Author's Note: Happy Holidays everybody! Here's another slightly belated update that I hope you all will enjoy and as usual, please don't forget to review! Will update again soon =)

Disclaimer (Repeat): I don't not own anything in the Harry Potter universe, just the story/OC I came up with.

Chapter 7

All in all, it took exactly 2 hours and 47 minutes to get ready…without the use of magic unless you count a few dress adjustments. The 3 of us were able to help each other and create our own unique look.

Ginny looked the way a true geisha would look. After she put on the blue kimono, we had to adjust the length since I had a few inches on her and ended up having the dress go up to her mid thigh instead of her knee; it worked and gave the appearance of having longer legs. She decided on a pair of simple black flats so it didn't draw too much attention from her leggy look.

As for make-up, both Hermione and Ginny had minimal experience which gave me a chance to experiment. Ginny's complexion reminded me of a porcelain doll and I thought it was perfect but I did want to hide her freckles. Her eyes now had a smoky style to them with blue sparkles just under her brow. Her lips were a bright cherry red that just popped and tied the whole look together.

Now for her hair, that was probably the easiest task. With Hermione's help, we pulled her hair to the top of her head and tied it into a tight bun; a few pieces escaped the bun but it framed around her face quite nicely. For the finishing touch, we added the chopsticks in an 'X' shape through her bun. Stepping away from her, she looked like she could walk the streets of Tokyo and could pass for one of their own; Dean had his work cut out for him.

While Ginny looked like a work of art, Hermione embodied a form of erotica. I mean, it wasn't that Hermione looked like a Harlot or anything negative…she just looked extremely sexy. She made a fantastic choice in picking a belly dancers' costume over what I'm wearing. At first glance, Hermione appeared to have a petite frame much like my own and lacked a few curves as well but the outfit brought them out. She seemed hesitant at first but when little details slowly put her look together, she gave in. Hermione was able to squeeze into the golden sandals that can with the outfit that made her feet shine with the rest of her body.

The outfit itself came with a matching face veil that covered from the bridge of her nose to her chin so she didn't need much make-up; all that was done was her eyes. For Hermione, all that she had was a thick line of black eyeliner that had a flared design on the edge of her eye with gold sparkles that littered across her lid up to her brow. A small spread of clear lip gloss was added just before she put on the face veil.

With a little bit of magic, we tamed her bushy frizz and transformed it into golden waves that cascaded down past her shoulders. Once her hair was layered, I added the beaded crystallized head piece that covered her forehead causing pieces to flicker in the light. Stepping backwards and taking a better look, I knew she would catch every eye once she enters the room.

"Now my dear, we must finish you." Hermione grinned and I sighed before sitting on the chair. My hair was already curled and pulled back slightly with the special head piece snapped into my hair; I could feel the jewel sitting in the middle of my forehead.

I had requested not to have make-up but they over ruled me saying it wouldn't be fair and I needed to tie my look together as well. I allowed only the basics: eyeliner, mascara and red lipstick which Ginny wore as well. But without my knowing, they added a subtle amount of blush and eye shadow.

"Oh my…" I gasped as I faced the mirror. Despite their lack of make-up practice, they did well on my face. Against my pale skin, the blush heightened my cheek bones while the neutral shades of eye shadow made my eyes look brighter. I was impressed by how quickly they learned. I could only smile at their mirrored reflections. I turned and gave them a quick hug.

"Oy! Are ya'll done yet? We would like the dorm back since SOME of us aren't going to a special ball." I heard a female voice shout from the other side of the door. Both Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes recognizing the voice.

"Well maybe if you paid attention in Potions instead of writing love notes to Seamus then SOMEONE would be going too!" Ginny snapped back. I heard a quite huff of air then the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Awe Ginny…" Hermione mumbled and Ginny just shrugged.

"She had it coming." Ginny responded and I just smirked back.

"Anyways, we should get going but I am going to need some help tying the skirt." I asked while trying to keep the bottom half of my sari wrapped around my thin petticoat. The dress was from a gifted Indian Seer who was also my previous guardian. Before Dumbledore took me back to England, she gave me the purple and yellow sari as a departing gift; I was glad that neither Ginny nor Hermione picked it since this was the first time I would be wearing it.

"Uh, how?" Hermione asked as she stared at the bright yellow fabric. I sighed and told her simply that it was like wrapping a towel around your body but with a few more details. It took maybe 15 minutes. I checked the clock and saw that it was 6:48.

"Ready ladies?" Ginny asked with her hand resting against the door knob. We each took a deep breath before nodding. Ginny smiled as she twisted the knob on the door and pulled it open. I could feel my stomach knot up with each downward step.

3rd Person POV

"What is taking them so long? I'm so hungry!" Ron continued to grumble while everybody else just laughed and shook their heads. Each one of them was anticipating something as each of the 3 females made their way to the common room.

"Uh, Ron...I don't think hunger should be your main focus right now." Neville whispered. Each person looked to the stairs and a collective gasp was heard. Ginny, Hermione and Emma were each transformed into 3 unique beauties.

Ginny's costume was a Japanese geisha from her make-up to her kimono. Dean was dressed as a samurai warrior and all he could do was stare at the goddess before him.

Hermione was perhaps the most surprising and she managed to shock everybody. Everything on her body glistened and glowed in the light which made her stand out even more. Ron, his hunger forgotten, seemed to float to Hermione's side. Most of the males showed some sort of jealousy and envy towards Ron at that moment…all except for a certain Harry Potter.

End of 3rd Person POV; Harry's POV Begins

Oh. My. God. Wow. Even in my mind, those simple words were all I could calculate at the moment. Despite the amount of time each of us waited, it was well worth it. I was impressed at both Hermione's and Ginny's transformations but Emma…just, wow. From across the room, we locked eyes and I was under her hypnotic stare. Her green eyes seemed to glow 10 times brighter and I couldn't bring myself to look away.

Emma then walked towards me very slowly, eyes still locked. Once she reached my side, time seemed to stop and we were the only ones in the room. We were mere inches apart but that didn't stop her from moving closer. She proceeded to lean into me, so close that I could smell her vanilla scented perfume.

"Harry, you're staring; do I look that bad?" Emma whispered low into my ear. I could feel her warm breathe against my ear and it took a lot of willpower to keep myself from losing complete control over my hormones. Her sultry voice was so tantalizing that it was hard to do so…it even took me a moment to realize she asked me a question.

"Uh, what? No! You look simply amazing. Why would you ask such a crazy thing?" I breathed in response and she just smiled widely. I had noticed after a short time that a pair of cute little dimples would appear whenever she smiled.

"I just...I was worried that you wouldn't like it…" Emma whispered. "Uh, I mean, anybody wouldn't like it." Emma corrected but chuckled nervously as if she let something slip. But I did hear it and that made me question something: could she feel the same way that I do about her?

"Don't worry about what others think love…you are beautiful inside and out, all the time." I whispered. I know that I shouldn't have blurted out such a thing but it felt right and she deserved to know. Emma blushed and tried to hide her face before lightly smacking my arm.

"Oh Harry Potter, don't tease me! Words like that may have me ending up falling in love with you." She exclaimed as she crossed her arms and started heading towards the door while I followed behind. Fall in love? With me? If only…

End of Harry's POV

After those words escaped my lips, I turned away and walked out the portrait hole. Oh but I didn't slip once but twice. What was wrong with me? Was I really falling for a guy like Harry Potter? I mean, he does seem like the perfect guy to be with but…he could have any girl he wanted, why settle for me?

All I am is a girl with a tragic past that has bounced from one continent to the other; I don't even know what my future looks like or what kind of person I am…what could he possibly see in me? All I am is…nothing; I can't even think of a word to describe myself, how sad is that?

I sighed as I walked; I wasn't even looking forward to the Ball anymore. These morbid thoughts were slowly creeping back into my mind again. It always happened when I tried figure out who I was or what type of future I had. It always came with the territory of constant change.

"Emma! Wait up!" I heard a voice shout. I didn't turn but my pace slowed a bit. I took a few deep breaths in attempt to hush the thoughts. I was in Hogwarts now and I had a chance for one last change for the better. Dumbledore has re-claimed me and now things will be a positive difference for me. Oh I surely hope so.

"Yes Harry?" I responded. I turned slightly to see a few more people following in the same corridor; some weren't just from Gryffindor either and each were decked out in various Ball appropriate costumes.

"Did I say something wrong? You were walking away pretty quickly." Harry asked looking worried. I had noticed that whenever he was worried and angry in some way, a wrinkle would form in his forehead. I couldn't help but feel guilty for running ahead especially since it was my own fault.

"No, it's not you…I was just feeling…I don't know what I was feeling…" I responded with a mumble as we continued to walk.

"I think I may know what you are feeling love." Harry whispered and I paused to look at him more closely, unsure of what I heard. His expression was unreadable, almost neutral but his eyes betrayed him. Looks of longing flashed in those emerald green orbs of his and I was lost in his gaze.

"What are you talking about? How do you know?" I whispered back but the longer we stayed there, the sound of approaching students increased. Harry looked behind him as if coming to the same conclusion.

"Answers will be given later love, I promise. But for now, we have a Ball to attend." Harry said simply before grabbing my hand and pulling me around the corner. Holding his hand so tightly got warm fairly quickly as did my cheeks; I hope he didn't notice. In an attempt to keep my mind clear, I focused ahead to where we were going.

The Ball itself was being held in Professor Slughorn's private office quarters. On the outside, the room appeared to be small like a regular classroom. But the inside was large and vast. How he managed that, I did not know but I was especially impressed by the decorations.

Floating lights surrounded the ceiling and gave the room an almost heavenly glow. The floor was misty as if a fog machine was running for too long but I could still see my feet. A few tapestries lined the walls with some torch lights that made it feel like we were in a dungeon but it was too inviting to believe such a thing.

A few students had already arrived and were spaciously spread around each table. I counted 4 tables, 8 chairs each adorned with their own color I guess for each house: Red, Green, Yellow and Blue. The green and yellow tables were only half full while the red was slowly filling up. I looked towards the blue table and smiled a certain occupant.

"Luna!" I exclaimed as I let go of Harry's hand and rushed the rest of the way to where Luna was located. She got up and gave me her usually airy smile. We collided and nearly fell over but luckily the table kept some balance. Luna returned the hug as I squeezed a bit tighter. It felt like ages since I last got to see her let alone hug her. Being in different year and house made it difficult to see my first friend so I was extremely happy that I had the opportunity to see her now.

"My dear Emma, you missed me?" Luna asked quietly. I giggled at her and thought the answer was obvious but Luna looked like she was asking an honest question.

"Of course! So much it makes me wish that I was in Ravenclaw."

"I think Harry would be too lonely if that happened. Hello there."

Before I could respond, I gasped once Harry suddenly appeared along with Neville beside him. Neville's face was half hidden but it wasn't hard to determine where his gaze went. I looked back towards Luna and got a better look at her transformation. To put it nicely, she looked like a big rainbow peacock.

Her dress was an actual rainbow; red beginning at the shoulders to the blue ending at her calves. At the top of her head and around her shoulders were multicolored feathers; I don't know how I didn't notice when I hugged her. There was also what looked like a cape attached but it only blended in with the rest of her dress. I guess to some it could pass as a sundress.

Luna looked so bright and colorful against her pale skin. She managed to combine a Halloween costume with formal costume wear quite nicely and I silently applauded her for it. She wore no make-up whatsoever which worked out for her. I also noticed that her hair was up, the first time I saw it up at all and she had more feathers woven into her blonde locks. Something that I truly loved and envied about Luna was her originality, I hated that she was picked on for it.

"Wow Luna, you look gorgeous! I love the colors on you." I exclaimed and she simply looked down at herself as if just noticing what she was wearing.

"Thank you, it was my mother's; she used to wear it as often as possible." She responded with a small smile and I inwardly cringed. I couldn't believe how nonchalant she could be about such things.

"Well, I am sure that she would be proud to have a daughter look as beautiful as you do." Neville whispered and smiled at Luna. I wasn't completely sure but I think she blushed at his comment.

"Good evening everybody! And welcome to the Slug Club All Hallows Eve Dinner Ball." Slughorn exclaimed out of nowhere. "If you each would be so kind as to take your seats with your respective house colored table so we can begin." Slughorn stated before taking a seat at the front of room. I looked around and noticed that the room filled up quickly.

I quickly bid adieu to Luna before following Harry and Neville back to the red table which was already occupied by: Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Dean and another female I didn't know; she was wearing an elegant black dress with sequins and a tall black witch's hat. Her outfit was simple but sexy in a way.

Once seated, Slughorn introduced himself again and went over other introductions that I'm sure we each heard before. Even though he is a brilliant professor, he seemed to like the sound of his own voice and that bothered me slightly. I dozed in and out of his speech about how we all were a select few blah blah blah that had special talents blah blah blah and that we were so very lucky blah blah blah.

I only perked up when he said it was time to eat; we just simply had to say what we wanted and it would appear kind of like meals in the Great Hall. I heard Ron grumble 'finally' as he spilled out various food items. Each person spoke different items and soon each person was digging in, anxious for the dancing to start. I still have flutters in my stomach so I just settled for a salad and some bread.

"That's all you are eating? We barely ate anything earlier remember?" I turned to Ginny's voice. She currently had a semi large plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of her; I guess eating a lot was a Weasley trait.

"My stomach still doesn't feel right…" I mumbled while I tore apart my bread.

"I wonder why." Ginny snickered and Hermione choked on a piece a chicken, caught between a laugh while eating. I snapped my head and looked back and forth between the 2 girls.

"Excuse me?" I asked slightly irritated, trying to catch any sort of message or hint.

"Nothing." They chimed together. I couldn't help but feel suspicious but I kept an eye on them and they just smirked at me. I continued to tear my bread to bits, barely eating any and soon enough, my leg started to bounce. The last time I allowed my leg to bounce was that day in class. Not 10 seconds later, I felt a familiar hand graze my knee then up to the middle of my thigh.

"You are still doing this love? Is it because you like my hand on top of your leg?" I heard a familiar whisper against my right ear. Harry was right, his hand did feel nice but I had a bad case of the jitters. It wasn't because of this exclusive dinner, ball or whatever…it was all because of Harry and my feelings growing for him.

I could feel my cheeks heat up at his words. I struggled to open my mouth to speak but my words were caught in my throat and a small gargle came out. I felt warm a breath against my ear once more and realized that Harry chuckled at my response. My leg eventually stopped moving but Harry still held my leg and rubbed it like he usually did.

"It's ok…I might just like it too." Harry whispered again and I turned slightly to see him wink and I felt a pang rip through my chest. I couldn't take Harry being so sweet to me; it hurt having these feelings knowing that they would only be returned in a strict platonic way. I simply smiled at him and turned away. I caught Hermione's eye for a moment as she raised her eyebrow; I just shook my head.

"Ah, very wonderful! Now that we are all fed, we shall move onto something a bit more exciting: dance and mingle hour!" Slughorn yelled out after a few more minutes spent eating and light conversations. Each table clapped and attempted to show enthusiasm.

Slughorn then motioned for each of us to stand up and made all the furniture disappear. After that was done, Slughorn flicked his wand a few times and out of nowhere, instruments strummed to life. Soft upbeat sounds surrounded the room and caused some to jog from whatever stupor they were in. A few students danced while others hung to the walls. Various students either cut across the room or group up whether they were in the same house or not.

It was nice to see each different house mingling with the other; well, except Slytherin. Draco along with the rest of the Slytherins huddled themselves into a corner and only conversed with one another. All of them appeared to be wearing strikingly similar costumes as if none of them wanted to show individuality. But Draco on the other hand made point to stand out a bit more; he was sporting a cane and a white mask that had green emeralds around the rim…it only covered his eyes kind of like a superhero mask.

I wasn't sure why I was staring but something did not seem right about his presence here. It must've been some of Harry rubbing off on me but there was just something there that I couldn't put my finger on. Without realizing how long I was staring, I noticed him turn and look back at me. I felt like a deer in the headlights, caught in his line of sight.

When I first met him, I remember in his eyes there was sadness and hate. Despite that seemed to be all in his stormy grey eyes, there was still a shred of life to them. But now as I look at them again, I am truly frightened; his eyes were dimmed. No longer did his eyes carry a strong storm…no, now they were dark and almost lifeless. Draco then smirked at me and winked as if he knew my thoughts; I was scared that he actually did know how I felt at that moment.

"Emma dear! What are you doing hiding over here?" I heard a voice call out to me, not really hearing who it was. I blinked and tried to snap myself out of it.

"Nothing special." I mumbled before turning to Luna's smiling face. She didn't seem to notice what I was staring at but merely was observing me.

"I am sure it wasn't but if you say so. But please come with me, we were missing you terribly. Harry was to fetch you himself but someone else sent me instead." Luna responded in her usual airy tone but there was bite to it. I had never heard this sound in her voice before and that worried me. She took my hand and led me towards a window.

"I am sorry Luna but are you mad at me? I got myself distracted and I apologize."

"It was not you that angered me…it would never be you…"

Before I got the chance to question her words, something else caught my attention. The usual group was together: Ginny, Neville, Dean and 2 others were near the other window talking while Ron and Hermione were slow dancing in a nearby corner. Then there was Harry somewhat in the middle who appeared alone but once we arrived, I saw an extra person…a female person.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the female was standing fairly close to Harry and she was smiling a lot. She kept touching Harry's arm and laughing at what little he said. For some reason, this angered me and I felt my hand tighten around Luna's. Harry was smiling too but it looked almost false especially when he saw me and his smile faltered. I tried to keep my face neutral but I couldn't help but scowl instead.

"Oh hello Emma. Enjoying yourself?" Harry asked lightly looking somewhat worried. Can't imagine why…it's not like he should worry over me or anything!

"Not as much as you I see." I snapped not meaning for my tone to sound so bitter. "Hello, my name is Emma Pendragon." I said holding out my hand. A bored expression crossed her face before she shook my hand lightly. This girl was very pretty and looked to be Chinese. She was also wearing a kimono but this one was longer and white with cherry blossoms.

"I know; I'm Cho Chang." Cho said after releasing my hand. I felt the urge to wipe my hand but that would be too rude of me. Luna had excused herself a moment ago and I wanted to go with her but I felt that there was just something off about this Cho girl.

"So…what house and year are you in?" I asked in attempt to clear away some tension.

"7th year Ravenclaw." Cho stated simply; she was showing the same enthusiasm as I did at the moment. Harry was a mere silent observer to the conversation I was struggling to keep afloat.

"It's your last year? Wow, are you looking forward to graduating?" I asked with even more fake excitement. A smug look crossed her face and she looked like she was sizing me up somehow.

"A bit but I'm so worried about the war going on; I won't always have Harry here for protection…you are so lucky my dear. Harry here is such a catch, won't you agree?" Cho said while smiling and intertwining her arm with Harry's. At this point, I was beginning to see red. Harry only chuckled slightly as he tried to shake Cho lose.

"Oh yes, he is. I am so very lucky to have met him." I said through clenched teeth and forced out a smile. "Please excuse me." I said without even waiting for a response. I quickly turned on my heel and walked away past a few other dancing students.

I felt the room closing in me, making it difficult for me to breathe. It was so hard watching Cho touch and dote on about Harry. And to make it worse, Harry could only watch silently. I had to leave right then and there. Because of Cho and my stupid feelings, I couldn't celebrate my favorite holiday. I slipped out of the doorway without a glance from anybody and disappeared down the corridor; I had enough socializing for one evening.

A grandfather clock chimed and I looked to see that it was already 1o o clock…the party would've been over soon anyways. I sighed as I continued towards Gryffindor tower. Along the way, I got stopped but Filch and his cat but taking in my attire, he let me pass by even though he muttered something about kids needing to respect the rules. I went up the steps and stopped once I reached the portrait.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes at my appearance, clearly annoyed. "Password?"

"Apple flapalesk." I responded and the door swung open. The fireplace was still lit even though the Common Room was empty. I had no urge to sit and wait for my housemates to arrive…especially since one of them was Harry.

As I climbed the steps to my dorm and silently entered, I tried to keep my mind clear. I didn't want to believe that Harry was leading me on this whole time. I truly had some feelings for him and with the way he was acting, I thought he felt the same way. But this Cho girl, I didn't know what to think. Was she an ex maybe? Was that the reason for their behavior? I didn't know nor wanted to think about it; at this rate, I won't get any sleep tonight…and I know Harry won't be waiting to talk later.

I sighed for the umpteenth time before stripping myself of my sari and throwing on a pair of black workout shorts with matching tank top. I jumped on my bed and closed the curtains around me for privacy. I laid back and shut my eyes tightly, trying to force myself to sleep. My mind was still buzzing so I could only lay there staring into blackness.

Sometime later, I heard the door creep open as another person came in: Hermione. I thought I heard a faint whisper of my name from her and some steps to my bed but then a pause. I let out a few snores as I heard a squeak from one step as she seemed to turn to her bunk. I heard a few rustles and movement before she climbed into her bed to snooze.

Only a few minutes later did I hear added snores fill the room. I pulled my curtains away and glanced towards the clock in our room. It was just past midnight, the end of All Hallows Eve…it was also witching hour. I closed my curtains once more and fell against my pillow. I knew I had to relax and attempt to get some sleep. Eventually, I began to drift off and my dreams were occupied by a certain green eyed boy with round glass spectacles…