"You look beautiful."
"You're the best, Harry," said Daphne, giving him a tight hug. Harry hugged her back, his arms around her waist as he smelled her perfume. A small, happy smile tugged his lips as he felt content, lost to the world.
Paradise.
"Where are your clothes?"
"Right here."
Once he finished getting dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a white shirt, a deep wine red vest and tie, perfectly matching Daphne's dress. He donned his trousers and robes over himself and ensured he looked fine. Once he was finished, he turned to look at Daphne.
"What do you think?" he asked her. "I think it looks better than dragon hide."
"Definitely," observed Daphne. "Trousers and robes made of shed Basilisk skin; you really have good taste, Harry. It actually looks like very expensive leather. Nothing scaly like what I thought it would be. It looks rich and elegant; I approve."
"Thanks," muttered Harry as he looked at the mirror again. The robes looked black in colour, but under certain lighting conditions, it would look a deep shade of blackish-green. He had given the material to a well-known fashion designer in France on the recommendation of Jacen Twilfit. The witch had been shocked when she had seen the Basilisk skin but had done the work without complaint and her talent showed. Once they were ready, he and Daphne left the Room of Requirement to head to the Great Hall.
"You never actually told me about your conversation with Fleur," said Harry lightly.
"That's because you never asked," said Daphne.
After a few seconds, he raised an eyebrow at her. Daphne shrugged. "You were right in that she felt attracted to you because you were powerful and could resist her allure. I told her that you and I share something special and she backed off. She's not what I envisioned, actually. After you spend more time with her, you'll see that she has a mask in place. We talked for a while and realised we had similar interests, though I could do without the constant bragging of her school."
Just walked into the entrance hall, they saw Dylan and Astoria emerge from the dungeons. Dylan was dressed in the dress robes he and Harry had bought in Hogsmeade and Astoria was wearing a purple dress.
"Looking good, Tori," said Harry with a teasing smile on his face. "Oh, I guess you too, brat."
Dylan rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the compliment, egghead," he said wryly. "What are you wearing? Dragonhide?"
"Basilisk skin," Harry smirked. "Like it? I've already commissioned one for you."
Dylan blinked his eyes a few times. "It looks really good," he said slowly. "But I have to say it is nothing like what I expected; not scaly at all."
"That's what I said," said Daphne, nodding.
After a minute, the couple was joined by Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies. When Victor Krum and his date arrived, Harry was surprised; he had certainly not expected that . He wasn't going to let his personal issues get in the way, but hopefully, he would be able to avoid her for the rest of the night.
If Daphne was surprised at seeing Hermione Granger there she certainly didn't react to it. When it was time, Professor McGonagall ushered everyone but the champions inside the Great Hall. When the clock struck seven, the doors to the Great Hall opened and the four couples walked in; Cedric and Cho first, followed by Victor and Hermione, then walked in Fleur and Roger Davies and finally, Harry and Daphne.
The Great Hall was beautifully decorated, and it had also been magically expanded to three times its size, so was very large. Along with the heads of the three schools, there were also heads of several different magical governments present, along with the Triwizard Committee and other members of the International Confederation of Wizards. 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 hundreds of smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.
When Harry caught his godfather's eye, Sirius winked at him and smirked. Harry's cheeks turned slightly pink but he was able to regain control soon, making Sirius chuckle; the teenager obviously still remembered the talk they had the past summer. As they neared the table reserved for the champions and other important people, they all sat down for dinner. The Great Hall was abuzz with chatter as people began ordering food using the menu cards. Harry had to give it to Dumbledore; this arrangement for dinner was much better in his opinion.
At the champion's table, Hermione and Victor were talking about their respective schools, but Harry couldn't hear the rest. It didn't matter though because he and Daphne stuck to Sirius and Amelia the whole time as they spoke to very important politicians and I.C.W. officials from around the world. Even Albus Dumbledore, as Supreme Mugwump, took to introducing Harry to various officials who wanted to meet the famous Boy-Who-Lived. An hour later, everyone had finished dinner, so Dumbledore vanished most of the round tables in the Hall, leaving only those in the corner which now served drinks and desserts. As the champions moved towards the middle of the Hall, Daphne noticed that even though they had been invited, there were only a few dozen students from the first to third years; it looked like most of them had gone home for the holidays.
Just as the band began playing music for the champions, Harry put one hand on Daphne's waist, the other holding her hand. Staring into each other's eyes, Harry remembered just three years ago when he and Daphne were in a similar position, with her teaching him how to dance in an abandoned classroom. Their relationship had deepened since then, transforming from being acquaintances to friends, to best friends and now to be the love of each other's life.
Daphne could see the fire that was burning in those emerald green orbs and it made her heart flutter. His grip tightened around her waist as they glided around the dance floor, enjoying themselves. Several couples too joined them and pretty soon, the ball was in full swing.
....
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