Summary:
Forever in a Day by professorquill101
Groundhog Day. Harry finds himself repeating the Day of the Yule Ball over and over, and he's the only one that remembers it. This may take a while to figure out, so he might as well enjoy the Ball, right?Harry Potter - Rated: M - English - Romance/Adventure - Chapters: 23 - Words: 140,537 - Reviews: 407 - Favs: 3,027 - Follows: 3,433 - Updated: Apr 13, 2024 - Published: Dec 16, 2021 - Harry P., Hermione G., Fleur D., Katie B. - Complete
Forever in a Day
"Stupid Ball." Ron grumbled, yanking his robes over his head and tossing them angrily to the floor.
Harry nodded in agreement. The Yule ball hadn't quite gone the way either of them had hoped. Both of them had been right prats to their dates, something Harry was really starting to feel guilty about. Harry finished changing into his pajamas, blew out his candle, and crawled into bed while Ron continued to mutter angrily to himself. It was several minutes before he stopped muttering and started snoring, and honestly, he wasn't sure which was worse. As he laid on his back, slowly drifting off to sleep, his last thought was wishing he had done things differently.
Waking the next morning before any of his dorm mates, Harry took a quick shower before heading downstairs. As he walked through the Common Room, it was buzzing with activity. Groups of students gathered together on almost all of the available seats, talking excitedly. Making his way to the portrait hole, he overhead a few of them going on about the Yule ball. He let out a sigh when he made it into the hall, he'd been hoping that the excitement would calm down once the Ball was over.
Reaching the Great Hall, he quickly spotted Hermione's distinctive head of bushy brown hair and made his way over to her.
"Morning, Hermione." he said as he dropped into the seat next to her.
"Morning, Harry." she greeted him, smiling brightly.
As Harry loaded a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast, he noticed she look oddly excited.
"What's got you so excited?" he asked.
"Because-"
Hermione's answer was cut off when Ron fell into the seat next to her, a disgruntled look on his face. Harry mentally braced himself for another row between his two best friends.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked Harry gruffly as he started filling a plate.
"I didn't know you wanted me to." he said with a shrug." I thought you'd want to sleep in after last night.
Ron looked at him oddly and tilted his head to the side.
"Last night?" he asked in confusion.
Harry opened his mouth to talk, but just as he did, Dumbledore stood and tapped his fork against the side of his goblet. Quickly, all talking ceased in the Hall and everyone turned their attention to the aged Headmaster. It gave Harry an odd sense of déjà vu as he remembered him doing the same thing the day before.
"If I could have everyone's attention for a moment." Dumbledore called out loudly. "Thank you. Now, as I'm sure all of you are aware, tonight, we are holding the traditional Yule Ball as part of the Triwizard tournament."
"What?" Harry whispered in shock as the rest of the hall chattered excitedly.
Hermione shushed him while keeping her full attention on Professor Dumbledore.
"Yes, I'm sure you are all as excited as I am. As you all know, it is also a tradition to wait until the day of the Ball to ask one of these lovely young ladies to be your date."
A sinking feeling grew in his stomach as he listened to Dumbledore give the exact same speech, and watched the Hall react in the exact same way they had the day before.
"I wish you all the best of luck, and I look forward to seeing you all later tonight." Dumbledore concluded.
The Hall broke into loud, excited chatter and several of the boldest stood and approached the girl they wanted to take to the Ball. Just as he remembered, four boys rushed over to Fleur Delacour and asked her to be their date. Harry didn't sit to watch them be reject, he stood abruptly and walked as fast as he could to the Head Table.
"Professor Dumbledore, I need to talk to you." he said immediately, working to hold down his growing panic.
"The Headmaster is too busy to deal with your petty problems, Potter." Snape sneered. "Return to your seat."
"It's quite alright, Severus." Dumbledore said, holding up a wrinkled hand. "I'm sure Harry has a good reason for needing my attention."
"I do." Harry said quickly, ignoring Snape's comment entirely. "Professor I really need to talk to you, privately."
Dumbledore looked at him closely, his bright blue eyes seeming to see right through him.
"Very well. My office?"
Harry nodded and Dumbledore wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood. He walked behind him impatiently as they walked to his office on the second floor. It seemed to take longer than usual for the moving spiral staircase to get in position. When they entered the office, the aged wizard took a seat behind his desk, steepling his fingers as he watched Harry pace back and forth in agitation.
"What is it you needed to talk about, Harry?" he asked.
Now that he was here, he didn't even know where to start, or even if he should. What if he was wrong and yesterday was some kind of really vivid dream. What if-
"Harry?"
Snapping his head up to look at Dumbledore's concerned face, he took a deep breath.
"Sir, I think I've gone back in time." he said hesitantly.
"What makes you think that?" the Headmaster asked curiously.
"Because I went to the Ball yesterday." he said, still pacing back and forth. "You gave the exact same speech, everyone in the Hall reacted the same way, it was all the same."
"Have you some in contact with a Time Turner recently?"
"No." Harry said, shaking his head. "Wait. You believe me?"
"Of course." Dumbledore said. "Harry, since you have come to this school, the impossible seems to happen on a regular basis. In fact, at this point, I'd find it suspicious if something incredible didn't happen around you."
Harry smiled at him, his mind calming. If anyone could figure out what was happening and stop it, it was Albus Dumbledore. Feeling slightly better, he took a seat in one of the comfortable chintz chairs in front of the desk.
"Now, did anything strange happen? Any bright lights, anything strange at all?" he asked.
"No." Harry said after a moment's thought.
"What happened right before you were sent back in time, what were you doing?" Dumbledore asked.
"After the ball ended, I went to bed and when I woke up, it was the same day all over again." he explained.
"No strange dreams?"
"No, sir."
Dumbledore hummed and leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard for a long moment before he spoke again.
"I'm sorry Harry, but that's not much to go on."
Harry deflated, his shoulders slumping.
"Don't look do down, Harry. You have an opportunity that few ever get." he said, his blue eyes twinkling.
Harry looked at him questioningly.
"A second chance." he elaborated.
"But don't I have to worry about not changing the past?" Harry asked in concern.
"Well, since two Harry Potter's didn't wake up in your bed this morning, I don't think we have to worry about that." he answered.
"You don't think?"
Dumbledore shrugged and lifted his hands, palms up.
"I'll be honest Harry, what you're describing shouldn't be possible. I quite honestly have no idea what happened to you. I'll look into it as much as I can, but hopefully, you can repeat today and tomorrow everything will go back to normal." he said with a reassuring smile.
"So, I don't have to worry about changing things and creating a world ending paradox?" he asked, just to make sure.
"You've already changed things just by being here in my office. If a paradox were going to happen, I believe it already would have." Dumbledore told him.
Harry didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified by the thought, but he nodded anyways.
"As I said, I'll look into this as much as I can, however, I do need to start making arrangements for the Ball tonight." he said.
"Oh, right." Harry said, taking that as his dismissal.
Just before he reached the door, Dumbledore called out to him.
"Oh, and Harry."
"Yes, Professor." he said, turning back with his hands still on the doorknob.
"Do try to enjoy yourself at the Ball tonight. As I said earlier, very few people get a second chance in life, and never quite like this." he said with a mysterious smile.
"I will. Thanks, Professor." Harry replied.
"You're welcome, Harry." Dumbledore said as he stepped onto the staircase.
After leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry wandered through the halls aimlessly as he decided to take his advice. Last night, the Ball had been a bit a disaster. Now, he had a chance to do it right. As he wandered through the castle, his thoughts turned to who he could take to the Ball this time. Last time, he had gone with Parvati because he had waited till the last minute, and she was one of the few girls left without a date. He could ask her again, but, while she was certainly attractive, they really didn't have that much in common. He also knew that Cedric had asked Cho to be his date right after breakfast, so she wasn't an option. That's when Harry remembered another girl that he liked who wouldn't have a date for a couple of hours yet.
He had asked Katie last time as well, but because of his procrastination, he had been about fifteen minutes too late. Smiling to himself, Harry turned and made his way to the front lawn, where he knew she would be. Fred and George had gathered a mass of students for a giant snowball fight and had talked the whole Quidditch team into joining. Trudging through the ankle-deep snow, he was hit square in the face with snowball the moment he rounded the base of Ravenclaw Tower. The freezing cold ball of fluff melted against his warm skin and dripped down under his collar, sending shivers down his spine.
"Sorry Harry!" Susan Bones called out apologetically.
Giving her a playful glare, he bent down and quickly packed a handful of snow into a loose ball before hurling at her. With a surprised yelp she ducked out of the way just in time. The snowball sailed over her head and smack Justin Finch-Fletchley directly in the mouth.
"Nice one, Harry!" George yelled.
The Gryffindors had dug a waist high trench in the snow and were crouched behind it as they lobbed snowballs over to the Hufflepuff trench. Rushing forward as more snowballs were pelted at him, he slid into the trench, coming to stop between Katie and George. She looked at him and smiled brightly as he sat with his back resting against the trench wall, her brown eyes sparkling and her cheeks pink from the cold. A small lock of her dark brown hair fell out of her snow hat and stuck to her sweaty forehead.
"Having fun?" he asked with a smile.
"Most fun I've had all year." she answered brightly.
The snowball fight went on for over an hour as the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs traded shots back and forth. It came to an end when Susan and Hannah decided to levitate a large mound of snow over their heads and drop it. Harry remembered what was going to happen and pulled Katie out of the way just as the snow fell.
"GAH!" Someone yelled.
Everyone looked over to see Fred and George covered in heaps of snow and fell into gales of laughter as they frantically tried to unbury themselves. The girls on both sides decided to call it quits after that to go get ready for the Ball. As he watched Katie leave with Angelina and Alicia, he took a moment to work up his courage before chasing after her.
"Kaite, wait up!" He called out.
Thankfully, she waved Angelina and Alicia to go on without her as she stopped to wait for him. When he caught up, all of his courage seemed to escape him in an instant, leaving him standing next to her awkwardly.
"Did you need something, Harry?" she asked curiously.
"Er, right well..." he stammered before taking a deep breath. "I-I was wondering if you wanted to go to the ball with me?"
His nerves were calmed when she smiled widely at him, rather than the sad, apologetic smile she had given him last time.
"I'd love to." she said happily. "Meet me in the Common Room at six?"
"Yeah." he said with a wide, goofy grin. "Great."
There was a moment of awkward silence as they stared at each other and then looked away nervously, still with wide grins on their faces. Suddenly, Katie leaned forward and hugged him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. Harry moved woodenly as he hugged her around the waist for a moment before she pulled back.
"So, I'll see you later tonight?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll see you then."
"Great."
"Great."
With a nervous wave, Katie took a couple steps backwards before she turned and walked back to the castle. Harry had just let out a relieved sigh when he felt two people stand on either side of him and wrap their arms around his shoulders.
"Way to go, Harrykins." the Weasley twin to his right said.
"They grow up so fast, don't they Fred?" said the one on his left, presumably George.
"Indeed, they do George." Fred said solemnly.
"At least we can always count on Ron to always need our help." George pointed out.
"Alas, it seems he'll always need his wise and handsome older brothers." Fred replied.
"I don't suppose you know anyone mad enough to take our little brother to the Ball, do you Harry?" George asked.
"Actually, I think I might." Harry said smiling.
After he, along with Fred and George pestered Ron into asking Parvati to the Ball, Harry spent a few hours lounging around the Common Room, playing games and talking with the rest of the male Gryffindors until it was time to get ready. When he was done helping Ron fix his robes as best they could, he donned his own dress robes and headed down to the Common Room to wait for Katie. Sitting on the couch near the fire, he watched a few of his classmates greet their dates as they came down the stairs for a few minutes before Katie came down.
She looked stunning in her crimson red dress. It was tight and form fitting at the top, with a low neck that showed the tops of her medium sized breasts. The bottom hugged her hips tightly then fell loose around her legs, a slit up the right side giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her long, toned leg. Her dark hair was done up in a tight bun with a few loose strands framing her face. A light amount of makeup accentuated her lovely brown eyes, and her pouty lips glistened a dark red. She looked almost unrecognizable from the tomboy Quidditch player he had known for the past three and a half years, but she still had the same bright, friendly smile he knew so well.
"Wow, er, you look great!" Harry stammered nervously.
"You, too." she said happily, her hands coming up to straighten his lapel with a playful smile. "Didn't think I ever see you in a tux."
"I didn't think I'd ever see you in a dress." he replied easily.
Katie blushed lightly and ran her hands over her dress self-consciously.
"You really do look beautiful." Harry said reassuringly in a soft voice.
"Thank you." she said with a beaming grin.
Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek softly, and he could feel heat rise in his face.
"So, er, are you ready to go?" he asked, offering her his arm.
Katie wrapped her arm through his, her brown eyes sparkling excitedly as he led her out of the Common Room. As they joined the flow of students headed towards the Great Hall, they were talking about the possibility of organizing a Quidditch game between Gryffindor and the Durmstrang students when one of the portraits called out to them drunkenly.
"Oh, you two look absolutely lovely together!" The painting of a short, round witch crowed loudly.
Harry blushed heavily and led Katie away quickly as she giggled next to him, her own cheeks going a light pink. Mercifully, there weren't any other incidents and his blush had faded by the time they reached the Entrance Hall. There was of stream of French and Bulgarian students coming in through the open doors, but oddly there was no draft from the cold winter night outside.
"So, what do we-" Katie began.
"Mr. Potter! Ms. Bell! Over here please." McGonagall called out to them over the babble of the growing crowd.
Harry led Katie over to where Professor McGonagall was waiting with the other Champions and their dates. They exchanged greetings with everyone, and he smirked at her stunned exclamation when she saw Hermione, remembering his own reaction the last time. Before he knew it, McGonagall was gathering them in front of the doors for the first dance. Harry shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously as they waited for the doors to open. Katie squeezed his arm lightly and gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back at her and took a calming breath just as the heavy oak doors swung inward.
Harry did his best to ignore the staring, clapping crowd he led Katie over to their table. He was really glad he chose to go with her this time, conversation came easy and helped him to relax. In fact, he was enjoying himself so much that he didn't even think about Cho sitting across from. Far too son in his opinion, it was time for the first dance. Taking Katie by the hand, he led her out onto the dance floor and tentatively rested his hand on her waist.
The band started playing and all thoughts of the crowd watching them fell away as he focused on dancing with the beautiful, smiling girl in front of him. He stumbled with his steps a few times, but Katie's effortless movements guided him back on tempo. Soon, other couples joined the Champions on the floor, and he relaxed a bit more, knowing they wouldn't be focusing on him. After the first couple of songs, the band started to play a slower song, and Harry froze nervously when he saw the couples around him hold each other close as they swayed to the beat.
"Do you want to take a break?" Katie asked.
"We can stay, if you want." Harry said, determined to be a good date this time around.
Her brilliant smile told him he had made the right choice. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her body against his. Tentatively, he slid his hands around to the small of her back and licked his suddenly dry lips. As they slowly spun in place, rocking lightly to the music, Katie rested her head on his shoulder. Harry marveled at the feeling over her lithe, warm body in his arms and how her soft breasts pressed against his chest, the smell of her flowery perfume filling his nose. Swallowing thickly, he looked around at the other couples, trying to distract himself for the arousal he felt before something embarrassing happened.
His eyes passed over several couples dancing happily, but he noticed two things that bothered him. Hermione didn't look nearly as happy dancing with Krum as she had acted the last time, and Ron was sitting sulkily at a table next to a disgruntled looking Parvati. He felt a twinge of guilt for setting them up when he knew Ron wasn't going to be a good date. That was twice now he had ruined her evening, though indirectly this time, he still felt responsible. He vowed to make it up to her when he got a chance.
Turning his attention back to Hermione the next time he was turned in her direction, he noticed how uncomfortable she looked with Krum. It made him wonder if he was somehow responsible for her not enjoying herself as much, or if her night simply got better later. Before her argument with Ron, she had looked quite pleased with her date, much more than she did now. Hermione noticed him looking and took a moment to give him a smile and a wave. He waved back at her just as his spun turned him away from her.
A couple of minutes later, the song ended, and the band announced they were going to take a short break.
"Do you want to go get a drink?" he asked Katie.
"Sure." she said with a wide smile and flushed cheeks.
Harry led them over to the drinks table where they met up with Fred and George, along with their dates, Alicia and Angelina respectively.
"Hey Katie!" Angelina called out. "How's your night going?"
"Brilliant!" she replied enthusiastically.
"If you think you're having fun now, wait until you've had the punch." George said with a mischievous grin just as Harry handed her a glass.
"What did you do?" Alicia asked, eyeing her glass suspiciously.
"Nothing" The twins said together.
"What makes you think we did anything?" Fred asked innocently.
"You think it's safe?" Katie asked Harry in a whisper.
he thought back but remember them doing anything to the punch last time, although he wouldn't put it passed them. As Angelina and Alicia continued to question their dates, Harry looked at Katie, shrugged, and downed half his glass. They waited for a few seconds, waiting in anticipation for something to happen.
"Anything?" he asked.
"I don't think so." she said, eyeing him closely.
"No horns?" he asked half-jokingly.
"Nope." she said with a smile.
"Seems safe to drink." he told her.
Angelina noticed them drink the punch without any ill effects and glared at George.
"You prat." she said, smacking his arm.
"Oi, we told you we didn't do anything." he said, rubbing his arm but grinning.
Harry shook his head at their antics and looked around the Hall.
"Hey, you guys want to go sit for a few minutes." Harry asked the group as his eyed landed on Ron and Parvati.
After they agreed, he took Katie by the hand and led them over to Ron's table in a dark corner of the Hall.
"Finally remembered me, did you?" Ron snarked when he got close.
Harry blinked at him, surprised by the anger directed at him.
"You could've just asked him to dance, Ron." Fred joked.
Ron's ears went red as everyone else laughed at the joke. With an angry scoff, he glared at his brother and sat back against the table arms folded over his chest. As everyone took seats around the table, Harry knew he needed to talk to Ron before he made a scene.
"Hey Parvati, mind if I borrow your date for a minute." he asked.
"No." she said shortly, turning to glare at Ron.
As Ron stood and marched away to an empty table next to theirs, Harry leaned down to whisper in Katie's ear.
"I need to talk to him for a minute. Can you try and cheer up Parvati?" he asked quietly.
"I'll try, but I don't think there's much I can do." she whispered back.
"Thanks." he said with a smile.
On a whim, Harry turned his head and kissed her on the cheek softly. Fred and Geroge wolf whistled loudly, causing him and Katie to blush as Angelina and Alicia smacked their shoulders. Leaving quickly to avoid any more embarrassment, he grabbed Ron's robes and pulled him further away so they could talk privately.
"Now, what's your problem?" he asked Ron quietly.
"My problem?" Ron hissed back incredulously. "You're the one that been ignoring me all night."
"I have a date." Harry growled in frustration. "And so do you, in case you've forgotten. Are you seriously angry with me for dancing with a pretty girl at a Ball?"
"You said you hated dancing." Ron grumbled.
"Have you seen what she's wearing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ron glanced over his shoulder at Katie.
"She does look pretty hot." he admitted.
"Yeah, so does Parvati, and I can promise you, dancing with her will be a lot more fun than sitting her sulking."
"I hate dancing." Ron said, a sour look on his face.
"Look," Harry said, trying a different tact. "Parvati is one of the biggest gossips in the school, right?"
"So?"
"So, if she doesn't have fun, the whole school is going to know about it by tomorrow. Do you have any idea how hard it will be for you get another date after that?" he asked.
Ron's face paled and his eyes widened as he looked frantically over at Parvati.
"Bugger. I didn't think of that." he said. "What am I going to do, Harry?"
"Ask her to dance, tell he she looks nice. Come on, Ron, it's not that difficult." he told him.
"But I don't know how to dance." Ron whined.
"Then ask her to teach you." Harry said with a shrug. "Now, come on."
Turning away, Harry walked back over to the table and sat down next to Katie, who was still trying to cheer up Parvati with little success.
"Did it work?" she whispered in his ear, her warm breath ghosting over his ear and causing goosebumps to raise on his skin.
"I think so." he whispered back, his voice cracking.
Harry cleared his throat, blushing lightly as Katie smiled at him and squeezed his hand under the table. Just then, Ron returned, and they watched him closely as he sat down next to Parvati. She glanced at him before looking away and pointedly ignoring him. Ron turned to Harry with a helpless look. Sighing, he nodded subtly to Parvati, urging him on. The red head to a fortifying breath and cleared his throat.
"Er, Parvati." he said nervously, getting her attention. "You, er, you look n-nice."
"Oh, thank you." she said, looking at him curiously.
Fred had a mischievous smirk on his face and opened his mouth to undoubtedly insult Ron, only to gasp in pain when Angelina stomped on his foot. Harry smiled at her thankfully, and got a wink in return, as Fred grumbled and lifted his leg to rub his sore foot.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I can have you attention." Dumbledore called out, silencing the crowd. "It's my pleasure to introduce our surprise band for the evening, the Weird Sisters!"
The Hall broke into raucous applause and cheers as the most popular Wizarding band in Britian took the stage. Waving to the crowd of students gathering around the stage, they picked up their instruments and began playing.
"Ooh, I love this song!" Parvati exclaimed, glancing pointedly at Ron.
Again, Ron looked at him in askance, a lost look on his face. Harry sighed quietly and nodded towards Parvati as she bobbed her head to the music. Licking his lips nervously, Ron turned to Parvati.
"Er, do you, uh, do you want to dance?" Ron stammered.
Parvati looked at him in surprise but smiled brightly.
"Yes!" She said excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of his chair. "You know, I was worried you weren't ever going to ask me to dance."
Ron looked back over his shoulder at Harry with a frightened look on his face as Parvati dragged him onto the dance floor. Parvati danced smoothly and gracefully, facing Ron and taking both of his hands in hers. Ron, on the other hand, was quite possibly the worst dancer in the world as he stomped from side to side, his gangly limbs and giant feet making his movements look even more awkward. Fred and George looked at each other and smiled before standing and pulling their dates on to the dance floor. Harry and Katie laughed as the twins flapped their arms and swung their legs in the oddest form of dancing they had ever seen.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked Katie once they had calmed.
"As long as you promise not to dance like that." she said humorously, nodding her head towards Ron and the twins.
"If I even look like that, please, hex me." he said jokingly.
Katie giggled as he stood, offering her a hand up and then leading her on to the dance floor.
The couple laughed and smiled for the next half an hour as they danced to the Weird Sisters most popular songs. Eventually, they played another slow song, and Harry was holding Katie close as they swayed to the music.
"That was a really nice thing you did, talking Ron into dancing with Parvati." Katie said softly into his ear.
Harry shrugged lightly, mindful of her head on his shoulder.
"I'm the one that told Ron to ask her. I kinda felt like it was my fault she wasn't enjoying herself." he muttered modestly.
"Still, it was really nice of you." she said, turning her head to kiss his cheek.
Harry lifted his head and turned to look at her, his eyes falling unconsciously to her glossy red lips. As they stared at each other, their face only a couple of inches apart, he tilted his head slightly to the side and leaned forward slowly. His eyes closed at he kissed her full, soft lips. Katie inhaled sharply through her nose and threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling his head forward more firmly as her lips moved against his. Harry stroked his fingertip up and down her lower back with a feather light touch, causing her to moan against his lips. When he parted his lips to suck in a breath, Katie slipped her tongue into his mouth while her hands tugged at his hair lightly.
Daringly, as his tongue slid along hers, tasting her, he slid his hands down her back and over her small, perky bum. Gently, he rested his palms on her round, muscular cheeks over her thin dress. Closing her lips around his bottom lip and sucked on it lightly as she pulled back. Harry couldn't help the wide, goofy grin on his face as he looked at her flushed, smiling face. That's when they both noticed the slow song they had been dancing to had ended, and the students around them were dancing to a much more energetic song.
"Can we go for a walk?" she asked breathlessly over the loud music.
"Yeah." he said with a nod.
As she grabbed his hand and led him off the dance floor, Harry reached down and tried to surreptitiously adjust himself into a more comfortable position. Katie led him out of the Entrance Hall and into the courtyard lit only by the moon and flying, glowing faeries. As they walked hand in hand, it took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the darkness. When they did, he quickly noticed that every couple he saw was snogging heavily, oblivious to the world around them. Swallowing thickly, he turned and looked over at Katie with wide eyes. Giggling at him, she pulled him behind an unoccupied bush, pushed his back up against the stone wall, and kiss him hard.
Harry was quick to get over his surprise and pulled her close as his tongue darted between her soft lips. Katie pressed herself against him firmly, her breasts squashed against his chest and his thigh grinding against his rapidly rising excitement. Moving his hands back down to her perk bottom, he cupped her cheeks firmly, enjoying the way her flesh gave way under his firm grip. Grinding her waist against him even harder, he knew she must be able to feel his erection pressing into her thigh. As they continued to snog heatedly, Harry slid his hands up his sides, his palms brushing the sides of her full, round breasts.
A sensual moan left her throat, driving him on. Harry slipped one of his hands between their bodies and rested it on her soft, fleshy mounds, the firm globe flattened slightly as she pressed against him firmly. Her stiff nipple, swollen with excitement, rubbed against his palm through the thin material of her crimson dress. Katie pulled back from his slightly, giving his hand room to gently squeeze her full, warm breast, his fingertips tracing over the smooth, soft skin above the low neckline of her dress. Moving her hands down slowly, she slid them over his strong shoulders, down his hard chest and muscled abs, pausing at his belt. As one hand moved to rest on his hip, her other hand trace lightly down his thigh until her fingertips brushed against his hard, swollen length through his pants.
"Stebbins! Moore! Two nights detention!"
Harry and Katie jumped apart and snapped their heads to the side. Snape was gliding through the courtyard, a malicious smirk on his lips as he doled out detentions to anyone caught in a compromising position. Fortunately, the bush they were hiding behind block them from view.
"Come on." Harry whispered urgently
Grabbing her by the hand, Harry pulled her into the covered archway surrounding the courtyard and through a side door leading back into the castle. Sneaking back into the Entrance Hall, Katie burst into a fit of giggles, her eyes sparkling as she smiled brightly. Despite his disappointment at being interrupted, he couldn't help but smile back at her.
Making their way back to the Ball, Harry and Katie spent the next couple of hours dancing and laughing with their friends. Unfortunately, just like the last time, towards the end of the dance, Ron and Hermione had another row. Harry sighed as he watched them scream at each other and storm off angrily in different directions. Soon after, the clock struck midnight and the band packed up as the students shuffled back to their Common Rooms.
Hand in hand, Harry walked Katie back to Gryffindor Tower, both of them walking slowly as neither wanted the night to end. The Common Room was empty when the eventually arrived, and he stood facing Katie at the bottom of the stairs leading to the girls' dorms.
"I had a really great time tonight, Harry." Katie said with a wide smile.
"Me too. Do you think we could go out again some time?" he asked nervously.
"I'd love to." she said happily.
Tilting her head up, she gave him a soft, lingering kiss on the lips.
"Good night, Harry."
"Good night, Katie."
He watched as she slowly climbed the step, her hips swaying enticingly under her clinging dress. Pausing at the landing, she looked over her shoulder at him, a knowing smile on her lips as he snapped his eyes back up to her face. With a final wave, she disappeared up the steps, leaving Harry alone in the deserted Common Room.
With a broad grin, Harry turned and headed up the stairs to his own dorm. When he got there, his dorm mates were already in bed and the lights were out. Quickly, Harry changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. All things considered, he was quite glad he got a chance to relive this day, but he was relieved to finally see it end. His tiredness caught up with him and he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Waking up the next morning, Harry took a brief shower before heading down into the Common Room. As he made his way to the entrance, his stomach sank as he heard his classmates talking excitedly about the Yule Ball. With growing unease, he raced out of the room and down to the Great Hall, where he jumped into a seat across from Hermione.
"Morning, Harry" she greeted him.
"Hermione, what day is it?" he asked quickly.
Hermione lifted her head, giving him an odd look.
"It's-"
Her response was cut off as Dumbledore stood and tapped his fork against his goblet. The Hall fell silent, and Harry felt his stomach jump into his throat.
"If I could have everyone's attention for a moment." Dumbledore called out loudly. "Thank you. Now, as I'm sure all of you are aware, tonight, we are holding the traditional Yule Ball as part of the Triwizard tournament."
"Oh shit." Harry said softly.
Chapter 2
"Did you see or feel anything strange the first night? Any bright lights or powerful magic?" Dumbledore asked calmly from behind his desk.
"No, nothing." Harry said, pacing back and forth over the worn rug in agitation.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but that's not much to go on."
"I know, you said that last time." he said, running a hand through his hair.
"I assume I also told you I would look into it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yeah, you did, but I don't know if you found anything. I didn't except this to happen again, so I planned on asking you tomorrow, er, today?" Harry asked in slight confusion.
"Well, if I were me, and I usually am," Dumbledore said, his lips twitching under his beard. "It's unlikely I expected this to happen again either. In all likelihood, I would have looked at your dorm for any residual temporal magic. Had I not found anything unusual, I would have allowed you to enjoy the ball before speaking to you again."
"So, you don't think you found anything last time?" Harry asked, his mind already a befuddled mess from dealing with time travel, again.
"I think not." he responded. "Which means, I'm going to have to take a closer now, rather than later. I should warn you Harry, temporal magic can be quite tricky. It may take several attempts for me to discern what has happened. I'll need you to pay close attention to everything I do. Otherwise, we risk repeating the same tests and making little headway."
"Yes, sir." Harry said with a nod.
Dumbledore stood from his chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of Harry. Drawing his wand, he waved it in a wide arc. No light came out, but he felt a strange tingling sensation all along his skin, like when your foot falls asleep. He did his best to stand still and not move too much. Eventually, the discomfort became too much, and he raised his hand to rub his arm. When he did, he noticed a faint, light blue aura around his exposed skin. A second later, Dumbledore stopped his spell and the glow faded.
"There's a faint trace of temporal magic around you, most likely from your use of the Time Turner at the end of last school year, but I sense nothing recent." the headmaster explained.
"Is that good?" he asked.
"I'm not sure." Dumbledore said, stroking his beard as he stared off in thought. "You said you simply went to bed and woke up to a repeat of the same day, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then perhaps we should look at your dorm next." he said, turning to leave the office.
Harry followed him, walking quickly to keep up with his long strides. When they reached the Gryffindor Common Room, everyone stopped and stared. It was quite unusual for the headmaster to visit them.
"Good morning, everyone. Don't mind us, we'll only be a few moments." Dumbledore said as he strode over to the stairs and up to the fourth-year dorm.
As Harry followed him, he could hear the few students left in the common Room whispering to each other. When he caught up to the Professor, he was already waving his wand and muttering a chant quietly. He watched closely, but there really wasn't much to see. There was no glowing or pulses of magic to give him any idea about what was actually happening. After a couple of minutes of casting his spell, or perhaps several spells, he stopped chanting and lowered his wand.
"Curious." Dumbledore said softly. "No signs of any powerful magic, temporal or otherwise. Most curious, indeed."
"What does that mean, Professor?" Harry asked.
"Quite honestly, I'm unsure." he admitted. "Time travel takes a tremendous amount of very specific magic. It should be easily detectable, but there is nothing here to suggest any kind of abnormal magic. I suppose it's possible whatever magic is causing this happened someplace else. The question is, where do we look, and why don't you show any signs of recent time travel?"
Harry sighed dejectedly and sat down on his bed as Dumbledore turned and looked out the window.
"Or, perhaps it's something else altogether."
"Professor?" Harry asked when he didn't elaborate.
Dumbledore turned away from the window and began pacing back and forth across the room slowly, head bowed in thought, and hands clasped behind his back.
"In my many, many years on this earth, I have seen magic do things that seem possible. Take this very school for example." he said, waving his arm in a wide arc, encompassing the room. "Moving staircases, trick steps, doors pretending to be walls and walls pretending to be door, rearranging itself when the need arises. None of that was part of the castle when it was first built."
"The castle did all of that by itself?" Harry asked, brow knitted in confusion.
"Precisely!" Dumbledore crowed and walked over to the wall, running his hand along the stones. "Just imagine it, Harry. For a thousand years, this school has been home to tens of thousands of teenagers. All of that magic, all of those emotions, slowly soaking into the very stones that surrounds us over hundreds of years. As those children grew, so too, did this school, until it has become what it is today. It would certainly explain why it has a tendency to be, mischievous, shall we say."
"You're saying the castle is alive?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, although, while not quite in the same way as you and I are, it is alive, nonetheless." Dumbledore said, turning back to him.
"So, the school did this to me?" he asked, struggling to understand just what the headmaster was getting at.
"Oh, no, not at all. While the school does have its playful side, it has always been protective of its students. What I'm trying to say, is that there are many things we do not yet understand about magic. It would be foolish of us to ignore the possibility of the impossible."
Harry nodded slowly, thinking he was finally beginning to grasp what the Professor was trying to tell him.
"Come, let's return to my office. There's a few other things we should discuss."
Rising from his bed, he followed the headmaster back out of Gryffindor tower and back to his office in silence, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening. Was he going to be stuck like this forever? Forced to repeat the same day over and over for all eternity? Fortunately, before he had time to work himself up into a full panic, they arrived back at the headmaster's office. The moment they entered, Fawkes let out his soothing song and flew over to land on Harry shoulder. Reaching up, he stroked his feathers, a small smile stretching his lips as he sat down across the desk from Dumbledore.
"Now, while there is much we don't know about what's happening to you, there is one thing we can be certain of."
"What's that?" Harry asked, turning his attention away from Fawkes and back to Dumbledore.
"Whatever form of time travel you're experiencing, it not the kind wizards are familiar with. We know this because of two things. Firstly, there is only one of you, and second, there are no recent traces of temporal magic on you. I'll teach you the spell I used so you can check yourself. I want you to keep an eye on the glow surrounding you and let me know if it gets more faint." Dumbledore said.
"What will that tell us?" he asked curiously.
"I'm not sure if it will tell us anything, but it may be another piece to the puzzle." the headmaster answered. "Now, as there isn't a second Harry Potter running around when you go back, I believe it is your soul, rather than your entire being that is sent back in time. If that's the case, I may have a way for you to take something back with you."
Opening a drawer, he pulled out a small, black leather-bound book and set in on the desk.
"Soul magic is very obscure and, while relatively useless most of the time, it can easily become extremely dangerous. What I would like to do, with your permission, is to link this journal with your soul. Theoretically, this will allow it to follow you wherever you go. Or, in this case, whenever." he explained.
"Is it dangerous?" Harry asked, eyeing the journal.
"No. This spell is perfectly safe." Dumbledore assured him. "Under normal circumstances, this spell is relatively useless. However, with your unique situation, I think you'll find it very helpful. Keeping a journal will allow you to remember things more easily, especially things that you may not have thought important at the time. It may also help you emotionally. Do I have you permission?"
"Uh, sure, go ahead." Harry said with a shrug.
"Thank you, Harry. Just sit still for a moment." he instructed.
Standing, Dumbledore took his wand out of his pocket and walked around to the side of the desk. Tapping Harry on the head, a thin, gold strand of glowing magic attached his head to the tip of his wand. Moving his wand over, he tapped the journal, where the gold strand stayed, connecting him to the small black book. A moment later, the strand faded and disappeared.
"That's it?" Harry asked.
"That's it."
Dumbledore picked up the book and handed it to Harry, who took it from him and glanced at the cover. As he watched, gold letters wrote themselves in intricate, flowing script spelling out his name.
Harry James Potter
"Thanks, Professor." he said as he pocketed the journal.
"You're welcome, Harry. Just promise me you will use it. I think you'll find it most helpful in the coming days."
"Or day, in my case." Harry said with a grin.
"Indeed." Dumbledore said, returning his smile. "I'm afraid there's not much more I can do for you at the moment. I'll do what research I can tonight and sent a copy of my notes to you. It'll be up to you to fill me in next time. Until then, a word of advice, if I may?"
"Of course."
"Try to stay positive and make the most out of this opportunity. Use this time to get to know new people, experience new things. Perhaps get ahead on some of your schoolwork, on occasion. I dare say, with enough time, you may even surpass your friend Ms. Granger." He said with smile.
Harry snorted lightly and smiled. "I really hope this doesn't go on that long, Professor."
"I suppose not." he agreed with a chuckle. "Do try to at least enjoy the Ball."
Harry smiled as he remembered his date with Katie the last time.
"That, I can do." Harry said as he stood from his seat. "Have a good night, Professor."
"You too, Harry."
Stroking Fawkes' feathers on last time, he turned and left the office. He headed to his dorm to get his winter jacket. He a snowball fight to go to.
Harry ducked down and sat with his back against the trench dug into the snow just as multiple snowballs flew over his head. To his left, Katie yelped and ducked down next to him, a wide grin on her face and her cheeks flushed from the cold.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"This is the most fun I've had all year." she answered brightly.
"So, uh, you have a date for the Ball yet?"
"No, not yet." she said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Why?"
"Well, do you want to go to the Ball with me?" he asked with a lopsided grin.
"Yeah, I'd love to." she said, smiling happily.
Harry smiled back and raised his wand to shoulder height with the tip pointed up.
"Protego."
A wide, blue transparent shield sprouted from his wand just as a large pile of snow was dropped on top of them. Katie yelped again and scooted closer to him as Fred and George were buried under a small mountain of powdery white snow. While the Weasley twins dug themselves out, Katie looked up at him with a wide, surprised stare. Harry gave her a roguish smile and shrugged his shoulders.
A few hours later, he was once again in his dorm room, getting dressed for the Ball while Ron grumbled about his robes.
"Hey, Ron?" he called out.
"What?" Ron grunted, severing another lace cuff from his robes.
"You might want to make sure you show Parvati a good time tonight." he said gently.
"Why?" he asked in a bewildered tone. "Who cares? It's just a stupid ball."
"You know Parvati is one of the biggest gossips in this school, right?" Harry asked.
"So?"
"So, if she doesn't have a good time tonight, every girl in the school will know about it by tomorrow. You'll be lucky to get another date with any girl before we graduate." he told Ron.
"Oh, Merlin. I didn't think about that." He said with a nervous look.
"Relax, Ron. All you have to do is tell her she looks pretty and dance with her, It's not that difficult."
"But I'm rubbish at dancing." Ron whined.
"You'll be fine." Harry said. "Look, I've got to go meet Katie. I'll see you later at the Ball."
Heading down to the Common Room, he felt much less nervous this time around as he waited for Katie. A few minutes later, as she walked down the stairs in her tight crimson dress, he thought that maybe this whole stuck in time thing might not be so bad after all. Standing up, he walked over to greet her with a smile on his face.
"Wow, Katie. You look great!" he said, offering her his arm.
"You, too." she said happily, her hands coming up to straighten his lapel with a playful smile. "Didn't think I ever see you in a tux."
"I didn't think I'd ever see you in a dress." he told her with a smile. "You really do look beautiful."
"Thank you." she said with a beaming smile, tilting her head up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"All set."
Things went much the same as last time, and Harry soon found himself once again opening the Ball with Katie. As they danced across the floor, he was happy to note that Ron had taken his advice and was dancing with Parvati. She looked incredibly happy as she twirled about, while Ron's was white, his freckles standing out prominently as he concentrated on not stepping on her feet.
After what felt like hours of dancing, Harry and Katie finally decided to take a break. Soon after, they were joined at their table by Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia.
"Hey Katie!" Angelina called out. "How's your night going?"
"Brilliant!" she replied enthusiastically.
"If you think you're having fun now, wait until you've had the punch." George said with a mischievous grin just as Katie raised her glass to her lips.
"What did you do?" she asked suspiciously.
"It's fine." Harry assured her, taking a sip of his own punch. "They're just messing with you."
"Must you ruin our fun, Harrykins?" Fred asked as both twins pouted exaggeratedly.
Harry simply smiled at him and shrugged. They spent quite a while sitting and talking with their friends, laughing and joking with each other. Eventually, the twins decided to take their dates back out onto the dance floor, leaving Harry and Katie alone at the table.
"You want to go dance some more?" he asked her.
"Actually, do you mind if we go for a walk?" she asked.
"Sure." Harry said, trying not to look too excited.
Remembering what had happened last time, he pulled her to a stop as she turned towards the front courtyard.
"Hang on, I saw Snape heading that way a little while ago. You want to go to the middle courtyard instead?" he asked.
"Good idea." Katie said smiling.
Hand in hand, they walked through the silent halls, echos of the music from the Great Hall getting quieter as they got further away. When they finally reached the courtyard, they were relieved to find it had been charmed in the same way as the front courtyard, keeping them warm. Glowing Faeries flew around above their heads, leaving everything dimly lit. There wasn't anyone else there at the moment, and Harry wondered if Snape was going for one courtyard to the other, harassing students, and handing out detentions. It certainly seemed like something he would do.
Katie tugged on his arm and pulled him into a small alcove. Pushing him back against the wall, she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry smiled at her and dipped his head, pressing his lips gently against hers. Threading her fingers through the hair at the back of his head, she pulled his head down firmly, mashing their lips together. Harry slid his hands down her back and over her pert bottom, pulling her waist against his. Slipping her tongue between his lips, Katie moaned into his mouth when she felt his growing erection press against her thigh. As they continued to kiss, he slid one of his hands up her side, his thumb brushing over the side of her breast.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang from a door being thrown open. Harry pulled back and cursed quietly as he turned around. A group of older students, likely sixth or seventh years, were loudly making their way to the courtyard. One of the boys took a swig from a bottle that he guessed was Firewhiskey and passed it around the group. Grabbing Katie by the hand, he pulled her back into the castle. He was getting really tired of being interrupted. Surprisingly, rather than wanting to go back to the Ball, she pulled him over to an empty classroom and pulled him inside. Closing and locking the door, she turned to him with and impish smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a passionate kiss.
Grabbing her bum, he lifted her up and carried her over to the teacher's desk before sitting her down on the edge and stepping between her spread legs. The slit going up the right side of her dress to mid-thigh left most of her leg bare to his touch. Starting at her knee, he ran his hand lightly up her smooth, muscular leg to the edge of her dress. Katie ran her hands up his chest and pushed his cloak off his shoulders, and Harry let go of her for a moment to let it slide down his arms to the floor. When he wrapped his arm around her again, he rested his palm at the small of her back and ground his erection into her panty clad mound, drawing a wanton moan from her lips. Pulling her lips back from his to breath heavily, Katie rested her hands on his belt and looked up at him with sparkling brown eyes.
"I really like you, Harry." she said breathlessly.
"I like you too, Katie." he told her, bringing one hand up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Smiling at him brightly, Katie fiddled with his belt and opened the buckle as she tilted her head up and kissed him again. Harry slid both of his hands under her dress and traced his fingers lightly up her warm, soft thighs all the way up to her hips. While he drew his fingers in random patterns with a feather light touch along her panty line, getting closer and closer to her hot mound, Katie reached into his pants and palmed his shaft through his boxers, gently rubbing his straining erection. Harry groaned into her mouth and ran his thumb over her slit through her thin, silky panties. Gasping, she pulled back, staring at him with a wide, hungry stare.
Harry looked down, his eyes landing on her smooth legs and black panties as he rubbed her through her panties again. Katie slipped her hand into his boxers and wrapped her long, thin fingers around his girth, and pulled him out into the open air. His rigid erection jutted out towards her, the head a swollen, angry red as he throbbed in her loose grip. Taking that as his cue, Harry grabbed the waistband of her panties and gave them a light tug. Biting her lip, she let go of him for a moment and placed her hands on the desk, lifting herself up. Pulling her black, silky panties down her legs, her stared in fascination as her tight, bald slit came into view. His eyes stayed locked there even as he pulled them off of her feet and tossed them carelessly on the desk next to her.
Realizing he was staring, he looked up at to find her looking at his face nervously. Harry gave her a reassuring smile and a brief kiss on the lips.
"You're gorgeous, Katie." he told her softly.
She smiled at him and wrapped her fingers around his erection, stroking his length lightly. Pulling him forward, she placed his head at her entrance, his engorged head prying open her taught lips as he rested there. Letting go of his shaft, she put her hands on his hips and slowly pulled him forward. Katie gasped as he eased into her, slowly sinking into her grasping core. Her smooth, damp walls stretched around his girth, and a gasp left her lips as her eyes closed. Inch by inch, Harry fed his length into her until his hips pressed against her open thighs. Panting slightly, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him in place while her head rested on his shoulder. Holding still, he stroked her back lightly, savoring the feeling of being inside of a girl for the first time as he gave her a moment to adjust to his size.
Running his hands up her sides, his hands brushed over the side of her breasts, his thumbs rubbing the bumps her stiff nipples made in the material on her dress. Wanting to see her breasts, Harry slipped his fingers under her shoulder straps and pulled them down her arms. Lifting her head off of his shoulder, Katie gave him a playful look as she sat up straight and pulled the straps down her arms and pulled down the top of her dress, exposing her thin black bra. His eyes were riveted to her chest as she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. Slowly, she allowed it to fall forward, exposing her perfectly shaped breasts and hard, crinkled nipples.
Harry swallowed thickly, prompting her to giggle at the entranced look on his face. Grabbing his wrists, she brought his hands up to her breasts and placed them over her warm mounds lightly. Cupping them in his hands, he rubbed his thumb over the soft, smooth skin while squeezing them experimentally. Katie closed her eyes and moaned lightly when his thumbs brushed over her swollen pink nipples, her hips bucking slightly. Feeling the incredible pleasure surrounding his length, Harry began moving his hips slowly, gently sawing back and forth. Pulling back only a couple of inches, he pushed back in, grinding his pelvis against hers before easing back again.
Letting out a moan, Katie grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down for a fierce kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth. His confidence building, Harry started moving his hips faster and his hands groped her breasts more firmly. Katie let go of the back of his head and gabbed a hold of his ass, pulling him against her more firmly when he bottomed out and bucking her hips to grind her clit against him. Harry felt his climax building far too quickly and fought to stave it off for as long as he could. Pulling his lips away from her to catch his breath, he closed his eyes and tried his best to distract himself for the overwhelming pleasure he was feeling.
"Oh, Harry. You feel so good in me." Katie whispered in his ear, nearly causing him to come undone.
"I'm getting close." he warned her, unable to hold back much longer.
"Me too." she panted softly. "Just a little more."
Harry bit his lip painfully, hoping it would distract him as he thrust into her desperately. The room was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing, the light slapping of skin on skin, and the occasional moan or groan from the two of them. Suddenly, Katie tensed in his arms and her walls grew tighter around him, fluttering along his length.
"Yes!" she hissed, clutching at him tightly as she trembled in his arms.
With a loud groan, Harry let himself go, his throbbing length lurching inside of her as he came. Jet after jet of hot cum splashed forcefully against her walls, as he buried himself as deep as possible in her core. When their orgasms finished, they stayed connected, leaning against each other as they panted for air. Harry had never felt so satisfied or relaxed in his life. It was unbelievable how good sex actually felt. Nothing he had heard from the older students came close to actually describing what it felt like.
Standing up straight, he cupped Katie's cheek and kissed her softly, his hand coming up to squeeze her breast again. When they broke apart several long seconds later, she smiled up at him, her face lightly flushed.
"As much as I'd like to stay in here for the rest of the night, we should probably get back to the Ball." she told him.
"Yeah, you're right." he said.
Harry pulled out of her, watching in fascination as a small amount of cum leaked out of her. Stepping back to tuck himself back into his pants, Katie hopped off of the desk, her perky breasts bouncing as her legs wobbled under her. He rushed forward to hold her up, worried she might fall. She giggled lightly as she got her legs under her and pecked him on the lips.
"Thanks." she said.
"You're welcome." he told her.
Instead of letting go of her, he moved his hands up and cupped her breasts again. Katie laughed and playfully slapped his hands away after a moment.
"We're supposed to be getting dressed." she reprimanded him with a smile still on her face.
Harry smiled at her unapologetically as he finished straightening his robes and picking up his robes. Once Katie had finished redressing and fixing her dress, they left the classroom arm in arm and headed back to the Ball.
"I wish we could do this every night." Katie said as they slowly strolled through the halls.
"Me too." Harry said with a smile.
They got back just in time for the last dance, a slow song where they held each other closely and spun in slow circles. When the song ended, he walked her back to the Common Room and kissed her good night.
Back in his dorm, after changing into his pajamas, he found a roll of parchment sitting on his bed. Unrolling it, he found a list of notes from Dumbledore. Harry copied them into his new journal, but it didn't have anything they hadn't talked about earlier. After the night he just had, he wasn't too upset about it. Things could certainly be worse, he thought. Making a few more notes of his own in the journal, he tucked it under his pillow.
Climbing into bed, he started thinking about who else he could take to the Ball next time. There were some many beautiful girls in the school he had always wanted to date, and now he had the chance to ask them. He was really starting to see the advantages of being stuck like this. Even if he made a complete fool of himself, no one would remember any of it, and he could try again and again to get things right. Slowly, Harry drifted off to sleep, the images of several girls dancing in his mind.