by DrT - Sahits

more spectacular than seeing Hogwarts from the lake."
"Really?" Mandy asked breathlessly.
"Oh, yes," Harry answered. "From the landward sides, though, I think Hogwarts has your castle
beat."
"You . . . you have seen the castle?" Karkaroff demanded.
"Of course, many times," Harry answered nonchalantly. He turned to Hermione. "Their great hall
isn't as high, as enchanted, or as old, but it certainly has a northern Gothic charm."
Karkaroff was turning interesting shades.
"And 'ave you seen Beauxbatons also, Mister Potter?" Madam Maxime demanded.
"Oh, yes, but of course," Harry answered in French which was grammatically perfect but still
mostly had schoolboy English accents. "I do wish you had kept the original buildings. Sometimes it
seems as so many of the great chateau were pulled down in the time of Louis the XIV and XV and
replaced. Pretty styles, but the original castle was partially Roman and even had some Gallic
foundations."
"So I understand," Maxime acknowledged, sticking to English.
"Is it true that there's still an old altar to Wotan set deep in the forest near Durmstrang?" Harry
asked Karkaroff, switching back to English.
"I really cannot say," Karkaroff growled.
"Harry!" Percy protested.
"This tournament is to foster international cooperation and all that," Harry said in an injured tone.
"I'm just trying to learn about our guests."
"And could you enlighten us as to when you visited out schools?" Karkaroff asked through
clenched teeth.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Harry said, and started chewing another chunk of beef.
When the food had disappeared, Dumbledore stood and signalled for everyone else to do the same.
The tables moved to the sides and the Weird Sisters came out to perform, looking a bit unhappy to
have to do waltzes for the first numbers. They soon forgot their artistic preferences, and simply
enjoyed playing two nice pieces, even if they weren't their own.
"Thank you for learning to dance," Hermione said between the two waltzes. "I know you did it for
me."
"I wasn't about to disappoint you," Harry said.
"When do you want to sit down?"
"When you're tired of dancing, or the dance is over," Harry answered. They shared a quick kiss
before the second waltz started. When that flowed into the first original song, Harry and Hermione
simply flowed into the next set.
About a third of the way through the Ball, Harry said, "I almost forgot, we need to take a walk."
"If you say so," Hermione said. "Do we have time to stop at the toilets?"
"Good idea."