Harry Potter's Pen Pal

Chapter 14

"That was amazing, Harrykins!" the twins chorused eagerly. Neville and Tom looked pale and weak, but they both smiled.

Sirius and Remus pulled Harry into a hug. "Don't scare us like that again," Remus choked.

"I will have to scare you again twice more," Harry said dryly, squeezing back. "And I was perfectly fine."

"What's the clue!" Draco exclaimed, earning chuckles from the other Slytherins.

"Yeah, open it!" Sirius agreed eagerly, as he and his husband released their godson.

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Impatient as always, Siri."

"Shut up," Sirius whined.

Harry put the egg on the table. "Protective charms, and cover your ears, just in case."

When everyone had their hands over their ears, and Fred and George had cast protective charms, Harry opened the egg.

Instantly, the loudest shriek Harry had ever heard filled the room. The other occupants cowered and cringed. Harry quickly shut it, wincing.

"What the heck was that!" Neville exclaimed.

"A language," Luna responded serenely. "One you can't understand in the air."

"In the air?" Harry frowned. After a pause, he said, "Oh... in the water. I'm going to draw a bath." He smirked at Tom, who turned bright red. "Care to-"

"Don't even think about it," Remus, Sirius, and Regulus chorused sharply.

Harry scowled. "Too late."

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Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

To recover what we took.

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"Quiet!" Severus barked. Instantly, the Gryffindor/Slytherin class silenced. "Before you leave, there is something you must know."

Regulus sighed. "I'll tell them, love, you have a habit of overdramatisizing things like this."

"I do not!" Severus hissed indignantly, over the quiet snickers from the Slytherins.

"This Christmas, we will be having a ball," Regulus said calmly. "The Yule Ball-"

He was interrupted by squeals from half of the girls in the room and groans from the boys. A glare from Severus silenced them.

"The Yule Ball," Regulus continued, "is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament, and an opportunity to socialize and welcome our foreign guests. The ball is only open to fourth years and above, unless you invite a younger student to come with you, of course."

Patil, Tracey, Pansy, and Brown burst into giggles, staring at Harry. Harry ignored them.

"You may wear dress robes, but you don't have to," Regulus continued. "The ball will be at the Great Hall, and it will begin at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight."

Severus swept his dark gaze across the classroom, silencing the whispers that had started up. "While the Yule Ball is a chance to... let our hair down," he sneered, causing Regulus to roll his eyes in gentle exasperation, "that does not mean you are allowed to act out. You will behave, and there will be no... rule-breaking." Harry assumed that by 'rule-breaking,' he meant sex.