up in our Care for Magical Creatures class." Hermione said, she was biting the inside of her cheek. She has had that habit for as long as he had known her, some days he catches himself doing it when he's nervous.
She did it once before, when they talked about how Ginny used to like him. He wondered if she had ever been nervous about him liking someone, and that he wouldn't be her friend then. "Do you need it for something?" She asked and stopped biting the inside of her cheek.
"There was some myth about a golden egg in it." Edmund said, "I am thinking that Dumbledore had taken his inspiration from that. So I might have a clue what to do with the egg, because all it does is make a very high-pitched noise." He said.
"Oh." She put her bookmark in between the pages before closing the big book and sliding it over to Edmund. "Your second task is important." She said, "So you, you know, stay alive."
Edmund gave her a small smile, it was short and he nodded. "I'll get it back to you, as soon as I can." He said quietly. "I know where to find you."
"You do." Hermione agreed, her facial features looked downhearted and Edmund's head filled with guilt. She looked at the bookshelf he was leaning against. "Could you take out a book on sea creatures, I suppose you know the best ones." There was a ghost of a smile on her face.
Edmund turned around and stretched his arm out to the highest shelf and grabbed a dusty book off of it. Just how Hermione liked it. "You'll like this one better." He said quietly, "Doesn't have myths but just facts." He turned around and put it down on the table, he looked at Hermione. "Has someone asked you for the ball yet?" He asked quietly.
She looked hopeful for a sheer second before she remembered their stance towards one another. "I'm waiting." She said, her lips pursed. He wouldn't have asked her either way, she didn't like him the way he did and it would just be bad for him, if he had asked her out to the ball.
"Who are you waiting for?" He asked. Surely she had noticed Viktor pace up and down, especially with the group of girls always giggling and following around. She couldn't be waiting on Ron, because the last he had heard, Ron was going smoothly with Lavender.
As if he had given the Durmstrang student a social cue to come, the red uniform walked down the aisle. His eyes focused on Hermione. "Hermione." He said in his heavy Bulgarian accent, "Do you have an answer for me yet?" she sighed and looked up at him. "It's the last day of the week." He looked desperate. "I have been waiting for days now."
Edmund pursed his lips and looked out of the window, he was put in an awfully uncomfortable position, "Fine, Victor. Yes." She said and gave him a small smile, the disappointment evident in her eyes.
Her eyes flickered up at Edmund and shame filled her eyes. He had to get out and away, he can't let her feel ashamed for saying yes to a guy. He was surprised that she even agreed to go out with the Bulgarian because the last time, he remembered her being still obsessed with the ginger.
Edmund left the book on the table as he walked out between the aisles, and he saw Padma stare at him with wide eyes. He plopped down in the seat next to her and let out a breath he had been holding. "That was so uncomfortable." He breathed out and turned to look at the Ravenclaw. "Like, I did not know he had been waiting for an answer the whole week."
"A whole week?" Padma raised his eyebrows, "That's impressive. I know that I am too impatient to hear back from someone for so long." She muttered.
Edmund let out a breath, amused. "I wouldn't know." He said quietly and stood back up. "I'm heading to the common room, but I'll see you at dinner?" Padma had a habit of skipping dinner when she was in her modus.
"We'll see." She hummed.
Edmund let out an amused breath, "Have you found a date yet, to the ball?" He questioned.
"No," She grinned at him, "Thinking of asking me to be your date?" She questioned, lightly teasing him. Edmund blushed and shook his head.
"I wouldn't do that to you, I'm not taking you away from a night full of romance." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I heard Seamus is still looking for a date."
Padma snorted, "Seamus can look the other way." She shook her head. "His comments are so rude sometimes, I can't even think about sitting next to him in class." Edmund let out a small laugh. "See if Cedric has an older friend of his, preferably handsome, nice to look at, even."
Edmund shook his head in amusement. "Looking for some eye candy, Padma?" He joked and then thought about it. "There is Adrian Pucey from the Slytherin Quidditch Team." He suggested and Padma cringed, shaking her head.
"He's a bit greasy." She said, "You never know if he puts gel in his hair or if it just is like that." Edmund let out a chuckle as he heard her say that.
"Marcus Belby then?"
"He's too nervous." Padma stated, "Looks like he'd pass out if a girl even talks to him. Next suggestion."
"Eddie Carmichael." Edmund stated and that was the last person on his mind that he could think of that would be a good match to Padma.
"Now we're talking Edmund." Padma rubbed her hands together and interlaced them. She was looking like a professional about to present their product to sell it to big companies. "Very underrated if I say so myself, could use a growth spurt, your height is ideal." Edmund barked out a laugh and put his hands over his mouth, remembering that they were in the library. "I'm serious though, his sleepy green eyes are working for him." Padma nodded at her own verbalised thoughts, "That grey hair of his, that Marie Antoinette Syndrome is working so well for him."
"Who would ask, you or him?"
Padma raised her eyebrows at him, "Are you seriously asking me?" He was, and then later realised how dumb it was. Padma was one of the most blunt people around, it was quite insane what she would say in front of people. The only thing she watched her mouth round was him, if the subject was Hermione. "I should get flowers, the ones that pretty girls like and tell him that he should ask me for those flowers."
"Which kind?"
"Carnations." Padma said, "They're so pretty, prettier than roses."
Edmund grabbed the wand out of his waistband and grabbed the extra quill that Padma took with her whenever she's out to study at the library. The girl doesn't complain and instead watches Edmund do his thing.
He had learned the transfiguration charm in his second year, in the vacation, when he mentioned to Dumbledore that his transfiguration skills weren't on par with his charms or even defence against the dark arts.
Edmund had to repeat the bewitching spell everyday, because flowers were intricate and had beautiful patterns that are hard to repeat. He had bewitched different flowers, they're the ones that never die because they're bewitched.
He had planted the perfect ones by his mother's grave.
"Here you go." Edmund said and held out a small bouquet of purple carnations. Padma stared at them in wonder, her mouth ajar. "Don't you like them?" He asked quietly, as Padma still hadn't said anything.
Padma gave Edmund a small smile and leaned over to pinch his cheek. "Oh such a dear that you are." She said, acting like an old grandma, "Can you make them red?" She asked.
He blushed and shook his head, "They're bewitched now, so I can't really change anything." He said quietly. "I can get a quill somewhere and make a new bouquet for you." He suggested.
"You're a good friend, Ed." Padma said and reached over to squeeze his forearm. Edmund blinked as he stared at Padma, a bit baffled that she'd act like some parent. The moment she started to stare back at him, his baffled expression bursted into a laughing one.
"Don't do that again, ever, please." He laughed out as he stood up, "I'll be back for you, with your other colour flowers!" He said and held up his flowers. He walked in the direction of the courtyard and let out a breath as he bumped into someone.
Quickly, his hand shot out to stabilise her by the waist. "I am so sorry-" He looked up at the slightly pleased face. "Fleur," He said and gave her a small smile.
"Didn't think I'd be swooped off of my feet already." Fleur said and Edmund had to think a bit before understanding her french accent. He blushed and let go of her waist and took a small step back, "I don't think those are for me." She was looking down at the bouquet of flowers in his hands.
He gave her a weak smile and shook his head. "You're walking away with flowers," She looked over his shoulder, where Hermione and Viktor were awkwardly talking to one another, "I didn't think you'd still have feelings for her. But you walk away with flowers, so that makes me think you have no date."
"These aren't for Herm-"
"Let's go to the ball together." She suggested, interrupting him. She reached over and flattened his collar and tucked it into his sweater vest. "We'd be a nice pair, make a few heads turn." Her hand rested on his chest, grazing his tie. "You'd make Hermione jealous."
"I don't want to make her jealous." Edmund said and looked at the angry Ravenclaw in the back of the library. "Besides, I don't want to take you away from Davies."
"He'll understand, I told him that if you agreed that he had to find another date." Fleur said and tightened his tie. Edmund was very confused at what was happening, maybe it was a joke. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Katie Bell walk past with an approving look on her face, subtly giving him the thumbs up.
Edmund restrained a smile and nodded, agreeing to be her date to the Yule Ball. Fleur smiled up at him and kissed his cheek, "I have a gorgeous black and red ball gown." Edmund raised his eyebrows in surprise, he had gotten that exact colour when he had gotten his suit made back in october.
"Spoke with Harry, had you?"
"Maybe I just know what fits you." Fleur smiled, "Maybe I fit you better than Hermione." His smile faltered a bit, they had potential. The only thing they have in common is being the champions of their school and that they speak French.
"If you're my date, then you should have the flowers." He said and held them out. "Purple might be your colour."
She accepted the flowers and reached up to put a hand up to his cheek, "Chaque couleur est ma couleur." She said with a sly smile on her face. Edmund would have to agree, every colour is her colour.
Behind her, he saw his best friends smiling and glancing over, trying to be subtle about seeing Fleur walk up and ask him out to the dance. "I have to go and try to understand that egg." He whispered and leant down to press a kiss up against her cheek. "I'll see you around?"
Fleur smiled, a faint blush over her cheeks. She pulled Edmund down by his tie and whispered, "Tell your friends I said hello." She kissed his cheek and winked before walking through the library.
Edmund blinked a few times before flattening the tie against his chest and walking over to his smug friends. "Let's go to the Living before Davies tries to fight me because I took his date." He said and Susan locked their arms together.
"Fleur can get whatever she wants, me included." Susan let out a low whistle, "That girl is irresistible." Edmund let out a laugh and agreed, though not vocally. He had always seen her as pretty, but he hadn't been
Neville grumbled and Edmund just patted his back. "I'm sorry for taking Fleur away from you." Edmund said jokingly. The Hufflepuff boy still had trouble with resisting the veela charm and occasionally grumbled or stared at Fleur for a long period of time.
They walked through the festive halls and came across Cedric, his arm slung over Cho's shoulder. They looked cosy. Cedric called out his congratulations, already having heard of Edmund's date to the Yule Ball.
"News travels fast." Edmund said as he gave Padma a glass of water. He had only taken Harry and Susan up to the room, but so far was Neville and Padma impressed by it. The room was found by Edmund when he wasn't a student yet. He assumes that it was an old professor's living quarters because it had everything that they needed.
His uncle Moony had taught him how to clean the room with your wand in just one sweep. It was a spell that drew inspiration from Molly Weasley's cleaning skills. In one sweep, the windows blew open and the dust was shot out. The antique couch regained its old colour, the bed was cleaned and dust that lingered in every nook and cranny disappeared.
The room had regained his old charm. Edmund had slowly begun to make it his, he had only dared to use it that year, mostly because his nightmares had turned into night terrors. He didn't want to wake anyone up just because he was screaming his lungs out over some dream.
"News only travels fast if it is outrageous, or if the subject is hot." Susan pointed out, "With your fans? Everyone knew in under fifteen minutes, guaranteed." She said and sparked the fireplace.
"Don't call them fans." Edmund shook his head.
"Have you ever taken a girl up here?" Padma asked, "Because this is such a good make out spot." She and Susan shared a look and nodded at each other. "You definitely took Katie up here."
"I only kissed her twice, that's it." In that moment they were just students being students, talking about who is attractive, talking about who they kissed and where they kissed. They talked about their grades and about the Tournament.
The grandfather clock sounded and the four of them reluctantly stood up, it was time for dinner. "I should just not show my face today." Edmund said, "I can hide like that, right?"
"Let's just face the music." Susan said and the painting closed behind them. Everyone knew that the code to get inside was 'Toujours pur' but they just couldn't get inside because the painting only recognized the Black bloodline.
Neville was humming the song that they were learning to dance to and naturally, Edmund grabbed Susan her hands and started to dance with her. During their whole trip down to the Great Hall, Edmund had danced with Padma and Susan, not Neville because the boy was a bit shy.
They stopped dancing at the first sight of students and laughed to themselves. The Great Hall was filled with students, each of them talking about how excited they are for the Yule Ball, hoping to get asked by anyone.
It was only a week until Christmas, and for the next task was going to happen sometime after, Edmund didn't know when it would occur. He sat down and ate dinner with his friends, ignoring the smell of old books that passed behind him.
"Ed!" Susan had called out for him. He looked up at her and raised his eyebrow. "Show the picture in your wallet." She commanded him.
"How would you know if I have a picture in my wallet?"
"Because when you're bored you look at it in class." Susan puts down her glass and raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not ashamed of it, right?"
He pursed his lips and fished the wallet out of his pocket. It was a family picture of him, his mother and his father. Just a small one, but enough to make him want his mother back. He pulled down the picture and revealed more.
A picture of him and Susan asleep on the couch, next to one another. Susan is a cuddler so she was stuck on his side. Next picture was of all of his friends, they were in the Great Hall the day before the summer. "Don't get sentimental on me, Susie."
"I hate it when you call me that." She said and wiped away a tear.
Edmund just laughed and a hand rested on his shoulder. "Want a photo of moi?" A voice whispered in his ear.
"I'd have to watch out for your fans," He joked as he turned his head to look at Fleur. "They can be quite violent."
"I'm sure you can handle them." Her hand rested on his arms now, "Question is if they can handle you?"
Edmund laughed softly, "I'm going to get jumped because of you."
"That'd be an easy way out of the tournament."
"That'd be an easy way to have no date." Edmund countered, they both had teasing smiles on their faces.
Her hand lightly squeezed his arm and she leaned down to his ear. "Easy replaceable."
"Same goes for you." He picked up her hand from his arm and pressed a kiss against it. "Your headmistress looks angry." He smiled at her, "I'm being kind and let you go before you're subjected to a lecture of why Hogwarts boys are pigs."
"I've already gotten it." Fleur laughed. "I'll see you around." She smiled and squeezed his hand before letting go and sitting further down the table with her friends. They were giggling when she sat back down.
Padma reached out for Susan's hand and kissed it, "Oh yeah, we're flirting so hard right now." Padma teased, "Your headmistress looks super angry at us for even talking."
Susan fanned her face with a hand and made a puckering face that was supposed to mimic Edmund's. "Yeah but like, we're star-crossed lovers. Nothing will keep us apart except a whole ocean and we have to compete against each other."
Padma faltered and pursed his lips. "Edmund would never say that."
Susan blushed, "I know, it was a bit too fun to do."
—
"Merry Christmas." Edmund stretched his arms as he sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Neville was nursing a cup of tea, Susan was reading a book and Padma was talking with an older Hufflepuff that sat next to her.
Susan looked up from her book, "Merry Christmas, Ed." The other two repeated it and they fell into their quiet morning routine. They were all tired, having talked about the ball until late in the evening.
The sounds of owls flying into the Great Hall sounded and mail dropped down on tables. Edmund caught his mail before it fell into the breakfast of the girl who sat next to him. "Désole." He apologised, nearly having destroyed her breakfast.
"Trying to charm my classmates, Edmund?" A voice sounded and Edmund smiled as he turned around to look at her.
"Maybe it is my natural charm?"
"It's the bad accent." Fleur joked and smiled at him. "Good morning," She said and leant down to kiss his cheek. "Does your hair always look like this in the morning?"
"I skipped my morning routine, I was a bit late." He said and he rubbed a hand over his cheek.
"Sleep late?" Fleur asked and Edmund nodded. "Nervous?" She asked with a smile on her face that made Edmund gulp. "No need to be nervous." She whispered and kissed his cheek before walking over to her group of friends, only a few people down the table.
Neville shared a look with Susan and Padma before clearing his throat and looking over at Edmund. "You're flirting, a lot."
The Hogwarts champion shrugged, "Well, she is my date for the Yule Ball."
"You haven't looked at or for Hermione."
"I don't know why we're ganging up on him," Susan said as she drank her hot cocoa. "He's doing much better."
"Still, it's weird." Neville shrugged.
Edmund stood up from the table and just shrugged, "I guess it was time."He said and walked over to the exit. A smile graced his lips as he looked at the girl who looked like she was awaiting him by the door. Her arms were crossed. "Katie Bell." He hummed, students were walking by.
"I guess that I should thank you." Katie said and smiled at Edmund.
"Roger's your date to the ball?" Edmund questioned knowingly. Katie blushed and nodded. "Good for you." He smiled.
The punch to the face was something Edmund hadn't seen at all, the force of the sudden blow had made his head whip to the side and made him stagger a few steps back. A hand shot up to his bleeding lip and he looked over at the attacker. "What the fuck." He cussed at Roger who was ready to strike him with another blow.
Edmund pushed the sloppy punch aside and Roger was pushed on the ground. Before Roger could stand up and strike Edmund again, rope restrained him. "That will be enough Mr. Rogers, detention and a walk up to the headmaster's office." Professor Snape held his wand out and at Roger.
Katie looked flabbergasted, her hands over her mouth as she couldn't fathom what had just happened. "Head up to the infirmary, Mr. Lupin-Black." Edmund looked at his uncle, still holding his jaw.
A hand touched his waist and Fleur pushed herself in front of the crowd, "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.
"Just a bit surprised." Edmund said and Snape ordered them to head up to the infirmary again. Fleur had followed him up and Edmund was glad to feel her arm around his waist.