"Look to the left," Parvati told Hermione, as she applied mascara to frame Hermione's chocolate-colored eyes.
"Alright, now look at me," said Parvati, stepping back. Hermione looked straight ahead, and Parvati was finally satisfied with her work.
"Victor is going to be stunned by you, I guarantee it," said Parvati, smiling. Hermione stood up and walked over to the full length mirror, twirling round and round in her flowing pink dress.
"Oh, thank you so much for your help Parvati," Hermione beamed. She slipped on her silky dress shoes, and walked down the staircase of the girl's dormitory, followed by Parvati. Exiting the Gryffindor common room, Hermione walked off down a corridor to the place where she was to meet Victor Krum, and Parvati headed toward the Great Hall.
Hermione met Victor, who looked charming in his dress robes. They made their grand entrance into the Great Hall, and Hermione couldn't help but notice the looks of shock on Harry's and Ron's faces. All eyes seemed to be on her and Victor, expressions ranging from shock, to jealousy, to happiness for her.
Hermione noticed one pale face that was looking paler than usual, all of the sharp edges softened, the smug expression wiped away for a flicker of a second, replaced with something that Hermione couldn't decipher.
She examined him. Malfoy's blonde hair was slicked back, his cold grey eyes fixated on her. It sent a warm chill through Hermione. His black dress robe cascaded down his thin figure, the silver fastenings glistening in the light of the thousands of candles that burned overhead. His stance was so casual, as if nothing at this ball interested him in the least. But she'd noticed the change that had occurred in it. How he had stood a little straighter when he saw her, his head had tilted back slightly. Was that jealousy etched on his face for a fleeting second? Or was it the usual look if disgust that he habitually shot at her? Yes, surely it was the latter. But Hermione almost caught the corner of her mouth curving into a smile that she just barely suppressed, and her stomach had leaped into her throat. This had all happened in the course of a couple seconds. Hermione looked down at her shoes just in time to keep herself from tripping over a crack in a stone in the floor. Victor smiled at her and she looked up at him, returning the grin. The first dance began, and soon Hermione was consumed by the festivities of the evening. Suddenly those fleeting couple of seconds had lost all importance to her.