Keogh

~***~

“And just how do you think you’re going to hide a knife wearing that?”

Hermione rolled her eyes as she drug out the old-fashioned stockings and garters she had picked up for the ball. Kathryn fell silent, somewhat satisfied. As long as no one got grabby, no one would ever know. And, she thought, it was not as though anyone was likely to get grabby on her.

One small knife with a thigh sheath was mostly hidden by her garter. She did not dare to take her double wands with her, they were simply too unusual and a bit too long, but there was still room for her regular wand to slip in beside it. Keeping both in the same place was not the ideal situation, but the gown was a one piece and with the ballroom style dances they were doing tonight it was likely Krum would feel her wand were she to hide it between her shoulder blades.

Kathryn mollified, Hermione worked on getting ready. The worst was her hair, but thanks to a clever witch who had worked at an exclusive salon in magical Paris until succumbing to a nasty case of dragon pox about five years ago, she now knew a few charms that tamed and twisted the mass of frizz into an elegant coif complete with a few teasing curls around her face. A light dusting of make up and she was ready to don the gown. Standing back to look at herself in the mirror she hardly recognized the witch looking back at her.

“You clean up rather well.”

“I’m terrified I’m going to trip over my feet and make a fool of myself.”

Kathryn gave a snort inside her head. “Trust me, dancing will be easy compared to your normal routine. And if you get stuck, just ask someone. I’m sure there has to be at least one person out under the lawn who knew how to cut a rug.”

She was right, of course, but Hermione was not all that certain she should be relying on the Great Majority for all her problems. Should she not do something for herself? At the very least she should do something for others.

Which reminded her…

Now dressed she ducked into the lavatory before Parvati or Lavender showed up. She needed to be quick about this, and she must not be seen. Calling up a ‘door’ she ducked into the continuum and traveled the relatively miniscule distance to the boys’ dormitory. None of them were up here just yet, and she hoped she had time enough to pull this off. Moving over to Ron’s bed, she opened up the curtains and saw what had gotten him so upset at the Burrow. The robes truly were ghastly. She knew that the Weasleys were strapped for cash, and too proud to accept any money from either her or Harry, but surely Molly could have at least done something to try and improve Ron’s robes.

She hiked up her skirt and pulled out her wand. Her transfiguration spells had gotten a lot stronger and longer lasting. She was certain she could do something that would last until close to dawn, giving Ron plenty of time to enjoy not being a laughing stock. Besides, the Patil twins were beautiful and would certainly be dressed in something spectacular if not in Saris, which were always spectacular. Ron should at least look nice enough to have one of them on his arm, whichever one he was taking.

Picturing in her mind something that would look better with his eyes she concentrated hard before casting the spell. A little flick and twirl of her wand, along with the right incantation playing in her mind, and the horrid combination of moulding lace and ruffles gave way to something more sleek and modern and in a shade of dark blue that would bring out Ron’s best features. She opened her eyes and saw that she had been quite successful.

Smiling to herself she almost lingered too long, but the sound of the boys coming upstairs got to her. Just as quickly as she had arrived, she ducked back into the continuum and made her way outside of the castle where she made her way as calmly as possible to where several other Hogwarts students were to wait for their Durmstrang dates. She ignored the glances and surprised gasps aimed her way as her identity slowly filtered through the gathering.

The Durmstrang students had arranged for a sort of outdoor tearoom to be set up for their dates until it was time for them to join them. Warming charms had been cast all about so that they need not bother with coats and mugs of mulled cider were made available to comfort nervous fingers and stomachs. All about her people were chatting excitedly, but she had no one to speak with. Harry and Ron were getting ready for their dates, Ron doubtless trying to figure out who had switched his robes. Cedric had likely found a date of his own and was meeting up with her, and since he was not out here with the rest of them then she would guess that his date was not from Durmstrang.

She felt completely isolated. Was this how Kathryn had felt most of the time? Cut off from other living, breathing people with only the cold voices of the dead to keep her company?

The chattering turned into an excited buzzing, drawing her attention towards the direction of the ship. The Durmstrang students were making their way down the gangplank. The girls, like the ones from Hogwarts, had been allowed to dress pretty much however they wanted. The boys, however, looked more like military cadets with their matching dress robes and scarlet cloaks. Viktor’s head turned as he sought her out. It did not take him long. She thought she saw a smile touch his lips before he started to make his way over to her.

She rose from the little chair where she had been seated and smiled as he took her hand to press it to his lips. She could feel her cheeks burning and scolded herself silently. This was not a real date! She was merely going along with it because Viktor was uncomfortable in his English skills. That was all.

Head screwed firmly back into place she offered him a shy smile and allowed him to slip her arm into the crook of his so that he could escort her into the castle.

~***~

Ron ran his hands down the front of his dress robes again, still not quite believing what he was wearing. “But, Harry, if you didn’t do it, who did?”

“I dunno, Ron. Maybe ‘Mione?”

“Nah, couldn’t be. She wouldn’t do something like this without telling me first.”

“You wouldn’t have accepted them if she had, Ron.” And it was true. His pride would have gotten in the way. Harry’s gut told him that Hermione had been behind the new dress robes, if they were new robes and not his old ones transfigured. Their friend was clever enough to pull it off, of that he was certain. Bless her.

Parvati brought Padma over to meet them. The other twin gave Ron an appraising look, seeming pleased enough with him and willing to walk into the hall on his arm. Harry was to enter with Parvati along with the other champions. He saw Fleur Delacour with Roger Davies from Ravenclaw. His gut twisted as he saw Cho with Diggory. Krum was standing with a very pretty girl with sleek brown hair and dress robes of a floating periwinkle fabric. At first he thought that she must be one of the girls from Beauxbaton until she turned slightly and he heard Parvati gasp.

It was Hermione! Their Hermione! Only, she looked completely different. Without the small library she always carried around with her she was able to stand up straighter and hold her shoulders back a bit. And she had done something with her hair. She looked a bit bashful and uncertain as she caught his gaze. She offered him and his date a nervous smile and a wave. Harry returned it automatically, still a bit awestruck until he realized he was staring. Shaking himself back he turned his head away only to find his eyes landing on Cho and Diggory again. Cho looked splendid even as she fussed with an upturn in the sleeve of her gown. But Diggory was not looking at Cho. His attention was certainly elsewhere at a point behind them. Harry frowned, wondering what he could possibly find more interesting that Cho Chang and followed his gaze back to Krum and Hermione.

Cedric was looking at Hermione? He easily recognized the surly light in the Hufflepuff’s eyes, because he saw it in his own ever since Cho had told him that she already had a date to the ball. Had Diggory, like Harry, brought someone to the ball because his first choice had already been taken? Had Krum beaten him to Hermione and so he had asked Cho instead? Harry was certain that there was likely some clever literary reference to explain this conundrum, but he was not well read enough to call it up. Perhaps Hermione would know of one, but it was not something he should ask.

The doors to the Great Hall swung open and applause poured out. Harry took a steadying breath and drug his thoughts back to the present. It was time to dance.

~***~

Severus refused to linger in the Great Hall after the meal had been served. He was fuming. How dare Karkaroff fail to keep an eye on his pet?!

He had thought the biggest threat came from his own house, but he had disabused Zabini of any thoughts regarding taking his daughter to the ball early on. A couple of nasty detentions for Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein had eliminated the Ravenclaw contingent nicely and he was certain that Potter and Weasley felt nothing beyond deep friendship for Hermione unless it was something akin to sibling affection. He never would have expected Krum to step up to the plate.

He would have preferred Boot or Goldstein. At least the Ravenclaws were closer to her age and would have been too dazzled by her intellect to be much of a danger to her.

It was not that he wanted to keep Hermione a child; he simply did not think that fifteen was old enough to be going on ‘dates’. Seventeen was a more fitting age. At least then she would have been a legal adult and responsible for her own mistakes. Though even at seventeen the Bulgarian would have been too mature for her. He was a Quidditch star of international fame with witches throwing themselves at him from every direction. Krum was too worldly to trust with an innocent schoolgirl such as his daughter. At least in the Great Hall there would be too many prying eyes for him to try anything forward.

Unfortunately, when Karkaroff had made his way outside, the conversation was too strained for Severus to demand that he go in there and get his student away from Hermione. Yes, he knew the Dark Mark was becoming clearer, and Igor had more than enough reason to worry. He had sold out members of the Dark Lord’s inner circle to save his own skin. There would be retribution, and rightly so. Of course, Severus had committed his own fair amount of betrayal, but he had been cunning enough to hide it so that he still appeared a loyal servant. He never would have thought he would be pleased to see Potter and Weasley, but the boys’ appearance did stop Igor’s tirade and send the wizard off.

Severus blasted another rose bush and saved a third year Hufflepuff from defilement at the hands of a seventh year Beauxbaton boy. And he had though the age difference between Hermione and Krum to be too great! Maxime should be warned that she had pedophiles in her school. He remembered the day when young witches kept their knickers on until marriage, or at least until they had managed to work their intended target to such a frenzy that he had already gone out and bought the engagement ring. In his opinion the sexual revolution and not done young women any real favors. Girls no longer realized that their sex was their most potent weapon.

“Vhy are you crying, Herm-own-ninny?”

Severus froze. What the bloody hell was she doing away from the dance? With a scowl darkening his brow he made his way along the flagstones until he hovered at a corner. There, not ten feet away from him, stood his daughter. She had her hands knotted on the cold railing and was looking out over the lawn. The Bulgarian was standing closer than what he was comfortable with, hovering at her shoulder.

“It’s nothing.” Snape watched as she wiped her hand over her face, doubtless clearing away tears. What had upset her? Who had upset her? “Just stupid boys saying stupid things.”

Krum’s face darkened. “Someone has insulted you? Who has done this? I vill deal vith them.”

She shook her head. “No, thank you, Viktor, but this is a matter between friends. I should be used to Ronald letting his mouth get away from his brains by now.”

So the Weasley brat had put his foot in it again, had he? That was nothing new. He would have been surprised if the boy had not said something stupid tonight. His shoulders relaxed somewhat as he kept to the shadow of the building, eyes narrowing as Krum placed a hand on Hermione’s shoulder and turned her to face him.

“You should not vorry about it, Herm-own-ninny. He is just a boy.”

She sniffled and gave a bit of a chuff. “He is at that.” Severus watched her take a breath and square her shoulders. When she spoke again, however, it was in Bulgarian, much to his annoyance. He did not like not understanding what was being said. Nor did he like the smile that lit on the boy’s face. A smile that could only be described as tender as he took her chin in his fingers.

“I did not ask you to come vith me because you speak Bulgarian, Herm-own-ninny.”

She blinked. “You… didn’t?”

“No. I did not.” The boy lowered his head and pressed his lips against Hermione’s. The girl’s eyes flared in shock, clearly not having expected the move. She froze, too ignorant of such things to know what to do as the Bulgarian’s hands came to her shoulders and began to pull her in closer.

Severus aimed his wand at the rose bushes just to the left of the boy and sent off a severing charm. Leaves and petals went flying and the pair broke apart instantly. Their eyes turned to him, Krum’s dark and angry, Hermione’s wide and embarrassed.

He stepped out of the shadow, his robes billowing about his ankles. “Hermione, it is too cold out here for you to be without a cloak. Return to the hall.”

She swallowed and gave a shaking ‘Yes, Sir’ before she hurried towards the doors leading into the castle. Krum made to follow her but the tip of Severus’ wand against his chest stopped him. The young man gave him a glowering look.

There were so many possibilities. He could transfigure Krum into a slug or perhaps cast a charm that would make it impossible for the boy to entertain any lustful thoughts. Maybe a hex to give him an unpleasant burning in his nether regions. But, no, he must not use dark magic against someone who, technically, had not done anything wrong just yet. Of course, Severus thought stealing a kiss from a fifteen-year-old miss was wrong, but no one else would agree with him. Instead, he would have to settle for some fatherly caution. “Fifteen, Mr. Krum.”

The Bulgarian arched a haughty brow, refusing to be cowed by him. He grudgingly admitted that this impressed him. He had noticed that he did not cower in front of Igor, either. The boy had steel in his spine. That much was for certain. “She is only fifteen. Hardly more than a child.”

“She is wise beyond her years.”

“In her scholastic achievements, perhaps, but not in matters of the heart or of the flesh. And I would not see her distracted.”

“Vhat concern is it of yours?” The glower was back. Severus answered it with a smirk.

“You should pay closer attention to the Hogwarts’ gossip, Mr. Krum. That was my daughter you sought to take liberties with.” The first flicker of uncertainty danced through Krum’s eyes. “Ah, I see. Did you perhaps think she was some half-blood or muggleborn far removed from her parents and thus there would be no one to call you to task should you press your advantage?”

“No!” The wizard drew himself up to his full height. “I haff only the most honorable intentions…”

“Towards a child?” He could not keep the sneer from his voice. “I would advise you to keep your hands to yourself, Mr. Krum. Igor is an old friend of mine. I do not relish having to explain to him why his most prized pupil has to be taken home in a matchbox.” Confident that his message was clear, Severus moved his wand aside with a twist of the wrist. Krum studied him from under heavy brows for a silent moment before stepping away and stalking back towards the castle.

Lucius had been correct; daughters were a trial. One never knew when some hot-blooded Casanova would try to take advantage. And now that all the school was aware just how pretty Hermione was under the ink stains and parchment there were likely to be quite a few more. He would need to practice his glowers and ensure Filch was ready for extra detentions.
~***~