Author's Note: This took a month to write, but only because I have a bad habit of procrastinating and a large load of homework every night. Kudos to my beta Paddy for coming up with plot ideas and editing this!
'Giggling. Who giggles at this time of day?'
Hermione's eyes flickered open. Turning over onto her side, groaning, she glared blearily at Lavender and Parvati, who just walked into the dormitory. "What is wrong with you two?"
Parvati bit her lip, still letting out a few giggles. "Haven't you seen? There's a new bulletin on the board downstairs." The pair of them burst into a fresh fit of giggles. Lavender pulled out a battered copy of Witch Weekly and the two of them pored over the magazine.
Hermione sat up in her bed, rolling her eyes. Throwing on her uniform and pulling her bushy hair into a ponytail, she walked down to the staircase, yawning.
She stopped dead in front of the bulletin board.
ATTENTION:
Due to requests by the majority of the student population, the Hogwarts Staff has come to a decision. Hogwarts will be hosting a masquerade ball on February 14th. Rules will be further discussed by Heads of House, Head Boy and Head Girl, and Prefects. Another bulletin will be posted with further information.
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
"What are you staring at, Hermione?" A voice called from the top of the boys' dormitory stairs. Hermione's eyes never left the board, and she pointed at the bulletin, the purple ink glowing in the light. "I never agreed to this! I was telling the professors it would be a bad idea. All the students in a small, confined area…" She trailed off, too angry to speak. Two figures bounded down the stairs and joined her on either side, still in their pajamas.
"Decision… ball… information… Prefects…" Ron half-read the bulletin, gaping at the paper. Harry just squinted at the paper, not having his glasses on quite yet. The three of them were exhausted; Hermione had dragged them to the library to research Horcruxes, for Hermione had bought several enormous books over the summer, but neither of the two boys had complained; it was with a blazing determination that they read an enormous pile of textbooks that was loaded on the table by a frazzled Hermione.
Harry was thunderstruck. "A ball?"
Hermione snapped them out of their reverie but turning quickly to face them. "I'm going to talk this over with Professor McGonagall." She said briskly, picking up her bag and books and walking towards the portrait hole. Harry and Ron watched dumbfoundedly as the Fat Lady's portrait swung after Hermione's bookbag. Ron immediately woke up when the portrait snapped shut.
"You going, mate?"
Harry gazed out the window toward the Quidditch pitch. He didn't really know if he wanted to go. The first thought to his mind: Ask Ginny. Another voice sounded in his head. No, no, you can't do that! You've dated her. You have other things to do. Like the horcruxes. There's no time for a silly costume ball! His heart and mind were waging war on each other, so Harry did what he normally did: Speaking without thinking. Unintelligent speech. "Er… I don't know yet." He quickly changed the subject. "Have any ideas for Quidditch this year?" With the speed of lightning, the conversation turned to Quidditch, and as Ron began to ramble, talking with exuberant hand motions and almost knocking a small table over, Harry sighed in both relief and worry.
"Ginny! Have you seen the bulletins?" A voice said about the redheaded girl. She put her book down on her lap, looking up into a mess of blonde hair.
"Anna, your hair is suffocating me!" Leighanna lifted her head, laughing.
"There's going to be a masquerade ball on St. Valentine's Day!" Ginny looked up at Leighanna. She had been very comfortable lying down and was now rather upset that Leighanna had interrupted her. As soon as Leighanna said this, Ginny snorted.
"You're kidding me."
"No, this isn't a joke! They're really having one!" Leighanna exclaimed, moving to sit on the couch Ginny was currently occupying. "Well, do you think you're going?"
Ginny, who was in the process of sitting up, froze. The thought didn't even register. A ball? At this time? When there was a war and everyone feared for their lives, for the lives of their loved ones? It never occurred to her that there would be a desperate shot at happiness; to lighten the mood of all students still at the school. The first thought to her mind was Harry. There was on one she wanted to go with but him, but there was no way he was going. She chose her words carefully. "I'm… not sure yet. Besides, we've got a few months until the ball. It's only December!" She laughed rather derisively without intending it to be so. She yawned. "Have you started that Transfiguration essay yet? I can't find the sixth consequence of becoming an unregistered Animagus. I think my textbook is missing a page or something." Ginny said, hastily changing the subject and walking over to the table where Demelza and Victoria were sitting, working on one of the three essays they were assigned. She needed time to think.