Chapter Fourteen: The Dreaded Ball
Hermione hurried through the halls, shoving James's words to the back of her mind. She couldn't think about that, it caused too much pain. She just wanted to go away, but without her Time Turner that was impossible. She had to find some way to get it back.
With these thoughts, she walked to the common room and headed for the stairs, not looking around her. But she was stopped by Sirius's voice. "Hey, Hera. Wait."
Silently groaning, Hermione turned to see Sirius sitting on a chair by the fireplace. She quickly tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes, but not before her boyfriend noticed.
"What's wrong?" he asked, seeming more irritated that he couldn't talk than concerned about why she was upset.
She briefly considered telling him that she was really in love with his best friend-just to see his reaction. Deciding against it, Hermione quickly made up an excuse. "Just thinking about my parents again, that's all. But it's all okay now that you're here." The words made her want to vomit. She forced herself sit in a chair next to him and smile sweetly.
Sirius grinned. "Well, I got news that will cheer you right up! Remember that I told you I wanted to talk to you about something?" she nodded. "You are going to be so incredibly thrilled!"
Hermione furrowed her brow. Anything that Sirius was excited about had the potential to be bad news to her. "What is it?" She asked warily.
"I know you're new this year, but surely you've heard about the Yule Ball!" Hermione's smile dissolved at the news. Not the ball! The last thing she wanted to do was attend a dance that would remind her of Harry and Ron, and attend it with Sirius at that. He didn't notice her sudden change of emotion (which wasn't surprising, he was never attentive to such things) and continued to talk. "I've always thought it was lame, but then again I've never had a Hera Ranger by my side before!" Hermione rolled her eyes, but the gesture went unnoticed. "The thing is," persisted Sirius, "the dance is only a week away. I plum forgot about it! But it's okay, I already asked Lily and she said she has an extra set of dress robes you can borrow."
Hermione glared at him. He wasn't even asking her if she wanted to go, he was telling her. It was all she could do to stop herself from slapping him right across the face. But she had to get her questions answered first. "The Yule Ball? I thought that the Yule Ball was only with the Triwizard tournament."
Sirius regarded her with a smile, "You're out of touch, girl, that tournament hasn't been held for years. But awhile back some students decided that they wanted a dance anyway, so they petitioned to the current Headmaster, who agreed to have it. It's held a month before the winter holidays." Hermione's mind raced: she never remembered reading anything about this in Hogwarts, A History. She was mad that she hadn't known, and that Sirius was talking to her like a child. She seriously considered slapping him again. Luckily, Lily burst in before she could act.
"Hera!" she squealed girlishly. "C'mon let's pick out what to wear to the Yule Ball!" Hermione allowed herself to be dragged into the dormitory. She didn't want to deal with Lily's giggling, but it was sure better than Sirius's advancements.
Once the door was shut, Lily opened the wardrobe and began to throw out dress after dress. Hermione's eyes widened. "Why on earth do you have so many sets of dress robes?"
Lily shrugged and picked up one of the dresses she had thrown on a bed. "This one would look great on you!"
Hermione eyed it in disgust. The color was absolutely awful-a type of gaudy lipstick pink. Even worse was the cut...waaaay too low for her tastes. "Uh, I do think so. Magenta's not my color."
Lily looked from Hermione to the dress then back at Hermione again. "I think it's pretty. And Sirius would like it!"
"Sirius," scoffed Hermione, "yeah, like I care."
"You should care," Lily frowned at her, "and if you don't, why are you with him?"
Eagar to change the subject, Hermione hurriedly picked up another dress. "This one's nice." It was shimmery green with silver beading.
"Oh, I was thinking of wearing that one!" Lily forgot about scrutinizing Hermione's love life as she took the dress and held it against her body. "What do you think?"
"It brings out your eyes," said Hermione, "just perfect!" She was filled with nostalgia as she remembered how Harry's green dress robes had the same effect on his eyes.
Lily grinned. "Thanks, Hera. But we still need to find one for you."
Hermione eyed the other dresses. They were all brightly colored, and none but the one Lily was holding suited her tastes. "Do you have anymore?"
"Oh, I do!" Lily returned to her wardrobe and started rummaging again. "But it's really dull and boring, quite old-ladyish really. I got it from my grandma." She pulled out a dress from the very back. "Here it is."
Taking it in her hands, Hermione instantly fell in love with the dress. It was very elegant and refined. The color was absolutely perfect-a really dark violet, almost black. The material was solid on top, but below the waist it was layers of sheer silky fabric. The collar ran horizontally from shoulder to shoulder, and the skirt was cut very straight. A smooth robe accompanied the dress, the sleeves ran all the way to the hands where they hooked onto the middle finger, and the back ran at least two feet lower than the hem, so it would trail behind the wearer. Overall, it was classically beautiful. Lily noticed Hermione's reverence and grinned. "I never liked it because it clashes with my hair, but it may be just right for you!" Hermione nodded. "You know, if you like it that much, you can just have it."
Hermione raised her gaze from the dress and regarded Lily. "You can't be serious. Do you know how valuable a dress like this would be?"
Lily laughed. "I have countless dress robes, and I'll never wear that one. I'm giving it to you, and I won't take no for an answer!" Hermione readily accepted, and rushed over to hug Lily.
As they tried on the gowns, talked about hairstyles, and made plans for makeup and nail polish; Hermione realized that she was actually having fun. She was still dreading going to the ball with Sirius, but overall it may not be such a bad experience.
The girls stayed in the dorm for most of the day, making plans for the big event. Lily started to talk about dates, and Hermione tried with no avail to convince her to go with James. Finally they decided to just go as a group, which relieved Hermione greatly, as it would free her from Sirius. After that night, the days flew by until it was finally time for the ball.
*****
James took a sip of his pumpkin juice, looking around the Hall. He hadn't wanted to go to the dance at all, but his friends hounded him until he obliged. They had originally wanted to go as a large group, but he couldn't stand the thought of attending the ball with Hera-even with other people along. So he had asked Sarah Wallywick, a chaser from Gryffindor. Sarah was a nice enough girl, but not one he would never consider as anything other than an acquaintance.
He set down the glass and surveyed the room. Sarah was currently dancing with some guy from Ravenclaw. James couldn't care less; he'd rather be on his own. His eyes focused on Bellatrix Black, and he was filled with hatred. She was dancing with one of the Lestrange brothers-he could never tell them apart. Snape was settled in a corner, talking with a younger Slytherin boy who James recognized as Sirius's brother. Quickly tearing this eyes away from them, he looked for his friends. Remus had retired to the Gryffindor quarters a while back, and Lily was dancing with Peter-who had never looked happier. "Where's the perfect couple?" he muttered bitterly to himself. They weren't on the dance floor. He sighed, telling himself he didn't care. But as he reached once again for his drink, something caught his eye.
There she was-hands on her hips and frowning at Sirius. But James wasn't concerned with her expression. She looked astonishing. Her dress robes were of a deep purple and her silky hair cascaded down her back. He rapidly shook his head and turned back to his pumpkin juice, trying to ignore her. But he couldn't. His feet automatically started walking closer to the pair, until he could hear their conversation.
"Sirius!" her voice was half whining and half scolding. "What is your problem? We've only danced twice all night! I'm tired of sitting out."
Sirius was much more concerned with the snack table than his date's happiness. "You can dance with someone else, you know," he said, his mouth full of food.
She frowned even deeper. "I have. I danced with Remus more than you, for goodness sake!"
Sirius was starting to get irritated. All he wanted to do was chill out, not be berated. He sighed, looked for a moment as if he was about to give in, and scanned the hall. His eyes conveniently fell on his best friend, who was now only a few feet away. Grinning, he grabbed Hermione and shoved her right into James. "Here," he said, "you haven't danced with him yet. Have fun kids." With that, he briskly walked in the other direction before he could hear any words of dissent.
Hermione had lost her balance when thrust by Sirius, and fell right into James. He instinctively put out his arms to catch her, and they landed around her waist. Her hands, which had involuntarily raised themselves to break her fall, were braced against his chest. Turning bright red, she looked into his eyes for a brief moment. They were scowling, showing scrutiny and disapproval.
Exhaling in frustration, she tore her eyes away and started to walk in the opposite direction. Before she could get very far, however, James's hand darted out and grabbed hers. His eyes were still sullen, yet he led her to the dance floor without a word.
Keeping hold of her one hand, he placed his other lightly on her waist, as if he was afraid to touch her. Afraid, Hermione thought, or disgusted. She hesitantly put her hand on the very edge of his shoulder, making the least contact as possible.
And they danced. They were silent, they avoided eye contact, but they danced. Everything around them blurred as they held onto each other, their bodies moving as one. James's grip on her hand was tightening, and Hermione could tell from his tensed body that he was thinking everything he had written just a week ago.
She couldn't stop herself, no matter how hard she tried. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but right there on the dance floor just inches from James, she began to cry. It started as a couple sniffles, then elevated to full blown sobs.
James felt her body shaking, and looked down at her. The look on her face made his heart sink. All of the sudden, his anger left. He had been so bitter, but seeing her as upset as she was, he could have no such feelings. The animosity was replaced with that feeling he had when Bellatrix and Snape had first stolen her Time Turner-the feeling that he would protect her at all costs.
Much to Hermione's surprise, James wrapped his arms around her. He held her there on the dance floor, his hands running across her back reassuringly. She wept without inhibition now, clutching his shoulders. They stopped all movement, and for a minute just stood there. Then Hermione broke free. She looked into his eyes, confused and scared.
"James..." she began, "...I..." Not knowing what to say, she silently walked off the dance floor and out of the hall, leaving behind a very disappointed James Potter.
Walking down the corridor, through the portrait hole, and up the stairs; Hermione allowed no thoughts to enter her head. She felt that if she even briefly dwelled on the situation she would go running back to the Great Hall and into James's arms.
She allowed herself to cry, though. Considering the situation, she didn't even know exactly what she was crying about. All she wanted was to curl into a ball on her bed and go to sleep, leaving all the problems to be dealt with in the morning. Entering her room, she closed the door behind her.
But the dorm wasn't empty. There was someone standing against the wall in the shadows. She gasped and started to run out of the room, before a voice stopped her.
"Hera, wait."
She stopped, shocked. The voice was so distinctive, yet she could not believe it. Turning around, she found herself face to face with Remus Lupin.
Hermione hurried through the halls, shoving James's words to the back of her mind. She couldn't think about that, it caused too much pain. She just wanted to go away, but without her Time Turner that was impossible. She had to find some way to get it back.
With these thoughts, she walked to the common room and headed for the stairs, not looking around her. But she was stopped by Sirius's voice. "Hey, Hera. Wait."
Silently groaning, Hermione turned to see Sirius sitting on a chair by the fireplace. She quickly tried to wipe away the tears in her eyes, but not before her boyfriend noticed.
"What's wrong?" he asked, seeming more irritated that he couldn't talk than concerned about why she was upset.
She briefly considered telling him that she was really in love with his best friend-just to see his reaction. Deciding against it, Hermione quickly made up an excuse. "Just thinking about my parents again, that's all. But it's all okay now that you're here." The words made her want to vomit. She forced herself sit in a chair next to him and smile sweetly.
Sirius grinned. "Well, I got news that will cheer you right up! Remember that I told you I wanted to talk to you about something?" she nodded. "You are going to be so incredibly thrilled!"
Hermione furrowed her brow. Anything that Sirius was excited about had the potential to be bad news to her. "What is it?" She asked warily.
"I know you're new this year, but surely you've heard about the Yule Ball!" Hermione's smile dissolved at the news. Not the ball! The last thing she wanted to do was attend a dance that would remind her of Harry and Ron, and attend it with Sirius at that. He didn't notice her sudden change of emotion (which wasn't surprising, he was never attentive to such things) and continued to talk. "I've always thought it was lame, but then again I've never had a Hera Ranger by my side before!" Hermione rolled her eyes, but the gesture went unnoticed. "The thing is," persisted Sirius, "the dance is only a week away. I plum forgot about it! But it's okay, I already asked Lily and she said she has an extra set of dress robes you can borrow."
Hermione glared at him. He wasn't even asking her if she wanted to go, he was telling her. It was all she could do to stop herself from slapping him right across the face. But she had to get her questions answered first. "The Yule Ball? I thought that the Yule Ball was only with the Triwizard tournament."
Sirius regarded her with a smile, "You're out of touch, girl, that tournament hasn't been held for years. But awhile back some students decided that they wanted a dance anyway, so they petitioned to the current Headmaster, who agreed to have it. It's held a month before the winter holidays." Hermione's mind raced: she never remembered reading anything about this in Hogwarts, A History. She was mad that she hadn't known, and that Sirius was talking to her like a child. She seriously considered slapping him again. Luckily, Lily burst in before she could act.
"Hera!" she squealed girlishly. "C'mon let's pick out what to wear to the Yule Ball!" Hermione allowed herself to be dragged into the dormitory. She didn't want to deal with Lily's giggling, but it was sure better than Sirius's advancements.
Once the door was shut, Lily opened the wardrobe and began to throw out dress after dress. Hermione's eyes widened. "Why on earth do you have so many sets of dress robes?"
Lily shrugged and picked up one of the dresses she had thrown on a bed. "This one would look great on you!"
Hermione eyed it in disgust. The color was absolutely awful-a type of gaudy lipstick pink. Even worse was the cut...waaaay too low for her tastes. "Uh, I do think so. Magenta's not my color."
Lily looked from Hermione to the dress then back at Hermione again. "I think it's pretty. And Sirius would like it!"
"Sirius," scoffed Hermione, "yeah, like I care."
"You should care," Lily frowned at her, "and if you don't, why are you with him?"
Eagar to change the subject, Hermione hurriedly picked up another dress. "This one's nice." It was shimmery green with silver beading.
"Oh, I was thinking of wearing that one!" Lily forgot about scrutinizing Hermione's love life as she took the dress and held it against her body. "What do you think?"
"It brings out your eyes," said Hermione, "just perfect!" She was filled with nostalgia as she remembered how Harry's green dress robes had the same effect on his eyes.
Lily grinned. "Thanks, Hera. But we still need to find one for you."
Hermione eyed the other dresses. They were all brightly colored, and none but the one Lily was holding suited her tastes. "Do you have anymore?"
"Oh, I do!" Lily returned to her wardrobe and started rummaging again. "But it's really dull and boring, quite old-ladyish really. I got it from my grandma." She pulled out a dress from the very back. "Here it is."
Taking it in her hands, Hermione instantly fell in love with the dress. It was very elegant and refined. The color was absolutely perfect-a really dark violet, almost black. The material was solid on top, but below the waist it was layers of sheer silky fabric. The collar ran horizontally from shoulder to shoulder, and the skirt was cut very straight. A smooth robe accompanied the dress, the sleeves ran all the way to the hands where they hooked onto the middle finger, and the back ran at least two feet lower than the hem, so it would trail behind the wearer. Overall, it was classically beautiful. Lily noticed Hermione's reverence and grinned. "I never liked it because it clashes with my hair, but it may be just right for you!" Hermione nodded. "You know, if you like it that much, you can just have it."
Hermione raised her gaze from the dress and regarded Lily. "You can't be serious. Do you know how valuable a dress like this would be?"
Lily laughed. "I have countless dress robes, and I'll never wear that one. I'm giving it to you, and I won't take no for an answer!" Hermione readily accepted, and rushed over to hug Lily.
As they tried on the gowns, talked about hairstyles, and made plans for makeup and nail polish; Hermione realized that she was actually having fun. She was still dreading going to the ball with Sirius, but overall it may not be such a bad experience.
The girls stayed in the dorm for most of the day, making plans for the big event. Lily started to talk about dates, and Hermione tried with no avail to convince her to go with James. Finally they decided to just go as a group, which relieved Hermione greatly, as it would free her from Sirius. After that night, the days flew by until it was finally time for the ball.
*****
James took a sip of his pumpkin juice, looking around the Hall. He hadn't wanted to go to the dance at all, but his friends hounded him until he obliged. They had originally wanted to go as a large group, but he couldn't stand the thought of attending the ball with Hera-even with other people along. So he had asked Sarah Wallywick, a chaser from Gryffindor. Sarah was a nice enough girl, but not one he would never consider as anything other than an acquaintance.
He set down the glass and surveyed the room. Sarah was currently dancing with some guy from Ravenclaw. James couldn't care less; he'd rather be on his own. His eyes focused on Bellatrix Black, and he was filled with hatred. She was dancing with one of the Lestrange brothers-he could never tell them apart. Snape was settled in a corner, talking with a younger Slytherin boy who James recognized as Sirius's brother. Quickly tearing this eyes away from them, he looked for his friends. Remus had retired to the Gryffindor quarters a while back, and Lily was dancing with Peter-who had never looked happier. "Where's the perfect couple?" he muttered bitterly to himself. They weren't on the dance floor. He sighed, telling himself he didn't care. But as he reached once again for his drink, something caught his eye.
There she was-hands on her hips and frowning at Sirius. But James wasn't concerned with her expression. She looked astonishing. Her dress robes were of a deep purple and her silky hair cascaded down her back. He rapidly shook his head and turned back to his pumpkin juice, trying to ignore her. But he couldn't. His feet automatically started walking closer to the pair, until he could hear their conversation.
"Sirius!" her voice was half whining and half scolding. "What is your problem? We've only danced twice all night! I'm tired of sitting out."
Sirius was much more concerned with the snack table than his date's happiness. "You can dance with someone else, you know," he said, his mouth full of food.
She frowned even deeper. "I have. I danced with Remus more than you, for goodness sake!"
Sirius was starting to get irritated. All he wanted to do was chill out, not be berated. He sighed, looked for a moment as if he was about to give in, and scanned the hall. His eyes conveniently fell on his best friend, who was now only a few feet away. Grinning, he grabbed Hermione and shoved her right into James. "Here," he said, "you haven't danced with him yet. Have fun kids." With that, he briskly walked in the other direction before he could hear any words of dissent.
Hermione had lost her balance when thrust by Sirius, and fell right into James. He instinctively put out his arms to catch her, and they landed around her waist. Her hands, which had involuntarily raised themselves to break her fall, were braced against his chest. Turning bright red, she looked into his eyes for a brief moment. They were scowling, showing scrutiny and disapproval.
Exhaling in frustration, she tore her eyes away and started to walk in the opposite direction. Before she could get very far, however, James's hand darted out and grabbed hers. His eyes were still sullen, yet he led her to the dance floor without a word.
Keeping hold of her one hand, he placed his other lightly on her waist, as if he was afraid to touch her. Afraid, Hermione thought, or disgusted. She hesitantly put her hand on the very edge of his shoulder, making the least contact as possible.
And they danced. They were silent, they avoided eye contact, but they danced. Everything around them blurred as they held onto each other, their bodies moving as one. James's grip on her hand was tightening, and Hermione could tell from his tensed body that he was thinking everything he had written just a week ago.
She couldn't stop herself, no matter how hard she tried. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but right there on the dance floor just inches from James, she began to cry. It started as a couple sniffles, then elevated to full blown sobs.
James felt her body shaking, and looked down at her. The look on her face made his heart sink. All of the sudden, his anger left. He had been so bitter, but seeing her as upset as she was, he could have no such feelings. The animosity was replaced with that feeling he had when Bellatrix and Snape had first stolen her Time Turner-the feeling that he would protect her at all costs.
Much to Hermione's surprise, James wrapped his arms around her. He held her there on the dance floor, his hands running across her back reassuringly. She wept without inhibition now, clutching his shoulders. They stopped all movement, and for a minute just stood there. Then Hermione broke free. She looked into his eyes, confused and scared.
"James..." she began, "...I..." Not knowing what to say, she silently walked off the dance floor and out of the hall, leaving behind a very disappointed James Potter.
Walking down the corridor, through the portrait hole, and up the stairs; Hermione allowed no thoughts to enter her head. She felt that if she even briefly dwelled on the situation she would go running back to the Great Hall and into James's arms.
She allowed herself to cry, though. Considering the situation, she didn't even know exactly what she was crying about. All she wanted was to curl into a ball on her bed and go to sleep, leaving all the problems to be dealt with in the morning. Entering her room, she closed the door behind her.
But the dorm wasn't empty. There was someone standing against the wall in the shadows. She gasped and started to run out of the room, before a voice stopped her.
"Hera, wait."
She stopped, shocked. The voice was so distinctive, yet she could not believe it. Turning around, she found herself face to face with Remus Lupin.