Window into the Past

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"I have something to tell you all!" McGonagall announced. "The Yule Ball is fast approaching, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament, it's an opportunity to socialise with our foreign guests, the ball will only be open to fourth year students and above, you may invite a younger student if you wish..."

Oh brother, this is the big ball Tia was talking about. "Dress robes shall be worn by all students, it will start on eight o'clock, Christmas Eve and end at midnight, the Yule Ball is a chance for us to..let our hair down."

The bell rang and I gathered my books. "So, this Yule Ball.." Hermione muttered. "Maybe the boys will step up and ask us."

"Hopefully," I murmured. "But sadly I'm not staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, I'm going back home for a while."

"Oh, yeah," Hermione said sadly.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

***

I rested a hot water bottle on my stomach as I read. This was my post full moon tradition, this one was rough on the inside. It felt like period cramps multiplied by ten.

"Knock, knock," Tia poked her head in. "You know the password?" I frowned. "Of course I do," Tia rolled her eyes. She had a small package. "Your dad sent over the full moon hangover care package."

"Tell him thanks," I muttered weakly. "Did he tell you about..."

"He did," she muttered, handing me a flask of hot chocolate. "Alivia was very secretive about what she did during the war. I'd always ask and she'd ask me to keep my nose out of it."

"They told you nothing?"

Tia shrugged. "Nothing of import. I've no idea what she did but she pissed him off enough for him to want her dead, I want to know too."

"She looked into his mind and saw his darkest memories....what could she have seen for him to want her silenced?" I wondered. 

"I don't know," Tia sighed. "I think your father might know more than me, I was only a kid when all this happened. I was kept out of the loop a lot."

"Could they be after me? Or you?" I asked her.

Tia shook her head. "They're long gone now, don't worry about it."

She had a point. Voldemort wasn't even alive, not properly anyway. I didn't need all that unnecessary pressure.

"Now, I'm inviting your dad as my Yule Ball date," Tia changed the subject. "So I have someone to talk to."

"Did you ever have a Yule Ball?" I asked her. "Nope and thank Merlin for that."

"JOY!" Hermione rushed in. "You'll never believe what just happened!"

"Then tell me," I encouraged her to go on. "Viktor Krum asked me to the Yule Ball."

"Really? What did you say?" I asked her. "I said yes, Ronald had plenty of chances and he didn't pluck up the courage, did Harry ask you?"

"No," I mumbled, disappointed 

"He needs to pluck up the courage first," Hermione told me.

"They both do," I muttered.

"Girls, boys can be thick, very thick sometimes," Tia told us. "Now, Joy, are you well enough to get up?"

I nodded, taking the hot water bottle off my stomach. "Let's go for a walk," Hermione offered.

***

Snow was starting to fall outside as Hermione and I walked through the library. "So, you and Viktor Krum eh?" I wiggled my eyebrows. "Oh shush you," Hermione mumbled as I was searching through the archives. "What are you looking for?"