Chapter 12: The Yule Ball.
Harry and Neville were working in Greenhouse One preparing the corsages for Hermione and Ginny. Neville had Ginny's corsage almost finished and he asked, "Harry, can you grab me a fern leaf from over there please?" while pointing towards a large plant in the corner.
"Sure." Harry said while heading over to the fern in the corner. When he bent down to grab a leaf, he felt something grab his thigh. "GAAHH!" he cried out while jumping away from the groping appendage, spinning around with his wand in his hand.
He found Neville howling with laughter as he pointed to the creeper vine that had grabbed Harry. "Bloody plant." Harry mumbled while giving the vine a very wide berth on the way back to their workstation.
Neville saw Harry giving the creeper a lot of room and a nasty glare and it caused him to start laughing all over again.
Fifteen minutes later both boys had finished putting together the corsages for their dates, so they headed back up to the common room to get ready for the dance.
They were both waiting anxiously for Hermione and Ginny to join them in the common room. Harry turned to Neville and asked, "Why does it take them so long to get ready anyway?"
However, Neville did not answer. He was standing ramrod straight and staring at the two beautiful girls that were coming down the stairs towards them.
Harry's breath caught in his throat when he shifted his gaze to follow Neville's' eyes.
Hermione and Ginny shared a knowing look and approached the stupefied boys.
Neville was the first to recover and he said, "Ginny, you look amazing!" while handing her the corsage. "You too, Hermione." he said with a smile.
Hermione smiled at Neville's compliment but she only had eyes for Harry. He had this wistful smile on his face as he stepped towards her. She could feel his emotions pouring through their bond, and the overwhelming feeling of love made her smile truly radiant.
Harry felt like he was in a trance as he moved towards Hermione. He didn't even realize that he was broadcasting his emotions to her until he felt hers come back just as strong. He stepped close to her and tenderly cupper her cheek in his hand. "I love you." He said softly while looking deep into her eyes before leaning in for a soft kiss.
Hermione had tears at the corner of her eyes as they pulled apart. "I love you, too." She said as she leaned into an embrace and whispered into his ear, "My husband."
Harry's smile was threatening to split his face in half it was so big. He continued grinning the entire time as he placed the corsage on Hermione's wrist. When he took a steep back he noticed that her dress matched his robes and he figured that Winky must have done that for them, he would have to thank her later.
He shifted his gaze to Neville and Ginny and noticed that the two of them were red cheeked but smiling at them. Confused, Harry asked, "What?"
Ginny couldn't help it; she broke out in a fresh set of giggles which in turn set off Neville's laughter and put a half smirk on Hermione's face.
"Do I have something on my face?" Harry asked while rubbing his cheeks.
That set everyone into even bigger fits of laughter.
Ginny finally composed herself and said "No, silly. It was how you reacted to Hermione. You looked at her as if she was the only other person in the room. I can tell you really love each other." She finished saying as she blushed. She gathered herself and continued speaking in almost a whisper, "It was like watching something private."
By now, Harry was trying to fight back his own blush and failing miserably. Giving that up as a bad job, he said, "I do love Hermione and you're right. I didn't notice anything else once I saw her." He gave Hermione's hand a squeeze and turned back to Ginny "I'm sorry that I didn't say anything to you, Ginny. You look very beautiful too."
"Shall we head down then?" Neville asked while holding out his arm for Ginny.
Looping her arm through Neville's, Ginny said, "Sure. Oh, I am so excited! I always wanted to go to the Yule Ball since it was announced." Turning to Neville, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and said "Thank you for inviting me."
Harry and Hermione had to stifle their laughter as they followed the other couple to the Great Hall. Neville kept reaching up to touch his cheek where Ginny had kissed him.
When they arrived at the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall pulled Harry and Hermione to the side and sent Neville and Ginny on their way.
"Please join the other Champions over there so we can announce you." The professor said as she pointed towards the other champions and their dates.
With a nod of understanding, Harry and Hermione joined the waiting group of champions. Once everyone had said his or her hellos, Harry whispered to Hermione, "Look at how Roger reacts to Fleur. She's part Veela, she said so during the Weighing of the Wands Ceremony before the tournament. I have noticed that she has that effect on some of the other students too. Weird, isn't it?"
Inwardly, Hermione was highly amused. Harry did not realize why Veela affected some people. She leaned into Harry's side and whispered, "Only people with disciplined minds or that are deeply in love aren't affected, and you are both."
"Oh." Harry said as a light blush appeared on his cheeks.
"And I love you too." Hermione said as she kissed his cheek.
Professor McGonagall returned and escorted the champions and their dates into the Great Hall.
Harry was amused and annoyed at his classmates as he kept hearing snippets about him and Hermione. A few of the snide remarks would have stopped him in his tracks if it were not for her calming presence at his side.
She was ignoring all of the whispering with a smile. Feeling Harry's irritation, she said, "They're just jealous. Ignore them, or smile at them as it will just irritate them more." Hermione spoke with a glint in her eye.
Harry could feel a bit of her irritation and sadness while people were making fun of her. He made mental notes of who was making the snide comments that hurt so he could repay them later. Outwardly, he appeared to ignore them as he kept a smile plastered on his face.
Albus Dumbledore was watching Harry Potter very closely as the pair approached the Champions table. He was surprised when he saw Hermione whisper something to him and his scowl shifted to a smile that looked almost predatory.
Seeing that smile on Harry's face sent shudders down the Headmaster's spine. He had seen a very similar smile on the face of Tom Riddle, fifty-two years ago. It was over the Chamber of Secrets incident, which led to Hagrids' expulsion. Albus quickly replaced the shocked expression with a smile as the Champions drew closer.
Severus Snape was glancing over at the Headmaster when he saw the shocked expression flit across his face but a smile quickly replaced the look. Following the Headmaster's gaze his eyes came to rest upon Potter and the Granger girl, both smiling as they walked down the aisle.
He was just about to avert his gaze when he realized that Potter now had his eyes fixed upon him. That infernal smile was still plastered upon his face too. Snape tilted his head a fraction to the side as he pondered the look upon Potter's face.
There was something familiar about that smile, but it was eluding him right now. What he did realize was that smile had feral quality about it and it put him on edge. He decided that he would have to keep a much closer eye on the boy from now on.
Draco Malfoy had been glaring at Harry as soon as he entered the hall with his Mudblood girlfriend. He watched them until they had taken their seats at the Champions Table before turning to talk to his date, Pansy Parkinson. After a few seconds, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. Sweeping his gaze across the Great Hall his eyes came to a stop when he saw that unnatural shade of green eyes of Potters boring right into him, accompanied by a very predatory smirk.
He felt a very cold shudder travel down his back under that gaze. After a few seconds, Draco dismissed the warning feeling in his arrogance. He felt that there was nothing he had to fear from Harry Potter, he was a Malfoy after all. He sent a quick smirk back at Potter before turning his attention back to Pansy's inane babbling.
Hermione had felt the shift in Harry's emotions as he gazed around the room. They were almost animalistic in nature. She paused in her conversation with Percy Weasley about cauldron bottoms and reached out to Harry through their bond.
Harry felt Hermione's emotional prod and he took her hand and turned to face her. "Are you okay?" she whispered to him as she leaned close to his ear.
He nodded yes and said, "Just doing a little thinking. I'll tell you about it later." Harry said as he planted a quick kiss on her cheek.
As the meal progressed, Harry's admiration for Hermione's conversation skills grew. She was able to converse with everyone seated around the table without being intimidated. She had changed a lot this year, and he knew that it was for the better, and so had he for that matter.
Hermione had lost her blind faith in adults and authority figures. Because of these changes, she was now a well-rounded individual. Harry knew that he had undergone something similar. Except with him, it was a loss of the last of his innocence. The tournament, and the events surrounding it, had stripped it away. The biggest change had been his relationship with Hermione. He could not imagine his life without her in it anymore.
Minerva McGonagall was pleasantly surprised at how well Harry was handling himself this evening with everything thrown at him. When she saw him lean over and kiss Ms. Granger's cheek, she knew that they really loved each other. Their feelings for each other balanced out some of the hardships in his life. She gave Hermione a small smile as they continued their conversation.
When the meal was finished, everyone began heading towards the dance floor and the stage where the Weird Sisters were waiting to begin playing.
The Champions and their partners spread out on the dance floor and they began moving in step as the opening notes of the waltz began.
Harry was very thankful for the dancing lessons now. He felt at ease with Hermione in his arms even though the entire hall was watching them dance. About halfway through the opening dance, the teachers and the rest of the faculty and students joined in.
Neville and Ginny were dancing near Harry and Hermione. After a couple of songs, they switched partners. Harry was twirling Ginny around the dance floor and watching the smile on her face. "You look like you are enjoying yourself."
Ginny looked up at Harry and said, "I am. I'm glad that Neville invited me. I was really looking forward to attending the ball. I feel like a princess all dressed up."
"You are very pretty, Ginny." Harry said simply, causing her to blush. "Neville thinks so too. He told me when he was plucking up the courage to ask you to the dance."
Ginny's eyes had gone as big as saucers and they flicked up to look into Harry's emerald ones. In a tiny voice that barely carried above the music, she said, "Really?"
Harry smiled and nodded, yes.
Ginny squealed, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him. When they broke apart from their hug, Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her over to where Hermione and Neville were dancing. "Can we trade back? I think that there are some things that you two need to talk about." Harry said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What was that about, Harry?" Hermione asked as they resumed dancing.
"Let's just say that I was helping someone get over their crush on me and to realize that there was someone else out there that really liked her." Harry said with a smile.
Hermione smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I didn't think that you knew about her crush. I'm glad that you were willing to talk to her about Neville."
"I knew about it." Harry said as he spun Hermione around once more before pulling her tight against his chest. "I just wasn't prepared to deal with it before and Neville really does like her."
Hermione's arms tightened their embrace around Harry's back and she put her head down on his shoulder.
They remained in that position, twirling slowly as the band played on in the background. When the song was over, they slowly untangled themselves.
"Would you like to go for a walk in the garden?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I think that I would." Harry said as he held out his hand to her and made their way outside together.
Professors Sprout and Flitwick had set up the enchanted garden for the Yule Ball. Its design fit in with the holiday season and the theme for the ball. It was quite romantic and there were dozens of couples taking advantage of it. The bushes that lined the garden paths were full of fairies for light and decoration.
The young couple found a bench at the far end of the garden that looked back towards the well-lit castle.
"Thank you for teaching me how to dance. I had a really nice time tonight." Harry said while leaning into Hermione.
"You're welcome. I had a nice time too." She said while resting her head against his, relishing their closeness.
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