"Luna, you look beautiful!" Ginny exclaimed.
Luna and her bridesmaids had been at Madam Malkins for over an hour, and they were finally seeing for the first time Luna's most intriguing wedding gown. The bride-to-be was positioned on the pedestal in front of the full length mirror, twirling left and right so that she could see every angle of her dress.
"It makes quite a statement," Hermione commented happily.
"Yes, but what exactly is it saying?" Cho whispered.
The seamstress had not incorporated all of her color choices, but Luna seemed pleased nevertheless. The bodice of the gown was glittering white with a corset back, but that was the only part of the dress that was white. The skirt was floor length with tiers of various colored fabrics; The first tier of the skirt was shimmering gold, followed by pink, yellow, and green, and the ribbon lacing up the bodice of the dress was hot pink. To finish off her ensemble, Luna had a gold top hat made with brightly colored feathers sticking out of it. She put on her white, jewel-encrusted mask and then turned to face her bridesmaids.
"It's amazing!" Luna gasped. "I love it!"
Hermione had to admit that despite all the wild colors and accessories, the dress had an overall pleasant effect to it. As Luna jumped off the pedestal to twirl around the room, Hermione looked over herself in the mirror. Her gown was mostly purple, from her corset bodice to the full, ball-gown bottom. The seamstress had taken it upon herself to apply a black underskirt and delicate black appliques along the bodice and end of the skirt, which were both a pleasant surprise. She imagined Draco standing next to her wearing black dress robes and his simple, black mask and she caught her breath. She could hardly wait.
Hermione held her mask up to her face and glanced once again at her reflection in the mirror. Everything burst into glitter from the wooden floor, to the walls of the room, to the mirror itself. It wasn't as difficult as Hermione had expected to see clearly when everything was shimmering at her.
"Hermione."
With a jolt, Hermione pulled off her mask and turned to face Ginny. Ginny's dress was long and flowing with semi-transparent sleeves; The top was bedazzled to the max with silver and turquoise crystals and they spilled like a waterfall down the front of the dress.
"What is it?" she asked curiously when she noted the worried look on Ginny's face.
"Who said anything was wrong?"
Hermione cocked her eyebrow. "You don't have to tell me. I just know."
"I was just... Ron will be here today," she stammered.
Hermione felt the slightest jump in her chest. They may have been broken up, but they had been best friends for seven years; She had to admit that she was at least a little excited about seeing him again. "I know. Is he bringing his date?"
"No, she won't be here until Saturday. But he will be here helping set up for the rest of the week."
"It'll be fine, Ginny," Hermione promised. "I mean, it may not go back to the way it was before, but everyone has a break up. It's not the end of the world."
"Well, I'm more worried for him than I am for you," Ginny admitted. "I think he's only started seeing this girl to get over you, but I think once he sees you, he'll have a hard time with it."
Hermione frowned and lowered her voice. "Why do you say that?"
"Call it sister's intuition."
"Did you tell him I have a date to the wedding?"
She did not meet Hermione's eyes and, instead, looked at the floor.
"Ginny!" Hermione squealed loudly.
"I'm sorry!" Ginny pleaded. "I couldn't bring myself to tell him. But he already has a date, so it shouldn't bother him that you're going with someone else."
Hermione grumbled. "It's fine. He's bound to find out sooner or later I guess."
The girls left the shop with their dresses (each neatly packaged) and headed back up to the castle. A light breeze was churning snow flakes through the air and Hermione pulled her jacket tightly around her to keep warm. They reached the castle after what seemed like ages and knocked the snow off their boots. Eventually they parted ways, Cho and Luna heading for the Ravenclaw common room and Ginny and Hermione heading to the tower of Gryffindor.
"I can't wait to see the look on Malfoy's face," Hermione whispered as they rounded a corner.
Harry had let Hermione's secret slip to Ginny shortly after their trip to Hogsmeade, but Hermione felt better knowing that she could confide in someone else. What was more, Ginny was actually very supportive of her relationship with Malfoy, encouraging even.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I can't wait to see the look on the faces of everyone else."
As they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny's mouth fell open in surprise. Hermione, who had been fiddling with a loose thread on her glove, caught on after a long moment and finally noticed what Ginny was staring at. There, positioned ever so casually in front of the Gryffindor common room entrance, was Draco Malfoy.
"Were your ears burning, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, trying to keep the contempt out of her voice.
He smirked, but did not reply to the Weasley girl. Instead, he turned his attention to Hermione. "I didn't find you in your office, so Potter told me to try here."
"Well, you found me," Hermione winked. "What are your other two wishes?"
To her delight, Draco chuckled.
"I came to say good-bye," Draco said.
"YOU'RE LEAVING?" Ginny and Hermione both asked simultaneously.
He smirked. "I am if you want me to get some dress robes for this wedding."
Hermione exhaled a sigh of relief and forced a smile. "But you could have just gone to Madam Malkins in Hogsmeade to get them."
"The robes aren't the only things I need to get," he explained impatiently.
Ginny, feeling as though she were intruding on something intimate, whispered the password to the Gryffindor common room and slipped through the portrait hole silently, leaving Hermione and Draco alone in the corridor.
"Is that your dress?" Draco said, cocking an eyebrow as he glanced at the box Hermione carried in her arms.
"Possibly," she taunted.
"Can I see it?"
Hermione laughed heartily. "Certainly... on Saturday."
"That rule only applies to the ones getting married," Draco grumbled, but he dropped the issue.
"How long will you be gone?" Hermione asked.
"Probably until Saturday. What time did you say the wedding will be?"
"Three o'clock."
"That should be plenty of time," he assured her.
To Hermione's surprise, Draco stepped forward and placed his lips softly against her forehead. "Will you miss me?"
Hermione smiled and closed her eyes as Draco embraced her. "Do I really have to answer that?"
"I just wanted to hear it," he said.
"Yes." She blushed.
"It's only a few days."
"I know. But it'll feel like forever."
"If you need me, you know how to find me," he said. Draco stooped and kissed her lips before turning on his heel and disappearing down the corridor.
With a sigh, Hermione turned to the portrait of the fat lady.
"Bellator fortis."
As the portrait swung inward, Hermione saw Ginny scrambling back to the sofa. Neville was sitting in front of the fireplace pretending to read a book.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Hermione asked. She was not angry, but slightly embarrassed.
"No," Ginny lied.
"Yea, and I suppose Neville likes reading books upside down for fun."
Neville, whose ears were burning red, slowly and inconspicuously flipped the book right side up and continued reading.
"Oh, come off it, Hermione. I just wanted to know if he's really as dreamy as you make him sound!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "And is he?"
"Well, I couldn't hear very well because Neville kept whispering," Ginny admitted.
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but just then there was a commotion outside the portrait entrance.