Drabble #1; Prompt: New
Ginny Weasley had never had anything new. Everything she owned had been handed down by her six brothers: robes, trunk, wand, even her rickety old Cleansweep had previously been Charlie's.
It had been a perfectly normal Thursday before Dumbledore stood up, tapped his spoon against a crystal goblet, and called for everyone's attention. There was a suspicious sparkle in his eyes, and he looked exactly like Fred used to look right before he put a spider in Ron's bed. Colin poked her in the ribs and muttered, "Looks like Dumbledore's up to something."
He certainly had been 'up to something'. To the surprise of all the students, he announced that Hogwarts was holding their first annual 'Valentine's Day Ball', and all students were to attend. "It should be an enjoyable addition to Muggle traditions," he said, and winked at Professor McGonagall.
Mystified, Ginny turned and saw the scowling faces of several sixth-year Slytherins. "Looks like the Slytherins aren't too happy about observing a Muggle holiday," she said to Hermione, who sniffed in agreement and turned her attention back to the teachers' table. "…and that means evening gowns for the ladies and tuxedo suits for the young gentlemen," Dumbledore finished and sat down without much further ado.
Once he had sat down and resumed eating, excited chatter broke out across the hall like wildfire. Hermione murmured, "What a funny thing for Dumbledore to do all of a sudden," as Lavender giggled, "Ooh, I do hope that Seamus will ask me!" Seamus, who had been standing nearby, snorted and walked away.
Later that day, Ron finally plucked up the courage and asked Hermione to the ball. Ginny, hoping that Ron wouldn't mess this ball up, secretly thought that it was high time the two got together and stopped making lovey-dovey eyes at each other from across the common room. For the rest of the week, Hermione rushed about looking for "the perfect dress", growing more and more frantic as the twenty-first loomed closer. Ginny, on the other hand, had never even owned a brand-new dress before, let alone a fancy ball gown. Her brothers certainly hadn't had any to pass down. So when Hermione declared that she was taking her shopping in Muggle London, Ginny was shocked and protested, stating that she could just go in her second-hand Muggle dress. Hermione was firm, however, and soon they were both standing in Madame's Boutique. As Hermione ran around pulling different ball gowns from various racks, Ginny stood in the entrance and stared the delicate marbled stone floor miserably, knowing that she would never be able to afford the triple digit price tags each beautifully cut gown deserved. But when Hermione held up a sleeveless, floor-length, emerald green silk gown, Ginny's resolution broke down and she raced into the dressing room to try it on. Slipping out of the luxurious dressing room, she bit her lip and hurried to the mirror at the front of the store. She couldn't help but twirl a little and make a dainty curtsy for her imaginary audience, until a silky voice abruptly interrupted her pleasant reveries.
"Of course, a new Slytherin-colored gown could make even a weasel look nice," Draco Malfoy drawled as he walked towards her, wearing a dark grey silk tuxedo that complemented his silvery eyes perfectly. Ginny was rendered completely speechless by the way the suit jacket showed off his broad shoulders and the fact that he had moved close enough that she could smell an appealing scent of vanilla, flowers, and pure Malfoy. Aware that she had been staring for far too long, she moved away and scowled, provoked by the slight smirk that had appeared on his lips as he looked straight at her. "See you at the ball," he said, as his smirk grew larger. Unable to think of any witty repartee, Ginny turned and marched back to the dressing room entrance with twin roses blooming on her cheeks.