A/N: Bear with me; I've had a dramatic life for the past two weeks. School ended, I got a boyfriend, he got clingy, I decided to break up with him, bla, bla, bla. This chapter is a little weird; just pretend that they finished skating, and Ginny went inside to get ready for the ball. Please?

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the exaggerated descriptions of the makeup and dresses. I apologize; I always have this vision in my head, and I have to know that everyone else sees it as well as I do.



Ginny sat on her bed, wrapped in one of Hermione's Muggle bathrobes. Her damp hair was pinned up in a loose knot on her head, sending trickles of water running down her neck.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Ginny asked nervously, staring at her bedraggled self in the full-length mirror opposite.

"Positive," Hermione responded as she clipped up her own hair. "I know you're used to more magical methods of preparation, but I've discovered that Muggle is the way to go. That way, no one will ruin your looks by shouting Finite Incantatum." Hermione grinned at the incredulous look Ginny gave her. "It happened once in 1849."

Ginny shuddered as she imagined the pandemonium that must have ensued.

^Yikes.^

Yeah.

^Consider what would have happened to us last year.^

Let's not.

^Probably better that way.^

Hermione opened her trunk and pulled out a strange…machine. It looked like a large, bent 'L', with a circle centered at the bend. Ginny regarded it suspiciously. Hermione laughed.

"It's a blow dryer, Ginny. To straighten my hair a bit." She raised her wand and cast an 'Electronimius' spell over it. It suddenly roared to life. Ginny jumped backwards.

"I thought you didn't use magic!" She yelled over the noise.

"Not for the finished look, I don't. This is just to power the thing that will achieve the result."

Ginny watched in amazement as the 'blow dryer' dried Hermione's hair in straight locks.

^Wow.^

Incredible, what Muggles invent, isn't it?

^And without any magic!^

How do you think they power those things?

^Must be with elikmicity, or whatever it is.^

Ah.

Hermione finished drying her hair, and brushed it until it looked like silk. She turned to Ginny.

"Okay, this might hurt a little, but just wait. I promise, it'll be even better than mine."

Ginny raised her eyebrows skeptically, but sat still and allowed Hermione to pull the knots out.

"Wait; do you need to use the…blow dryer on me?" she asked suddenly. Hermione shook her head.

"No; my hair is too thick and too curly to leave damp. Yours is wavy, not really curly." Hermione finished brushing and turned back to her trunk. She returned a few minutes later with several small rectangular boxes and tubes.

"And those are…?"

"Eyeshadow, lip gloss, and a little blush. Basically, makeup."

She's going to kill us.

^Let's just wait and see. If she does, at least the danger of dying from nerves is out.^

And if she doesn't?

^Then we will die of delight that we have a chance of going to the ball with Harry Potter.^

Hermione spun the chair around so her back was to the mirror.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Positive. I've experimented with makeup since I was 8, I think I know how to use it by now. Shut your eyes."

She did so, even as a tiny brush slid across them. Hermione proceeded to sweep something over her cheeks and added a creamy substance over her lips. Finally, she turned the chair back around, ordering Ginny to keep her eyes shut until she told her to open them.

"Okay. Open your eyes!"

A gasp escaped her lips as she gazed at herself. Her eyes looked huge and bright, for no obvious reason. Her cheeks, which had originally been pure white, now had a faint tinge of color to them, and her lips were shining with something.

Hermione grinned in a very un-Hermionish, but very teenage girlish way.

"What did you do?" Ginny exclaimed. "There is no way you did all this with no magic."

"Simple," Hermione laughed. "See your eyelids? There's a little bit of silvery-white eyeshadow there. Pale pink blush on your cheeks keeps you from looking so nervous, and the shimmer lip gloss was nothing."

"Can you teach me to do this?"

"Of course! I have a bunch of extra stuff you can have to start with, but I have to do mine now. Go and change into your dress. I'm going to see if we need to add anything to it."

*~*~*

Ginny re-emerged in the dress. It fit like a dream; even the sleeves wrapped around her arms like a second skin. The color brought out her hair and accented the silvery makeup.

Hermione turned around as she entered. "Wow. Just…wow. That's beautiful!"

Ginny grinned and spun in a circle, letting the material flare out around her. "Do we need to add anything?" she inquired, glancing nervously in the mirror.

"Just one. Shut your eyes." Hermione commanded, reaching for a container of silvery stuff. Ginny felt tiny particles rain over her hair and dress. When she opened her eyes, it looked as though she had been sprinkled with silver snowflakes.

"Amazing, what glitter can do," Hermione commented. Ginny turned to look at her and suppressed a gasp.

Hermione's hair was up in a loose twist that let loose tendrils to fall around her face. Her pale blue dress from the year before had been updated with a sheer white fabric added over it. Her eyes had a hint of blue over them, as well as sparkle on her cheeks.

"Just one more thing," she told Ginny. Her hands wrapped Ginny's hair into an updo that allowed one long lock to hang beside her face. Finally, a delicate emerald tiara was balanced atop her head. Ginny gazed at herself in wonder.

"I look like a princess."

"Good. That was the intent." Hermione glanced at the clock. It was pointing to 'Go NOW or you'll be late'

Ginny took a deep breath and followed Hermione out the door.



A/N: And now it's the moment you've all been looking forward to/dreading/your phrase here: review responses!

Julephenia: Yeah; I actually haven't gone that far yet, but I'm pretty close…:-D

Evil-Chicken-Wrath: Hee hee. Your post cracked me up. We'd be saved a lot of trouble if boys were out of the picture, but then who would compliment/flirt/tease/make our day/cause us to giggle insanely???

Coyote/spike: There is no point.

Gabnif: Casey. I told you about him already.

HarryandGinny4eva: It's fun to read your 'happy' reviews.

Eris, Queen of the Shadows: I understand what you meant with the birthday thing. I got the skating thing partially from Princess in Love, by Meg Cabot; it's third in the series. Not quite the same, but I've always fantasized about ice-skating with a cute guy…

TheMonkeyStoleMyDad'sVisaCard: Thanks!

1) Maybe; after PoA, everyone seemed to think H/H was coming up, so I think she purposely changed it; therefore, now that everyone believes it will be H/C (Harry/Cho), she will make it H/G. Maybe.

2) No idea.

3) No way in heaven or hell. Ron has a huge thing going for Hermione, and she has something for him; why else would she have reacted that way when he asked her to the ball???? See above as well.

Gray frog: Go kitty-cat, it's your birthday….

Jade: Wow. Does your computer always use caps lock? Thanks for reviewing so much!

Ongi gunuph gunuph: ROTFL (Rolling On The Floor Laughing). (No one should pay attention to the bizarre name; it's an inside joke)

Shini-Setsuki: Thanks! I hate doing sad stuff, so I just stuck to what I know how to do; sugar.

Becca17: Thanks! I love doing fluff; it's how my mind operates normally, so it takes no effort.