Hello again, No I haven't given up on this story and I needed to write again, so here you go. I'm thinking about writing a one- shot about Tom and Ginny in the next week, but I may not, so just look out for it and tell me what you think. Now, your story awaits…
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After pulling her out of the deliciously warm water by force, Ginny's squad of giggling girls ripped off her bathing robe. While Ginny tried to cover herself modestly with her hands, they grabbed an untold amount of white fluffy towels and rubbed her down till she felt that they were rubbing away her skin. They then put her hair up in another towel and quickly dried themselves. Handing her what appeared to be another robe of red silk Ginny followed suit as they put their own on.
Stumbling to the door through the mist all ten of them filed out of the poolroom and back into the lounge. Ginny looked around again at all the girls, all of them were -of course- still beautiful and gossiping just as much as when she had left the room. Marching through the room, Cho pushed Ginny forward till they arrived at a wall of doors with name plaques on them.
"Look Ginny!" Cho gushed in her ear. "He's already put up your name, and your right next to me!"
She was right. On the long line of doors Ginny and Cho's were right next to each other at one end.
"All right everyone," Cho said and clasped her hands together to get their attention. "Go get your gowns and accessories and meet back at Ginny's room in ten minutes." She clapped her hands together one more time and the girls spread out, going to their respectable rooms. Grabbing Ginny's hand Cho swung around to her door and yanked it open, shoving Ginny through. "Now," Cho closed the door behind her carefully. "Lets see what you have in your closet."
"Cho," Ginny spoke carefully not wanting to offend the girl that wanted to help her get ready for a ball she didn't want to go to, "Do I really have to go to this ball? Couldn't you instead show me around the castle or just leave me here to entertain myself while you went to it yourself?" She stared at her shoes afraid to look up and see that Cho had been offended or was hurt.
"Ginny, you have to go." Cho stated very clearly with a sigh. Ginny looked up at her and Cho put a hand on her hip. "You know, when I first came here, I just wanted to go home too. I thought that 'King Tom' was a horrible man. I refused to go to the ball and was dragged there by a few girls that had seen me sitting doing nothing. Needless to say, for the first half of the party I was thoroughly angry and upset and didn't enjoy it at all. But, when I saw Tom and he asked me to dance, I accepted. I don't know why but I was drawn to him, just like every other girl in that room.
"Even after we finished the dance, I couldn't get him off my mind. I kept telling myself that it was nothing and that I still needed to get out of here, but I had lost my will to leave. I wanted to stay and make the King want me. At the next ball, I didn't go because I was afraid that I would lose myself to him even more. That night I tried to run away even though I truly didn't want to. I had convinced myself that I had been placed under an enchantment. Truth was, I was just lying to myself. While trying to sneak away, he saw me out in the gardens while taking a breather for himself. He was truly just as beautiful s before. Don't you see? If you just meet him and see what he's truly like you won't be so stereotypical of him."
Ginny wanted to tell her that she had already met the king and seen him for what he truly was but held back because of the hopeful look on Cho's face.
"Oh all right." Ginny grumbled, scuffing her barefoot on the carpet, angry with herself for agreeing. With a shrill yelp, Cho pulled her off the bed and danced around the room with her laughing happily. After a couple turns Ginny laughed and danced with her, finding it contagious. A knock on the door brought them to a stand still.
Cho, leaving Ginny where she was, skipped over to the door and threw it open dramatically. The girls outside pushed and shoved to get into the room and until finally all were there. Laying their dresses on Ginny's bed carefully, Ginny noticed that all of them seemed to be of the finest silk and satin, leaving Ginny's eyes to bulge with shock. This man had a lot of free money to spend.
Then, as a mob, they all turned on Ginny's closet. Walking to the front of the group, Cho slowly dragged the doors open. A gasp went around as everyone took in Ginny's dresses.
"Oh, Ginny!" Emma squealed. "Their beautiful, you'll look wonderful in them!" Grabbing on from the middle. "But I think you should go in this one. Held in her hand was a black satin dress that was horrifically low at the collar.
"No, she should wear this one!" Minnie pulled out a pink one that made Ginny cringed with disgust. She would never wear that one, she swore to herself.
All of a sudden all the girls were grabbing their favorite dress out of Ginny's closet and shoving it in her face saying she should choose theirs.
"Ladies, ladies, please." Cho had stood up on a stool and now towered over all of them. "Let's let Ginny pick her dress for herself." Grumbling all the girls gently placed their selections back in the closet and stood back waiting for her to step forward and take a look.
Coming to the front of the closet Ginny took a quick glance at the dresses, gouging which one seemed to look the most horrendous. All of them were beautiful… except the pink one. When all the sudden out of the corner of her eye she saw the dress of her dreams. Oh, how she would love to wear that one, just once before she left this god forsaken place.
Suddenly she felt the presence of someone behind her. Turning swiftly she came face to face with Cho. Not flinching Cho reached around her and grabbed the dress from around her and pulled it out in front of Ginny. "Wear this one." She commanded. Ginny hesitated and Cho sent her a look that made Ginny grab the dress and move away from her as fast as possible.
Immediately girls were on top of her, obsessing over her dress. "Oh it's gorgeous!" and "I chose that one!" Reached her over the noise. Soon they all backed away and went to grab their own dresses. Ginny saw Cho slip out of the room and reappear a couple minutes later with a dress of her own.
The girls then stood in a circle and hushed each other until it was silent. With a sudden yell of "Make up!" from one of the girls they were all moving and chattering again.
Ginny just stood there, not knowing what to do with herself. She awkwardly moved her dress from arm to arm until One of the girls saw her standing there in the mirror.
A girl with flaxen blonde hair, Fleur, Ginny remembered, waltzed up to her. "Ginny," she said with a thick French accent, "Vhat are you doing?"
After a moment of figuring out what she said Ginny responded, "I don't know."
"Aren't you going to do your make-up?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"I… I don't know how." Ginny admitted, never actually being interested with the stuff (not to mention that her family didn't have the money to buy any) she had never really thought that it mattered. Fleur sucked in a gulp of air. 'It matters to her,' Ginny thought.
"Vhat?" The girls eyes were bulging so big Ginny was afraid they were going to pop out. Suddenly Fleur grabbed her arm and pulled her down in one of the chairs, taking her dress from her. Grabbing an assortment of what looked like torture tools from the vanity table many of the girls were at she headed back to Ginny. Picking one. She held it up in front of Ginny and headed for her eye with it.
Ginny flinched back and almost fell out of her chair. Fleur kept heading forward and spoke with a sharp voice, "No moving!" Ginny stayed still. After what felt like forever of Ginny staying still and more than one girl coming over to add their own piece of artwork to her face, Ginny was allowed to stand up.
Intent of heading over to the vanity table to get a look at herself she was stopped by Emma. "You can't look until you're a finished product."
Many of the girls already in their dresses , came over to help Ginny into the dress. Slipping it over her head, they let it drop and Ginny felt it float down her body and settle into it's place. Then a girl came up behind her and tightened the laces of the corset until Ginny felt she would faint.
The girls settled her carefully back down into her chair and she turned her head to look around the room, trying not to wheeze.
Many of the girls were done by now, their hair up in complicated twists, or half way down and some having nothing in their hair at all. Cho, pushing off all the other girls hands, ran her fingers through Ginny's hair. Pulling a comb out from behind her back she slipped it into Ginny's hair and tapped her shoulder. "You're down now, go look in the full length." She said and stepped back. Slowly standing up, Ginny stumbled, short of breath to the full-length mirror across the room.
She was beautiful. Her hair was shining and in its natural waves half way down her back, the comb was sapphire and diamond and sparkled in her hair. The dress pooled around her legs in water-like flowing curves. The corset was a complicated design of patterns and diamonds, a trail of them running from the edge of her left breast to the top of the right hip. The patterns ran all over but left her shoulder straps bare and simple.
Her make up was flawless and as she reached up to touch her face to make sure it was truly her, her hand was slapped away. "Don't screw up your make-up!" A voice said harshly next to her. She spun around and saw the dress turn with her floating up just a little bit, it took her breath away.
Yes, she would go to the ball. But, she decided to herself, hide from the king. Then she would have a grand time. She turned to the girls behind her and smiled at them gratefully. They grinned back. Cho then ran to her closet and grabbed a pair of blue strappy heels that crossed over her foot and heel. Daintily slipping them on Ginny stood up and took a step forward tottering dangerously.
Grabbing onto the girl next to her, she balanced herself and nodded to the girls signifying she was ready to go. Stepping carefully on her first few steps, she soon figured out how to walk in the killing machines on her feet.
Sliding up next to her, Cho fell into step with her and linked their arms. Talking to her all the while, "All of us will walk in with a partner, while being announced by the steward, it's when we show off our dresses and size each other up. Just don't fall down the stair-case, that would be horrific. You can be my partner."
Turning down yet another hallway the girls led Ginny through a maze that made her dizzy. Arriving at a grand door, Ginny heard polite chatter on the other side. Emma and Minnie, going together Whispered their names to the steward. Hiding the other girls from view, he opened the door and banged his cane twice on the floor gaining the attention of those in the room. Clearing his throat her announced, "Miss Minerva McGonagall and Miss Emma Finnegan." A break of whispers echoed across the hall as everyone took in the girls and assessed them to their friends
Another man whispered to him the names of the next names of the girls in front of Ginny and Cho. Moving to stand in line Ginny was pulled back viciously by Cho, "What are you doing?" Ginny hissed at her.
Cho shrugged at her, "I like to be last," she whispered.
The steward tapped his cane only once this time. "Miss Sofia Hooch and Miss Claire Thomas." Again the room broke out in whispers as the girls descended the stair-case.
Tapping his cane impatiently the Steward announced the next two girls. "Miss Charlene Umbridge and Miss Bella Sprout." Whispers carried back to Ginny as she heard, "Gorgeous," and "Well I heard…"
Looking impatiently at the man telling the steward the names he banged his cane and called, "Miss Kristen Zabini and Miss Fleur De LaCoure."
Finally Ginny and Cho's turn was up. Cho leaning around Ginny to whisper their names to the man, pinched Ginny as if trying to bring her back to life. Ginny jolted up and Cho looked at her. "Be calm, cool, and collected." Then The steward banged his stick and announced their names to the Ballroom.
"Miss Cho Chang and Miss Ginny Weasley." And Ginny stepped into the ballroom
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So, I haven't updated in ages and I have no excuse for it, but here I am updating now, I know, I'm great. And she did get to the ball just like I promised. I don't know how much I like this chapter… but I had to start back up somehow. Oh and if you know how to truly spell Fleur's last name (I think I spelled it wrong but I'm too lazy to go look it up) just press the review button or you could just leave a review. Also, (this too is about Fleur) if you know how people with French accents really talk let me know, since I have no idea. Constructive criticism invited, just press the blue button and I'm gong to try this time to get out the next chapter faster. Now I'm rambling
-AliceInGaGaLand
P.S. Sorry I didn't respond to reviews, I really just wanted to get this one out there. Next chapter, reviews shall be added again!