Chapter 12: Actions Have Meaning

There is not a single action that you can take in your life which does not have meaning. Your entire body is infused with magic! Everything you do, everything you intend, everything you think about creatively, or anything you will affect you and therefore your magic. It is a concept that very few have ever studied. And there is a good reason for that! How do you quantify, empirically study, or even record the minuscule effects each individual thought or action has? It is a very difficult concept to grasp and even less well understood.

One of the areas where the phenomena of 'actions have meaning' can be studied is in the relationships between a man and a woman. It is a known fact that the virtue of a woman is magically sacred. The loss of a woman's virginity should be a significant event to them. Their virginity can only be given up once and their intent and willpower play a key role in the physical act.

On their wedding night, when a man breaks the hymen of a virgin woman and releases his seed inside of her, there is a magical event of real significance. Muggles believe the significance lies in the memory of the first act. Magically, it is categorically false. When a bride gives her maidenhood, as a gift to her partner, they allow the man to imprint his magic upon them. In the eyes of magic, two become one.

My heir, let me alleviate your head of any ridiculous notions before they can take root. It is not any form of a bond. It does not allow you to feel each other's emotions nor allow you to share magic, and especially not your thoughts. It does not mean the woman could not marry another. Before I present the magical significance, let me discuss the opposite gender.

The classical understanding of the imprinting often fails to recognize the reverse. The process is focused on the most impactful single event and not the build-up. Think of it like a wooden bridge collapsing. The single event takes up the entirety of the focus. The investigation finds the root cause to be a support beam had collapsed and recommends studier supports be used in the future. Case closed.

The investigation failed to understand the stem of the issue. They saw a wilted flower and claimed it was not watered enough. Not that the flower should never have been planted there in the first place. They failed to look deeper than the surface issue and notice the support collapsed because of the design flaw. That the bridge was intended to be temporary and intended for irregular use. Instead, the bridge became an important fixture. The real root cause of the collapse was that they should have planned it out better, used sturdier materials, and ensured they understood the consequences of their actions.

The final imprinting on the woman is the natural conclusion, the finishing touch, the wilted flower from lack of watering, the surface issue. Do you believe you can intend to be physically intimate with someone and not have it affect you? To will your body to touch theirs, to creatively use your mind to find pleasure? And even dare to think your magic-infused body is not using its power to help you accomplish your goal? The light touches, kisses, hugs, and any form of intended physical or emotional connection will have consequences to your magic. The appendage is bathed in their partner's secretions and then he leaves a part of his magic behind.

Does the woman not do the same to the man, do they not drench a part of him in their essence and does it not stay with them after completion?

Think of it more as the creation of a house. A house is comprised primarily of wood and stone. Using the two substances together in the same structure creates a single house. You do not refer to it by all the individual parts that make up the home. It is difficult to explain to a novice as the mechanics are theoretically beyond even most masters of theoretical magic. The full concepts have not been, and more than likely never will be, fully unravelled to the minds of wizards and witches.

When a woman intends and wills the loss of their virginity, it is an event very much akin to a ritual. There is the intentional shedding of one's blood and allowing for penetration into their very being. An act, which can be seen as ritualistic in nature, is undertaken and brought to completion. The woman wills her body to accept pain and the loss of their blood to accommodate a physical intrusion. These acts cannot be without consequence. Their magic tries to harmonize with their partner and make them compatible companions. Like all magic, the strength can grow or it can fade. Intent and willpower can change or cease. However, all magic leaves a trace.

That is not to say one cannot have a successful or happy marriage with a woman who has been imprinted on by another man. Arranged marriages are always a point of contention with muggle raised individuals, especially among the peasants. They fail to understand the importance of magical lineage, bloodline affinities and imprinting. There are consequences to actions that are inherently different. Even Muggles will always recall their first time, that is but a mere fragment of the effect on a witch and wizard.

The natural process cannot be removed in a non-harmful manner. There is but a single bastardization ritual that destroys the original imprint. It does it in such a way the woman is left unbalanced for the remainder of their days. The woman will have an amplified and unnatural imprint. She will be wholly devoted to the new man and totally unbalanced and the imbalance can have results physically, magically, mentally, in a combination of some or all of them. It is a truly abhorrent ritual and against the very nature of magic. Its use has caused feuds.

Courtship is incredibly important to wizarding society because it protects the sanctity of the woman. Would you wish to marry a spouse that has been imprinted by another man? Likewise, would you wish to imprint yourself on a woman and have a part of her always longing to stay connected to you? Do not believe imprinting only affects the woman. Even the most chaste acts a man and a woman can find carnal pleasures in have significance.

You must always remember: Magic is sentient, words have power, and actions have meaning.

Harry found himself in a most enviable position; he was seated at a table between two young beautiful women that almost every other man in the room would wish was their date. Viktor Krum was two seats over from Harry and doing the bare minimum to ensure his date, Fleur Delacour, had a good evening. It was clear they were partners of convenience; Krum made it evident he was not here by choice.

Both women seemed to be vying for his attention and Harry was wondering if another cold war would be started this evening.

Fleur flipped her long silver hair in her hand. "You two met through Madame Lacroix?" She asked looking at Harry and sitting far closer to him than her own date. Viktor had been rather quiet and seemed content to not be the centre of attention.

Harry scooted closer to Natalia and glanced at her. He opened his mouth to respond but Natalia beat him to it.

"Yes, as he has told so many others, he was so entranced by my ballet practise that he just had to meet me," Natalia spoke sweetly, too sweetly in Harry's opinion. "And he is such a gentleman! What young woman wouldn't want to be on his arm?" The look on her face made it clear she knew she had a major strategic advantage in the conflict.

"Oui, ' arry is such a catch! It is a blessing there are many future events where another could accompany him." The look she shot the younger woman was full of unconcealed contempt. She paused and looked at Harry. "Perhaps, I could grace ' arry's arm in the future," Fleur purred his name every time she spoke it; the purring sent small tremors down his spine as she accented his name.

At her comment, Harry looked down at his food. He didn't want to upset his date or a potential ally. Lacroix had made it clear that the Delacour family was a powerhouse in France. 'Just make polite comments, look around and act oblivious.' He thought. When he glanced at Krum, he received a short smirk. Viktor enjoyed the witches interplay at Harry's expense. ' What a prick.'

Refusing to participate in the cold war between the two females, he looked around. He saw Dumbledore was being fawned over by Percy Weasley, who was sitting beside him and nattered at by Ludovic Bagman. It was clear Bagman had already had too many drinks. Harry couldn't have picked a worse combination to bookend then man if he tried. Between Natalia and Bagman, was the raffle winner and his guest for the evening: Horace Slughorn and his guest Eldred Worple. Worple had written an autobiography about his time living amongst vampires, even befriending a few. He had told Harry that he would kill for the opportunity to write an autobiography for him. The way he had said it had made him wonder if he would actually commit homicide for the opportunity. A sane person did not live with vampires in their coven.

Deciding it was enough of the looking around part of his plan, Harry zoned back into the two women, who were still bickering back and forth.

"… Some of us wish to accomplish more than dancing for others." Harry caught the last bit of Fleur's barbed comment.

"Yes, the ones not talented enough have to move onto other pursuits. The wheat always separates from the chaff." Natalia riposted.

At this comment, Harry thought he should jump in before things got really ugly. "I quite like Natalia's dancing. I don't understand the technical parts but I do enjoy it," he smiled at his date.

Complimenting both to defuse the tension was now the plan.

"Thanks, Harry! I do love how much you enjoy it," she replied, hugging him possessively.

Harry continued onto the second phase of the plan. "I know that dance is not everyone's passion but you must be very talented for the Goblet to have picked you," he looked at Fleur and gave her a small smile.

"Merci, 'arry," Fleur squeezed his arm affectionately.

He felt Natalia's disapproval for complimenting Fleur, but, Harry wasn't going to upset either silver-clad young woman. He already had to deal with Dumbledore's looks of deep disappointment every time he glanced over at the man and Viktor's poorly hidden enjoyment at his predicament.

If the girls were going to talk over him, he was going to do the same to them. He caught Slughorn's eyes and initiated him in conversation while there was a break in the battle of the two immaculately dressed women.

"Professor, you said you were retired, how long did you teach here at Hogwarts?" Harry privately wondered if the man knew his parents.

"Oh ho! I taught here for a long time, started just after Albus! But call me Horace, Mr. Potter." Slughorn's face lit up in excitement.

"Only if you call me Harry, in return. You would have taught my parents then?" Harry questioned.

"Taught, oh my dear boy, I did more than just teach! Your mother, Lily, she was…" Horace trailed off as he seemed to get lost in his own thoughts. His jovial expression fell off his face as he recalled her fate. Before it gave way to a fond smile as he reminisced about her. "Your mother was a star student of mine. A brilliant mind for potions; it was so surprising as she was a muggle-born witch. I shouldn't have had favourites but your mother was one…" He paused again and looked at Harry. "I keep a photo of ours in my wallet, even after all this time."

The cold war between the two ladies was now firmly out of his mind. He had heard so very little of his parents and he had always been desperate to hear more about them. One of his most cherished items is the album of photos Hagrid gifted him. That action would keep the man as a firm friend.

"Could you tell me about her? I've heard almost nothing about her." Harry gently pleaded.

"I'd love to but this isn't the time nor place. We'll have to meet for dinner sometime," Slughorn suggested and there was a manic glint in his eyes. Harry vowed to find out more about the man, especially after his 'for a muggleborn' comment', before he agreed to meet up.

"At the moment, I do have a rather busy schedule through the tournament. I will let you know." Harry said diplomatically as he did want to learn more about his mother.

"Indeed… writing three OWL exams early like that. I talked with my old friend Griselda, we go way back. She told me she'd seen the memory of your test results, unofficially of course, and said you were right there with Dumbledore and Riddle for the highest OWL marks a year early!" Slughorn boomed out the praise while he hoped to fish for more details. "Accomplishing such a feat after leaving Hogwarts, you must have quite the tutor."

Harry had expected to be asked this regularly. "Yes, I do. Deciding to change the topic away from his tutor, he shifted to the offensive to get information on Riddle. "I don't know much about this Riddle fellow that keeps being mentioned. You must have known someone as talented as him, Horace?" Harry feigned total ignorance as he asked. 'A person who might have some knowledge about Riddle that wasn't Dumbledore; he might have to make time for dinner'.

"Riddle…" Harry saw Slughorn's countenance drop. The topic was visibly unpleasant for him to think about, obviously, he knew just who his student became. "Tom, that was his first name. He was a good student, but he wasn't brilliant until his OWL year. That's not to say he wasn't powerful and adept in his early years. He was, but, something changed in his fifth year. He gained a new confidence and both his spell work and academic work were just pushed to a whole new level." The portly man paused and there was a faint fondness to his reminiscing. "It was in that single year he distinguished himself from his peers. He was a frighteningly brilliant young man…" He trailed off with his expression turning sour once more.

It was a startling realization for Harry. Another piece of evidence that Riddle had gone through the same transformation he was undergoing. The parallels of their life were not lost on him and doubts crept into his mind. He wondered how benevolent Salazar's guidance actually was.

"What happened to Tom? I tried to look up information on him, besides an award for special services to the school and being Head Boy, there is scant known about him," Harry said as innocently as possible. Natalia and Fleur seemed to have paused in their verbal battle and waited for Slughorn's response.

The old man took his time before he answered. "He went missing shortly after Hogwarts. We can only guess that Tom came to an unfortunate demise." The professor looked like he had swallowed a melon and excused himself from the conversation to rejoin Eldred, who was conversing with Scrimgeour.

Harry turned back to his plate in thought. Slughorn had been overly eager to engage him and as soon as the topic of Riddle was brought up he clammed up and disengaged. It would require more thought.

He had finished his meal and looked at the rest of the table, most had as well. Next was dessert and then the opening dance. Harry had eaten a lighter meal, expecting he would be doing a lot of dancing tonight. Lacroix had warned him that many women would wish to steal a dance with him.

He turned to Natalia, seeing as she wasn't in a conversation, he asked her about it. "Natalia," he started getting her attention, "When we've completed the first dance together, is there some plan you have for the rest of the evening? Like how often should we switch partners or is there anyone else you wish to dance with?" He had planned to ask it on the carriage ride but that plan was aborted.

"Well, we'll probably do the first couple dances together and then we'll take the odd one-off with others until we decide to take a break. During the break, you could introduce me to your Hogwarts friends. I probably should dance with a couple of the important Durmstrang students like Viktor and Alexander and I guess we should switch partners with Cedric and Cho at least once too." She seemed to be thinking things over as she spoke.

"You will not mind dancing with moi, will you 'arry?" Fleur asked, jumping into their conversation. She was still sitting on the edge of her seat closest to Harry.

"It would be my pleasure. Natalia did just say she would want to dance with Viktor." Harry hoped his response wasn't going to be akin to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, sparking a war between the two.

"I must be your second dance partner for the evening. Zat is okay wiz you, 'arry?" Harry felt her finger trail the side of his leg, she kept her arm still so it was not evident, but her hand and fingers gently caressed him. Harry used his closer hand to try and push her hand away but the single caress was all she did before moving her hand away. He saw Natalia had edged closer to him.

'Was he going to die in a crossfire between the two?'

Harry stood three feet apart from Natalia. He watched as she pointed at her right hip, said a spell and her dress changed as she put her wand away. The areas where her skin was exposed had a material come over it and connected all the components of the dress. Her arms gained ribbons that dangled from around her elbow and sparkled with magic.

Harry perfected his posture and lowered his arms into position so they were ready to join with his partner. He had drowned out the faces of those surrounding the dance floor. As he did with Quidditch, he zoned the distractions out and focused on doing what was necessary to achieve his goal.

Lacroix had drilled into him that he must make it seem like he was having the time of his life even when he was desperately trying to ensure he didn't make a mistake.

He looked at his partner and smirked. No one knew of his dancing skills and no one would compare to them.

They closed the distance and began the routine Lacroix had choreographed for them. They didn't start with the box step even though he could hear the rhythmic counting of the three-four timing. Un Deux Trois.

Instead, he hesitated, dipped her slightly left, then quickly changed body positions to dip her right.

They were showing off, drawing attention to themselves. The other two couples paled in comparison. Faster than the first two bars of music, they moved seamlessly together.

Hesitation Change, un deux trois un deux trois.

The magic ribbons on her arms flowed and sparkled.

Fallaway Reverse Slip Pivot un deux et trois.

The movements came so easily now. He was truly enjoying the moment.

Double Reverse Spin un deux trois et.

How great did she look with her lustrous brown hair twirling as he spun her?

Open Telemark un deux trois.

Chasse from Promenade Position un deux et trois.

They moved so flawlessly. They knew the routine and they were just that good.

Natural Spin Turn un deux trois un deux trois.

The others were doing coordinated movements.

Turning Lock, left, to Promenade Position un et deux trois.

Cedric was doing the basic steps with Cho.

Chasse from Promenade Position un deux et trois.

While Fleur urged Krum to do more than minimalistic movements.

Hesitation Change, un deux trois un deux trois.

None of them compared to Harry and Natalia.

Fallaway Reverse Slip Pivot un deux et trois.

Enticing, elegant, and oh so silky smooth.

Double Reverse Spin un deux trois et.

How could one make a rational decision to not watch the pair?

Open Telemark un deux trois.

The other couples were screwed.

Chasse from Promenade Position un deux et trois.

Natalia was perfection personified: her arched back, pushed up chest, and long languid neck.

Natural Spin Turn un deux trois un deux trois.

Harry was immaculate: rising, falling, swinging, swaying and stepping in time.

Turning Lock, left, to Promenade Position un et deux trois.

He wasn't making a fool of himself now.

Chasse from Promenade Position un deux et trois.

The song continued. Krum was barely moving around on the dance floor. Cedric had pulled off a couple of attempts at spins; they were nice attempts, for an amateur. The assembled staff, students and guests were glued as they watched Harry and Natalia. Cameras flashed as the pair out dressed, outclassed, and outdanced the others.

As the song ended, Harry spun Natalia so both their arms were fully stretched out. The two bowed and curtseyed respectively while the whole hall clapped.

With the first dance over, professors and students moved onto the dance floor. With the dance floor becoming far more crowded, they'd have to move more carefully to avoid collisions. Harry had wondered if they would change partners for the second dance, however, Natalia pulled him in for another.

Natalia had dropped part of the performing act. With the lack of space, the two of them simply danced now.

"That went well." She said and smiled at him as they stepped together.

"It did; I almost feel bad for the others," Harry commented as he smirked.

Natalia saw the smirk and giggled before she spoke. "We should probably switch with Viktor and the French bitch next song." She scowled, not happy at the thought of Harry dancing with Fleur.

Now that it was just the two of them, he wanted to know why they two got on like oil and water. "What was the deal with you and her at dinner?" He asked.

She withheld a look of disgust for fear of a reporter thinking that she was unhappy with him. "She's Veela ." She simply said.

They continued to dance as Harry waited for her to explain but she didn't. "I don't understand why that's important…" He trailed off.

Harry led her into a reverse spin and when they resumed a more standard box step, she answered. "They are creatures ." Harry continued to show no sign of comprehension so she elaborated. "In Bulgaria, they are controlled and not allowed to use their veela magic. She was all over you! You are my date!" She snarled the last part. Harry had to look around to ensure they weren't overheard.

He internally wondered about the 'creatures' comment. Was it a slur like mudblood? If anything, it should be a compliment. If veela were more akin to magical creatures their magic would be denser and closely associated with them. Wouldn't that be a good thing? It was the purpose of some of his rituals. There was no reason to prod his date further on a touchy subject, especially when he could research it later.

He was slightly concerned about another's magic affecting him so he decided any further flak would be worth taking to find out if he was being affected. They continued to move to the timing of the music and during a hesitation change, Harry inquired. "I didn't feel any magic… what kind of magic should I watch out for?"

Harry put her through a natural spin followed by a chasse to promenade position. Natalia regained a happier disposition and said, "They can ensnare you and make you desire them. In many countries, they are closely monitored, even here in England. And they always try and ensnare the powerful."

Harry mulled the new information over in his mind. Fleur hadn't even had a conversation with him before the selection. At the First Task, she was kind and wanted to help him. Now, she was enamoured with him. Was it because of his growing popularity and power?

"I didn't notice anything at the First Task and the Bulgarian mascots at the World Cup didn't affect me so… I'm not really sure what to say. I don't think Fleur is charming me."

Natalia gave him a sceptical look but didn't comment further. She didn't look pleased with the topic and Harry was not going to prod further.

The song was coming to an end and they made their way towards Krum and Delacour so they could make the appropriate switch when the song ended.

"Before we switch, was there someone else you wanted to make sure you danced with right away? At some point, I'll need to go find friends and get a drink." Harry asked Natalia.

"I should dance with Alexander but that can wait. I'm sure your friends have been dying to see you. I did see quite many stares and furtive looks during dinner. Three dances is enough of a start," Natalia said while being spun.

The song ended. Harry and Viktor exchanged nods and changed partners. Harry looked over at his new partner. She was smiling widely at him yet still held an air of haughtiness. Harry moved forward, joined one hand with hers and kept the second resting on her back.

As they moved together, she started the discussion between them. "You dance rather well, 'arry," Fleur spoke in a voice that ran a chill down his spine.

"Merci." He smirked and began a more complex combination. He knew the Delacour family had a daughter in ballet right now and Lacroix mentioned Fleur was a promising ballet student at one time too. It became obvious right away that she was a very skilled dancer. Any kind of movement he tried, she was able to follow his lead easily. She was not as good as Natalia but that was probably due to a lack of practice.

As they danced, he concentrated to see if her magic affected him. He hadn't felt any kind of allure and couldn't fathom what else it could be. He wasn't exactly sure how good of an occlumens he was, but he thought he should be able to feel something if it was a bastardized version of legilimency given how far he'd progressed in the art.

"'arry, you are a magnifique dancer." Fleur complimented him once more and decreased the distance between them.

"Thanks, you are rather skilled yourself." Harry returned the compliment and spun her to have a more appropriate distance. He could feel Natalia's lasers on him and he did not have a death wish.

"Oui, but I had many lessons as a little girl. I did not think you or any male student would be so skilled." Fleur commented again as they did a hesitation to avoid the pair that almost blundered right into them. The male was in a trance staring at the young woman he danced with.

"I knew you had lessons before," Harry smirked at her again. It was fun lording information over others.

"Have you been asking about moi?" There was a sexy timbre in her voice. The husky tone wasn't going to help keep his thoughts pure. Fleur knew exactly how she was affecting her younger dance partner and revelled in it.

"Natalia told you we both learned at the same ballet academy?" She questioned. Her earlier teasing had run its course and she was genuinely curious about where he would have heard it. 'If Natalia had told Harry, what else could she have told him?' She thought.

"Nope," Harry responded, popping the p in nope.

Fleur raised her delicate eyebrow and gave him a look which made it clear she was above such bait. She waited as they kept dancing in time to the music.

"Fine," Harry gave off a manufactured sigh of mild disappointment, "Madame Lacroix told me."

"Madame Lacroix told you?" Fleur inquired, taken off guard by the comment. However, she only let a silver of surprise cross her features.

"Yep," Harry responded again, popping the p as he enjoyed messing with the older girl.

"When would you have seen her? I have never seen you at one of her shows nor on the list of invited people." He had to admit it was sexy to see her puzzled.

"Nope, never been." Harry enunciated the p once more and couldn't help the massive grin which formed on his face. He could see it agitated the gorgeous Beauxbatons Champion. He'd suffered through their cold war at dinner and he'd repay the torment in kind.

"You'd said at dinner that you'd seen Pavlova practice and so you met her when you watched Natalia?" Fleur asked, thinking back to their dinner conversation.

Harry's smirk was beyond smug. He could see comprehension dawn on Fleur's face as he opened his mouth to respond. With his face being so smug, she knew the single-syllable word with the letter following o and preceding q in the alphabet being over-pronounced that he would respond with. She winced, slightly, as he spoke the four-letter word which was becoming an English curse word in her book.

Harry could tell the song was getting close to being over and their dance together was ending. In the joint interview with Sam, he'd already told the story of how Lacroix had trained him for dancing so he lost nothing by telling Fleur. If he was really lucky, and that was a big if, Fleur might be taken by surprise again. She looked at him and expected to receive an answer.

"Lacroix taught me to dance." Harry dropped the bomb on her just as the song was ending. He enjoyed seeing her stumble and miss a step in their routine. Harry decided it was the perfect time to push it. He ended the finale with a free spin and dip while Fleur tried to reorient herself. She was mentally absent and even her previous instruction didn't let her keep up properly. It made him overjoyed to have discombobulated her so.

He led her back to Viktor and Natalia. Whereupon reaching them, he switched back to his actual date for the evening. Natalia gave him a quick hug and kiss on his cheek in greeting.

"Drinks and a break from dancing?" Harry asked aloud to the group.

Viktor looked at Fleur and shrugged before nodding his agreement.

Fleur smiled at Harry and said, "Oui."

Natalia piped in, "That would be nice."

"Da, we go get drinks." Krum verbally responded and ushered Harry off towards the drink table.

"We will get a table while you lovely gentleman gets us drinks," Natalia winked and glared at Fleur to follow. Fleur gave her a glare in return but followed as many reporters were still present.

Krum looked back to make sure the girls were a decent distance away and spoke. "You know what you are doing with Pavlova?"

Harry wasn't quite certain to if it was some sort of warning or if this was some weird big brother speech. Harry shrugged and waited to get clarity before he responded.

"The Pavlova family owns my team, Vratsa Vultures." His lack of discernible body language was making it difficult to decipher between the various forms of glowering he was so proficient at.

"A few years ago, a beater made a move on Maria." Seeing the lack of understanding on Harry's face he clarified, "Natalia's older sister, it wasn't appreciated. A week later, he was found dead. They claim it was suicide," he scoffed; it was obviously not what he believed. "I know you are not courting. But you are not dating her, are you?"

Harry frowned as he considered what he'd just heard. His assumptions were wrong and this sounded like a warning. The story sounded like a rumour and was likely nothing more than just that. He could ask Natalia about it. "No, we are just on a date this evening."

Krum nodded. "I would not date a Pavlova. Be careful." By the time the quidditch star had completed his warning, they were at the table with the drinks on it. Harry mirrored Viktor's actions as they each grabbed two drinks and looked for their dates. Harry spotted them first. Harry noted they had wandered over to where Slytherin students were sat. He told Krum and they made their way over.

"Harry, this is Alexander Fedorov and his date this evening, Daphne Greengrass," Natalia told him as he handed her a drink and she hugged her body up against his. Alexander was a tall, large-nosed, and broad-shouldered Durmstrang student. He was clearly a seventh-year student and he greeted Harry with a short stiff bow which Harry acknowledged with a nod of his head.

Harry turned to the Slytherin who he vaguely recalled from three or so years of having a handful of classes with. If he recalled right, a quiet studious type that didn't run in the same circle as Malfoy. She was tall, for a woman, and had a black dress on that covered her conservatively. Harry greeted her and didn't take a seat as he knew he needed to go see his friends right away. He was looking around to spot them as he wasn't sure if they had gone up to dance or not.

"Looking for your friends, Potter?" Daphne asked with an even tone.

"Yes. Do you know where they are?" Harry asked without looking at her. He was still roving his eyes around for Hermione and Ron.

"Well, Weasley is glaring at me and Granger doesn't look too pleased either, I'll go with yes." Harry looked at her while she spoke the final part and caught their general whereabouts from Daphne's nod.

"Thanks," Harry told her and then looked at Natalia, and asked, "You coming or did you want to visit with your friends?"

She looked at him and then back at the two glaring figures and thought perhaps it was best not to go. Then again, it could be helpful and supportive. She quickly debated it, shown by her scrunched up face, and decided not to go.

"Go talk to them first and then I shall come to you or they could come join us, here," she whispered to Harry.

The second he came storming back, Natalia could see he had just been through some deep shit. Even though he'd kept his emotions in check, he was still steaming inside. Natalia grabbed his arm and led him out of the hall for a walk in the rose garden. The two made their way outside in silence.

"Thanks; I needed air," Harry told his date as they found a private bench to sit on.

"I told you that I'd help you tonight," she smiled and rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. "Just doing what I can. Didn't look like your talk went well," she commented, allowing him to open up.

Harry hummed, debating whether he should answer as they sat there in the magical garden. Harry had cast privacy spells as soon as they had stopped. He was a rather private person and didn't want to ever be overheard.

"It's just hard…. sad," Harry gave a half-hearted enigmatic smile in her direction and looked out onto the grounds. He had a distant look to him; he was here physically but mentally and emotionally not.

"They were my best friends… my first friends…" Natalia raised her hand to signal him to stop talking. She made him lay down on her lap and massaged his forehead to calm him down. Neither said a peep as Harry let his emotions and thoughts settle from their turbulent state.

"I'm glad I came with you. It's not fun realizing you've grown beyond your friends and have left them behind." Harry's voice was soft yet firm. A lament for what was and what could have been.

"But even as the sun sets, it returns and rises brighter for a new day." Natalia felt the resolve building within him again. "I'm sad for how things ended but tonight was also the beginning. A new Harry Potter has returned." The words were probably meant more for himself than they were for Natalia's benefit.

It didn't stop her from chiming in though. "I like the Harry that you've become."

Harry got up from her lap and kissed her. Their tongues danced, although not as eloquently as their opening dance.

Natalia withdrew for air and asked, "Well, you ready to go back in there and make new friends?"

"Yes, I can't let dunderheads ruin an evening with such a lovely brat." Harry teased back.

"Good, because Alexander is a decent enough guy and he has a rather lovely date this evening though I gathered you two don't know each other well." She said as the two got up off the bench and began to walk back. "She was telling me all about the changes that are coming to Hogwarts."

That caught Harry's interest. He'd forgotten about the changes Cho and Cedric had asked him about. "What changes?" He asked his date.

"How about we get back in there you and you ask Daphne? I'm not really familiar enough with Hogwarts to understand it." Natalia replied as they made their way back up the path.

"Sounds good. Did you want to dance more? I should still talk with my quidditch teammates and see if they took things better." Harry told her.

"A few more dances would be lovely and I think I'd like to meet them if you think it will go better." She said as they paused at the door.

"Alright, brat but first." Feeling reinvigorated and spontaneous, he pulled her in for another kiss. He pushed all his feelings of gratefulness for her helping him just now, across the kiss.

Natalia moaned in delight.

Harry withdrew and gave Natalia time to regain her composure. Once she was ready, he locked arms with her and they entered the hall.

"Did I hear you correctly?" Harry asked, utterly bewildered at the very concept of what they were saying.

"Yes," Cho said, making it clear she understood just why he had a hard time understanding it. "I'm just lucky I'm still a prefect. I'm one of the only ones that are keeping their badge. I've never seen Flitwick so upset…. it was terrifying." She grimaced a little with a bit of a dazed look on her face. Cedric pulled her in closer to support his girlfriend.

"Wow." Harry really didn't know what to say. Apparently, his actions had a lot more far-reaching repercussions than he'd have thought. Kind of amazing what a few things said to the press snowballed into.

"When is it happening then?" He followed up his own single word response.

"They haven't exactly said yet but they aren't going to do it in the Great Hall as they do for firsties," Cho told him throwing her hands up a little, in exasperation, indicating she had no idea.

"Father is on the Board and he's informed me a little…" All eyes turned to Daphne Greengrass as she interjected into the conversation that was taking place between Harry, Cho and Cedric. The Hogwarts Champion and his date had come to join their table while Harry was off with Natalia in the garden.

"You will need a valid reason that will be checked over. They don't want everyone trying to take advantage of things, though I was told the bar will be set pretty low for what they consider a valid reason." Everyone had focused on the pretty dark-haired Slytherin as she informed them.

"And zis is not, how do you say…. standard?" Fleur asked the Hogwarts students.

"It's not entirely unprecedented. It's just really rare." Cho claimed. "Some of the Ravenclaw students tried to look up the record and it has happened before."

"Why are they doing it?" Harry asked, wondering why such a drastic step would have been approved.

Cedric looked at him as if he'd just asked a stupid question. "Harry, it's because of what you said in the press. There was a whole bloody inquisition into what drove you to leave Hogwarts."

Harry waved his answer off, he'd obviously understood that part of it. "That's not what I was asking. Why was that step needed? Couldn't they have just stopped it?"

Harry was a bit surprised when it was Daphne that spoke up again. "They are hoping to entice your return… and they think giving you the opportunity will help."

Harry wasn't really sure what exactly to think of the striking young woman. She was a Slytherin but she seemed rather nice and she was very beautiful in a unique way compared to Fleur and Natalia.

"Does it make you want to come back more?" Cedric asked, curious as to how Harry would take the news.

Harry refrained from answering when Natalia grabbed his hand and pulled him up. As she took him away, she quickly said, "Sorry, Harry is going to take me dancing right now ."

Harry wasn't expecting this at all, especially as he was engrossed in the conversation. Natalia was moving quite quickly in her dress to get back on the dance floor. As he let himself be pulled away, Harry glanced back over his shoulder and saw the reason: reporters and Dumbledore were now headed to their table. Harry saw Alexander and Daphne following quickly after them. He almost felt bad for Viktor, Fleur, Cedric and Cho, but better them than him.

They began a nice easy routine, nothing too fancy just an easy relaxing dance. After a minute of casual dancing, Harry wanted to thank his date once again.

"I didn't even see them coming. Thanks for getting us back out here." He said as they did a standard box step making it convenient to speak.

"It's just temporary; you will need to speak with them," Natalia told him brushing off his praise for her manoeuvre.

"Yeah, but instead of being ambushed, I get time to think about what they might ask and how I should handle it." Harry twirled her away and brought her back, the skirt of her dress came up as it whirled around, exactly as it was designed to do.

"What do you think they are going to ask you about?" Natalia asked him when she was close to him.

"Now that Daphne, Cho and Cedric have given me the goods, I suspect he'll use the changes to try to get me to return." Harry chuckled as he got the exact mental image of exactly what he thought Dumbledore would say. He had to share it with his date as she gave him a weird look. "Harry, my boy, we made these changes for you. Come home to your friends and where your parents and their friends attended." Harry laughed bitterly because he wouldn't put it past the old man to use his memory of his parents to guilt-trip him.

"I don't really know Dumbledore well enough to comment, but it does sound plausible," Natalia added, unhelpfully.

He wasn't pleased with her answer but she did help him twice tonight.

The song ended shortly and she directed them directly to Alexander and Daphne. Harry spied their table was still playing host to Dumbledore and three members of the press. There was no reason to hurry back. The press agents were hounding the sacrificial lambs.

They switched partners and Harry was paired with another gorgeous woman. He didn't feel anxious as he was a confident dancer. It was a just a little weird; they were classmates for years and he'd never even bothered to talk to her before. He felt like he should try and talk to her now. He'd kept the dancing really simple as he tried to lead her into a more complicated string of moves but she'd fumbled her footing. Instead, Harry had made it seem like a natural hesitation, so nobody would notice, and then kept it really easy. While Fleur and Natalia were both trained dancers, Daphne had probably learned from her mother or a family member.

"I think this is the most we have spoken since we started at Hogwarts together," Harry said hoping to start even just a polite conversation.

"It is." She replied simply.

Harry internally groaned. It was like Natalia, Anna and Hannah again. Thankfully, he at least had practice under his belt now. He could coax her to say more than conversation ending answers.

"Do you like being in Slytherin?" He asked her carefully. He had a follow-up question planned for either answer.

She looked at him for a moment before answering slowly, "Not particularly." She stepped forward as he had initiated another round of the box step.

"Do you plan to ask for a re-sorting then?" He queried neutrally as he stepped forward, now that a new measure of the song started.

"I don't think so." She said. Harry thought she hesitated as she said it, probably indicating she wanted to.

"Why not?" He asked her another question to keep the conversation going. He was going to be successful.

She shot him a mild glare as she didn't appreciate being interrogated.

"The hat originally wanted me for Slytherin and Ravenclaw and I'm not sure I want to go there with everything that's gone on there. Might be worse than being a snake." It was too bad that she wasn't comfortable talking with him. She looked like she could go on but had stopped herself.

Harry responded, "I'm guessing Gryffindor wouldn't be a good place for you." She nodded her assent as she rolled her eyes at the obvious conclusion he'd drawn. "Well, if you'd rather be in Hufflepuff that shouldn't be an issue." He winked at her when she looked at him confused.

"The Sorting Hat wanted me in a different house and I asked for Gryffindor. It didn't really like that I requested a different house… but it put me there anyway. Besides, between Slytherin cunning and Ravenclaw's intelligence, you should be able to think up a good argument to get where you want." He chuckled at her expression while they continued dancing together.

Daphne looked at him oddly as she processed the words. It made Harry wonder how people were taking the new and improved him. He wasn't the same person and it appeared as though Daphne slowly realized that.

He could see her biting her bottom lip. "Which house did the Sorting Hat want you in?" She asked with obvious nervousness.

Harry didn't see the harm in telling her. "The Sorting Hat said, 'You could be great… and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness'. The hat offered the option and thought it could be good for me… but I wanted nothing to do with Slytherin."

"Why not? Weren't you muggle raised?" She asked as they continued to dance together.

Harry would have titled his head as he spewed his thoughts from his mouth if he wasn't dancing, posture was too important to not keep proper. "Well, Hagrid told me you-know-who was a Slytherin and he murdered my parents. I had two encounters with an eleven-year-old Malfoy." Harry could see she understood how poorly that would have gone over for anyone. "Ron told me how all the evil wizards get sorted there. Being muggle raised, I didn't care where I went so long as it wasn't Slytherin by the time I put the hat on." Harry replied blandly.

They continued to move together. "You're far more interesting in person, Potter." She remarked after thinking his comments over.

"Harry is fine, you don't have to call me Potter." He gave her a disarming look before he continued. "Doesn't dancing together build some familiarity?" He asked, slyly.

When their eyes connected, she rolled hers and responded. "Fine, Harry, you can address me as Daphne." She drawled, he could almost see the sarcasm in her tone.

"Thanks, darling. " He responded in kind. It was fun teasing pretty girls.

When the song came to an end, Harry brought Daphne back to her date for the evening, Alexander. Before he handed her over to Alexander, he kissed her hand. Natalia shot him a glare as he took her back from Alexander, with a nod to the boy.

"I was just following etiquette, Natalia." He said to placate her unease.

She did not say anything as another song came on and they began dancing. The two danced in close proximity and mostly in silence as they were just enjoying the moment. The floor had far fewer couples as many had vacated it to socialize. It allowed Harry and Natalia to move around more freely again, which was nice.

When the song was coming to a close, Harry broke the comfortable silence. "Time to go face the music then?" He queried.

"Probably a good idea, don't want to draw it out and make them annoyed. Though, it is fun to watch Viktor scowl at the reporters. He really hates talking to the media. He just loves to play his sport and fly his broom." She giggled as they moved towards where they had left their fellow champions.

"Harry, my boy, care to answer a few friendly questions?" Albus Dumbledore asked, taking command of the situation. There were three press agents around him that he recognized: Boris Gelding from Bulgaria, Barbara Smith from the New York Times and Marie Dumont from Witch Weekly. Harry thought they were probably three of the more senior reporters. They were with Dumbledore now and had been among the first to ask him questions previously. It could just be a coincidence for all he knew.

"Of course not, Mister Dumbledore." He replied with Natalia still on his arm.

"Your date is Natalia Pavlova?" Boris Gelding asked with his deep voice first.

"Yes, and she's made for quite the lovely date tonight." Harry was trying to be more personable and relatable in the interviews so he would come across well to the reporters and their readers.

Gelding barked out a laugh as he wrote down something. Whatever he found funny, he didn't share.

"Are you two dating?" Marie Dumont spoke up from between the other two reporters. Harry, internally sighed, knowing he'd already gone over these questions and was likely going to have to repeat everything he had done with Samantha earlier. They had completed it first to ensure Samantha was the first to get her articles out.

The interview went on for a little with the same inane questions. The two of them skillfully answered them all as they had with Sam before Dumbledore tried to initiate the public appeal to get Harry back at Hogwarts via the media.

"What do you think about the changes they have made at Hogwarts based on your comments?" Barbara Smith asked.

"I'll need clarification, what specific changes are you asking about?" Harry wanted clarity on exactly what they had been told.

"The investigation into bullying at Hogwarts and the anti-harassment policies, including the opportunity for any student fearing harassment could request a resorting when the new term starts." Smith detailed out some of what Dumbledore had informed them.

"It's certainly interesting. I'm not sure why you would attribute it to me. From what I've heard, half of the Ravenclaw house has been censured for bullying of a specific student. I was even told they were not allowed to attend tonight's festivities as one of the punishments." Harry spoke clearly. He was far more relaxed and confident than he had been the last time he'd seen these particular people.

"The investigations only took place because you made it clear there were issues and it was why you left the school. Will you return to Hogwarts now?" Smith asked the follow-up question. Harry could see the approval from Dumbledore; Smith must have an arrangement with Dumbledore.

"I left for a number of reasons. My tutor has been able to accelerate my schooling, therefore I will not be returning full time to Hogwarts for at least the duration of the tournament. The Goblet of Fire didn't select me for Hogwarts and I would not wish to risk running afoul of the magical contract." The last part was something he'd been thinking of for a plausible reason for not returning. "That's not to say I wouldn't welcome spending more time here again." He added with a smile that reminded him too eerily of Lockhart's false preening.

"How so?" Smith pressed on. He saw the flash of disapproval on Dumbledore's face even though he tried to hide it before Harry offered a form of compromise.

"Well, I would like to socialize with my friends and peers and I do miss flying around the castle grounds. Furthermore, Hogwarts has an amazing library and world-class professors. I am doing rather well in my lessons but I'd like to be able to pick the brains of the professors still." He smiled widely again, radiating his happiness for the plan. It was a good thing for Harry too. He couldn't just sit in the chamber all day every day.

"That wouldn't be an issue at all, my boy," Dumbledore spoke and gave Harry a look. Harry bet he was already scheming to control him again.

"I will be in touch, Mister Dumbledore." Harry returned his gaze at Dumbledore's forehead, careful not to make direct eye contact.

Dumbledore seemed to have gained whatever he had hoped to achieve, he nodded and made his exit. The three media members followed shortly after his exit.

When they were out of earshot, Cedric looked over at Harry. "That wasn't very nice. Leaving us out to dry with the media that was clearly coming for you." The affable young man tried to make it seem as if he was far more upset than he actually was.

"I regret nothing." He smirked. "Natalia saw them coming and was smart enough to throw you to the wolves instead of me." He felt a finger poke his ribs as he shifted blame to her. "What can I say? My date's just awesome like that." He laughed hoping his compliment would assuage her need to poke him again.

"If you are going to be eating at Hogwarts and around, will you sit wiz me sometimes?" Fleur batted her eyebrows at him.

"You'd be welcome at the Ravenclaw table anytime." Cho chimed in as well.

"With us Puffs too, even after sacrificing me to the media." Cedric mock glared at Harry.

Harry chuckled. "Cedric, I was just showing loyalty. I mean, I've had so much media exposure I was making sure you got your fair share too! That's fair play and showing loyalty like a true Hufflepuff," he snickered.

"Mind if we join ya?" A voice came in from behind Harry. He hadn't seen them come towards their table. Harry turned his head around and found Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia and Katie had come over together.

He quickly looked around to ensure nobody else at the table was going to be upset if he agreed. Daphne had her complete neutral face on again. She probably wasn't too comfortable with all the Gryffindors. It diminished the looks of the brown-eyed beauty. She looked far better when her large pouty lips were smiling on her longer symmetrical face with her delicate jaw.

Seeing no dissent, Harry had them introduced to everyone.

"Didn't look like your chat with our little brother went all that well," George said.

"Ronniekins had quite the tale to tell before he was escorted out." Fred piped in. Neither twin looked all that happy recalling the incident. He could see all three ladies with them reflected the same sentiment.

Harry gave them a strained smile before he spoke. He knew the entire group was listening in and focused on him. "Yeah… it didn't go well." Harry wasn't looking to see who but at least two people snorted at the rather obvious statement. "I'd hoped we might smooth things over but I don't see that happening now." It pained him to admit the two people he was closest to at the beginning of this year were now not even friends.

"Why ever not? You've always been attached at the hip with them," Cho asked, honestly puzzled at how it could have happened. The Gryffindor quidditch players all cringed. They'd heard all about it in the common room since the tournament selection.

Harry grimaced along with his teammates and Natalia gave his hand a comforting squeeze, she was letting him know she was there for him. "Ron… is jealous, I think. He was upset I was included, assuming I had cheated. Now that it's been proven false, he's upset I'm 'hogging all the glory' and getting special treatment even though I'm nothing but an 'undeserving git whose claim to fame is his parent's death'." He heard the collective intake of breath and just pushed forward. He knew it would make its way through the famous Hogwarts rumour mill but he just wanted it done.

"When Mount Ron was finished exploding, Harpy Hermione went at me for my OWL grades because 'it's not possible for you to write your OWLs when even I'm not ready for them yet' and well things got worse from there… I'm just glad everything was behind a privacy spell, the yelling…." He shuddered to think what would have happened if someone would have heard that. It would have been front-page news.

"All the more reason to come sit with us badgers then," Cedric announced pulling everyone's attention from Harry.

"Hey! He's our star seeker. We won't be giving him up." Katie responded to Cedric's comment hotly. Harry was surprised at just how heated it was.

"He can sit with us anytime he wants," Alicia added, backing up their younger chaser.

"And we're sorry we didn't show our support earlier… I was upset Cedric got picked over me and didn't realize how bad it had gotten." Angelina sheepishly commented after her two teammates.

Harry was genuinely happy with them all. It was disappointing they hadn't jumped up to help him earlier. He wasn't that close to them and rarely ever sat with them in the common room or at meals. His social circle had been his two best friends and his dorm mates. He lost two best friends tonight, but gained many more new friends.

The future was looking brighter.