chapter 44

The weeks went flying past faster than Hope had expected and it was Christmas morning already. Hope had gotten up early so she could magically send off all her presents to her friends.

The Tribrid was gazing longingly down at her sleeping wife with a serene smile on her face. Hope moved her hand up to the blonde's face to trail the pads of her fingertips over Daphne's cheek softly, rousing the witch from her peaceful sleep.

"Good morning love. Happy Yule." Hope greeted her bleary eyed wife with a wondrous smile.

Daphne groaned quietly and threw the sheets over her head. "Too early."

Hope chuckled lightly to herself at her wife's childish actions.

"Come on Daph! We wake up earlier than this for our runs, if anything I let you sleep in. Now up!" Hope pulled the bedsheet down to the end of the bed much to Daphne's dismay as she grumbled into the pillow.

Daphne turned around with a small glare aimed at Hope but the blonde witch couldn't hold it for long as a beautiful smile appeared on her face. "Happy Yule Hope. I love you."

The smile on Hope's face grew wider as she leaned over Daphne. "I love you too."

Hope and Daphne shared a deep kiss as they expressed their love through their bond. Neither girl wanted to go any further than the comfort and safety of belonging to each other so they kept the kiss fairly tame by their standards.

The girls had eventually made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast although Astoria had made a request for her Yule gift which caused the Emrys couple to arrive late to breakfast. Daphne's little sister had begged her sister-in-law to break all the spells within the Slytherin dormitory. Hope had pulled all the students out of the dorm and even informed Snape what she was doing.

The Professor was unable to stop Hope from doing what she would like to the dormitory as she was the Slytherin Protector and had jurisdiction over Slytherin House. Snape had tried to barter for Dumbledore's attendance but Hope gave a sideways glare at the Professor before placing her hand on the stone guardian and pulsing her magic through the castle. Tearing down old spells and removing restrictions that were placed over the dorm by Snape, Malfoy Sr, Riddle and even a few Blacks from a few centuries ago.

Astoria hugged the Tribrid before skipping off with a large smile on her face as she joined her friends and headed off to the Great Hall.

Daphne sat with Hope at the end of the table where Hope was martyred off during the first week of their first year at Hogwarts. Tracey and Blaise sat on Daphne's other side sharing small talk with each other while Fleur and Aimee sat opposite the Emrys pair immersed in their own chat.

Ever since Daphne had announced herself as Consort Emrys she has taken the liberty of sitting beside Hope whenever she is able now that she doesn't have to hide anymore. Thankfully she didn't have to give up her old friends to join up with Hope's group considering Tracey and Blaise were 2 of the more open Slytherins willing to form alliances with members of the other 3 Houses.

Hope was gazing softly at Daphne during breakfast wondering to herself how she was this lucky to have a Mate such as Daphne. The blonde heard this thought and gave a quick smile in Hope's direction while staying immersed in her conversation with Tracey and Blaise who were going to the Yule Ball together as friends since neither of them were currently interested in another person.

However Hope knew that wasn't completely true due to her keen sense of smell and the way Tracey would light up whenever Daphne was around. But the Tribrid never brought it up since the other Slytherin girl was respectful of her Mate and never acted on her feelings.

Hope returned the quick smile to her Mate before turning her attention to Fleur and Aimee. The auburn haired girl snapped her fingers as she summoned a couple of small parcels in plain brown paper. Hope handed the slightly smaller gift to Aimee and the larger one to Fleur.

"Happy Yule, girls." Hope mentioned as she handed the gifts over.

Aimee was shocked that she was getting a gift from Lady Emrys and was about to say that she didn't have a gift for Hope.

But Hope seemed to know what the other Veela was going to say and informed Aimee that she didn't expect a gift in return. "Don't worry about getting anything for us. Trust me when I say that I have everything I need… right here."

Daphne turned back to Hope with concern in her eyes as she had heard that saying in one of Hope's memories with her father. Hope felt Daphne's worry but eased her Mate's worries as she laced her closest hand with Daph's right hand and played with the Consort Emrys ring with a calm smile on her face.

"Hello Aunt Freya." Hope mentioned as she looked up with a marvellous smile on her face as her aunt dropped her invisibility spell.

Everyone at the end of the Slytherin table including the 2 blonde witches, jumped suddenly at the appearance of the powerful witch. Even a majority of the Professors flinched slightly.

"Hello gorgeous." Came the instant reply from the Immortal Viking Witch.

"So is it Merry Christmas or Happy Yule?" Freya asked with a curious expression on her face.

"Either? Both? Although if I do get to pick I would choose Yule to be honest. Our Christmases always fell short growing up." Hope replied as she crossed her arms and rested them on the table.

A flash of sadness crossed Freya's face at the remembrance that Hope has possibly only had one Christmas with the entire Mikaelson family and she was possessed by Inadu at the time. "I suppose that's understandable."

Hope frowned a little as she realised that she made her aunt feel guilty. "Oh Aunt Freya… I didn't mean it like that. I wouldn't trade any of the Christmases that I spent with our family or even at the school. These experiences made me who I am today and into the person that has a Mate and friends. Real friends."

Only Freya and Daphne were able to smoothly follow the conversation as Hope shifted languages seamlessly into Norwegian.

"I know Hope. But it is the truth as much as I wish it wasn't."

Daphne summoned a small parcel roughly the size of a jewellry box and offered it to Freya as she wanted to ease the eldest Mikaelson's grief and change the subject before the school started to question why Hope and Freya looked so sad.

Freya looked at the gift in confusion before looking up to Daphne. The blonde locked eyes with the powerful woman before stating with a roll of her icy orbs. "Happy Yule Aunt Freya. Now take the present for Merlin's sake. It doesn't bite."

The Immortal blonde woman gave a quick glare to Daphne before murmuring quietly as she took the small box from her niece's soulmate. "Cheeky little bugger."

Freya unwrapped the gift and opened the box to reveal a golden anklet with runes etched into the inside of the thin band and on the outside it has the names of the 7 Mikaelson siblings by age along with their family motto. 'Freya, Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, Kol, Rebekah, Henrik, Always And Forever'.

The eldest Mikaelson held the anklet delicately before looking over to Daphne and gave a small nod of appreciation to the young witch. "Thank you my sweet niece. Your present is waiting for you in Hope's room. You would do me a great honour if you both could wear them for tonight."

Hope sighed. "I thought that you made a promise with Aunt Keelin and Aunt Rebekah that you weren't allowed to buy me dresses anymore."

Freya rolled her eyes. "It was one time! Why can't anyone just let it go?"

Hope smirked cheerfully at the memory of her family. "Because our family may forgive but we never forget."

Freya scoffed as she made her way to the staff table for a late breakfast.

Hope had brought her friends and family to the Room of Requirement to have a private celebration for Yule. There obviously was Hope, Daphne, Freya, Nic and Nelle but the Tribrid wanted to include more people. So she invited Luna, Harry, Hermione, Astoria, Susan, Hannah, Neville, Fred, George, Krum and Professors Babbling and Flitwick.

The Tribrid offered to pick up some guests using Myrddin and Alexandria with their permission which they surprisingly agreed to. They must have been feeling generous today or possibly they were just in the holiday spirit.

Myrddin had collected the Delacours, the Tonks, Viktor's girlfriend (he later introduced to the group as Isabella Frost), Remus Lupin and Sirius Black (after Harry assured his Godfather that no one was going to turn him into the Ministry). Alexandria brought the Greengrass, Amelia Bones, Augusta Longbottom and Xenophilius Lovegood as the Thunderbird knew where these locations were and wouldn't get lost while lightning travelling.

When Sirius arrived in the Hogwarts castle he nearly had a heart attack as he saw the Head of the DMLE. Amelia waved him off as she knew that he was innocent and a majority of the group in this room would be officiating this next week so she told her old friend to enjoy Yule with his Godson.

Harry beamed in excitement as he dragged Hermione over with him to hug the two Marauders as he shouted. "Padfoot! Moony!"

Fred and George thanked Hope for the invitation before they made their way over to Remus, Sirius, Harry and Hermione. The groups branched off and interweaved from time to time, sharing stories, gifts and drinks merrily as the magical families were reunited for Yule this year.

Hope watched the proceedings with Daphne by her side, a heavy-hearted smile on her face as she watched the familiar interactions.

"Are you okay?" Daphne whispered into Hope's ear.

Hope nodded slightly as a barely-there smile fleetingly crossed her face. "Yeah. I just wished that I had more memories like this with my family."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful that I am able to give this experience to others that never had the chance." Hope mentioned with a forlorn smile on her face as she glanced at Harry.

Daphne's eyes followed the direction in which Hope was looking and saw Harry laughing and enjoying himself in the presence of his girlfriend, uncle and Godfather. Daphne gave a light sigh as she understood where Hope was coming from but wished that she could offer her Mate the same opportunity with her own family.

Hope felt the discontent from her wife and bumped her shoulder lightly. "Hey Daph, don't feel guilty. I have my family here. I have you which is more than I'll ever need. Trust me love. I am happy."

After a long day of celebration mixed in with few political chats, Hope was about to leave the Room of Requirement to get ready for the Ball until Sirius requested a moment with Lady Emrys. Sirius moved them over to the side of the room away from the party as the Grim Animagus held himself regally with his hand behind his back.

"I wanted to thank you Lady Emrys, for a couple of reasons actually. I heard that you are the person who has got the ball rolling to expedite my hearing to prove my innocence after 13 years, but I suppose it's better late than never. So thank you for that." The thin raven haired man told the young woman.

Hope nodded but remained silent as she could see that Sirius was not yet done.

"I also wanted to thank you for looking after my Godson. He has nothing but good things to say about you, as does Hermione and that girl has a great judge of character, unlike the youngest male Weasley. The twins, though, are a riot and seem to think the world of you as well."

Hope smirked a little as she responded. "Honestly it's a pleasure being Harry's friend as well as Hermione's. Although I think that the twins see me more as their messiah due to how I entered my name into the Goblet of Fire. Did they tell you?"

Sirius let out a bark of laughter as tears nearly fell down his face due to how hard he was laughing, once he was able to calm down enough he decided to answer. "Yes! That was a great prank! Although I was curious to know if you wanted to be in this Tournament. I also heard about the Dragon Task and how dangerous it was for you."

"I planned to enter the Tournament since I knew it could very well end up with the death of one of the Champions so I wanted to protect them the best I could." Hope explained.

Sirius nodded his head thoughtfully. "So that's why you've been helping them and involving them in your group."

"Mmm, except I actually enjoy their company. I thought the other 2 Champions were going to be snobby and rude but I was happily mistaken and I've never been more happy to be proven wrong." Hope hummed in agreement.

Sirius fidgeted slightly as he looked back over to Harry with a smile on his face before turning back to Hope. "Thank you. For inviting me to spend Yule with my Godson and my favourite cousin. I greatly appreciate it."

"You're welcome, soon-to-be Lord Black." Hope smirked at the man as he rolled his eyes in annoyance as he never wanted that title but he sure as hell wasn't going to let it go to the Malfoy's.

"Why do I have the feeling that you are going to be either a great ally to have or a remarkably dangerous enemy?" Sirius thought aloud.

"Because you are smarter than most people think and that will be their own downfall."

Sirius grunted in reply.

"My cousin had also informed me that there is something you want from the House of Black in exchange for helping me? Although she also mentioned that the item you wanted belonged to a Dark Lord?" Sirius attempted to portray neutrally but his anger caused him to growl in certain spots.

"Miss Tonks is telling the truth. There is a Dark Artefact that the Black's House Elf, Kreacher, I believe is his name, is holding onto a locket that your brother Regulus stole from Voldemort in the moments before his death. That Artefact is a Horcrux. Ask Harry what that is. He helped destroy one in his 2nd year." Hope explained as calmly as she could but she wasn't bothered enough to stay around to hear Sirius complain or argue with her about facts she already knows thanks to the movies.

"I'm sorry Mr Black but I must be heading off now. I can't be late for the Ball considering that I am opening the event. I'll see you in a week when we exonerate you." Hope informed the man as she gave a small bow before leaving.

Daphne joined her as she watched Sirius mumble angrily to himself. "Anything we need to worry about?"

"Probably not. Harry will fill Sirius in on the Horcrux situation as well as the happenings with Dumbledore." Hope answered her wife as they made their way back to the Slytherin dormitories.

When Hope entered her room she was tense as she remembered what her aunt Freya had said about wearing whatever she got them to the Yule Ball and was worried about upsetting her aunt if she didn't wear what her aunt got her. But it didn't help that her aunt Freya had been asleep during most of the changes in fashion trends.

That's why Aunts Rebekah and Keelin didn't allow Freya to buy clothes for anyone. Aunt Rebekah did all of Freya's shopping before she moved into the Abattoir.

Hope was surprised to see two small boxes on the bed. One engraved with a 'H', the other with a 'D'. The Mikaelson Heir picked up both boxes gently before holding out Daphne's to her. The blonde accepted the box and opened it at the same time as Hope.

Both boxes held the same short chained necklace with two charms on it. Hope let out a soft sob as her aunt must have had both of these necklaces custom made for her and Daphne. The chain had the Mikaelson crest on it as well as the Crescent Moon charm. It was identical to the one that she lost upon her entry into this universe.

Daphne pulled Hope into a hug as she gently placed both of the boxes on Hope's desk so they wouldn't get lost. The blonde witch held the Tribrid close to herself until Hope was able to stop crying.

The Greengrass Heiress pulled Hope's necklace out of the box and asked her wife to turn around. Daphne looped the chain over Hope's head and the Tribrid instantly lifted her auburn locks out of the way so Daphne could easily clasp the chain around her neck. The charms hung at the top of her sternum, nearly a full inch above her other two necklaces.

Her heart necklace Daphne had gifted to Hope for her '13th' birthday after the events with the Hellhound Poison and the classical locket Nic had given her once she learned that she could compel the witches and wizards of this world. Daphne had made a small adjustment to the locket as she painted Hope's parents and placed it into one side of the locket while Hope had put one of her own paintings of herself and Daphne on the other side.

Hope dropped her hair down as she moved to collect Daphne's identical necklace and placed it on her wife. The necklace hung in the same spot as Hope's while the only other necklace Daphne had was one that Hope had given to Daphne as her late 13th birthday present with a painting of Marcus, Annabeth, Daphne and Astoria. Daphne had the same idea as Hope and placed a painting of herself with Hope on the other side.

Hope touched her necklaces with familiarity as she missed the feeling of these charms around her neck since her aunt Rebekah had gifted it to her so she would always have an heirloom to remind her where she came from. Apparently aunt Freya had thought that Daphne also deserved the Mikaelson crest which made Hope immensely happy knowing that Freya approved of Daphne enough to give a token of the Mikaelson name to the young Greengrass Heiress.

"So does this mean I'm a Mikaelson?" Daphne remarked as her thumb rubbed at the raised metal on the 'M'.

Hope looked at Daphne with soft sea-blue eyes. "Well you have my Aunt's approval so I'd say yes but it's completely up to you love."

"Hmm so does that make me Daphne Emrys nee Greengrass or something else?" Daphne asked curiously as she kissed Hope's cheek.

Hope cupped Daphne's face as she brushed her lips gently against the blonde's. "In the magical community, I believe that Emrys nee Greengrass would be the best choice but I was hoping that outside of the magical community we could hyphenate? Be Hope and Daphne Mikaelson-Greengrass?"

Daphne returned the kiss with a smile. "I think I could get used to it… I like hearing my name with yours."

"I do too." Hope murmured against Daphne's soft, plump lips.

The girls eventually separated as they needed to get ready for the Ball. Hope had decided last year that she wanted to wear the dress that her dad had picked. The same ocean blue dress she wore for Miss Mystic Falls except for one small alteration. She removed the dark blue frill from around the arms so it didn't look like the dress had straps hanging low off her shoulders.

Hope sat on the end of her bed as she watched Daphne slip into the deep emerald green dress her wife had showed her last year while she was getting ready. The dress came down to her ankles in soft waves as her shoulders were left bare.

"You know, I think that emerald is most definitely your colour. You look amazing my love." Hope mentioned as she trailed her fingertips gently over Daphne's shoulders drawing a shiver from the blonde woman.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." The Greengrass Heiress replied with a smirk.

Hope and Daphne both decided to wear their hair down in salacious full waves as neither girl particularly felt like styling their hair and they both knew that they could get away with it.

"Thank God that we both have outstanding genetics and great hair. Harry would be so jealous." Hope remarked with a grin as she opened her door for Daphne.

Daphne shook her head in amusement. "You know your Aunt, mum and dad have made the rounds and informed a lot of the Muggleborn students as well as the Half-Bloods about everyday wizarding products. Why do you think Hermione's hair has lost its frizziness?"

Hope pursed her lips at the question. "Oh I know. I'm just upset that there is no such product in the No-Maj community. A witch or wizard could make millions if they introduced it to the non-magicals." Hope joked playfully with her wife as they linked arms.

The Emrys couple was the last pair to arrive out of all the Champions. Professor McGonagall was moments away from having an anxiety attack since the Ball was supposed to start in 5 minutes and she was one Champion short.

The Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress was under a lot of stress as Dumbledore was busy filling out paperwork for the Wizengamot session that was coming up at the end of the year. Honestly the Gryffindor Head of House couldn't blame Miss Greengrass… Well she should call her Consort Emrys now. The blonde Slytherin girl was just protecting her wife.

The elderly Scotswoman could understand Daphne's motivation completely as it was also her duty to protect the students of this school. But it seems that Lady Emrys has made the school safer for all years and houses in 3 and half years than what Dumbledore and herself have done in 50. This fact alone made the Deputy Headmistress feel like a failure to her students.

Hope noticed the sad look on McGonagall's face and walked over to her with a thoughtful expression on the Tribrid's face. "Is there something wrong Professor?"

The Professor looked up to see the concerned expression on her two lions faces as well as the two Slytherin students.

McGonagall cleared her throat awkwardly as replied. "Everything is fine. I'm just under a lot of stress but it's better now that the two of you are here."

Hope frowned slightly. "I know that organising everything for the Tri-Wizard Tournament would be stressful but shouldn't the other Professors and our Headmaster be helping you?"

The Professor sighed quietly as she shook her head. "Professors Sprout, Babbling, Sinistra and Vector have been helping as much as they can but even then they all have their own classes to teach."

"Well I'm glad to hear that you haven't been left to deal with this all on your own, but Professor you a Deputy Headmistress as well at the Head of Gryffindor House and a core subject Professor. Professor Sprout is also a Head of House and teaches Herbology which is another core subject at this school. Although that didn't answer why Dumbledore isn't helping. I thought that this was supposed to be his job?" Hope questioned with a tilt to her head.

Daphne bumped Hope's shoulder as the Tribrid realised her error. "I mean, don't get me wrong! It's nice not having to argue with Dumbledore every step of the way…" Hope frowned as a thought crossed her mind. "Does he know that I'm taking Daphne as my date?"

The Scotswoman pursed her lips together. "Well he should, considering you announced who you were taking in public directly after the First Task. Besides I imagine your Aunt will keep him in line before he even has a chance to ruin your night. So you shouldn't worry too much."

Hope wrapped an arm around Daphne's slim waist as they walked towards the other two couples. Both Harry and Viktor were dressed to impress in their tuxedos, a beautiful coloured rose in their front pocket matching the colour of their dates dresses. Harry was wearing a periwinkle rose while Viktor had a sparkling silver rose.

Daphne gave a large grin as she approached Hermione first knowing that the other witch was self conscious about her appearance and could use the confidence boost. "You look absolutely ravishing Hermione!"

Hope gave a genuine smile as she wholeheartedly agreed with her wife. "Daph's right. You look incredible Hermione."

The Gryffindor bookworm blushed deeply at the praise as she shyly replied. "Thank you. You both look lovely tonight."

Hope placed a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. "You are a very lucky man Harry."

"Don't I know it." Harry remarked with one of the softest gazes Hope has ever seen directed in Hermione's direction.

"Hey. Just promise me that you won't let anyone ruin your night. Not Dumbledore or any of the Ministry Officials, either of the youngest Weasley's or Malfoy. If you think that any of these people will try to pull something, find my Aunt or parents and they will make sure the night will go ahead without any dramas." Hope requested The-Boy-Who-Lived with a small smile.

Harry nodded his head slightly.

Hope moved over to Fleur with Daphne by her side as they both absorbed the image of Fleur in such a memorable silky smooth silver ballroom gown that sparkled like stars in the moonlight.

"Hello my beautiful flower. You look rather enchanting tonight." The Tribrid spoke in French as she took the back of Fleur's left hand and placed a kiss on the top of it, her thumb running over the Delacour Heiress ring.

Daphne was quick to follow up and was able to transition Fleur's hand to hers smoothly and gave a grazing kiss on the back of her hand. "Hope's right, Fleur. You are beautiful."

Fleur's smile lit up the room as her allure leaked out slightly. Out of all the Champions and their dates Hermione was the one only to move forward slightly towards Fleur before she caught herself and shook her head as she tried to clear it. The Professor let out a small sneeze at the intense smell, similarly to what Hope would do when she entered a particularly odourful room.

The sound had Fleur draw in her allure suddenly as she looked sheepish toward the Professor. "Sorry."

"It's alright dear. Your allure is part of your nature and for your age you are doing an exceptional job controlling it." McGonagall responded honestly.

A small smile crossed Fleur's face at the admission from the older witch and gave the woman a grateful nod. "Thank you Professor. Not even Madam Maxine is that understanding when it comes to my powers."

Minerva sighed as she had noticed how strongly the Giantess cracks down on the Veelas of their delegations and nodded at the Beauxbatons Champion's observation.

Hope glanced over to Viktor who surprisingly had a smile on his face as he looked over to the Hogwarts Champion. "I wanted to thank you, Hope and Daphne, for bringing my girlfriend here, even if it was only for half a day."

Lady Emrys smiled at the Bulgarian Seeker as she corrected the other Champion with a smirk. "It was our pleasure. Although your thanks should go to Myrddin considering he was the one who went out of his way to collect Isabella and return her home after the celebration."

Viktor gave a short laugh and he nodded playfully. "I will thank him the next time I see him. I'm assuming he's with Heir Emrys at the moment?"

Hope grinned and bobbed her head up and down.

Alexandria flashed into the room suddenly and perched on Hope's left shoulder as she instantly ruffled her feathers before preening at her golden feathers.

"Well hello pretty girl! Were you feeling left out?" Hope cooed at the young Thunderbird as she scratched under her beak as Alexandria leaned her head back to expose her neck to Hope's wandering nails as the bird whistled in pleasure.

Daphne checked the time and subtly moved Hope into the line that McGonagall was trying to form. Viktor and Fleur were at the front as Fleur had her arms linked around Victor's left arm as she chatted amicably with the Durmstrang Champion.

Hope and Daphne were standing in the middle of the other 2 pairs, with Hope standing on the right along with Krum and Harry as the Champion (or in Fleur and Viktor's case the male Champion) entered the Ball standing on the right.

Hope chuckled slightly as she overheard a part of the conversation in front of her as Fleur asked Viktor if he told his girlfriend that he would be taking a Veela to the Ball. Viktor admitted that he was concerned that Isabella would hear about it from someone else from Durmstrang and that they would cause a massive rumour that he was cheating on her.

"I could've sworn that I saw Fleur and Isabella laughing during the Yule celebration you held earlier today." Harry informed the group.

McGonagall just looks confused as she asks. "What celebration?"

Fleur whimsically laughed as she told the other Champions. "To be fair she was concerned about me until she noticed that my entire attention was on the Emrys couple and Viktor said something like, 'This is why you don't need to worry about Fleur using her allure on me. She's completely smitten with the Emrys pair and that couple is smitten with her.'"

Hope and Daphne raised an eyebrow suggestively in Fleur's direction while Krum shrugged innocently with a smirk on his face. Harry and Hermione laughed knowing that those 3 women were so unsubtle that it only took maybe a minute for all the attendees at Hope's party to realise there was something more happening there. They were able to notice this even though Fleur stayed with her family for most of the time discussing Fleur's inheritance with her mother.

Apolline had noticed at the end of the First Task that her daughter's Veela side was more powerful than hers and her grandmother, the current Wing Leader of the Veela. Fleur wanted permission to date both Hope and Daphne but she needed the okay from her Wing Leader since dating a woman, much less two women was not normal for Veelas as they are known for entrapping men with their allure and needed to pass down their genes to produce more Veela since they were so close to extinction.

Fleur's grandmother was set in the old ways but also realised the potential boon if they were to get Lady Emrys on their side. The Goblin King, Ragnok had informed most Magical Communities such as the Vampires, Werewolves, Veela, Fae and even the Mermaids that Lady Emrys wishes to help bring the Magical Communities back into Wizengamot sessions and give them back their voice which was taken by the wizards a long time ago.

Constance Delacour could've stopped her granddaughter from starting a relationship with the two women but from her own daughter's accounts, Fleur has become more stronger than anyone has ever seen.

Apolline reported that her daughter was able to summon a silver fire along her skin when angry but she didn't know if Fleur was aware that she summoned it or what it means. Most part-Veelas were incapable of summoning silver fire since it was an ability that only full blooded Veelas could use since it was a sign of their purity.

Veelafyre could be used by all Veelas but the colour that most wizards associate with Veelafyre is the classic pink-ish red which was slightly harder to control but it was quite easy for a Veela to cancel out their own fire or even an experienced wizard. Usually the fire would burn away at its objective before putting itself out.

The silver fire was stronger and completely attuned to the Veela that created it. No witch or wizard can stop one of these fires without using a fire of a powerful magnitude, Fiendfyre, for instance, could battle against a Veelafyre. But the winner of the battle would come down to the level of emotion used within the conjured fire. Love vs Hate. The original line in the sand between good and evil.

Hope leaned forward to whisper in Fleur's ear. "Aw, does someone have a crush?"

The silver-blonde woman turned slightly to the side to see the side of Hope's profile before murmuring back. "Just wait until our dance later tonight and we'll see who's crushing on who then."

Daphne snickered softly before adding in French. "So does this mean your grandmother approved?"

"Yes. But apparently I need to go through extensive training when I return to France. My grandmother wants me to become the new Wing Leader as soon as I finish up my final year of school." Fleur admitted softly. "So I may not be able to join you for a year or two."

Hope saw the saddened look on Fleur's face and quickly went to reassure her after a quick meaningful glance with Daphne. "We'll wait for you Fleur. Whenever you're ready we can start while you're here, now. Or we will wait until you finish your training. Whichever version you feel more comfortable with."

"Thank you." Fleur answered with a serene smile on her face as she turned back around to face the Great Hall doors.

"What party?" McGonagall repeated sternly.

Harry nearly flinched as he realised that he blurted that out aloud with his Head of House close by and looked guiltily towards Hope who seemed ridiculously calm.

"Oh… Well I held a private Yule gathering in the castle with a few friends and family. Myrddin picked them up and the area we were in provided a Floo Station to take them back home." Hope answered with a shrug. "The rules say we can't leave during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, so I brought our families to us."

McGonagall blinked slowly as she tried to recall the rules in Hogwarts: A History and couldn't remember any actual rule that states that parents are not allowed in the school. Mr Malfoy made an appearance last year when Hope defeated Draco and then later, Lucius in a Duel.

Currently both of Hope's parents Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel are in the castle. The Hogwarts House-Elves even provided them with a room for their stay as well as Heir Emrys when they realised during Freya's first breakfast at the school. 6 House-Elves escorted Freya to her room located on the 2nd floor with animated grins on their little faces as they knew with Heir Emrys in the castle, there would be a massive decrease in bullying.

The Deputy Headmistress opened her mouth for a moment wishing to berate the students but honestly she didn't know if it was a rule or not and Minerva was a stickler for the rules and regulations. So until she actually finds the rule stating parents are not allowed into the castle she will keep her wits and remain quiet for now.

McGonagall shut her mouth as she cleared her throat. "Very well."

"It's time." Professor McGonagall announced with a flourish as she threw the doors open widely with a bang.

The Great Hall was transformed into a beautiful ballroom almost directly out of a Winter Wonderland fairytale. The ever changing sky was set at a peaceful white, cloudy sky with sprinkles of snow, fluttering down from the ceiling. Icicles of various lengths hung in the place of the traditional candles.

Hope waited for Fleur and Viktor to enter the room as she held her hand open for Daphne.

The blonde witch looked down for a second before immediately taking Hope's hand in her own. "Into the fray we go?"

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." Hope replied with a smirk.

Hope and Daphne entered the Great Hall with polite smiles as their long awaited wish finally came to pass. The Tribrid was finally able to keep her word on taking Daphne to a Ball. All of Rebekah's instructions came flooding back into Hope's subconsciousness as she held herself straighter and portrayed confidence in her every step.

The Emrys couple followed Fleur's alluring scent as the older Champions made their way into the centre of the room so they could start the festivities. Harry and Hermione followed behind the Slytherin Duo. The Werewolf Queen could feel the nervousness coming off both Lions and sent a silent calming charm in their direction, hoping to ease their nerves.

Hermione took a shaky breath as the spell relaxed her and she tightened her grip on Harry's hand as they walked past a disgruntled Ron Weasley who was sneering at his old friends.

As the 3 couples gathered in the middle of the ballroom floor they swung their partners around so they were facing each other.

There was a three beat startup before the Champions were able to start the dance in which they had to respect their partner with a small bow or curtsey. When the beats sounded the pairs tensed slightly in anticipation as they readied themselves to begin the waltz

Hope gave a curtsey along with all the other girls. Immediately after the couples honoured their partners, Hope's right hand wrapped around Daphne's waist while the blonde's left hand landed gently on Hope's right shoulder. Their opposite hands linked and were held away from their bodies ever so slightly as Hope pulled them closer together as they waited patiently for the song to start.

Hope and Daphne began the dance keeping the beat and tempo for the length of the entire dance. Occasionally the girls would like to show off as they added in a few advanced moves. A twirl here. A dip there. Hope did a few lifts throughout the song much to Daphne's amusement as the smaller girl was the one doing the lifting.

Hope mentally rolled her eyes at her Mate as the blonde mentally snickered at the auburn haired woman. Hope shook her head slightly as she continued the dance with a mischievous grin.

"Keep laughing love. I dare you." Hope murmured into the blonde's ear moments before she took a quick nip at the witch's ear.

Daphne barely contained her yelp as she gripped at Hope tighter to avoid jumping and breaking her composure during a very public dance. The Greengrass Heiress glared at Hope for a moment as the Tribrid looked back with a similar look.

"Cheeky bugger." Daphne responded as she loosened her grip ever so slightly. "Don't do that."

Hope trailed her right hand along the smooth fabric of the emerald dress, tracing easy patterns onto Daphne's skin through the soft dress.

"I couldn't help myself." Came the not so innocent reply from the youngest Mikaelson as Hope slowed the movements of their waltz as the music was coming to a gentle stop.

The girls separated for a moment as they completed the dance with a bow of their heads to their partner to signify the end of the dance.

The students and faculty gave a quick applause before more couples joined the Champions on the dancefloor. Hope and Daphne separated as Daphne made her way over to Fleur while Hope moved to Harry. Viktor and Hermione made the last pair and they began to dance again.

Eventually all the Champions and their pairs had danced once with each other. Even Harry and Viktor shared a playful dance as they couldn't stop laughing at all the faces the crowd was giving them.

After another ten minutes of slow music where Hope, Daphne and Fleur shared a dance with Nic, Nelle and Freya. A magical band called The Weird Sisters started to play an upbeat song where the students can dance however they would like.

Fleur thanked Viktor for taking her to the Ball and gave a grateful kiss on his cheek before heading off to join Daphne and Hope for the rest of the night. The 3 girls danced the night away as Nic and Nelle came by nearly every 30 minutes to hand the women some punch as they were having way too much fun to stop and the Flamels enjoyed watching their daughter with such a large smile on her face. Hope for once looked immensely happy with the two blondes by her side so Nic, Nelle and Freya made a pact when they first met. They would make sure that Hope remains as happy and unburdened as possible. Although this was harder to achieve due to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, however, this won't stop Hope's family from trying and doing everything within their power to make sure Hope was safe and loved.