Harry Potter: Don't touch

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On the twenty-fifth of December at seven o'clock in the evening, the Puffendoor Drawing Room was packed. Students of different courses and ages filled the room, their colourful robes shimmering beautifully and creating bizarre patterns. It was the first time Harry had seen such beauty, already at the stage of preparation the Holy Ball surpassed the Muggle party. True, perhaps that Uncle Vernon's anniversary party might not have been considered good even by Muggle standards. What the Muggles didn't have, however, were such gorgeous robes and gowns. And this beauty was not only due to the fact that many robes were dyed with two or more colours, the main beauty was that these colours were changing.

When Fred and George had offered to solve the problem of his and Justin's lack of holiday robes, Harry hadn't been stingy and had given them all the money he had on him. Potter didn't know how to dance, and was a little afraid of the procedure, so he decided to overshadow his inability and fear with the beauty of the robes.

The Weasley twins, who had somehow inexplicably made their way into Hogsmeade despite the ban, returned with a white robe and a small cloak. Harry was only able to realise the beauty of his garment when he first put it on. Since the Hufflepuff living room was decorated in black and yellow colours, his robe instantly changed its colour to green, which blended perfectly with the yellow. The change happened every time Potter's surroundings changed.

But this was not the limit of the holiday robe; the instructions for use stated that if you pointed your wand at the robe and said "Rinus", the robe would change its mode and change its colour according to the wearer's wishes. Potter felt what it was like to be Nymphadora Tonks; it was easy to control the colour changes, just say "Yellow" to yourself and the mantle would become "Yellow", if you said "Grey-Brown-Maline" the mantle would become Grey-Brown-Maline, Harry experimented a lot but could never come up with a colour name that the mantle didn't know. The mantle also came with boots and gloves, and while Potter didn't really need the boots, the gloves, which had the same properties as the mantle, impressed Harry.

Potter had decided to go to the Holy Ball in a grey dyed robe and pink gloves. Harry had considered going in all pink, but he was ashamed of his predilection for the girly colour, and in the mirror created by the Reflecto spell, Harry's reflection looked awful. Since Potter wasn't going to cosplay Dazzle, he changed the colour of his robes to a light grey and was quite content with that.

- You look cool, Harry," Colin Creevey said.

The third year Hufflepuff student in a blood red robe was sitting on a sofa in the furthest corner of the living room. There were two seats on the couch, remarkably enough, but the seat next to Colin was vacant. With the living room so crowded, it was a little odd.

- You're not bad either. Isn't there a date for you? - Harry suggested, sitting down next to Colin.

- No, of course not," he said indignantly. - Of course I've found a mate.

- Who did you find? - Harry asked.

- Guess. You know her.

Harry was a little surprised. Colin spent time in his company quite often. Justin was almost always with them, as well as Zhou and Tonks. No other girls were around. Potter had thought that Ginny and Colin would form a pretty good couple, but after that conversation, Harry had realised that Weasley Junior was clearly only interested in the company of one at the Hallow's Ball. However, Harry had no other candidates besides the Weasleys.

- Could it be Ginny?

- Nope," Colin looked at someone behind Potter and made a sly face, just like Tonks. - Now someone was going to get it for sitting in someone else's seat.

Potter jumped up quickly and managed to dodge the jumper, which hit where he had just been sitting.

- Excellent reaction," Tonks complimented him.

She was wearing a lush dark purple dress covered in various patterns. It made Nymphadora look more like a queen of an ancient and mysterious civilisation than herself, and her long purple hair added to the effect. She took a seat next to Colin and said hello:

- 'Hi Harry, do you recognise me?

- Not really, to be honest," Harry frowned. Despite her odd style, long hair and aristocratic demeanour, Tonks was quite recognisable. - Are you going with Colin?

- I wanted to go to the ball," Tonks shrugged her shoulders as if in slow motion, obviously the slow and stately movements she had rehearsed. - Since I'm here as a third party, I'm not allowed to go to the ball, and I needed someone to invite me. You didn't think to invite me, Cedric and I had a falling out, that left Colin Creevey, and the alternative was Moody.

Harry looked at Colin. He wasn't the least bit upset by this 'rational' attitude, he must have known all along.

- I didn't invite you, not because I didn't have a clue, but because I already have a partner.

- So? Your partner, huh," Tonks waved her hair majestically. - How can she compare to me?

- Stop it, Nymphadora, go back to your old self, it doesn't suit you.

The mention of her name had the expected effect, Tonks' hair turned red and there was no trace of her majesty left.

- I'm Tonks! You should have ruined it for me! It took me three hours to create my look and appearance, by the way! While I was at Hogwarts we never had events like this, let me enjoy the moment!

These were the kind of disgruntled remarks that were already more like the usual Tonks.

- Okay, I'm sorry, - even though Harry had achieved the desired effect, he felt guilty. - You can have your fun, I won't get in the way. Have you seen Justin?

- No," Tonks returned to her stately and unhurried self. - Do you happen to know who he's going to the ball with?

- That's the thing, no. I'm not even sure he's found a date.

- There were rumours... That... Someone... invited... Fleur... Delacourt to the ball-" It was impossible to speak any slower than Tonks did. She was clearly taking her image too personally.

- I know, it was forced, and she turned him down. Finch-Fletchley was just a bet.

- It's weird. I mean, to me.

- Tonks, if all kings and queens spoke the way you do, I'm not surprised that the monarchy as a system of government is almost universally dead. If you'd come to power, so would we. Please speak normally, even if it's just to me!

- All right. But only to you. - Tonks returned to her normal state. - I'm told Finch-Fletchley is going with one of the Beauxbaton champions, if it's not Fleur then one of the other two. Evette Roux or Juliette Laurent. All the students of the French School of Magic are in the Great Hall now, if anything.

- Yeah, thanks, I'll be off then.

Potter headed for the Great Hall.

- Wait," Tonks' voice stopped Potter at the exit of the living room. Due to the sheer volume of other conversations, Harry could barely hear the continuation. - The question still stands. Who do you think is prettier, me or Zhou?

- What a stupid question, obviously Zhou," Harry said and walked out of the living room.

* * *

Justin Finch-Fletchley's partner was Fleur Delacour. Harry tried to ask them how it had happened, but both were silent. However, what exactly brought them together, Potter realised as it was. They both hated Hogwarts.

- It's just miserable," she spoke to Justin in broken English. Harry didn't see the point of it, since they both knew French; probably so that their conversation could be understood by everyone else. - We have ice sculptures in the palace refectory. They do not melt, and they shimmer with all the colours of the rainbow. And what a chorus of forest nymphs we have! We eat and they sing. No horrible headless knights in the halls. And if a poltergeist comes into Beauxbaton, they'll kick him out with a bang. That's it! - Fleur slammed her palm on the table.

A nearby plate flew off the table. But no one paid much attention to it. Everyone was absorbed in conversation.

- Yes! And at Hogwarts people are not even able to organise normal conditions for learning! Teachers insult students! There's a basilisk crawling around the castle that has already killed two female students! But nobody cares! If it wasn't for Harry, I'd have transferred to Beauxbaton. Or better still, I'd have gone to Eton! They use proper modern technology there. Not like here! And I'm not even talking about entertainment! There's a choir, choral singing courses, eight organs, a concert hall, many pupils participate in the national international orchestra, four theatres, a dozen plays are staged every year, and school plays have such a good reputation that seats for them are booked even before they are created. And that's before I even get to the educational system. If a professor there ever insulted any of the students, he'd be kicked out with a kick in the arse. That's it! - Justin cracked the table.

The second plate flew off into the distance. No one still cared.

- They're perfect for each other," Zhou said quietly so that only Harry could hear.

- You're right. They are perfect for each other," Harry agreed quietly. - In fact, it was the first time I'd ever seen Justin so engrossed in a conversation.

The original plan had been for the champions and their partners to sit at the teachers' tables. However, it was intended that there would only be three champions, not fifteen. So in order to accommodate all the champions, a separate table had been provided for them and their dance partners, transfigured by Dumbledore.

There were twenty-six people seated at the table, and Harry already had a rough idea of who would be dancing with whom. Fred Weasley, whose hair had miraculously grown back due to some of Madam Pomfrey's magic potion, was sitting next to Angelina Johnson, George Weasley with Katie Bell, Cedric Diggory with an unknown Durmstrang girl, Justin Finch-Fletchley, respectively, with Fleur Delacour, and Harry, of course, with Zhou.

The Charmbatonians proved to be the most sociable, with all the French school champions having a student from another school as a partner. Adrian Roux was paired with Alicia Spinnet, Evette Roux was nicely chummy with Roger Davies, Juliette Laurent was paired with Durmstrang champion Johan Lundren, and Basel Francois was paired with an unknown black-haired girl from Durmstrang.

The Durmstrang champions were blokes, and their dates were mostly Durmstrang students. Otto sat next to a short haired lady wearing a tattered black shirt with skulls on it. Her clothes clearly carried the message - I don't care about your traditions, I dress how I want. Hypotenuse seemed to be having an argument with his partner, a tall blonde. Krum was sitting with, unexpectedly, Hermione Granger. This pairing took Harry even more by surprise than the Fleur-Justine pairing. Potter had always noticed that the scowling Quidditch player had female fans following him around, and Harry had no way of knowing that Krum would choose Hermione Granger out of so many people who wanted to go to the ball with him.

Harry had assumed that the pairing would be upsetting to Justin, but he was obviously wrong. Finch-Fletchley was completely absorbed in his dialogue with Fleur and clearly didn't care about the other couples.

Anton Babushka was drinking vodka, unsurprisingly, next to a certain Slavyana. What was surprising was that this Slavyana refused to drink vodka with her beau. Harry had heard this girl respond with a rather rude refusal to Nana's offer to drink with him. Potter was surprised by this situation, not so long ago the Durmstrang champion had told Justin that all those who didn't drink vodka were bad people, and now he had invited just such a person to the ball. It's a true testament to the fact that love overlooks faults.

- When are we going to dance? I heard that a rock band called "The Witches are invited to the ball!" - Chang asked.

- Don't be in such a hurry," said Harry. - I'm sure you'll get bored of dancing, I've never danced before, I'll step on your foot and that'll be it. No more dancing.

- I'm sure you won't be so bad.

- Confidence is one thing, but..." Harry started, but was interrupted by George Weasley sitting opposite.

- 'Hello Harry, Zhou? How are you all doing?

- We're great! Justin's-" Harry looked at his friend. He was telling Fleur the whole story of their night raid on the Goblet of Fire. - ...Even better. Did you want something?

- Yes, I did," George pulled a golden egg out of a tiny bag and placed it on the table. - Here.

Cedric Diggory was instantly interested in the dialogue:

- Don't you dare open it!

- I'm not going to, it wouldn't be funny. I need our specialist, Harry Potter, to put a Confundus on it.

- What's that for? - Harry wondered.

- Well, I thought that if you could make the egg forget about not telling anyone about the clue, I might be able to tell you about the second task.

- You solved the riddle? - Cedric wondered.

- 'Yes, and I have an idea on how to tell you the answer. Go ahead, Harry.

Deciding that the longer he argued and worked out the details, the weaker the spell would come out, Potter pulled out his wand and exclaimed:

- Confundus!

The orange beam hit the golden egg. The golden egg began to shimmer with different colours.

- What are you doing? - Dumbledore appeared next to them out of nowhere. His eyes were filled with cheerful lights.

- I'm just," George made an elusive movement, and the egg disappeared. - Telling Potter about the hard life of a Hogwarts champion. And you?

- Я? - Dumbledore looked a little surprised. - I reacted to the activation of the Confundus defence spell. Now I'm looking for someone to blame. Have you seen any?

- We have," Fred nodded gravely. - There was one running around. Slytherin, messy hair, potions teacher, yellow egg for a head, thinking that obviously someone had cast Confundus on that egg. Probably more than one. Running towards the dungeons. Have you seen one of these?

Harry held his breath. He was prepared to sign every word he said, but he certainly wouldn't have dared say such a thing to Dumbledore's face.

- Witty. But rude and ugly," Dumbledore said calmly. - Minus fifteen points to Gryffindor. And try not to try to cheat at the Tournament again. You've achieved your goal, and you're in. Don't you think that's enough?

The Headmaster asked a rhetorical question and returned to his seat.

- 'You shouldn't do that,' Zhou said to George. - 'Professor Snape doesn't deserve such words. He may not grade fairly, but at least he teaches normally.

- Snape is the worst thing that has ever happened to Hogwarts in its history," Harry interjected. - The Basilisk had only killed two people, and Snape had been terrorising everyone for years. Maybe I shouldn't have told the Headmaster this, but I'll definitely sign every word George said.

- That's right Zhou, even your boyfriend agrees with me. I don't understand how anyone can defend a bastard like that.

- An ugly bastard," Harry corrected, trying to ignore Zhou's distinctive look.

- An ugly bastard," George agreed.

- And a turd," even Justin was distracted by Snape's insults.

- And a turd," George confirmed.

After dinner, Dumbledore stood up and waved his wand, and the tables moved away from the walls, creating an empty space. Another wave, and a stage grew along the right wall. The Witches came on stage and were greeted with rapturous applause. The Witches dismantled their instruments, the lanterns on the tables went out, and the contestants rose from their seats in pairs.

The ball had begun.