Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more, Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already singlehandedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall, garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs, everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry went past, which caused blockages in the corridors. Fortunately, however, Harry's frequent nighttime wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageways, so that he was often, without too much difficulty, to navigate mistletoe-free routes between classes.
Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours excuse for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Harry much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model they had been enduring for the last few weeks, the improved Ron came at a heavy price. Firstly, Harry and Y/n had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted, and secondly, Harry found himself once more the best friend of two people who seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.
Ron was taking a defensive and resentful tone. "She can't complain." he told Harry. "She's the one who had no faith in me!"
Harry did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book they were supposed to have read before Charms next morning. Determined as he was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, he was spending a lot of time with his mouth shut tight. He turned a page of Quintessence, aware that Ron was watching him. Ron's voice trailed away in mutters, barely audible over the loud crackling of the fire.
Hermione's schedule meanwhile was so full that Y/n could only talk to her properly in the evenings, when Ron was, in any case, so tightly wrapped around Lavender that he did not notice what they were doing. Hermione refused to sit in the common room while Ron was there, so Y/n and Harry generally joined her in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.
Harry was reading his potion's book while Y/n and Hermione worked on their Arithmancy essays.
"He knows I have faith in him, I am simply fed up with him taking us for granted at times." said Hermione, while the librarian, Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. "If anyone had an excuse to be short tempered and grumpy to us at all these past few months it was you two."
She raised her quill and dotted an 'i' so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment.
Y/n just waved his wand over Hermione's parchment repairing it before returning to his own. He knew better than to anger Hermione further so stayed quiet.
Harry following suit said nothing though he thought his voice might soon vanish from the lack of use. He bent a little lower over Advanced Potion-Making and continued to make notes on Everlasting Elixirs, occasionally pausing to decipher the Prince's useful additions to Libatius Borage's text.
"By the way Harry." said Hermione, after a few moments. "You need to be careful."
"For the last time." said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse tone after three-quarters of an hour's silence. "I am not giving back this book. I've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in..."
"I'm not talking about your stupid so-called Prince." said Hermione, giving his book a nasty look as though it had been rude to her. "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the girls' bathroom just before I came in here and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. They're all hoping they're going to get you to take them to Slughorn's party, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm afraid to say probably work..."
"It will...I saw them testing it on Angelina Johnson last year. Frightening results I have to admit." Y/n said.
"They tested it on Angelina...why didn't you tell me?" Hermione began.
"She gave them her consent and they had an antidote ready on hand, there was not much I could say." Y/n said. "But the potion works that is what matters."
Hermione huffed but shook her head. "See Harry, you'd better watch out."
"Why didn't you confiscate them then?" demanded Harry, it seemed extraordinary that Hermione's mania for upholding the rules could have abandoned her at this crucial juncture.
"They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom." said Hermione scornfully. "They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt the Half-Blood Prince." she gave the book another scornful look. "Could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once, I'd just invite someone to go with you, that'll stop all the others thinking they've still got a chance. It's tomorrow night, they're getting desperate."
"There isn't anyone I want to invite." mumbled Harry, who was still not trying to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron and Y/n could not perform Legilimency.
"Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business." said Hermione grimly.
She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Arithmancy essay and continued to scratch away with her quill. Y/n was beginning to read through his own.
Harry watched them with his mind a long way away. "Hang on a moment," he said slowly. "I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"
"And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?" asked Hermione, still concentrating on her essay.
"Harry does make a fair point actually, all the owls were being searched." Y/n said. "So how are the girls able to bring love potions into the school?"
"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions." said Hermione. "It's part of their Owl Order Service."
"You seem know a lot about it." Harry said.
Hermione gave him the kind of nasty look she had just given his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. "It was all on the back of the bottles they showed Ginny and me in the summer." she said. "I don't need to go around putting potions in people's drinks...nor do I pretend too either, which is just as bad... "
"Yeah, well, never mind that." said Harry quickly. "The point is, Filch is being fooled isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school..."
"Oh, Harry...not that again..."
"Come on, why not?" demanded Harry. "Y/n is the only one who does not shoot me down."
"Look." sighed Hermione, "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find dark magic and dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one in the necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register...and anyway love potions aren't dark or dangerous..."
"Easy for you to say." muttered Harry, thinking of Romilda Vane.
"...so it would be down to Filch to realize it wasn't a cough potion, and he's not a very good wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from.."
Hermione stopped dead, Y/n and Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulture-like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.
"You have a lot of nerve showing your face in here after daring to steal from the restricted section..." She said to Y/n. "You are lucky Dumbledore denied my request to have you permanently banned."
"Yes, I suppose I am." Y/n said.
"The library is now closed." she continued to the other two. "Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct...what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?"
"It isn't the library's, it's mine!" said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand.
"Despoiled!" she hissed. "Desecrated, befouled!"
"It's just a book that's been written on!" said Harry, tugging it out of her grip.
She looked as though she might have a seizure, Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Y/n and Harry by the arms and frogmarched them away.
"She'll ban you from the library if you're not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?"
"It's not my fault she's barking mad, Hermione and she's already tried to ban Y/n in case you weren't listening." Harry said.
"Yes, but to be fair she had a reasonable point with me." Y/n said.
"D'you think she overheard Hermione being rude about Filch? I've always thought there might be something between them..."
"Oh, ha ha..." Hermione said as Y/n grinned.
Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.
"Baubles." said Harry to the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.
"Same to you." said the fat lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forward to admit them.
"Hi, Harry!" said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole. "Fancy a Gillywater?"
"You really were not joking..." Y/n whispered to Hermione by his side.
Hermione gave him a 'What-did-I-tell-you?' look over her shoulder.
"No thanks." said Harry quickly. "I don't like it much."
"Well, take these anyway." said Romilda, thrusting a box into his hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got firewhiskey in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."
"Oh...right...thanks a lot." said Harry, who could not think what else to say. "Er...I'm just going over here with..." He hurried off behind Y/n and Hermione, his voice tailing away feebly.
"Told you." said Hermione succinctly. "Sooner you ask someone, sooner they'll all leave you alone and you can be..." But she stopped for she had just spotted Ron and Lavender, who were intertwined in the same armchair.
"Right..." Y/n said fed up and taking out his wand. He waved it towards Ron who was pulled away from Lavender who let out a surprised yelp. "My apologizes, I am borrowing your...boyfriend?....for a moment." Y/n said to Lavender uncertain of what the relationship between her and Ron actually was. He instead focused on Ron and levitated him over to hover in front of Harry and Hermione.
None of them spoke a word or dared to look at one another.
"Harry if you would." Y/n instructed.
Harry drew his wand. "Muffliato." He mumbled.
"That is better. Now, this has gone on long enough." Y/n spoke up. "You both are dear to me but this is avoiding one another is getting childish now."
Hermione and Ron opened their mouth to protest but Y/n quickly shut them down. "You are both in the wrong here and right now you are behaving no differently from how Sirius and Snape used to treat each other."
Harry looked down at the mention of Sirius.
"Now, we are going to stay here until you are ready to talk, like adults." Y/n said.
"What's there to talk about? She's the one who had no faith in my keeping abilities." Ron said annoyed pointing to Hermione as Y/n kept him off the ground.
"That's not true Ronald, I never doubted your abilities as a Quidditch player, I was angry at Harry for what I thought was him breaking the rules. If you are going to win I would want you to do it because you deserve to not because of a potion, and if it had been the potion what would you do for the next game then?" Hermione asked Ron.
"Yeah...well..." Ron said becoming unable to think of an excuse or reasonable argument.
"As for you, You were treating us awfully. Y/n and Harry have only ever tried to be supportive of you but whenever something gets difficult you get angry with them over small things and that's not fair. It's not fair on me either. I am your friend Ron, not a punching bag for your pent up emotions. I might not know how best to show my support sometimes but I still think of you as a close friend and you always have my support, but not when you are going to treat us horribly in return."
Hermione and Ron stared at each other for moment before Ron looked away feeling embarrassed and finally he muttered out a "Sorry."
"I am afraid I did not hear that Ron." Y/n said.
"I said...I'm sorry alright...It's just I always feel like I'm having to prove to mum how I'm just as good as Bill and Charlie were, even Fred and George are successful now. I get in my own head sometimes you know." Ron said.
"That's...That's okay Ron. I'm sorry too. You're mum loves you very much already though Ron. You've done loads of things to make her proud." Hermione said.
Y/n lowered his wand a little now and Ron felt his feet touch the ground.
It was moments like these that made Harry truly grateful he had a friend like Y/n who could address and defuse situations like these when he wanted to.
"So um...friends again?" Ron asked holding out his hand awkwardly now.
Hermione just shook it. "Friends." She said then let go. "You'd umm.. better let Lavender know you're okay, she looks worried."
And the four turned their heads to look at Lavender who suddenly jumped back.
"Yes...Perhaps we should explain." Y/n said.
Harry waved his wand now dispelling the muffliato spell and the four made their way over to her now.
"Our apologizes Miss Brown, We simply had a long standing problem that needed addressing." Y/n began.
"Is everything okay Won-Won?" Lavender quickly began to ask Ron using a nickname that frankly made Y/n want to vomit.
"Yeah it's fine now Lav..." Ron told her.
"Regarding Slughorn's party tomorrow, Ron I am inviting you as my guest." Y/n said.
"You are?" Ron asked. "But I don't have anything nice to wear..."
"You can leave that to me." Y/n said before he turned to Hermione. "I believe you have a free invitation Hermione so if you invite Miss Brown then she and Ron can attend together."
"What? Oh...Yes of course." Hermione said her mind having drifted away.
Lavender just squealed excitedly. "I shall have to pick out a lovely dress!"
"We will see you tomorrow then." Y/n said and he turned to walk away with Harry and Hermione.
Y/n felt Hermione take his hand. "I really hate you sometimes..." He heard her say as she put her head on his shoulder.
"I am aware..." He chuckled. "But I am also certain that there are times when you love me." He said back. "I am just glad things are back to normal."
"Easy for you to say..." Harry said as Y/n and Hermione looked at him. "I still need to invite someone to the party."
Harry went to bed comforting himself that there was only one more day of lessons to struggle through, plus Slughorn's party, after which he and Ron would depart together for the Burrow.
The four had a difficult a Transfiguration lesson the next day. They had just embarked upon the immensely difficult topic of human transfiguration, working in front of mirrors, they were supposed to be changing the color of their own eyebrows. Hermione had done a good job it making one of her eyebrows change from brown to black, Ron however had a disastrous first attempt, during which he somehow managed to give himself a spectacular handlebar mustache.
Professor McGonagall was walking amongst them as she watched their effort but stopped curiously at Y/n and Hermione's desk. She had noticed that Y/n was not attempting to do the work. "Do you find the work too difficult Mr Grindelwald?" She asked him.
"No Professor, if anything. It is the opposite. I find this to be too easy." Y/n said truthfully.
"Too easy Grindelwald?" McGonagall repeated. "I should like to know why you think human transfiguration to be easy."
"Because I can already do it Professor." Y/n admitted now.
Professor McGonagall stood there unmoved for a moment, had it been any other student she would have dismissed these claims. But something about Y/n Grindelwald told her he was not lying.
"If that is so Mr Grindelwald, then I will have to ask you to stay behind after the lesson to demonstrate." Professor McGonagall said to him quietly.
Y/n just nodded his head in understanding.
"Five points to Gryffindor Miss Granger." McGonagall said looking at Hermione's changed eyebrow before she moved on.
The moment McGonagall was gone Hermione quickly leaned over to Y/n. "Were you being serious about what you said?" She asked him but one look was enough to show how confident he was.
"You can stay behind if you wish to see for yourself." Y/n said simply.
The lesson soon came to an end and only Y/n and Hermione stayed behind.
"Miss Granger the bell has rung." Professor McGonagall pointed out to her.
"Hermione wishes to see if my claim is true Professor McGonagall, So I invited her to stay and see for herself." Y/n told her.
McGonagall looked as uptight as always but gave a very sharp, firm nod. "Well, you say you can do human transfiguration already Mr Grindelwald but I have i must admit I have my doubts. Transfiguration is a process that is difficult and dangerous enough as it is without performing it on one's self. I must warn you not to attempt this if you are merely wishing to show off." McGonagall warned him.
Hermione looked slightly worried at these words. While she trusted in her boyfriend she also had read about the disastrous results of failed transfiguration attempts.
"I am confident in my abilities professor." Y/n said taking out his wand now. "If you name a subject, I shall become them."
McGonagall did not look too pleased but rose from her desk. "If you must insist Grindelwald. Let us use a face we all have seen too much in the past. Ex-minister of magic Cornelius Fudge." She suggested.
Y/n just thought hard for a moment then waved his wand from his head to his toe and looked up at Professor McGonagall who for once stood with her mouth open with sight with shock and awe. There stood in front of her was a perfect copy of Fudge.
"See here, Dumbledore." said Y/n sounding just like Fudge, a slight smile dawning on his face. "You...you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who back? Come now, come now..."
This only helped to further shock McGonagall and now Hermione who stared at Y/n in silence.
Y/n waved his wand over himself again now as his appearance changed to match that of a familiar looking toad.
"The Minister for Magic will never allow Hogwarts to employ Y/n Grindelwald!" sounded out Umbridge's voice rising furiously.
"That will be enough Grindelwald..." Professor McGonagall said having to take a seat now.
Y/n just waved his wand over himself turning his appearance back to normal. Y/n turned to Hermione now with a simple 'I did tell you I could do it' look on his face.
Hermione was simply speechless.
"Never." McGonagall had begun though getting their attentions. "Never, in the forty years that I have been teaching transfiguration have I had a student at your age grasp the understandings of transfiguration and use it with such a efficiency..."
She opened a drawer on her desk and took out a roll of parchment, a quill and some ink. "I am sorry Grindelwald, but there is simply nothing left for me to teach you. You have exceeded what we even teach at Hogwarts in seventh year." McGonagall said as she began to scribble down a long note on the parchment.
Y/n and Hermione just looked at one another confused before McGonagall began rolling up the parchment and sealing it with magic. "You are to take this to Professor Dumbledore immediately, the password is 'Sugar Quills.'" McGonagall dismissed them now.
Y/n and Hermione waited until they had collected their bags and had left McGonagall's classroom to start talking.
"I did not expect Professor McGonagall to be so surprised..." Y/n admitted as they walked together.
"Of course she is surprised Y/n." Hermione began. "You just performed magic in front of her that goes well beyond that of a student's capabilities." She was still in shock herself.
"I wonder what this parchment says then..." Y/n said looking at the roll in his hand.
"Well, McGonagall said there was nothing left she could teach you, perhaps she thinks Dumbledore will be able to teach you something?" Hermione suggested.
"It is always possible." Y/n mused. "I had better go to his office like I was told to."
"Please let me know how it goes and don't forget we have Slughorn's party tonight." Hermione said.
"I know, I will see you at dinner." Y/n said giving her a small kiss before he left for Dumbledore's office.
Harry was walking through the corridors when he ran into a familiar face. Luna Lovegood, who was staring vaguely in the distance at nothing.
"Oh, hello, Harry." said Luna turning her head to Harry. "Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?"
"Hi, Luna... Harry said ignoring his eyebrow. "So have you had a good term?"
"Oh, it's been all right." said Luna. "A bit lonely without the D. A. Ginny's been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me 'Loony' the other day..."
"How would you like to come to Slughorn's party with me tonight?"
The words were out of Harry's mouth before he could stop them, he heard himself say them as though it were a stranger speaking.
Luna turned her protuberant eyes to him in surprise. "Slughorn's party? With you?"
"Yeah." said Harry, "We're supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like...I mean..." He was keen to make his intentions perfectly clear. "I mean, just as friends, you know. But if you don't want to..."
He was already half-hoping that she didn't want to.
"Oh no, I'd love to go with you as friends!" said Luna, beaming as he had never seen her beam before. "Nobody's ever asked me to a party before, as a friend! Is that why you dyed your eyebrow, for the party? Should I do mine too?"
"No." said Harry firmly, "That was a mistake. I'll get Y/n or Hermione to put it right for me. So I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall at eight o'clock then."
"AHA!" screamed a voice from overhead and both of them jumped, unnoticed by either of them, they had just passed underneath Peeves, who was hanging upside down from a chandelier and grinning maliciously at them.
"Potty asked Loony to go to the party. Potty lurves Loony! Potty luuuuuurves Looooony!" And he zoomed away cackling and shrieking, "Potty loves Loony!"
"Nice to keep these things private." said Harry.
Y/n was standing outside of Dumbledore's office as he raised his hand and knocked upon the wooden door.
"Enter." Dumbeldore's voice sounded out and so Y/n did.
"Grindelwald?" Dumbledore said from behind his desk. "Might I ask what brings you to the Headmaster's office?"
"Professor McGonagall sent me sir." Y/n replied and he took the scroll she had written upon out of his bag, Y/n crossed the room and handed the scroll to Dumbledore who waved his wand and the scroll unfurled for Dumbledore to read for himself.
When he had finished Dumbledore turned his attention fully to Y/n.
"I suppose you would like a demonstration sir?" Y/n guessed.
"If you could Y/n." Dumbledore nodded.
Y/n just nodded and took out his wand and waved it over himself as his appearance changed to match that of Professor Snape.
"Ten Points to Gryffindor..." Y/n said in a voice that matched Snape's own and actually managed to get a chuckle out of Dumbledore.
"Ten points to Gryffindor indeed." Dumbeldore said and Y/n changed his appearance back to normal. "As ever you fascinate me Grindelwald...Human transfiguration is a difficult task by itself but you have not only achieved the psychical aspects but the voices as well, tell me how did figure out how to do so?" Dumbledore asked.
"I used transfiguration on my vocal cords to change them as needed sir." Y/n replied.
"Most clever." Dumbledore nodded. "As I'm sure you know Gellert was also very talented with transfiguration."
Y/n just nodded, he had read of Gellert's exploits in using Transfiguration to infiltrate the MACUSA.
"As such I must remind you not to abuse these powers Y/n." Dumbledore urged him.
Y/n just nodded his head in agreement. "Did Professor McGonagall ask you to teach me to use them further?" He then asked.
"I'm afraid there is nothing left for you to be taught Y/n." Dumbledore informed him. "You have already surpassed what most can learn in their lives, I would say you would have even given me a good surprise back when I taught Transfiguration myself." Dumbledore then admitted. "The scroll was one to ask for permission to put your name down for this years Transfiguration N.E.W.T exam."
"My Transfiguration N.E.W.T?" Y/n asked.
"And I must agree with her request. It is my desire you take the exam this year Y/n." Dumbledore nodded his head.
In no time at all the whole school seemed to know that Harry Potter was taking Luna Lovegood to Slughorn's party.
"You could've taken anyone!" said Ron in disbelief over dinner. "Anyone! And you chose Loony Lovegood?"
"Don't call her that, Ron!" snapped Ginny, pausing behind Harry on her way to join friends. "I'm really glad you're taking her Harry, she's so excited."
And she moved on down the table to sit with Dean. Harry tried to feel pleased that Ginny was glad he was taking Luna to the party but could not quite manage it. He noticed that Hermione was sitting opposite them, playing with her stew. Y/n's usual seat beside her sat vacant and empty.
Before Harry could ask where he was Lavender had just arrived with Parvati. Squeezing herself in between Harry and Ron, Lavender flung her arms around Ron's neck.
"Hi, Harry." said Parvati who, like Harry, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends.
"Hi." said Harry, "How're you? You're staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave."
"I managed to talk them out of it for the time being." said Parvati. "That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn't been anything since...Oh, hi, Hermione!"
"Hi, Parvati." said Hermione, ignoring Ron and Lavender's behaviour completely. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"
"No invite." said Parvati gloomily. "I'd love to go, though, it sounds like it's going to be really good...you're going, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm meeting Y/n at eight, and we're going together." Hermione said.
"Well that's to be expected I suppose." Parvati said. "He looks much better now though doesn't he, a few weeks ago he looked all pale and like he barely slept, like a vampire really..."
Hermione was about to defend Y/n but a voice saved her from having to.
"That is rather unfair do you not think." Their heads looked up to see Y/n had arrived at the table. "I was going through quite a lot of grief after all."
Parvati instantly stiffened up. "I didn't mean anything by it of course Y/n." She quickly said.
But Y/n laughed. "It is fine Miss Patil...You were quite right, I truly did look awful at the time." Y/n said moving to sit beside Hermione now and Parvati quickly excused herself.
"How did it go with Dumbledore?" Hermione quickly asked Y/n.
"You saw Dumbledore?" Harry asked Y/n.
"Yes. He is having me drop transfiguration next year." Y/n told them now.
"What?" Harry and Lavender said shocked.
"Come off it mate, You're one of the best in our year. Why would Dumbledore want you to drop it?" Ron asked.
"Yes, I don't understand either." Hermione said confused.
"Because, he intends for me to sit my Transfiguration N.E.W.T this year." Y/n said to them.
"Wha...I..." Ron stammered in awe.
"Wow, I've never heard of a student taking exams a year early." Lavender said impressed.
"That's because it is incredibly rare..." Hermione said, while she wanted to be slightly jealous of her boyfriend she could not find within herself to be. He had always worked hard to achieve his results and his hard work was paying off. He was the only person she would concede first place to, even if she would never admit it to him.
"You'll get a whole extra free period next year." Ron said enviously.
"Is that all you think about?" Hermione asked shaking her head but Lavender giggled.
"How has your search for a date gone?" Y/n asked Harry now.
"Oh, I um asked Luna as a friend." Harry told him. "I'm meeting her at eight in the Entrance Hall."
"Miss Lovegood? She is a nice girl and I have heard she has been rather lonely this year, this should be nice change for her." Y/n said now beginning to put food on his plate.
Having heard this Harry felt slightly better about having asked Luna to the party.
"If you are meeting her at eight then why do we not all go down to meet her then?" Y/n suggested.
"Fine by me." Harry shrugged.
When they finished dinner they returned to the Gryffindor common room where Hermione and Lavender left for their dormitory early to get ready.
Harry, Y/n and Ron were sat in the armchairs by the fire. Harry and Ron were playing wizard's chess while Y/n was reading.
As time passed Y/n looked up from his book. "I suppose we had better get ready."
"Doesn't matter I'm still going to look a right prat compared to you two..." Ron grumbled and got to his feet.
"I have had your outfit ready for several weeks actually." Y/n said closing his book. "It has been made with your measurements in mind and is not secondhand you will be glad to hear." He referred to Ron's dress robes from two years ago.
"What?" Ron said quickly.
"Come, let me show it to you." Y/n said getting up now and the three headed upstairs.
Once they entered their dormitory Harry went over to his trunk and opened it taking out his clothes for the party.
Y/n was doing the same as he took out a tuxedo and one three piece suit. He handed the tuxedo to Ron who looked at it deeply impressed.
"Get changed Ron." Y/n told him as he began to take his own suit off its hanger.
The boys quickly began to change and soon all three of them were stood in front of mirror admiring themselves. Y/n's suit was simple but elegant, unlike his Yule Ball dress robes he had chosen a plain white shirt to pair with a pair of black suit pants, waistcoat and suit jacket. The finishing touch being a simple black bowtie.
"This has got to be the nicest thing I have ever worn..." Ron said as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"You are free to keep it. I did buy it for you after all." Y/n said moving to close his trunk now.
"Thanks...for buying this for me." Ron said but Y/n could tell he was feeling guilty about it.
"You do not need to thank me." Y/n said. "I did not buy for you out of pity, I bought it for you out of a selfish need to cheer myself up." Y/n lied so that Ron would not feel bad about it. "I spent quite a lot on gifts for Christmas the last few weeks."
Ron just looked back at the tux in the mirror and smiled.
"We'd better head down to the common room and wait for the girls." Harry said fiddling with his own bowtie. Harry's dress robes looked slightly too big on him but he didn't really care all that much.
The three headed back down to the common room to wait for Hermione and Lavender.
"You know, It is times like these where I miss Fred and George." Y/n said as they waited.
"I don't, they'd just of taken the piss of us being dressed up so smart." Ron said.
"I know." Y/n chuckled. "That is why I miss them."
But his chuckling stopped as he soon saw Hermione and Lavender beginning to walk down the common room stairs towards them and Y/n was indeed stunned into silence.
Lavender was wearing a nice dress that was a little too blue for Y/n's tastes, but his attention was fully on Hermione who was wearing a dress coloured a light pink with a pair of elegant earrings and the golden charm bracelet that had not left her wrist since the day she had received it from Y/n.
"You look beautiful..." He uttered without even thinking.
Hermione just blushed and smiled looking down at herself for a moment. "Thank you, You look really handsome." She said back.
"Uh...You look good Lav." Ron chuckled nervously.
"And so do you my Won-Won." Lavender said.
When they arrived in the Entrance Hall at eight o'clock that night, they found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at Harry resentfully as he approached Luna. She was wearing a set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggles from the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite nice. Harry was glad, in any case, that she had left off her radish earrings, her Butterbeer-cork necklace, and her Spectrespecs.
"Hi." he said. "Shall we get going then?"
"Oh yes." she said happily. "Hello everyone." She said the others.
"Hi Luna." A collective greeting was said back.
"Miss Lovegood." Y/n said.
"Hello Y/n Grindelwald." Luna said looking at him. "You're looking much better now."
"Thank you Miss Lovegood." Y/n smiled.
"Will you be teaching D.A again now that you are better?" She asked.
"I am afraid not Miss Lovegood." Y/n said sadly. "While I enjoyed teaching it my N.E.W.T studies keep me very busy these days."
"That's a shame, I do miss it sometimes." Luna said.
"Where is the party?" Ron asked Harry now.
"Slughorn's office," said Harry, leading them up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering girls. "Did you hear, there's supposed to be a vampire coming?" He said to the others.
"Rufus Scrimgeour?" asked Luna.
Y/n just smiled while Hermione shook her head disapprovingly.
"I...what?" said Harry, disconcerted. "You mean the Minister of Magic?"
"Yes, he's a vampire." said Luna matter-of-factly. "Father wrote a very long article about it when Scrimgeour first took over from Cornelius Fudge, but he was forced not to publish by somebody from the Ministry. Obviously, they didn't want the truth to get out!"
Everyone knew it was unlikely that Rufus Scrimgeour was a vampire, but were so used to Luna repeating her father's bizarre views as though they were fact, that they did not reply, they were already approaching Slughorn's office and the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation were growing louder with every step they took.
Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner, a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.
"Harry, m'boy!" boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Harry and Luna had squeezed in through the door. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!"
Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry's arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led him purposefully into the party, Harry seized Luna's hand and dragged her along with him.
"We did say Harry was his favourite." Hermione said to Ron.
"Well, always been like that ain't it?" Ron said.
"Come on Ron, Let us be polite and fetch some drinks for our partners." Y/n said.
Lavender just giggled at the word partners.
"Er...right, yeah. Drinks. What do you want Lav?" Ron asked her.
"Surprise me." Lavender giggled but Ron found this extremely unhelpful.
"And what would you like dear?" Y/n asked Hermione.
"Whatever they are serving will be fine." She said and Y/n gave a nod before he and Ron left to collect some drinks.
"So, You and Lavender..." Y/n began to make small talk as they reached the serving table and both boys picked up two goblets of mead each.
"Yeah...It's all happened a bit quick ain't it." Ron chuckled nervously.
"Do you like her?" Y/n asked Ron seriously.
"She can be a bit much at times...like alot...but yeah, she's nice you know?" Ron said looking back toward her.
Y/n just smiled as he watched Ron. "Then I am happy for you my friend."
"Uh Y/n...Is that McLaggen talking to Hermione?" Ron asked him.
Y/n quickly turned his head to see that McLaggen was indeed trying to chat Hermione up causing him to give a rare scowl.
"Should have made the Quidditch team you know, but Potter does like his favourites." McLaggen was saying to Hermione as he ignored Lavender's presence entirely. "So, finally ditched Grindelwald, knew it was only a matter of time."
"Just because you were unable to acquire a date McLaggen, does not mean you are excused to try and steal other peoples." Y/n said from behind him now announcing his presence.
McLaggen frowned as he turned around to look at Y/n. "Grindelwald..."
"Take this and leave my girlfriend in peace McLaggen..." Y/n said thrusting out one of the goblets in his hand to him.
McLaggen scoffed and took it downing the contents and walking off towards the serving table.
"Mental that one..." Ron said.
"He's foul..." Hermione said angrily to them and turned away. Y/n stepped a little closer to her and she confided in him. "I caught his eyes trying to look down my dress." Hermione said feeling disgusted now.
Y/n just closed his eyes for a moment as he calmed the anger that was building up inside of him.
"Come on, let us move to a different spot where he should not bother us." Y/n said offering his arm to Hermione and she linked her arm with his.
Lavender looked at Ron expectedly and it took him a moment to realise he should do the same with her.
The four of them made their way over to the other side of the room where they saw Harry and Luna but realized too late that Professor Trelawney was standing there with them.
"Hello again." said Luna politely to the others.
"Good evening, my dears." said Professor Trelawney, focusing upon Luna with some difficulty. Y/n was certain he could smell cooking sherry. Which reminded him to hand Hermione her drink.
"I haven't seen you in my classes lately... " Trelawney said to Luna now.
"No, I've got Firenze this year." said Luna.
"Oh, of course." said Professor Trelawney with an angry, drunken titter. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no...we share classes...It's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know..."
Professor Trelawney seemed too tipsy to have recognized the others. Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze, but she soon recognised one of them. "Harry Potter!" said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time.
"Oh, hello." said Harry unenthusiastically.
"My dear boy!" she said in a very carrying whisper. "The rumors! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time...the omens were never good, Harry...but why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!"
"Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important!" said a loud voice, and Slughorn appeared at Professor Trelawney's other side, his face very red, his velvet hat a little askew, a glass of mead in one hand and an enormous mince pie in the other. "But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions!" said Slughorn, regarding Harry with a fond, if bloodshot, eye. Hermione just quietly scoffed. "Instinctive, you know...like his mother! I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that, Sybill...why even Severus..."
And to their horror, Slughorn threw out an arm and seemed to scoop Snape out of thin air toward them.
"Stop skulking and come and join us, Severus!" hiccuped Slughorn happily. "I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"
Trapped, with Slughorn's arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyes narrowed. "Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all."
"Well, then, it's natural ability!" shouted Slughorn. "You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death...never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus..."
"Really?" said Snape quietly, his eyes still boring into Harry, who felt a certain disquiet. The last thing he wanted was for Snape to start investigating the source of his newfound brilliance at Potions.
But Snape turned his attention to the others and locked his eyes on Y/n. "Grindelwald...you have saved me writing a note...You are to report to my classroom tomorrow morning before breakfast."
"I am sir?" Y/n asked surprised.
"The headmaster wishes it..." Was all Snape said cryptically.
"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" asked Slughorn wanting to change the topic.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology..."
"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror." said Snape with the faintest sneer.
"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do." said Harry defiantly.
"And a great one you'll make too!" boomed Slughorn.
"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry." said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're planning to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."
Harry inhaled half his mead up his nose as he started to laugh. Really, it had been worth bringing Luna just for this. Emerging, from his goblet, coughing, sopping wet but still grinning, he saw something calculated to raise his spirits even higher, Draco Malfoy...being dragged by the ear toward them by Argus Filch.
"Professor Slughorn." wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes. "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"
Malfoy pulled himself free of Filch's grip, looking furious.
"All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"
"No, I'm not!" said Filch, a statement at complete odds with the glee on his face. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the Headmaster say that night-time prowling is out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"
"That's all right, Argus, that's all right." said Slughorn, waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment. You may stay, Draco."
Filich's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable, but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and...was it possible?...a little afraid?
But almost before Harry had registered what he had seen, Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath. Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face was smoothly inscrutable again.
"It's nothing, nothing." said Slughorn, waving away Malfoy's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all..."
"He always spoke very highly of you, sir." said Malfoy quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known..."
Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking-up that intrigued him, he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages, he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly grayish tinge to his skin.
"I'd like a word with you, Draco." said Snape suddenly.
"Now, Severus." said Slughorn, hiccuping again. "It's Christmas, don't be too hard..."
"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be." said Snape curtly. "Follow me, Draco."
They left, Snape leading the way, Malfoy looking resentful. Harry stood there for a moment, irresolute, then said, "I'll be back in a bit." To the others. "Er...bathroom."
"He's going to follow them...Isn't he?" Hermione asked Y/n and Ron quietly.
"Course he is." Ron said.
"Let us save this for another time." Y/n said reminding the two that Slughorn, Trelawney, Lavender and Slughorn were still present.
"Right...I'll try talk to him about it over Christmas." Ron said.
"Is Harry staying with you Won-Won?" Lavender asked him now.
"Uh...Yeah, Harry usually stays with us a lot." Ron said. "You're spending Christmas with Hermione this year aren't you Y/n?" He asked him.
"To make up for the one we missed out on last year." Y/n said, It sounded nicer than saying that the only member of family who would celebrate with him was gone.
"Ah...Young love. One sees it a lot as a professor but it never gets old." Slughorn said merrily.
"You know..." A voice suddenly slurred near them. "I juz don't get it..." They turned to see McLaggen who had appeared to have had too much mead now. "I mean..." He was staring at Hermione. "Waz so great about Grindelwald...Just look at im. He's got all those hideous scars..."
"Those scars are proof of his loyalty and his bravery!" Hermione said angrily defending Y/n.
"Come now chap, there's no need for all that." Slughorn said not wanting a scene to be caused.
"Perhaps It is time to go McLaggen, you are making a fool of yourself and making my girlfriend uncomfortable." Y/n said stepping forward and tapping his hand on McLaggen's arm.
"Hey get off me, what the hell man." McLaggen cried as he shoved Y/n.
The partygoers seemed to have stopped now as they turned their heads to see what the commotion was.
"Don't you touch me." McLaggen slurred as he shoved Y/n again.
"I will give you that one, but if you do it again..." Y/n began to warn him.
"Oh do what again..." McLaggen shoved Y/n once again. "Kick your ass..." McLaggen slurred heavily as he went to hit Y/n but Y/n quickly delivered a sharp punch to McLaggen's face who dropped to the floor knocked out as the other guests gasped with shock.
Y/n just grimaced and straightened his bowtie with the hand he had used to punch McLaggen. "My apologies everyone, Please, go back to your drinks." He told the crowd and they all reluctantly turned around and began to talk in whispers.
"I am very sorry professor." Y/n said to Slughorn.
"Yes, while I would have preferred you used a different method I can't say you were exactly in the wrong Grindelwald. I'd better fetch someone to remove him." Slughorn admitted and began to walk away. "I shan't be inviting McLaggen back." They heard him muttering.
"That was bloody brilliant..." Ron said grinning and looking down at the passed out McLaggen.
But Hermione didn't say a word.
"Come on Won-Won let's give these two a moment. Besides that food looks rather good." Lavender said taking Ron's arm and dragging him with her.
Now that they were alone Y/n quickly turned to Hermione. "Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Room of Requirement...now." Was all that Hermione said to him and she took his hand pulling him with her.
It was easy, once out of the party, For Harry to pull his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and throw it over himself, for the corridor was quite deserted. What was more difficult was finding Snape and Malfoy. Harry ran down the corridor, the noise of his feet masked by the music and loud talk still issuing from Slughorn's office behind him. Perhaps Snape had taken Malfoy to his office in the dungeons.. or perhaps he was escorting him back to the Slytherin common room... Harry pressed his ear against door after door as he dashed down the corridor until, with a great jolt of excitement, he crouched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor and heard voices.
"... cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled..."
"I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?"
"I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."
"Who suspects me?" said Malfoy angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about...don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work...I can stop you!"
There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, "Ah...Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"
"I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in! Atticus and his parents have already been trying to enough as it is!"
Harry pressed his ear still more closely against the keyhole...what had happened to make Malfoy speak to Snape like this, Snape, toward whom he had always shown respect, even liking? And Atticus was trying to get involved with whatever Draco was doing as well as Y/n's parents.
"So that is why you have been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco..."
"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" jeered Malfoy.
There was another pause. Then Snape said. "You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things."
"You'd better stop telling me to come to your office then!"
"Listen to me." said Snape, his voice so low now that Harry had to push his ear very hard against the keyhole to hear. "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco..."
"Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"
"What is your plan?"
"It's none of your business!"
"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you..."
"I have all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"
"You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes..."
"Atticus has abandoned me and I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"
"Keep your voice down!" spat Snape, for Malfoy's voice had risen excitedly. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts O. W. L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres..."
"What does it matter?" said Malfoy. "Defense Against the Dark Arts...it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts..."
"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!" said Snape. "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle..."
"They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!"
"Then why not confide in me, and I can..."
"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!"
There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but..."
Harry had barely a second's warning, he heard Malfoy's footsteps on the other side of the door and flung himself out of the way just as it burst open. Malfoy was striding away down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn's office, around the distant corner, and out of sight.
Hardly daring to breathe, Harry remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party. Harry remained on the floor, hidden beneath the Cloak, his mind racing.