Chapter XXV: The Yule Ball
(Harry P.O.V)
Harry could hardly contain his excitement as he wrapped the two-way communication mirror snugly between two white tee-shirts placing it securely within his bedside table. Getting a call from Sirius on its own had always managed to keep Harry happy, but to find out his Godfather was getting married, and that there was already a kid on the way had left him simply beaming. The family just keeps getting bigger, he thought to himself with a grin as he stared at himself in the mirror.
For all the joy he felt in his heart, it hadn't taken away much from the physical pain his body had been screaming over. He gently stuck two fingers into the pain-potion based ointment that Daphne had made for him not too long ago as he began massaging the black and blue spots that covered his torso in a circular motion. Moody wasn't kidding, he thought to himself as he finished his last circle, His training is something else.
However, Harry didn't have time to roll on the floor in agony, as with a swish of his wand his dress robes flew from his bed into the fourth-year boy's bathroom. He snarled viciously within his mind as he looked down at the suit, he'd always hated them, but as he finished working his arm through the last socket of his robe, he was forced to admit that perhaps Michael was right about the idea that his training with Moody making him a bit more paranoid, though Harry would argue the right term was careful, as unlike Moody who'd been relatively safe for the last few years, Harry was well aware there were more than a handful of people who wanted him dead.
He gripped his wand tightly in his hand as he waved and sliced the wood through the air, silently mimicking a mock battle in his head before he felt the snap of one of his vest's stitches, Damn, he cursed, I'll hardly be able to move in this thing. "Uh, Harry?" With the speed of a cobra strike, Harry spun on his heels, pointing his wand towards the sound before a terrified shriek erupted from his attacker "Bloody Hell!" The boy shouted, "What's gotten into you?"
"S-sorry Ron," Harry said lowering his wand as he stared at the youngest of the Weasley boys, dressed in nothing but a Chudley Cannons Tee-Shirt and Pajama Bottom, "I thought everybody was down in the Common Room already." His brow became furrowed as he looked over the orange-headed boy once more, "Please don't tell me you're going to the Ball like that?"
"No, no," Ron said shaking his head, "I'm uh, I'm not actually going."
Harry tilted his head to the side, eyeing his fellow Gryffindor. Without a doubt, Ron was rough around the edges, but he was tall, with bright blue eyes, and Harry had noticed the boy had put on a fair share of muscle mass over the summer. He had found it unlikely that Ron hadn't found a single girl willing to go with him, but regardless he asked, "You know, if you don't have a date, I hear that Parvati never accepted anyone's invitation, she's down in the Common Room if you want me to-"
"It's not about a date," Ron said defensively, "Well, it is, but that's not the main reason." Harry's nose wrinkled at the remark, looking blankly at Ron who turned away bashfully, "My robes, they're a nightmare. Honestly, they look like their from the 17th century."
Harry chuckled as he gazed at the way Ron scratched his arm, "Come on Ron, they can't be that bad." Ron's eyes widened with a sideways glance as if to say, You want to bet, as, with a quizzical smile, Harry followed the youngest male Weasley into the fourth year dormitory, and waited with a lopsided smirk as from the boy's trunk emerged the most ghastly piece of clothing Harry had ever seen in his entire life.
Harry watched on as he bit his lip, forcing himself not to laugh as Ron looked at the robes his upper lip curled with disgust. "You must have been awful this year for you to get that for Christmas," Harry said cheekily gazing at the manure-colored robes decked out with frills and cuffs that were as poofy as a poodle.
"S'not funny," Ron said tiredly, "Fred and George managed to afford decent robes thanks to all the prank items they sell, but I got stuck with these. How am I supposed to show up to the ball like this?" Harry mimicked Ron's look of pure defeat as he sighed, "Worse yet, my mom wants pictures of me there, honestly this whole thing is a nightmare."
"Well," Harry said twirling his wand between his fingers as if it was a drumstick, "Lucky for you, I'm no slouch when it comes to transfiguration." A slight frown overtook his face as he looked down on the material, "Though, I'm not sure just how much I can salvage something like this."
"Just try anything," Ron said with a shrug, "It's not like it could honestly get much worse," Harry smirked, his eyes widening as he glanced down at the robes, and with a swish of his wand, he watched as the frills and cuffs began to straighten out into standard-looking sleeves, whereas the collar had shifted from ones he'd seen during performances of Shakespeare in the park, to that of a modern jacket.
Despite all the changes, however, Harry had found himself lacking the patience or the time really to change the color, so while the dress robes no longer looked like they were from the 1500s, they remained the same deep brown. Ron didn't seem to care much though, as his eyes seemed to flash with life, quickly pulling the robes off the bed and smiling, "Thanks a bunch, Harry!"
The boy hadn't even given Harry a chance to respond as within the blink of an eye, Ron had gathered the rest of his things and raced towards the bathroom, eager to make it to the Great Hall for what was no doubt going to be quite a feast. He blinked, adjusting his focus before shaking his head with a chuckle, taking one last look around the room before heading down into the now empty Common Room. Well, almost empty as with gentle grin, he watched as Astoria sat beside the fire, Transfiguration Book in hand.
Without a sound, Harry slid over behind her, and with a comical smile he spoke, "Whatcha reading there, Short Stack!"
Astoria jumped in her seat to Harry's amusement before turning around with flared nostrils, "Merlin, Harry!" She shouted, "Don't sneak up on me like that." Harry couldn't contain his laughter as Astoria sighed deeply before shrugging, "If you must know, Professor McGonagall got really upset with us after Vane and James Fisher got into a fight in class. She's giving us this huge exam after the holidays and I'm really behind in studying for it."
"Sounds tough, need any help?" Harry asked a warm look in his eyes.
"No, I'm actually meeting up with Damyan to work on it tonight while you're sending my sister googly eyes," Astoria said with a teasing giggle.
"Ah, I see how it is," Harry quipped back, "I'm being replaced."
"Me," She said in a dramatized fashion, "Replace you. Never."
Harry laughed as he looked down at the second year Gryffindor. Often times, he'd found himself amazed by how much had changed since he left muggle schooling for Hogwarts. There was pressure, of course, being the chosen one to kill a Dark Lord that was powerful beyond belief and was also responsible for the deaths of your parents wasn't an easy task, but he was thankful for the friends he made. Yes, Michael was his best friend, and Neville was important to him, but he felt something special for Astoria, a level of responsibility he didn't feel with any of his other friends, and Harry cherished the bond they shared. "So Short Stack," Harry said, standing in front of her, his arms outstretched to show off his robes, "What do you think?"
He watched as his sister's kaleidoscopic eyes analyzed every fabric of his dress robes. It may not have been as pronounced as her older sister's but Harry knew that Astoria was a perfectionist as well, and as he saw a minute tremor appear in the second-year Gryffindor's eyes, he knew she'd spotted something, "I think that your tie is crooked."
A snicker escaped the two Gryffindor's lips before Astoria glided across the Common Room floor towards him, swatting his hands away from his tie as she folded the thin end of it into the ring provided in the back of the larger end, securing it tightly before forcing it upward earning an exaggerated gasp from Harry who vehemently hated ties. Harry glared down towards the tie with fire dancing in his eyes before he felt Astoria's hand reach for his throat finishing the final adjustments as she whispered, "Don't be a baby."
Harry rolled his eyes before glancing down softly at his younger sibling, "You know Short-Stack, my offer still stands. If you want to sneak into the ball, you're welcome to use my cloak."
"I'll take you up on borrowing the cloak," Astoria said kindly, "But it's been a while since I've spent any time with Damyan and I really can't fall behind in transfiguration given the fact that I kinda, well, suck at it." Harry shook his head, shrugging his shoulder playfully before summoning the cloak from his room with a flick of his wand.
"Alright, well," Harry said, "Looks like I'm off, wish me luck," Astoria smiled up at him before Harry placed his palm gently atop her raven-colored hair. "Oh yeah, one last thing before I go, I had Kreacher drop off your Christmas present on your bed, I hope you like it." Without a second to spare, he soon found himself crushed under the pressure of Astoria's bear hug before leaning down to hug her back with equal force causing the two of them to erupt with laughter, "Happy Christmas, Short Stack."
"Happy Christmas, Harry."
Harry turned, taking a final look at the second-year, his mind wandering back to all that time the two had spent in the training room, She's grown a lot in just a year, he thought softly before turning towards the portrait hole and exiting the Common Room into the Hogwarts Hall that even from as far up as the Gryffindor Tower, was still echoing with music from the Great Hall far below.
Harry had wished he had a watch as while he was never one to care much for punctuality, he certainly didn't want to be late for the Champion's Dance. It wasn't that he cared much for breaking tradition, but with all the things Dumbledore had to possibly bitch at him about, he didn't want dancing to be added to the list. He looked around the hall, ensuring the coast was clear, and deciding it was better to be early than late, he pushed against a brick that looked slightly greyer than the rest of the stones that lined the castle's walls, and with a brisk pace, Harry descended down the secret passageway.
Harry had been down to the Slytherin Dungeons before, he'd escorted Daphne down here from beneath the invisibility cloak after the late-night escapades a number of times, but despite his familiarity with the place, it had never felt very welcoming. The dungeon was dark and damp, with drips of off-colored liquids falling from the concaved roof, and puddles constantly lining the floor. It was certainly not as welcoming as the Gryffindor Common Room which was always well lit and noisy, mostly thanks to Fred and George who had a passion for 'making noise', then again, when he thought about it, Slytherins weren't exactly known for their hospitality.
Regardless of his negative feelings, he had to give the designer of the Common Room credit, they'd really taken the whole 'dungeon' theme to heart, and as Harry posted up against the side of a 'dry' wall that stood opposed to the entrance, he had to force himself to think of his Princess to keep his upbeat feelings going, if not, the dungeon might have begun to get to his head. Thankfully though, he didn't have to wait long, as he watched the black stone wall that covered the Common Room entrance begin to form a horseshoe-like arch, and from the arch emerged a woman that Harry found far too beautiful to be cooped up in a dinky place like the Castle's Basement.
She smiled at him, a breath-taking smile that forced one on to his face without a moment's hesitation. She was dressed in a gently flowing, strapless, three-tiered tulle ballgown with a color that had perfectly matched his eyes, while her lusciously-long Honey-Blonde hair had been tied back masterfully into a relaxed fishtail braid. She had never been one to wear a lot of makeup, in Harry's opinion she didn't really have to as he always found her outstandingly beautiful. But as he glanced blankly, unable to speak at the way her mascara brought attention to her icy-blue orbs or the light blush that adorned her face, he'd simply found himself at a loss for words. He'd jokingly thought she was as perfect as a princess the day he'd first met her on the streets of Diagon Alley eating her mint chocolate chip ice cream, but if there was somehow a level above perfect, then Daphne Greengrass, his princess had found it.
A gentle redness has filled Daphne's face, creating a blush-filled line across her nose from cheek to cheek, and Harry's smile grew even wider as he saw the astonishingly adorable look cross his normally composed girlfriend's face. Yet, before he could even collect his thoughts to form a sentence, another voice called out to him in an amused tone, "Alright there, Potter?" Harry's eyes shifted, finding the normally quiet Blaise his chest puffed out proudly as Tracey rested beside him looking quite beautiful herself.
Tracey tucked her hand into her auburn hair, completing her double-stranded milk braid before with a sarcastic simper she whispered, "Close your mouth, Lion Boy, don't want you to choke on a bat before your big dance." Without a sound, Daphne glided across the ground, and Harry felt her delicate fingers push up against his jaw, closing it before she placed her lips softly against him.
Her vanilla-flavored lips had made Harry feel like he was melting and a dumb grin crossed his face as the two broke apart before with a sweet-tempered whisper Daphne broke the silence, "You didn't have to come all the way down here to get me, you know," Daphne said, though her smile betrayed her words, "I could have met you halfway."
"Sorry Princess," Harry replied with bemusement, "I just couldn't wait to see you. I got a bit impatient." He leaned forward, capturing Daphne's lips delivering a soft kiss before breaking away grinning from ear to ear, "You look beautiful by the way."
"I kinda deciphered that you liked it from the blank stare," Daphne replied with a chaff grin, "You don't look too bad yourself, Flyboy." A smirk emerged from Harry's lips as with a snap of his fingers, a conjured rose, appeared in his hand earning himself an ever-rare giggle from Daphne who took it with delight, "You always have to be a showman don't you Flyboy."
"Perks of learning wordless and wandless magic," Harry said with a grin, as he reached out his hand, "Are you ready for tonight, Princess."
She nodded brightly, taking his hand and squeezing it gently, "Yes, let's make it a night to remember, Flyboy."
(Astoria P.O.V)
As Astoria watched Harry exit the Common Room through the portrait hole, her whole body tingled with excitement. She was grateful for the momentary reprieve of worry that had been filling her mind since the day that Daphne had decided to stay with her instead of going to Hogsmeade with Harry, and despite the fact that Daphne's face had been filled with sadness as the two roamed the castle, her curiosity over Harry's present had pushed that thought slightly out of focus.
She bound the stairs quickly, skipping over two at a time as she raced towards the second-year Girl's Dormitory, anxious to discover what laid within. Thankfully, the dormitory was empty as most second years had returned home for the Christmas Holiday. She was thankful for that as she nearly kicked in the door due to her excitement before her eyes began to wildly scan the room. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest as laying there on her bed was a pristinely wrapped, and more importantly, an incredibly long gift. Astoria flew towards the package making her vision blur from the speed as with trembling hands, she clasped the stem of the object feeling a jolt of nervous energy course through her body.
No way, she thought to herself as she stood her gift upright, smiling at the fact its height hadn't been an illusion as the gift stood at a similar length to her. Her breath shook as it left her lungs, and with wide eyes, she began to peel back the wrapping paper as carefully as she could, not wanting to even chance the idea of somehow damaging its contents. "Eep!" She shrieked jumping up and down as a thick wooden handle emerged from the top of the stem, taunting her to peel off the rest of the packaging.
Yet that wasn't all she saw, as a note dangled from the wooden handle, asking to be read. Astoria obliged, cutting the string with her wand, focusing greatly on her precision before with the gracefulness of a seeker, she caught the floating card in her hand. She felt a redness of heat build-up around her eyes as she began to read the note, a smile larger than any she'd had all year creeping onto her face; I saw that the old Comet 140 was getting a bit too slow for you so I thought I'd get you something more suitable. After all, we can't have a slow flyer on the best team at Hogwarts. Happy Christmas, Short Stack.
Both unable and unwilling to wait any longer, she worked as fast as she could, removing the golden string that kept the gift's wrapping paper together, watching as it fell away. Astoria cared little now for the slight mess she made as her teary-gaze became fixated at what she held in her very own hands. A broom, an absolutely beautiful broom crafted of pure mahogany wood with its tail being composed of neatly-lined, straight twigs that came to a perfectly focused point. She recognized the broom instantly, but she didn't want to believe it, frightened that somehow it would vanish before her eyes, that was until once more, her eyes became latched to the handle noticing the inscribed gold letters which read; Property of Astoria Greengrass (Short Stack).
Quickly Astoria spun the broom on its tip her reflection shining in the mahogany wood as inscribed on the other side of the handle was the final bit of confirmation that she desperately craved; Nimbus Two Thousand. Over and over she read those words, unable to contain her glee as she ran around the room merrily, her laughter bursting out uncontrollably. She stopped on her heels once more, her quaking body in awe of her gift, before, as if the person who'd gifted her the broom stood before her, she hugged her Nimbus Two Thousand tightly and whispered to the air, "Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much."
Her excitement, however, couldn't last forever as the ringing of the clock tower sent light tremors through the castle, notifying its occupants of the hour change, and bringing Astoria back to reality. There was nothing that she wanted to do more than take her new broom and jump out the window for her first flight, but she'd promised Damyan she'd meet him at the Astronomy Tower at ten, and as the Clock Tower Bell hit its tenth stroke, she knew she was already running late.
Despite knowing her dorm to be empty, she didn't want to leave her new prized possession out in the open, and quickly, though, with great care, she placed her broom gently into her magically charmed trunk, locking it to secure its safety before shoving her transfiguration book into her bookbag and throwing Harry's cloak over herself as she too raced for the portrait hole.
Astoria had often found herself amazed at just how many secret passages Harry knew throughout the castle, and she had desperately wished she'd bothered to learn a few of them as well, as, despite her relative athleticism, she had felt out of breath from her sprint between the Gryffindor Common Room and the Observatory. She was most definitely late, but she was thankful that sitting there patiently, leaning softly against pen and pad in hand was none other than Damyan, his eyes squinted with focus as his pencil scratched against the pad quickly.
Carefully, she removed the cloak from her frame, tucking the Potter family heirloom into her bag as gently as possible before knocking twice on the Astronomy Tower's walls announcing her presence, "Damyan," She whispered, "It's me, sorry I'm late." Instantly, the boy's warm almond-shaped brown eyes looked up at her, and she couldn't help but mimic the smile that crossed his face as he waved her hello before gesturing to her to come close.
As Astoria stepped forward, a quizzical grin crossed his face as with a low but friendly whispered he spoke, "Glad you could show up, I was afraid I was going to get ghosted." Astoria shook her head frantically and Damyan's chuckle filled the air, "It's alright, I was just kidding. Did you bring your book though, because it looks like we've got a lot of work to do."
"You have no idea," Astoria grumbled as she pulled the large purple-covered textbook from her bag, sticky notes lining every spell Astoria felt she needed to work on. For a moment, she watched as Damyan's eyes widened with shock, clearly not expecting the required amount of help to be so vast, but in a fashion that she found similar to Harry, he relaxed back into position as he took the book from her opening it to the first tab.
"You certainly weren't kidding," Damyan said with a light-hearted smile, "Well if we wanna get out of here before the New Year, we better get to work, we've got a lot ahead of us."
The time had begun passing quickly, and before Astoria knew it, her face was dripping with sweat as the clock tower rung once more alerting them of the length of their practice. If she was to be honest with herself, compared to Harry, as a wizard Damyan wasn't that impressive, but without a doubt, the boy was talented for his age and had an understanding of magic that mimicked Harry to an impressive extent.
Even though the boy was only a second-year, Damyan had a strong mastery of spells beyond the scope of some fourth years, and while the boy's dedication for improvement was critical, he was the first to admit that being the Minister's son had come with the perks of some of the best tutors in Bulgaria being ready at his call.
A wheeze-filled cough filled Astoria's lungs as she lifted her wand towards the cauldron Damyan had conjured for her, her body shaking with exhaustion as she panted out, "Evanesco." Yet, despite her efforts, the cauldron remained unchanged. From behind her she felt Damyan stand up, and before the boy could even say a word she called out, "I'll take a break soon, I just- I just want to get this spell down."
"Astoria, there's no need to rush," Damyan said softly, "That's a fifth-year spell, you've still got plenty of time before-"
"No I don't," She hissed back, she hated being told she had to wait. Sure, maybe she was impatient, but when you live your life on a timer, it's hard not to be. I can't be dead weight when Harry and Daphne face Voldemort, I won't let myself be a burden. Once more she lifted her hand and with a heaving breath she spoke, "Evanesco!"
Just like before, the cauldron hadn't even begun to become even slightly opaque, and Astoria could do little but snarl at her lack of achievement. Her tongue shot out of her mouth, licking her lips, and while the saltiness of her sweat hadn't surprised her, she felt her heart nearly stop in her chest as a metallic taste touched her palette. No, she thought to herself beginning to feel an air of dizziness, Not again. "Astoria!" She heard Damyan call out to her, rushing towards her side as she felt her legs collapse out from under her, "Astoria!"
She began feeling her eyes glaze over as Damyan looked down on her, his eyes filled with dread, gently he rested her head on her bookbag as he conjured up a box of tissues placing them under her nose to help contain the bleeding, but it was only then that she understood what had scared Damyan so much. A bloody nose was one thing, but as she caught her reflection in the polished cauldron, the hand of fear gripped tightly around her heart. Not only were her eyes a terrifying bloodshot red, but tears of blood had also begun leaking from her eyes and ears like a river. She'd wanted to scream, but she didn't have the strength. Her body was beginning to grow cold, and as her eyelids began to fall, the last thing she felt was her body being hoisted into the air, and the sound of heavy footsteps carrying her down the hall.
(Daphne P.O.V)
All her life, Daphne had been told she was pretty, though normally, she hated the compliment. It was never meant as anything sincere, it was always just something people noted, especially her father who growing up would make comments about her looks as if he was checking up on stocks. In a way, she supposed it was. A pure-blooded witch had two jobs in the traditional wizard society; Marry a wealthy wizard, and raise children. Her mother had done just that, as had many other pure-blooded women she knew. It had gotten so bad that eventually, Daphne had begun to hate the compliment. But when she saw Harry's expression, the way he looked at her as if she was art incarnate, she was forced to admit that for the first time in her life, she truly felt pretty.
She felt Harry's pulse through his hand as her nose inhaled his intoxicating Cedar and Green Apple cologne. She'd never been one for blushing, but seeing Harry wearing proper dress robes looking as well-groomed as he possibly could had done something awful to her. It wasn't that she minded Harry's more roguish looks, in their own way, she found them adorable and couldn't ever imagine herself getting tired of it. But seeing Harry dressed well, 'properly' it was a nice and rather fetching change of pace.
Even with her heels, Daphne had felt small whenever Harry had looked down at her, his eyes glowing with joy that sent her heart rate flying, and yet, for all the merriment, a sense of dread laced every second. Please, find it in your heart to forgive me. She tried desperately to bury those thoughts, for all she knew the ritual was nothing more than a hoax, but the idea that her only shot to save Astoria could be nothing but a false notion hadn't brought her any comfort either. I will save Astoria, no matter the cost. But for now, she concluded taking one more look at her boyfriend, for now, I'll focus on making this a night Harry will remember forever.
"Princess?" Harry spoke softly, pulling her closer to his chest as he gazed down at her, his eyes feeling like scalpels into her soul, "Are you alright?"
"Yes," She whispered back, "A bit nervous to be dancing in front of everyone, but I think I'll manage, so long as you don't trip over me."
"I'll have you know that Andromeda drilled dancing into me since I was old enough to walk," Harry said with a smirk, before his expression turned back into one of concern. "Look," He said placing his off-hand gently against her cheek, "Maybe I'm being crazy, and Moody's paranoia is getting to me, but you look like you've been distracted lately, and I just want to know if everything's okay."
Daphne felt her lips tremble slightly at Harry's plea for honesty, No! Her mind shouted, My sister's dying and despite all my research the best hope I have is that I transfer her life to me so I die in her stead and I feel like I'm falling apart inside! But she forced her thoughts down, shielding her insecurities behind an almost comically-blank stare as she whispered, "Yeah, of course, I'm okay."
"You're sure," Harry asked tilting her chin up so she could no longer look away. Yet, she'd practiced indifference for years and nodded curtly, bringing a small grin to Harry's lips. "Okay, good. I really want this relationship to continue going the way it is so I need you to promise me that if I ever make you feel uncomfortable with something that you'll tell me. I know I've placed a lot on your shoulders over the past couple of weeks and part of me, well, I guess a stupid part of me began to think you were starting to hate me or something."
"Oh yeah, Flyboy, you know me," Daphne said with a forced chuckle as she leaned forward, stealing a kiss from Harry's lips, "I absolutely hate your guts."
"Good," He said with a grin, cupping her face between his warm hands as he leaned forward this time with him being the thief, "Because I absolutely hate your guts too."
She smiled as Harry wrapped her hand in his, lowering them back down into a resting position as they set off to conclude their march towards the epicenter of the music when out of nowhere, Michael's voice called out to them, "Rook! Blondie! Wait up!" Daphne rolled her eyes, a soft grin on her face as she turned facing the blue-haired boy, who she had to admit looked quite dashing in his tailored grey dress robes. Though she couldn't spend much time focused on her boyfriend's best friend as her eyes were instantly magnetized by the girl at his side.
Daphne had theorized that there was more between the Ravenclaw boy and the French Model than met the eye, but as she saw Claire dressed magnificently in a gown of free-flowing silk before transitioning into a laced pattern around her torso along with the way her vibrant-pink hair had been tied elegantly into a dutch crown braid, Daphne had momentarily found herself jealous at just how naturally beauty seemed to resonate from her face. She watched as her boyfriend smiled at Michael before the boy cleared his throat, "I know you guys have already met, but I guess as a formality," he said gesturing towards herself and Harry, "Claire, these are my friends Harry and Daphne," He glanced back at Claire with a smile, "Harry and Daphne, this is my girlfriend, Claire."
Somehow, Harry had looked as if the information was nothing shocking, and while Daphne had suspected something was happening between the two, the fact that they were an actual couple had stunned her, and yet, she smirked as she remembered her bet with Tracey, She is going to freak out. She and Harry outreached their hands, each taking a turn to properly shake the French Girl's hand before, she glanced back at Harry the sound of music in the room just before them, "Ready Harry."
"Always," He said with a smirk of forced confidence as the two entered the Great Hall that'd been converted in a gorgeous ballroom. Daphne marveled at the way each of the serving tables were adorned with perfectly sculpted works of ice, while over the heads of the crowded floor she saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights — meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.
The live orchestra was in full swing as all around her the hall buzzed with an air of giddiness. In the center of the ballroom, she watched as Tracey swayed side to side her head resting on Blaise's shoulder, while to the left of them, she saw something that had seemed to even shock Harry. Dancing with his chest puffed out and his head held high was none other than Neville Longbottom, and if the Hufflepuff's confidence hadn't been enough of a surprise on its own, his dancing partner had simply blown her away. She'd known Granger for years, often, she'd heard Tracey refer to the Ravenclaw girl as unpolished gold, and as much as Daphne hated agreeing with Tracey on fashion and attractiveness scales, Hermione was looking simply amazing in her periwinkle blue gown. "Not bad Scout," She heard the two boy whisper from behind her as she watched Harry pull a handful of galleons from his pocket, dropping them into Michael's hand, "Not bad at all."
It seemed, however, that Daphne's gaze had not gone unnoticed, as Tracey had spotted her in the crowd of people like a hawk that found a mouse in a field, and with equal aggression, she pushed forward. Thankfully though, she watched her friend's eyes nearly roll out of their hand at the united hands of Claire and Michael. A sigh of pure relief exited her lungs as Tracey brushed right by them until she had found herself face to face with Michael, "Are you freaking serious!" Daphne smirked as the Ravenclaw boy sighed, "This was your secret date! Why didn't you tell me when I had already written this off this as a possibility."
She bit her tongue trying not to join her boyfriend in his uncontrollable snickering as she watched Michael nervously run his hand through his tied-back hair, "Well, I was planning on introducing you to everyone like a normal person, but it seems like that's a bit out of the question," He said turning to face his date, "Claire, this is my friend, Tracey," His eyes then locked with the auburn-haired girl, "Tracey this is my girlfriend, Claire."
"You're what now?" Tracey said stammering in confusion, "So wait, you two aren't just here as friends or something? You two are actually dating?"
"For almost a month now," Claire had said teasingly, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Michael's told me a lot about his friends."
Daphne instantly became a victim of Tracey's hate-filled glance as she hissed, "Did you know about this the whole time? Is this your way of hustling me back for all the times I've beaten you in exploding snaps?"
Daphne just shrugged playfully, a smirk resting on her face as Michael cut in, "You ever think that you might have a bit of a gambling problem, Davis?"
Tracey's face ballooned as she looked up with fake contempt at the Ravenclaw boy before a gently smile returned to her lips feeling that Blaise now stood behind them, "Nice," Blaise had said calmly and Daphne's smirk had evolved into a full-grown grin. Blaise had always been a man of few words unless he was talking about his fandom of Harry or his love of Tracey that is, and seeing the boy's unaffected reaction to finding out that Michael had ended up the boyfriend of arguable one of the most attractive girls currently in the castle had been amusing, to say the least.
However, dating a girl that had been the fantasy of many other boys in the castle certainly had its downside as well, as Daphne heard jab after jab aimed at Michael; She's here with him? Is this some kind of joke, Claire's with that loser? Of all the people in the castle, she chose him, is she an idiot? Obviously, Corner must have spiked her drink with a love potion or something. Yet, the one that had irritated her the most had come from Malfoy, who was currently doing a world-class job of ignoring his own date, a fact that Pansy hadn't looked too happy about as he called out, "A girl like that deserves a proper Pure-Blood wizard, not some Blood-Traitorous loser."
She felt the anger pulse through her boyfriend's hand as he heard his best friend's name be slandered, and yet, to her great surprise, it was Michael that had placed a hand on his shoulder stopping Harry's stream of anger. "It's alright Rook, it's like you said on the train with Boot," Harry turned to face his friend, "I'm worth ten of losers like them."
Harry nodded before he caught his other friend's eyes who delivered him a bright smile. He did what he could, returning the grin at Neville, who's face was simply beaming with excitement as he twirled Hermione gracefully along the floor. Harry had wanted to head over towards Neville, motioning for the rest of the group to follow him, yet to both Daphne and her boyfriend's disappointment, he'd been stopped by a hand and an overly friendly tone, "Ah, Harry, there you are, I've been looking all over for you. Normally I wouldn't be the one here, but with the Crouch currently missing, probably out enjoying the holiday or whatnot, I've been chosen to take his place, wonderful isn't it."
Bagman, Daphne thought to herself with disinterest, thought the last words had been disturbing, The prophet didn't say anything about the Crouch going on holiday. A glance at her boyfriend had confirmed that he too had found the remark strange, and yet, neither had a chance to reply as Bagman continued on, "Anyways, the reason we've been searching for you it to bring you to the Champion's Table, it is, after all, a Triwizard Celebration!"
Daphne's eyes followed Bagman's hand motion, and while she noticed Cedric sending Harry a rather sympathetic look, as he too looked as if he'd rather be down on the floor celebrating Christmas with Cho Chang than stuck up at the table waiting for them to be called down, she did note that Cedric's company had brought an air of confidence to Harry's expression. Together, they followed Bagman, and while a just God would have allowed them to sit beside their fellow schoolmates, Bagman had other ideas, placing them smack dab between Fleur, who looked very unhappy at the fact that her date Roger Davies was struggling to keep lust out of his eyes, and Viktor Krum, who's eyes Daphne instantly felt rest upon her.
She felt a sense of comfort though as Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned into his chest happily, grateful for any distance she could put between herself and Krum's full plate of goulash. Though if Daphne had to guess she'd say there was only one other person who hated Krum's focus on her more than she did, and that was his date, Alicia Spinnet, who if Daphne had to guess only agreed to this whole thing to make Davies jealous, something that clearly hadn't worked.
From across the hall, she found Dumbledore, currently dwarfed by the size of his dancing partner, Madame Maxime, though spotting the Headmaster hadn't been much of an accomplishment as the man was wearing robes purpler that any grape she'd ever seen before. As the dance of the two Headmasters concluded the first thing she noticed was that the music had come to an abrupt end, and the second was the fact that Karkaroff was nowhere to be found, an appearance that Harry, by the looks of it, had seemed to notice as well, and certainly wasn't happy about it. Though she couldn't blame him, the idea of a marked death eater walking unsupervised around the castle had made her uncomfortable as well, and while she couldn't be sure, she had a feeling that their reasons were the same, Astoria.
Her mind couldn't rest on Astoria for long though, as before she knew it, Dumbledore's voice echoed through the hall. "Student!" He spoke out, his voice magnified by his wand, "It is the pleasure of not only myself, but all of Hogwarts to welcome you all to this year's Yule Ball. I'd like to start by wishing everyone in attendance today a very joyous and Happy Christmas." The lights within the hall had begun to dim as the focus was shifted towards the now brightly-lit dance floor. "As many of you are already aware," Dumbledore continued, switching gears, "The tradition of the Yule Ball states that the champions and their dates must all participate in a celebratory dance."
"So Champions, if you'll please make your way to the dance floor to begin the ceremonial dance," Without a word, Harry took her hand as he followed Fleur and Davies who had nearly tripped over himself staring at Fleur's ass to the dance floor. Harry had told her he'd known how to dance, and while Daphne would never dare to go as far as to call Harry a liar, she did have her doubts. All of them though had immediately been crushed as she felt Harry place his hand along the small of her back, pulling her close to him as he took her off-hand in his.
"I told you didn't I?" Harry said with a smirk, "You've got nothing to worry about."
Music began to fill the hall once more as the sounds of sweet violins and piano echoed in the back backdrop, and with a smile of her own, she placed her dainty hand along Harry's broad shoulder, "Well then Flyboy, take it away." Then, without a moment's hesitation, he did just that, as he lunged forward, easing Daphne back before pulling her close to him once more, their waltz now in full swing. Both she and Harry hated the spotlight, but her laughter had become involuntary, as for a singular moment, all her worries had been exorcised from her mind, leaving her in pure bliss as Harry spun her gently along the floor.
As the music played, Daphne had felt like the world had drifted away, to the point that not even Krum's menacing glares could break her joy as she allowed herself to dream of a life after Hogwarts. A nice small house by the beach, nothing crazy, but beautiful in its own right. She imagined a couple of kids running around with raven hair and green eyes, she imagined curing up into Harry's side every night as they drifted off to sleep. Why am I thinking like this? She thought to herself, her illusion beginning to break as the music began to fade, You can't have this, you know what you have to do, dreaming about a future is nothing but a waste of time.
"Daphne," She heard Harry whisper, breaking her from her trance as she looked up at Harry who smiled brightly down at her, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, just," She said trying to settle back into reality, "Being in the spotlight like this makes me a bit uncomfortable."
"I feel you there," He said warmly, "Come on, the dance is almost over, then we can head out, I want to get a look at that grotto anyway." Daphne nodded, and just as Harry had said, the music had come to a halt once more. A round of applause surrounded the champions, but Harry paid them no mind, ignoring the snapping of the cameras as he took her hand and guided her out into the fresh air.
The closer she'd come to the grotto, the more amazed she was at just how beautiful the fairies' lights could be. A shy simper crossed her lips as a handful of fairies flew around her leaving a glaze of light wherever they went and she watched as Harry smiled happily as one nested into his hair. He continued to guide her through the grotto, taking her deeper and deeper into the cavern until they had ended up in a dimly lit courtyard. Together, they sat along the stone bench, and Daphne could hardly help herself from leaning into Harry who tucked his arm around her, holding her tightly. "It's crazy to think it's already Christmas huh?" Harry said softly, "So much has changed over this last year."
"Oh yeah," She whispered back, "Like what?"
"Well for one, you're hopelessly in love with me now," Harry said with a chuckle as she rolled her eyes playfully, "But I guess if I had to say one major thing it's about how much my family has grown in the last year alone. You, Astoria, Michael, Neville it's honestly amazing. Not to mention that Sirius and Emmeline are finally engaged, that's pretty crazy, isn't it? Sirius told me that she's even expecting, I can't wait to meet the kid next year."
"That is pretty crazy," She said her mind flashing back to her short but rather adventurous time with her Boyfriend's Godfather.
"At the same time, that's just more of a reason I need to make sure I take my training with Moody seriously," Harry said his eyes fierce with determination, "I'm going to make sure that no more wizarding kids have to grow up with a war looming over their heads, I won't allow more kids to grow up without their parents." Daphne squeezed Harry's hand tightly causing his eyes to soften as he glanced back at her, "Sorry, tonight's supposed to be a special time, I shouldn't be bringing up things like war," he leaned down, and Daphne felt her boyfriend's lips press against her forehead, "On a lighter note, I guess I'm just curious, where do you think we'll be next Christmas?"
"We'll," She said teasingly, "You have that much faith we'll still be together next year?" Harry smiled as he nodded, and Daphne allowed one to cross her face as well. She wasn't sure what effects transferring the curse to herself would have, but regardless she allowed herself to dream, "I don't know, maybe we'll find ourselves tanning on a beach in Australia or something, I definitely have seen enough White-Christmas' in a row, I'd like to change up the pace a bit."
"That sounds nice," Harry said gently, and Daphne rested closer into his chest, "I'll start looking for plane tickets, might be fun to have a muggle style adventure." Daphne nodded softly as she felt Harry run his fingers through her braid before whispering, "You know, we should probably head back, if I'm gone for too long I'm sure Bagman will send out a team of Aurors to find me or something."
"I think I hate that man," Daphne said with a small scowl.
"Yeah, so do I," Harry said as he helped Daphne to her feet, "But unfortunately, being famous isn't as fun as it's cracked up to be." He smirked back down at her, "At least now though we won't have to be stuck between Fleur and Krum, so it can't be that bad."
"Famous last words, Potter," Daphne said teasingly, "Famous last words." Gracefully, Daphne wrapped her arm around Harry's and with a shared light-hearted chuckle, the two began their walk back towards the Great Hall.
What'd they'd been expecting was a lively environment, the same way it had been since they took their leave for just a few short minutes. What they had arrived to, however, was a rather tense standoff between Michael and her boyfriend's second least favorite person in all of the castle Terry Boot, each glaring at the other with daggers in their eyes at the entrance of the grotto. Daphne had assumed that he and Claire were out there to look for her, yet her question regarding why the two had come face to face like that had become obvious as standing between them was a redheaded girl she recognized as Susan Bones.
"We should go help-," Daphne started but Harry stopped her, shaking his head.
"Michael needs this," Harry said, "He needs this confrontation to let everything out."
Yet, unwilling to move, she and Harry remained planted at their spot as a thunderous roar of anger echoed through the cavern from Boot's mouth, "Are you fucking serious Corner?" Boot bellowed from behind a Susan who simply looked stunned at Boot's words, "Even here you're trying to steal Susan away from me, Merlin you're pathetic."
"Who's pathetic?" Claire's voice called from behind Michael as she rested her chin on Michael's shoulder, "Because I'm certain you're not referring to my boyfriend." Claire had been sure to accentuate the final word which had left the fourth-year Ravenclaw in a rather flustered state, "And for the record, your girlfriend's the one that walked up to Michael talking about 'I'm sorry about the way our friendship ended can we go back to how we were before' we were just looking for our friend. It's not Michael's fault he's a far more interesting person than you, you little tête de noeud."
Daphne had no idea what exactly the French girl had said, but it sounded vicious and Daphne could help the passing remark that escaped her lips, "I like her." Harry nodded in agreement as he gazed on at the interaction, as Daphne felt magic building in his hand ready to get involved if needed.
The need for Harry's involvement had quickly increased as with a snarl Boot spoke in a slurred tone, "I wasn't talking to you, was I, bitch?" Daphne's eyes bulged at the words as she watched Michael's hand tighten into a fist, rage now radiating off the Ravenclaw boy's body.
Michael's anger, however, was nothing when compared to Susan's pure disgust as she looked at her boyfriend with a wrinkled nose, "Merlin Terry, what the hell is wrong with you?" She asked her eyes wide with contempt as Daphne watched the Hufflepuff girl take a strong whiff of her boyfriend's breath, "Holy shit are you drunk?"
"I'm not drunk," Terry hissed, "Me and a couple of the boys just snuck in a bit of Firewhisky, but I'll tell you what I don't like is you whoring around talking to every guy you see." He spat angrily at Michael's feet, giving him only a moment to step back and avoid the boy's slobber on his new brown suede shoes, "Especially not punks like Corner." Daphne gazed on in silence as she watched the way every fiber of Michael's being had to refrain from pummeling the tipsy Ravenclaw into the ground before Terry slurred once more, "Come on, let's go dance somewhere else."
Together, she and Harry wait, following the boy's every move as he drunkenly swayed from side to side, waiting for Susan to follow him only for the red-headed girl to remain perfectly still, "I'm not going anywhere," Susan said her voice trembling, "Not when you're like this."
"Fine!" Terry shouted angrily, getting dangerously close to her face "You want to go and dance with losers like Cornermore power to you, I just know I want nothing else to do with you, slut-"
SMACK! Faster than the eye could see, Susan had slapped her ring studded hand against Terry's face leaving behind a deeply indented cheek, "I don't care who you are or how drunk you are, nobody gets to talk to me like that!"
"You worthless bitch," Terry said spitting out some redden saliva from his mouth, "You think I care if you want nothing to do with me? Well, you're wrong, because guess what, Corner's been telling the truth the whole time! You're nothing but another number to me."
"Okay," Harry whispered cracking his knuckles, "Now I'm going to do something." Daphne hardly had time to process what her boyfriend had said before with a snap of his fingers, she watched in amazement as Terry stumbled backward, looking as if he'd been hit by a knockback jinx as he tumbled to the floor. Both Boot and Michael had looked around in confusion, but Boot had provided his own distraction as he groggily stumbled to his feet only to cover his entire robes in milky-brown vomit.
A frown appeared on her face as she pinched her nose, all while Michael had caught sight of them delivering a rather impressed look towards Harry who'd simply lifted his fingers to his lips. Unfortunately for Michael, the amusement had faded as he watched Susan flee towards the Great Hall's exit, tears streaming down her cheeks like rainfall. The two of them quickly raced to Michael's side where sad gaze had made itself at home on his face, and Daphne watched as Harry placed his hand reassuringly on his best friend's shoulder, "Are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah," Michael nodded, though sadness laced his voice, "Sometimes, the best thing you can do for another person is to let them go."
Harry nodded as Claire reached for her boyfriend's hand, "My father," She started softly, "He always used to tell me that making bad choices is easy, living with the consequences is what's hard. But only from that hardship can a person truly grow."
"Your father's a wise man," Daphne said softly before Claire turned to face her.
"Yes," The French Model's face then sunk a bit as she spoke, "Professor McGonagall was looking for you, it's actually why we came out here, she said it had something to do with your sister, told us it was importa-,"
The French Model hadn't had a chance to even finish her words though as Daphne raced into the hall, her heart feeling tight in her chest as she scanned the crowded space wildly, "There!" She heard Harry shout from behind her, his finger pointed to the normally severe-looking woman who was standing near the Great Hall door. Without a moment to spare, she raced towards the exit, Harry following close behind her. She'd wanted to tell him to stop following her, but that look of determination had once again embedded themselves into his eyes and she knew that arguing would only kill precious time.
The look that had developed upon the face of the Gryffindor Head of House had been all the information she needed as a feeling of nausea filled her stomach. Not bothering to wait for any further instructions, she barreled out of the hall Harry keeping pace behind her ignoring the calls of McGonagall behind them, "Mr. Potter! The message was not intended for you! You must stay-" but the two of them were out of earshot before the Lioness of Gryffindor could finish her sentence.
"Where are we going?" Harry called out from behind her with as level a tone as he could manage, but words were refusing to escape her lungs as her focus rested solely upon the infirmary. Something had happened, and it wasn't good.
How they'd raced all the way up to the Hogwarts Infirmary so quickly she had no idea, her legs had honestly felt weightless as she scaled the castle's stairways arriving at the Hospital Wing in record time. Without even the slightest care for caution, Daphne threw the infirmary door open finding herself in the relatively empty wing with Harry only a few steps behind her. Aside from herself and Harry, only five people filled the room, and while her mother and father hovered over a covered hospital bed, the curly-haired boy she recognized as Damyan sat there shivering against the wall, his shirt coated with blood and Madam Pomfrey who ran around the wing in a tizzy grabbing potion vial after potion vial.
Daphne's heart felt about ready to explode as she raced towards the bed, but as she arrived there, she wished more than anything that she hadn't. Astoria had always looked so full of life, and yet, as she looked down at her sister, her skin cold to the touch with track marks of blood covering her cheeks and lips, she looked nothing like she did before. From behind her, she felt Harry stare blankly at her sister, "What's going on? What happened to her?
Try as she might have, Daphne simply couldn't force words out of her mouth, and she felt a chilling magic begin to bubble inside of Harry as she turned on his heel, marching towards the trembling boy. Without regard for the boy's status as the Minister's Son, Harry lifted the boy by the collar of his shirt slamming his back into the wall, a cough escaping the boy's lips from the impact as a snake-like snarl escaped Harry's lips, "What happened?"
"I- I don't know," Damyan said his voice trembling under Harry's killing gaze, "We were just practicing our magic, and then she started bleeding. I told her to stop and take a break but she kept going and then she started to bleed. Really I don't know why she-"
"Harry put the boy down!" Daphne cried out in anguish, watching as Harry turned to face her his eyes pronouncing his confusion, "It isn't his fault! Astoria's sick!"
"What kind of sickness causes that!" Harry shouted back, his eyes refusing to look down at Astoria's crippled state.
"A blood curse," Daphne whispered her voice trembling, "She's had one ever since she was young."
"But those are-" Harry said, his own voice now shaky, "Aren't those fatal?"
She could respond but her silence was clearly all the answer he needed, as she watched Harry's face pale in the moonlight, "She's going to die? All of that time I spent teaching her magic, are you telling me all I was doing was making it worse? Why didn't you tell me?" He said his tone filling with anger, "Damn it, Daphne! If Astoria wasn't going to tell me, why couldn't you! She's my family too don't you think that I would've like to hel-"
"No she isn't!" Daphne shouted rage building so hot inside her all she could see was red, "You two just play as siblings while I'm the one responsible for doing whatever it takes to take care of her! She didn't want you to find out anything because it's a family matter that has nothing to do with you! Why don't you just do me a favor and stop sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong! Now get the hell out of here!"
She watched as a wave of pain crashed over Harry's face, as for the first time since their meeting in Diagon Alley, his emerald eyes hadn't seemed to shine with life. For a moment, she had locked eyes with him, but she couldn't continue to stare on, honestly, she hardly felt able to breathe before without a sound, Harry turned on his heels, his head hung low as he walked towards the exit, closing the infirmary door behind him. A quiet click filled the air as the door locked into place, and instantly, she fell to her knees, tears flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably as she whispered into the air, "I'm sorry," she pleaded, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Her stomach felt tight as she hugged herself in agony, "Please come back. Please." But it was too late, Harry had left, and as she watched potion after potion being poured down Astoria's mouth, Daphne had felt a pain she'd never experienced before. For the first time, Daphne Greengrass had felt completely alone.