The morning after the Yule Ball came with a calm stillness, as if Hogwarts itself was still recovering from the festivities.
I woke up feeling lighter, the events of the previous night playing in my mind like a vivid dream. Hermione and I… that kiss. It was hard to think of anything else, and I couldn't help but smile as I got dressed.
Ron muttered something incoherent, pulling the blanket over his head. I decided it was best to leave him to his sleep and headed down to the common room.
Hermione was already there, sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire with a book in her lap. She looked up as I approached, and her smile made my chest tighten.
The common room felt quieter than usual, the usual hustle of students replaced by the sound of groggy voices, the occasional yawns and the lazy conversations.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Morning," I replied, sitting down across from her. For a moment, neither of us said anything, the memory of last night hanging between us.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, her tone casual but her eyes searching mine.
"Good," I said honestly. "Really good. You?"
Hermione nodded, her cheeks faintly pink. "I feel the same." She trailed off, her lips curving into a shy smile.
With a sense of calm between us, we made our way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Harry," she said suddenly, breaking the silence. "About last night…"
I glanced at her, my heart pounding. "Yeah?"
She hesitated, her brow furrowing as if she were choosing her words carefully. "I just… I wanted to make sure you're okay with everything. With… us."
Her voice was soft, almost uncertain, and it struck me how rare it was to see Hermione unsure of herself. It made me want to reassure her, to let her know that I felt the same way she did.
I stopped walking, turning to face her. "Hermione, last night was… amazing. And not just the dancing or the ball. I mean… you. Us." My voice softened. "I don't want to mess this up."
Her eyes searched mine, and for a moment, I thought she might say something profound or overthink the situation, as she often did. But instead, she smiled, a bright, genuine smile that lit up her entire face.
"Neither do I," she said simply. "So let's not."
Relief washed over me, and I couldn't help but grin back. "Deal."
We continued walking, the tension between us easing into something lighter, more comfortable.
By the time we reached the Great Hall, the smell of toast and bacon wafting through the air, it felt like we'd crossed some invisible threshold. Things were different now, but in the best possible way.
The Great Hall was alive with the usual morning chatter, though the energy was notably subdued compared to other days.
Many students looked like they were still recovering from the excitement of the Yule Ball, their faces marked by a mix of tiredness and contentment.
Hermione and I took our usual seats at the Gryffindor table. I reached for a plate of scrambled eggs while Hermione poured herself a cup of tea.
"So," I began, glancing at her as I buttered a piece of toast. "What's the plan for today?"
Hermione looked thoughtful, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was thinking we could work on some of our research for the tournament after the lectures. We still haven't completely figured out what's coming next."
I nodded, appreciating her focus. "That sounds good. Better to be overprepared than caught off guard."
She smiled, clearly pleased with my agreement. "Exactly. And with everything happening lately, I think it's important to stay ahead."
Before I could respond, Ron plopped down across from us, looking worse for wear. His tie was askew, and his hair stuck out at odd angles, like he'd been in a fight with his pillow—and lost.
"Morning," he muttered, grabbing a piece of bacon and stuffing it into his mouth.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Rough night?"
Ron groaned, leaning his head on one hand. "You could say that. The ball was fine until Jenny decided I wasn't 'taking it seriously.' Whatever that means."
Hermione's lips twitched, but she didn't comment, instead turning back to her tea. I shot Ron a sympathetic look and decided not to push him.
As the morning went on, more students trickled into the hall, their conversations filling the space with warmth and life.
It was a reminder of how quickly things could return to normal, even after a night as magical as the Yule Ball.
The rest of breakfast was surprisingly peaceful. Ron, still grumbling, stuck to piling food onto his plate and didn't say much else.
Hermione, meanwhile, had pulled out a piece of parchment, jotting something down between sips of her tea.
"What're you working on?" I asked, curious.
She glanced up, her quill pausing mid-sentence. "Just some notes for later. I've been thinking about what methods might be useful to you in the second task."
I nodded, though my mind wasn't entirely on the tournament. Watching her so focused, the way her brow furrowed slightly when she concentrated—it made my thoughts drift.
Before I could say anything, Fred and George appeared behind Ron, both looking far too energetic for this early in the morning.
"Morning, lovebirds!" Fred greeted with a smirk, looking directly at Hermione and me.
George leaned on Ron's shoulder, grinning. "And you, dear brother, looking like you've been hit by a Bludger."
"Go away," Ron grumbled, stabbing at his sausage.
Hermione rolled her eyes, ignoring them as she went back to her notes, but I could see her face turn pink.
"Don't you two have something better to do?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed, though I wasn't sure it worked.
"Not really," Fred said cheerfully.
"But don't worry," George added, straightening up. "We'll leave you to your romantic little breakfast. Just remember, Harry—"
Fred leaned closer, lowering his voice mock-seriously. "No funny business. We're watching you."
Before I could respond, they strolled off toward the other end of the table, laughing like they'd just pulled off a prank.
Hermione sighed, finally looking up from her parchment. "How long will they keep this up, do you think?"
"Until they're bored," I replied, unable to help the small grin that tugged at my lips.
The rest of breakfast passed without much incident. As the time for the first class drew nearer, Hermione and I decided to head towards the lecture hall.
Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology.
Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire.
When they arrived at Hagrid's cabin, however, they found an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.
"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as they struggled toward her through the snow.
"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Where's Hagrid?"
"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher. As for Professor Hagrid, he is dealing with personal matters."
"Now, if you could stop asking questions, I'd like to get started. We have a lot to cover."
The students exchanged uncomfortable glances, but there was little they could do. They'd have to make do with this temporary instructor.
She led us towards the back of the forbidden Forrest behind the paddock where huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered.
Many of the girls "ooooohed!" at the sight of the unicorn.
"Oh it's so beautiful!" whispered Lavender Brown. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"
The unicorn was so brightly white, it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.
Professor Grubbly-Plank, noticing the students' admiration, spoke again, her tone more informative now. "Unicorns are extremely rare and difficult to approach."
"They're known for their purity and are particularly sensitive to any kind of negative magic or danger."
She paused, looking over the students. "That's why they can be so difficult to catch. They tend to avoid humans unless they sense kindness or peaceful intent."
With that she continued her lecture and with the presence of a creature like a Unicorn most students forgot about Hagrid except Me and Ron who was then given the daily prophet by a gloating Malfoy.
In the daily prophet was the reason Hagrid was absent, and that was due to an article that Rita Skeeter had published about Hagrid being a Half giant.