Hermione Granger was walking down the Hogwarts corridors barely aware of where she was going. She had just had one of the most surreal experiences of her life and being Harry Potter's best friend she felt she knew something about the strange and surreal. She had been in the library and had just finished helping some third years with their Arithmancy homework when she had been approached by the hulking figure of Viktor Krum. He sent poor little Nancy Williams from Hufflepuff running with a glare before he turned to Hermione.
"You are Hermy-own Gansher, da?" Hermione didn't like the way he was mangling her name any more than the way he was looking at her. She clutched her copy of Numerology and Gramatica to her chest as a shield.
"My name is Hermione Granger. Was there something you needed?" She wished he would just say 'no' and leave or maybe that Harry or Luna would show up so she had some back-up. Krum just nodded as she confirmed he had the right person.
"I use to see you much in Library, but no more. I miss dat." Well, that was…eerie.
"I have been choosing to study elsewhere with my friends, Mister Krum. Now, if you will excuse me." Hermione tried to walk past him but Krum squared up to her and actually took a step towards her forcing her to back up a pace to preserve some distance between them.
"I am Viktor for you, da? I haff come to invite you to de Ball." Hermione was more than a little nervous now. Trying her best not to let him see it she palmed her wand, ready to defend herself if this turned out to be more than a cultural misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Krum. I already have a date for the Ball. I would appreciate it if you would let me go." Hermione tried to make her voice as calm and collected as she could.
"Leaf him. Potter is a boy, let a man take you and show you de pleasures of a night like dis." Something about his voice had changed and to be honest it scared her, but Hermione Granger had been sorted into Gryffindor House for a reason.
"The hell I will! Harry is more of man than you could hope to be and certainly knows more about pleasing women." Okay, so that was stretching the truth to breaking point. She had no idea what Harry might or might not know about the subject but Krum was free to draw any conclusions he wanted. Judging by the frown on his face he might be doing just that. He even turned to the side providing her with a small space to make her escape through. She promptly did just that. As she pushed past the most famous seeker in the world he grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip and leaned forward. She never found out what he was planning as she had whipped her wand up at the first touch she had felt and now had it digging into his carotid artery.
"For the last time: leave. Me. Alone." She twisted her wand into his neck for emphasis and he let her go stepping back and holding his hands up. Hermione kept him covered until she was several steps away and then she turned and ran. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was going, rather just focussing on getting away from the library. When she stopped it had taken her a minute to properly orient herself and start towards Gryffindor Tower. She remembered Harry saying something about spending some time up there and she needed to see her friend. She wasn't sure if she was going tell him what just happened but she was sure she needed to be around someone who wasn't out to intimidate her into a date. Her analytical mind started replaying the scene over and over as she tried to figure out why Krum would act like that and what she could do to prevent being caught in that situation again.
This was how Hermione came to be absent-mindedly walking through Hogwarts, trusting her feet to get her to her destination. When she got to the Fat Lady she gave the password and tried to shake herself from her reverie. Stepping into the common room she looked around for Harry and quickly found him sitting across from Colin Creevey in deep conversation with the younger boy. Hermione felt her body physically relaxing at the sight of Harry listening with a small smile to a boy whose enthusiasm was a source of intense frustration to her best friend. She walked over to them.
"Is this a boys-only talk or can I join you?" Harry looked up at her with a smile and shifted over slightly on the two-seater to make some space for her.
"Colin's been explaining how to brew a Photo-Developing Potion. I agreed to help him develop the photos he takes during the Ball since it's my suggestion that's causing him to give up his Christmas to work." Hermione thought Harry was severely underestimating what this chance meant to Colin. The poor boy looked like he might have an accident any time now, he was so excited. "You should stick around. Colin is much better at explaining potions than Snape ever was or will be." Hermione nodded her agreement; this potion wouldn't be covered in the Hogwarts curriculum and she thought Colin might be an expert at brewing it by now. She quickly started rooting around in her bag for a quill and parchment.
"I'm sorry, Colin, but would you mind starting over so Hermione can hear everything you were saying?" She heard Colin start stammering out his agreement and when she looked up she saw him nodding frantically.
"Ok, I'm ready. What were you telling Harry, Colin?" Harry and Hermione spent an enjoyable hour listening to Colin talk about his passion for photography and the potions involved in that passion. Hermione had covered several feet of parchment when Colin's friends hesitantly approached him about a game of Gobshites. The third year looked torn.
"Go ahead, Colin. I think we reached a good place to stop. We can continue this next time, okay?" Colin perked up at hearing there would be a next time and excused himself before moving over with his friends who, in Hermione's opinion, were all clearly impressed that he had just spent an hour talking with someone who could kill dragons with a sword. Hermione realized that she had forgotten all about Krum during the surprise lesson when she started comparing the interaction between the two champions and younger students. When she compared Harry's kindness to a person she knew annoyed him on a regular basis to Krum's treatment of someone he didn't even know it showed a glaring difference in their characters. She was happy that Harry had asked her to the ball and she felt that Krum would never be able to match up to her best friend. Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face though as Harry asked her, "Is everything alright?" She nodded at him.
"Everything's fine, Harry." The look she got in response could only be described as disbelieving. Harry just kept that look aimed at her, silently making it clear that he wasn't letting this go. With a sigh Hermione gave in. "Viktor Krum just asked me to the Yule Ball." She couldn't believe the effect this statement had on him. His face crumpled and his shoulders slumped.
"Oh. Well, um, I can probably find someone else or, um…" Harry trailed off looking very uncomfortable with the topic.
"Harry, I turned him down." she said taking his hand in hers. She was amazed and a little proud of the way life seemed to flow back into him at her simple confirmation that she wouldn't drop him for a famous sports star. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"
"Well, he's really famous and he's older and a real school champion." Harry answered in a sheepish tone. She rolled her eyes at him.
"You're at least as famous, my age and in the lead for the Tri-Wizard tournament. I don't think you have anything to worry about on those points." She gave him an impish grin. "Besides, if you don't feel like you're a school champion, you can just be my champion." He barked out a laugh.
"Hermione's Champion. I like the sound of that." He slid off the couch and onto one knee. "Your Champion will face any challenge, fight any battle for your honour, My Lady!" She swatted at his shoulder as she laughed.
"You are an absolutely incorrigible goofball, my Champion." The two didn't even notice their antics were being observed by the rest of the common room with smiles. "If you are to fight for my honour, you should endeavour to find out what it is you face. Have you solved the egg yet?" The way his face hardened told her he had and wasn't happy with what he had discovered. She had no way of knowing that Harry had simply asked the Room for a bath and lobbed the egg in to check that the message was what he remembered. He re-joined her on the couch and in a low voice told her the clue he had heard when he had listened to the egg underwater. She was immediately analysing what the clue was telling them.
"The first two lines seem to imply that you will have to go into the Black Lake. I do wonder what they'll take. The last half of the poem seems to imply a time limit. I'm a little worried that the task is likely to leave you under water for an hour." Harry was frowning at her.
"The second half of the poem is not what I'm worried about. Considering the tournament's organization so far I'm a lot more concerned about the third and fourth line." Hermione looked at him in surprise.
"What do you think they'll take that has you so worried?" Harry's face darkened even more and she could see his anger at the organizers clearly in his eyes.
"I don't think it will be a 'what' at all. I think it will be a 'who'." Hermione was shocked into silence for a very short moment before she rushed to reassure her friend.
"Harry, they wouldn't just involve people in a dangerous task. I mean people who haven't volunteered. Would they?" Harry's look clearly said that he had no such faith in the organizers and Hermione suddenly remembered that her friend hadn't volunteered for the tournament he was in either. "Well we'll just have to prepare for that as a worst case scenario. It's still the breathing underwater that worries me. I mean I know that we're supposed to learn the Bubble-Head Charm in sixth year. Do you think you'll be able to learn it with the help of…" Hermione was suddenly very aware that they were still in public, "well, with the help of the you-know-what." Harry was giving her a grim smile.
"I probably could, but I will be leaving the charm as a backup. I intend to take the view that everything we are taught here is magic, including Herbology." A plant? Harry was going to use a plant? "Gillyweed, Hermione. It'll give me gills and webbed hands and feet allowing me to swim faster. I also intend to keep a tracking charm on you as we get closer to the task so I can find you quickly." Well she couldn't fault that for planning but she desperately wanted to lighten the mood a bit.
"I am what you would sorely miss, Harry?" she asked him with a sly smile. Harry though responded far more seriously than she had expected.
"You are the one thing in my life I would miss the most." That has to be one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me. Hermione didn't have the words to respond so she just leaned in to Harry, laying her head on his shoulder and sighing happily. It wasn't the mood she had been aiming for exactly but she would definitely take it, especially when Harry summoned a book out of his bag and opened it to reveal a Herbology text detailing the effects of Gillyweed. Hermione didn't notice that she pressed herself even closer to Harry to more easily read the book he had open on his lap while he explained the series of experiments he had planned to determine the duration of the effects so he would know how much of the magical plant to take. Hermione was soon completely absorbed by the academic challenge being presented and didn't have a shred of a thought to spare for Viktor Krum.
:-:-:-:-:
Hogwarts Castle was unusually busy this Christmas. Harry knew from personal experience that in a normal year barely half a dozen students would stay in the castle for this holiday. With the approaching Yule Ball though, the hallowed halls of learning became decidedly festive. Harry thought the professors might just be pulling their hair out with so many children running around with no classes or homework to occupy their time. Since Luna had left for home, Harry and Hermione were spending most of their time in the Room of Requirement only coming out to join the general populace for dinner. They were also taking extra care to not be followed. 'Idle hands are the Devil's playthings' Aunt Petunia was fond of saying whenever she gave Harry more chores and there were a couple hundred idle pairs hanging around with nothing better to do than follow their favourite champion around. Thankfully, none of the other champions knew the castle near as well as Harry.
With Hermione more or less permanently available to help Harry focused on his studies into Ancient Runes and Arithmancy with her help, rather than expanding his repertoire of spells. He still wasn't sure how to explain that he could probably take his N.E.W.T.s in the wand based subjects without coming off as a dangerous madman. His newfound studious nature in no way deterred him from dragging Hermione out to play in the snow one morning when the two teenagers joined their classmates in a massive snowball war.
Christmas Day dawned bright and early for Harry with the excited cries of his dorm-mates. It still amazed him how Weasley could sleep the day away every day, but somehow be up at six on Christmas morning. He looked to the foot of the bed and smiled to see a pile of presents. It still moved Harry to know that there were people who wanted to send him presents every year for Christmas and his birthday. He had received Mrs. Weasley's usual care package despite his row with her youngest son which meant a lot to him. Sirius had sent him the penknife again and Hagrid a massive box of sweets. Ron hadn't sent him anything this year which was fine by Harry as he hadn't sent the red-head anything either. The tissue from the Dursleys made him happy he had sent them a recipe for a Bowel Cleaning Potion.
The gift from Charlie and the Twins of a dragon-hide wand holster that released his wand with a flick of his hand was new, he was very sure of that, just like his year-long subscription to the Quibbler from Luna. He was also pretty sure that Hermione's gift of the three part series Challenges in Curse Breaking hadn't been included last time around but it was highly appreciated nonetheless. He hoped she liked the blue shawl he had included in addition to a book called Applied Advanced Arithmancy. He knew the colour was close to the dress she had worn last time through and the saleswitch at Gladrags had gone on and on about the material so he had bought it on a whim. Come to that he hoped Hermione's parents liked the gift he had helped Hermione find for them: a set of picture frames that hid their contents from anyone who was not aware of the magical world. His gift to Luna of the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft left him snickering even now as he imagined articles on Shoggoths, Mi-Go and Night-Gaunts filling the pages of the Quibbler. Finally he noticed a small lumpy package was the only one left. When he opened it he grinned to see two pairs of socks. It looked like Dobby had drawn Winky into his gift idea and they had each made him a pair. He hoped the two elves enjoyed the sewing supplies, as well as the cookies and fruit cake he had made for them himself.
He got out of bed feeling like the day was off to a brilliant start. When he got down to the common room, he saw Hermione sitting there with his Christmas gift around her neck. Her smile when she saw him lifted his spirits even further. The two friends shared a long hug before going down to breakfast. Harry and Hermione spent the day in the common room enjoying the Christmas atmosphere with their housemates. At four thirty Hermione told Harry she was heading up to get ready along with the other girls. Harry just smiled and told her to have fun, thinking privately that being stuck in a room with only Lavender and Parvati for company sounded like nothing he would ever volunteer for. He could hear several of the fourth and fifth years complaining about the girls needing three hours to get ready. As he thought about what he knew the results would be Harry was a little concerned that he was cheating by already knowing that Hermione would be the undisputed belle of the ball. Ah well, not like he could or would change that. Harry went up to the dorm to grab the first volume of the set Hermione had given him and settled in to read. Two hours later he said a quiet thanks to Neville who nudged him out of his concentration to go and get himself ready. It didn't take him long at all to shower and get into his robes. He debated using a shaving charm and decided he might as well go the full mile and get rid of the peach-fuzz that was all he had for beard growth at this age. He was happy he had some experience with the charm as he avoided the nicks and cuts that his dorm-mates gave themselves copying him. He borrowed some hair gel from Dean and tried to get his unruly hair to look like it was purposely tousled, having given up on 'flat' years ago. He didn't waste any time commiserating with Weasley about his frilly robes this time, though Seamus looked to have that well in hand. Deciding he looked good, or rather as good as it was going to get Harry headed back down to the common room.
As he waited for Hermione, Harry felt himself get unaccountably nervous. He had gone through this before and hadn't been half as confident or prepared. As a matter of fact he couldn't remember being this nervous last time. He had no reason for his hands to get this clammy now or for his heart rate to pick up like he was faced with a dozen Death Eaters. Last time you weren't going with Hermione Harry's conscience made itself known. He sighed; wasn't that just a true thought. He tried doing some Occlumency exercises to calm himself. If he was nervous about making a complete arse of himself tonight, he was setting himself up with a self-fulfilling prophecy and he'd be damned if he allowed any more prophecies of any kind near his life. His dorm-mates left one by one with their dates. Seamus and Parvati. Dean and Lavender. Neville and Ginny. Where was she? Wasn't she getting ready with-
Harry's thoughts ground to a halt as Hermione glided down the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She looks better than the last time. She was once again dressed in a floaty, periwinkle set of robes. She once again had her hair in a sleek shiny braid. She once again walked with the kind of grace that is difficult to manage while carrying a mountain of books. Maybe it's the smile Harry thought to himself. Last time it had been nervous; this time she was simply beaming. Realizing he had been standing there staring at his date like an idiot, Harry moved forward in a daze. Taking Hermione's hand he brought her knuckles up to his lips and bowed his head over her hand for a chaste kiss.
"My Lady." he murmured. Her smile grew brighter and her eyes sparkled at him.
"My Champion." she answered him. Harry blinked as he wasn't sure he had been joking. Shaking it off he placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.
"Shall we?" he asked. She nodded, her smile never dimming and together the two left the common room and Harry at least would have been unable to say who, if anyone, had been present as they did. As they walked towards the Great Hall Harry almost felt like he was floating. He chanced a look at Hermione only to see her eyes snap away and a light shade of pink touch her cheeks.
"You look absolutely stunning." Harry told her. Hermione smiled and looked back at him.
"It's because my hair isn't a nightmarish mess and my teeth have been shrunken down to human proportions." she told him. Harry frowned.
"No, it's more than that. Personally I think it's the way you're smiling and how it makes your eyes look." he informed her. The light pink darkened into red. "The blushing's pretty cute too though." He grinned at her. Hermione's jaw dropped at that before she smacked him in the shoulder.
"Harry!" She didn't look at all put out with the comment though and Harry shrugged unrepentantly. The atmosphere between them lightened at his teasing and they managed to enjoy the walk and each other's company. The might have just breezed into the hall like they usually did if it hadn't been for Professor McGonagall's voice calling out to them.
"Mr. Potter! Ms. Granger! Over here, please." The two teens made their way over to their Head of House who examined them critically before nodding her head and gracing them with a rare smile. "You two look excellent; Pride of the Lions indeed." The professor looked a little surprised that she had just quoted the Weasley twins and looked around quickly to make sure that there were no witnesses. "If you will follow me, the champions and their partners are gathering in a waiting room." Harry and Hermione followed her obediently and discovered that the other three champions were already present. Cedric and Cho they had been aware of from McGonagall's dance classes. Fleur had once again brought Roger Davies who seemed to already be drooling. Harry knew snickering would be terribly impolite, but by the ancients, it was hard to control himself. Krum had found a date among the Beauxbatons contingent whom he was currently ignoring in favour of leering at Hermione. Harry felt his date cringe and noticed that she seemed to be trying to hide behind him. Clearly Krum had not just asked her to the Ball. Harry turned slightly, drawing Hermione with him so that he was squarely in between her and the Bulgarian. He spared the seeker a quick glare before ignoring him and instead focusing on Hermione. The brunette was looking up at her date with a look of gratitude but he could also see apprehension, which he rightly attributed the conversation he intended to have about what really happened between her and Krum, and an apology for dropping him into this situation which he considered entirely unnecessary. Before tensions could escalate, Professor McGonagall had returned.
"Your attention, please. We are about to send you in to the Great Hall. After the overwhelmingly positive response to the presence of a photographer we have allowed another student initiative and you will all be announced formally. You will therefore enter in ascending order based on your current standing in the points. Mr. Diggory, you will be first, followed by Ms. Delacour, Mr. Krum and Mr. Potter. Remember to enjoy yourselves and do your schools proud." It only took a moment to get in the order Professor McGonagall had specified and they left the room. As they approached, the doors swung open and the noise of the Great Hall washed over them along with Lee Jordan's magnified voice.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you the Champions of the Revived Tri-Wizard Tournament. Presenting Mr. Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff House, accompanied by Ms. Cho Chang of Ravenclaw House." Cedric and Cho walked in with their heads held high to thunderous applause. Professor McGonagall stopped Fleur and Roger from following them in. The reason became clear a moment later when Lee's voice rang out again.
"Presenting Ms. Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Acadamy, accompanied by Mr. Roger Davies of Ravenclaw House." As the next pair moved into the hall to cheers that sounded like they were mostly from the male half of the attendees, Harry felt a stab of worry in his gut. Lee was the twins' best friend and Harry had heard his Quidditch commentary for three years. Somehow he had a feeling that this 'student initiative' was a prank. A prank aimed at him.
"Presenting Mr. Viktor Krum of Drumstrang Institute, accompanied by Ms. Celine Beaumont of Beauxbatons Academy." Harry felt Hermione's hand gripping his forearm so tightly she was threatening to cut of his circulation. He brought his other hand up and pried her hand off before bringing it up to his lips for another kiss. He tried to reassure her with his gaze and judging by her nod he had succeeded. He replaced her hand on his arm right as Lee called out the last introduction.
"Presenting the Knight of the Light, the Pride of the Lions, the Lord of Gryffindor House, Harry James Potter, accompanied by his Lady, Hermione Jane Granger!" Harry gusted out a sigh; he knew it. Squaring his shoulders he and Hermione strode into the Hall desperately trying to pretend they had received the same introduction as everyone else. He also felt slightly sorry for Lee as he caught a glimpse of the unbridled outrage on McGonagall's face. Their housemate was likely going to be in detention for the rest of the year for that stunt. Unorthodox though their introduction might have been, the reception by the rest of the Hall was as loud and enthusiastic as any of the other champions. As Harry and Hermione made their way to the Head Table where the champions, their partners and the judges would be eating , two of the faces Harry saw jumped out at him. Weasley looked sick with jealousy, and that expression was strangely mirrored on Malfoy's face. Several others simply looked stunned. When they got to the table Harry held out a chair for Hermione graciously offering her the one closer to Fleur and Roger rather than the one next to Percy Weasley. From what he remembered of the evening that should give her a chance to join an interesting conversation rather than having to listen to an endless barrage of bragging. Once he had taken his own seat he greeted the third Weasley brother who gave him a coldly polite greeting in return. Harry wasn't sure what he had done to offend the older boy but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. When Dumbledore demonstrated the way the menus worked Harry gently squeezed Hermione's knee and she nodded in understanding. The extra work for the house elves annoyed her but she wouldn't blast that ire over the champions table; yet. Hermione ordered the bass and Harry the tenderloin. The couple each tasted the other's choice and came away satisfied with their own.
Dinner passed in a rush of pleasant conversation and Hermione even managed to present her views on the MSPCE to an impressed Madame Maxime and Fleur Delacour. Harry was drawn into the conversation mostly so he could avoid Percy's constant sniffs of disapproval at the idea of a group devoted to helping house elves. When dinner was done Dumbledore announced the opening of the dancefloor and the four champions and their dates left the table for the opening dance. Harry and Hermione smiled as their arms went around each other as they had every night for the past two weeks during Professor McGonagall's dance classes. When the music started the two fell into a pattern of movement that had become so familiar that they no longer had to pay attention to where they were placing their feet. Instead they were talking in voices just loud enough to cover the limited distance between them.
"I'm happy I'm here with you. Thank you for agreeing to this circus. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have by my side." Harry said. Hermione smiled up at him.
"I have to protect my champion, don't I? Besides I'm having a wonderful time too. I can't think of anyone else I would want to be here with either." she replied. He gave her look.
"That feels like a lead-in to ask you what happened between you and Krum." Harry said. Hermione's face fell slightly but she managed to keep her smile in place.
"Not here and not tonight. I don't want anything to ruin our first dance." Harry was well aware that Hermione probably meant that this was the first ball either of them attended but he couldn't help but imagine future dances with Hermione in his arms. He sighed and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead.
"Fine, I'll drop it for tonight." He couldn't see Hermione's smile as she dropped her head to rest on his shoulder as the two moved together and abandoned the formal waltz in favour of just holding each other and swaying to the music. They continued like this until a voice and a tap on the shoulder interrupted them.
"Is five songs not enough for the two of you? I thought we had agreed to share at least one dance?" Harry and Hermione looked up to find a grinning Cedric and Cho. Five songs? We barely danced at all. Both Harry and Hermione were shocked but recovered quickly as they had indeed agreed to share a dance with Cedric and Cho as a show of unity that the Hogwarts Champions held no ill will for each other.
"Be honest, Cedric. You just want to be able to say you danced with the most beautiful girl at the Ball." Harry chided him playfully, getting a bark of laughter from the older boy.
"Hands where I can see them, Potter." Cedric returned, to which Harry took Cho's hands and held them out as wide as he could, pressing their bodies together.
"I'm sorry, Cho, but your boyfriend insisted." He said with mock sincerity and wide-eyed innocence as the girls chuckled and Cedric swatted him in the back of the head and called him a brat. Harry let go of one of Cho's hands and stepped away from her as he bowed.
"May I have this dance, miss?" Harry asked as Cedric copied his actions with Hermione. Cho's eyes still sparkled with mirth as she answered.
"Of course, my Lord Gryffindor." Harry just groaned at her before leading her onto the dancefloor. This time Harry and Hermione had no trouble limiting themselves to one dance before finding the others and returning to their partners for the night. They spent some time talking with Cedric and Cho and neither of them noticed that their hands had intertwined between them. Another slow song came on and Cho dragged Cedric back onto the floor as they said their goodbyes to the younger couple. Harry and Hermione shared a look and a smile and moved back out onto the floor as well. After they had danced for a few songs Harry suggested a break and led Hermione over to the corner of the Hall where Colin had set up his equipment. The couple joined the queue and took the chance to catch their breath and slow their heart rates as they waited their turn. When they took their positions in front of the camera Colin's head shot off of the viewfinder.
"Harry! Hermione! Isn't this the greatest night ever?!" he didn't wait for them to answer. "Okay, just hold each other. I'll be taking several pictures so feel free to change your pose around." The young Gryffindor barely waited for the couple to slip their arms around each other before he started taking pictures. After two solid minutes Harry was ready to start asking how long this was going to take. As he opened his mouth to do just that he saw someone walking by and inspiration struck.
"Professor McGonagall! Will you join us for a picture?" Harry called out to the passing professor. She looked surprised and so did Hermione and Colin. Harry just smiled winningly at his Transfiguration teacher.
"Very well, Mr. Potter." she said after a moment's contemplation and joined the two fourth years in front of the camera. She would never admit it but the idea of photo with two of her favourite students rather appealed to her. Colin had gotten nervous at the idea of taking a picture of his Head of House and had to visibly gather himself before he said "Same procedure as last time, everyone. I'll take several shots so you can adjust your poses if you wish. Harry made sure he was standing next to McGonagall while Hermione took up position on the other side of their professor. The first two shots Harry tried to look dignified and impressive. At the third flash of Colins camera he tensed. Right before the fourth flash he launched himself at professor McGonagall and swept her up in a giant hug just as the camera flash went off. There was no fifth photo as Colin had nearly dropped his camera in shock and was staring open-mouthed at the scene in front of him. Minerva McGonagall was blushing like a schoolgirl at the unexpected physical affection from one of the most reserved students in the school and was scrambling to gather her scattered composure in the face of an impish grin that was giving her flashbacks to the seventies. Harry quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her away from the still recovering Deputy Headmistress.
"That's for framing that ridiculous paper, ma'am! Enjoy your evening!" He called out cheekily as he pulled his date back out onto the dancefloor.
It took Hermione a few minutes to recover from the audacity of her best friend. When she did she smacked him in the chest and half-heartedly berated him for his prank, to Harry's great amusement. They danced until they noticed they were thirsty. On the way over to the drinks table they ran into Neville and Ginny. Harry offered that he and Neville would get drinks while the girls took the time to catch up. He should have remembered what happened last time Hermione's date left her to get drinks. Harry and Neville returned to see Weasley standing in front of their dates screaming his head off and looking like he had been there for a while.
"You just had to whore yourself out to Potter, didn't you?! If you looked like this every day I might have asked you, but no, you only put in the effort for the rich and famous! Or are you going to deny that you just dropped me as soon as Potter was chosen as a champion?!" His ire then turned to his sister. "And you. Get back up to the dormitory! You are far too young to be dressing like that and I won't have people saying my sister's some sort of scarlet woman!" Harry was furious and rushed over to the confrontation, fully intent on escalating it, only to find that Hermione had things well in hand. The smack of that hand landing full force on Weasley's cheek was heard around the Hall and gave Harry a great deal of satisfaction.
"I stopped being your friend, Ronald Weasley, because you proved beyond a doubt that you are a terrible friend and a terrible human being. It is not my fault that the rest of the girls at Hogwarts realized that as well." Well that answered the question of what Weasley had been on about before they came within hearing distance. Harry reached them as Weasley was raising his hand. Harry had no intention of finding out what his former friend was planning to do. He was pre-empted by Professor McGonagall though.
"Mr. Weasley! What do you think you are doing? Did I not specifically say that you were to behave yourselves tonight." At Weasley's mutinous look she came to a decision. "Your Yule Ball has just ended, Mr. Weasley. Return to Gryffindor Tower. Now!" The last command was added when the redhead hesitated. Finally he turned around and stormed out of the Hall. Harry breathed out a sigh as he felt the tension leaving his body. He noticed that he was still holding the drinks he had gotten for himself and Hermione. He handed one to his date and immediately slipped his free arm around her in a comforting hug.
"Come on. Let's take a walk." He murmured in her ear as he started guiding her out of the Great Hall and into the garden that had been set up. Hermione simply nodded and drank her punch with trembling hands. Harry deposited her empty glass and his untouched one on a table just before they passed through the doors. They didn't speak as they walked around the garden but Harry could feel the tension gradually bleed out of Hermione's shoulders. When she leaned her head against his shoulder Harry knew she had calmed down again. The kiss on his cheek was certainly more than he was expecting and made him feel like he had truly done something worthwhile tonight . He smiled down at Hermione and said, "Would you like to go back in? I for one wouldn't object to a few more dances with you." Her bright smile was all the answer he needed and they headed back in. They didn't leave the dancefloor again until the professors started sending everyone up to bed.
The walk up to Gryffindor Tower passed in comfortable silence. When Harry and Hermione entered the common room they were relieved to find it empty despite the fact that several sixth and seventh year couples had been dismissed at the same time. They walked up to the staircases leading to their dorms still holding on to each other. Neither of them really wanted the night to end. Eventually it was Hermione who broke the silence.
"Thank you, Harry, for an absolutely wonderful night." Before he had a chance to respond she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek, right at the corner of his mouth and ran up the stairs after a hurried "Goodnight."
Harry didn't know how long he spent standing there looking up at where she had disappeared. One hand drifted up and touched the corner of his mouth where he could still feel the press of her lips despite the smile that threatened to split his face. Maybe Ephialtes had a point was his last thought before he headed up to his own dorm.