lomonaaeren

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Chapter Sixty-Four—Dramatic Tension

Theo sighs as he walks around the corner towards a small classroom not far from the library. Part of him can’t believe that he’s doing this. It’ll gain him the kind of attention he usually only wants from Harry and Blaise.

But the thought of that attention makes the side of his mouth tug up into a reluctant smile. Yeah, he wants to do this.

“…don’t understand why you have to be so blunt about everything.”

“You were the one who came here wanting me to explain my perspective!”

“Yeah, and I think you would explain it better if you weren’t so blunt!”

“Take it or leave it, Greengrass.”

There’s a long moment when Theo doesn’t know what will happen, but then Greengrass decides to leave it. Astoria, a Slytherin second-year, comes storming out of the classroom with her blonde hair whipping around her in invisible currents of magic. Theo raises his eyebrows. He’s seen that happen to a few witches, but never Daphne. It seems Astoria is stronger than her older sister.

Astoria jerks to a halt at the sight of him. “Oh. Um. Nott. Hello.”

“Hello, Greengrass.”

Astoria glances over her shoulder. “You’re going in there to speak to her?”

“Yes, needs must,” Theo says with a little sigh.

Astoria doesn’t seem to know what to make of this, but after a long moment, she hangs a weak smile on her face. “Well. Good luck, I suppose.” And she runs off as if someone’s set a maddened Crup yapping at her heels.

Theo takes a moment to compose himself, and think over whether he wants to turn back. But no, he doesn’t think so. He walks into the classroom.

Ginny Weasley turns around and glares at him. “Here to make fun of me for being possessed my first year?” she asks, her voice as bright with venom as a conjured snake, and then she stops and peers at him. “You were the one who told me to get Mind-Healing then.”

“Yes. How’s it working out?”

Weasley pauses as though studying Theo’s words for a trace of mockery, then sits down on a stool, shakes her head, and motions Theo to sit beside her. He does, happily enough. So far she hasn’t thrown him out of the classroom or chucked anything at his head, so he thinks it’s a successful expedition.

“My family still doesn’t really believe I need it. They’d rather blame other people than me.” Harry, Theo’s fairly certain. “Why did you come here?”

“I want to know if you would go to the Yule Ball with me.”

Weasley’s eyes open so wide that Theo thinks he might be able to catch a glimpse of her brain. “You what?”

“I want to know if you would go to the Yule Ball with me.”

Weasley examines him some more, gapes for a minute, and then firmly shuts her mouth. “Did someone put you up to this?” she demands. “Or did you think that I would go with you because I was desperate?”

“No, I think you could find someone to go with you if you wanted,” Theo says. Oddly enough, he’s enjoying this. It gives him a warmth he normally only feels when he’s alone with Sidus. “But I wanted to be the one to take you.”

“Why?”

“People lie to me a lot,” Theo says. He doesn’t elaborate. Weasley can decide it’s his Slytherin Housemates if she wants to. “I value honesty. And I know that you’ve gone around the school being bluntly honest since you came back for this term.”

“So if I tell you to bugger off?”

“I’ll know you mean it and it isn’t some ploy.”

Weasley stares at him some more. Theo lets her sit and ponder him. He doesn’t think that she really needs that amount of time to look him over, but it’s fine with him. And it makes the same sense of enjoyment climb up the inside of his chest and crawl back and forth across his breastbone.

He will enjoy taking her, if she decides to go with him.

“You know that third-years can’t attend the Ball unless someone fourth year or above asks them,” Weasley says abruptly.

“I know.”

“And so you came to talk to me, thinking that might make me more desperate?”

“I don’t think you’re desperate at all. Like I said, you could get another date if you wanted it. I’d just like it if you’d be my date.”

“Why?”

“I told you. I’m glad that you’re honest, and you’re funny, and I think it would be fun to make your brothers’ eyes stand out of their heads when I lead you into the Great Hall on my arm.”

Weasley waits for a long moment, as though expecting Theo to add more to that explanation. Then she asks, “How do I know that you really want to take me and not just make my brothers angry?”

“Making them angry isn’t a long-term survival tactic,” Theo says dryly. “I just want to surprise and upset them a little. And even if that was my main goal, I couldn’t achieve that by taking anyone else, could I?”

Weasley considers him for long enough that Theo thinks she’s going to tell him to bugger off, the way she did Astoria. Then she grins. “Done.”

“Do you want to wear a particular style of robes to get them more upset?”

“I can’t afford nice robes at all. So it would be best if you paid for the robes. Then they’ll be upset that I’m taking charity.”

Theo laughs. He doesn’t regret his decision to ask Weasley to the Ball at all. He stands, and so does she. He shakes her hand solemnly. “Thanks for making this date with me, Weasley. I think it’ll work out well for all concerned.”

“Unless Ron does have an attack of apoplexy.”

“Even that would work out better for more people than not,” Theo says, and winks at her, and leaves the classroom while he’s still ahead in points.

He has a spring in his step as he walks down the corridor. Of course, this might all come to nothing and Weasley might not come to the Ball. Or she might send him a Howler tomorrow changing her mind. Or they’ll go, and have their fun, and then it’ll never turn into anything else, the way Theo half-wishes it would.

But he’s used to living in the present and taking what he can get. A willing date to the Yule Ball and the friendship of people like Blaise and Harry is already more than he ever thought he’d have.

*

“Has Blaise asked you to the Yule Ball yet?”

Harry blinks at Padma and Anthony over the top of his book. Artemis is coiling on the table between them, which Harry thinks might be a mistake, since Madam Pince probably won’t let snakes in the library. But no one has come to kick them out yet. “What do you mean? Of course he hasn’t.”

“Then how do you know—”

“Of course we’re going together, Padma,” Harry says, softening his voice a little as he realizes how concerned his friend is for him. “He doesn’t need to ask. It’s just assumed.”

“Oh.” Padma exhales a little sigh and stares down at her book.

“You should get him to make a big production of it,” Anthony says.

“What? Why?”

“Well, there’s that Bulstrode in his House who wants to marry him, right? Maybe she’ll think she has a chance if Blaise doesn’t ask you in the loudest and proudest style he can. He ought to do it so there can be no doubt who his choice is. Or you should do it to make it clear that you aren’t afraid of competition from her.”

“Of course I’m not. We’re dating.”

“Then you should do it anyway. Because the fact that you’re dating hasn’t stopped her from approaching Blaise.”

Harry nibbles his lip. That’s true. He wonders if Blaise would want Harry to make a big moment out of asking him to the Ball, or if Blaise would prefer to do it.

“OUT!”

Harry jumps and looks up. Madam Pince is standing over them with her hands on her hips and a deadly expression on her face. Harry sighs and scoops up Artemis, who coils on his shoulder and looks up at the librarian without fear.

“Madam Pince, this is—”

“OUT! NO SNAKES IN THE LIBRARY!”

Harry shakes his head and stands up. Obviously Madam Pince is being unreasonable today. They’ll have to try another time. He picks up his books and parchment and nods to Padma and Anthony that they can stay if they want.

But they’re already packing up their books and notes, too. Harry smiles. It’s nice that he has such loyal friends.

“Wait. Mr. Potter, you stay.”

Harry blinks, but manages to arrange his face in a picture of polite confusion. Padma and Anthony look ready to stay and attack the librarian if he wants them to, but Harry waves his hand behind his back. They trail out with long looks over their shoulders at him, and especially at Artemis, as if they think Madam Pince is going to kill and eat her.

“Is this snake your familiar?”

“Yes, Madam Pince. Her name is Artemis.”

Madam Pince peers at Artemis with an expression of extreme distaste, but doesn’t draw her wand to start casting spells at her, which would be where Harry would have to draw the line. Artemis, meanwhile, curls around Harry’s neck and uses her tail to wave at the librarian.

“What is she doing?”

“Waving to you.”

Madam Pince tears her eyes away from Artemis to stare at Harry. “Why would she do such a thing?”

“She’s friendly to most people. And she can’t hear actual sounds, so she doesn’t know you yelled at her.”

Harry keeps his face clear and friendly as Madam Pince stares back and forth between him and Artemis for long moments. He doesn’t know what will happen next. Madam Pince usually never changes her mind, but Harry’s heard of a few times when it happened due to genuine extenuating circumstances.

Madam Pince goes on looking at Artemis with a distasteful expression, and then turns to Harry. “I have a rule of no animals in the library, Mr. Potter.”

“Yes, Madam Pince.”

“However. I could make an exception for bonded familiars. If you promise me that she won’t cause a mess and will stay out of sight on most occasions.”

Harry beams, and can feel the way that Madam Pince is softening despite herself at his smile. “Thank you, Madam Pince! We won’t be any trouble, I promise!”

“Go on with you, then,” the librarian says, and flaps a hand at him before she turns to swoop down on a table of Gryffindors where one of the boys is encouraging his friends to cast jinxes on him. Harry is glad, as he hurries away and in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower, that he isn’t them.

“So I can come into the library?”

“Yes, but you have to stay out of sight.”

“Or I could stay in sight and she could see how cute I am.”

“That would just get us both banned from the library.”

Before Artemis can argue back, Harry turns a corner and finds himself running, literally, into Anthony. They both go spilling to the floor, but Anthony is back on his feet before Harry is, reaching anxiously down to him. “Oh, Merlin, Harry, I didn’t hurt you, did I?’

“No, I’m fine.” Harry smiles and stands up, dusting his robes off. “And Artemis is fine, and managed to charm Madam Pince,” he adds, as Padma comes up to them and obviously opens her mouth to ask that question.

“I am just naturally charming.”

Padma laughs a little and turns to walk with Harry and Anthony down the corridor to the Tower. “So are you going to ask Blaise, or is he going to ask you?”

“I’ll talk to him and see which way he’d prefer. But of course it’s different for us since we were already dating. If you weren’t and you wanted to take someone to the Ball, you’d just have to go and ask them.”

“You would?”

Harry eyes Padma sideways. She seems really struck by his words, which he thinks is a little odd. He was just stating an obvious fact. “Of course. How are they going to be able to say yes or no to coming with you otherwise?”

“Do you think…”

“Yes?”

“That sometimes it might be better to never know what the answer is? Just daydream about it, and not ask the question?”

“No,” Harry and Anthony say at the same time, and then they laugh. Anthony motions for Harry to go ahead, so he does. “I think that daydreams are never going to be as satisfying as the real thing. And I’m willing to take a chance on the real thing. Sure, it might end up not going there, someone might say no, but if I’d never asked Blaise, I would have missed something wonderful.”

Padma takes a deep breath and stares ahead down the corridor. Then she says, “But what if they reject you?”

“Blaise and I would still have been friends.”

“I’m talking about something a little more general than that, Harry.”

“You should still go ask them out, whoever they are,” Harry says, and turns to face her so that she can see how earnest he is. “You really are never going to know if it would be better or worse or nothing at all if you do nothing at all. And at least if you know it would be nothing at all, then you can let go and move on with your life and find someone else to date.”

Padma looks paler than normal, toying with a bracelet on her wrist. Then she says, “But it’s not that simple.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t know what you’re considering doing. But think about it.”

“And your situation with Blaise?” Anthony asks, apparently trying to draw Harry’s attention away from Padma.

Harry lets himself be drawn. “I’ll talk to him. I can see him enjoying a big dramatic moment of asking him out, or me doing the same thing.”

“Well, tell us about it, so we can come watch it. And watch Bulstrode’s face.”

Harry laughs. “Sure. If it doesn’t take place in the Slytherin common room.”

*

Blaise goes down on one knee in front of his boyfriend, and watches Harry’s eyes grow bright while he bites his lip.

As it turned out, Blaise assumed the same thing Harry did, that they could just go to the Yule Ball together without any asks because they were already dating. But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of doing a big dramatic ask. And doing it in the middle of the Slytherin common room with Bulstrode there, just so that she can see what he looks like when he’s serious about someone.

“Harry Potter,” Blaise begins solemnly, aware that eyes are fastened on them and more than one person is on the verge of laughter. But Blaise won’t laugh himself. He’s going to show that this matters to him. “Will you make me the happiest of Slytherins and accompany me to the Hogwarts Yule Ball?”

“Yes,” Harry says, softly, but easily audible in the hush that’s descended over the common room. He steps forwards and holds out his hand. Blaise clasps it, kisses it, and rises to his feet.

And Harry really does flush this time. Blaise smiles as the red color creeps over his boyfriend’s ears.

If only for that, this was worth it.

He stands and kisses Harry’s hand again, bent over in front of the whole common room, practically daring someone to cast something at his back. Then he straightens up and tucks Harry’s hand into the crook of his elbow.

“Come on,” he says, loudly enough to carry into all the corners where people are watching. “We ought to practice dancing before we’re required to lead the dance with the other Champions.”

“Of course.”

Harry walks in step beside Blaise towards the common room door. Blaise turns his head and sees Bulstrode staring at him, pale, one hand down by her side as if she’s about to draw her wand from her holster.

Blaise smiles.

Let her try to break us apart. Let her try.

*

“Ah, Mr. Potter. Just who I wanted to see.”

Harry turns around and barely manages to hide the roll of his eyes that he wants to give. “Headmaster.”

Dumbledore walks towards him, a faint smile on his face but tight lines around his eyes. “Madam Pince said something about you having a snake in the library the other day. And I’ve heard rumors from the Ravenclaws about you having it in the Tower as well. May I see it?”

“Her.”

“What?”

“Artemis is a her, not an it,” Harry corrects, holding out his arm. Artemis coils out of his robe pocket and up his arm to the end of his wrist, where she pauses and flickers her tongue at Dumbledore. The man just stares at her in silence.

“He is very rude.”

Harry just bites his lip and waits. Yeah, he agrees with her, but it won’t do any good to try and show it now.

“What species is she? I’m afraid I’ve never seen a snake with those colors.”

“I don’t know.”

“What?” Dumbledore turns his frown on Harry. “If you don’t know what species she is, how do you know whether you need to control her venom? Or what the proper antidote to her venom would be?”

“Tell him I’m only venomous when I want to be. And that he’s about to earn that honor.”

Harry just shakes his head and strokes Artemis’s back. “She’s never bitten someone with intent to kill, sir. She’s a very mild-mannered snake, most of the time. And she’s my familiar. So I would be able to tell her I disapprove of her actions even if I can’t discipline her the way you would a dog.”

“If you try to use a rolled-up newspaper on me…”

Harry wants to ask how she even knows about that, since she’s never seen it happen, but Dumbledore’s still right there. Maybe later.

“Snakes aren’t on the approved pet list.”

“Well, no, sir. But neither was that rat in the Gryffindor dormitory who turned out to be Peter Pettigrew.” Dumbledore flinches. “Or the tarantula that some of the Gryffindor sixth-years were talking about Lee Jordan having. I thought having a non-approved pet was fine as long as it didn’t hurt anybody.”

“Your snake could, however.”

“Is she as dangerous as a rat Animagus who was a Death Eater?” Harry asks in interest. “Just for the sake of comparison?”

Dumbledore takes a long, long breath that seems to leave most of his lungs in another country. “You can have the snake as long as you can control her and she doesn’t harm anyone, Mr. Potter. If she does, she will be taken away and destroyed. Do you understand the seriousness of the situation?”

“I’d like to see you try, Longbeard.”

Harry will have to have a talk with Artemis about almost making him laugh in front of a potentially dangerous enemy. He nods earnestly. “I understand it, sir.”

Dumbledore gives him one more look, as if trying to figure out why Harry is comfortable around Artemis when the Headmaster isn’t himself, and then turns and sweeps away. Artemis breaks out in a torrent of complaints the minute he rounds the corner.

“If he ever comes near us again, I’m going to imagine the venom that I need to turn him into a rabbit! And then I’ll figure out how to unhinge my jaws big enough to swallow him whole! And I’ll chase him through the whole school until he almost falls dead of exhaustion, but leave him alive so he can feel me swallowing him!”

Harry walks briskly down the corridor until he’s sure they’re far enough away from Dumbledore before he answers. “You know you can’t do that, Artemis. It would immediately reveal that you’re unusual even for a magical snake.”

“So the fuck what?”

Harry nearly drops her. “Why are you swearing?”

“He makes me angry! If you won’t let me turn him into a rabbit, let me turn him into a rat.”

“You can’t even create any venom that would Transfigure someone!”

“I can try!”

“I would rather you didn’t.”

“Then keep him from coming near us again.”

“Believe me, I’m just as eager to avoid coming into contact with him again as you are.”

But the way Harry’s luck usually works out, he doesn’t believe it’s the last meeting he’ll ever have with Dumbledore, more’s the pity.

*

Blaise smiles as he turns around in front of his mirror. Yes, the dark blue robes he wears are flattering, and his skin and eyes shine in them. He can’t wait to see Harry in his dress robes, and how he’ll shine.

“You can stop preening now.”

“You wish you looked this good,” Blaise tells Theo. Theo himself is wearing dark robes, with shimmers of purple and blue and gold in the right light. Blaise would admire them, but then Theo would preen, and no one needs to see that. “And you wish you had someone on your arm as brilliant as Harry.”

“Whatever you say, Blaise.”

“Who are you taking, anyway?”

“You wish you knew.”

Blaise rolls his eyes and walks beside Theo out of the common room, up through the dungeons, and then up the steps. There’s a crowd of people milling outside the shut doors to the Great Hall, but Blaise spots Harry right away.

He stands by himself, which makes sense because he’s one of the Champions and because some people still think that he cheated (because they’re idiots). But there’s also a presence to Harry that Blaise thinks makes other people unconsciously give him space. They might not know the true nature of his magic, but the other students can feel there’s something more there than the innocent smile and wide empty eyes.

(If the professors start to feel the same way in the next year, they might have problems).

“Blaise!”

Harry’s also hopping up and down and waving, so there’s that. Viktor Krum, with Granger of all people on his arm, gives Harry a look of scorn. Blaise vows that he’ll remember that as he walks over and leans down to kiss Harry lightly.

Well. It was meant to be a light kiss. Instead, Harry flings his arms around Blaise’s neck and deepens and deepens it until Blaise is stumbling back with his face flushed and his hands twitching.

“Some people, they are undignified,” says Delacour.

Blaise turns around to show her his sneer, but tempers it a little when he realizes her date is Harry’s friend Padma Patil. Who looks like she’s simultaneously having the happiest and most agonizing moment of her life. Blaise can’t help with that, really, but he’ll refrain from saying something that would make Delacour snap.

Harry, of course, sees and understands that interaction without Blaise saying a word. He beams at him again. “You’re so good to me.”

“Of course I am,” Blaise says, and takes Harry’s hand as they turn to face the doors into the Great Hall.

That’s when he sees Theo, standing and talking to Ginny Weasley, who’s wearing a robe of peacock blue. Blaise blinks, and then blinks again.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he mutters to Harry.

“Yeah,” Harry says, sounding surprised. “I mean, I suppose that he can if he wants? She just wouldn’t be to my taste.”

Theo notices them noticing and gives them an extremely smug look. Weasley glances over at them and looks away with no expression on her face at all.

“You don’t think it’s a betrayal?” Blaise whispers to Harry.

“Huh? Why would I?”

“She didn’t exactly treat you kindly last year.”

Harry shrugs. “I have better people to get revenge on,” he murmurs, leaning against Blaise as the doors to the Great Hall open and Professor McGonagall’s voice announces the beginning of the Yule Ball. “And she’s been more tolerable this year, if the way she goes after her brother and Longbottom is any indication.”

Blaise might argue, but the Ball is beginning, and he puts his head up as he and Harry move out, first in the line.

Harry might not have chosen to enter the Tournament at all, but Blaise is going to make sure that neither of them embarrasses the other.