9 Chapter 9: The Dolt & The Brat

Harry tried to keep himself occupied so he would not think about her but since he had to go back to the dance studio, it didn't work. At least he had been productive in his spare time. He sent a letter to Griselda Marchbanks to inquire about the process for signing up for OWL examinations. He was a little surprised when he hadn't received a prompt reply back from McGonagall but he suspected Dumbledore interfered. He adamantly refused to be the man's pawn.

Harry apparated away and arrived at the dance studio. Arriving at the entrance, he made his way towards the dance floor. Harry had learned the studio was not as small as he'd thought; there was a much larger training area. He'd never had reason to use the area before and didn't expect he ever would. However, the entrance to the training area being open caught his eye since normally it never was. Why was it open now? His curiosity got the best of him and he silently walked forward and entered. The stage was empty of any dancers and it was only brightly lit near the front seats. He moved towards it and was surprised when he saw a person sitting at a desk. Harry didn't recognize the figure right away. The person studying had long brown hair that went down her back, far enough to tease the top of her tush. She had at least half a dozen books scattered about the desk and was writing with a quill.

Harry slowly approached while getting a knowing feeling this was the same girl that had porously plagued his thoughts. She was too engrossed in her work to notice him walk up quietly towards her.

"Natalia?" He asked.

The girl in question spun her body around quickly as she was startled from her work. The look of panic rapidly gave way turning into a shy blush.

"I didn't expect to see you here. Do you normally study here?"

Her blush intensified but it didn't impede her ability to respond naturally with a pre-planned answer.

"I attend classes during the day then study and complete my assignments… so I have weekends and mornings free to practice here. I- I sometimes come here to study; I, I like it here and it's… quiet." Her voice grew small as she finished her spiel.

A clearing of someone's throat caused them to both jump. At the entrance was Lacroix.

"Your lesson was to begin on time, Mr Potter." Was all she said before spinning on the spot and leaving to go back to where Harry should already be. He knew he'd just come on time today since he hadn't wanted to wait around in the studio. Now, he wished he'd come early.

"You'd better get in there before she gets really upset," Natalia said urgently. "Go, Harry."

He did exactly as she said, hurrying quickly to dance practice. However, his thoughts were a mess. He'd been coming here five days a week for a little bit now and how he had not since her once? It was possible that she could have been in there and he had not noticed. Regardless, it was a blessing to see her today since he was dreading waiting a week.

Dancing with Anna was nice again and Lacroix was adding to his repertoire. She was just as critical for any mistakes he made as she normally was. Harry seriously thought she just made some up to make herself feel like she wasn't just standing there counting over and over. Harry felt confident by the time the Yule Ball arrived he would be the best male dancer there.

The evening went by quickly, once Harry chased thoughts of the ballerina studying nearby out of his head, and once he thanked Anna for helping him he went to see if Natalia was still there.

"Harry a word first in my office." Lacroix had seen where his eyes went and could read the hormone-addled young man with ease. She knew the likely result of her initiating contact between the two. Unless there was a distinct physical attribute the other disliked the two would gravitate to each other naturally. Lacroix tried, as she might, to not play favourites but couldn't help it since Natalia was her darling dancer. None of the three major backing families ever let their heirs join the Ballet Academy properly.

It was so rare for five children to be born from a single wizarding power couple. Natalia was the granddaughter she never had and Harry had quickly become an adored grandson to her. With that being said, the situation was volatile and she didn't know who else may be advising Harry. He was being taught well. He was far too established in silent casting to be taught by anything less than a real master of magic. The article provided some insight with what it was unable to uncover. She had assumed, like Samantha Roberts, Harry had sought the very best magical tutors available. The reporter was very thorough and was unable to yield any result. He was already adept at apparition and probably doing so without a license. The first few times he had shown up she could see the soot on him but now it had stopped.

She did know whoever was teaching him magic had failed him socially. He should have known about his status within the Black family or he should not have contacted her. By rule, she didn't get involved in any sort of politics or business. When you have the backing of three rather different families, you don't meddle. However, Arcturus would never have let a Black be so ill-informed. He may officially be a Black but he lacked the breeding of a true one. She had begun to care about the boy but knew she was limited on how to help him.

Following the routine, Harry grasped the goblet and drank deeply from it. He'd wanted to go see if Natalia was free; he was itching to get out of here and catch his new friend.

"Harry, I know you wish to catch Natalia before she leaves and you will. I just want to talk briefly."

"Okay" Harry replied drawing out the o slightly.

"I don't think you've understood my place in life. I've acted beyond where I should have and I need to be very careful. Our association beyond formal dance instruction cannot be known."

Why would her helping him with their little chats be such an issue? He thought.

"Harry, I'm a dance instructor. I understand my place in life and I love what I do. I am able to provide some general guidance but no more. You are a part of the Black family. I cannot favour your family over my two main other benefactors nor should you want me to."

The warm demeanour was back as they were in private again. The pattern of imparting advice Harry had come to expect was not being followed. It was going a totally foreign direction to the norm.

"I don't know who is directing your magical education now, but they are good. I can see you need assistance in the social, political and economic world. But my hands are tied. Can your magic tutor not assist?"

Harry felt blindsided by this. Was she abandoning him now? Just going back to the cold dance instructor? It fit the pattern of his life. Adults can only act nicely for short periods.

Lacroix saw how quickly the young man became despondent. His shoulders slumped, his posture stiffened and he was bracing himself for further bad news.

"Harry." She snapped at him to get his full attention back. "I. Am. A. Dance. Instructor. Think about what that means! I know my limits! Do you not understand that?" She fixed him a stern glare.

"My family has built a nice niche where we rub shoulders with the elite in society. We have a reputation as the best studio. We're a luxury, a prestige they can afford. If we upset them, they will take their business elsewhere."

She could see him think about it further and his eyes sparkled with life once more.

"Harry I'm telling you I have limits to what I can do. Not that I am abandoning you. Not that I won't help you."

She had to make it plainly clear so he wouldn't push her away.

"Oh." Harry was still downcast, in comparison to his usual demeanour, but slowly brightened as he rationalized what he had been told.

"I've come to rather like you. Your work ethic and honest demeanour endeared you to me," she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Thanks," he tried his best to return the smile. "Are you able to tell me why you thought Natalia and I wouldn't work out?"

Madame Lacroix stilled. She knew she had to be very cautious here. Then again, the knowledge he was asking for he should already know. He only asked because he was an orphan, and nobody had told him about his family history. Then again, he was also a part of House Black. His mixed lineage complicated things greatly.

"The Pavlova family has a stigma they are maligned for, for their role in Grindelwald's campaign… Your grandfather, Charlus Potter, and your grandmother's brother, Arcturus Black, were on the other side of the war until the Pavlova family switched."

Harry had never heard this kind of history. He knew of Dumbledore's role in the war but he didn't know his grandfather and great uncle were involved too.

"There are a few viewpoints of their actions. One is that they read the tea leaves and saw their side was going to lose. That they only switched because Grindelwald's defeat was imminent."

She paused sipping her water waiting for the boy to focus on her again.

"The official stance of the Pavlova family is that they switched because they couldn't stomach the atrocities they became aware of and that their defection was crucial in turning the tide of the war."

She could see the gears turning in his head. Understanding how the same action could be viewed so differently, especially by the side they switched to.

"What is not debatable is the war ended two months after their decision to change allegiances."

It was marvellous to see one so young taking the time to process information and not just react off right off the bat. There was a time and place for swift action and other times where patience and prudence paid dividends.

"Oh… then why would it be a problem for me to take Natalia? Neither of us were alive then and it's not like she made the decision."

She sighed. Harry had come a long way already and yet he was still just fourteen. He should be guided by parental figures, it was becoming increasingly evident he had not been.

"It's not that simple Harry… if- if you get into a real relationship with Miss Pavlova, your actions are silently informing everyone you tacitly approve of their family. Whether it is fair or not, if you were to marry her it is a statement the Potter family approves of the Pavlova family, even all their history."

Mr Potter,

The Yule Ball is to begin at six in the evening. You and your date should arrive prior to then, I would suggest no less than a quarter to six. When you arrive at the castle, you will be directed to where you will wait until your entrance with the other Triwizard Tournament Champions.

Dinner will be served once everyone is sat. Following dinner will be the opening dance by the champions and their respective dates. There is no further itinerary scheduled, however, media members will be in attendance and I would anticipate they will wish to speak with you.

As for traditions, there are some things you should be aware of. There is specific etiquette for formal balls and books can be ordered from Flourish and Blotts that cover it extensively. Further instruction on general social etiquette and dance instruction is recommended as well. There is one final item to be aware of. It is traditional to give a gift to your date for the evening. The type of gift varies and ideas can be sought in the topic based books discussed above.

There have been a number of students that have asked if we knew of a way to contact you as owls have been unable to find you. I have attached a few letters to go along with mine.

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry had been thankful that her suggestions matched what Lacroix had been telling him. He had been suggested to get a small piece of jewellery or some kind of trinket to wear for his date, as well as the Fairway girls.

He leafed through the other letters to see who had all written something to him. It brought a small to his face to see there were more than just one or two. There was no way he was going to have time to respond to all of them now. He was going to meet up with Natalia to study before his next dance lesson.

She had waited for him after he finished his talk with Lacroix and he was still of the opinion she did not study there regularly. Harry thought she wanted to see him again and found a way to make it happen. Harry picked up a few books he had been working on and left to go to the studio. He was planning on working on the theoretical portions he had progressed to. He was going to just read since he didn't think practising spellwork in a dance studio was prudent. Plus, he'd only seen Natalia with bookwork yesterday evening.

By the time he was done with Lacroix, the previous night, it was already quite late. Only a couple of awkward minutes were shared by the two before they made plans to study together this evening. Since she actually had to finish homework, Harry only had the hour between dinner and the start of dance lessons to actually be in her presence. It would have to wait until the weekend to spend any kind of actual quality time together. Although, Harry had no idea what they should even do for that.

Harry entered to find Natalia working. She was at the same desk as the previous evening and Harry decided to sit on the other side of it.

"Hi." He said shyly; it was still difficult to talk to such a pretty girl.

"Hi." She replied demurely back with a slight rose hue coming to her cheeks.

"I'll just get reading then?" Harry asked nervously.

"Sure," she said. Ugh, Harry hated that reply. One word answers were becoming the bane of his existence.

Harry sat in his chair and pulled out his book. He began to read from where he last left off and continued his studies. It didn't take long for his attention to wander. His eyes sought out the only other soul in the room and he drank in her form again. It was so cute how hard she was working.

Thump . The book Harry was holding open had slipped from his grasp and made a noise on the desk. Her eyes caught his and he blushed being caught staring at her. She turned as crimson as him realizing he had been watching her instead of working.

Harry sought to bury his embarrassment and get to reading.

Bloodlines are important since there are unique traits that can be passed on to future progeny. There are more powerful bloodline abilities, such as Parseltongue and Metamorphmagus, however, most are more simplistic. Every person has an affinity for some form of magic. It is a mistake to think that an affinity affects an entire field of magic. For example, an affinity for all of the branches of transfiguration is pretty well unheard of. Having a greater ability to achieve the animagus transfiguration is possible. There are rumours of a family having the ability to better take on the characteristics of their animal to a greater degree than is normally possible. Animagi gain traits from their animal counterpart…

He felt the gaze of Natalia and kept his head still and quickly moved his eyes up to catch her. He grinned realizing that she probably actually did like him. He knew he liked her and his gaze always wished it followed her. Now, he'd caught her doing the same! Harry liked seeing her red-hued cheeks. She was really cute when she was embarrassed. Natalia went back to her work and Harry continued with his reading.

… though they are typically minor. An owl animagus will normally gain minor improvements in their night vision, for example. A cat animagus may suddenly be better at sensing with their nose thought it is doubtful they would gain a much stronger sense of balance. Affinities are highly valued and the source of considerable conflicts. In fact, they…

Harry snuck a glance at the young ballerina. Natalia was looking visibly annoyed with her homework. A quill in her mouth and her wand in hand. She was furiously looking through the book.

"Need help?" Harry asked.

She looked up, eyes widening. She quickly used her wand to end the silencing spell.

"No, I'm just kind of stuck but it's for OWL prep work…" Her voice trailed off. She knew Harry was a year behind her in classes so he wouldn't be much assistance.

"Are you sure? What subject is it?" Harry inquired.

Natalia rolled her eyes since she didn't think the younger boy could help but decided to humour the younger boy. "Transfiguration. I'm working on the owl to opera glasses spell Strigiforma ."

Harry stood up and looked to see she actually had an owl to practice on. He must not have noticed because she was using a silencing spell to ensure she didn't disturb him while practising.

"Give it a try again." He said while moving around the desk to watch more closely.

Natalia concentrated and spoke the incantation. Harry watched as she performed a correct looking wand motion, though he was unfamiliar with the actual spell, he'd learned that certain types of magic have base wand motions. He watched as the owl began to change into opera glasses. The vertebrae animal began changing into what looked like the base form when it stopped. She wasn't successful in her attempt.

Harry looked back at Natalya who was clearly more than annoyed now. She looked at him challengingly and gestured for him to try. Harry hadn't done the spell but it wasn't going to be difficult. He pulled his wand and returned the abomination back into an owl. Then he decided to not hold back and do it silently. He cast the spell, with just the base wand motion for animate to inanimate transfiguration, and watched as the owl turned into the exact copy of the picture in her open textbook.

"How"? Her mouth was agape. Her head kept darting between Harry and the perfect transfiguration that he did silently!

Harry shrugged not really sure what to say.

"Good teacher and lots of practice?" Harry said with a smirk.

"Can you teach me?" Natalia begged.

"Maybe, if you don't underestimate me again," he winked at her and she scowled him in return. Harry checked the time with a tempus and realized he had to go to his dance lesson in a minute. He moved back to his books and grabbed the one for transfiguration. He opened it to the page discussing tips and tricks for animate to inanimate transfiguration and passed it to her.

She made a funny face at him but Harry dismissed it as he hurried off to more dance lessons.

When he returned after his lesson, he found a disgruntled Natalia and a goblet that wasn't as good as the one he had done.

"Did you still need help?" He asked, with a smirk.

She glared at him in response and didn't dignify his question with any kind of response. She stalked to the part of the desk he had used earlier and threw the book, he had lent her, at him.

"What kind of joke is this?" She asked obviously upset. Harry looked at the book again and was confused. Why was she so upset with it? He'd given her the perfect study tool from Salazar Slytherin's personal library! He'd trusted her a great deal and she was rejecting it? It didn't make sense.

"What kind of joke is that?" She questioned pointedly.

"Joke?" Were women just crazy?

"Yes." She growled at him for being so dense. Harry's eyes kept darting between the book in his hand and the increasingly upset young woman. Did she know how great she looked when she was upset? It was almost worth having the girl he liked mad at him just to see this.

"You give me a book full of useless scratches and squiggly lines after showing off." Natalia retorted.

"Squiggly lines and scratches?" He parroted back at her.

She didn't respond with an actual word just a mixed-up grumbled attempt at a response that was overpowered by the growl in her voice.

Harry looked at the book again and shut it to make sure he had the right one. It was Transfiguration I .

"Err… " he pointed the cover to her, "it's my Transfiguration I book… it, uh, explains transfiguration concepts from cover to cover."

"Stop messing around. It's not funny! It's a prank book. I tried dispelling it but it resisted everything I tried."

Harry's eyes continued to shift between the irate young woman and the book. Was the book protected from others reading it? Why would she see squiggly lines and weird scratches? Oh. Could it be written in parseltongue? Would Salazar have done that so it was only capable of being read by his heirs? Yes, he probably would have from what Harry knew about him from his memoirs.

"Sorry." He said as soon as he realized what probably had occurred. "I think my teacher locked it so only I can, uh, read it?" It wasn't a great response but hopefully, she wouldn't question it at all.

"Oh." She replied as the anger visibly sunk away.

"I should have known," Harry mumbled in reply. He felt embarrassed he'd tried to help her and instead had probably hindered her work.

"No, I'm sorry. You didn't know and were trying to help… and I jumped to conclusions. Sorry, Harry." The earlier demure expression returned to her.

"I can just tell you what it says if you want instead."

She smiled shyly at him. "Sure."

"Do you know the most important parts to focus on for transfiguration spells?"

"You mean, like, how my professor said transfiguration requires strong focus and a clear picture of what you want to happen in your mind?"

"Kind of," Harry replied. "It's not so much focus as it is your willpower. The magic in the owl knows that it should be an owl. When you cast your spell to change it, your will must override the owl's innate magic to force and shape it according to your will. The more clear you instruct your will the easier it becomes."

Speaking directly to the older girl, he saw she understood the first part. It was plain to see she hadn't had the concept explained this before. In his introduction to the subject, McGonagall hadn't explained it this way. He noticed she seemed to be a little confused with the second part. She had narrowed her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed when he explained it.

"Think of it like assembling a puzzle. If I gave you a puzzle and told you to solve it you could do it. If I didn't give you the picture of the end result it would be more difficult and time-consuming because you wouldn't know where each grouping of like pieces went in the overall structure. Magic is like that. When you have a clear idea of exactly what you want, to will your magic to do, it becomes easier the more clear the end result is."

She didn't respond right away. He could see she was thinking it over. Instead of a response, she shut her eyes tightly, in obvious concentration. When she opened her eyes she had a determined look to her and brandished her wand. She cast the spell again. Harry watched as the owl changed from the bird into the exact replica of Harry's earlier transfiguration. Natalia jumped up and down as she screeched happily at finally getting the spell perfect! She was beaming and closed the distance between them pressing her body against his and wrapping him up in a tight hug.

"Thank you!" She shouted as she expressed her gratitude verbally as well as physically. She seemed to realize what she'd done as she quickly broke the hug and backed up. Harry had been so surprised by the action he hadn't even been able to respond.

"You're welcome." He replied while savouring the feeling of having her wrapped around him.

"That was amazing! I've always struggled with the practical side of transfiguration. That's the first time all year I've done one perfect without practising for hours! You just saved me hours of practising this spell!" She was still exuberant at her success.

Harry was still red in the face from the young woman's earlier actions.

"It was nothing." He mumbled in reply. Accepting praise wasn't something he was all that great at yet.

"It was not nothing! I expected one whole more day of working on it still! You might have just helped me get an O in my OWL!" She was just realizing what this meant to her. Natalia had always had a harder time with transfiguration. That was going to change now! She quickly closed the distance between them and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. Blushing furiously she said thanks again. Harry's right hand rose to his left cheek and his fingers traced the outline of the kiss he'd just received.

Natalia checked the time with a tempus charm.

"I should be gone by now! I can't come tomorrow but would you be able to study Thursday?" She timidly asked him with large hopeful eyes, her head slightly bowed.

"Of course," Harry responded eagerly.

Today, he had dance lessons but he would not see Natalia and he would dance with Hannah as Anna could not make it. He wasn't looking forward to this lesson since Anna was starstruck around him; it actually reminded him of when he first started being around Ginny. Speaking of Ginny, she had added a letter into the packet McGonagall had passed along. It was a kind of McGonagall to do that but why had she done it? Between reading Salazar's memoirs, the mind rituals and his talks with Lacroix he recognized he thought differently and was developing the ability to better analyze situations. It didn't really matter in this case. He could have guessed the contents of many of the letters. Ron wanted to apologize for how he treated Harry and go back to being friends. Fred and George were humorous and said they were sorry for not being more vocal in their support.

The letters from Sirius and Hermione were more of an interest to him. Sirius was supposed to be the person his parents trusted to raise him, but their trust was misplaced. His first two opportunities he proved he cared more about avenging his dead friends than their son. His actions hurt or shook the trust he would place in the man, yet deep down there was a flicker of hope the man could become a proper guardian figure for him. He would ensure he was emancipated permanently before he'd consider putting himself in the man's care though. His letter said Sirius was making his way back towards Hogwarts. He'd left the country to keep himself safe because he thought Harry was doing okay and he couldn't be a help if he was caught and kissed on sight. He wrote that he thought Harry needed his help more than ever now and would be back sometime in the new year.

He had a number of questions, most of which mirrored Hermione's. Where was he staying, who was looking after him, why had he left, how was he preparing for the tournament, if he was learning magic, and on and on. He decided to pen both before his dance lesson and send Hedwig off. He'd instruct her she could wait for a reply from Sirius but not Hermione. He'd be seeing her soon.

Dear Hermione,

I am writing this in two parts. One to just you and a general letter for everyone that wrote to me. I'm rather busy these days and don't want to write out the same letter over and over. See the next page for the general letter. When you are in private, tap this page with your wand and state your full name followed by my full name to get it to show you the actual letter I wrote just to you.

Hello Everyone,

I am perfectly fine, healthy and happy. I have found a great place to live and I have all of my needs looked after. I will be attending the Yule Ball and will see everyone when I'm back at Hogwarts. Dumbledore has asked me if I will return to Hogwarts and I'll tell you all what I told him. I'm not committing to it at this time and will speak to him about it at a later date. My first and foremost priority is surviving the tournament and I'm off to a good start with just two tasks to go. I have already solved the riddle and am refining plans for it. I would ask for any and all of your assistance if I thought it was necessary.

I did interview with Sam. She was actually quite pleasant for a reporter. She was fair and did a good job. I knew I needed to start answering some of their questions after how poorly the first one went off. We have discussed further interviews at later dates. I need to get ahead of any negative reports and fix all the false reporting about me that has been done since 1981.

I'm sorry I'm not able to tell you all about where I am staying or even what I am doing. You'll get some clues at or before the Yule Ball. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Harry Potter

Dear Hermione,

Thanks for the letter and yes I was quite mad at you when I first left. You and Ron were my best friends! When I needed yours and his support, neither was there for me. You shouldn't have even had to have asked if I put myself into it! I told you I wanted no part of it. Why would I seek to enter a tournament cancelled because of the death toll that is meant for the best seventh year the schools have to offer?

I have spent some time since you asked me, reflecting on it and I can see your side. You have two best friends and didn't want to alienate either. You refused to get involved and I hope you can see it from my point of view. I did what I have always had to do - I took care of myself. I found somewhere better to go, I found a better education and I'm making sure all my interests are being handled.

I have a date to the Yule Ball and won't have issues dancing. I was already aware of the information McGonagall sent back and have that well in hand already. Thanks for the offer to go with me if I needed a date. I don't need any notes from you or aid since I have spent a lot of my time studying and I'm quite far ahead in some classes. I will be taking three OWL exams as soon as I'm able to schedule them.

We can talk more when we see each other at Yule.

Harry

Ugh, one more letter then he could head off to the dance studio.

Snuffles,

I am doing just great. Better than when I was at Hogwarts. I'm learning far more than I ever did in classes. I have a very secure place to stay where nobody can even send me an owl. I made it through the First Task and had several plans for it even though they became unnecessary. I already know what the Second Task is and have multiple plans being worked on. Don't do anything stupid or risk being caught. Don't listen to what anyone else says about how I'm doing.

I am going to be retaining a lawyer and see how they can get you a trial. I have some connections with the press and can probably point her at your case if you want. It's your life so I will let you decide. I could interview with Samantha again and let her research your lack of a trial. We could wait and go for a double whammy and get the lawyer and press to go for the knockout at the same time. Let me know. I've told Hedwig to await your reply. Once you're free, we can get you treatment from your tender care at resort Azkaban!

Harry

Ps. I have quite the date for the Yule Ball. No chance you'll miss seeing us in the newspapers the next day.

Harry sealed the final letter and instructed his beloved owl. He kind of preempted his asking Natalia but he already knew he would. Lacroix wouldn't have suggested her if it would be a big issue for them to go on a single date together. He understood what she was warning him of. Don't let his hormones get the best of him. The larger consequences to his smaller actions was something she had been forcing him to understand. There was no rush to get into a serious relationship with the youngest Pavlova anyways since he was only fourteen! He planned to keep it casual and get to know her more but that is easier said than done. It was one of the reasons he didn't think he wanted to move out of the Chamber of Secrets for some time because it was his own Fortress of Solitude.

He cast tempus and saw it was time to get to the studio. Lacroix would have his hide if he was late and would make him practice longer. He couldn't stand the damn counting. He apparated.

He was going to meet Natalia at the Lacroix Ballet Academy before they would abscond away together before returning for an extra dance lesson. Harry had told Lacroix, in their Wednesday chat, that he would ask Natalia on Saturday to be his date. He wanted her to keep it a secret. He would ask her if she would be willing to do that and if she planned to tell her family. He thought it might be best to play it off as if they kind of met before the ball and decided to go together as a really casual thing.

Harry arrived at the studio and found Natalia was already waiting for him. He smiled openly at her. It was amazing how much more comfortable he felt around her already. Four study sessions where they, sadly, had actually just studied in the same vicinity. Even the limited contact had allowed the worst of his nerves to adjust. Today she was in casual clothes, some form of black pants that clung to her long, lustrous, legs, a tight-fitting top with a jumper over top. She had her long light brown hair in some form of single braid running down her back. The combination made her endearingly enchanting to him. She was smiling at him too. They had a couple of hours to spend together. The plan was a nice walk, some lunch, and a snack before their dance lesson.

"Hey." He greeted her warmly.

"Hey." She returned quietly.

Harry was getting used to her personality. She was shy and if they were going to talk, he'd have to initiate conversation; only when she got animated about something did she open up. One area that Harry would definitely not be leading the relationship would be physical affection. She'd hugged him three times now and had given his cheek two kisses. All of them came when she was ecstatic about something he taught her to help her school work.

Natalia moved closer to him and held out her hand so they could apparate. Harry looked at her hand for a second before he realized just what she was wanting. Harry trepidatiously connected their two hands, while going red like a tomato.

"Ready?" He asked wishing he could keep his face from being so red around her all the time.

"Yes." Her chin tucked into her chest and her eyes looking at their intertwined hands.

Harry apparated the two of them appearing in the same spot as last time. Nobody seemed to notice the two of them and they made their way to the main path, the same one as the previous weekend. Harry had kept his wand up his right sleeve and preemptively cast two warming charms expecting she would get cold again.

"Thanks, Harry." She said.

The two began their walk again. Harry wondering what they should talk about this time. The one thing the studying together had not addressed, at all, was their abysmal communication habits.

After taking the first few steps in silence, Harry decided to go for the same plan as last time.

"Question for question like last week again?"

Natalia nodded. "You first this week."

Harry agreed and asked his first question quickly. "Did you get all your homework done?"

"Yes, thanks to your transfiguration help, I didn't have much to do Friday." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she looked at him.

"Why don't you write anything down when we did homework? You just read every time." She asked.

That was nice, complete sentences without the word 'sure'!

"I don't really do assignments," he shrugged as he responded, "I have one on one training and just do whatever I'm asked to do."

"No assignments?!"

"Is that a second question?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"You asked a second one just now! Yes, it is another question. See I just answered yours!"

"Hey, that wasn't a real question it was a clarification!"

"Well, then neither was mine! It was a clarification too!" The two had stopped walking and Natalia had, maturely, stuck her tongue out at Harry after completing he last statement.

Harry harrumphed. "Next time you ask a follow-up question, I'm going to answer it then ask two."

"Nuh-uh! We just established clarification doesn't count. You just said so yourself!" She used her left hand, the one free of being held in Harry's, and lightly poked him just behind his arm, whose hand was conjoined with hers and nailed him in between two ribs.

"Ow! What was that for?" Harry whined.

Natalia was grinning at him mischievously though it was tempered with a slightly sheepish look for poking him harder than she intended.

"Oh goody, another question! You didn't answer my clarification and now you've asked another." She gloated triumphantly.

"No way! That's not fair. How did you turn your extra questions around on me?" Harry asked and smacked himself in the face for asking another question.

"I'm just that good. And, that's another question from you!" She laughed at his shocked look at having asked another question again.

"I'll get even here," Harry responded, petulantly.

"I haven't been assigned any written assignments by my tutor."

"That's so not fair. I spend every evening working on mine just so I can get Saturday and Sunday to practice at the studio. Who is your tutor? Would they take another student? Whomever it is, obviously, is really good if you can teach me and I'm a year ahead of you."

Harry smirked back at her this time. "You just evened it out. You asked two questions!" He did a little fist pump in his triumph.

Natalia giggled at his antics. "I did it on purpose, you dolt."

"Hey! I'm not a dolt, you brat!" Harry nudged her.

"I'm not a brat, dolt." Natalia nudged him back.

"Brat." Harry nudged her again.

"Dolt." Natalia nudged him back harder.

The two of them broke out into infectious laughter mutually enjoying teasing each other. This conversation was a lot more open and fun. Once she got her giggles under control, Natalia reminded Harry he hadn't answered either of her two questions.

"I can't say who my tutor is and they won't be taking on any other students beyond me, I know that for sure," Harry said.

"Can't blame a girl for asking," Natalia said with a wink.

Harry felt the warmth in his left hand. They, still, had neglected to disentangle their hands after apparition. He returned the earlier gesture now and lightly squeezed her hand. Their eyes met again, blue meeting green, and she timidly smiled at him again.

"My question, finally! I'm so surprised you didn't make up a rule to ensure you gotta keep asking me unending questions."

"I can if you really want me to." She sweetly replied batting her eyelashes at him as they continued walking hand-in-hand.

"No, I like asking you questions and finding out just who Natalia is," Harry said.

Natalia stopped and quickly embraced him again.

"Thanks, Harry," she murmured into his chest before stepping out of the quick hug.

Harry tried to puzzle out why that would cause such a reaction. Should he ask his question as to why she liked it? Maybe he could start to understand more of what as going on. "Why'd you hug me?"

"What?" She squeaked back expecting a soft question again.

"Why'd you hug me?" Harry repeated.

"Because I wanted to?" Natalia responded.

"Because you wanted to," Harry wrinkled his nose unhappy with the non-answer, "But why did you want to?" Was it such a bad idea to ask?

Natalia didn't respond right away. They kept walking, step after step, while she was deliberating what to say.

"Are you willing to answer tough questions too?" Her gaze was piercing as she asked her follow up question.

"Yes? I think so." Harry paused his response to think if he'd missed anything. He'd not answered that Salazar was his tutor and he even answered, embarrassingly, the one question wrong last weekend. Harry looked at her again while they walked so he could get a clear read on her when he answered. "Have I not?"

Her face was so emotionally expressive. Her eyes were steeped with unspoken emotion, this wasn't just a silly question. She wasn't going to answer his if she didn't feel he would reciprocate. She was really asking can I trust you?

Harry's poor upbringing didn't allow him to understand this. He simply knew it was important, no more and no less. His instincts, however, guided him correctly. He had spied a park bench out of the corner of his eye and tugged on their connected hands to pull her over to sit at the bench. Being a gentleman, he dried the bench with a quick charm. The two of them sat before Harry put up a mild muggle repelling charm and privacy spell to keep their discussion between just them. She'd sat close to him; their legs weren't touching but they were in close proximity. He could feel lingering heat in the minuscule space between them. Her head was turned to give him full attention. Harry took hold of her closer hand again giving it a soft squeeze of reassurance once more.

Natalia nodded to herself as she worked up the courage to respond. This was personal to her and she didn't tell anyone these kinds of things. She'd lived a rather solitary life since her closest sibling was seven years older. Her parent's hadn't planned for her and it had always felt that way to her. She'd thrown herself headlong into ballet as it provided an escape from the life she was less than pleased with. Her siblings and parents were busy running their empire and had little time for her. Opening up to someone wasn't an easy task.

"You told me you wanted to get to know Natalia."

The response still failed to connect the dots for Harry.

"I'm sorry if I'm being a dolt," Harry said while staring away from her.

She'd been staring at their connected hands and slowly moving her fingers marvelling at the lovely feelings coming from such minimal contact with the young man beside her. She didn't look up as she responded.

"You're not a dolt; you just don't have my perspective." She flexed her hand putting pressure on his to give him a reassuring squeeze this time and smiled at him. His expression was so genuine. He wanted to know and wasn't pressuring her. It spurred her on to answer.

"You aren't trying to use me for connections; you meant exactly what you said. You want to get to know me ."

"Oh," Harry responded.

Harry understood every word she spoke and exactly how they each interacted, how their delivery impacted the sentence structure, and yet he still missed the hidden meaning. Nobody could expect him to be at that level yet.

"I hugged you because it was natural. You gave me an emotional hug. I gave you a physical one…" Natalia began to move her thumb back and forth, across the back of Harry's hand. Silence had descended between them. Natalia revelling in the intimacy of the moment and Harry working through the real meaning of what had been said. The silence between them was comfortable this time. After the first minute of silence, she scooched over and closed the gap between them. The warming charm on her was still active, Harry had cast hers first and his was still working. The closeness made their hand holding awkward and she released his hand. He caught her far hand coming over to grasp his hand again. Her other thumb continued the light caressing the opposing one had just stopped. She sighed in contentment and dropped her head onto his shoulder.

It took another two minutes before Harry quietly broke the tranquillity. "I like your hugs…"

She didn't look up as he spoke so soft it was scarcely more than a whisper.

"I've received so few in my life." He didn't look at her as he spoke the words. He didn't realize his need to reciprocate and draw close to the brunette ballerina cuddled up to him.

"Mrs Weasley hugs so hard." He sighed lost in his memories of the hugs he had received from her. "Hermione… she was my best friend. Now?… It's complicated." He didn't know what to do about Hermione. He understood her actions and yet the knowledge didn't take the pain out of them. It didn't even dull it.

"She gave me my first hug." Harry's face was as rigid as stone as he stared out over the beautiful wintery landscape not daring to look at the young lady beside him.

"Your hugs aren't like hers. She hugs so hard I can barely breathe."

Natalia had shifted her head so she could look at him. She didn't take her face off his shoulder though. Mentioning his female best friend wasn't normally a great sign when a boy is on a date, even a pseudo date like this one. Her nerves ratcheted up as he talked about her.

"Your hugs are different… they're soft, warm, caring." Harry tapered off once again. "I don't know what being a Pavlova really means, but I like you and your hugs, Natalia."

There was only one response that was ever going to follow that declaration. Natalia moved closer, practically sitting on his lap, turned around, wrapped his arms around her, closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss. At this moment, Harry was freaking out and had no idea what to do so he just let her lead and closed his eyes. Their lips connected for what felt like an eternity but was only a few seconds. To Harry, it felt like ecstasy and he thanked Merlin. She slowly pulled away hiding her head in his chest. They both were blushing red. "You're such a dolt." She fondly mumbled into his chest. She felt Harry's arm gently pull her into him.

Harry turned his head this time and stared down at her. Her gorgeous face turned back to meet his. He was smirking at her now and mischief was all over his face.

"Hey brat, I know it's your turn for a question, but does this mean you will be my date to the Ball?" Harry asked.

"Yes, you dolt!" Natalia said and pulled him in for a longer kiss.