AN: Finally the ball! Sorry it took so long.tough to write! Please review!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 8: Dancing and Tender Moments
Harry had been tossing and turning all night. The next day was Halloween and Harry's earlier feelings of excitement were replaced by ones of extreme nervousness. Sure he had practiced dancing, Sure he had nice dress robes, Sure he was only going with his best friend's little sister, but he liked his best friend's little sister.
He tried to take his mind off of himself and Ginny. His mind searched for a new topic, anything to let him forget, even if only for a few moments, about the predicament he had gotten himself into. His brain finally landed on Ron's dress robes. Fred and George had not given Ron his dress robes yet, and Harry had pretty much given up on them. Ron had confessed to Harry earlier that day, how much he was dreading, wearing his maroon robes. Thinking of robes, his mind gradually fell back on Ginny.
They had been avoiding each other lately, and Harry couldn't help but hope that she was as nervous as he was. Quidditch practices were going a little better. Harry did not stare as much as he had been previously and Fred and George seemed to get the hint that he was embarrassed beyond belief. Though he was nervous, Harry felt lucky to be going with Ginny. Someone he knew, someone he could at least talk too, unlike Parvati the year before. He smirked in the darkness, thinking about last year's ball. Harry sighed. He knew it must be late and he needed his rest for the following day. He turned to the wall and with Ginny in mind, sleep eventually overtook him.
The next day, Harry woke up later than usual. It was past ten and he was grateful that it was a Saturday. Harry was surprised to see that Ron was still sleeping. After gently shaking him awake, they dressed and went downstairs to meet Hermione for breakfast. Ron was unusually silent throughout the meal and Harry had the feeling that he was nervous as well. This comforted Harry, and with a grin he thought of the phrase "Misery loves company." That about described the situation all right.
"Er..Hermione?" Ron questioned, when breakfast was practically over.
"Yes Ron?" She looked anxious and happy.
"Me and Harry have to..uh..clean the dorm room today. It's our weekend, ya know. Dean and Seamus did it last time..so.er..we have to do that. So we're going to do it now and we'll see you later." Ron tugged at Harry's arm, and Harry tried to look like this story wasn't new to him.
After reaching their destination, Ron sat on his bed and did not speak for a few moments. Harry shattered the silence. "So, what's up?", but before Ron could answer, Harry saw a big package at the foot of Ron's bed that they had not noticed when they walked in. "Hey, what's that?" He said, jerking a finger towards the large box.
Ron leaned over to look where Harry was pointing. He grabbed the box and began to take the wrappings off of it. "Wow!" Ron exclaimed, when he revealed the contents. Harry breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. It was the dress robes that Fred and George had promised to purchase for Ron. They were a royal blue color and seemed to be made of a high quality velvet-like material. "I wonder where these came from." Ron muttered as he pulled them from the box and held them up to himself. A piece of parchment fluttered to the floor. Ron picked it up and read it out loud. "Dearest ickle Ronniekins: As your older brothers, it is our job to make sure you do not make a total prat out of yourself. Usually, we let you do it anyways, but as you are finally getting seriously involved with someone-" Ron paused at this part and blushed a deep shade of crimson before continuing. "we figured we should help you out. Your favorite brothers, Fred and George." Ron scowled. "They aren't my favorite brothers." He ran his hand up and down the robes, apparently admiring them before turning to Harry. "I can't believe they did something this cool." He said seriously.
"Yeah. This year you won't have to go to a ball looking like a big maroon idiot." Harry replied with a grin.
Ron shot back at him, smiling. "Oy, Shut up Harry."
"So what did you want to come here for?" Harry asked, finally approaching the reason they were in their dorm room in the first place.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just." He looked up at Harry as if considering him.
"What? What is it?" Ron muttered something, but Harry didn't catch it. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I said, I'm a little nervous. I mean Hermione's been one of my best friends for five years. There is no reason for me to be nervous." He whispered weakly, looking at Harry oddly, as if waiting to hear him laugh.
Instead, Harry opted to tell him his own feelings. "Well, I've known your sister for five years too and I'm still really nervous." Ron glared as if to say he still didn't approve of the idea of Harry going to a dance with his sister.
"Yeah well, I guess we're a pair of nervous prats. Eh, Harry?" Harry laughed and soon Ron began to do the same. They soon made their way back downstairs into the common room where, surprise, Hermione was reading a thick volume titled "1,000 Practical Uses for Arithmancy." Ron and Harry were soon enjoying a game of chess, forgetting their ball worries for the time being.
Soon, lunch was served and 7:30 rolled around. Harry and Ron decided they better start preparing for the event that was sure to cause their deaths. They hurriedly got their robes on and fixed their hair. Harry was hopelessly trying to flatten his unruly black hair, but only succeeded in making it look worse. Frustrated, he ran his hands through it several times to take it back to it's original stage of untidiness.
Ron kept wringing his hands together nervously, and pacing the floor. At five to eight, Harry and Ron walked down the steps to the common room. The girls were not waiting for them so Harry sat on the couch fidgeting nervously, while Ron started his pacing again. Soon it was a few minutes after eight. Ron looked worried as he made his way back to Harry.
"Where the bloody hell, are they!? It's-" He paused to look at his watch. "three minutes after eight! Hermione is never late for anything!" Harry just nodded and looked to the stairs leading down from the girl's dormitories, hoping against hope that the girls had not abruptly changed their minds. Suddenly a swish was heard at the top of the steps. It was Hermione. Harry glanced at Ron to see him staring as she made her way down the steps. Harry thought that she looked nice in her shimmering red robes and Ron seemed to be of the same opinion.
"Ginny will be down in a minute." She said pointedly to Harry. Harry nodded and smiled at her.
"You look nice." He complimented her, hoping to ease the nervous tension that seemed to fill the room.
"Thank you Harry. You look nice as well. That shade of green really suits you." Ron had remained silent during this exchange and didn't speak as he offered Hermione his arm. The two of them went out the portrait hole and Harry waited for Ginny. A few minutes later she appeared. Harry gulped as he watched the turquoise robes she was wearing swish against her legs. She smiled at him.
"Hi Harry." She said simply. The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before Harry remembered what he was supposed to say.
"Er.I like your robes. You look really great." He muttered weakly. He sounded stupid. He sounded like an idiot, he was sure. Wait! Yes she was smiling. That must have been the right thing to say.
"Thanks. You look really nice, too." Harry smiled at her and she took his arm as they made their way to the Great Hall. The room was decorated with a dozen or so huge pumpkins with faces that winked at Harry as they passed. Live bats flew in the air, creating a very creepy, but magnificent Halloween atmosphere. Harry and Ginny sat down at one of the little tables with Ron and Hermione who were already beginning their meal. Harry said; "lobster!" cleary to his plate and lobster appeared. They ate mostly in silence, sometimes commenting on the food or the decorations.
Finally everyone was finished eating, the tables were cleared from the floor and the Weird Sisters came up to the stage. They began playing a soft song and Harry stuck his hand out and muttered something about dancing. Ginny seemed to get the point and took his hand. They made their way out amongst the other dancing couples and Harry put his hands on her waist as she put hers on his shoulders. They swayed to the music and Harry was lost in her eyes. At the end of the song they parted and walked over to get some punch. Hermione and Ron were still standing off to the side, and had not danced at all to the first song of the evening. Hermione was looking a little angry as Ron looked down at his feet. Harry rolled his eyes. Oh great, I wonder what they are mad at each other for now.
He watched as Ron whispered something to Hermione, who made a waving motion with her hands and looked angrier than ever. Ron than began walking, towards him and came up beside him.
"How are you doing, mate?" Harry asked nonchalantly, pretending not to notice that Hermione practically had steam coming out of her ears.
"Not too good." He shot a look at Hermione and looked rather embarrassed. "How do you.er.ask?" Now Harry was puzzled.
"Ask what?" He said, his brow furrowed.
"Ask.to dance." Harry almost laughed. So THAT was the problem. "I don't know what to say and how to say it." Ron whispered desperately and Harry felt a little sorry for him.
"Just ask. Just hold out your hand and say wanna dance? Listen, the hard part is out of the way. You asked her to come with you and she said yes, so obviously she wants to dance with you." Harry stated, giving the best advice he could think of at the moment.
"Yeah.okay.okay." With a determined and resolved look in his eyes, Ron weaved his way through the crowd back to Hermione. He stayed silent for a few moments before Harry saw him stick out his hand and whisper something in her ear. She smiled at him as his ears turned red and the two made their way out on the dance floor. Feeling it would be a little inappropriate to watch them, Harry went to the punch bowl to get something to drink for himself and Ginny, who had gone to the loo.
The rest of the night, Harry had one of the best times of his life. He danced and joked with Ginny and she seemed to enjoy his company as well. As the clock struck eleven, Harry couldn't help but feel a little sad that the ball was over. He escorted Ginny all the way up to Gryffindor tower and they stopped when they reached the portrait hole.
"I had a really nice time with you tonight, Ginny." He whispered, looking at his feet. He wanted to look into her eyes and tell her that she was one of the nicest, sweetest people he ever met and was very happy that she had asked him, but his mouth didn't seem to be working. He was pretty surprised that he had managed the one sentence.
Harry looked up as she spoke. "I had a great time with you too, Harry." She seemed to be contemplating something and finally she leaned in and hugged him. He held her close, not wanting to let go, ever, but they soon parted as they heard footsteps coming towards them. Harry turned around to see Ron and Hermione talking quietly at the end of the hallway. He watched as Hermione touched Ron's cheek affectionately. Harry turned away. He wouldn't want Ron looking at one of his private moments like that. Harry led Ginny back into the common room. They both wished the other goodnight and made their way towards the appropriate dorm. Harry waited up for Ron. After an hour, Ron had still not returned. Getting a little worried, Harry decided to go check the common room. He padded down the steps quietly and grinned at the sight that greeted him. Ron was sitting on the couch, sleeping. Hermione was leaning on him and Ron's arm was draped protectively around her shoulders. They looked so happy and peaceful and Harry didn't want to disturb them. He made his way back into bed, his dreams sure to filled with thoughts of Ginny.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 8: Dancing and Tender Moments
Harry had been tossing and turning all night. The next day was Halloween and Harry's earlier feelings of excitement were replaced by ones of extreme nervousness. Sure he had practiced dancing, Sure he had nice dress robes, Sure he was only going with his best friend's little sister, but he liked his best friend's little sister.
He tried to take his mind off of himself and Ginny. His mind searched for a new topic, anything to let him forget, even if only for a few moments, about the predicament he had gotten himself into. His brain finally landed on Ron's dress robes. Fred and George had not given Ron his dress robes yet, and Harry had pretty much given up on them. Ron had confessed to Harry earlier that day, how much he was dreading, wearing his maroon robes. Thinking of robes, his mind gradually fell back on Ginny.
They had been avoiding each other lately, and Harry couldn't help but hope that she was as nervous as he was. Quidditch practices were going a little better. Harry did not stare as much as he had been previously and Fred and George seemed to get the hint that he was embarrassed beyond belief. Though he was nervous, Harry felt lucky to be going with Ginny. Someone he knew, someone he could at least talk too, unlike Parvati the year before. He smirked in the darkness, thinking about last year's ball. Harry sighed. He knew it must be late and he needed his rest for the following day. He turned to the wall and with Ginny in mind, sleep eventually overtook him.
The next day, Harry woke up later than usual. It was past ten and he was grateful that it was a Saturday. Harry was surprised to see that Ron was still sleeping. After gently shaking him awake, they dressed and went downstairs to meet Hermione for breakfast. Ron was unusually silent throughout the meal and Harry had the feeling that he was nervous as well. This comforted Harry, and with a grin he thought of the phrase "Misery loves company." That about described the situation all right.
"Er..Hermione?" Ron questioned, when breakfast was practically over.
"Yes Ron?" She looked anxious and happy.
"Me and Harry have to..uh..clean the dorm room today. It's our weekend, ya know. Dean and Seamus did it last time..so.er..we have to do that. So we're going to do it now and we'll see you later." Ron tugged at Harry's arm, and Harry tried to look like this story wasn't new to him.
After reaching their destination, Ron sat on his bed and did not speak for a few moments. Harry shattered the silence. "So, what's up?", but before Ron could answer, Harry saw a big package at the foot of Ron's bed that they had not noticed when they walked in. "Hey, what's that?" He said, jerking a finger towards the large box.
Ron leaned over to look where Harry was pointing. He grabbed the box and began to take the wrappings off of it. "Wow!" Ron exclaimed, when he revealed the contents. Harry breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. It was the dress robes that Fred and George had promised to purchase for Ron. They were a royal blue color and seemed to be made of a high quality velvet-like material. "I wonder where these came from." Ron muttered as he pulled them from the box and held them up to himself. A piece of parchment fluttered to the floor. Ron picked it up and read it out loud. "Dearest ickle Ronniekins: As your older brothers, it is our job to make sure you do not make a total prat out of yourself. Usually, we let you do it anyways, but as you are finally getting seriously involved with someone-" Ron paused at this part and blushed a deep shade of crimson before continuing. "we figured we should help you out. Your favorite brothers, Fred and George." Ron scowled. "They aren't my favorite brothers." He ran his hand up and down the robes, apparently admiring them before turning to Harry. "I can't believe they did something this cool." He said seriously.
"Yeah. This year you won't have to go to a ball looking like a big maroon idiot." Harry replied with a grin.
Ron shot back at him, smiling. "Oy, Shut up Harry."
"So what did you want to come here for?" Harry asked, finally approaching the reason they were in their dorm room in the first place.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just." He looked up at Harry as if considering him.
"What? What is it?" Ron muttered something, but Harry didn't catch it. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I said, I'm a little nervous. I mean Hermione's been one of my best friends for five years. There is no reason for me to be nervous." He whispered weakly, looking at Harry oddly, as if waiting to hear him laugh.
Instead, Harry opted to tell him his own feelings. "Well, I've known your sister for five years too and I'm still really nervous." Ron glared as if to say he still didn't approve of the idea of Harry going to a dance with his sister.
"Yeah well, I guess we're a pair of nervous prats. Eh, Harry?" Harry laughed and soon Ron began to do the same. They soon made their way back downstairs into the common room where, surprise, Hermione was reading a thick volume titled "1,000 Practical Uses for Arithmancy." Ron and Harry were soon enjoying a game of chess, forgetting their ball worries for the time being.
Soon, lunch was served and 7:30 rolled around. Harry and Ron decided they better start preparing for the event that was sure to cause their deaths. They hurriedly got their robes on and fixed their hair. Harry was hopelessly trying to flatten his unruly black hair, but only succeeded in making it look worse. Frustrated, he ran his hands through it several times to take it back to it's original stage of untidiness.
Ron kept wringing his hands together nervously, and pacing the floor. At five to eight, Harry and Ron walked down the steps to the common room. The girls were not waiting for them so Harry sat on the couch fidgeting nervously, while Ron started his pacing again. Soon it was a few minutes after eight. Ron looked worried as he made his way back to Harry.
"Where the bloody hell, are they!? It's-" He paused to look at his watch. "three minutes after eight! Hermione is never late for anything!" Harry just nodded and looked to the stairs leading down from the girl's dormitories, hoping against hope that the girls had not abruptly changed their minds. Suddenly a swish was heard at the top of the steps. It was Hermione. Harry glanced at Ron to see him staring as she made her way down the steps. Harry thought that she looked nice in her shimmering red robes and Ron seemed to be of the same opinion.
"Ginny will be down in a minute." She said pointedly to Harry. Harry nodded and smiled at her.
"You look nice." He complimented her, hoping to ease the nervous tension that seemed to fill the room.
"Thank you Harry. You look nice as well. That shade of green really suits you." Ron had remained silent during this exchange and didn't speak as he offered Hermione his arm. The two of them went out the portrait hole and Harry waited for Ginny. A few minutes later she appeared. Harry gulped as he watched the turquoise robes she was wearing swish against her legs. She smiled at him.
"Hi Harry." She said simply. The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before Harry remembered what he was supposed to say.
"Er.I like your robes. You look really great." He muttered weakly. He sounded stupid. He sounded like an idiot, he was sure. Wait! Yes she was smiling. That must have been the right thing to say.
"Thanks. You look really nice, too." Harry smiled at her and she took his arm as they made their way to the Great Hall. The room was decorated with a dozen or so huge pumpkins with faces that winked at Harry as they passed. Live bats flew in the air, creating a very creepy, but magnificent Halloween atmosphere. Harry and Ginny sat down at one of the little tables with Ron and Hermione who were already beginning their meal. Harry said; "lobster!" cleary to his plate and lobster appeared. They ate mostly in silence, sometimes commenting on the food or the decorations.
Finally everyone was finished eating, the tables were cleared from the floor and the Weird Sisters came up to the stage. They began playing a soft song and Harry stuck his hand out and muttered something about dancing. Ginny seemed to get the point and took his hand. They made their way out amongst the other dancing couples and Harry put his hands on her waist as she put hers on his shoulders. They swayed to the music and Harry was lost in her eyes. At the end of the song they parted and walked over to get some punch. Hermione and Ron were still standing off to the side, and had not danced at all to the first song of the evening. Hermione was looking a little angry as Ron looked down at his feet. Harry rolled his eyes. Oh great, I wonder what they are mad at each other for now.
He watched as Ron whispered something to Hermione, who made a waving motion with her hands and looked angrier than ever. Ron than began walking, towards him and came up beside him.
"How are you doing, mate?" Harry asked nonchalantly, pretending not to notice that Hermione practically had steam coming out of her ears.
"Not too good." He shot a look at Hermione and looked rather embarrassed. "How do you.er.ask?" Now Harry was puzzled.
"Ask what?" He said, his brow furrowed.
"Ask.to dance." Harry almost laughed. So THAT was the problem. "I don't know what to say and how to say it." Ron whispered desperately and Harry felt a little sorry for him.
"Just ask. Just hold out your hand and say wanna dance? Listen, the hard part is out of the way. You asked her to come with you and she said yes, so obviously she wants to dance with you." Harry stated, giving the best advice he could think of at the moment.
"Yeah.okay.okay." With a determined and resolved look in his eyes, Ron weaved his way through the crowd back to Hermione. He stayed silent for a few moments before Harry saw him stick out his hand and whisper something in her ear. She smiled at him as his ears turned red and the two made their way out on the dance floor. Feeling it would be a little inappropriate to watch them, Harry went to the punch bowl to get something to drink for himself and Ginny, who had gone to the loo.
The rest of the night, Harry had one of the best times of his life. He danced and joked with Ginny and she seemed to enjoy his company as well. As the clock struck eleven, Harry couldn't help but feel a little sad that the ball was over. He escorted Ginny all the way up to Gryffindor tower and they stopped when they reached the portrait hole.
"I had a really nice time with you tonight, Ginny." He whispered, looking at his feet. He wanted to look into her eyes and tell her that she was one of the nicest, sweetest people he ever met and was very happy that she had asked him, but his mouth didn't seem to be working. He was pretty surprised that he had managed the one sentence.
Harry looked up as she spoke. "I had a great time with you too, Harry." She seemed to be contemplating something and finally she leaned in and hugged him. He held her close, not wanting to let go, ever, but they soon parted as they heard footsteps coming towards them. Harry turned around to see Ron and Hermione talking quietly at the end of the hallway. He watched as Hermione touched Ron's cheek affectionately. Harry turned away. He wouldn't want Ron looking at one of his private moments like that. Harry led Ginny back into the common room. They both wished the other goodnight and made their way towards the appropriate dorm. Harry waited up for Ron. After an hour, Ron had still not returned. Getting a little worried, Harry decided to go check the common room. He padded down the steps quietly and grinned at the sight that greeted him. Ron was sitting on the couch, sleeping. Hermione was leaning on him and Ron's arm was draped protectively around her shoulders. They looked so happy and peaceful and Harry didn't want to disturb them. He made his way back into bed, his dreams sure to filled with thoughts of Ginny.