Daughter of a Criminal

The Yule Ball

"Hermione â€" who are you going to the ball with?" said Ron. He kept springing this question on her, hoping to startle her into a response by asking it when she least expected it. However, Hermione merely frowned and said,
"I'm not telling you, you'll just make fun of me."
"You're joking, Weasley!" said Malfoy, behind them. "You're not telling me someone's asked that to the ball? Not the long-molared Mudblood?" Harry, Ann,  and Ron both whipped around, but Hermione said loudly, waving to somebody over Malfoy's shoulder,
"Hello, Professor Moody!" Malfoy went pale and jumped backward, looking wildly around for Moody, but he was still up at the staff table, finishing his stew.
"Twitchy little ferret, aren't you, Malfoy?" said Ann scathingly, and she, Harry, Hermoine, and Ron went up the marble staircase laughing heartily.
"Hermione," said Ron, looking sideways at her, suddenly frowning, "your teeth . . ."
"What about them?" she said.
"Well, they're different . . . I've just noticed. . . ."
"Of course they are â€" did you expect me to keep those fangs Malfoy gave me?"
"No, I mean, they're different to how they were before he put that hex on you. . . . They're all . . . straight and â€" and normalsized." Hermione suddenly smiled very mischievously, and Ann noticed it too: It was a very different smile from the one she remembered.
"Well . . . when I went up to Madam Pomfrey to get them shrunk, she held up a mirror and told me to stop her when they were back to how they normally were," she said. "And I just . . . let her carry on a bit." She smiled even more widely. "Mum and Dad won't be too pleased. I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink them for ages, but they wanted me to carry on with my braces. You know, they're dentists, they just don't think teeth and magic should â€" look! Pigwidgeon's back!" Ron's tiny owl was twittering madly on the top of the icicleladen banisters, a scroll of parchment tied to his leg. People passing him were pointing and laughing, and a group of third-year girls paused and said,
"Oh look at the weeny owl! Isn't he cute?"
"Stupid little feathery git!" Ron hissed, hurrying up the stairs and snatching up Pigwidgeon. "You bring letters to the addressee! You don't hang around showing off!" Pigwidgeon hooted happily, his head protruding over Ron's fist. The third-year girls all looked very shocked. "Clear off!" Ron snapped at them, waving the fist holding Pigwidgeon, who hooted more happily than ever as he soared through the air. "Here â€" take it, Harry," Ron added in an undertone as the third-year girls scuttled away looking scandalized. He pulled Sirius's reply off Pigwidgeon's leg, Harry pocketed it, and they hurried back to Gryffindor Tower to read it. Everyone in the common room was much too busy letting off more holiday steam to observe what anyone else was up to. Ann, Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat apart from everyone else by a dark window that was gradually filling up with snow, and Harry read out: Dear Harry, Congratulations on getting past the Horntail. Whoever put your name in that goblet shouldn't be feeling too happy right now! I was going to suggest a Conjunctivitis Curse, as a dragon's eyes are its weakest point â€"
"That's what Krum did!" Hermione whispered â€"
'but your way was better, I'm impressed. Don't get complacent, though, Harry. You've only done one task; whoever put you in for the tournament's got plenty more opportunity if they're trying to hurt you. Keep your eyes open â€" particularly when the person we discussed is around â€" and concentrate on keeping yourself out of trouble. Keep in touch, I still want to hear about anything unusual'
"He sounds exactly like Moody," said Harry quietly, tucking the letter away again inside his robes. " 'Constant vigilance!' You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls. . . ."
"But he's right, Harry," said Hermione, "you have still got two tasks to do. You really ought to have a look at that egg, you know, and start working out what it means. . . ."
"Hermione, he's got ages!" snapped Ron. "Want a game of chess, Harry?"
"Yeah, okay," said Harry. Then, spotting the look on Hermione's face, he said, "Come on, how'm I supposed to concentrate with all this noise going on? I won't even be able to hear the egg over this lot."
"Oh I suppose not," she sighed, and she sat down with Ann, to watch their chess match, which culminated in an exciting checkmate of Ron's, involving a couple of recklessly brave pawns and a very violent bishop. 
Harry and Ron met up with Hermione and Ann in the common room, and they went down to breakfast together. They spent most of the morning in Gryffindor Tower, where everyone was enjoying their presents, then returned to the Great Hall for a magnificent lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbage's Wizarding Crackers. They went out onto the grounds in the afternoon; the snow was untouched except for the deep channels made by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students on their way up to the castle. Hermione chose to watch Harry, Ann and the Weasleys' snowball fight rather than join in, and at five o'clock said she was going back upstairs to get ready for the ball, Ann went after her.
Together they headed to their dorm room and began getting ready. Ann smoothed back Hermione's hair using a magic gel. Hermoine was wearing a pink dress that blended into maroon. Ann was wearing a blue ball gown with puff sleeves.
Ann walked down the stairs. She looked very pretty indeed, in robes of shocking blue with her long blonde hair pulled back in a fancy do, and a silver necklace on her neck.
"You look very pretty Ann," Harry said awkwardly.
"Thanks," she said. "Parvitis still getting ready, Padma's going to meet you in the entrance hall," she added to Ron. "Right," said Ron, looking around. "Where's Hermione?" Ann shrugged.
"Well I have to go met Cedric"
"That's your date?"
"Yes Ron, don't look to shocked," Ann said before walking out. Ann met up with Cedric and the pair immediately fell into easy conversation. The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting partners from different Houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. Ron kept wondering where Hermoine was until she walked down the stairs in a beautiful pink dress, her hair all slicked back and met up with Viktor Krum. Then McGonagall had the champions line up at the doors. Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and to follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and started walking up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges were sitting. The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people. Harry tried concentrating on not tripping over his feet. But Ann and Cedric kept whispering to one another, making him jealous. ,
Time Skip
When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then, with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it. The Weird Sisters now trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn. They picked up their instruments, and Harry, who had been so interested in watching them that he had almost forgotten what was coming, suddenly realized that the lanterns on all the other tables had gone out, and that the other champions and their partners were standing up.
"Wanna dance?" Cedric asked Ann
"No waltzing?" Ann asked
"No waltzing, I promise," said Cedric and the pair went to the dance floor and danced the night away. But there was waltzing at least at first, until  many of them too had come onto the dance floor, so that the champions were no longer the center of attention.

At this point Ann and Cedric stopped waltzing to Ann's great pleasure and the two danced with fun and laughter. The Weird Sisters actually played real music and the two had loads of fun. Sooner or later they were worn out and Cedric went to get punch for them while Ann looked for Ron. Eventually bumping into Hermione, the pair went and found the boys.
"Hi," said Harry.
"Hey," said Ann, Ron didn't say anything.
"It's hot, isn't it?" said Hermione, fanning herself with her hand. "Viktor's just gone to get some drinks." Ron gave her a withering look.
"Viktor?" he said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?" Hermione looked at him in surprise.
"What's up with you?" she said.
"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you." Hermione stared at him, then at Ann and Harry, who both shrugged.
"Ron, what â€" ?" Ann tried
"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "He's competing against Harry! Against Hogwarts! You â€" you're â€"" Ron was obviously casting around for words strong enough to describe Hermione's crime, "fraternizing with the enemy, that's what you're doing!" Hermione's mouth fell open.
"Don't be so stupid!" she said after a moment. "The enemy! Honestly â€" who was the one who was all excited when they saw him arrive? Who was the one who wanted his autograph? Who's got a model of him up in their dormitory?" Ron chose to ignore this.
"I s'pose he asked you to come with him while you were both in the library?"
"Yes, he did," said Hermione, the pink patches on her cheeks glowing more brightly. "So what?"
"What happened-trying to get him alone were you?"
"No, I wasn't! If you really want to know, he â€" he said he'd been coming up to the library every day to try and talk to me, but he hadn't been able to pluck up the courage!" Hermione said this very quickly, and blushed so deeply that she was the same color as Parvati's robes. "Yeah, well â€" that's his story," said Ron nastily.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Obvious, isn't it? He's Karkaroff's student, isn't he? He knows who you hang around with. . . . He's just trying to get closer to Harry â€" get inside information on him â€" or get near enough to jinx him â€"" Hermione looked as though Ron had slapped her. When she spoke, her voice quivered.
"For your information, he hasn't asked me one single thing about Harry, not one â€"" Ron changed tack at the speed of light.
"Then he's hoping you'll help him find out what his egg means! I suppose you've been putting your heads together during those cozy little library sessions â€""
"I'd never help him work out that egg!" said Hermione, looking outraged. "Never. How could you say something like that â€" I want Harry to win the tournament, Harry knows that, don't you, Harry?"
"You've got a funny way of showing it," sneered Ron.
"This whole tournament's supposed to be about getting to know foreign wizards and making friends with them!" said Hermione hotly.
"No it isn't!" shouted Ron.
"Ron," said Ann in a waring tone.
""It's about winning!" Ron yelled, ignoring Ann as well. People were starting to stare at them now.
"Ron," said Harry quietly, "I haven't got a problem with Hermione coming with Krum â€"" But Ron ignored Harry too.
"Why don't you go and find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are," said Ron.
"Don't call him Vicky!" Hermione jumped to her feet and stormed off across the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd. Ron watched her go with a mixture of anger and satisfaction on his face.
"Vare is Herm-own-ninny?" said a voice. Krum had just arrived at their table clutching two butterbeers.
"No idea," said Ron mulishly, looking up at him. "Lost her, have you?" Krum was looking surly again.
"Veil, if you see her, tell her I haff drinks," he said, and he slouched off.
"Made friends with Viktor Krum, have you, Ron?" Percy had bustled over, rubbing his hands together and looking extremely pompous. "Excellent! That's the whole point, you know â€" international magical cooperation!" Ann quickly walked off to find Cedric.
"Hey," she said
"Hey, what's wrong?" Cedric asked Ann
"Ron mind Hermione mad, do you mind if o go comfort her? It's j-,"
"Of course, you never have to ask me if you can do things, go Che on your friend , I'll be here if you need anything,"
"Ok thanks for understanding," Ann said leanimg up and kissing him on the cheek before going after Hermione. Ann found her best friend at the edge of a staircase in tears.
"Oh Hermione," Ann said sitting down by her and hugging her while she cried.