Hermione, quickly returning to her senses, closed her mouth so no more sound would escape and, quiet as a mouse, she took off her woolen coat and boots and set them aside by the door, before making her way to the bathroom, trying not to disturb Lavender and Parvati.

The scene she had before her eyes was not exactly a new one. Massages were quite common in their dormitory. Apparently, Parvati had inherited her family talent for giving massages and had taken into giving them to Lavender from time to time in their girl bonding evenings. And it seemed that Parvati had been a great teacher, if success could be measured by the moans escaping from the former "teacher's" mouth, when subjected to a massage given by her "student" and roommate.

"Mmmm, lower Lav" was the last thing Hermione heard before she closed the bathroom door and headed to a shower stall to finally have her shower and ponder on what she has seen. Shivering under the hot water, she felt a pang of jealousy at the two girls on the other side; while she wasn't fond of girly talk and makeup, she sometimes wished she could have what they had, whatever it was.

The water running in the bathroom was what distracted Parvati from the relaxing treat she was getting. The idea of spending the Yule Ball with the Hogwarts champion had made her very nervous and tense and Lavender had offered to help her relax. But suddenly realising that Hermione might have seen and heard her made Parvati tense even more.

Lavender, still sitting over her best friend's thighs, lowered her head to whisper to her ear:

"Relax dear, you are all tense suddenly. Yes, our resident bookworm arrived and, if I can trust my ears, she is taking a shower. And judging by the heavy winter gears she was sporting, we still have at least ten minutes, if not twenty. " At these words, Parvati's head went back onto her pillow and she really tried to fall back into the same relaxation state she was a few minutes earlier. It lasted less than thirty second.

"Lav, don't you think..." Lavender quickly interrupted her.

"No, Parvati, I don't want to stop massaging your back and shoulders now. I like doing that, and I don't have the opportunity often, so I will take all the time I can have. I just have to stay alert and nothing will show. Do not worry. Just stay quiet and enjoy. Understood?" Lavender loved being bossy with her best friend when they were alone together and she knew Parvati didn't mind. After all, they each got their turn for that.

"Understood, Lavender, I totally understand... Ohh, keep doing that... A bit harder, a tiny bit on the left. No the other left... Right there. Mmmmm, better."

Minutes passed quickly, both girls giggling occasionally at what Lavender whispered in her friend's ears. After more than three years of sharing a dormitory, both girls had grown very close to each other. What had started as a way for Parvati to compensate for the lack of sister bonding time had evolved to genuine affection between the two teenage girls. Lavender helped her friend into a more upright position, holding Parvati in front of her, her back to her chest. Lavender rested her chin on Parvati's shoulder and wrapped her arms around the other girl's flat belly. Both had their eyes closed, enjoying their closeness.

None of them had heard the shower stop, or the door opening and closing followed by Hermione coming into the dormitory. They were startled when Hermione said "Mind if I join you?" followed by some quiet giggling from the newcomer.

Parvati's first reaction, while she loved being held that way, was trying to get away and cover herself, while Lavender was tightening her hug around her friend, who quickly surrendered to the comforting pair of arms.

"It is not what you think, please don't tell Harry" Parvati's eyes were pleading.

Hermione's answer was prompt and :

"I have been sharing a dorm with you both for more than three years. Do not think I have not seen or heard things during some of your late nights of gossiping, even if I don't take part. And no, Parvati, I will not tell Harry. What happens here is none of his business. Boys can't understand that. And Lavender, why are you looking at me that way?"

Lavender blushed and looked away.

" Well, first you are only wrapped in a towel with your hair dripping, this is not the usual Hermione we know. And second, how long have you known? "

" A few thing you said lately kept nagging me today, and when I came in, and remembered it was only the three of us here during the Holidays, you both looked so relaxed I did not want to disturb... And Parvati's moaning pretty much gave it away too." The Indian girl blushed at that mention, lowered her eyes while fiddling with her fingers.

"You won't tell on us then?"

Hermione's mouth curved into a devilish smile.

"No I won't, I already told you. Well, I could... «at these words her two roommates faces blanched, she had had her effect, and she continued talking.

"I could but I won't. While we are not bestsies, we are to share a dorm for a few years, and we usually get along. Why would I want to alienate that? Blackmailing could be easy too, but in whose interest? In the long term, would I really benefit from that?"

Parvati, still into Lavender's hug, seemed thoughtful for a few moments, and then silently nodded her approbation, along with Lavender.

Hermione, still wrapped in her bath towel, sat on her bed, not knowing what to say next. She took her hairbrush and started to untangle the mess on her head. She had so many questions, but did not dare ask them to her roommates. After all, it involved private matters. Unbeknownst to Hermione, on the other bed, a silent conversation was taking its course between the said roommates, who kept glancing across the room to her side. After a few minutes of this, Lavender got up and called their favorite Know-it-all:

"Hermione, just by the way you are sitting on that bed, I can tell you are dying to ask us a question or two. Go on and ask."

"Well," she kept brushing the damp locks while speaking and certainly not looking Lavender into the eyes, " I don't want to sound nosy, but are you... together together? If you know what mean?"

"Yes I know what you mean, and no we are not together together, as you put it. Parvati and I, we just, by a common agreement, seek comfort in each other. We both like boys, to answer you unasked question, but we find that we also like each other, and that both concept can coexist together. Did I forget anything, Parvati?"

"No Lav," answered the brunette, "but you do understand that some things are best not known by to the rest of the school, and the rest of the Wizarding world too. And that is why I accepted Harry's invitation to the ball, to divert the attention. And Lavender does like Seamus, but I don't think he realized that yet..." All three teenagers chuckled at this. "Anything else you want to ask?"

Hermione blushed.

"Well, since you mentionned the ball... I do know that both of you are good with makeup and hair charms. This is one domain I don't know anything about, beauty charms, even regular makeup. Could you help me with that tonight?" She sounded almost desperate at this point.

Lavender and Parvati shared a knowing look before answering together.

"Sure. One condition."

"Which is?"

"Who are you going to the ball with? " Lavender said. "So far we ruled out all fourth years, and most of the entire Gryffindor tower, but our... ehhh, contact network can't seem to have found who it was. You have been so discrete about it. So, if you tell us, you can consider us your private beauticians for the next hour. "

Hermione had been expecting this kind of bargain from her roommates and did hesitate before answering.

"Krum"

"Krum?"

"Yes, I am going to the Ball with Victor Krum. For the record, he asked me"

Parvati then turned toward Lavender:

"You owe me a Sickle; I told you it would not be someone from Hogwarts." The dark haired girl then turned to Hemione.

" Come on Hermione, don't tell me you didn't know about the wagers that three-quarter of the tower took on who you would go with..."

Hermione shook en head, still not believing what she had just heard. Parvati continued talking, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

"You really spend too much time with those boys, you know... They actually think you are one of them... So many things you should already know. Lavender has some «Young Witches» magazines under her bed, go get them and have a look while Lavender and I gather what we need for you and discuss of a few things."

Hermione obliged, and sat on her bed looking at the magazines, which were not unlike their Muggle counterparts, except for their moving pictures. She was still flipping through the pages when Lavender and Parvati came back, wands in hand, and dress robes following them. Their eyes were sparkling, as if they were still little girls about to play dress up. But this time it was for real. The idea of having raw, unpolish material to play with was thrilling to them. And for once, they would be the one showing off and teaching new charms. Both open their mouth and spoke at the same time:

"Let's get ready for the Ball so you, so we all can impress the boys."

And for a short while, Hermione felt as if she was part of the gang, that she belonged with her roommates because girls stick together.