Chapter Three

Dinner was now over, and it was time to arrive at the Room of Requirement for their first rehearsal. Hermione was still convinced that Ginny was entirely too excited about this. However, she had never slacked on anything in the past, so she wasn't going to start now.

"OK," said Ginny. "First thing's first. Music. I thought about singing 'Lay All Your Love on Me.'"

"Yes, that's definitely perfect, Gin," Hermione told her.

"Especially about the love affairs," Seamus not so subtly whispered to Ron, who let out a snicker.

Ginny turned on him. "Hey, shut up! I didn't hear you complaining about a quick snog in the broom closet!"

"Speaking of snogging, I thought 'Honey Honey' would be best for Neville and me. He is very sweet when he gives his goodnight kiss, and I certainly think he will be a love mach-"

"Right then!" interrupted Ginny. "That sounds great, Luna. So my song should fit well." She sang a few of the lines. "'Don't go wasting your emotion, lay all your love on me'. Luna, yours is really great too. I definitely think it's time for you to get to know more of Neville. Plus, you don't treat him like he should be on some pedestal."

"He is my shmooky goober," Luna told her wistfully.

Ginny just paused, and stared at the enraptured girl for a moment before asking Hermione, "What do you plan on singing, 'Mione?"

"Um, well, actually, I hadn't thought about it too much, and I was kind of thinking about singing to a special someone, but now I'm really having second thoughts, and I don't know if he would be receptive to such an ostentatious display of sentimental conduct." Hermione started to straighten her clothes as she nervously thought about what she was considering.

"Shut it, Hermione. What bloke in the castle wouldn't want a babe like you singing to him?"

"Colin! First off, nobody asked you! And second, I ireally/i don't think he'd appreciate it."

"Well, look at it this way, Herms. You got one big chance to let him know how you feel, eh? And there is something to be said for not leaving the kettle on too long to boil," said Ron.

Ron had a point. She'd had feelings for him for over a year by the time he decided to make a move, and by then she had moved on to what she hoped was a bigger and better thing. Now her kettle was on the fire. She was coming to realize it'd been on far longer than she thought, but she highly doubted it was being tended.

"True, Ron. Very true." She gave him an apologetic sort of smile. "OK, well, I have no idea how he feels about me, but we've been able to spend a bit of time together. I think he at least regards me as a friend. He is someone I've been able to talk to, and there is certainly a lot he can teach me." Hermione blushed a little at her words, and Ginny was giving her a very hard stare. Very hard indeed. "So I thought I would do 'Name of the Game.'"

"I think that would be pretty appropriate," Ginny told her in a slightly tight voice, as the rest of the crowd murmured their agreement. "How do you guys feel about doing an opening and closing song? I thought about performing 'Super Trouper' at the beginning, and we can bring up the boys near the end of the song, and do one at the end too."

"How many songs are you expecting me to learn, Ginny? I'm not some bloody singing finch!"

"No, Ron, you certainly aren't, but just think of the entire female population of the castle watching you in a form fitting outfit! You'll be singing some of their favorite songs, and helping your sister and two of your best female friends get the loves of their lives. You'll have your pick of anyone in the room, probably even McGonagall."

"Oy Gin! That was almost a really convincing thing you said there, and then you had to just keep talking. But yeah, you've got a point. I bet I could get a date with Lav AND Parvati after this. Maybe even together…"

Men.

"So, as I was saying, do you guys have any suggestions on a closing song?"

"I've always liked 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,'" said Luna.

"'Dancing Queen'?" asked Colin.

"NO!"

"Well, gosh, you don't all have to yell at me at once! It was just a suggestion!"

"Better than 'Slipping Through My Fingers,'" said Seamus.

Ron and Seamus both snickered at Ron's "That's what she said!" before Ginny smacked them both with a rolled up folder.

Hermione tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. "'Take a Chance on Me'?"

"Oooh, good one, Hermione! That would be perfect! Luna, what do you think?"

"I don't think I am familiar with that one, but it sounds good. How does it go?"

Ginny and Hermione both were starting to sing. "'My love is strong enough to last when things are rough, it's magic. You say that I waste my time, but I can't get you off my mind, no, I can't let go, 'cause I love you so.'" Both of the girls were now standing with their arms around each other, clearly having a good time singing to each other.

Ginny giggled. "Well then, that is settled! We can open with 'Super Trouper', and then Luna can sing. I'll go next, and Hermione can finish, and then we'll do 'Take a Chance on Me.' Sound good?"

Hermione started to brood over how she was going to possibly get Professor Snape, of all people, to sit through one song, let alone almost five, when Ginny suddenly interrupted her musings.

"Do you guys want to try costumes tonight?"

Hermione pondered this. It was nearing the end of June. They had roughly two weeks until the Leaving Feast, and they had to get costumes eventually anyway. Might as well bite the bullet tonight. How ridiculous could it be?

Nothing good can come from this, thought the boys.

"I'd love to, Ginny. Can I be in purple?"

"Well, we are in the Room of Requirement. We can think of what we want to wear, and see if it provides us with a wardrobe."

All six students stood with intense expressions on their faces, Ron with slightly jiggling jowls, and Colin turning his face red. Suddenly, a large wardrobe appeared in the corner.

"Well, let's see what we've got." Ginny walked over to the wardrobe, and started pulling out brightly colored spandex suits with sparkles, fringe, and other baubles. First there was a tight, v-necked, purple suit with huge puffy sleeves, which was bellbottomed with sequin inserts. Next was a lime green kimono dress with a hot pink cartoon cat on the front. Then a 'Judy Jetson' style blue dress, and three similar red spandex suits for the men.

"OK, I like a bit of the brightness, but, Gin, I really don't want to put on that kimono. I just went to see the premiere of the play 'Mamma Mia' over the Easter hols with my parents. They end with the guys and girls on stage together singing a number, and the girls are all in fashionably decent outfits while the men are a bit flashier. I think the girls could be in the similar outfits, but in white, while the boys can be in bright colors."

Ginny and Luna were staring at the outfits, one enthralled and one horrified, as Ginny responded, "That sounds good, Hermione. Really good. That suit is just ghastly."

"Oh, I don't know, I kind of like it."

"Well good, Seamus. We'll put you in it then. Let's close this wardrobe, Hermione can think of the outfits she saw, and we'll go from there," Ginny told him.

Hermione closed her eyes, and thought hard on her mental picture. I need three bright and fun male disco outfits. The tall one can be the most scandalous. I also need three female disco outfits, in white, accented with gold. Something to gain the attention of a thick boy, a shy boy, and an ethical man.

She cautiously approached the wardrobe. She peeked inside, and found exactly what she wanted.

~~HGSS~~

It was now one week away from the Leaving Feast, and the day dawned bright and clear. Hermione was getting prepared to start her exams the next morning, and diligently practicing her music. She was very grateful her parents had decided to visit London and see a musical, instead of visiting Aunt Gloria for Easter.

Hermione had always had a passion for singing, but never really had an opportunity to employ it. As much as she waved her hand in the classroom, she really did prefer to be behind the scenes with her talents, as she was with Harry. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to fare being front and center in front of the student body. Especially with Professor Snape. She just kept thinking that her daring would only end poorly. She could only hope to get everything out before she was hexed into the floor.

The group had been holding frequent rehearsals, and Hermione admitted to herself they had sounded pretty good. She had heard of a few other students practicing, but as far as she knew, their little scheme was laying low. Harry and Neville had no clue, she was certain, and, of course, her special someone was in for the surprise of his life.

Well, perhaps not his whole life. Hermione was pretty sure that many more flabbergasting things had happened to him in his years of service to Voldemort. And, actually, come to think of it, she remembered what Harry had told her about Snape's memories at Hogwarts. She couldn't even convincingly say this could be the surprise of his Hogwarts life. Well, dammit, he would be shocked anyway.

Ginny kept giving Hermione curious glances during their rehearsals, but so far the feisty red head had kept it to herself. Hermione was pretty sure she didn't know exactly who she was singing about, but had a hypothesis.

"Hey 'Mione?"

Hermione turned her head from where she had been daydreaming into a book in the common room.

"Yes Ron?"

"About Harry and my sister… he really likes her, right? I mean, cares for her, as in, more than a friend? She isn't going through all this to look like a pillock is she?"

Hermione thought on his words. Harry had certainly seemed to care for Ginny very much, and she wasn't quite sure why he backed off all of a sudden. "Honestly, I don't think so, Ron, but I'll talk to him if you'd like."

Ron looked quite relieved at not having to do any interfering himself. Some things he was very good at: Quidditch, Chess, spit bubbles. Dealing with other people's problems was not on the list.

Hermione headed out of the common room to find Harry. She figured with all the studying he had been doing lately, she would find him in the library or the Quidditch pitch. After an unsuccessful search of the pitch, she found him deep in the library. He was in a back corner, near Muggle History, obviously not wanting to be bothered. Hermione pulled up a chair.

"Oh, hey. Guess you found me, huh?"

"Wasn't too hard, really. Still working on the Transfiguration theory?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I think I've got it worked out now. I was thinking about going over some Defense material after this." Harry started to rifle through his books for a past DADA textbook.

"Harry, why did you dump Ginny?"

"Excuse me?"

Hermione leveled him a look before calming replying. "I said, 'why did you dump Ginny?'"

"I told you. I really needed to practice my work. I've completely flaked off six years of study, and if I want to be anything in my own right as a wizard, I need to work. There will be time for girls later."

"We both know Ginny isn't just a girl. So what's the real reason?" she asked skeptically.

Harry leaned forward to rest his forehead against the book in his hands on the table. After a few moments, she could hear his sigh and a hitch in his voice. "What if I left her, 'Mione? What if…what if we had a son and I died and left her alone? Or I caused her death and there was another me, another little orphan Harry Potter?" Harry looked at her in anguish, the normally happy face showing his inner turmoil. "It's killing me, but I can't do that to someone. To her."

Hermione reached for his hand, and let out a little sigh. "Harry James, if anything should happen, think of all the family you have now. Any child of yours or Ginny's is going to be the most spoiled rotten child Hogwarts ever saw. And you cause her just as much pain every day by refusing her. Maybe you should tell her your fears, and let her make her own decisions."

He nodded gravely. "I know. You're right, as usual. It just all seems like so much. I just can't seem to do right by her." He rested his head back on the book before him. "But I need to try. I promise, as soon as these tests are taken, I'll talk with her."

"Good. I'll let Ron know he doesn't have to worry anymore."

At Harry's boyish grin, she gathered her things and left the library.