Oh, the weather outside is frightful... but the fire is so delightful...
Muggle song, thought Ron, because he didn't recognize it. He sighed and leaned back on the couch. The stockings hanging by the chimney with their names on it (Harry, Ginny, George, Ron, Hermione, Neville) gave an illusion of coziness above the crackling fire, and the hearth rug was worn just enough to look cheerful. The sounds of idle conversation drifted in from the kitchen, where mostly everyone was.
Ginny hurried into the room, her long, shiny dark red hair clipped back, a Christmas apron tied around her waist, a light dusting of flour smudging her nose. She moved towards the stairs, then stopped when she saw Ron. "Ronald, what on earth are you doing? You should be upstairs, getting dressed! The reinforcement squad will be here in fifteen minutes, and the guests in an hour! Come on, up!"
Reluctantly, he got to his feet and followed her up the stairs, stopping at the second floor landing. This was his and Harry's room. Ginny's footsteps continued up the stairs to the next floor, her's and Hermione's room. Ron pushed on the heavy oak, and it slowly moved to let him through.
"I'm getting ready!" Harry said, hastily, then sighed when he saw Ron. "Oh, it's you. I thought it was Ginny- she's a maniac about this party! She was so distracted she tried to give me Hermione's dress robes."
Ron tried to laugh, but it stuck in his throat. "This thing's going to be huge, isn't it?" he asked. Harry frowned. "Of course. Everyone's coming. Your family, Andromeda and Teddy, Aberforth, Cho, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Dennis, Seamus, Dean, Krum-"
Ron's face darkened. Harry laughed. "It'll be like the Yule Ball, but this time, Hermione will be with you."
Ron shrugged moodily, and threw himself on the bed.
Harry was wearing white dress robes, Ron noticed. Of course he would look brilliant. He was "The boy who defeated the dark lord" and Ron was only "the boy who walked out on the boy who defeated the dark lord." He scowled more deeply.
"Still thinking about that?" Harry, who could read him like a book, asked. "Don't be so harsh on yourself. Come on. You're about to have the Yule Ball you wish you had in fourth year, with Hermione, and I'm about to have mine. Cheer up, will you?"
All right. Okay. Ron got up and reached into his trunk to pull out his dark blue robes, which set him off all over again, (I'll look stupid!) and it took Harry another fifteen minutes to get him to calm down.
By the time they got downstairs, they had only half an hour before the first guests would arrive, but already number twelve, Grimmauld Place was unrecognizable. Several large Christmas trees had been placed in the magically enlarged hall, and the floor glittered like ice. Soft music floated from nowhere, and ice sculptures stood next to every door. Tables and chairs that looked like pure silver wrought-iron were positioned by the walls, and at the far end, a fireplace twinkled and glowed.
The stairs from which they had come had been transformed into a large, sweeping white marble staircase, and the railings dripped with icicles- yet the whole hall was warm and cozy.
"Wow..." Harry said, breaking the silence, "They did brilliantly..."
As if summoned, Kreacher the house-elf appeared with a pop beside the two men. He informed them that they were to do absolutely nothing, that "Kreacher and his others will show in the guests" and that they would deal with food and drinks as well.
"Thank you, Kreacher." Harry said, kindly, and the house-elf disappeared with a bow and a light pop.
The girls (Ginny, Lavender, Padma, Parvati, Cho, Luna, and Hermione) were up in the rooms they'd been staying in. All the girls (besides Ginny and Hermione) had arrived the night before, and stayed in the multiple empty rooms.
Luna was the first down the stairs. She wore robes of bright red embroidered with gold, quite a pleasant effect on her. Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and her smile was bright as she took Neville's arm, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. She smiled and waved as they passed Harry and Ron.
Lavender was next, in purple. Seamus claimed her and they too, passed Harry and Ron, Seamus grinning and waving, Lavender completely ignoring Ron and smiling at Harry. Soon after came Parvati and Padma (dressed in light rose and sea foam green, respectively, and claimed by Dean and another who Ron didn't recognize). They met up with the other two couples on the floor, talking and laughing.
One by one the floor filled with couples, laughing and hugging. Ron didn't recognize many of them; Ginny and Hermione must've invited them from work.
Cho headed down the stairs next, sporting pale yellow robes. There was nobody waiting for her. She flashed a timid, flirty smile at Harry, who, Ron was glad to see, had eyes only for the next girl heading down the stairs. He politely excused himself from Cho and Ron and headed towards the marble staircase.
Ginny was walking down, smiling slightly. Ron marveled at how quickly she could go from messy hair and a flour-covered face to what she was now. She was wearing a silver dress that swept the stairs at her feet and silver heels- her red hair was gathered and clipped into dark curls with a red spiral down her back. She was smiling shyly, her brown eyes sparkling and focused only on Harry.
Ginny reached out one gloved hand and took Harry's, and, kissing him, they headed away into the crowd.
Where on earth is Hermione? Ron wondered, looking at his watch. Cho was talking to him, but he couldn't hear or understand her- until she gasped. "she looks beautiful!"
He looked up, following her gaze towards the stairs, and his mouth fell open. Hermione, in her pretty pale blue dress robes, was heading towards him, a smile taking up her face. Her hair was falling over her shoulders, sleek and loose, and small blue flowers were twined into her hair. Her bright brown eyes were fixed on him, and him alone.
"Yeah, she does." Ron murmured, moving towards her. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, he hugged her tightly. "Hermione-" he choked. "You look... you look..."
Hermione smiled and touched his cheek. "It's all right. I know what you want to say."
He smiled gratefully, and gestured to the couples gliding on the dance floor. "Would you like to-?"
"I'd love to." she seemed to carry herself with more confidence than ever before.
Somehow the two ended up next to Ginny and Harry. Ron felt slightly awkward as she lay her head on his shoulder, but somehow it vanished as he realized how she was the perfect height for him, and how her head rested perfectly in the space in his collarbone, next to his neck.
And then they were in the parlor, by the fire. The hearth rug was worn as it had been, Hermione was leaning against his side, her face flushed but full of laughter, resting on his shoulder.
"You see?" he whispered. She turned her head to look at him. "That's the Yule ball we should have had."
She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him, and suddenly, he didn't mind waiting- not at all.
A/N: yeah, well... I don't know! Here's the first part... the next will be a totally unrelated oneshot involving either James and Lily or Hermione and Ron. Thanks!