I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, this is merely a work of fanfiction.

I am sorry this chapter is so late in coming out. I have been working on another story in the background for about a month, and wanted to get it out. Thanks for your patience.

I am going to post pictures of all the girl's Yule Ball gowns on my IG. My username is "Fanon.Star". They will be on my story the day I post this, and then under Dragon's Treasure Highlights on my profile.

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Daphne was sitting in her bed, in tears. Rita Skeeter had broken the news of Viktor Krum being her soulmate, on the front page of The Daily Prophet. Trixie was reading the article aloud, so the portraits of her parents and Sirius could hear.

"This is bad," Sirius noted with a scowl.

"Are you okay dear?" Lily asked.

Daphne shook her head. This was an absolute mess. She and Viktor hadn't even told their parents yet, and now they had found out from a paper.

"My mother will be so disappointed I didn't tell her myself. I just wanted some time to get to know him. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Holly ran one hand over her back in smoothing circles.

"You have every right to that time, Daphne."

"What are you going to do about this?" Sirius asked, his tone fraught.

Holly looked at him, her gaze stormy.

"Has everyone but me missed the bigger picture?" Lily asked from her portrait.

"What's that?" Daphne and Sirius asked in unison.

"How did she even know about this? You said Daphne was gone by the time the reporters came in, so how did she know? There's something off about the whole thing."

James and Sirius turned pensive as they thought about it.

"Maybe I should consult Luna," Holly mused.

"Not a bad idea. She's bright, like her uncle," Sirius beamed.

A knock on the door drew their attention. Blaise entered and looked from Holly to Daphne, for once looking apologetic and shy. No one wanted their relationship outed in such a public manner.

"Krum's in the Common Room asking for you. We tried to keep him in the corridor, but he muscled his way in, and no one wants to hex a professional Quidditch player."

"We'll be out in a moment. No fighting!"

Blaise nodded his understanding, and left the room. Daphne wiped her tears and swept her hair up into a simple bun. She pulled on her favorite pair of gloves and made for the door. Holly gave her a hug.

"I promise I will fix this. Now let's go charm your soulmate."

Daphne nodded, and followed Holly's lead.

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Viktor Krum sat stiffly in an armchair in the Slytherin Common Room.

No one spoke. They were all suspended in horror and fascination. Horror at the audacity of The Daily Prophet, and fascination at the stoic Quidditch star.

The slithering sound of snakes drew their attention to the hall of the girls' dorms. Sally and Godric slithered into the Common Room, followed closely by Daphne and Holly. All the men in the sitting area rose to their feet nervously at their entrance.

Holly looked livid, her jaw set tight, and her hair sparking. Marcus sent up a quick prayer to Mother Magic that they would be able to avoid an explosion, or at least that it could be directed at Rita Skeeter, and not him.

"Welcome to Slytherin," Holly greeted genially.

Viktor gave her a stiff bow as she curtsied to him. His tension was palpable as well as he looked past her at Daphne. She stepped aside and Daphne rushed into his arms. Holly averted her gaze to afford them a moment of privacy.

She joined Draco at his side, and they sat on the sofa across from them. Viktor and Daphne spoke in quick, hushed tones. Holy glared around at the other students, and they scattered, except for her inner circle.

"Mipsy," Holly called.

Her elf appeared, and Holly whispered instructions for her to take to Lady Malfoy immediately. There was damage control to be done. An affront to Daphne, was an affront to her. Draco watched in fascination as she worked. Mipsy popped away with a quick nod.

"That's very clever of you," Draco whispered in Holly's ear.

Holly smirked at him, "Yes, well I am a Slytherin."

Draco sat back, a mischievous smile on his face. He loved watching Holly's machinations. Daphne and Viktor's hurried whispers died down, and they turned their gaze to the group of friends waiting on them.

"Everyone, this is Viktor."

He nodded stiffly at them. Everyone smiled uneasily.

"We never meant to lie, we just wanted to-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Balise interrupted. "We get it. We're an intense group of friends. We love you. We just want you to be happy. Right everyone?"

Affirmations rang out from the grouping of chairs and sofas.

"You are good friends," Viktor grunted out. Holly smiled at him.

"Daphne is a good friend. I consider a slight against her, a slight against me."

Her hair sparked in it's braids, something Viktor didn't miss.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Theo smirked as he looked between Holly and Viktor. It was a warning.

"I understand."

"Lovely. On that note, I have a plan. We will invite a reporter, a better reporter, and have them interview the Heirs and their soulmates. It will draw attention away from you, and give us some positive press."

Daphne translated into Russian, a shared language that Viktor could understand better. He looked between Daphne and Holly, nodding his head.

"Is good idea," Viktor offered.

Holly smiled, "I aim to please."

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Lord and Lady Greengrass sat at their table in stupefaction.

"What do we do?" Lady Greengrass asked.

Their daughter's relationship had been outed in the most public way possible. Though they didn't appreciate her secretiveness, they also wouldn't wish something like this on her. She had been thrown into the spotlight against her will.

"Lady Malfoy," their tiny house elf announced.

They rose to their feet and welcomed Lady Malfoy to their table.

"I know this must have come as quite a surprise," she noted as she sipped from a cup of tea.

Lady Greengrass shook her head, "We're not quite sure what to do, we've never been in the spotlight much, as a family. Not like you have."

Lady Malfoy smiled kindly. She liked the Greengrass's. They were a kind family that had never been involved in the Death Eater's. They were not quite as vicious as the other Slytherin families.

"Holly has asked that she be allowed to take care of this. She has taken it as a personal attack."

"Will she be able to handle it?" Lord Greengrass asked.

He had met Holly during the summers. He knew she was a powerful witch, that much was clear, but she often seemed to let Draco take the lead. Lady Malfoy smiled a mean little smile.

"You'll find that between them, Holly and Luna could rule this world if they wished to. Alas, they do not."

Lady Greengrass smirked. She fully believed that to be true.

"We've written and invited the Krum's to stay over Yule. It's only right that we should meet them, and I'm sure they'd like to see their son."

"Marvelous," Lady Malfoy responded. "I'll let the Shacklebolt's know to add them to the Yule Ball list. It should be a marvelous party."

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"How is Daphne?" Hermione asked.

Holly tossed a pebble into the lake, and scowled.

"She's upset. She hadn't even told her parents yet. Thankfully they've taken the news well. I'm running damage control for them, but I need your help."

"How's that?" Hermione asked.

Holly twirled her wand in her hand, and motioned for Hermione to follow her. They headed back towards the castle, Greg and Vince trailing behind them.

"Miss Skeeter was somehow in that tent, without being in that tent. I was wondering if you and Luna might keep an eye out for anything damning?"

Hermione smirked happily, "With pleasure, Holly."

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Holly slid into a spot besides Draco at the Slytherin table. He had layers and layers of parchment in front of him, and a quill in his hand.

"What's all this?"

"Malfoy Enterprises Quarterly Reports."

She looked down at the parchments again. They were covered in numbers. He set down his quill and carded his hands through his hair tiredly.

"What exactly is Malfoy Enterprises?" Holly asked.

She knew they were wealthy, but she wasn't clear on what it was that they did.

"At this point? A little of everything. Real estate, investments, patents, including a couple of potion patents that were bought from the Potter's funnily enough, and several businesses. It all adds up into this massive empire that I'll have to oversee one day."

"Do you resent it?" Holly asked. Draco looked up at her incredulously.

"No, I don't resent it. I'm grateful. It's a lot, but it's what provides for our family. It will provide for our children, and our children's children."

Holly's cheeks pinked. Draco pulled her closer to him and enjoyed the way she heated under his gaze. He felt his own body begin to heat at her proximity, and released her. The last thing he needed was someone reporting to his mother that they were caught being improper, whatever that even ment anymore.

He could sleep in a bed with Holly, but not see her hair down, and yet he had done that several times over. He could give her hugs, and fleeting kisses, but he couldn't make out with her. He certainly was not allowed to see her without her clothes.

The lines seemed more arbitrary every day, more blurred.

"What patents do you own from the Potter's?" Holly asked.

Draco shook his head to focus, and pulled a parchment from the bottom of his stack. He handed it to Holly and she gasped.

"Hair potions? I wouldn't have guessed."

"Well there's a huge market for hair potions, with witches' hair being so important. Every witch wants to make sure they take care of their hair."

"I suppose so," Holly hummed, looking at the numbers for SleakEazy's Hair Potion. It was still quite a money maker. She knew Hermione used it quite a lot to quaff her hair into magnificent styles that would stay for a week at a time.

She set down the parchment and looked over at Draco. He was already looking over another parchment from the Quarterly reports. She looked from side to side, no one was watching them.

She pecked his cheek, and left him to study his reports.

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Holly rested her head on Draco's shoulder, and looked into the fire in her private quarters. Draco's thumb traced circles on her far shoulder, soothing her.

"When does the article come out?" Draco asked.

They had spent all morning smiling and answering questions for a reporter from Witch Weekly. Thankfully the other Heirs and their soulmates had no objections, and participated happily.

"About a week. It should give Daphne and Viktor a bit of a break. His family will be in town over Yule, and they'll all get to meet."

Draco dropped a kiss onto her hair, cherishing the feel of her magic on his lips.

"This was very kind of you. I know you hate the cameras."

Holly snuggled closer to him, and pulled their blanket up against the cold.

"I'm starting to get used to it. Besides, it's not so bad with you at my side."

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Holly held her hands out to the side, as Blaise worked his magic on her Yule Ball gown.

"Blaise, this is magnificent."

A small smile graced his face, before a mue of concentration took its place once again.

"I know it's a little more form fitting than what you usually wear, but it will look magnificent. Yours, Luna's, Ginny's, and Hermione's gowns all play off each other. You will all sparkle in the candlelight. It's going to be magnificent."

Mipsy stood on a stool, holding a cup of tea to her mouth. Holly sipped it gratefully. This Yule had been absolutely chaotic, and she had barely had time to eat or drink anything all day.

"Thank you Mipsy."

"My wee mistress must take better care of herself, or I'll be telling the wee master, I will."

Holly glared at her, but Mipsy was unmoved. She was sure of this.

"Fine, I'll try."

"We'll be keeping an eye on you," Trixie warned.

"Don't worry Trixie, I'll be done soon and you can shove some food into our Principessa before the ball. In fact, why don't you go get Ginny? She's next."

Trixie smiled kindly as she left the room, mumbling something about good boys, and how Blaise was one of them. Blaise helped Holly off the platform and admired her light green velvet dress. It had darling bows on the shoulders, and no sleeves, so she could show off her soulmark. He had gloves made of sheer fabric, the same color as her dress, so they would match perfectly.

Blaise put one hand on her shoulder, and looked in her eyes seriously.

"Are you doing this on purpose Holly?"

"What?" she asked as she pulled on a glove.

"Not eating?"

Holly scoffed, "No! I just get busy."

Blaise looked at her unflinchingly, and she averted her gaze. He saw too much, just like Theo. He raised her chin to look at him. Holly knew the game was up.

"I get anxious, Blaise. I think it's all a part of this excess magic, and with everything going on, I haven't had time to fly or duel Luna. It makes me feel like I can't eat, like I'll be sick if I try. I don't have time to get sick."

Blaise sighed and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"There are potions for anxiety, Holly. You just have to ask for help. These things won't just go away if you ignore them, and you'll get terribly sick if you don't eat. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but eventually. It would wreck Draco. Talk to my aunt, or even Trixie. They can get the potions for you. "

Holly nodded her head. She knew logically that he was right. She needed to be careful. She hadn't really grown properly due to the Dursley's mistreatment. It was just difficult.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ginny asked teasingly from the doorway.

"Just telling our Principessa to take better care of herself. Come on in Ginny, your gown is ready. Trixie, feed Holly. Surely she'll be too nervous to eat at the Ball."

Trixie nodded and pulled a cart of snacks from the corner. She had come prepared. Holly sat down and ate the pasta Trixie gave her happily as she watched Ginny step into her golden gown.

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Draco adjusted his waistcoat for what felt like the fifteenth time. Waiting for Holly to come out of her quarters was killing him. The girls were all with Blaise now, getting ready in Holly's private quarters. The Heirs had decided upon the Slytherin Common Room to wait for their soulmates together.

"Okay there, Draco?" Neville asked.

"Fine, Nev. Fine."

The tell tale click of the door to Lady Slytherin's quarters sounded, and Draco spun on his heels. Draco stared dumbly at Holly, his voice caught in his throat. Neville patted him on the back in an attempt to knock him out of his stupor. Draco took unsteady steps forward in love drunk feet.

"You look amazing, Hols. That dress is-" his eyes carded over her exposed skin, far more than he usually saw. The pale green dress dipped down daringly in the front and back. He returned his gaze to her face, and enjoyed her flushed cheeks. He stepped closer to her, so they were toe to toe.

"You look stunning."

He took hold of her wrist, ever so gently, and raised her arm to his mouth, so he could kiss her soulmark gently. Holly raised a hand to touch his waistcoat, and up to the collar of his dress robes. Draco tried not to preen at the contact.

"You look quite handsome yourself."

Draco smirked down at her and put a hand on her waist. His touch seared her through her dress. Marcus came down the hall leading to the boys dormitories then, and froze in the archway.

"What's going on here?"

Draco and Holly turned to look at him. Holly's face flushed, clearly embarrassed, but Draco looked like he was trying to restrain himself from hexing him. Marcus laughed loud and full, and Draco turned to put an arm around Holly's shoulders.

"Hey, do whatever you want, but maybe not in the middle of the Common Room."

"We weren't doing anything," Holly shot back.

Marcus smiled at her cheek. She was getting more feisty everyday. That was good. She'd need that as she got older and entered politics, and it promised to make his job as her personal guard more entertaining.

"Of course you weren't, Lady Slytherin. I'd never doubt you."

Draco scowled at him, and Marcus turned his back. He had his own soulmate to find.

Holly heard the door to her quarters click and turned around to see Ginny, Luna, and Hermione coming up the stairs. She watched with amusement as Neville's face turned an unflattering shade of pink. Ginny's gown had thin straps, and a full skirt. When the candlelight hit her just so the fabric looked like it was made of overlapping fairy wings.

Luna went into the arms of Cedric. He looked down at her adoringly. Her gown was sheer in the bodice and sleeves with intricate beading over a nude fabric. Her long platinum hair was swept up in overlapping braids.

"You look like art," Cedric choked out.

It wasn't flattery, it was true. Luna smiled indulgently and kissed him on his cheek.

Hermione stood just by the door to the Lady Slytherin quarters, looking shy, until Blaise pushed her forward proudly.

"None of that tonight Hermione, you look divine!" Blaise encouraged.

She straightened her shoulders, and raised her head. Zach was standing in the corner looking dumbfounded. He found he had temporarily lost the ability to think, or speak, or move. Hermione giggled as she approached him, the beading on her light blue gown catching the candlelight as she walked.

"You, um, you look...you look amazing."

Her gown had short sleeves, baring her soul mark. Zach took her arm and ran his fingers over it with a small smile. Hermione blushed under his examination. He dropped a kiss on her forehead, and turned to look at the rest of their group.

"You look lovely Hermione," Holly complimented.

Marcus stood by the portrait hole with Pansy. They watched the assembled group with blatant amusement. They were not nearly so sentimental as the rest of them, but even they could admit that everyone looked good.