Harry offered Hermione his arm and led her out onto the dance floor, feeling a little nervous. His grandfather had given him, Hermione, and Ron a few lessons in dance over the summer as part of their etiquette lessons,, but it was only a few hours' worth, and this would be his first time dancing in front of anyone. Harry hadn't even been allowed to attend the occasional disco his school had thrown for the kids, as his uncle had refused to pay the one pound entry fee for him and would instead give Harry a lecture about being a burden, before giving Harry a bunch of extra chores so he could "earn his keep." Hermione was smiling at him, but he knew her well enough to know she was a little nervous as well. Everyone was going to be watching them, and if they tripped over the other's feet now it would be the talk of the school for weeks. Still, the two of them were Gryffindors, and Gryffindors didn't run away just because they were a little nervous.
Once they and the other champions reached the centre of the space Dumbledore had cleared for dancing, they all turned to face their dates and waited for their signal to start. The first note came as the musician drew a bow across the strings of his instrument, and Harry took Hermione's hand in his and snaked his other around her waist, pulling her in a little closer than protocol said was necessary. It was nothing indecent, however, and as he and Hermione were an established couple he could get away with it.
The first dance was a waltz, which was thankfully the dance his grandfather had spent the most time on given that it was the most common. Harry started to lead Hermione through the basic steps and soon the rest of the world fell away. It didn't matter that they were being watched by hundreds of students, to them for the moment they were the only ones there, and he started to feel more bold. He added in a few more complicated steps that he had learned, and when Hermione smiled at him for that Harry even added in a few twirls for her. It wasn't perfect, neither of them were well practised in dance, and nor did it hold any particular interest for the two. But they definitely did well enough that they had nothing to be embarrassed about. The same couldn't be said for Victor and Alicia. The Quidditch star may be one of the most elegant of flyers, but on the ground he was much less so, and as the two danced it was clear that he also had two left feet.
After about five minutes more people, starting with the headteachers, started to join the dance, and soon almost everyone was dancing. There was half an hour of ballroom dancing to fulfil the traditional requirements of the ball, and after that the band, a popular vampire group called 'the Neck Romancers', switched to more modern music. The students relaxed the uptight formal dancing and went for something more fun and relaxed. Harry and Hermione stayed on the dance floor for a few more songs, just having fun before going to find their friends.
They found Ron and Lavender sitting next to the drinks table, each with a Goblet of pumpkin juice. Lavender had the shoe of her left foot on the chair next to her and was rubbing at her foot while shooting a guilty-looking Ron a few annoyed looks. It was obvious to both Harry and Hermione what had happened.
"How bad is your foot?" Hermione asked as she and Harry took a couple of nearby chairs and moved them to sit next to their friends.
"Not broken," Lavender admitted.
"Hey I already said I was sorry!" Ron protested.
"Maybe I should put a feather light charm on him?" Harry joked. "Then at least next time it won't hurt." They all, including Lavender, had a chuckle at that.
"So are you two having fun?" Lavender asked Harry and Hermione as she continued to massage her abused toes.
"It's been fun, even if Harry got distracted talking Quidditch with Krum and Alicia. I ended up talking with Fleur about Beauxbatons. Did you know that because Nicolas Flamel is one of the school's founders they have alchemy as a core subject? It's taught from year one. My French isn't brilliant, but I was thinking about sending away for the books they use. It sounds incredibly interesting!" Hermione lapsed into talking about a subject that had caught her attention.
Harry realised that Lavender was only being polite, and while she was nodding along with Hermione she really wasn't interested in such an academic discussion. He let it go on for almost ten minutes, thinking that Lavender deserved it a little considering how often Hermione complained about Lavender talking her ear off about boys, fashion, hair and makeup. But after that Harry interrupted Hermione and asked her if she would like to go and dance a little more.
Hermione happily accepted, and almost as soon as they reached the dance floor the music switched to a slow romantic song. Hermione smiled at him, stepped in really close, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry put his arms around her waist and the two of them started to sway back and forth in time to the music. As they danced, Harry couldn't help but look directly at his girlfriend, and as the seconds ticked by the more he wanted to kiss her glossy lips. They danced together for a few more songs, but soon Harry asked her if she wanted to go for a walk in the flower garden. Hermione agreed; a few hundred dancing teenagers in one room, even if it was a room as large as the Great Hall, tended to make the room rather hot and humid, and a breath of fresh air was definitely welcome.
They walked around and spotted a few other couples who were doing the same as them. The garden itself was magically warmed so that the plants didn't suffer in the winter frost of a Scottish climate on one of the longest nights for the year, so neither of them felt cold. The path around the garden was dotted with small semi-private alcoves with a bench, but it took the couple a while to find one that wasn't occupied. When they found one and sat down, with the sweet scent of probably thousands of blooming flowers around them, Harry leaned in and pressed his lips to Hermione's. Hermione responded eagerly, gripping the two sides of Harry's stole and using them to pull him into her. Soon tongues got involved and the two of them forgot about everything else.
Neither of them could have said how long they stayed like that, but they were brought crashing back to reality by a rather unwelcome voice. "Granger, Potter, that will be fifty points from Gryffindor each for licentious behaviour." The two of them sprung apart in shock, only to find Snape standing there glowering at them like they were in the middle of torturing his favourite bat. Harry and Hermione were just about to protest his accusation of inappropriate behaviour when he cut them off. "I expected better of you, Miss Granger, but it appears you are nothing more than a gold digging harlot with…"
Snape's rant was cut off short because he wasn't expecting Harry's fist connecting with his nose. With a look of absolute fury on his face, Harry stood between Hermione and Snape and said, "I've told you before to shut the fuck up about Hermione, Snape." He wasn't going to let the greasy dungeon bat talk about Hermione like that.
A look of absolute loathing crossed Snape's face, and the greasy Potions professor whipped his wand out and flicked it at Harry. Harry didn't have his wand in his hand, so there was nothing he could do to stop a force taking hold of one of his ankles and pulling it straight up in the air, leaving Harry dangling upside down by his one leg. "You will pay for this, Potter! Think you and your grandfather can take my mastery from me do you? Well think again!"
Harry was very happy that, like most muggleborn wizards, he wore trousers underneath his robes, and also that his robes came with a belt. This meant that when the lower half of his robes fell, not only did they not reveal anything, but they also didn't fall far enough to cover his head. Therefore, Harry had a perfect view of where Snape was, so he pulled out his wand intending to hex Snape. Unfortunately for Harry, Snape saw him going for his wand and snapped off an "Expelliarmus".
Harry's grip on his wand tightened reflexively, trying to keep his wand from flying out of his hand. However, he needn't have bothered because Snape's spell never hit him. In his rage at Harry, Snape had forgotten about Hermione, and as Harry had purposely stood in front of Hermione to shield her from the asshole masquerading as a professor, he never saw her draw her wand behind Harry's back. Hermione's "Protego" sprung into place between Harry and Snape.
Harry saw his opportunity as Snape was dodging his own spell reflected back by Hermione's shield. Pointing his wand at Snape's foot, he yelled "Stupify!".
The spell stuck true, and both Snape and Harry collapsed to the floor, Snape from losing consciousness and Harry because there was no longer any magic holding him up. Harry climbed back up to his feet, really wanting to give Snape a good kick for what he had done, but he had to deal with a panicking Hermione freaking out over them attacking a teacher. Harry pulled her to him and tried his best to be her rock so that she could start to pull herself back together. Unfortunately the flash of spells had drawn the attention of other students who came to see what had happened, and seeing Professor Snape unconscious at Harry's and Hermione's feet a few of them understandably ran off to find some professors.
-ϟϟϟ-
Harry and Hermione found themselves in the headmaster's office, Harry shielding a still panicking Hermione from a ranting Professor Snape. Dumbledore raised his hand, silencing Snape as he was threatening to have Harry sent to Azkaban. "Harry, I'm not sure I can let this go. Attacking a teacher is serious."
Harry was still riding his fury and gave the headmaster a challenging look as he said, "I really don't care what you can or can't do, professor."
It probably wasn't the best thing Harry could have said, but Moody the ex-Auror had the most experience in these sorts of situations and tried to establish motive. "Potter, can you at least tell us in your words why you felt it was necessary to break Professor Snape's nose?" His words were measured and had a calming effect on Harry.
Harry took a deep breath to give himself time to work out how to phrase it delicately before he answered. "Snape decided to vent his vitriol on Hermione and myself, and in doing so cast such aspersions on Hermione's moral character, likening her in the most unflattering terms to a socal climbing scarlet woman. I couldn't leave such a baseless accusation pass unchecked." Harry let out a sigh at being able to phrase it delicately.
Professor McGonagall, who had been glaring at Harry up until this point, turned her glare at Snape. "Are you telling me that a professor of this school accused one of my witches of such indecent behaviour without reason?" It was easy to see that the Scotswoman, who was already on the verge of losing her temper, was starting to boil over.
At this Hermione spoke up, her voice still trembling; as she was a muggle born, if she was expelled then the normal process would have her obliterated of all knowledge of Magic, and Hermione loved magic almost as much as Harry did. "To be specific, he accused Harry and I of licentious behaviour, took a hundred points off us, then proceeded to call me a gold digging harlot. He was about to say more but Harry interrupted him. Snape then hit Harry with a spell leaving him hanging upside down in the air and went to hit him with a second spell, but I put up a shield charm between them. Harry was able to cast around it and hit Snape with a stunner."
It spoke volumes to Professor McGonagall that Hermione hadn't referred to Snape as professor once as she spoke. The head of Gryffindor may not be the most hands-on Head of House at the school, but even she had noticed Hermione's tendency to always refer to someone with their title. "And what were you and Mister Potter doing to be accused of licentious behaviour?"
"We were kissing, professor." Harry said a slight note of defiance in his tone. "And I mean just that, kissing. Hands weren't anywhere inappropriate, clothing was still completely on. Nothing I wouldn't have done if Hermione's parents were right there to watch. So nothing that would be considered worthy of losing a hundred points."
Dumbledore sighed and ruled at the bridge of his nose. "Severus, what do you have to say about this?"
"Potter and Granger drew their wands on me and they should be expelled."
"Dragon shit. I hit you and I am the one who stunned you. All Hermione did was cast a shield charm, that is a defensive act and can in no way be interpreted as turning her wand on anyone." Harry stepped in, cutting off any attempt to target Hermione. She may be part of the House of Potter now, making Grandfather Charlus her guardian as far as the Ministry was concerned, but he didn't want to risk some overzealous Ministry jobsworth wiping her mind before establishing the facts.
Before any more could be said, the blazing fire in Dumbledore's hearth that was fighting off the late December Scottish freeze turned green, and Grandfather Charlus stepped out. He gave the room a quick look over taking in a feel of the atmosphere. Hermione's fear, Harry and Professor McGonagall's anger, Moody's almost bord indifference and Dumbledore's look of exhausted exasperation. "Okay, can someone tell me why I'm being called here at nine o'clock? Moody, you're neutral and have experience investigating, you tell me what's going on."
Professor moody gave a slight smile at being seen as a professional and proceeded to give a report on all the accusations so far. Charlus nodded along silently as Moody recapped who had said what and what Harry had admitted to. The more he heard, the more pissed off Charlus became. At the end, he hissed, "Albus I believe we spoke at the beginning of the year about Harry's obligations if Snape were to start insulting Miss Granger again. Miss Granger is a member of the House of Potter. She is under our protection, and as the future Warlock of the House Harry was obligated to act in her defence. I also warned you that if Snape didn't get his act together he was going to push too far one day."
"You also said that you would give my potions Professor a chance to reform, but it seems you decided to go back on your word there." Dumbledore accused.
"Mind your tongue Albus. I don't take kindly to being called a liar. I gave him his chance, and when Harry's name came out on Halloween your Professor proved that he hadn't improved one bit. He had his chance and he wasted it." The way Charlus said the word 'Professor' made it clear to everyone in the room that Charlus didn't think Snape was worthy of the title.
The two old men stared each other down for a minute, seeing who would give first. In the end it was Dumbledore who backed down. "For now I think it's best these two go home at least until the start of term, we can make a decision about what to do then." Dumbledore said. The fact that the school may very well be missing its potions professor by then was left unsaid.
"Um, my parents went away for Christmas this year," Hermione nervously informed them. "There is no one at home for me to contact."
Charlus sighed "Well, you will have to come with me then. You have your room at the manor whenever you need it, and we can inform your parents when they return." Hermione accepted this and cuddled back into Harry. After her near panic over the idea she could be expelled, she really needed the comfort.
Dumbledore called on a Hogwarts elf to pack up Harry and Hermione's belongings into their trunks and have them brought to the office. Hermione was shocked out of her panic learning that Hogwarts had elves, and the only thing that stopped her going on a rant about slave labour was that she was already in hot water and didn't want to risk rocking the boat. The Hogwarts elf did at least look better dressed, fed, and happier than Harry had described Dobby.
The elf returned after an awkward five minutes of everyone standing around and glaring at each other without saying anything. Charlus had to give Hermione a pinch of Floo powder, as dresses don't have pockets and Harry hadn't thought to carry an extra pinch for her. Soon the three of them Floo'ed to Potter Manor, only to find a nervous Sirius pacing back and forth in the floo room waiting for news. He hadn't come because he and Charlus were informed it involved Snape somehow, and Charlus hadn't wanted to antagonise Snape even more when he didn't know what was going on. So after Sirius's initial surprise at seeing the two teens, he demanded to be told what had happened, and they spent the next half an hour doing just that over some hot chocolate. Just before Harry retired to his room, he hugged both Sirius and Charlus and wished them both a merry Christmas. It may not have been the best thing given the circumstances, but it was the first real merry Christmas Harry had been able to offer either man, and that almost made it worth it.
-ϟϟϟ-
The next day Harry and Hermione sent Ron a letter telling him everything that had happened from their point of view and apologising that they wouldn't be able to help him with his Christmas homework. They also asked him how his date with Lavender had ended and to send his reply back with Hedwig, as Harry hadn't had the chance to tell her that she should fly home before he Floo'ed. Harry sent the letter with his grandfather's owl, a rather dignified looking barn owl who answered to the name of Pat.
After that, Harry and Hermione decided to tackle the homework the professors had set for the Christmas holidays. It was mostly light, given that most of the professors had assumed that they would be too preoccupied by the ball to get to the homework for at least a few days after it. Snape, however, had set them all a two foot essay on how the colour of any hair added to a potion could affect the brew. Harry was almost completely lost about this, but Charlus had overheard them talking about it in the library and had decided to explain it using Sleekeazy's Hair Potion as an example, as that potion had negative effects if it was used by anyone with red or ginger hair.
The day after Christmas was pretty quiet. As it was a national holiday in both worlds, there was nothing really to do unless you wanted to hit the muggle sales. However, as Harry and Hermione had been sent home from school, even if it was only for the holidays, it sort of felt like pushing their luck to even ask Charlus if they could go. After dinner Sirius excused himself for the evening, saying he had a social engagement, and Charlus sat them down saying it was time for them to talk. Feeling like they were marching to their executions, the two teens took a seat in the family room with the much grumpier-looking than normal Potter Warlock. Hermione took Harry's hand and held it tight for comfort as they sat next to each other.
Seeing they were ready, Charlus started to speak. "Well I have two things to talk to the both of you about, and we will get the obvious one out of the way first. I have been thinking about this all day. Harry, you know I will support you when you need it, so why did you let Professor Snape goad you like that? I sent you a letter telling you that the date for Snape's assessment had been finalised and you should avoid him. So why did you not send me a letter or Floo me? I could have added his unreasonable behaviour to his assessment, instead you broke his nose. Why?"
Harry did feel a little ashamed. Now, in the aftermath with the three of them sitting calmly, it sounded so unreasonable. "In the moment I just wanted to shut him up. What he was saying about Hermione, it made me so mad to listen to anyone saying stuff like that about her, and he wasn't stopping. So I had to stop him," Harry tried to explain.
Charlus nodded. "While I can't say you did the right thing, I must admit if someone was talking to my Dorea like that I'm not sure I wouldn't have acted the same. Hermione, I don't know if your parents will feel differently, but I cannot find any fault With your actions. Your only action was to put a shield between two people who were fighting. Nobody can claim you did anything unreasonable. Harry, while I understand why you acted the way you did, part of being a man is accepting the consequences of your actions. The school will almost definitely decide to reprimand you when you go back in January. I will do all I can to make sure Dumbledore doesn't go too far, but considering that he is likely to lose his Potions professor in the next few days I wouldn't count on him being overly forgiving. My suggestion is that you accept your punishment with your head held high. Just keep reminding yourself of why you did what you did." Charlus finished with a subtle nod at Hermione.
Harry looked at Hermione and with a squeeze of her hand he nodded and said, "Worth it."
Charlus nodded at Harry with a look of pride in his face. "Excellent. Now the second thing I wanted to talk to you about is the complication you being sent home puts on Snape's reassessment. For the most part I won't be here for the next few days at least, and as it's unfortunately being held at Snape's current place of employment, the school that has just sent the two of you home, I can't just take you with me. Sirius is speaking to a friend about getting you some more training for the Triwizard Tournament while you're here. If all goes well, your former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin will come and give you some specific instructions on dealing with the types of creatures that you are likely to find in a Scottish lake. Is that okay with you?"
Harry grinned when Lupin's name was mentioned. "That would be perfect. Professor Lupin is a brilliant professor and he knows magical creatures really well." He was exactly who Harry would want to teach him this stuff.
"Now before you leave, Miss Granger, I popped by your house and your parents are still not home. I left them a letter explaining that you are currently staying at the manor and that I will check in daily so that I can update them as soon as possible."
"I don't suppose we can not tell them?" Hermione asked as she chewed her bottom lip from nerves.
Charlus shook his head. "No, I promised them when you joined the House of Potter that I wasn't trying to usurp their role as your parents. I will only interfere without their permission if I can't reach them. Do you know where they are or when they will be back? "
"No, they said in their letter they were going to take a romantic couple's trip this Christmas, but they didn't give me any dates or tell me where they were going. I don't even know if they are in the country. I mean, I think they are, they probably would have said if they were going abroad, but I can't be sure." Hermione was rambling. "I have never been sent home from school before. They are going to be so disappointed in me."
"No they won't, Hermione," Harry said, trying to make her feel better. "Nothing you did was worth losing even a single house point. My guess is Professor Dumbledore wanted to keep us and Snape apart until everyone has a chance to cool off. No-one is going to be disappointed in you for that."
Hermione pulled Harry into a hug, looking for some reassurance and comfort, and Harry was glad to give it. The two of them ended up remaining cuddled up, or as his grandfather would say *cwtching, for the rest of the evening, only taking a break to grab a book from the library for them to read together.