Harry Potter and The Matchmaker
Chapter Three:
It wasn't long before everyone was at the ball and dancing. Couples spinning around the floor, laughing, getting reacquainted, having fun.
Hermione stood looking on. Her hair, usually in a French Twist, was piled on top of her head, with a few wisps of curls cascading around her face. She had to admit, Monti had done a wonderful job. Loui had as well, matching Hermione's makeup to her purple robes. Hermione also wore a pair of Loui's famous, or should be famous, earrings. Very eccentric but very lovely. This particular pair was made of black wire with purple gemstones, making out the shape of three stars, one on top of the other.
She looked around herself. She kept having to remind herself that she knew these people. That they where her old school mates, her friends, people she had grown up with. They all looked so different, though.
She was looking for a familiar face, any familiar face. You're not looking for Ron, she kept telling herself. You are looking for someone to talk to. Harry. Yes, you're looking for Harry.
As she thought of this, she saw her old friend walking over to her. She might not have recognized the famous Harry Potter if it hadn't been for the fact she had seen him not six months earlier when he had come to visit her at the school, as well as make be a guest speaker in Monti's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Harry," Hermione called, and waved to him, making sure he had seen her. Oh, it would be good to talk to a friend, she thought.
Harry waved back and started to walk toward her. It was then that she noticed the handsome red head he was talking to. They both began to walk toward her.
Oh, God, she thought. Please don't let that be him. She wasn't ready to face this. She had to get out, but before she could, two figures, one still looking rather sulky, boxed her in, so that one was on her right, the other on her left, the wall behind, and the two men coming in the front.
"Loui, Monti, I'm going to kill you," she said to the twin sisters on either side of her.
~*~
Ron looked at the woman to whom Harry was leading him too. Who is that? he asked himself and wished yet again that the nametags were not in invisible mood. It seemed that some of the old Perfects decided it would be fun if we all had to guess who everyone was today. Probably Hermione's idea, he thought. It seemed like something she would do.
Though he kept telling himself, and Harry, that he wasn't looking for Hermione, that he was just wondering who everyone else was. At one point, he had thought he saw his bushy haired ex-girlfriend, very much with a man, laughing, flirting, kissing, and looking very pregnant. He had felt a hot stab of jealousy at that thought, but it had turned out that it was an old student's wife and he had convinced himself that it had not be jealousy at all he had felt but anger at her, though he could not say why he was angry. No, he could say. It was because of what she had done to him. Virtually ripped out his heart and handed it to him in a doggy bag.
As they neared the woman, who seemed to be friends with Harry, Ron couldn't help but think how beautiful the woman was. Just then, two more women, one of whom, he recognized as the oddly happy woman from earlier that day, appeared beside the woman in the middle.
As they neared, before either of the men could say anything, Loui jumped in, "Hello there. Well, isn't this a lovely surprise? Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, all together again. This is fabulous. I mean, I have heard so many of the stories, in great detail I might add, of the troubles all three of you got into. Now look, here you three are, together again." Loui laughed, not noticing the look of shock that had come to Ron's face as he looked at Hermione, realization dawning.
"Oh, Ron," Loui said, remembering that he didn't like to be called Ronald. "This is my twin sister, Monti."
Ron only glanced at Monti for a moment and said a quick, "Hello." He didn't even take the time to absorb the shocking differences in the twins when his eyes then went back to Hermione. He couldn't believe how much she changed.
"Harry, how have you been?" Monti asked him. She had gotten to know him a little while he lectured at her class.
"Oh, very good, Montana," Harry smiled. "Its good to be back at the school and see some of the people I haven't seen since I graduated."
Monti smiled. This was the closest to a reunion they would ever get to. They had traveled so much, even if they had stayed at the same magic school the whole time, they never really had a chance to settle down.
They all looked up as Professor Dumbledore, who was still the head master at Hogwarts, came to stand and give his speech. "Welcome, all my students," he said in his slow, but full of authority, voice. "I am so glad you all could come back and remember with me of all the years you shared here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We have great things planed for you this week and we hope you all enjoy it. All of these things would not have been possible if it had not been for the teachers and staff here at Hogwarts, who where headed by our own Professor Granger." There was applause at that, as Professor Dumbledore gestured to the blushing Hermione.
Loui and Monti, at the same times, gave her one armed hugs. Monti saying, "That's our girl." Loui laughing her agreement.
"Yes, yes, we are all very proud of her," Dumbledore said, winking at the still blushing young woman. As the applause died down, he continued, "Now, I'll not keep you all any longer. I have just come to tell you, let's dance!" The exclamation at the end shocked everyone into laughed and cheers. To here an old man, especially one like Dumbledore, stating something such as that with such enthusiasm was shocking.
With that, the band began to play, starting off, for some reason, with a slow song. A sly smile crept across Loui's face as she heard the music. It couldn't have been more perfect.
"Well, you heard Dumbledore," Loui told the group. "You all have to dance." With that, she "accidentally" knocked into Hermione, causing her to lose her balance and fall into Ron's arms. He was shocked, but easily took her weight.
Not knowing what else to do, he asked, "Would you like to dance, Mione?" Using her childhood nickname.
"Umm... sure," Hermione said. She wasn't sure if it was really a good idea, but couldn't think of a polite way to say no.
With that, the awkward couple went to the dance floor. Loui smiled. Works almost every time, she thought, grinning now and giggled a bit.
Just then, Harry looked at Monti. "What about you? Want to dance?" he asked, trying to sound confident and friendly, though Loui saw a bit of shyness and fear of rejection in his eyes, that she knew Monti would never notice.
"Great," Monti said, with a smile. Loui watched her twin, who had white extensions in her hair to contradict, not only it's natural color, but the black dress robes as well. She did look lovely.
As her rather short, though not too short, sister walked off with the tall, lanky man, who was famous for the defeat of he-who-must-not-be-named not once but twice. As she watched them the two couples dance, a new idea came to her. The matchmaker would defiantly be busy this week.
"It couldn't be more prefect," Loui giggled to herself.
