On his offer, Hermione left it to Harry, as her Protector, to approach the boys concerned and let them know the contract would be formally refused once initial matters relating to her public recognition were resolved.
He had the most fun doing it when one of the boys happened to be Cedric Diggory.
At lunch, on the day it was received, he approached the Fourth Year Hufflepuff and asked to speak with him in private. They left the Great Hall and went into the antechamber off the Entrance Hall.
"What is this about, Potter?" asked the older boy, clearly annoyed to have been called away from his friends.
"Mister Diggory," said Harry, in his official voice. "As Protector of Lady Hermione, and at her request, the duty has fallen to me to unofficially inform you at this time that, though Lady Hermione is honoured your father believes she will make an excellent wife for you, his offer of a betrothal contract between yourself and her, will not be accepted at this time."
As he was talking, the older boy's face slowly changed from one of consternation and curiosity, to one of complete shock and embarrassment.
"I - He didn't!" he spluttered.
"I take it from your expression and words you were unaware of this," said Harry. "Then, you have my apologies I be the bearer of such news."
"I'm - I'm going to kill him!" the older boy said.
Harry grinned and said, "If it makes you feel better, I found out about my betrothal the day I went to the bank to see if I had any money left to me by my parents; only to find I was in an unescapable betrothal arrangement to a girl I'd never even heard of, let alone met before." The older boy snorted and said, "No, it doesn't." Though, it was clear his thoughts were on other matters.
Harry just grinned even wider before stepping back, offering the older boy a Head of House bow, which was almost unconsciously returned, and leaving him in the antechamber to his thoughts.
Walking back into the Great Hall, he went up to the group of friends the older boy had been sitting with and said, "Cedric's just received a bit of a shock. He'll be along in a few moments, after he's collected his thoughts."
On returning to his own group of friends, he said to Hermione, "That's Mister Diggory done. Like one of the others, he was unaware of it."
They were just discussing another when Diggory walked in and went straight to his friends. He said a few words to them and then, looking a little flushed, walked straight up to where Hermione was sitting with Harry and the others.
When Hermione noticed him, Diggory gave a formal bow.
As Susan was sitting right alongside Hermione, on the side away from Diggory, she immediately began whispering in Hermione's ear.
Hermione stood with Susan standing right behind her. She then formally curtseyed back with only the slightest of bobs. The Hall went silent as they watched the formal exchange.
"Lady Hermione," the older boy quietly said, clearly uncomfortable. "I was unaware my father had offered you a betrothal contract. If I was aware of it in advance I would have - engaged in heated words with him on the matter.
"Please accept my apologies on behalf of House Diggory for my father's presumptuousness."
With Susan whispering in her ear, Hermione replied, "Mister Diggory, on behalf of House Dagworth-Granger, I accept your apology on behalf of House Diggory; and hope this matter will not come between us."
"I will ensure it does not, Lady Hermione," the boy said. "Thank you." Then he gave another formal bow to which Hermione responded with a curtsey of her own.
Diggory quickly left and returned to his friends giving Harry a nod of acknowledgement on the way past, still very lightly blushing in embarrassment. The hubbub of conversation returned among the tables.
"Now that took courage," said Harry.
The others agreed.
"And, Hermione?" asked Harry looking towards the still embarrassed girl. "That was very well done."
"It was Susan..." began Hermione.
"Hush!" said Susan, riding over the top of her. "It was you. I just provided you with the formal phrasing."
January faded into February and, though the attacks seemed to have stopped, the other students were still skittish around Harry. However, most seemed to believe the attacks had stopped for good.
Peeves wasn't helping matters though; he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing "Oh, Potter, you rotter..." now with a dance routine to match.
Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Neville and Hermione overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so, while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration.
"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he had said to her, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit musthave known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him."
They also said Lockhart was planning some sort of morale-booster.
And it became quite clear what that morale-booster was on the 14th February. As he hadn't had much sleep the night before, finalising his Valentine's Day gift for Daphne, when Harry entered the Great Hall he thought for a moment he'd walked through the wrong doors.
The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the enchanted ceiling. Harry went over to the Gryffindor table, where the others were sitting; and Hermione, Susan and Hannah seemed to have been overcome with giggles.
Daphne was looking at him while holding a twined pair of sapphire blue roses. As he approached she stood up and stepped over the bench seat before grabbing him by a fistful of his robes, yanking him in close, and snogging him in front of everybody.
This time, Harry chose to ignore the catcalls. Although there were far fewer than the last year. Once he was allowed to come up for air, he asked, "Alright, does someone want to tell me what's going on?"
"You mean, besides your betrothed snogging you senseless?" asked Tracey with a giggle.
"I mean, with the decorations," blushed Harry, trying to growl back.
"To hell with the decorations," said Daphne, cutting in. "I want to know about my roses. Why and how blue?"
"Well, the how is a simple Colour Changing Charm," he replied. "I took white rosebuds and turned them sapphire blue. The why, is so you can have them shrunk and transfigured to enamelled metal like last year's roses, and then be able to wear them with the jewellery I bought you Christmas before last."
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