Chapter 79 - The Yule Ball Pt. 2

***** Bonus Chapter ***** A/N: I've found myself spending less time reading fanfics ever since I started writing..... Not that I stopped completely, more like just not up to date on a lot. Feel kinda bad Im so behind tbh ahaha *****

Fleur and Jordan made their way to the entrance hall, attracting quite the amount of stares with their unique matching outfits along the way.

The castle corridors were all full of equally dressed-up students, also making their way towards the entrance hall, making their travel time much slower than expected, especially with the amount of Hogwarts students all stopping to stare at the couple.

Fleur of course, was proudly showing off to all of Khan's jealous fangirls, bathing in the looks of deepest loathing from them, as they passed them by.

Arriving a few moments later at the entrance hall, they both found it was even more packed with students, all of them milling about, waiting for 8pm, when the Yule Ball was due to start.

It appeared there were quite a few people who were meeting partners from different houses, as a fair number of students were all edging through the crowd, trying to find one another.

Similar to the castle corridors, much of the crowd noticed the 2 champions who were coupled up with their matching outfits, many of them staring at Jordan and Fleur, as they stood off to the side, patiently waiting for the doors of the Great Hall to open, making small conversation with each other.

Eventually, they were approached by a familiar couple.

It was Hermione and Harry, and they appeared to be attending the ball together from their appearance!

Harry was dressed in sharp dress robes of Dark green that matched the color of his eyes, that would have made him look very handsome, if not for his crazy mess of hair.

Hermione on the other hand, had actually done something with her hair, appearing quite beautiful, making Jordan himself, do a double-take, as he glanced over her and her outfit a few times, in a similar fashion to the way he had just checked out Fleur upon first seeing her.

Her hair was no longer bushy, but sleek and shiny, twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing beautiful periwinkle-blue robes, and smiling quite happily, showing off her recently reduced teeth.

"Hey you two!" Khan greeted his two younger friends with a wide smirk on his face. "You guys look good! You especially Hermione! Are you attending the Ball together?"

"Hi Jordan! Thank you so much!" Hermione responded with a wide smile, before she began eying Fleur, not offering her own greetings.

"Hey Jordan, thanks..... and ya, we are..." Harry greeted his friend with a slightly red and embarrassed face from his comment, sheepishly scratching the back of his head awkwardly, thinking back to how that even happened.

*****

*Sigh*

Harry sighed aloud for the third time in a few moments, as he sat in the Great Hall staring at the Ravenclaw table, a few days after he was informed that he would have to open the ball, as a Triwizard champion.

He had only recently started even liking girls romantically, said girl being Cho Chang, and now he was somehow supposed to ask one out as a date for this bloody ball?

Although he loved having Hermione as a best friend, this was one of those rare and unique instances that Harry actually missed Ron as a friend.

After all, How could he talk to Hermione about his current girl problem!?! Was he just supposed to ask her how he was to go about asking Cho Chang to the dance?

'Not like she would even help me with this, with how she's been acting lately...' He mumbled to himself, thinking of Hermione and how nonchalant she had been acting about the entire Yule Ball.

She appeared more concerned with her studies, spending more time in the library, apparently conducting research, not wanting to bother with the Yule Ball or Romantic matters in general.

In truth, Hermione did not want to think about the yule ball or romantic matters in general, as she was feeling strangely quite jealous at the recent rumors of Jordan romantically dating the harlot!

As a result, she tried to bury her feelings, writing them off as how a little sister would feel, and spending more time in the library, attempting to busy herself in the comfortable and familiar distraction of books and her studies.

Not that Harry knew all those details of course.

Harry himself was still seated in the great hall, trying to figure out a way out a way to work up the courage and ask out his Asian Crush.

"Maybe I can ask Jordan for some tips...." He mumbled to himself. "Him and that Veela seem to be very close la-"

"Harry! Thank goodness you're still here!" Hermione took a seat quickly beside him, catching her breath for a moment before continuing. "You've got to help me!"

Harry was interrupted out of his thoughts by the sudden re-appearance of Hermione, who had departed earlier for the library, after finishing her dinner in seconds.

"Hermione?" Harry answered her a bit confused. "Is everything alright? I thought you were heading to the library?"

"I was just there!" she responded, with a slight panic to her voice. "But never mind that! Will you help me?!"

"Of course... you know I'd do anything to help you!" Harry tried to reassure his best friend. She had been there by his side where nobody else had been after all; Harry was quite literally prepared to do anything for her. "What do you need me to do?"

"Please be my date to the Yule Ball!"

"What?!?"

*****

"Turns out that she was being stalked by Krum in the library!" Harry continued to narrate their story to the listening Jordan and Fleur. "He apparently has been frequenting the library, looking for the opportunity to get Hermione alone and ask her out."

"He kept pestering me, even after I turned him down the first time!" Hermione complained, staring at Jordan, hoping to clarify the situation.

"But why would you turn him down?" Fleur questioned. "He is a world famous quidditch player already at such a young age!"

"Because he was responsible for destroying that poor dragon egg!" Hermione raged. "I would never consider even being a friend, let alone attending a ball, with someone that would harm innocents! Even accidentally is no excuse; he could've lured the dragon away like Jordan did!"

"Anyways.... that evening in the Great Hall, Hermione had returned from the library, as she was once again accosted by Krum, this time with him asking her to at least be his date to the Yule Ball." Harry continued narrating, hoping to avoid another Hermione lecture. "Which is why she ended up asking me to the Ball instead."

"Only as friends though!" Hermione helpfully added.

"Well that was quite the story, although it seems I should have a few words with Krum..." Khan responded, slightly unhappy that man did not know how to take 'no' for an answer.

He was feeling rather protective of his younger friend, Hermione. She was literally the first friend he had made from this current era, and Jordan felt a certain amount of affection for her, especially after their impromptu date to Hogsmeade.

Khan had conveniently forgot about the invisible Harry that also joined them on that 'date', with his 'protective' feelings.

*Click*

A door from the the dungeons opened with a group of Slytherins coming up the steps from their dungeon common room, about to pass by the three waiting champions.

Malfoy was in front, wearing dress robes of black velvet, set with a high collar, which in Khan's opinion, made him appear to look like a vicar. He was accompanied by Pansy Parkinson, who was dressed in a very frilly set of pale pink dress robes, clutching his arm, looking quite haughty as she walked beside Draco.

"Pink and Black... quite the color combination." Khan commented under his breath to Fleur.

Although he meant it more as an interesting comment, Fleur appeared to take it as a joke, as she giggled and cuddled closer to him in response, much to the watching Hermione's displeasure.

Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's 'bodyguards' as Jordan named them, were both wearing deep green dress robes, and were marching behind each of Draco's shoulder's partnerless.

'That makes sense, since they're his 'bodyguards'.' Khan joked to himself with a small smirk.

"Greetings Lord Khan! You are looking very well this evening!" Draco noticing Jordan, immediately changed his smirk to a fawning smile, not hesitating to flatter him.

"Fleur, this is Draco Malfoy and his date Pansy Parkinson." Khan proceeded to introduce Fleur to his Slytherin acquaintances with a small smile on his face, since she was not familiar with them. "They are 4th year Slytherin students of mine."

"And you as well Ms. Delacour! You are looking quite beautiful and noble, as expected!" Draco did not hesitate to flatter Fleur as well, as his Lord's paramour. "After all, only a noble and beautiful woman such as yourself is worthy enough to stand beside Lord Khan!"

"Hello Mr. Malfoy." Fleur shook hands with the weasel-looking boy, greeting him politely, before latching back onto Khan's arm. "Thank you for your compliment; I am very proud to be Jordan's date tonight!"

"Potter, Granger." Malfoy turned to address Khan's two other companions. "I must compliment the two of you on losing that deadweight you used to call a friend."

"Uh.... thanks?" Harry didn't know how to respond to that back-handed compliment.

"And You Potter, are finally learning the proper families to associate with. Well done!" Draco naturally was referencing their second meeting abord the Hogwarts Express, on his way to the school for his first year.

The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Karkaroff leading them as usual.

Krum himself, was at the front of the party as well, accompanied by a relatively pretty girl in Blue Robes that Khan did not recognize.

From her facial appearance however, she looked to be a Drumstraung witch, with clear eastern European facial features evident.

Looking through the open doors, Khan saw that an area of the lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights, all of them dancing around Father Christmas and his reindeer. Pointing it out to Fleur, the couple began staring along with a number of other students, all of them enjoying the festive sights together.

Draco and Pansy in the mean time, moved to walk past Harry and Hermione, Crabbe and Goyle behind them, before he stopped right by harry and spoke softly so that only he could hear him, before him and his posse moved on.

"Champions, and their dates, over here please!" Professor McGonagall called out overhead, interrupting the collecting viewing party.

Fleur hearing that, started beaming even more than previously, as she began to make her way, alongside Jordan, Harry and Hermione, as they all made their way towards where McGonagall was calling from.

She was of course, still latched onto Jordan's arm, as she haughtily looked down at all Khan's staring and jealous fangirls, with the rest of the crowd slowly parting to let them all through.

Professor McGonagall, who was wearing red Tartan Dress Robes and a decorated hat with a odd looking wreath, told them all to wait on one side of the doors, when the group had arrived, Krum and his partner arriving a few moments before them.

Everyone else was to go inside, with the Champions and their dates, to enter the Great Hall in procession, when the rest of the students had sat down.

Khan of course, who had just heard the story about Krum, was currently feeling quite upset with him, and as a result, was glaring at him unblinkingly from the moment that himself and Fleur had arrived.

Harry and Hermione themselves arrived a few moments later, also not greeting the other champion and his date, instead choosing to stand to the side and let the other students pass into the great hall.

The four champions and their dates then all proceeded to wait silently for everyone else to enter and get seated.

Fleur herself, felt a little confused with her feelings, watching her husband eye down Krum. On the one hand, she wanted to play the peacemaker, and stop Jordan from making a scene, possibly embarrassing their family. On the other hand, she wanted to watch her husband dominate that 'wannabe-celebrity' with a big nose.

After a few moments of inaction, Fleur instead settled on simply admiring Jordan and his 'manly' glare.

Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Krum and his date were then positioned closest to the door, with Harry and Hermione following them, and Jordan and Fleur bringing up the rear, all of them lined up in pairs, directly behind McGonagall.

"Follow me everyone! It's time to open The Yule Ball!"