A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to write anything for a couple of days, well except for papers and things like that but tonight I am just too damn bored to write any paper so I'm giving you guys another chapter!
Disclaimer: And yet, I still don't own Harry Potter…hey, you think J.K. Rowling would be selling them anytime soon? Nah. Didn't think so…
*** You guys are so cool! I just, I just love you all so much! Thank you to Shaunna, you must have read that last chapter right after I posted it and man, I was tired at one in the morning! I am so happy you enjoyed this last chapter and I hope you like this one too! Spicey, thanks so much for your review and here's the new chapter! Hermione Weasley, good! I'm so glad you liked this chapter and thought the different "Operations" were creative, I was trying to be creative but I wasn't sure how successful at it I was! Great! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Fiona Goldfeet, I know what you mean about long and cold winters…I'm from way northern Minnesota…I hope you enjoy this chapter! Marjojo, yeah! A new reviewer! I love you guys! I'm so glad you really enjoyed those last chapters…they were a bit different than the other ones, I know, but I wanted to get a little creative with them…thank you so much! Shans we're getting to the big "date" with every new chapter…Swnflakesweety, OK, so I'm doing this again even though I don't like to but you even emailed me when the stupid internet didn't work and that means a lot to me, so this chapter is for you! I hope you enjoy it! Alayna, you flatter me when you call me brilliant (blushing terribly red)…thank you for wishing this evening went alright for me…it did (Wednesdays are just long). Andie, great! I'm so glad you get it now! And even I'm happy I update most days…I know what it's like to be waiting on a story…it's a pain. Claire, I'm glad you liked those last couple of chapters and here's the one (or at least the beginning) of what we've all been waiting for. Triniroo, thank you so much for thinking I'm brilliant and I must say, you are an absolutely wonderful reviewer! Mela, good! I'm glad you like that others are getting bigger parts…when I read something and there are "little" parts I always wonder how they would actually handle something, which is probably why I'm incorporating everyone a little bit more than some would! Thank you again! Jenny, another new reviewer! This is so cool! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you guys! Thanks for deciding to read my fic! Thank you everyone for everything, it really means a whole lot to me!
Chapter 22: The Night Before
Hermione pulled away from Ron with a shy smile and disappeared back into her dorm while Ron nearly fell down the stairs he was so happy.
Parvati jumped on Hermione and the two danced around like crazy girls. From outside their door a couple passersby stopped and looked at the door curiously before continuing on their way. One Gryffindor however opened the door without knocking to witness two of her closest friends jumping up and down maniacally. They didn't hear her she figured, since they continued their silly dance. She cleared her throat. "So, my brother finally asked you, did he?"
Then they noticed Ginny standing in the room. Hermione's grin widened further than Ginny had ever seen and it was Parvati, not Hermione, who jumped on Ginny. "Isn't it grand!" she squealed.
Ginny grinned and gave into Parvati's silly moves without seeing Hermione's face fall. "Guys?" a tentative sounding Hermione broke into her friends' silly tirade. "Guys there is a problem…"
They stopped dancing and squealing immediately. Parvati's eyes widened worriedly and Ginny assessed her friend. "What?" they both asked at the same time.
"The dance is tomorrow. I don't have dress robes…I don't have any potion for my hair. I have nothing," she said. "Note the emphasis on the word nothing."
Parvati's perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose and she cocked her head from side to side. Grinning wickedly at Ginny she said, "Oh, I think we can work something out, don't you Gin?"
Ginny smirked back at Parvati, took one look at Hermione and nodded whilst Hermione's coloring paled considerably. She didn't trust those two one bit.
***
Ron had missed nearly every goal that night later on at Quidditch practice. Harry didn't ask why though, neither did Seamus or Fred…George or Angelina…Alicia didn't either. It seemed the entire team knew where Ron's thoughts were.
That night just after Quidditch Harry rather decided he liked Angelina as Captain. Sure, she was tough (she could be meaner than Oliver Wood sometimes) but she was also empathetic (a word…and definition Oliver didn't know). He appreciated it, to say the least. That and it was pretty fun to watch Fred attempt to sucker his way into a kiss. A kiss was something strictly off-limits during Quidditch practice though not off-limits while in the Great Hall, in the presence of most professors, in the common room, and Harry was sure kissing wasn't off-limits in classrooms either.
"Now Ronnie, tomorrow night when Hermione steps off the last step you cannot ogle her like we know you're going to do," George advised. "Girls don't like to be ogled."
Angelina punched George in the arm. "Now why are you telling him that George? You're going to get him scared to touch her!" she chastised with a wink. She moved quickly up next to her future brother-in-law and touched his arm. "Now, when she comes down the stairs do look at her! Girls like to know they look pretty for their man!"
"Ron's someone's man," Fred whispered. George snickered. Ron turned bright, bright red.
Angelina threw the twins her version of the Death Glare before continuing to speak to Ron. "Honestly, don't pay attention to those two! They're just being a couple of pricks!"
Ron nodded.
"Continue Angelina," a voice that was not Ron's suggested. All of them looked to their left where Seamus was walking between Harry and Alicia. Alicia giggled. "What?" he asked shocked. "It's not like you weren't telling us something we can't eventually use in life!"
Alicia outright laughed at this. "God you're funny Seamus!"
Seamus blushed then, something Harry hadn't seen ever…not even during the multiple times a potion or charm or something blew up in his face. "Well I didn't think it's a stupid request," he announced haughtily.
"Anyway," Angelina continued, raising her voice just slightly, "girls like to know they've been noticed."
"Make sure you notice her," Alicia put in. "And say something nice to her…it doesn't have to be anything sappy just sincere. Girls like that," she added confidently.
Harry would have been embarrassed to realize he was taking mental notes too…
"Anyway Ron, the dance is tomorrow and I'm sure you'll do fine," Angelina said encouragingly. She squeezed his shoulders. "You will be fine Ron."
"Hey, you're seeing Hermione tonight, right?" Alicia asked. "Well then, maybe tonight you can discuss tomorrow…? No, well it was just a suggestion," she said upon seeing Ron's desperate shake.
"Ron relax!" Angelina laughed. "I'm sure Hermione isn't stressing out about this at all. You've just got to relax and be yourself."
The Weasley twins nearly howled with laughter but shut up upon seeing the girls glaring at them in which case they mumbled a hard to believe "Sorry."
Ron hung back a little and let the others pass him. Harry stopped next to his best friend and waited for him to speak. "Harry, I don't know what I'm doing!" he exclaimed frantically. "I have no idea! I mean, I've danced with a girl before but it was totally different then! Then I didn't like…her," this last word was barely audible and Harry realized it was the first time Ron had said those words out loud.
"So you admit it?"
Ron blushed scarlet and he mumbled something incomprehensible which Harry could only assume was a "Yes I like her." At least he sure hoped it was a "Yes I like her." That would make things so much easier.
Actually, now that Harry thought about it if those two got together tomorrow night he would win the bet. Oh please get with her tomorrow night Ron, please! Even if you break up after a day that's OK because then I still win!
"You think she's not worrying Harry?"
***
Hermione screeched. "I-I can't wear this! I look like-like-like some type of a…floozy!" she exclaimed. The look on her face was pure horrification. The Hermione Granger staring back at her was wearing low cut, a very low cut black robes that shimmered under the lights while a drop necklace of Parvati's dropped—hence the name, into her cleavage. Hermione didn't even realize she had cleavage until five minutes ago.
"You look perfectly fine Hermione, although the black does make you look like you're going to a funeral," Parvati observed. She tilted her head from side to side deciding on God-knew-what.
"Yeah, but you know what? No one would have this much…breast hanging out at a funeral!" she shouted. She was frustrated.
Ginny laughed. "You're so funny sometimes Hermione."
Hermione rolled her eyes and refused to say anything truly mean to her two friends who she supposed really were doing a good deed by helping her. She wished they'd just help her with her hair and leave the rest to her.
"Maybe red," Ginny said out of the blue.
"Red what?" Hermione and Parvati asked in unison.
"Red dress robes. They'd look pretty, especially with the color of Hermione's hair—
"Yeah, the color of sh—
Parvati gasped, effectively interrupting Hermione's dreary comment about her hair. "Tut tut Hermione! Don't swear! Now," she circled Hermione like a hawk, "you're hair is the color of nutmeg…blood red would look pretty with her hair, don't you think?"
Ginny nodded. "Definitely a shocking red…none of that maroon shit Mum likes…you'll be very sexy Hermione," she finalized in a singsong voice.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever you two. Hey, do either of you know what time it is?"
Ginny looked at the wristwatch her father had given her. "It is…quarter to eight. Why?"
Hermione flopped down on Parvati's bed. "Great! Could one of you tell Ron and Harry I won't be able to meet them at the library tonight but tell them I still want them to check for more information? And if they can't handle that, at least get started finding out if Lee liked anyone."
Ginny volunteered to go.
"Hmm," Parvati sighed as she looked through the pages upon pages of charms she had for turning clothing into something more…trendy. Which is how Hermione had gotten into these robes. They had actually put spells on her robes to get them that…low cut and sparkly. Now Parvati was attempting to charm the robes into red.
"Why didn't you buy dress robes like the letter suggested during the summer?"
"Because I didn't think I'd actually be asked to any ball," Hermione admitted through a clenched jaw.
Parvati looked up from the paper she was currently researching. "How could you say something like that?"
Hermione shrugged. "After last year's Yule Ball it just didn't seem…I don't know…I just didn't…no, I just don't want to go through that again."
"I'm sure everything will be OK," Parvati replied as she once more got back to work researching the paper for a color changing spell.
Hermione hoped to high heavens her roommate would be right. She wanted this year for everything to be OK. She wanted tomorrow night to be special, for her and for Ron.
So, that was it for tonight! What do you think? I hope it was OK and got you all excited for the next chapter or two…I love writing this and I just thought I would tell you: you guys are great. Thank you so much and please review!
*** As a side note, please pray/light a candle/meditate/whatever-it-is-you-do for the Allied forces in light of the war…and not only for the Allied soldiers but also the innocent Iraqi lives that will be lost. Remember, it is not Iraq we are against, but Saddam Hussein. I apologize if this request has offended you.
Religion isn't the cause of wars. It's the excuse.
~ Christopher Brookmyre
