Disclaimer: In Part 1.
Note: Thank you, everyone, who read and reviewed the first part. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and I hope the Yule Ball lives up to your expectations! Once again, using lines from canon. The Yule Ball will be divided up into 3 parts, because it just got too long. Enjoy!
The Only Girl
The Way You Look Tonight
Part 1
Hermione had asked Harry if she could meet him in the Entrance Hall instead of in the Common Room and though Harry hadn't understood her reasoning, he had agreed.
Parvati, whom Harry had finally asked to go with Ron since Lavender had by then already agreed to go with Seamus, was waiting for Ron in the Common Room, actually looking quite pretty in robes of extremely bright pink, her hair braided with gold and gold bracelets at her wrist, making soft jingling noises when she walked. Harry nudged Ron in the back, making Ron start a little and then go up to her, saying awkwardly, "You-er- look really nice."
Parvati looked pleased at the compliment as she took Ron's arm (although Harry noticed Parvati looking askance at the frayed edges of the neck and sleeves of Ron's dress robes) and Harry followed them out of the Common Room.
The Entrance Hall was crowded and milling around with people.
Harry saw Cho with Cedric and felt his stomach twist unpleasantly at how pretty Cho looked in her dress robes and hurriedly looked away, his eyes falling on Fleur Delacour, looking absolutely beautiful in robes of silver-grey satin with the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies.
The oak front doors opened and the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum, Harry could see, was with one of his fan-girls who looked nearly faint with excitement while Krum was striving valiantly not to look disgusted. No doubt Krum was wishing he was with Hermione, and Harry surprised himself at the flicker of sympathy he felt for Krum-as well as the even smaller flicker of pleasure at knowing that he, not Krum, would be the one to have fun with Hermione tonight.
Which reminded him- where was she? He turned to look for her and his eyes fell on a very pretty girl in blue robes whom he didn't immediately recognize and moved on over the crowd when he stopped and turned to look back at the girl, some instinct nagging at him.
His jaw dropped.
It was Hermione.
But it was Hermione as he had never seen her before, as no one had ever seen her before. Glancing surreptitiously around, he could tell that he wasn't the only person not to recognize her immediately. Ron looked straight past her without noticing. Harry stared, his gaze taking in all of her that he could see with the people between them as she smiled and started walking towards him.
He managed to close his mouth with a Herculean effort as she drew nearer and he saw her better. She looked-she looked-different. Her hair was sleek and shiny and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes of some floaty, periwinkle-blue material that left Harry made uncomfortably and dramatically aware of the fact that Hermione was undoubtedly a girl. (The thought hit him with all the force of a Bludger to the head. Of course he'd always known she was a girl but- but he hadn't known she could look like that!) She was holding herself differently, somehow-he wondered if it was just the absence of her usual bundle of books slung over her back-but whatever it was, she was- graceful, he thought, poised.
She was standing in front of him now, smiling with just a hint of nervousness in her smile. "Hi, Harry."
He swallowed hard and stared at her, forgetting to breathe, forgetting how to talk, forgetting everything. Her smile faltered slightly, a flicker of vulnerability passing over her face, and that snapped him out of his stupor. "Hermione," he managed to say, "I-er- you look-you look- really nice."
She smiled. "Thanks, Harry. You look nice too."
He felt heat creep into his cheeks at her compliment but was spared having to respond by Professor McGonagall calling out, "Champions over here, please!"
Hermione slipped her hand through his arm as they walked to where Professor McGonagall was standing, dressed in robes of red tartan and with a what-was-no-doubt-meant-to-be-decorative-but-was-really-quite-ugly wreath of thistles around her hat.
Krum's frown deepened when he saw Harry and Hermione together. Cedric and Cho were close to Harry, too, and Cho smiled when she saw him. "Hi, Harry," she said in a friendly fashion that just days ago would have reduced him to incoherence.
"Hi," he said automatically, distracted as he was in thinking about the incredible change in Hermione's appearance-and the fact that she was with him, her hand holding his arm.
When everyone else was seated in the Hall, Professor McGonagall led the champions and their partners in, as everyone started to applaud at their entrance.
Hermione's hand slipped down his arm to touch his hand and gave it a brief, reassuring squeeze, as she sensed Harry's discomfort at the attention, before releasing it. He glanced at her with a thankful smile, which she returned with an understanding smile of her own-and so it was that the first glimpse most people in the hall had of the youngest champion was of him smiling warmly at his partner, his best friend.
Harry glanced over at Ron as they passed him to see that Ron had finally recognized Hermione and was now watching her- and him- with narrowed eyes. He sensed rather than saw Hermione's miniscule hesitation when she saw Ron's expression and it was his turn to move just a little bit closer to her, enough so their hands were partially hidden by his robe and give her fingers a brief pressure, indicative of support.
Dumbledore was smiling and beaming at the champions; Karkaroff looked rather as if he'd eaten something sour. Ludo Bagman, resplendent in flashy robes of bright purple with large yellow stars on it, was clapping enthusiastically, while Madam Maxime, in lavender silk rather than her usual black satin, clapped politely. Mr. Crouch, however, was nowhere to be seen and in his spot was- Percy Weasley.
"I wonder where Mr. Crouch is," Hermione whispered to Harry under her breath and he nodded but couldn't say anything as they had reached the top table and Percy, who looked pointedly at Harry and then at the empty seat beside him.
Harry grimaced inwardly but took the less-than-subtle hint and sat down next to Percy, wondering if he could look forward to a long discourse on the thickness of cauldron bottoms all evening-but then he caught Hermione's eye as she sat beside him and felt better. The evening wasn't going to be that tedious; it couldn't be when he had Hermione next to him to talk to instead of Percy.
"I've been promoted," Percy announced instead of greeting Harry and Harry studiously avoided meeting Hermione's gaze although he felt her eyes on him, because he knew that if he did meet Hermione's eyes, he would burst out laughing at Percy's smug tone, which wouldn't have been out of place if he had been announcing his election as Supreme Ruler of the Universe. "I'm now Mr. Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."
Harry bit back his urge to laugh and only asked, "Why didn't he come?"
He listened with half an ear to Percy's long answer as he looked around the Great Hall, noting how different things looked from up on the top table and with the decorations. He turned his attention back to Percy when he heard Percy say, "…misbehavior of that house-elf of his, Blinky or whatever she was called…"
"Winky," Harry interrupted automatically and, under the table, reached for Hermione's wrist and gripped it loosely, sensing that she was about to launch into a defense of Winky.
"Whatever," Percy said dismissively and continued on as if Harry had never spoken. "Naturally he dismissed her immediately afterwards, but-well, as I say, he's getting on, he needs looking after, and I think he's found a definite drop in his home comforts since she left…" And so it went while Harry swallowed back his urge to ask why Percy didn't simply volunteer to be Mr. Crouch's personal house-elf too. (He certainly had the worshipful attitude down already.)
Percy had finally stopped talking and then Hermione leaned over and whispered very quietly in Harry's ear, "I wonder whether Mr. Crouch has stopped calling Percy 'Weatherby'." Harry choked on a laugh which he quickly turned into a cough as he met Hermione's amused gaze and grinned.
Harry looked around and then followed Dumbledore's lead in looking at the menu and ordering into his plate. He glanced at Hermione to see what she thought of this new system that must create more work for the house elves and saw that she was frowning down at her plate. He didn't want Hermione's evening to be ruined because of S.P.E.W. though and under the table, gave her hand a quick squeeze. She glanced up at him and he smiled slightly, as he nodded his head down at their plates, silently letting her know that he understood but she shouldn't allow this to get in the way of her evening. She returned his smile and he knew she understood.
See? A small voice inside his head said. I knew going to the Ball with Hermione would be fun.
Krum's fan-girl had finally managed to get over enough of her awe that she had asked Krum a question on what Durmstrang was like.
Harry rather expected that Krum, who didn't seem given to talking and whom Harry had never heard actually speak before, would grunt or make some other noise that would kill the conversation. But to his surprise, Krum answered-and answered fluently.
Harry blinked-Krum talked!-but then he saw something that simultaneously told him exactly what had caused this burst of talkativeness in Krum and made him promptly decide he disliked the Bulgarian.
Krum was ostensibly only answering his date's question but he kept glancing over at Hermione every couple words and was deliberately speaking in such a way as to guarantee that Hermione-and Harry and everyone within four seats of him-could hear him.
Harry was surprised at the very vehemence of his reaction, the strength of his newly-discovered dislike of Krum.
He was describing Durmstrang's castle with a surprising amount of enthusiasm-and, Harry saw with annoyance directed entirely at Krum, Hermione (to say nothing of Krum's date, who was gazing at him as if every word out of Krum's mouth was divinely inspired) was fascinated.
Bloody stupid Bulgarian. Of course Hermione would be fascinated by a description of Durmstrang! Harry could have predicted that; he knew Hermione and her curiosity and her love of learning about things and places she didn't know. It was why she enjoyed her summer travels with her parents so much, partly why she read so much. And Durmstrang, which was a place of some mystery and therefore exotic to Hogwarts students, was ideal to distract Hermione's attention. He knew all that and understood why-and, somewhat irrationally, the fact that Krum had obviously guessed that about Hermione as well (and guessed accurately) only annoyed Harry more.
Viktor Krum! Fancying Hermione? Viktor Krum didn't even know Hermione! How could he? He hadn't talked to her; he hadn't spent any time with her unless you counted the time he had (apparently) spent in the library watching her. The only thing Viktor Krum could possibly know about Hermione was what she looked like and that she liked the library. And he fancied her. The nerve of him! Fancying Hermione simply because she was pretty! (Harry could feel himself growing steadily more annoyed at Krum by the second.) Yes, Hermione was pretty-but there was so much more to Hermione than that. Hermione was-smart, the cleverest witch of their year and the smartest person Harry knew; she was kind and loyal and brave and honest (he still remembered how she had stood up to Professor Trelawney last year, too straightforward by nature to hide her disdain for Divination) and a great friend… So what if she didn't know or care that much about Quidditch?
Krum didn't even know Hermione and he fancied her… Or rather thought he fancied her; he couldn't really…
Well, don't you fancy Cho and how much do you know about her? You haven't spent any time with her, have you? A voice in his head spoke up and Harry stopped, mid-bite.
Oh God, it was true. He didn't really know Cho at all; he'd never talked to her. All he knew of her was that she was pretty and that she was good at Quidditch… Could he really fancy her?
He glanced down the table to where Cho was sitting, seeing her smile at something Cedric said, her eyes bright-and felt something tug at his chest. But then he looked at Hermione sitting beside him and just then she looked up to meet his eyes and smiled quickly at him-had she always been so pretty when she smiled?-and the something was back, only stronger.
And for a moment, he couldn't breathe, forgot how to breathe really, could only stare at her as one thought echoed in his mind-he didn't fancy Cho after all and- and- Hermione was pretty too and he did know Hermione, liked her…
"Harry, is anything wrong?"
Hermione's voice broke into his thoughts and he turned to her. "What? No, why do you ask?" he hastened to assure her.
"You had an odd look on your face," she said quietly.
He managed a smile for her, oddly touched at how much she cared about him. "I'm fine, just thinking about something."
"Okay."
Karkaroff's voice cut across the table and they both turned to look at him, as he addressed Dumbledore with a wide smile that was quite clearly fake, on the pride in protecting the secrets of their schools.
Harry snorted softly at Dumbledore's characteristically whimsical answer about a room that could only be found when one had a full bladder and met Hermione's amused gaze.
She nudged him with her elbow and gestured with her head to where Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies were sitting.
Fleur was talking disdainfully about Hogwarts and its decorations as compared to Beauxbatons, slapping her hand down on the table to emphasize her point of how quickly a poltergeist would be expelled from Beauxbatons if one ever had the temerity to enter.
"Absolutely right," Roger agreed immediately, slapping his own hand down on the table in an exact echo of Fleur's gesture. "Like that. Yeah."
The expression on Roger's face was comical for how dazed he looked and he was having some difficulty eating his food because he kept missing his mouth with his fork, distracted as he was in staring at Fleur as if she were some sort of goddess.
Hermione leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear, "Roger looks like a fish out of water with his eyes so wide and his mouth gaping like that."
Harry glanced at Roger again and had to grin at the accuracy of Hermione's description.
"She must be used to having boys stare at her like that," Hermione said softly, with just the tinge of wistfulness in her tone.
Harry shrugged a little; it was undeniably true that Fleur must be very used to the sort of admiring stupor which Roger was in now. "Yeah, but it must be hard to be friends with a girl like that. Honestly, I think I'd rather be with a girl I could actually talk to without feeling like some sort of lower being."
Hermione's expression brightened as she looked at him. "Really?"
"Yes," Harry said simply- and honestly, although it had never occurred to him to think that way before. But it was true; he couldn't imagine really enjoying himself with someone like Fleur, who was so preternaturally beautiful she would make anyone feel painfully inadequate and unworthy. He would rather spend time with someone whom he could laugh with, whom he could talk to.
Hermione's answering smile was the brightest he had ever seen and for a moment, he could only stare and the thought flitted through his mind almost too quickly for him to catch that he would do a lot for the sake of seeing her smile like that…
To be continued with dancing!