A/N: Thank you for your reviews! I’m glad that you’re still reading it, even though there usually passes some time between the updates, but I wonder, why out of 155 fans who read the last chapter, only three wrote a review… Whatever, this story will be finished, no matter how long it takes!
Well, I believe it is almost my duty as author to say something to HBP… At first I was simply shocked by the ending, but then, the more I thought about it and talked to other fans, I decided that thing are not as they seem. Yes, the person is still dead and will stay dead, but we may not forget that we saw the death from Harry’s perspective. He can’t know what’s going on in the other characters…
So, with that being said, I hope you have fun with this chapter!
Chapter 18: The Halloween Ball
Time passed quickly and the Halloween Ball was drawing nearer, especially with a Hogsmeade weekend the week before the Ball. If Harry were still a student, he might haven been worried, if he still hadn’t found a date, as it was already the Wednesday before the Ball, which was on Friday. Harry had even witnessed on his way to breakfast this morning, how a second year Hufflepuff boy asked, in a desperate attempt to be able to attend the ball, a seventh year Slytherin girl to go with him. Maybe this wouldn’t haven been that spectacular, hadn’t it happened in the Entrance Hall in front of almost the whole student body. The boy had been happy to escape this without any spell-damage, as Harry had managed to step in, before things would have gotten ugly.
The only truly negative aspect of the whole Ball was once again the inattentiveness of the students during classes. Harry was almost ready to give up on them, all of them, even the younger students who weren’t allowed to attend. For the students, gossip about potential dates seemed to be much more important than anything he could teach them about DADA. He even thought about giving them a pop quiz, but then decided that it would be too mean. Instead he just revised the spells they had learned until then and allowed them to duel a bit. This would teach them something and give them the possibility to talk to each other.
But worst of all was not, in Harry’s opinion, the behaviour of the students, but the behaviour of his fellow professors. Monday morning after Dumbledore had made the announcement, Harry had been pulled aside by Filius Flitwick. The tiny professor had asked him, how much he wanted to bet that two of their students would go to the Ball together. After a lot of stuttering, Harry had managed to get out of this conversation, but only because classes began. As he had found out later, Flitwick wasn’t the only one who loved to gamble about their students’ love life, as his other colleagues also approached him during the following days.
When he had asked Hermione about this, she had only blushed slightly and said, “Well, actually, I’m not surprised they’re doing this, because it’s the same in our timeline. Whenever there’s a Ball or something like this going on, the professors put their gold on different couples. They also place bets on who’s going to end up with each other at the end of the school year.”
Harry had been horrified after Hermione had told him this, especially when he thought about how he had also been “ or actually, still was, as his friend had conceded after some more prodding “ victim of his former professors’ entertainment in their time.
After he had found out about this disturbing news, Harry had managed to avoid this topic by making sure that there was always at least one student around, when he met one of his colleagues in the halls. At the weekly staff meetings, he excused himself as soon as the official part was over and the discussion of unofficial matters began. Much to the amusement of the other teachers, if he interpreted the twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes correctly, whenever he left early. Of course, he also had to endure Draco’s taunts and one or two comments about this from Ron, who found this entire situation extremely funny.
It was Thursday evening, just after dinner, Harry was sitting alone in the common room in his armchair and jotting down some spells that he wanted to try with his students the next day in one of his classes, when he heard a tapping noise at the window. He looked around and was surprised to spot the outlines of an owl in front of one of the windows. Quickly opening the window, after he had put the parchment and his quill on the table, he let the owl inside. It fluttered a bit around the room, before Harry could convince the owl to come down to him.
A parcel was tied at its leg, addressed at Professor Hermione Granger, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, East Tower. “Come here,” Harry mumbled gently, before he untied the parcel and placed it on the table next to his notes. After he had given the owl some treats, it left again through the same window and Harry closed it, wondering on his way back to the armchair what Hermione could have gotten and who had sent it. The handwriting was completely unfamiliar, but he also wasn’t aware that Hermione had ordered anything lately. She would have told them, if she were expecting anything, wouldn’t she?
His questions were answered, or at least some of them, when Hermione stepped through the portrait hole a few minutes later, followed by Ron. He waited until they had sat down and Hermione had noticed the packet to tell her that it was addressed at her.
“Really?” she asked surprised and picked it up. Her brows furrowed in concentration, as she gazed at the address, but eventually shook her head and hesitantly opened it. Harry and Ron both watched her and Harry noticed how Ron’s hand twitched to the pocket of his robes, where he usually stowed his wand. Harry was probably thinking along the same lines, as he was also ready to will his own wand into his hand and do something in case the content proved to be dangerous somehow.
But nothing happened, when she opened it. No bang or poof and Hermione also appeared to be alright, as she took a golden necklace with a ruby coloured stone out of the small box. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small ‘o’, as she examined the jewellery from all angles.
Harry was speechless and Ron sputtered, now holding his wand in his hand. “’Mione, put it down. It might be jinxed!”
“It isn’t,” Hermione snapped, holding the necklace protectively to her chest. “I’m still okay, not cursed. Besides, have you forgotten that the mail into the castle is being searched for curses? It’s just a necklace. I just wonder, who sent it.”
“Look, there’s a note…” Harry finally managed to say and motioned with his hand to a small piece of parchment inside of the parcel. However, before Hermione could read it, Ron swiped it up and stared at it with scrutinizing eyes.
“As sharp as your mind,” he suddenly read out, his voice sounding mocking. “As fiery as your passion and as strong as your loyalty. Wear this necklace to the Ball and I will recognize you. What is this nonsense?”
Hermione tore the note out of his friend’s hands, seething with anger. “This nonsense is called poetry! Or at least an attempt at poetry. Whatever, it’s sweet and romantic!”
“Just when exactly did you start to care about romance?” Ron barked. Both of them were standing by now and glaring at each other. “You never cared about this before! You always said that this kind of stuff was just something for girls!”
“I am a girl! Just because it’s taken you some years to notice it, it doesn’t mean that it has suddenly changed! And besides, I was sixteen when I said this, Ron! Sixteen! Even then I didn’t mean it. I said it just to set me apart from Lavender and Parvati, whose behaviour had simply been sickening! Have you honestly never noticed how happy I’ve been, when you’ve done something romantic for me?”
Now it was Ron, who had lost all ability to speak. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out, and Harry was glad for it. He didn’t want to experience another one of those rows; there had simply been too many at the end of their sixth year and their friendship had never been more endangered than at this time.
“Err,” Harry began, unsure of what to say to break this silence between his friends. “You really have no idea who could have sent you this necklace?”
Hermione shook her head and slumped down in her armchair, the necklace lying in one hand, the note clutched in the other. Giving those two items another glance, she carefully put them on the table and straightened the piece of parchment. Harry noticed that the handwriting on the note was the same as on the parcel and therefore unfamiliar. “It’s just like with those roses. I’d really like to thank the person who sent me those things”“
“So you believe that they’re from one and the same?” Harry questioned.
Nodding, Hermione looked up from the gift and sighed. “Makes sense, doesn’t it? It appears as if I truly have a secret admirer somewhere out there.” A small smile now tugged at her lips, as she put the note and the necklace back into the box and got up. “Well, I just have to wait two more days until I know who it is.”
Right at this moment, Ron found his voice and yelled, “You aren’t going to put this thing on and meet the bloke, are you?”
“Yes, I’m going to put this thing on and meet the bloke,” Hermione said firmly and picked up the parcel. “And there’s nothing you can do to stop me from meeting him. You have no right. Not anymore,” Harry heard her mumble and looked at her, concerned.
“’Mione, be careful.”
“Don’t worry, Harry,” she reassured him. “I know you only care for my safety, but what should happen with all the other teachers, Dumbledore and the great Harry Potter in the Great Hall? We will go to the Ball together, just as we intended, and then introduce ourselves to each other once we stepped inside the Hall. This way, we’ll know who we are. Everything will be alright and I’m going to find out, who my secret admirer is and maybe, if he’s a student, put him in detention,” Hermione added with a wicked grin.
Harry laughed and even Ron couldn’t suppress the small smirk on his lips. Harry noticed this and guessed that it would be a memory worthy enough to come close to the Amazing Bouncing Ferret “ incident in their fourth year to see Hermione put this bloke in detention. Somehow, he only hoped that Hermione’s secret admirer wasn’t their colleague Christophe Hayden, because, to be honest with himself, he was the main suspect. Ron hadn’t even needed to point out again and again how much time he and Hermione were spending together for Harry to come to this conclusion.
The last two days of classes passed almost in a blur, for both the students and the teachers. The last two weeks of revising spells and several creatures hadn’t been wasted, Harry thought, as he watched the students of his last class of Friday file out of his classroom. Some things had already been forgotten again, but all in all he could say that he was proud of his achievements. Those students who had forgotten something, had just needed a push into the right direction to remember. It actually seemed that his lessons were at least mildly interesting.
When he arrived at lunch in the Great Hall late, after having brought his books back to his room, he immediately noticed that his wasn’t the only empty chair at the staff table. The Great Hall was packed with students, and some of them greeted him amiably, as he passed them on the way to the far end of the Hall.
“Hey,” he greeted Ron and Hermione, as he sat down between them. “Where’s Draco?”
“He’s sick,” Hermione answered, passing Harry the bowl with the vegetables. She sounded a bit worried. “I met him, as he came back from the Hospital Wing and he really didn’t look well. He was pale”“ Ron snorted and Hermione rolled her eyes, exasperated. They still hadn’t gotten over their argument, but it at least appeared as if they weren’t going to fight again. “Paler as usual and Madam Pomfrey has told him to go to his room and administered bed rest for the weekend.”
“But then”“
“He won’t be able to go to the Ball tonight,” she finished Harry’s sentence. “Yes, and it’s too bad that he can’t go. I really believe that he’s been looking forward to the Halloween Ball.”
Ron raised his eyebrow. “What makes you think that he’s been looking forward to this?”
“Honestly, haven’t you noticed how Draco has changed over the last few weeks?” At the blank looks on both Ron’s and Harry’s faces, Hermione sighed. “Apparently not. Yes, he has changed. He’s become a lot more, what is the right word, accostable. His students adore him, about as much as they adore you, Harry. It seems that he’s a good and interesting teacher, not just knowing his stuff, but also being good with the students.”
“How do you know all this?” Harry asked, completely dumbfounded. He still saw Draco only during the meals and sometimes, late in the night, passing through their common room, and Harry had never noticed anything different about his once enemy.
Hermione only shrugged and replied, “I have eyes. And I sat in on one of his lessons, oh, and don’t forget my birthday “ he’s never given me a present before.”
Neither Harry nor Ron knew what to say to this revelation. Harry wondered, how he could have missed this. Of course, he knew that Hermione had been one of the first to give Draco a second chance, after his role in the war had become common knowledge. She had seen past everything he had ever done or said to her and offered him, if not friendship, then a truce. But he would have never thought that Hermione would ever show that much interest in someone whose aim in life seemed to have been to make their life to hell.
“Why?” Ron finally asked.
Again, their friend shrugged and turned back to her lunch. “Curiosity.”
Watching her out of the corner of his eyes, while he was helping himself to some mashed potatoes, Harry wondered if the reason for this sudden interest was really just curiosity.
Classes had been cancelled that afternoon, much to the delight of the students, so that they had enough time to get ready. Harry, Ron and Hermione had used that afternoon to visit Hagrid, whom they had befriended during the last few weeks, and the half-giant had told them happily that he would also come to the Ball. They talked for some hours, Hagrid having gone into a lengthy explanation of how his training of the Thestral foals was getting along, had a large cup of tea and the three time travellers fed the infamous rock cakes to Fang. Smiling, Harry thought that visiting Hagrid was still a thing that he liked to do, just to relax, even though this wasn’t their Hagrid.
All too soon it was time for them to return to the castle and, since the grounds were devoid of students, Harry used the few minutes until they reached the door to light one of his cigarettes. His friends looked at him disapprovingly, but kept quiet. Taking a quick glance at the open packet, he noticed that he needed to buy new ones soon (fortunately there was a store in Hogsmeade that sold Muggle cigarettes and his favourite brand on top of that), though another thing he noticed was that he had more left than he had thought. Had he really been so busy that he had forgotten to smoke? Shrugging he put the packet back into his pocket and, once they had reached the entrance, disposed of the stub with a wave of his hand.
The hallways were empty, as probably all students were now in their Houses to get ready for the Ball or for the festivities in the common rooms. The three of them reminisced about the Yule Ball in their fourth year and laughed a lot on the way to their chambers, Ron even going as far as imitating Harry’s attempt to dance, much to the younger man’s annoyance. As revenge, Harry reminded Ron of his tremendous skills as attentive date. Hermione only shook her head at her friends’ antics, but when they arrived at their portrait hole, the two men agreed that tonight they would pay close attention to the young couples to find out, if they had the same problems.
Once inside, they immediately went into their own rooms to get ready. Harry closed his door behind him and looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was about half past four and the Halloween Ball would start at seven o’clock, so he still had more than enough time to… to do what exactly? There was still some homework that he needed to grade, but Harry wasn’t sure if he really fancied to do this. There must be more important things he could do, and, as his gaze travelled to his bed, Harry knew exactly what this was. A short nap couldn’t hurt before he had to take a shower and get dressed.
“You did well,” Harry hissed, as he looked down at the short masked person kneeling in front of him. He was sitting in an armchair, his wand resting lazily in his hand, in a large room. A fire was burning brightly in the fireplace in one corner of the dark room, but it seemed to be emanating no warmth. Another masked person was standing behind the kneeling one and two more figures were standing, no, floating, in front of a door and it was them, who caused the chill.
“Thank you, my Lord,” the first person mumbled and Harry smirked in satisfaction. It was a cleverly devised plan, hopefully enough to avert the attention from other matters.
“Lucius…” The second person bowed slightly, his long pale blond hair falling over his shoulder. “You know what you have to do.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Very well. You may go now, both of you. The old fool will never know what hit him.” Harry watched the two persons retreat and he felt how both suppressed a shudder, when they passed the Dementors. As soon as the door had closed behind them, a cruel smirk appeared on his face. Oh yes, tonight would be a night worth to remember… And he laughed, loud, the terrible sound echoing in the stonewalled room.
Harry was panting hard, when he awoke, pearls of sweat running down his face and his limbs were entangled in the bed sheets. His scar was hurting so much that it was hard for him to see anything. Closing his eyes, Harry forced his breath to calm down and his heartbeat to slow. It had been a few weeks, since he had last visited Voldemort’s mind and after he had used Occlumency for so many years to block him out, it took some time to get used to those visits again.
Harry lay there for a couple of minutes, completely still, until he opened his eyes again and his room came into focus. His scar was still throbbing, but not as much as before and it was bearable. While he was carefully sitting up, he ran his hand though his hair, trying to remember, what this vision had been about.
Voldemort had been there. And two men. One of them was Lucius Malfoy and the other… Harry shook his head. He had been wearing a mask and though the voice had sounded familiar, the memory of the vision was still foggy and started to fade already and Harry couldn’t figure out, whom it belonged to. They had been talking about something that would happen tonight. Only where? Old fool… He meant Dumbledore! Something was going to happen at
Hogwarts!
Harry had already halfway crossed his room to inform the Headmaster of what he had seen, when he stopped dead in his tracks. Telling Dumbledore would also mean to tell him about the connection he shared with Voldemort and Harry wasn’t sure, if he wanted to do this.
But wasn’t there something else, something he had missed? Harry tried to remember, but quickly found out that it was of no use. Everything except for what he had already recalled was gone.
Shaking his head, Harry went into the bathroom instead and stripped off his clothes. The water in the shower was almost scalding, hot enough to wash the effects of the vision off. His decision was already made. He wouldn’t tell Dumbledore. Hogwarts was safe “ Voldemort hadn’t attacked the castle, Hagrid had told him that, when they had first met. And even if something was planned, Harry was sure that they would be able to stop it. He just had to keep his eyes open for anything suspicious and act, if he noticed something.
It was already half past six, when Harry stepped out of the bathroom, almost completely refreshed and a lot less worried, with a fluffy red towel wrapped around his waist. He waved a hand at the wardrobe and the doors and one drawer sprung open. Harry quickly selected the clothes he needed and took his black satin dress robes out, spreading them on his already made bed. Madam Malkin had tried to persuade him to wear other colours and in the end had only succeeded to sell him an emerald satin shirt. Black slacks and dragon hide shoes of the same colour completed the outfit.
After he had gotten dressed, he looked in the mirror, once again running a hand through his long hair. Open or tied back was the next question, which was quickly answered, when an extremely annoying strand of hair refused to stay where it belonged and instead fell into his eyes. He rummaged in one of the drawers until he found a black ribbon to tie back his messy hair. Harry took another look at his reflection and a male voice said, “You look truly handsome.”
“Thanks,” Harry muttered to the mirror, smirking. He had only gotten this mirror two weeks ago, when he had asked one of the House Elves if he could get one, so that he didn’t have to use the one in his bathroom the entire time. What the House Elf had brought him was this talking and obviously gay mirror. It had taken some time getting used to it, but he believed that they now got along fairly well. Winking at the mirror, he turned on his heels and left his room, just in time to meet up with the others fifteen minutes before the Ball would start.
Again, as it was almost every time when he had to meet the others, be it for any of the meals or other things, Ron was already finished (Harry still didn’t know how he was doing this) and waiting for him, or rather, them, as Harry noticed that Hermione wasn’t there yet. Ron was wearing dark blue dress robes with a black shirt underneath, which were a huge improvement to the dress robes for the Yule Ball. “You look good,” Harry complimented him grinning.
“You, too.”
But when Hermione came out of her room, Harry and Ron were once again rendered speechless. She was wearing a long deep red gown with golden embroidery around the low cut chest and the rim of the gown. The long sleeves were almost transparent, as her pale skin shined through the fabric and over her shoulders she wore a golden rimmed cloak of the same colour as the gown. Her hair was running down her back in gently brown waves, adorned with small braids and golden pearls. Around the eyes her face was covered with a mask in the same style as the gown and the cloak and Harry’s gaze finally fell on the piece of jewellery around her neck “ the necklace from her secret admirer.
Ron had noticed this as well, as he just said, “You’re really wearing this thing!”
“Yes I am,” she answered, her voice once again cold, but Harry managed to cheer her up, when he ignored the necklace and said,
“You look lovely, ‘Mione.”
She smiled at him and replied, “You’re also pretty handsome, my friend. As are you, Ron.”
Harry poked his friend with his elbow, maybe a bit harder than intended, but it had the desired effect. “Yeah, ‘Mione… Sorry. You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she said with a soft smile and extended both of her arms. “Well then, shall we?”
“Yeah… No, wait a second!” Harry suddenly exclaimed, as he waved his hand at the door so that it sprung open and muttered “Accio mask.” The black piece of fabric soared into his open hand and he placed it over his eyes, where it just remained sitting, thanks to the magic. Ron had also put his dark blue mask on and they finally took Hermoine’s arms. “Let’s go.”
The Entrance Hall was already bursting with activity, as the students waited to be let inside. Towering over all of them was Hagrid, wearing red clothes rimmed with white fur and a red pointy hat on his head. His beard and hair was white and if Harry wasn’t wrong, he knew exactly, what Hagrid’s costume meant. “Hello Father Christmas,” he greeted him smiling.
“Ah, it’s yeh, Harry, Ron, Hermione,” Hagrid said smiling and bent down to kiss Hermione’s hand. “Yeh look beautiful, m’lady.”
A rather un-Hermione-like giggle escaped her lips, but fortunately the others hadn’t the chance to comment on that, as the double doors suddenly opened and the students streamed inside. Ron and Harry again took each one of Hermione’s arms and led her inside.
As soon as Harry stepped over the threshold to the Great Hall, a short, almost unnoticeable wave of dizziness washed over him, and if he hadn’t known that the persons to his right side were Ron and Hermione, he would have wondered who they were. It wasn’t as if they had changed. No, they looked still the same as before, only it seemed that his head couldn’t make the connection between the persons next to him and their names. He had even forgotten, what his friends had worn, before they had entered the Hall.
Ron and Hermione (at least he was pretty sure that it was them) had similar confused expressions on their faces, so Harry quickly pulled them into a corner, where they might not be overheard “ where would the fun be, if everyone knew who they were? “ and said, “I’m Harry Potter.”
“I’m Hermione Granger,” Hermione followed his lead and next was Ron, who introduced himself to them.
Finally his mind was able to understand the connection between the names and the persons and Harry grinned. This truly was a brilliant piece of magic. When Dumbledore had said that the Great Hall would be enchanted, so that no one would be recognized, he had imagined that he would do something to change their appearances, but this was much better.
Now that they recognized each other again, Harry gazed around the Great Hall, impressed. The decorations were far better than at any of the Halloween Feasts he had attended at Hogwarts. The ceiling showed the dark cloudy sky and the lightning that flashed across the sky, followed by a low rumble. Hundreds of candles floated high above their heads, lightening the Hall in a soft glow and in the light, Harry could see many bats and grimacing pumpkins flying around, chasing each other. Now and then, one of the pumpkins would cry out or emit a wicked laugh. Scarecrows were standing at the walls and many other smaller, but no less scarier things were completing the eerie atmosphere of the Hall.
Instead of the four house tables and the staff table, round tables were littered in the Great Hall, much like it had been at the Yule Ball. Each of the tables were meant for about eight persons, though dishes might appear or disappear, when the guests of the Ball decided to sit with more or less persons at the table.
Ron tugged at his sleeve and motioned with his head to a table, where he could still see three empty seats. “Shall we sit over there?”
Harry looked at Hermione, who grinned and then nodded, before he answered, “Okay.” They went over to the table and Harry asked, if they might sit down. The other guests, whoever they were, replied that they could and the three professors took the seats. Harry beamed, as he looked around and watched, how they all settled down at the tables, without inquiring about identities. This was truly great. It didn’t matter, if professors shared one table with students, or Gryffindors with Slytherins.
Once everyone was seated, Harry wondered, if Dumbledore would say something, but instead menus appeared on their plates and a soft, but slightly creepy music began to play in the background. Since he already knew, how it worked, Harry picked up the menu and looked at it, grimacing slightly, when he read the first line. “Bloody Brains?” he asked, slightly disgusted, looking at his friends for help.
Hermione only smirked at him and said, loud and clear, “Crispy Cockroaches.” Harry stared at her plate, not really knowing what to expect. He was almost ready to jump back or to vanish the plate, should there really appear cockroaches. But he truly should have known better, as her plate with filled with cevapcicis, along with some vegetable and chips.
Encouraged, Harry decided to try what had sounded so disgusting before. “Bloody Brains.” A large helping of Spaghetti Bolognese found its way on his plate and after a quick glance to his left, he saw that Ron was already heartily devouring some chicken. A look at the menu told him that it was probably the Vain Vultures that Ron had tried out.
Soon, the Great Hall was only filled with sounds of clattering dishes and excited chatter, mostly about the decorations and the food. Too bad that it was impossible to try every dish on the menu, Harry thought disappointed, but his stomach already started to protest and he still had to have dessert. Only that the ice-cream and pudding were simply too delicious to resist.
After the last student (or was it a teacher?) had cleaned his plate, the dishes disappeared and the tables were all magically pushed aside, without disturbing the persons seated at them, of course, to reveal a dancefloor in the middle of the Great Hall, with a circular stage positioned in the middle of the dancefloor, surrounded by curtains.
Finally, after endless agonizing minutes, the curtains parted to reveal seven unmoving and equally ugly gargoyles. Harry raised his eyebrow, but some girls immediately started to shriek and spring up. Before he even knew it, Harry held his wand in his hand, but stopped, when he saw that the girls were dragging their dates to the dancefloor. “It’s the Galloping Gargoyles!” one of the girls cried out. Harry wondered, what was so exciting about some stone figures, when they suddenly moved and conjured several instruments that looked remarkably Muggle (like drums and e-guitars) out of nowhere. At once the Great Hall was filled with the sounds of those instrument, the beginning of what appeared to be a rock song.
It didn’t even take ten seconds until the dancefloor was packed with dancing people. “Come on, Ron, Harry, let’s dance!” Hermione suddenly said and jumped up, grabbing their hands. Reluctantly, Harry let himself be pulled up, just like Ron, and on the dancefloor, mingling with the hopping students. Actually, the music wasn’t that bad, Harry had to admit. He could get used to it. But while they were dancing, Harry noticed that Hermione was looking over her shoulder and around the Great Hall every so often, as if looking for someone.
Harry excused himself after the second song, fighting his way through the mass of people to the bar. He filled a glass with fruit punch and clinked his wand against the glass to make sure that it wasn’t anything alcoholic (if it were, the red liquid would have turned green). Even if there were something alcoholic, he couldn’t risk getting drunk. Not, when he still had to keep his eyes open for anything unusual.
“Ah, Harry,” he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
Turning around, he looked confused at the person dressed in long and white flowing robes, holding a long white staff in his hands. Something clicked in his mind, as he tried to remember something, something Hermione had told him. “Gandalf?” he asked confused, remembering the name of the fictional wizard, whom Hermione had told him about just a few days before they had taken this unwilling trip to the past. “We really have to watch the first movie, when it comes out this winter,” she had said. “The whole Lord of the Rings series is truly fascinating.”
Gandalf chuckled. “Not quite, Harry, though many people, who have read the books compare him to me. I’m Albus Dumbledore.”
Just as it had already happened, when Hermione and Ron had introduced themselves, the confusion over his mind lifted and he saw Dumbledore standing in front of him. Harry grinned. “Nice costume.”
“Yes, I know,” Dumbledore returned his grin. “I first wanted to go as Father Christmas, but Hagrid beat me to it.”
Suddenly, one thought hit Harry. “You recognized me, but I didn’t tell you, who I was.”
Dumbledore chuckled again, his eyes twinkling. “Well, someone has to keep an eye on things. It would be too dangerous, if truly no one knew the identities of the others in this Hall. For better security, I even asked some of the Order members to be here tonight.”
“Really? Who?”
“Several… Ah, here’s one. James?” he called out to a man in red robes. The man looked over, and, after he had recognized the Headmaster (as they had obviously already revealed their identities to each other), walked up to them. “James, would you like to keep this young man company? I was about to get Minerva some of this delicious fruit punch. Cheers!”
Harry and James both looked at the disappearing form of Dumbledore, as he mingled again with the mass on the dancefloor, obviously in search for McGonagall. Shrugging, Harry turned back to the man Dumbledore had called James and held out his hand. “Harry Potter.”
James grinned and took the Hand. “James Potter. Gets a bit annoying, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, but it’s good to see the students interacting with each other like this, as if Houses didn’t exist,” Harry said, smiling. At least now he knew what his father had been talking about after the Quiddich match. “Do I know anyone else here?”
After having filled a goblet with the punch, James answered, “Next to your students and colleagues, I believe the only ones you know are Sirius, Remus and Peter. Oh, and you’ve already met Frank Longbottom, right? His son was born the day before you.”
“Yeah, I know Neville… and Frank. So, the rest of the Marauders are also present… Where’s Lily?”
“She had to watch little Harry, but told me to say hello to you. She actually asked, if you and your friends don’t want to come to dinner sometime.”
Harry shrugged. “Sounds good, by why don’t we ask my friends first, they’re over there.” He pointed to a table near the dancefloor, where Ron and Hermione were sitting. “At least Ron and Hermione. Draco’s sick.”
While they were walking over to the table, James asked, “By the way, why do you call him Draco anyway? Is it a nickname or something? I thought his name was Eirian.”
“It is,” Harry half-lied, “but he doesn’t like this name, so we call him Draco.”
They settled down at the table, and after they had once again introduced themselves, Harry repeated James’ offer. Ron and Hermione were happy to accept the invitation and they were just talking about a date for the dinner at Godric’s Hollow, when suddenly a men dressed in silky silver sparkling robes cleared his throat next to Hermione and asked,
“May I have this dance?”
Harry saw that Hermione blushed slightly, as she nodded and took the offered hand of this stranger. Ron was glaring at their backs, as they stepped on the dancefloor, where the Galloping Gargoyles were now beginning to play a slow rock ballade called ‘Good Night Sweet Girl’ (he had heard a girl telling her obviously Muggle friend this). “You reckon this is him?” the redhead asked.
“I believe so…”
Are we done for now
Or is this for good,
Will there be something in time?
With us there should.
“I don’t like him,” Ron said, crossing his arms over his chest, as the young man rested his hands on Hermione’s hips.
Only girl for me is you
There can be no other one
If I didn't have faith
I would come undone.
“A friend of yours?” James wanted to know, but Harry only shrugged, warily watching his friend dancing with this stranger.
So much promise in your eyes
Seems that I can only see
It always makes me wonder
If you save it all for me.
“’Mione’s been getting those strange gifts from a secret admirer and he said he would meet her tonight,” Ron answered instead.
James raised his eyebrow. “What kind of gifts?”
“A bunch of roses for her birthday,” Harry informed him. “And the golden necklace that she’s now wearing.”
Maybe you do
Maybe you don't
Maybe you should
Probably wont...
Because there will be...
There will be other guys
Who will whisper in your ear
Say they'll take away you sadness
And your fears.
They may be kind and true
They may be good for you
But they'll never care for you
More than I do.
I'll be always there
There to the end
I can't do much
But be your one true friend.
To the end
Through the end
Our lives to spend
With each other till the end
Of time...
Still see the promise in your eyes
And still wonder if it's for me
But I know it's still there
Even when you sleep.
So I say, good night sweet girl.
They had remained silent for the rest of the song, Ron’s and Harry’s eyes seemingly glued on the dancing pair. Damn that charm, Harry cursed inwardly. He wanted to know who that bloke was. He hadn’t met Christophe Hayden yet, so maybe it’s really him. Then again, it might just be a student.
After this slow song, the band started again a faster number and Hermione returned to the table, but only to take off her cloak and then disappear again in the crowd. Ron was fuming and Harry also felt some of the overprotective feelings kick in. To keep himself from staring at the dancefloor, where mystery guy and Hermione were now hidden behind other couples, he again started a conversation with James, though his heart wasn’t in it.
Harry again let his eyes stray over the crowd, but didn’t see anything suspicious. After a couple of more songs, three more persons fought their way over to their table and even though Harry couldn’t recognize them, he was pretty sure about their identities.
“James, here you are!” one of them exclaimed and slumped down on a chair. “We’ve been looking for you. Sirius Black, and you are?”
Harry sighed and exchanged a quick glance with Ron, as both of them already knew that Sirius wouldn’t be that friendly anymore, once they had introduced themselves. “Harry Potter.”
“Ron Weasley.”
Sirius scowled and one of the two still standing persons jumped back, hiding behind the first one, who smiled pleasantly and extended his hand. “Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you again, Harry, Ron, how are you and where are your friends?”
Smiling, Harry shook the hand and answered, “Thank you, we’re fine. And as I already told James, Draco’s sick, unfortunately, and Hermione is somewhere on the dancefloor.”
“Let me guess, she’s the lovely young woman decked out in Gryffindor colours?” the werewolf asked.
“That’s her. Why don’t you sit down? I’ll get us something to drink. You wanna help me, Ron?”
While they were going to the bar, Harry was still able to hear Sirius hiss, “I still don’t trust them.” with Peter, though he hadn’t revealed his identity, agreeing heartily and hear Remus answer, “James trusts them and so do I. Harry’s a nice lad and so is Ron.”
Harry and Ron returned a few minutes later with each holding three goblets in their hands to their table. Sirius and Peter had disappeared in the meantime, but James and Remus were still there and gratefully took the goblets.
A few hours later, midnight and therewith the end of the Ball was drawing nearer, Harry was standing at a far wall, observing everything that was happening in the Great Hall. A dull feeling had settled in his stomach, as though something bad was about to happen. If his vision had really been one, and if he had interpreted it correctly, Voldemort didn’t have much time left. But until now, nothing had happened and the Ball had proved to be much better than the Yule Ball, until now.
The only thing that had him a bit worried was the absence of Hermione. The last time he had met her outside the Hall, on the way to the toilets, and when he had asked her, who the mystery guy was, she had only answered, beaming, that she didn’t know yet, but would hopefully find out soon, and had returned to the Hall. Harry had to admit, it had been a long time, since he had seen her this happy. He just hoped that this bloke wouldn’t disappoint her, once he revealed his identity.
Harry was surprised, when Remus walked up to him and asked, “Mind if I join you? I’m not one for crowds.”
“I don’t mind,” Harry answered smiling, understanding him perfectly well. The Remus of his time also didn’t feel comfortable in large crowds.
They stood there in companionable silence until Remus suddenly spoke. “I meant what I said. I do trust you and your friends.” The werewolf looked at him for a few moments, before he said, grinning, “You’re truly the spitting image of your father, but you have the eyes”“
“Of my mother, yeah,” Harry answered out of habit until he suddenly realized, whom he was talking to. “H-how?” he sputtered.
Remus shrugged, still grinning. “It’s not that hard actually. I already found out about it shortly after you arrived, but I hadn’t yet the opportunity to talk to you about this…”
“Does my” I mean, James know that you…?”
“No, not yet. Didn’t want to cause him any trouble…I just wanted to talk to you first, to prove my theory. So, time travel, huh?”
Harry returned his grin, the spark in his eyes reminding him of Hermione, when she was about to learn something new and interesting. Harry just wanted to open his mouth to say something, when a cursing and scowling Ron approached them.
“I can’t believe her!” he growled, as he stopped next to them, took the goblet out of Harry’s hand and drank the remaining fruit punch.
Harry chuckled slightly, thinking that Ron maybe preferred something stronger than this, but was also a bit concerned. What could have enraged his friend like that? “What’s wrong?”
Hermione!” he spat. “I just caught her kissing this bloke! This is”“
However, whatever Ron wanted to say was cut of, as suddenly every head turned to the stage, where right now Dumbledore was standing and tipped his wand at his throat. “In case some of you haven’t noticed yet,” he said, his voice loud enough to stop even the last of the chatter, “I’m Albus Dumbledore, though some of my guests have already addressed me with Gandalf, which was actually my intention with this costume.”
A chuckle went through the crowd and a huge Father Christmas roared, “Cheers!” before he drowned a goblet that certainly wasn’t filled with the fruit punch.
“Thank you, Hagrid,” Dumbledore said grinning. “I hope you all had a good time and have talked to many people you normally wouldn’t talk to. Please keep in mind that those people are still the same, even though the charm will be lifted in five minutes, and that you can still talk to them, no matter what House or family they come from. Now, that being said, I want you to enjoy those last minutes to their fullest, before you have to return”“
Dumbledore paused, as a loud bang! was to be heard from the doors. Students that had been standing before them, immediately scurried away, as another one let the large wooden double doors vibrate.
“Whatever it is, stay calm! Prefects, be ready to bring the students back to their common rooms!” Dumbledore yelled and jumped from the stage with the agility of a young man. Harry willed his wand into his hand and noticed that Ron and Remus had also drawn theirs. So his vision hadn’t been wrong after all. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw a slightly flushed Hermione hurrying towards them, wand in her hand, but without her mystery guy. James and Sirius were on the other side of the Hall, standing in front of some younger students, while the older ones and others were now holding their wands in their hands, directed at the door.
A third and a fourth bang let the doors tremble even more, but the fifth one caused the doors to spring open. Students screamed and ran away, as something large and dark slithered into the Great Hall.
“A Basilisk!” a girl cried out and hid her face in her hands.
The Order members and teachers acted at once, sending spells and curses at the huge snake, the whole time trying to keep their eyes off the beast, but to no avail. It just shook them off, as its skin was too thick to be penetrated by stunners. But it was enough to avert the snake’s attention from the students that were trying to flee through the door, all of them trying to keep their eyes closed or to avoid looking at the snake. One student fell in the doorway and brushed the snake’s tail, which got its attention. The boy squeezed his eyes shut and tried to crawl backwards, as he had noticed that the snake was moving again.
“NO!” Harry roared, when he saw how the snake descended on the boy, the whole time trying to think of a spell that might help him, as other students and adults failed with theirs. “SECTUMSEMPRA!” he finally yelled and slashed his wand through the air, as he remembered one particularly nasty spell that he had once seen in Snape’s memories and he succeeded, if just slightly. The snake reared back, as its skin was cut open, giving the boy the chance to flee.
Its head jerked around and Harry thought too late of closing his eyes, as the snake looked at him. He was almost ready to die then and there, as he gazed into the snake’s yellow eyes, but much to his surprise, nothing happened. He was still alive and the snake was still just staring at him. One thought shot through his mind. This was no Basilisk! It was just a normal snake, just slightly enlarged.
After endless seconds of staring and deafening silence, everything happened at once. Just as Dumbledore raised his wand, the snake lunged at Harry and the young man shouted, “STOP!” The snake back-pedalled and if the silence had been deafening before, it was now even more so, as almost each and every eye was focused on him. It was then that Harry realized what exactly he had done and, cursing his stupidity inwardly, decided that there was now no going back. “What do you want?”
If it were possible, Harry could have sworn that the snake tilted its head slightly, before it replied, “My massster promisssed me food. He sssaid I would find it here.”
“Your master is wrong,” Harry said, pointing his wand at the snake. “Tell Voldemort this. I won’t let anyone hurt the students.” He waved his wand and the snake began to shrink until it was barely one foot long. It hissed at him, but Harry only scowled and threateningly directed his wand again at the snake. “Go now. Before I change my mind.”
Students and teachers alike jumped aside, as the snake slithered out of the Great Hall and through a small hole out to the grounds. Harry lowered his wand and winced, when he noticed that now everyone except for Ron and Hermione were staring at him “ some in fear, some in disbelief and some in anger. The twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes was gone, as the Headmaster gazed at him thoughtfully. Harry sighed. This was not how he had imagined the night to end. Only somehow he doubted that his night was already over. What I would do for a fag right now…
But no one had the chance to say something, as only a few seconds later a student (Harry could now recognize them all “ it was past midnight) came running into the Hall, yelling, “The Dark Mark! Over Hogsmeade!”
***********************************************************************************
A/N: Okay, there are a few things I’d like to say… First of all, I have absolutely nothing against homosexuals. Secondly, the Sectumsempra curse is one I’d find deadly useful, no matter how dark it is and I believe it could have happened that Harry had seen Snape using it in a memory during their Occlumency lessons. Oh yeah, and the song “Good Night Sweet Girl” is a song by the band “Ghost of the Robot”.