Thursday came and went without anything extraordinary happening. Jessica was growing more uneasy as the Ball approached, but her classmates couldn't have been more excited. That is, except for Ginny.

"You're wearing THAT?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's hideous!"

Slightly annoyed at the disruption, Jessica glanced up from her Transfiguration book, which lay open on her lap. The argument between these people was the only sound in the Common Room apart from the wind beating on the windows. As she looked around disapprovingly, she was shocked to discover the speakers were Ginny and Lavender.

Ginny was sitting in one of the big armchairs on the other side of the room, opposite a disgusted looking Lavender. Just then, Jessica noticed something that looked like a curtain clutched in Ginny's hands.

"What do you mean it's hideous?" Ginny repeated, astounded.

"Look at it!" Lavender said, holding it up. Jessica, though she felt bad for Ginny, could kind of see Lavender's point. What she supposed was a dress, was faded gray, had large puffy shoulders, hung roughly to the floor, and the hem on the bottom was frayed and ripped. As Jessica stared, Ginny snatched it back.

"I can fix it," she muttered, going very red.

"Well you'd better! I don't know who your date is, but I can't imagine he'd be very pleased to go with a someone that looked like a dish rag!"

Ginny looked down, playing with the dull fabric.

"Well?" Lavender demanded.

Ginny looked up, puzzled. "Well what?"

"Well, who are you going with?"

"Oh," Ginny muttered, going red again, "Harry Potter."

Lavender's jaw dropped. "You? You're going with Harry Potter?"

Ginny nodded, somewhat cautiously.

"But…but I thought everyone was saying he was going to ask Parvati again?"

Ginny shrugged. "I hadn't heard that."

Lavender stood up very quickly. "I have to go finish my homework," she said loftily. "If I were you, I'd make some serious adjustments to that dress or you're going to embarrass the entire school." And with that, she stalked off.

Jessica hadn't realized she'd been staring the entire time, but as she watched, Ginny put her head in her hands, obviously crying. She snapped her book shut and hurried over to her.

"Hi Ginny," she said quietly, sitting down in Lavender's vacant chair. Ginny sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes furiously.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I hadn't realized there was someone else in here."

"Don't be sorry," Jessica corrected. "It's be Lavender who's sorry. A sorry excuse for a friend, I mean."

Ginny smiled weakly.

Jessica paused a moment, wondering what to say.

"So you're going with Harry then, are you?" she blurted. The words had fallen out of her mouth before she had the chance to consider them, and she instantly regretted saying them.

Ginny sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think I will," she say, drawing a shuddering breath, "He deserves better than me."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Jessica scoffed. "Lavender's just angry that he's not going with Parvati. Amanda overheard them a few nights ago, talking about how they would embarrass Harry at the Ball to get him back for ditching Parvati at the last one."

"Really?"

Jessica nodded.

"But still," Ginny said, holding up her dress. "What am I going to do about…this?" she said with utter disdain.

Jessica bit her lip. "Well, I think I may have an idea…"



(A/N) Well, here it is. Review please!!!! and don't worry, the ending is close in sight (bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha)