Albus Potter, Classmates and Elves

Ch 27 The Opening Ball

The three witches looked critically at Cleo. They tried a modest dress that covered her up to her neck, but it obviously was not her. They tried a couple of dresses ideal for an early teen-age girl, but her figure was really closer to that of a well-endowed sixteen-year-old Muggle girl than that of one that was only thirteen-and-a-half. They tried a couple of dresses to minimize her bust or hips, but neither worked.

When they were big enough, breasts were features that you could work with, minimizing them or shaping them to look sexy. There was only one shape that looked natural on Cleo, and that shape seemed to shout out 'Maternal," not something you would think natural on a young girl. The same with the large shapely hips and the not thin but certainly much thinner middle, which somehow by not being too thin looked more lush and maternal than it would have had it been real thin.

The dress they ended up with showed a modest amount of cleavage, and was form fitting to Cleo's natural waist, where it flared out, emphasizing her hourglass shape. It did have a very obvious pocket for her wand, and another small pocket.

"She makes me want to have a baby again," the oldest of the three witches remarked.

Cleo looked right at the youngest, who smiled. The young witch had accompanied both of her children to see Cleo earlier in the week, and after each time made love to her husband when she was fertile. It was hard to see and talk to Cleo and not think having another baby was a good thing.

The third witch had just become a grandmother. Before working with Cleo, she was more than content with her three, but working with Cleo there was something just so attractive about, maybe ...

Everyone looked at Cleopatra. At least she was not frumpy. She looked very very Cleopatra. She would never be beautiful in a twenty-first century sort of way, but she did radiate a Renaissance sensuality. All of the Potters' were easy to approach and talk to, but Cleo radiated an openness that put people at ease. The previous ruling family wore expensive costumes to separate themselves from their subjects. There was an honesty about Cleopatra's dress and appearance that was the opposite.

One witch brought out a tiara that Cleo was supposed to wear, very worried that the expensive tiara would look silly on this unpretentious outfit. To everyone's surprise, the tiara looked natural on Cleo. She looked like a princess, a princess that anyone would be comfortable approaching and becoming friends with, but still a princess.

*

Harry hated to make an entrance. He had been able to avoid most of the pomp and ceremony of being the Regent, but the Opening and Closing Balls for the International Confederation of Witches and Wizards were exceptions. Most of the time he was just Harry Potter, not Harry Potter with three Orders of Merlin and the Wizard of Wizard's award from the International Confederation of Witches and Wizards and honors from Great Britain and he had lost track of all the other countries. The full list of his honors could fill a page, and it embarrassed him. The only time he had to acknowledge them was at the Opening and Closing ceremonies.

Harry and Albus met Ginny and Cleo at the door to the witches dressing room. Harry took Ginny's arm. Tonight there would be no Elf helping her, so Harry had to let Ginny hold his arm whenever she was not sitting down. Albus and Cleopatra followed, holding hands. Albus had grown, and was finally significantly taller than his short mother and closer to his father's height. He was wearing shoes that raised him up another two inches, and Cleo wore very thin slippers, so although she was taller than he, in fact taller than Harry, she did not tower over him as much as she had a year ago.

As they entered, the Sergeant at Arms introduced them. "The Regents Harry Potter, who has ordered me not to read his many honors to avoid delaying the start of dinner, and his wife Ginny Potter, Order of Merlin First Class.