25 December 1994

Hermione was growing increasingly concerned for her friend as the Yule Ball drew closer. She disappeared at all hours, even after attempting to show her the corridor Eloise just shrugged and told her she had research to do. Luna didn't seem all that put out, however. Seeing as she actually lived in the corridor, her friends were surprised she never got in trouble for not sleeping in her dormitory. When she informed them it wasn't uncommon for her house mates to lock her out of the tower, Hermione wanted to tell Flitwick right away. There was no way an entire house could bar one of their own from their tower but Harry stopped her. Luna did not want to go back to the Ravenclaw tower and who could blame her, really?

After four years of being ignored by the majority of her dorm mates, Parvati decided they needed to be best of friends after she accepted her brother's invitation to the ball. Even going so far as to draw Lavender and Hope into discussions with the redhead. They learned quickly that mocking Luna and Eloise was the most efficient way to get hexed but they eventually settled on talking about dresses. It seemed every time Hermione tried to sneak away to spend time with Luna or Harry, Parvati came out of nowhere to show her an article in Witch Weekly on hairstyles, makeup tips, glamours, and everything else imaginable. Hermione grew up with six brothers and a mother who tried to force her into pretty dresses from a young age, she already accepted she would never be what could be labeled as a girly girl. She liked quidditch, learning new spells, and lazing about in the corridor with a good book.

Hermione finally managed to drag Eloise to the corridor on Christmas morning after Winky grabbed all their gifts and moved them. She grinned happily as Eloise looked around the sitting room with wide eyes, taking in the comfortable atmosphere in awe. Luna hummed as she sat down beside her pile of gifts, waiting patiently for them to join her.

"This is amazing! Winky did this all herself? This is where you've been disappearing to?" Eloise asked excitedly as she plopped down beside Luna and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Yes, I would have showed you sooner but you've been so busy...mystery boy?" Hermione smiled cheekily and wiggled her eyebrows dramatically as she sat down on the other side of Luna. Eloise's face turned a bright red and her eyes grew somber as she looked away.

-0-

"Hermione!" Hope squealed excitedly and latched onto the red head's arm, giving her an affectionate squeeze. Eloise reeled back in shock at seeing their dorm mate acting so friendly, having been so busy for the past week she missed the strange budding friendships in her dorm.

"Mina!" Lunar squealed in equal enthusiasm as she grabbed her other arm, resting her head on her best friend's shoulder with an absent smile.

"Are you coming up to the tower to get ready?" Lavender asked breathlessly from the other side of Hope, her other arm laced with Parvati who wore a dreamy smile.

"Oh, I was going to join my brothers for the snowball fight." Hermione said with a rueful smile as she jerked her head towards the open door where students were filing out onto the grounds. Parvati pouted but Hope sighed dramatically and cut off Lavender's retort.

"We will come get you in two hours." Hope said firmly, tugging on Hermione's arm so that she was forced to look at her.

"But..." Hermione sputtered, wondering why they would need to collect her six hours before the ball started.

"Hair, makeup, nails, dress, wax, and let's not forget the prep work." Lavender practically vibrated with excitement as she listed off the itinerary off on her perfectly manicured fingers. Hermione and Luna exchanged an amused smile while Eloise hovered behind them with a slight grimace on her face. "Really, you should come with us, right away. Pav made an excellent mask and it's been sitting under a cooling charm all night! It will really help clear-"

"They'll be fine!" Hope cut her off abruptly, seeing the wide eyed look of shock on Hermione's face. She was quick to drop her arm to grab Lavender and Pavarti so she could drag them off to the tower, "two hours!"

"When did that happen?" Eloise asked curiously when the trio disappeared around the corner.

"Since Ronnie asked Pav to the ball." Hermione said slowly with a bemused grin. "I've heard her discussing the wedding already. Hope and lavender keep talking about ginger Indian babies."

"You've always wanted a sister." Luna hummed as she practically dragged them out to the grounds where her brothers were preparing for war with Harry and Neville.

"Yes, so that my mother could dress her up while I played quidditch or read." Hermione scoffed as she ducked to avoid an errant snowball, turning she found Malfoy smirking at her with his Slytherin friends. He wore a knit cap to cover his balding head but not even his scarf could hide his all over new greasiness. With a sniff of disdain, she turned her nose up at the arrogant blond and continued towards Hagrid's shack.

"Seems those detentions did nothing." Eloise grumbled as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, pulling the wand from her pocket.

"Spitfire!" George shouted when he caught sight of her familiar red curls, causing the other boys to turn from their work. Harry and Neville stood beside Fred with their wands held aloft to levitate a small pile of snowballs into a basket hung from a tree. Ron was flicking his wand back and forth, forming perfectly packed snowballs as George erected a waist high wall.

"Oi! Why aren't you ladies getting all buffed up?" Fred shouted with a crooked grin as he abandoned Harry and Neville to greet the girls.

"I had hoped we could get ready in the corridor but the other girls are coming in about two hours to drag us away." Hermione shrugged as she stepped forward with her wand out to join in the fun.

"Blimey, whatchu need four hours to get ready for?" Ron blurted out with wide eyes, he blushed to the roots of his hair as his older brothers openly laughed at him.

"Six." Eloise coughed from behind her hand, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from the redhead at her side.

"The mysteries of birds!" George slapped him on the back with an amused smirk, Fred shook his head as he moved back to where Harry and Neville were lounging behind their wall of snow. The two fourth years stopped talking and looked over at the girls with flushed faces before getting back to work. Luna smiled brightly as she flicked her wand, sending a full basket of ready made snowballs to tip over right above Harry and Neville, starting the annual war.

"WEASLEY!" Lavender Brown shrieked one hour and thirty nine minutes later, making all of the Weasley siblings pause. The curly haired blonde strutted across the lawn with a pinched frown on her face as boys openly gawked at her. It appeared that her hair and makeup were already complete while she was only wrapped in a light blue silk bathrobe. Her fuzzy boots didn't even take away from the look as she let her hips sway seductively, enjoying the appreciative glances of her male classmates.

"Already?" Hermione squeaked as her arm dropped, along with the pile of snow she was levitating, right on top of Ron's head. Luckily it seemed to knock her brother out of his stupor and he was able to close his mouth.

"Yes, already!" Lavender snapped and she reached forward to grab Hermione's wrist in an iron grip, glancing to Eloise and Luna with an impatient glare. They were quick to jog behind the girls as Lavender studied Hermione closely.

"Well, bye!" Harry shouted weakly with a pout, he was so distracted by his girlfriend's abrupt abduction he never saw the snow ball that hit him in the face.

-0-

"I look like my Great Aunt Tessie!" Ron exclaimed in horror as he gaped at his reflection in the mirror Dobby conjured for them in corridor. His brothers snickered as they looked over the dress robes their mother provided him, a fuzzy orangish brown set with yellowed lace. The youngest Weasley son lifted his arm to smell himself and grimaced. "I smell like my Great Aunt Tessie!"

"It can't be th-" Harry stopped when he came into the room and got his first look at the dress robes he only caught a glimpse of months ago. His eyes widened comically as he took in the moth eaten, lacy abomination. Suddenly, Ron turned on him with a angry scowl on his face.

"You!" Ron shouted as he took in Harry's plain bottle green dress robes as if they somehow personally offended him. The bespectacled boy took a step back as Ron's mouth opened and shut, trying to find words. When he could he turned to his brothers who were wearing only slightly faded black dress robes, Fred's lined with orange trim and George's with purple. "Why could I get one of those?!"

"They were Uncle Gid and Fab's, mum almost didn't let us wear them." Fred shrugged uncomfortably, feeling a spike of pity for his brother.

"Then..." Ron's shoulders slumped as he looked back at his reflection and pulled uncomfortably at the lace around his neck.

"I think those were Uncle Billius's" George offered with a grimace as Harry edged out of the room, feeling uncomfortable. Fred stepped forward with his wand out before he got away, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Here, a severing charm should get rid of that." Ron watched with trepidation as his brother made quick work of the frills on his dress robes.

-0-

"Hope! Haven't you ever heard of fashionably late?" Lavender snapped as the witch in question tapped her foot impatiently, scowling at the girls still getting ready. "You know, make an entrance?"

Hope glared at Lavender and Hermione had to hide her smile behind her hands as the girls had an intense silent conversation with only their eyebrows.

"Hufflepuff commons are next to the kitchen." Luna supplied helpfully as she twirled in front of the full length mirror, a bright smile on her face as she watched the skirt flare out around her legs. Hermione smiled at her best friend, the silvery dress reminded her of the material of Harry's invisibility cloak and just suited her so well, her father even sent some of her mother's jewelry for her to wear. Her radish earring were put away in exchange for blue bosom berries that twinkled and let out puffs of sweet smelling air.

"See! Looney get its!" Hope exclaimed but took a step back when she caught the menacing glare on Hermione's face.

"Fine!" Lavender hissed impatiently through her teeth as she twirled one more time in the mirror, looking at her soft pink mermaid dress with a smile.

"Are you ready, Hermione?" Eloise asked as soon as Hope and Lavender left, the redhead was the last to put on her dress. It turned out the dress belonged to her grandmother Cedrella, even older than she originally thought. She looked to the dress hanging on the door with a frown before nodding with determination and slipping it over her head.

"It's so white, like a unicorn." Pavarti sighed as she looked at the delicate lace dress that Eloise and Luna were helping Hermione adjust. "Was that your mother's wedding robes?"

"No, my mother looked like a strawberry cream puff in her wedding robes." Hermione snorted fondly, thinking of the fluffy, frilly white dress robes her mother wore. She smoothed down the dress as she looked in the mirror and turned to her friend with raised brow. The floor length dress was very conservative, with its high neck line and sheer lace sleeves.

"Vintage." Eloise said helpfully as she tapped her wand to the sash to pull the waist line in so it fit her perfectly.

"Elli, you say everything is vintage." Hermione snickered as she slipped on her shoes.

-0-

"Where are they?" Ron grumbled as he picked the frayed pieces of fabric from his dress robes. Fred and George already went in with their dates, Fred with his long time girlfriend Angelina while George escorted both Katie and Alicia.

"Dunno, Gran sai-" Nevile started but his mouth dropped open and color filled his cheeks as he looked towards the grand staircase. Ron and Harry turned to find themselves rocking back on their heels in shock. Pavarti rushed down in a silky pink sari and bright smile on her face as she approached the dumbfound Ron. Luna skipped down right behind her wearing a flowy silver dress that trailed out behind her, Neville was quick to step forward and bow while he took her dainty hand in his own.

"Don't worry, Harry! Hermione was just clearing some of the wrackspurts for Elli!" Luna chirped as she walked by him with a wink. Harry nodded numbly as he watched Neville stand proudly beside her. With her absent smiles and childlike demeanor, Harry never thought she could be so beautiful. He quickly shook his head to clear such thoughts and looked towards the staircase, only for his heart to stop beating in his chest.

"Wow..." Harry breathed as he took in the angelic form of his girlfriend standing beside her friend. Eloise practically towered over Hermione in deep royal blue mini dress that showed off her long legs but Hermione appeared glowed in her high necked lace dress. The bodice clung to her like a second skin and flared out the hips, just barely kissing the floor.

"Hi." Hermione whispered as she reached the last step in front of Harry, he blinked owlishly before his face broke out in a bright smile.

"You look beautiful!" Harry sighed as he took her hand in his own, making Hermione chuckle and jerk her head towards her friend with a pointed look. "You..uh too, Elli!"

"Thanks, Harry!" Eloise blushed and looked down at her feet then to Hermione with a shy smile.

"Yes, Harry's absolutely right! You look absolutely stunning and I'm sure your mystery date will lose his mind when he sees you!" Hermione leaned into Harry as she nodded encouragingly to her friend, then pouted dramatically. "If only you would tell me wh-"

"Honestly, all will be revealed soon!" Eloise laughed uneasily as she laid a gentle hand on Hermione's arm, Harry looked up at her suspiciously and was just about to open his mouth when someone cleared their throat, making them turn around.

"Mr. Potter, Miss. Weasley, come with me. The champions and their dates will be the last to enter." Professor McGonagall said firmly as she guided them to the corner where Fleur and Cedric were already waiting with their dates. Hermione turned and smiled apologetically at her friend, sad she wouldn't see her date's reaction but she wasn't even looking at her.

"Bonjour." Fleur nodded to the couple and flashed them a dazzling smile before turning away. Her date, Roger Davies, didn't even spare them a glance as he was too busy staring at Fleur with a slightly dazed, awestruck expression on his face.

"Hallo." Krum waved uncomfortably, keeping his eyes focused on Harry's arms around Hermione's waist with a pensive look on his face. Hermione didn't recognize his date so she assumed she went to one of the visiting schools. The blonde looked them over coolly before turning back to Krum with a besotted smile.

"Hello." Harry plastered a cheery smile on his face as he shuffled his feet, trying to keep Sirius's lessons in mind.

"Alright, we're here!" An arrogant drawl made the couple turn and Hermione almost fell over in shock. Cassius Warrington had a smug smile on his face with an arm wrapped loosely around Eloise's waist. "I believe you know my date, Potter?"

"Elli?" Hermione gasped as her friend refused to meet her eye, keeping her gaze focused on her peep toe stilettos.

"Oh, Elli didn't tell you about us?" Cassius asked with a dramatic gasp, placing his hand over his heart with an exaggerated hurt expression on his face. Eloise's ears turned a bright red as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye but still refused to raise her head. "My shy little muggleborn, it's almost romantic, isn't it?"

"Elli?" Hermione asked, moving forward in hopes to get her friend to look at her but when she raised her head the redhead was shocked to find a sheepish smile on her face. She glanced between the Slytherin and her friend suspiciously, feeling unnerved at the malicious smile on Cassius's face.

"Well-" Eloise when her date tightened his hold on waist and she looked back to the floor quickly.

"Isn't she just adorable?" Cassius drawled, looking at the Gryffindor couple with a triumphant smile. "Always so-"

"Champions!" Professor McGonagall rushed forward to start ushering them into the hall. Harry's hold on her waist tightened as the entire school turned to stare at them, his cheeks turning red form all the attention.

Hermione's attention was quickly drawn to the beautiful transformation the great hall. Floating icicles hung suspended from the ceiling and the tables were enchanted to look as though they were covered with a thick layer of frost. She smirked as she turned to see most of the school's attention was focused on her friend, low whispers of Eloise's transformation filled the hall as they were lead to the head table.

"Eloise?" Ron's shaky exclamation was heard over the whispers and Hermione turned to see her brother's eyes glued to Eloise on the Slytherin champion's arm.

"Now we know why she wouldn't say who her date was." Harry whispered as they took their seat, next to her brother to her immense pleasure.

"Think he did something to her?" Hermione whispered as her eyes darted to where Cassius was pulling out her chair for her. The Slytherin's eyes were focused on her and Harry and he smirked at them as he bent low to brush his lips over Eloise's finger tips.

"Shh!" Percy nudged his sister with a stern glare making Hermione roll her eyes at her brother. He adjusted his glasses and sat up straight in his chair as he listened to Dumbledore's speech, giving his sister a pointed look to pay attention.

"I don't know, they seem cozy." Harry shrugged as his eyes drifted to where Cassius slung a possessive arm around Eloise's shoulders.

"But if she really liked him, wouldn't she tell us, her friends?" Hermione demanded in a low voice, getting another sharp jab to the ribs from her brother.

"I don't know, maybe she thought we wouldn't take it well?" Harry shook his head as he picked up his menu to look around in confusion.

"Porkchops!" Dumbledore said a little louder than necessary to his plate, Harry's eyes widened as the pork dinner magically appeared on his plate. The headmaster winked at Harry before he turned to the man on his left to say something he couldn't hear.

"Chicken?" Hermione read off in an unsure voice and nearly dropped her paper menu in surprise as her plate was filled with the grilled chicken dinner. Hary quickly covered his mouth to smother his laughter, earning a glare from his girlfriend.

"How are you, Percy?" Harry asked the former headboy with a small smile. He was taken back as Percy turned his head to glare at him then looked to his sister.

"I've been quite busy with at the ministry." Percy said loftily, speaking directly to his sister as he cut his food into orderly bite sized pieces. "Mr. Crouch has been ill, so he's been looking to me to carry on in his stead."

"Wow!" Hermione turned to smile brightly at her ambitious brother. "That's amazing, Percy! To have the head of the department trust you with so much after only months of working at the ministry!"

"Yes, well..." Percy preened as his chest puffed out in pride and he waved his sister off in an attempt to play modest. "Well, with my organizational skills, the department has never run smoother...only the slight hiccup..." He turned his eyes to glare pointedly at Harry as he bared his teeth, "of an underage student entering the tournament-"

"Percy, you should know Harry didn't enter his name." Hermione cut him off with a slight frown. She missed her older brother and the excitement of sitting beside him was waining now that she saw the glares her brother was giving her boyfriend.

"I'm sure that's what he said but-" Percy started but Harry cleared his throat with a tight smile on his face.

"Yes, that's what I said. Your boss was in the chamber when my name was called, I'm sure he told you that Dumbledore thought my word was enough." Harry said with a hard edge to his tone, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yes, well, unfortunately, Mr. Crouch was denied the right to question you himself." Percy grumbled, turning to his plate and effectively ending the conversation. Hermione blinked owlishly at her brother before her face set into a scowl. All joy of seeing her brother long gone but as she opened her mouth to say something, Harry placed a warning hand over hers. Looking around, she saw many students' eyes focused on the head table and averted her gaze to her plate.

"I think I preferred him when he was barmy about cauldron bottom regulations." Harry grumbled under his breath, making Hermione release an awkward laugh.

"I'm sure it's just stress from the job." Hermione said with an apologetic smile before turning back to her own plate.

Sooner than they hoped it was time to open the ball, Harry and Hermione rose with the other champions for the first dance. Sirius did dedicate a few afternoons to teaching Harry the proper dance moves but unfortunately, he was still stiff and awkward. Luckily, Hermione was quick on her feet and was able to avoid any embarrassing injuries. Not to say she was doing any better, she allowed Harry to jerkily drag her along with the other champions with a happy smile on her face as he lifted her into the air. The closest she came to real lessons outside of the afternoon with the other Gryffindors and her head of house was standing on her father's feet at a wedding. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as Harry stared avidly at their feet and counted under his breath.

"Stop that!" Harry hissed, the color of his cheeks rising as he looked up to see his girlfriend watching him with an amused smile on her face.

"What? I had no idea how smooth you were, Potter!" Hermione exclaimed innocently as she nearly tripped over her own heel to keep up with the other dancers.

"You're laughing at me." Harry frowned as he lifted the giggling witch into the air with a huff. She responded with a kiss to his nose as he lowered her back to her feet, happy other couples were joining them on the dance floor.

"Harry, I don't think anyone's focusing on us." Hermione whispered and jerked her head to the side. Harry followed her gaze to find Fleur Delacour gracefully twirling around the dance floor, leading her stunned date with a look of disgust on her angelic face. He noticed for the first time that most of the crowd was watching the spectacle, completely ignoring Victor Krum's surprising skill or that Eloise and her Slytherin champion already sat down.

"You might be right." Harry grumbled ruefully before looking at her hesitantly, only to find her beaming at him. Her brown eyes shimmered gold in the light and he was momentarily stunned by the petite girl in his arms. His heart swelled with affection and something he couldn't identify so he shook his head and stammered. "Drinks?"

"Sure?" Hermione said with an arched brow as Harry immediately dropped her arms and left her on the dance floor. Shaking her head she easily found Ron sitting with Parvati still, when she came closer she realized that Ron had his arms folded over his chest and a dark scowl on his face.

"Hermione!" Parvati called out with obvious relief showing on her face as she grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her into the seat beside her.

"Having fun?" Hermione chirped as she smoothed down the delicate lace of her dress.

"What's she thinking?" Ron grunted under his breath, Hermione followed her bother's glare to find him looking at Eloise and Warrington standing with a group of his Slytherins friends. Her raven haired friend looked surprisingly at ease but she must have realized that she was being watched because she turned her head and met Hermione's concerned stare.

"Are you going to ask me to dance?" Parvati hissed, not taking eyes off Hope and Lavender dancing with their dates. Her gaze was filled with such longing and sadness that Hermione was momentarily taken back before she turned to glare pointedly at her dense brother.

"I don't-" Ron started but closed his mouth quickly when he finally looked away from Eloise to find Hermione giving him a heated glare behind Pavarti's back. "I mean, uh."

"He's just nervous because you look so gorgeous tonight." Hermione whispered to Parvati while her brother floundered for words.

The Indian girl smiled brightly at that and didn't hesitate to grab his hand to pull him to the dance floor. Ron sent his sister a wide eyed, terrified glance but Hermione just waved him away with a cheeky grin. She sat alone as she watched her dorm mate forcefully lead her stumbling brother through the steps of the simple dance. With a grin she looked around to find Neville was much smoother than she expected him to be as he swept the Luna across the floor gracefully in his arms. Eloise was once again on the dance floor with her date, dancing much closer than expected as the Slytherin champion seemed to almost surround her with his body as he lead her.

"Having fun?" A deep voice startled her and she turned quickly to find Cedric Diggory taking the seat beside her. She couldn't remember ever talking to the Hufflepuff seeker other than after the match in third year when he told the team he wanted a rematch. Even though he grew up in the Ottery St. Catchpole, she was always considered her brothers' annoying little sister so she was ignored when he came to the burrow to fly.

"Barrels of laughs." Hermione smiled shyly before her eyes drifted back to her brother's red face as Parvati, once again, forcefully moved his hand to her hip.

"Where's your champion?" Cedric asked softly with a just a touch of bitterness.

She turned to look at him in confusion and paused when she found her boyfriend standing at the drink table with Cho Chang, her hand on his arm. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the Asian Ravenclaw flutter her lashes and she hissed through her teeth. "With your girlfriend."

"Not my girlfriend. I heard she coming with a Hogwarts champion, pretty shocked she turned up with Bole." Cedric smiled apologetically as Hermione kept her eyes on her boyfriend, who looked flustered and red in the face.

"Must be the wig." Hermione shrugged indifferently before tearing her eyes away from her stammering boyfriend.

"Would you lik-" Cedric started but paused when Hermione stood abruptly.

"Thanks for the chat, Diggory." Hermione waved distractedly as she stalked to where her boyfriend was standing with two drinks in his hands and Cho pressing up against him.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed with obvious relief showing in his face when he saw his girlfriend approaching, Cho seemed to freeze at his side as she glanced at the redhead.

"Harry, is that for me?" Hermione asked sweetly as she took one of the drinks from his hand without waiting for a response. Taking a small sip, she turned to Cho, who still had both hands wrapped around Harry's forearm, and looked her over in her golden wrap dress. The Ravenclaw looked gorgeous and suddenly unsure of herself as Hermione stood before her. "Cho, you look lovely."

"Well...uh, thank you." Cho looked stunned for a moment before taking her hands off Harry as if she were burned. The tension left Harry's shoulders as he moved to stand beside Hermione and place his arm around her waist but she danced away, keeping her eyes on Cho.

"Thanks for the drink, Harry." Hermione said softly as she turned on her heel and left them both standing there. She shook her head as she took a deep breath and downed her glass of punch in one swallow.

"Dance?" Luna wrapped her arm around Hermione's, startling the redhead. Without waiting for an answer, Luna pulled her onto the dance floor and began twirling her around. She started to feel dizzy before a bubble of laughter left her throat and she turned to her best friend to return the favor.

"Where's Neville?" Hermione said close to the blonde's ear so that she could hear over the music. Luna grabbed her around the waist and they spun in a graceless circles before the blond pointed to the table where Neville was watching them with a smile. It took a moment to find Harry sitting just behind him watching her with a frown.

"Wrackspurts." Luna shook her head fondly as she grabbed Hermione's hands in her own and leaned back to spin. Other students jumped out of the way as Hermione leaned back to join the dizziness.

"ARE YOU READY?!" A deep voice shouted through the hall as the music stopped, Hermione had to lean on Luna as she looked around to find the Weird Sisters taking the stage. Before she could recover from her shock, she felt two set of strong arms wrap around her and Luna and they were pushed towards the gathering crowd.

"Calm down there, Spitfire!" She heard George shout over the screams of her school mates, Hermione relaxed as she saw Fred and George boxing her and Luna between them, protecting them from the crush. Neville soon joined the excited bouncing, because that was the only thing they could do, except Luna who waved her arms over her head in a very familiar dance Hermione had seen her do many times with her father. Alicia and Katie threw their arms around the petite redhead as they too joined and screamed along with the music.

"Where's Harrikins?" Fred shouted suddenly after they started to play 'Magic Works', one of their most popular songs. Hermione turned to find Harry still sitting sullenly at the table, watching her dance with their friends. With a disgruntled sigh she disentangled herself from the group of chasers before marching to where her boyfriend was slumped down in his heat beside her brother.

"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded with her hands on her hips.

"Er, I'm not much of a dancer?" Harry said weakly, looking up at her with trepidation before turning to Ron for assistance but the redhead stayed stubbornly silent as he watched the crowds.

"Well, then I suppose we should go somewhere for a bit of quiet?" Hermione jerked her head towards the doors with a challenging brow. Harry quickly got to his feet and automatically reached for her hand but she stepped around him and lead him silently out to the courtyard.

The courtyard was covered in fairy lights and crystals, much like the great hall. They silently walked past rustling bushes, making Hermione blush. Wondering who would want to lay down in the shrubbery for a snog. Harry once again reached out to take her hand and she let him but just as he was about to open his mouth they saw Hagrid and Madam Maxime approaching down the dimly lit path. The couple ducked down to sit on the bench and stayed quiet.

"Me mam wasn't much the mothering type, they never are, I guess." Hagrid mumbled loudly, once again wearing his furry orange suite. Thankfully he decided not attempt to oil his hair again but they could smell the cologne from their place on the bench.

"That is terrible!" Madam Maxime simpered with a heavy French accent, pressing her large hand on Hagrid's brow sympathetically. Hermione had to bite her knuckle at the oddity of someone comforting their giant friend but she was so much taller than him, it was a comical sight.

"So, which one was yours?" Hagrid asked, suddenly eager and they could see through the shrubs that Madam Maxime froze in her tracks, staring at Hagrid with wide eyes.

"Which?" The French headmistress asked testily, her lips pressed into a thin line, but Hagrid shook his head and looked at her so earnestly.

"I've never met another one before." Hagrid said hopefully, turning his body to completely face her.

"Anozzer what?" Madam Maxime demanded testily as she took a step away from him but Hagrid barreled on.

"Another part giant of course!" Harry and Hermione both flinched at the loud slap that followed Hagrid's loud exclamation. Harry peeked over the hedge to see the Beauxbatons headmistress running as fast as her long legs could carry her with Hagrid following down the path.

"Wow." Hermione whispered as she sat back on the bench comfortably, looking up at the fairy lights suspended above through the trellises and trees.

Harry sat back and studied his girl for a moment before trying to hold her hand, only for her to pull away again. "Is this about Cho?"

"I don't like that I have to rescue you the female population." Hermione said bluntly, not taking her eyes off the blinking lights above her.

"You don't have to rescue me!" Harry exclaimed loudly, his face flushing a deep red as Hermione turned to look at him with an arched brow.

"Yes, I do. Otherwise you would already have been dragged into a dozen broom closets." She scoffed with a roll of her eyes, as she turned her head to look at him, her expression softened at his utter confusion. "If a girl gets too close, you just seem to shut down and you never push them away."

"They touch me, Myne!" Harry hissed through clenched teeth as he shuddered at her side.

"Yes, I'm aware." Hermione retorted drolly, turning back to look at the sky. "I can't keep flinging girls off you by the hair, no matter how much I enjoy it."

"Why not?" Harry blurted out, a little louder than he meant to, making Hermione crack a small smile.

"You have to decide if you want other girls touching you. I can't decide for you...but if you decide you wou-" Hermione tried to explain patiently but her voice hitched slightly at the thought of rejection.

"No! It's not that!" Harry shouted, grabbing her hands roughly in his own, refusing to let her go when she tried to jerk away. "It's...I like when I hold your hand, when you touch me it's warm. When..."

"What Harry?" Hermione asked softly, shifting to the side and pulled his hands in her lap.

"It's like Aunt Petunia..." Harry whispered in shame, hanging his head and attempting to pull his hands away but Hermione held tight. He glanced up through his lashes to see her looking at her with such concern and fear that he took a steadying breath. "It's nothing like that, Hermione."

"Then what is it?" Hermione persisted gently, bringing her hand to rest on his cheek to draw his gaze up to her.

"She was very pushy and well...if I fidgeted then she would shove me in the cupboard..." Harry shrugged helplessly, unable to find the words to explain how it felt. To explain that the cupboard was a very real nightmare of his childhood that he still feared he would wake up in one morning. The Hogwarts, magic, the Weasleys and Sirius were all a dream. It had nothing to do with attraction or even the girls who touched him in general, they were all like his aunt in some way. He opened his mouth to continue but Hermione lunged into his lap and he got a mouthful of hair.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione sighed sadly into his neck and Harry couldn't help but wrap his arms around her waist.

"I just freeze, I'm sorry I'll try harder." Harry whispered into her hair, his fingers trailing along the soft delicate lace of her dress and Hermione choked out something unintelligible as she shook her head against his chest.

"It's okay. I love you just the way you are and I'll hex any clingy girls until you can do it for yourself!" Hermione sat up with a smile, trying to lighten the mood but Harry froze, his eyes wide in shock.

"You..." Harry mumbled, looking away with red cheeks, she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked softly, reaching up to touch Harry's cheek. It seemed to draw him out of his stupor because he wrapped her tightly in his arms and kissed her with such passion that Hermione's train of thought was promptly derailed. Harry's hands were threaded into her hair and the stylish half up do Lavender and Hope spent nearly two hours on was completely ruined. Eventually, her lungs began to burn from lack of air and she was the first to pull away, although Harry continued cradling her head in his hands.

"You love me?" Harry whispered, his breath ghosting over her lips and a small, shy smile bloomed on her face.

"I love you." She said softly, resting her forehead on Harry's as he closed his eyes tightly.

"No ones ever said that to me before..." Harry breathed so softly Hermione almost didn't hear him.

"They may not say it but you have a lot of people who love you, Harry." Hermione said firmly, pulling back slightly so she look him in the eye. "My parents and brothers already consider you an honorary Weasley...Sirius, Luna, Neville, Elli, Winky, and Dobby."

Harry was silent for a long moment, just staring at her with slightly glassy eyes before pulling her into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you."

Hermione was silent for a moment as her heart raced, she was waiting for him to say the words. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter because they were only fourteen and it was apparently the first time anyone ever said the words to him but she couldn't. "We should go back in." She mumbled uncomfortably as she pulled away from him, Harry silently regarded her in confusion unsure of why she would suddenly pull away from him.

"-HE'S only using YOU!" Ron Weasley's voice echoed through the entrance hall. Hermione and Harry rushed forward to find Ron and Eloise standing toe to toe, glaring furiously at each other. At some point Eloise removed her tall, pointy shoes and she was now the same height as the red head.

"Oh, and why would he be doing that?" Eloise sneered, her cheeks pink as Ron was close enough that she felt his harsh breath on her face.

"To get close to Harry, obviously!" Ron scoffed, his hands clenched into tight fists at his side as Eloise just smiled mockingly.

"That's ridiculous, he hasn't asked me anything about what Harry was doing for the tournament." She snapped at him, her voice low and dangerous. Ron opened his mouth to voice more theories but she barreled on, her mouth twisted up in a vicious sneer. "It must kill you that the veela looked at you like scum on her shoe but I got a date with one of the champions. You said it yourself, didn't you? Your brother is madly in love with the beautiful Angelina, the other twin gets two fit chasers to escort...then your twin gets your bestmate, golden champion and Boy-Who-Lived. Must be awful that I wasn't even one of the good ones and I turned you do-"

"That's enough!" Hermione shouted, pushing her way between them. The redhead was quick to glare at the assembled crowd, all of them eagerly watching the brewing confrontation. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Cassius Warrington smirk before slinking away with his arm around a pretty Slytherin in a low cut emerald gown.

"You can't be taking her side!" Ron growled, his fists shaking at his side and his sister could tell he was close to tears.

"You didn't hear what he was saying to me!" Eloise exclaimed, looking just as upset as Ron with her hair falling from it's stylish up do.

"I'm not taking any sides!" Hermione sighed and looked to her boyfriend for assistance but he was busy shoeing spectators away. She wondered briefly where Parvati disappeared to but assumed her brother just said something to upset her. "Ron...maybe you should head up to the dorm and cool down."

"So you are taking her side?!" Ron demanded, his blue eyes blazing in the face of her betrayal. She was quick to reach out and grab his hands, stopping him from rushing up the stairs.

"Of course I'm not." Hermione whispered soothingly, forcing him to meet her concerned gaze. "I just think you need a chance to calm down and get away from her."

"Come on, mate." Harry sighed, appearing at the siblings side, he patted Ron on the shoulder as they both turned away and left the girls alone.

Hermione turned on Eloise before she could open her mouth and held up her hand for silence while she took a deep breath. "I really want to hear your side of the story and be a good friend but..." She paused, taking another deep calming breath before continuing. "How could you say that to him?"

"He was saying that I was purposefully betraying you by coming with him tonight!" Eloise exclaimed hysterically as she sat down heavily on the stairs in front of her best friend, tears falling down her perfectly made up cheeks. "I didn't-I didn't even want to come with him!"

"Why did you?" Hermione asked in a much calmer tone, instantly melting at how upset her friend was. Eloise just shook her head, muttering under her breath as she cried. "You can tell me. Did he threaten you?"

"Yes." Eloise whimpered as Hermione pulled her hands away from her face.

"Let's go tell McGonagall or Uncle Albus." Hermione whispered urgently, moving to stand but her friend kept her on the stairs. "You have to tell someone!"

"Can't." Eloise whimpered as she roughly pulled Hermione against her, trapping the petite witch in a smothering embrace. The redhead squirmed a bit to free her arms so she could rub her friends back as Eloise was overcome with sobs. Eventually Eloise slipped down so she was gripping Hermione's waist with her face pressed into her stomach. They sat on the stairs for at least ten minutes while Eloise took comfort in the much smaller girl's arms. By the time her sobs subsided, most students were leaving the ball and Hermione was able to pull her wand to clean up Eloise's appearance.

"Are you ready to tell me what he did?" Hermione asked softly, her brown eyes shimmering with sincerity as she held her friend's hands in her lap.

"You won't understand." Eloise whispered sadly, meeting her concerned gaze with resignation.

"You can tell me anything and you can't let him get away with whatever's he's doing!" Hermione said passionately, looking around quickly to make sure no one was listening. They weren't the only girls sitting on the staircase, it appeared that a lot of girls didn't have the night of their lives. Students leaving the ball were quick to rush past them, even at the opportunity to hear gossip they had the decency not to linger. "I promise, I'll listen and I won't judge. You need to tell one of the professors that he's threatening you...did he hurt you?"

"No! Nothing like that...he-he didn't even like touching me. You won't understand and it doesn't matter anymore because the ball is over and he'll keep his word." Eloise sniffled, unable to meet Hermione's concerned stare any longer.

"He's a Slytherin!" Hermione practically snarled, shaking her head vehemently. "He'll find an excuse to get something else out of you! If you don't do something now, he'll do something worse next time."

"He-" Eloise started, finally lifting her head to look at her friend. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no words came. She struggled for a few moments before giving up and grabbing Hermione by the cheeks and roughly covering the redhead's mouth with her own. Hermione instantly froze, eyes wide as Eloise attempted to deepen the kiss but she stubbornly kept her mouth closed. Her cheeks hurt from how tightly Eloise was holding her face and when she started to struggle the raven haired witch moved her hands to Hermione's hair, forcing her to keep her head still. Glancing around for her help, her eyes landed on Harry standing at the top of the stairs with wide, betrayed eyes. Before she could free herself he turned away slipped around the corner. Hermione brought her hands up to try and push the other girl away but Eloise just gripped her curls more tightly in response.

"Eli..." Hermione gasped when she was finally released, quickly putting some distance between them.

"I know..." Eloise sighed sadly, looking away from Hermione's bruised lips with a trembling chin.

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered sincerely, unsure of what else to say as she stood up, increasing the distance between them. She felt her heart constrict painfully at the sadness radiating from her friend but just couldn't find the words to express how awful she felt. "Don't let him use you again."

When Eloise didn't respond, Hermione fled. She rushed through the halls in hopes of finding Harry, the look on his face before he turned away from her was so much worse than watching Eloise cry or the resigned slump to her shoulders when she pulled away. The common room was still quite busy, filled with amorous couples not quite ready to say goodnight, when she reached the fourth year boys dorm she was shocked to find Seamus and Dean kissing passionately, in only their pants. They broke apart quickly and looked to her with wide, pleading eyes.

"Secret's safe, lads." Hermione squeaked, turning quickly and dashing from the room. Ron was sitting in front of the fire and she was surprised she missed him the first time, being the only person not attached to another student by the mouth.

"'Mione!" Ron called out just as she made it to the portrait hole, he looked relieved to see her, happy even.

"Ron, I'm really sorry but I need to find harry." Hermione said regretfully, he was out of his seat and just behind her before she could even blink.

"How could you ju-" Ron started angrily, his face as red as his hair but Hermione cut him off quickly.

"Eli kissed me!" Hermione hissed impatiently, not breaking her stride even after Ron stopped in his tracks. It took him a few moments to catch up, grabbing her by the arm to hold her back.

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded looking, if possible, even angrier than he did when he left the ball.

"She just grabbed my face and wouldn't let go! I was shocked and Harry saw before I could get away from her." Hermione exclaimed, feeling panic rise as she remembered the betrayed look in Harry's eyes as he watched.

"I'm not sure what to do about this." Ron mumbled as he slowed his walk, still able to keep up with his sister thanks to his long legs and her painful heels.

"Harry." Hermione breathed out in relief as she saw her boyfriend pacing in front of the hidden corridor, rubbing his forehead angrily. When he heard her voice he froze in his tracks and looked up at her with a scowl.

"You kissed another girl." Harry stated flatly, not making any moves to close the distance between them.

"No...a girl kissed me." Hermione said slowly, taking a tentative step towards him but Harry didn't respond. "I didn't want to kiss her...so I didn't."

"I'm not sure what to do about that." Harry said with a frown, noticing for the first time that Ron was standing awkwardly behind Hermione when he made a strange noise in the back of his throat.

"Bloody hell, right!" Ron exclaimed, looking at Harry with wide eyes and nodding vigorously.

"Ronnie..." Hermione sighed, letting out a lung full of air through her nose very quickly. "Why are you still here?"

"Well, first...I was angry you didn't come talk to me but then you told me about Eloise. Then, I was like...what the buggering fuck do I do? So, I just kind of kept following trying to figure out what to do when a bird forces herself on your sister. If it was a bloke, it would be easy. Hex the bugger and step back for Fred and George to take their turns. After you told me-" Ron rambled, looking more and more confused as he talked. Harry interrupted with a snort that turned into a hysterical bubble of laughter.

"You're not doing anything to Eli!" Hermione exclaimed loudly, her voice echoing off the stone walls and she grimaced.

"She attacked my girlfriend." Harry grumbled, looking almost as lost as Ron as to what to do next.

"Listen, I'm not really sure what to say but she was really sad so I would like never to talk about this again." Hermione rushed out quickly, looking to her feet as her cheeks filled with color.

"She attacked my girlfriend." Harry repeated a little more firmly and Hermione looked up to find he was standing beside her, staring down at her with an intensity she's never seen in his green eyes.

"She was also sobbing into my dress because apparently Warrington threatened her with something so she would come to the Yule ball. When I pressed her, she kissed me." Hermione reached out and took his hand, her brown eyes wide and beseeching. Without hesitation, Harry wrapped her in his arms and she immediately returned the embrace.

"So, you really didn't want to kiss her?" Harry whispered into her hair, his answer was immediate as she shook her head violently into his chest, her arms unconsciously tightening around him.

"Err...can we get back to what her brother is supposed to do?" Ron cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at them impatiently. Hermione turned her head slightly so she could look at her brother but otherwise stayed comfortably in Harry's arms. "A bird assaulted my sister..." He shuddered and his mouth twisted in disgust. "With. Her. Mouth."