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Chapter 8
Hermione had been, just a little, taken aback earlier that week when Professor Dumbledore had stood up in the Great Hall, cast a 'Sonorous' and then proclaimed that there was to be a ball for this Saturday, which also happened to be St. Valentine's day. He'd then ended his message with an, "All you need is love, la-la-la-la-la."
Now, Hermione had had that blasted song playing on repeat in her head for the last bloody week. It didn't help that Lavender was a Beatles fan and would play it every night just before they all went to sleep.
Hermione felt compelled to one evening just blast Nirvana in the whole common room. Sadly, she'd probably be pretty much an outcast after that. But! If there was to be a song list, on which you could request songs anonymously... Oh, Hermione had plans alright.
In those plans wearing pants was included – so now she stood in front of the mirror in a dark red suit, and had her hair put up in a chignon. She'd been badly tempted to do Leia-buns, but... maybe not. She'd save those for the Easter ball. Either way, many of the students wouldn't get it and just think her crazy.
She found herself quite pretty tonight, even though that wasn't the point. But she supposed that it was nice to every once in a while wear something fancy, fix your hair and have a night of mayhem to look forward to. So, it was with a smile that she trekked down to the Great Hall.
She was very early – in fact, there were only teachers and the head boy and girl present when she arrived. Dumbledore stood talking to Professor Snape, but soon beckoned her over to them. "Miss Granger! Lovely outfit, I say. Don't you agree Severus?" Professor Snape simply rolled his eyes. "Now, Severus here is getting away from the, in his opinion, 'oh-so-dreafull' task of decorating. Would you mind terribly helping us out?"
Hermione was surprised but glad that Dumbledore asked her. "Oh, it's no problem. What should I do?"
"Ask the head boy and head girl – they've got this lovely list compiled. Right now it should only be a few last minute touches. After all, you are only," here he looked down at a wrist watch, "25 minutes early."
"Very well," and so she walked over to the head girl, one miss Prune whom Hermione found quite agreeable, and asked what she could do.
She hadn't missed the fact that Professor Snape was wearing suspiciously muggle clothes, nor the fact that Jane wasn't anywhere to be seen. Maybe... She smiled. Maybe that's the reason Jane had been so giddy a few weeks ago.
Either way, she set forward to complete her task – making all the cherubs, which right now stood on one of the tables at the side of the hall, fly around. She considered botching the spell for one or two of them, but then she thought about the fact that their spears were pretty sharp, and if they hit anyone other than Malfoy she'd be pretty damn dead. So she didn't do that.
After that she was to spell the cocktail, or punch or whatever you called the non-alcoholic drink that they'd all be drinking, to make sure that no one could add anything to it. It was when she was doing this that she noticed the floor of the Great Hall – the normally normal floor was now a sparkly pink tone. Hermione was bound to die before the night was over.
The Great Hall was shaping up and soon enough everything was done. It was so... Sparkly. And Pink. And... glittery. And lurve-y. She wasn't a fan of it. Luckily for her there was a song-request list. And the Heads had noticed that she didn't have a date, and wasn't all that hyped for this ball, so they'd asked her to maybe keep around there for a while, make sure people weren't cutting in the queue and what not.
She wrote down two songs on random places on the list. No, wait. Nirvana was way too good to only write down one of their songs. Okay, she wrote down three songs. The teachers were bound to regret this list. But she had to be strategic – the worst one had to come first, in case they decided to stop her little entertainment after only one song.
Not long after people started arriving. At the beginning were mostly those like her, who didn't have a date. Because if you came late, without a date, every eye in the hall would be on you. Or maybe that's just what the singles of Hogwarts thought. Maybe she could start a 'single and not looking'-club? That'd remove the stigma.
She saw Neville coming in early without anyone. The poor thing – Hermione suspected that he had had a thing for Ginny ever since the Yule Ball in fourth year. And now, with Ginny having dated and recently broken up with Dean, and clearly going after Harry... it's a harsh world.
Soon enough people were lining up to write down their songs, and the couples started arriving. Ah, and there came Ron and Lavender. She supposed that kudos had to be given to Lavender for asking Ron, instead of waiting for some guy to ask her. That said, Hermione had quickly tired of having to hear Lavender coo every night. And Ron could probably do better – hadn't he mentioned Hannah Abbot from Ravenclaw some weeks ago? She was nice, and could probably keep a game of chess going. Either way, Hermione waved to them as she was getting herself some punch.
Turns out, the punch was simple raspberry soda. This night just got a hundred times better.
Soon after that Harry arrived with his mystery date. He, for some reason or other, hadn't revealed who he was going with. It became fairly obvious, though, since that type of dress – namely, a huge red thing shaped like a heart, not really a dress at all – could only be worn by one person: Luna. Personally, Hermione found Luna inane, as evidenced by her dress. But if Harry liked her then that was his prerogative. She couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for Ginny, though.
Harry and Luna had just reached the punch-bowl when Ginny arrived, wearing a sparkling emerald green dress. And on the arm of one Draco Malfoy. Now that was surprising. And hurtful, to be honest – Malfoy was a horrible bully and had been awful to Hermione all these years, and here Ginny, her only close girl friend, was going to a ball as his date. She'd better have a bloody good reason.
Hermione glanced over at Harry, who was quite wide-eyed. Then he too seemed to be somewhat outraged.
After that the dancing began, and Hermione mainly stayed on the outskirts of the Hall, picking at the candy bowls every once in a while. She danced a dance with Neville, during which she stepped on his feet a dozen times. Then she danced with Ron, and the same thing happened there. And lastly she danced with Harry, who was even clumsier than her and stepped on her feet two dozen times.
He did have an excuse, though, for he was glaring in Malfoy's direction. "I can't believe Ginny would go with someone like Malfoy."
"Yeah, neither can I. Do you reckon she's trying to make you jealous?"
"Well, if she is then I'm not having it. That's a horrible tactic that entails degrading yourself by going with someone you'd rather not go with, and that if it works will hurt the person you're trying to make jealous." Clearly Harry had strong feelings about this subject.
Hermione raised an eyebrow in the middle of a spin. "So you didn't go with Luna to make Ginny jealous?"
"No. I went with Luna because I realized that I wanted to."
"So you like her?" Hermione asked while smiling.
"Sure. I just don't know if I like her like that yet, but I figured I could figure that out tonight."
Hermione frowned, "But now Ginny is bothering you, so you can't pay attention to Luna."
"Yeah, exactly," he responded dejectedly as the song ended.
They went back to the punch bowl, where Luna stood conversing with Ginny, who for the first time that evening was free from the clutches of Malfoy. Just as the situation couldn't bode worse, the first tones of Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana played. At least it had 'Heart' in its title, right?
So far, so good, but... Yup, there goes.
She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks
I've been drawn into your magnet tar-pit trap
I wish I could eat your Cancer when you turn black
Hermione paled, and looked around her. The teachers were obviously perturbed, and every person out on the dance-floor had paused.
Hey! Wait!
I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice
Hey! Wait!
I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice
Hey! Wait!
I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice
Your advice
Now the teachers began looking for a culprit, and Flitwick took forward his wand to try to turn it off. Hermione started giggling like crazy, and the group of people around her glanced at her weirdly.
Meat-eating orchids forgive no one just yet
Cut myself on angel's hair and baby's breath
Broken hymen of your highness I'm left back
Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back
Hermione was sure that Flitwick was having a seizure by the time he got the music to stop, and changed to the next song. All you need is love by The Beatles. Hermione groaned. McGonagall and Dumbledore were scouring the crowd with their gazes.
Ginny stared at her. "Uh, Hermione, was that your song request?"
Hermione simply glared at her, then took her by the shoulder and walked them to a corner of the room.
"I believe you've got some things to explain."
Ginny shuffled her feet. "No?"
"No?" Hermione sounded indignant. "So you see little wrong in attending a Valentine's Ball with a racist bully?"
Ginny glanced at her feet. "He's not that bad, you know."
"Not that bad? How about you listen the next time he spits out a 'Mudblood' when I'm just walking by him in the corridors?"
"Hermione...," Ginny looked at her with pleading eyes.
"No, Ginny. Why would you go with him? Is it to make Harry jealous?"
"No, I just...," she took a deep breath, "I think you just have to realize why he would say those things. He doesn't really have much of a choice, y'know?"
Angry tears were making their way through Hermione's tear ducts. "Why do you defend him? Have you any idea how much my self-esteem has been hurt by him? How many times I've cried because I'm not good enough even though I work so fucking hard to be. Because according to people like him I can never be good enough."
Ginny looked close to crying too. "Hermione, I just don't think you realize the situation he's in. His parents are having afternoon-bloody-tea with you-know-who on a regular basis. What do you reckon would happen to them if Draco stopped acting like is expected of him?"
"You're supposed to be my best friend, Ginny. Best friends don't do that."
Hermione turned away from her and exited the Hall altogether. She was just on her way back to Gryffindor tower when she bumped into Jane.
"Hermione! What happened?" She looked concerned.
She just shook her head and looked at the ground. Jane lay a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, whatever happened, I have a feeling it'll work itself out."
"How can you be so sure of that?"
Jane shrugged her shoulders. "You're a remarkable young woman, Hermione. No problem you face will be too big for you to solve."
Hermione looked at Jane, said "Thank you," and then hugged her.