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Harry Potter and the Wanderer by The Shadows
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Harry Potter and the Wanderer

The Shadows

I suppose I should also mention that there will be a different language cropping up every now and again - the language of the elves. This is made by me (after a lot of time and research) and is therefore copywritten by me. If you want to use any of it, or just want more information about it, please contact me. Same goes for other things that I've mentioned earlier - the elven culture, Talisien, Fey, Kailyn, the dagger, time wolves, etc…

Harry Potter remains in the hands of others (mainly JK Rowling).

Enough ranting. Please enjoy, and please - if you read, review.

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Chapter Seventeen: The November Ball

It was amazing, really, how much had changed in the course of a couple of short months at Hogwarts. Although Ron still spoke with his mouth full on more occasions than not, he seemed to have lost his second-place attitude, for which Harry was immensely grateful, especially once the Ball was announced.

Rather than helping himself to food right away, the first thing Ron did was approach the Ravenclaw table, get down on one knee, and ask Luna to accompany him to the Ball, right in front of everyone. She said yes, of course, but Harry couldn't help but stare at him in surprise anyway.

"See mate," Ron said simply, sitting down at helping himself to half of the pancakes on the platter in front of him. "Simple matter, really. You asked anyone yet?" he asked, looking around at the several girls who seemed to be eyeing Harry carefully. "I doubt you'll have a hard time this year."

"McGonagall wants me to lead the Gryffindors in," Harry muttered under his breath as he reached for a pitcher of juice. "Just like I lead Hogwarts in for the Yule Ball," he added when Ron started to choke on his mouthful.

Once he had managed to get his breath back, he looked to Harry in amazement. "And you agreed?" he asked. "What possibly could have made you do that? You know how horrible it was last time?"

"I know," Harry muttered, propping his head up in one hand as he stirred around some syrup on his plate. "I need a date again, too," he added as he caught Hermione's eye. She wasn't sitting right next to him this morning, as Ron had already sat next to him on one side, and Dean on the other.

"No problem," Ron said with a grin. "Just ask Ginny. She and Dean are history, right mate?" he asked, leaning around Harry to poke the other sixth year in the arm.

"It never would've worked," Dean admitted. "Can't blame a bloke for trying, though. Your sister is..."

"I'd stop right there, Dean," Harry said quickly when he saw something flash before Ron's eyes. "And I'm not asking her, Ron," he muttered quickly so only he could hear.

"Got your eyes on someone already, then?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe. I'll figure it out later, that's all. You really think I'll have no trouble?"

Ron pointed out six different girls in Gryffindor alone who were staring at him before turning to other tables to start pointing out others. Many of the girls seemed more interested in staring at him than eating the food that was in front of him. "They know you were telling the truth last year now, Harry. This year, you are practically a hero, remember?"

"And you're fine with that?"

"You get to deal with Snape still. I think that evens us out nicely, don't you?"

"I still think you've got the better end of the stick with that one."

Harry barely paid any attention in Potions that morning, which was never a really good idea. Fortunately, Hermione still seemed on top of her game, and managed to add the rest of the ingredients for the Drought properly even without his help. He was barely holding himself back from leaving class to hunt down Seamus and Dean, both of whom had asked Hermione to the Ball as soon as breakfast was over.

He himself had been asked by a Hufflepuff that he didn't know, but no one else. "I think I might start borrowing Kirke's beater club," he whispered to Hermione as they left the class later on. "If this morning was any indication, anyway."

"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione whispered back. "I don't plan on accepting any other invitations. Ron was right though... maybe you should give me that beater stick... or I could take Sloper's..."

Harry just tapped his wrist to remind her of the bracelet again, and she smiled as they walked into Charms. That didn't stop her from shooting daggers at Pavarti for all of Charms, as she had asked Harry to the Ball the moment he stepped into the class.

"Shouldn't they wait until we aren't walking together anyway?" Harry whispered as he pulled out his textbook for the class. "I mean, doesn't that seem a little strange? How do they know we didn't ask each other?"

"Honestly, Harry, after all the denying we both did in fourth and fifth year, I think it finally got through their heads that there is nothing between us," she said, a sparkle in her brown eyes as she spoke. Harry missed whatever she was saying next as he simply looked into her eyes.

They worked on a charm to levitate a person in a full body bind properly that class. Professor Flitwick admitted that such a thing was rarely necessary, but was very good to know if anyone was injured severely anyway.

It was in the common room that night that everything almost fell apart. As soon as Hermione went off to her corner and Harry started towards Ron for a game of chess, he found Ginny standing directly in front of him. "Everything alright, Harry?" she asked pointedly.

"I guess," Harry said with a shrug, well aware that Hermione was no longer reading, but keeping a careful eye on what was going on. "I'm not planning on running off again, if that's what's worrying you."

"It's not. Are you planning on going to the Ball this year?" she asked. It was then that Harry noticed the entire common room seemed to have gone quiet... he couldn't even really hear the fire crackling in the fireplace. He was well aware that probably half the room was watching them suddenly.

He shrugged as calmly as possible. "I don't have much choice, do I? I'm suppose to lead the Gryffindors in, or haven't you heard? But I'll wait to ask someone for a while. Less people left to disappoint by the time I ask - sorry about last time, by the way, Lavender," he said as he remembered, turning to her. She smiled, and caught his eyes motioning frantically at Ginny before he turned back. "How about you? Found someone to go with, yet?"

"Would you go with me?" Ginny asked, looking straight into his eyes. Harry felt his heart drop instantly. He had hoped that she was over her feelings for him, because he certainly had none for her - at least, none that involved romantic intentions. She was like a sister.

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, Denis interrupted them. "Hey Ginny, any chance you could give me a hand with this Charm's essay? You did well in this class last year, right?"

She whirled on him in an instant, scowling. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here? Give me a minute, and then we'll see!" She turned back to Harry, looking for an answer, and found that he was no longer there. Whipping around to the dormitories, she saw his legs disappearing up the steps.

Hermione waited just a few minutes before looking over to Lavender, who seemed to be playing with Crookshanks. She had really taken to the half kneazle, as had the rest of the girls in her year. She smiled to her, and Lavender just nodded her head in understanding.

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Even though Hermione did not accept any other invitations, and even though Harry denied that he was going with her on more than one occasion, after the next DA class, none of the boys who were a part of it would even glance in Hermione's direction if the topic of the ball came up. Harry had gone a little harder on both Dean and Colin, as well as Denis and Terry. By then, anyone who had been thinking about it had the general idea and stayed well enough alone.

By the time the trip to Hogsmeade had rolled around, Harry had managed to dodge Ginny a total of three more times thanks, mostly, to Ron and his supposed poor sense of timing. He must have taken Harry's message to heart, though, as he kept asking Ginny who had asked her every time she tried to ask Harry to go with her. During that time, Harry would slip away again, and later would tell her that he was trying to keep from falling behind in his studies or upsetting Ron.

The trip itself to Hogsmeade was especially difficult, given that Harry and Hermione had decided not to go together. Harry found himself wishing that Ron had been wrong earlier when he said that so many girls seemed to be paying attention to him now. It was more than a little difficult for him to get fitted for new dress robes, and he didn't have a chance to do as much as he would have liked while in town. He had time for one extra stop, but that was it.

The night before the ball, Harry sought out Kailyn to ask for another lesson. It was the best way he could think of to avoid running into Ginny in the common room again, as he was sure that nothing would distract her at this late a date.

The door had barely shut in the Defense classroom before Kailyn had drawn both her swords and was attacking Harry again, though still much slower than he had seen her fighting her grandfather earlier in the year. He leapt backwards, staying on his toes so he could keep moving quickly, and drew his dagger.

He met her second charge with one of his own, watching her collarbone carefully. He ducked her first sword and her second clashed with his own blade as he pushed back against it. She smiled lightly at his determination, and took a step back to gauge him before her next action.

The two circled each other slowly, Harry keeping his eyes as steady as possible just below her neck. She had a point earlier - he could easily see all her movement by watching that one point. He was glad that she wasn't a bit older - and therefore developed - as he was sure he wouldn't have been able to look at her so carefully if she was. She was right as well in that she wasn't asking him to stare at her chest, just above it.

She vanished suddenly, and he felt a hard kick in the back of one of his legs, causing him to buckle instantly. He cursed the waywatcher training as he pushed off the ground with his still steady leg and ended up on his back with her standing over him. He had a hold of one of her blades with his dagger, and was holding the wrist of her other hand with his free hand.

Using his defense as leverage, she pushed off the ground and flipped over him, landing just inches from his head as she spun around again. He rolled to the side and continued to roll as she tried to catch him. When he finally stopped, he was breathing hard and pulled himself to his feet before she could come forward again.

She had her blades sheathed again, but he wasn't going to take that as any indication right away. "What was all that about?" he asked in between heavy breaths. "It was like you were actually trying to kill me!"

"I was training you to be prepared," Kailyn said with a smile. "Besides, you kept up pretty good, so why are you complaining?"

"It wasn't exactly what I expected, that's all," Harry admitted. "I thought we were just working with the blades."

"You do need a lot of work with that, still. But you are improving - however slowly - and your ability to adapt is nothing short of incredible." She then turned away and started towards the door. "But then, you've had lots of practice with that, right? You seem distracted tonight, so we'll leave it for now."

"I'm worried," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. She stopped instantly and turned back to him. "I mean, not about this, this helps like Talisien said it would. It does take my mind away... but I can't help myself. Tomorrow could be very dangerous - I'm putting Hermione in more danger than ever before."

"But she is accepting that risk, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"Then do not worry yourself. Tomorrow will be safe, I will assure you of that. No one will try anything during the Ball. Or rather, if they try, they may find themselves more than a little put out for a while."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that my grandfather has a good friend who will be there, whether anyone else knows it or not. And he'll be there with Fey, so I doubt Malfoy would try anything anyway. She'll be inside the Great Hall the full time, keeping an eye on things."

"But what about after that? Or outside the Hall?"

"Whatever will be, will be."

"That's not much of a help, you know."

Kailyn shook her head as she drew her swords again. "She trusts you. I trust you, and I've known you a lot less time. Everyone in the DA trusts you. Even Professor Dumbledore trusts you. What's wrong?"

"What if I fail? I will have let everyone down!"

A look of understanding flashed before Kailyn's eyes, and she came in slowly to attack again. He caught her blade easily, and pushed it aside to deal with her other sword. He spun to her side and waited, ready again. "You do not trust yourself then, do you Harry?"

"There is so much at stake, how can it be that simple?"

"Keep an open mind, and everything will be clear," she said in a flat voice. "The first of the training mantras." She attacked again with some power, and Harry was forced to take a step back to avoid her second blade.

Rather than give her another opportunity to attack again, he continued around her and attacked, carefully keeping his hips back as he dagger came in. She stopped his blade, but he pushed through the defense and spun her blade around quickly as he remembered her doing in their last session. She was obviously surprised by the action, as she dropped her sword at the pressure.

"I'll try to remember that."

He wasn't aware of blinking, but it was the impression he got a split second later when his dagger was on the ground as well. "You learn quickly," she said with a grin, retrieving her weapon and sheathing both again. "Despite what you are telling everyone, you are taking your mate to the Ball, aren't you?"

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Harry asked as his face flushed. He doubted she was purposefully implying anything, but that didn't help much.

"She is your partner, you have given your commitment to her by donning the bracelet. Even if you haven't... uh... gone that far, you are still together. What would you prefer I call her?"

"Well, her name is Hermione," Harry said sarcastically as he sheathed his dagger.

"I will not be calling her your Hermione. She is not an object."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Never mind," he conceded. "Call her my mate, if that makes sense to you. Just don't call her that in front of everyone else - they might get the wrong idea."

Kailyn nodded, but didn't move. "You aren't nearly as skillful at avoiding questions as you might think," she pointed out when he started around her to leave.

"What?"

"You are taking her, aren't you?"

Harry nodded, causing her to smile. "There is no one I would rather be with."

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Around three in the afternoon on the day of the Ball, Harry disappeared from the common room very quickly and quietly, before anyone could say anything to him. He caught Hermione's eye just before he left, and then was gone, carrying a bundle with him.

He was very pleased to discover earlier in the day that Colin Creevy had asked Ginny to the Ball yesterday, and, as she was desperate not to go alone, she accepted, even though she had wanted to go with Harry. Ron suspected that Harry had found a date already, but no one really knew what was going on.

As soon as the portrait swung shut behind him, he walked down the corridor and down several flights of stairs until he arrived at the empty classroom that Professor McGonagall had told him he could use as a changing room for the night.

The first thing Harry did, after sealing the door with a Colloportus charm, was to deposit his load onto the teacher's desk. He then removed his belt and carefully wrapped it around his dagger before setting it on a chair as well.

It took him considerably longer to get into the dress robes than he had anticipated. Rather than the simple robes that they wore for school, his dress robes had several parts to them, and it was not always obvious what went where.

In the end, he discovered that, while the main deep red part of the robes was fairly obvious, the extra pieces of fabric ended up either tying around his waist, draping over his shoulder to tie as a sash, or a combination of the two. When he was finished, he looked at himself in the full-length mirror that had been placed in the room, and couldn't help but grin a little.

A golden waistband and a red and gold trimmed sash complemented the rich red robes. The last part of the robes, which Harry thought was suspiciously like a shawl, draped over his shoulders and around the back of his neck to hang in front, and was a deep, shadow black. It was very odd not to have sleeves with his robes for once, but he couldn't help but notice how well his bracelet went with his robes. Hopefully everyone else would agree...

He wasn't entirely sure where to put his wand or his dagger, but as he thought it, he found that the robe had a holster for a wand installed along both legs, and so that part was obvious, and he slipped it into the right-hand side. The dagger was a little trickier, but he managed to secure it to the waistband with a simple bonding charm.

Nervously, he ran a hand through his black hair and smiled at his reflection. There was nothing he could do about the hair, and he knew it. He piled his school robes up in a chair and rolled his belt up and tucked it into one of the pockets in his robes before turning to the door. The robes had half a dozen pockets, and now two were used.

He opened it just as Professor McGonagall was raising a hand to knock. "Good day, Mr. Potter. You look quite sharp, if I might say so."

"Thanks, Professor," Harry said with a grin. "You don't look half bad yourself. Not at all like a teacher, anyway." She was dressed in a single piece flowing set of robes that appeared to be made from a soft material, and were red and gold as well - her choice to represent her House. Harry had chosen the same colours for the same reasons.

"I'll take that as the compliment that you obviously intended it as, shall I?" she said with a curt nod. "Now, I believe Miss Granger is waiting for you by the main entrance to the Great Hall." She suddenly frowned as she looked over him. "You do have a flower for her, don't you, Harry?"

Harry groaned inwardly. He knew he was forgetting something, but hadn't been able to place his finger on just what. "Professor, I - "

"Never mind," she said quickly, withdrawing her wand and waving it before him. A single red rose appeared, and Harry took it from the air before it could fall to the ground. "There you are. Make Gryffindor House proud, Harry."

"I wouldn't do any less, Professor." When she nodded to him, he took a deep breath and started towards the Great Hall, one hand resting against the hilt to his dagger subconsciously as he walked. The sound of a lot of students gathering came to his ears the closer he got, and when he rounded the last bend, he found the corridor outside the Great Hall packed with students already. They parted before him slowly as they noticed him, and he saw another group part apart to give Terry Boot passage.

"You too, Harry?" Terry asked with a grin as they met up near the centre and started towards the double doors. "I guess I should have expected that, though, right?"

"Keep your eyes open tonight, Terry," Harry muttered. "McGonagall appointed me because Malfoy's it for Slytherin - no surprise there - and she thinks he might try to pull something."

"I'll let other members of the DA know when I see them," Terry promised. "Who are you here with?"

"How about you?"

As they reached the doors, Terry nudged Harry in the arm. "I knew you were taking her. Ever since you chose to show me what I was doing wrong with that bludgeoning spell in the DA."

"Julia?" Harry whispered back, nodding to the beater for Ravenclaw who was obviously Terry's date. "Congrats."

"Thanks."

When Harry laid his eyes on Hermione, everything else on his mind melted away and he could only stare. If he had thought she had gone all out for the Yule Ball, he must have been sadly mistaken.

She was wearing a dark red and light blue combination robe that must have been made from silk the way it clung to her form. Her sash was golden with blue clouds covering it, and seemed to drip off her. She had done her hair up again, and he figured she must have taken hours - or a lot of complicated spells and help - to get it to stay that way. It had been straightened first, and then teased up behind her into a bun that looked like a flower blossoming. There were several strands of hair that framed her face, and he then noticed that she was smiling broadly.

Her bracelet stood out on her bare arms as much as his did.

He offered her the rose that he was holding as soon as he was close enough, and she took it gracefully, lifting it to her nose and closing her eyes to smell. Harry wasn't exactly sure what happened next, as he was too intent on looking at her, but then the rose was attached to her robes, the stem cut down so it wouldn't get in the way.

"You look amazing, `Mione," Harry said softly as he took an extra step towards her.

"You look pretty dashing yourself, Harry," she admitted, looking into his emerald eyes carefully. He could feel the warmth in her own eyes as he looked back, and then he held out an arm to her, and she linked hers with his. "Thanks."

"Shall we, my lady?"

Harry was only vaguely aware of Malfoy joining him at the front with Pansy Parkinson, especially given that Ernie appeared at the same time with Hannah on his arm. He saw Terry mutter something to Ernie, who then flashed a look at Malfoy quickly before looking back.

Harry nodded, and looked back to Hermione just as the double doors spread wide. There were streamers floating in the air, and candles of all different colours - both the candle stick and the flames themselves - floating in the air as well. There were small tables set up around the centre of the Hall, but for the most part, there was large empty space. Harry could see a band set up at the far end, and smiled nervously to Hermione.

"We'll be fine," she said, sensing his discomfort. "I mean, even if you can't dance, I'm not terrible, and I'm sure we can pull through it."

"Thanks a lot," Harry muttered sarcastically.

"We're together. What more do you need?" Hermione asked, flashing him a smile.

Harry couldn't help but smile at that, and then the Headmaster's voice filled the Great Hall and the corridor beyond. "Leading in the brave House of Gryffindor are sixth years Harry Potter and Hermione Granger!"

Hermione started forward first, and, after a brief tug, Harry was walking beside her as well. They were followed by a long stream of other Gryffindor students who lined the walls of the Hall while the two made their way to the dance floor.

"Leading in the intelligent House of Ravenclaw is fifth year Terry Boot and sixth year Julia Carmichael!" Harry and Hermione both nodded to the two as they joined them on the dance floor, and watched as more students poured in to fill the Hall.

"Leading in the ambitious House of Slytherin are sixth years Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson!" Harry very carefully met Malfoy's cold eyes as he joined the four on the dance floor, and he felt a chill at the contact. Hermione squeezed his arm to reassure him, and he took a deep breath and calmed himself down without looking to her.

"And last but certainly not least, leading in our caring House of Hufflepuff are sixth year students Ernie MacMillian and Hannah Abbot!" Harry met Ernie and Hannah's eyes, and saw them both nod to Hermione as well before turning to each other as they joined the three couples on the dance floor.

The great double doors closed with a bang once all the students were inside. Harry felt an odd jolt of power as the sound died down, and looked directly into the corner next to the doors as the source of the surge. There was nothing there, though, and the feeling of Hermione pulling him closer sent his thoughts out the window.

As the slow opening dance music started up, he could only thank everything with all of his being that he was there, holding Hermione close as they shuffled their feet across the floor, absorbed only in each other.

When the song ended, Harry pulled Hermione into an embrace and took a deep breath, revelling in her scent. When they separated, he looked down to her and smiled. "Thank you," he mouthed.

"Anytime," she replied, leaning up to give him a brief kiss on the cheek before they parted and moved away from the centre of the dance floor.

"And with that song, the November Ball is begun!" Dumbledore's voice called out. "To every student, enjoy yourselves!"

Much to his surprise, Harry stayed on the dance floor for quite some time after the first dance was over. He even did so willingly, given that he was in Hermione's arms so long as he danced. He knew he wasn't much of a dancer, but that didn't seem to matter to the girl before him. They said very little, but understood what they weren't saying at the same time. They were together, and no one would ever question that again.

"Harry," a voice hissed to him suddenly. He tore his gaze away from Hermione to find Terry dancing carefully next to him with Julia. "Susan, Neville, Dean and I have all heard a few things. Come off the bloody floor for a minute so we can talk to you."

Harry looked back to Hermione, who nodded. "We have been out her for a long time," she admitted with a grin. "But it's been fun."

"Too right it has," Harry agreed. "Why can't anything like that last?"

"It will," she reassured him as they followed Terry and Julia.

As soon as they were off the floor, the band - Harry thought they were the same from the Yule Ball, the "Weird Sisters," started a slow song, and he kicked himself mentally as he sat down. At the table with him were Terry and Julia, then Neville and Lavender, and Susan Bones with Anthony Goldstein.

"We heard the warning you gave Terry earlier," Neville said at once before any preamble. "And a few of us have been listening to the Slytherins. They are planning something, for the moment you step outside, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes very carefully and subconsciously put a hand over one of his pockets. "And how do they know I'm planning on going outside?"

"Well, it is where couples go for a bit of seclusion, right?"

"Just what kind of woman do they take me for?" Hermione asked in shock. "I mean, I can see going out there, but we wouldn't..."

"We know, Hermione," Lavender said. "We're just telling you what we know. Congrats, by the way. Glad you two can stop pretending now and actually spend time together."

"It is wonderful," Susan agreed. "Though it would have been nice to know that Harry was off the market before I made a fool of myself," she admitted with a grin to Harry. She had been among the girls who had accosted him in Hogsmeade. "I should have opened my eyes a little more, that's all," she said before he could reply. "Only the really clueless wouldn't have seen something by then."

"You guys can't even enjoy the dance because of me, though," Harry pointed out.

"Nonsense!" Anthony countered with a laugh. "Spying on the Slytherins is very enjoyable, if you must know!" He then leaned in and whispered something in Susan's ear, causing her to go bright red and hit him in the shoulder, but she said nothing.

"Harry?" Harry looked away from Hermione would had just reached out and clasped his hand, and found Julia leaning a little closer to him. "Any chance I can get in on your group? I mean, Terry didn't say anything, but..."

"Do you heal, attack, counter, or charm?" Hermione asked at once.

"Um..." she sat back for a moment to think. "I did get an Outstanding for my Charms OWL, and I think I'd be good at that. Why?"

"We're short one member of Charms team," she said, looking to Harry.

He looked back into her eyes, and after a moment, he nodded and looked away and back to Julia. "Speak to me at breakfast tomorrow... or maybe lunch would be better. Anyway, then I'll tell you more and let you decide. Sound good?"

"Thanks, Harry."

"Yeah, thanks mate," Terry added, punching Harry in the arm lightly. "You really are the greatest."

Harry smiled and shook his head. Before he could reply, though, the lights dimmed and the large double doors opened slowly. The dancing stopped and even the music died down as all eyes turned to the opening.

Four tall beings in green cloaks walked in the door, two standing on either side. A fifth walked through the opening provided and pulled out a large parchment. "Presenting Lord Talisien of Oak and his Lady Fey Rowan, Rulers of Noyadin." He then rolled up the parchment and stepped to the side as two figures were framed in the doorway.

To say it was a shock was a serious understatement. First of all, Talisien was not wearing his cloak for once, nor was he wearing his gloves. His ring, bracelet, and a medallion around his neck were plainly visible as well. His longsword was also at his side for the world to see. He was wearing a green silk shirt with a collar and a dark green, almost black jacket that seemed to be woven out of leaves from a very large tree. His slacks were black as well, and were straight and simple. He was wearing brown leather boots with fur lining the top. On the top of his head was a simple golden circlet.

The elfwoman at his side was dressed in a single green silk dress, the top slightly brighter than the flowing bottom. There was a sword at her side as well. Her dress was tight enough to reveal some of her figure, but was high cut to show very little of her pale skin. Unlike Talisien, however, her arms were bare, clearly showing her bracelet. She also wore a ring and a golden necklace with two rubies and a diamond in the amulet at the centre. Like Talisien, she had a simple golden circlet on the top of her head, which was almost invisible as it matched the colour of her hair.

The two paused next to the elf who had introduced them. "You will pay for this, Tirduain," Talisien's voice sounded. "You know how much I hate formal events."

"I realize that, sire, but there are times when it is necessary."

The crowd of students on the dance floor parted for the two elves as they approached, and the two walked deliberately across the floor to join many of the teachers at the staff table. Students crowded around the large table instantly, trying to speak with the Wanderer about quite a few different things.

Harry reached out and grabbed for Hermione's hand. She looked to him instantly, and he took a deep breath before saying anything. "I know that Malfoy's planning something if we go outside, but I really want to speak with you privately. Is that possible? It looks like most people are a little distracted right now."

"Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Harry shook his head. "I hope not. But I..."

"I'm coming, Harry," she promised, standing up as he did.

They managed to get about four steps before finding their path blocked by a fiery redhead who seemed very upset. Both braced themselves as they kept walking towards her - they had known it was coming all night and were actually surprised that it hadn't happened earlier.

"So..." Harry started, looking from the angry Ginny to a worried Hermione and back. "How are you enjoying the Ball so far?" `Smooth, Potter. Smooth.'

"I think I'd be enjoying it a whole lot more if you hadn't been lying to me for the last few weeks!" Ginny said angrily. "You let me make a fool out of myself everyday since the Ball was announced! Did you have fun laughing at me behind my back!"

"Calm down, Gin, it's not like that," Hermione said.

"Don't call me that," Ginny said fiercely. "Only my close, trusted friends can call me that!" she added in a snarl.

"That's not fair, Ginny," Harry said quickly. He could tell how deep her comment had cut Hermione without even looking to her. "We never laughed at you, and we..."

"You what? Tell me, how long have you two been together, anyway? Was that Skeeter woman right? Or has is been even longer than that?"

"You're making a scene, Gin," Harry said quietly. "Can we talk about this later?"

"I don't know, Harry, will you lie to me then, too?"

"I - "

"Well, I'd say my sister beat me to it," Ron's voice cut in before either Harry or Hermione could reply. They looked to each other briefly before turning to find Ron stalking towards them, Luna right behind him trying to hold him back. "My best friends lying to me! Me! Is Ginny right? Have you two been seeing each other for that long behind our backs?"

"Bugger, Ron, do you really think that little of us?"

"I used to fancy her, Harry!" Ron said fiercely in a low voice. "And you knew it."

Harry closed his eyes for a moment before meeting Ron's piercing gaze. "Do you still?"

"I..." The question seemed to have caught Ron off guard, and he looked from Harry to Hermione and back again. "I..."

"I think you are trying to say that you are with Luna now and couldn't be happier, right mate?" Harry asked in a forced voice. "Because, I'm sorry Ron, but I'm not going to leave her just because you are mad at me."

"Why did you do it?" Ginny demanded, cutting in again. "Why would you lie? Why would you - " Before either party knew what was going on, her eyes suddenly glazed over and she fell backwards, right into Colin's waiting arms.

"You owe me one, Harry. I slipped her a sleeping drought in her drink just after she decided to head you two off," Colin explained. "I'll be paying for that in the morning, I'm sure." He must have had a bit more strength than Harry had assumed, as he picked the small girl up in his arms and carried her over to the side of the Hall.

"Don't kill him either, Ron," Harry said threateningly, looking back to the other Weasley.

"She was getting too worked up," Ron admitted. "But she does have good reason. Why did you hide it? Why didn't you at least tell me?"

"Surely you aren't that thick, Ron!" Hermione butted in. "Just think about it for a minute, would you?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute... alone?" Ron asked, looking away from Hermione to Harry. Harry glanced to Hermione who, after a moment of eye contact, nodded and took a few steps away with Luna. Ron then leaned in closer to Harry. "You know what I'm going to say, mate?"

"Something about if I hurt her, you'll hunt me down? Going big brother on me, Ron?"

"This isn't quite how I expected to go `big brother,'" Ron admitted. "But it fits - Hermione's like a sister to me. You hurt her, and I'll..."

"I know," Harry stopped him. "And I'll let you." He then glanced over to the two girls. "But you know, to be fair..."

"I didn't think you and Luna got along that well," Ron pointed out.

"She helped me through a couple of difficult times," Harry admitted. "But I never thought of her like that. Over the summer, I actually found myself thinking of her as a sister - much like Ginny."

"I'll let you hex me into oblivion if I hurt her," Ron promised.

"Good." Harry then took a step back. "Are we alright, now?"

Ron sighed and looked away. "Hard to say, mate. You've given me a shock, and I need some time to get over it. But I will." He then looked back to Harry. "How long?"

"It started on my birthday, but we didn't do much until after our first Quidditch game. That Saturday was our first date," Harry admitted freely. Ron simply nodded and motioned Luna back over. With a nod to both Harry and Hermione, the two left.

"Everything alright, Harry?" Hermione asked as she put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. She was surprised by how calm he still looked, and she knew it wasn't just an act.

"Ron and I came to an understanding," Harry explained. "Do you think we can make it outside without anything else going wrong?"

"We do seemed cursed sometimes," Hermione said with a grin as they started towards the side door at the back of the room again. They slipped out easily enough, and Harry pushed open the main doors to Hogwarts and motioned Hermione through ahead of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kailyn's words about the Ball being safe echoed, reminding him again that the grounds were probably not quite so protectect, but he didn't care.

They stopped in the middle of the field, and Harry looked up to the stars above them. "It's a silent world sometimes, isn't it?" he asked quietly, looking over to her as she looked up. "The light of the stars shine down upon you and me."

After a moment, she looked back down and found him staring at her. She blushed and looked away. "So, what did you want to talk about out here?"

Harry didn't reply, but held out one of his hands a little further so she would notice it. Looking down, she saw that he was holding a long, thin white box. "I owled Remus, and then spoke to him through the fireplace," he started, and then fell silent again, looking away from her.

"Shall we sit down?" Hermione suggested.

"Thanks, `Mione," Harry said after they were on the ground. "Might be easier this way. Less tempting to run away. Or at least, a lot harder."

"Why would you want to run?"

"Because I don't know if I can say this or not."

Hermione met Harry's eyes again, and smiled to him. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right?" she asked.

Harry smiled and took a deep breath. "I spoke to Remus, and he promised me - swearing with a wizard's oath - that if anything ever happened to me, he would do whatever he could to help you," he said in a rush. "It wasn't the greatest of conversations, but it was important. I also spoke to Fred and George, who promised the same thing."

"Harry, what - "

He held a finger to her lips before she could say anything else, and held out the box again. Gingerly, she took it and removed the lid. Inside was a golden necklace with a four gemstones grouped together as a pendant. The largest was clearly a ruby, but surrounding it in perfect harmony was also a sapphire, a piece of agate, and a moonstone.

She held the necklace up in front of her, admiring it for a moment, before looking to Harry for more of an explanation. "It is the second vow of the elven ritual," Harry said. "A promise that family will always protect you, even if I can't be around to do it."

"Oh, Harry," she breathed, clasping the necklace firmly and throwing her arms around him to hug him tightly. When she finally pulled away, she looked at the necklace again. "I think I understand two of the stones... ruby for your birth stone, and sapphire for mine. What about the other two?"

"Actually..." Harry said with a grin. "The sapphire, agate, and moonstone are all your birth stones. The sapphire is your modern birth stone, the agate is the mystical one, which I thought was fitting considering how angelic I think you are..." He trailed off as he saw tears in her eyes, and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, `Mione, I didn't mean..."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Harry," she whispered, wiping at her tears feebly. "I'm sorry... it's just that no one ever said that about me before..."

"It's true," Harry insisted. "I know it is." He paused for a moment until she started fingering the moonstone, and then he went on. "The moonstone is actually the ayurvedic birth stone of September," he explained. "The healing stone. I thought it was fitting, too, and since I couldn't decide, I just went for all of them."

"Would you put it on me?" she asked in a whisper, holding it out to him. He fumbled a bit with the clasp, but once he was certain he knew how to work he, he turned to her again and put his arms around her to do up the necklace. He then let it fall to her chest and cupped her face with one hand before pulling away suddenly and looking away from her. "Thank you, Harry," she whispered.

"It means everything I said it does," he promised her. He turned back to her then and held her close for a moment. She sighed into him and smiled, putting a hand on his chest as she did so. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Harry released her and pulled away.

She looked to him, confused by his actions. "What's wrong, Harry?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"Then why don't you want to hold me?" she prodded him, hoping to finally get an answer to her unvoiced question. It had been a growing concern of hers for quite some time, given that he rarely even had held her when they were alone before. He seemed to be almost trying to avoid physical contact of any kind. "Do you find me that repulsive?" she asked quietly, looking away from him.

"Never," he insisted quickly. "I just..."

"Just what, Harry?" she pressed.

Harry looked away from her and sighed. "I'm not used to it, `Mione," he whispered. "You were the first person to ever hug me, back in first year," he added. "Before that, the only time anyone ever touched me was to hurt me. All I know about touching others is hurt. I want to hold you, but I'm... afraid."

"You're afraid of me?"

"No," Harry said quickly. "Afraid of me. I don't know what I'm doing... even though holding you seems so natural to me, it still doesn't seem right in my mind. It feels like I'm invading your personal space, just like everyone always did to me when I was younger. I hated it."

"You aren't invading it," she whispered. "I'm inviting you in. If I didn't want you to hold me, I'd tell you. But I like it. Even though you don't know... you are so gentle and caring anyway, and I don't think I'll ever understand why. I'm just glad." She paused for a moment, and then frowned slightly. "I'm saying this in case you `ve got some foolish plan in your head - I'd much rather be with you than being taken care of by Remus, Fred, and George. Family couldn't replace you."

Harry didn't reply to that. He just looked to her for a moment, deep into her chocolate eyes, and found the warmth there that he had drawn upon so many times in the past. Biting back his own fear, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers again - the second time he had ever initiated a kiss between them. He pulled back after the briefest of moments, and smiled to her.

The sound of slow clapping drew his attention away from Hermione, and he saw one person standing close to them, sneering down at them. Behind him were two larger boys, and Harry closed his eyes carefully, trying in vain to push back the anger that was already building. He stood quickly, and knew that Hermione had stood up behind him.

"If I ever see something that disgusting again, I want you to kill me," Malfoy slurred, looking to both Crabbe and Goyle. He then looked back to Harry. "I told you that kissing her would have been too much..."

"Don't go there, Malfoy," Harry said harshly. He heard the large doors open again, and chanced a glance over to see a crowd of students pouring out onto the grounds. He also saw several teachers. "I don't want to fight you."

"Good, then that'll make this easy," Malfoy sneered. "Before any of your friends get here, I can curse you and the mudblood."

Harry glanced to Hermione out of the corner of his eye, seeking her permission before engaging Malfoy. She must have seen him move, because she nodded discretely, and Harry took a step forward. "I told you never to call her that again," Harry said angrily.

"How touching," Malfoy laughing, withdrawing his wand. "You need her permission to fight first... truly a sad sight, a mudblood controlling a wizard like that. Your father would be ashamed."

"Don't mock my parents!" Harry said, taking his own wand out instantly. "Don't forget, my mother was muggle born, too!"

"Yes, I suppose falling for mudbloods runs in your family, doesn't it?"

"Voldemort is even worse than me in that regard!" Harry said. Even as he spoke, he could only curse himself mentally for comparing himself to the vile creature. "He was born of a wizard and a muggle, not even of a muggle born witch!"

"He's a pure blood!" Malfoy argued.

"Just as much as Hermione," Harry countered.

"Petrificus totalus!" Malfoy cried, pointing his wand at Harry.

"Protego!" The shield bounced the curse into the air, where it spun up harmlessly into the night. "Take back the insults, before I make it so you can't!" Harry growled at him.

"Stupefy!"

Harry stepped to the side of the red light, certain that Hermione was at the sidelines already, even as a group of students had surrounded them. He could hear Professor McGonagall's voice crying through the crowd, but he tuned it out. He wasn't going to sit there and take someone trying to curse him.

"Tarantallegra!" Harry cried, sending the jelly legs curse at Malfoy. The Slytherin student put up his own protego shield, and then attacked again with a bludgeoning spell.

Harry ducked beneath it and followed its trail until it struck the ground, leaving a large hole in the dirt. He turned back to Malfoy, fire in his eyes. "Kotes!" he shouted, punching his wand forward in the air. A ball of white energy erupted from his wand and crashed into Malfoy's shield.

The Protego spell failed and his opponent was sent flying backwards and landed hard on the ground. Harry assumed that the match was over, but then saw the boy stand again, one arm hanging limply at his side, and then he made a slashing movement in the air.

Harry's stomach dropped at the movement. It was the same Dark spell that had struck Hermione in the Ministry of Magic last June... the one that Dolohov had cast that he thought had killed Hermione. He saw the burning purple streak start just above his right shoulder, and did the only thing he could think of to try and stop it. He knew Protego only deadened the effects.

"Scutulatus contego!" The shimmering shield of clear and silver formed before him in an instant, and a resounding clang erupted through the night, silencing all the students that were watching the fierce duel. Harry was very glad that the spell had actually worked - he had never had a chance to try it before hand. Malfoy seemed awestruck at the power of his shield, and so Harry chose that time to act and finish the duel.

"Petrificus totalus!" Malfoy's arms and legs snapped together as the curse struck, and he fell backwards. "Stupefy!" Harry added for good measure. The red stunning curse struck the fallen boy, and it was only then that Harry took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax before the noise all around him erupted.

He must have toned out the noise, just as he must have been doing in his practices with Kailyn. He then realised with a grin that he had been staring at Malfoy's collarbone during the entire duel. His grin only broadened as he realised that there was a strong possibility that he had broken it with the powerful bludgeoning attack he had used.

Professor McGonagall finally made it through the crowd and started shouting at the students to return to the school. She stopped Harry and Hermione before they could join their classmates. Once everyone else was gone and Malfoy had been taken up to the hospital wing, she looked back to them. "I see my instincts were accurate," she said slowly. "You did not provoke him, did you Mr. Potter?"

"I..." Harry started with a brief glance to Hermione. He could see that she had already turned red from the thought at what had apparently started the duel. "I kissed Hermione," he admitted. "And Malfoy decided kissing a... well, you know the term he used, I'm sure, was enough cause to duel."

"Ah," McGonagall said with a nod. "Very well then. Twenty points to Gryffindor for some fine dueling and handling pressure, Mr. Potter. I suggest the two of you make your way back to the common room before you are bombarded with other students wanting to talk about your duel." She then looked to Hermione. "And that is nothing to be ashamed of, young lady, so wipe that blush right off your face. It's only natural when the time is right, after all."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said. "For the chance to duel him, and for asking me to lead the Gryffindors. It was much better than I thought it would be."

"You looked the part, too," McGonagall said with a soft smile. "Both of you. Nice necklace, Hermione," she added as she turned to return to the castle ahead of the two sixth year students.

-----------------------

I think it important to note my opinion on clothing in the wizarding world at this time. I see a lot of fics where the students don jeans and things like that, but given that apparently ninety percent of adult wizards can't dress like a muggle to save their souls, I find that somewhat suspect. In other words, I do not agree with the movies on this point. Rowling was fairly specific in GoF, saying how badly the wizards and witches stuck out trying to dress as muggles. I realize that Harry and Hermione would know better, but not everyone would. I am claiming author prerogative in this case - if you don't like it, sorry, but it stays anyway. Therefore, the outfits that I will be describing for the Ball will entail dress robes and not dresses - different materials and patterns make the outfits.

This is not to say there will never be mention of muggle clothing - pajamas, for example - but don't expect to see any wizard or witch wearing muggle clothes very often.

I wouldn't usually say anything about this, but looking at my chapter stats, I find myself frowning a little. This story has almost ten thousand (10000) hits - which is excellent, beyond what I thought it could be. But it only has 93 reviews. That is less than one review for every hundred viewings. Is it just me, or does that seem a little low?

Oh well. I'll keep writing anyway - I can hardly stop writing when a story is in my head - but I would be much happier with a few more reviews, I suppose.

Anyway, thanks to all who took the time to review, even if it is only one line, it means a lot!

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I'll be watching from within The Shadows

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