Chapter 5- The Halloween Ball
*When did I mention the Room of Requirement?* Hermione wondered as she got into her luminescent pale blue dress robe for the Halloween Ball. *Oh well. I suppose I did, and there isn't really anything I can do about it now.*
Hermione knew Ginny had entered when she heard Lavender and Parvati's loud and giggly comments about her robes. She was about to roll her eyes when she turned and caught her breath instead. She saw exactly what they had been exclaiming over.
Ginny's robes were deeply black, elegant, and sleeveless, with a modest neckline but a back that plunged seductively. The soft fabric hung in folds where the plunging halted. The lightness of the fabric allowed it to cling in all the right places, swishing gently when she moved. She wore a pair of black gloves that reached past her elbow. Above that her creamy white skin was exposed. Her brilliant hair, usually long and straight, had been molded into beautiful curls that rested just below her shoulders. She wore a necklace with the chain charmed to invisibility, to the effect that the small pearls strung at intervals appeared to float around her neck. If Hermione had ever been more jealous in her life, she could not remember when. Especially since she had not had access to the hair straightening potion she had used in fourth year.
"Ginny, you look amazing."
Ginny grinned. "Thanks, Hermione. I thought I'd come see how you were doing."
"Well, I can't do a thing with my hair."
"Come here." Hermione obeyed. After careful consideration, Ginny did something- Hermione was not sure what- to her hair. "Look in the mirror."
Bracing herself, Hermione chanced a quick peek- and then stood shocked in front of the mirror. Only a moment before, her hair had been bushy and wild. Now it hung in smooth, soft curls halfway down her back, with tiny braids shimmering with silver strewn throughout. "How did you do that?"
Ginny flashed a wicked smile. "That's my little secret."
"Where *did* you get your robes, Ginny?" Lavender asked hopefully.
Ginny smiled again. "That's another secret." She started to search through Parvati's makeup kit. "But if you let me use your makeup I might tell you one of them." Parvati nodded eagerly. Ginny chose makeup for herself and Hermione.
When Hermione next surveyed herself in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her lipstick was hardly darker than her lips themselves, but added a delicate shimmer. Her eyelids shone a light shimmery blue, to match her robes, and they were lined underneath, just barely noticeable, with a much darker blue. Her cheeks now held a faint rosy blush. Between the hair and the makeup, she looked nothing like herself.
After her own makeup adventure, Ginny looked like a supermodel. She wore a sultry red lipstick and had somehow given her eyes a smoky effect and given them a hint of green in the process. She wore the lightest blush she could find. It was barely visible, but just enough to bring out her perfect cheekbones.
"Now," she said. "I'll tell you about my robes."
Lavender and Parvati both leaned forward eagerly. Hermione noticed how beautiful they both looked. Lavender was wearing pale pink robes and a slightly darker shade of lipstick. Her eyeshadow was chosen to bring out her bright blue eyes, and her cheeks glowed both with blush and excitement. Her hair was swept half up and curled into small springs, bouncing whenever she moved her head.
"Now, I know that you know my family doesn't have a lot of money," Ginny said sourly. "But I really did need dress robes, so I found another way to get them."
Parvati was dressed in dark green silk with lace at the trim, which fitted her body like one of Ginny's gloves. Her lips were a red similar to Ginny's, with a bit more brown in it. Her eyes had no shadow, but were lined in an enticing black. She had added tiny rhinestones to her usual long black plait.
"I made them."
At once Parvati, Lavender, and Hermione all gasped unintentionally. "Oh my goodness, Ginny!" Lavender squeeled. "That's amazing. You could probably sell them, seriously! But what about the hair."
"Uh-uh," Ginny said sneakily, shaking a finger. "That one is going to remain my secret."
Lavender and Parvati chattered loudly as they left together for the ball. Hermione at last allowed herself the eye roll she had been aching for. Then she said, "Thank you so much, Ginny. I would never be able to look like this on my own."
Ginny winked. "I'll teach you. Let's go."
Hermione felt very self-conscious walking next to Ginny. The younger girl was a good deal taller than her, though not nearly as tall as Ron and a few inches shorter than Harry. Hermione, though, had always been shorter than any of them, and though they usually refrained from teasing her they could not resist the occasional jibe.
Nervously, she let Ginny lead the way to the common room. She realized that it was probably a mistake to walk in *after* someone who looked like Ginny. Probably, no one would even notice her.
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"Come on, Ron. It's better than last year, at least. Anyway, we're all going as a group. Don't worry about it. Just put your robes on, and hurry up about it will you?"
Ron was standing in front of his bed in only his red paisley boxers. Harry wanted to laugh at the thought that Ron would own boxers to match his pajamas, but he didn't. It probably would not help the situation.
Harry could not see what the problem was, though. The dress robes Ron had this year were brand new, definitely the darkest he expected bright blue could be. They looked much like Harry's own robes, which he was already wearing. His hair had refused to succumb to any semblance of order despite half an hour of combing, and he had given up when the mirror in the bathroom had said, "Oh, it's hopeless, dear, just go and have fun."
"Ron, come *on*. We're going to miss the whole thing."
"Gee, that's disappointing."
"I promise you'll have more fun than you did last year. Viktor Krum's not here, remember?"
Ron shot him a look. Seamus sighed and added his own comments. "If you don't hurry up the girls will be ready before we are. You have no idea how *that* would look to some of them."
After five more minutes of arguing, they finally managed to wrestle Ron into his robes and drag him downstairs to the common room. While waiting, Ron tried several times to escape back up to the dorms, until Harry threatened to hex him- nothing serious, he would just lose control of his legs and end up looking like a fool on the dance floor. After that, Ron stood grumbling with his arms crossed, waiting impatiently for the girls to descend.
Lavender and Parvati passed them, and Harry acknowledged with a raise of his eyebrows that their efforts had been worthwhile. He caught Ron looking as well, though he did not seem any happier.
A few minutes passed, with no sign of Ginny or Hermione. After checking Seamus's watch for the zillionth time, Harry finally glimpsed Ginny walking regally down the stairs from the girls' dormitory. When her full figure was in view, Harry was unable to tear his eyes away. She looked radiant and seductive, and Harry had to shake himself at the thought in order to shift his gaze. It settled on Hermione, who looked absolutely beautiful. He smiled at her, and she smiled uncertainly back. He saw her eyes flicker to his hair once.
Harry looked at his male companions. Seamus was gazing raptly at Ginny, his eyes twice their usual size. Ron's jaw had dropped lower than Harry would have thought possible, and he was now trying to get Ginny to go get a cloak to cover herself. She just laughed him off and playfully suggested that he might wake up with his face covered in Yellownabers if he did not shut up.
It seemed to Harry, when he observed the room, that every male in the common room had turned when Ginny arrived, and every female member had glared with jealousy upon noticing what the boys were staring at. Ginny gave him a grin and a wink.
Hermione stood quietly off to the side. Harry offered her his arm. "Care for an escort?" She took it gratefully and gently. Seamus did the same for Ginny. Harry laughed at the thought that to follow suit, Ron might do so for Neville, but dismissed the notion. Still, he whispered it to Hermione, who laughed softly. She turned to glance back at Ron and Neville, both walking warily behind the group. Her hair swung to the side as she did, one of the tiny braids catching the light. Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Who did your hair?"
"Ginny," Hermione answered simply, smiling at her. Ginny smiled slyly back, winking again. It was her new trademark, winking.
The Great Hall held many smaller round tables with five chairs each surrounding a large space cleared for dancing. A stage was set up, on which stood a group of musicians known commonly as the Weird Sisters. They were tuning their instruments as the group of Gryffindors entered, the resulting sound not one Harry would have chosen to listen to.
They chose a table at the far end, where they could watch everyone come in and stole a chair from one of the other tables for Neville. Seamus, the perfect gentlemen, pulled Ginny's chair out for her, and pushed it in as she sat down. She winked at him. Ron almost blew smoke out his nose.
Harry was just wondering why no one else except the teachers were there when the doors opened again and what seemed like the whole rest of the school entered. Some were in couples, there were a few larger groups, and even fewer entered alone. They chose tables rather hurriedly, the singles mostly opting to stand by the wall.
Dinner was a loud affair, full of jokes and, of course, food. After about half an hour, people got up to dance, the Weird Sisters playing a lively tune. Harry sat tapping his foot in time with the music unwittingly. He had not noticed the absence of two members of their table until he turned to find two empty chairs. "Where are Ginny and Seamus?"
Hermione smiled amusedly, and Ron nodded sourly to the dance floor. Harry turned, spotting them. Ginny was laughing with delight, Seamus grinning from ear to ear. He twirled her and steered her, pulling her close and pushing her out in tricky little moves. From Ron's point of view, Harry could see how sometimes they were too close. He did notice one thing, though. Seamus was a better dancer than he would have thought.
A while later, they sat down again, and Ron stood and stalked off. Ginny grinned and winked almost imperceptibly at Harry, who cleared his throat. "I'm going to, um, get a drink," he said, standing. He paused. "Does anyone want anything?"
"I'll take one," Ginny said cheerfully. Neville and Seamus shook their heads.
"Hermione?"
She nodded weakly.
"Are you all right, Hermione?"
"What? Oh- yes, I'm fine, Harry."
Not quite believing her, Harry went for the drinks, and returned a few minutes later. Seamus drank from Ginny's glass. Ron had been returning at that moment, but upon seeing this turned on his heel and exited. He did not return for the rest of the night.
Ginny and Seamus got up again to dance. This song was slower, and many couples swayed together on the dance floor. Seamus held Ginny so close that Harry was glad Ron had gone. He hoped he would not be short one roommate before the night was out.
Neville got up to use the bathroom, and knowing him would most likely be injured on the way there or back. This left Harry and Hermione alone at the table.
They sat for a little while in awkward silence. Not knowing what else to do, Harry asked. "Um, Hermione? Would you like to dance?"
She smiled shyly. "Yes, all right."
He offered his arm again, leading her out onto the floor. He only took her right to the edge, not wanting to get caught up in the crowd. Harry only then realized that he was not quite sure what to do. Hermione helped him by taking one of his hands, and he placed the other gently on her waist. Because keeping one hand on his shoulder would very likely have tired out her arm, she placed it on his chest instead. He followed the lead of the other couples, twirling her slowly but surely to the music.
"Thank you, Harry."
"Are you really all right? I've never seen you this quiet, and that *includes* that time in third year when…you know."
"I know. I'm all right, Harry, I was just…thinking. I'm nervous."
"About what?"
"It's just something- oh, Harry, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you worry. It's just there's an essay I haven't finished yet and it's due in four days and-"
She broke off because Harry was laughing. He couldn't help it. Only Hermione would spoil a Halloween Ball for herself by thinking about homework. "Is that all? Just forget about it, Hermione. You still have time to do it. You'll probably get five hundred percent on it no matter when you finish."
She smiled. She laughed along with Harry. He wondered whether she was agreeing with him or whether his laughter was just that effective. The rest of the night, for him and especially for Hermione, was much more enjoyable. They ended up dancing right alongside Seamus and Ginny.
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Hermione felt bad about lying to Harry, but she refused to break the confidence of her anonymous pen pal. She did take his advice, however, and forgot about it for the time being. She got lost in her happiness, and it wasn't until later, up in her room, that she remembered him.
She had to find Ginny to undo her hair. It was later than she had intended, but Ginny was not in her room. She crept down to the common room, where she was shocked by the sight of two people making out on the couch. The shocking thing was that the two people were Seamus and Ginny. Hoping that Ron did not happen to leave his room that night, she tiptoed back up the stairs. Her hair could wait.
End Chapter 5
I know you all really wanted to see them reveal themselves, but you'll just have to wait until next chapter. I'll post as soon as I can, so you won't have to wait *too* long. I love reviews.
*When did I mention the Room of Requirement?* Hermione wondered as she got into her luminescent pale blue dress robe for the Halloween Ball. *Oh well. I suppose I did, and there isn't really anything I can do about it now.*
Hermione knew Ginny had entered when she heard Lavender and Parvati's loud and giggly comments about her robes. She was about to roll her eyes when she turned and caught her breath instead. She saw exactly what they had been exclaiming over.
Ginny's robes were deeply black, elegant, and sleeveless, with a modest neckline but a back that plunged seductively. The soft fabric hung in folds where the plunging halted. The lightness of the fabric allowed it to cling in all the right places, swishing gently when she moved. She wore a pair of black gloves that reached past her elbow. Above that her creamy white skin was exposed. Her brilliant hair, usually long and straight, had been molded into beautiful curls that rested just below her shoulders. She wore a necklace with the chain charmed to invisibility, to the effect that the small pearls strung at intervals appeared to float around her neck. If Hermione had ever been more jealous in her life, she could not remember when. Especially since she had not had access to the hair straightening potion she had used in fourth year.
"Ginny, you look amazing."
Ginny grinned. "Thanks, Hermione. I thought I'd come see how you were doing."
"Well, I can't do a thing with my hair."
"Come here." Hermione obeyed. After careful consideration, Ginny did something- Hermione was not sure what- to her hair. "Look in the mirror."
Bracing herself, Hermione chanced a quick peek- and then stood shocked in front of the mirror. Only a moment before, her hair had been bushy and wild. Now it hung in smooth, soft curls halfway down her back, with tiny braids shimmering with silver strewn throughout. "How did you do that?"
Ginny flashed a wicked smile. "That's my little secret."
"Where *did* you get your robes, Ginny?" Lavender asked hopefully.
Ginny smiled again. "That's another secret." She started to search through Parvati's makeup kit. "But if you let me use your makeup I might tell you one of them." Parvati nodded eagerly. Ginny chose makeup for herself and Hermione.
When Hermione next surveyed herself in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her lipstick was hardly darker than her lips themselves, but added a delicate shimmer. Her eyelids shone a light shimmery blue, to match her robes, and they were lined underneath, just barely noticeable, with a much darker blue. Her cheeks now held a faint rosy blush. Between the hair and the makeup, she looked nothing like herself.
After her own makeup adventure, Ginny looked like a supermodel. She wore a sultry red lipstick and had somehow given her eyes a smoky effect and given them a hint of green in the process. She wore the lightest blush she could find. It was barely visible, but just enough to bring out her perfect cheekbones.
"Now," she said. "I'll tell you about my robes."
Lavender and Parvati both leaned forward eagerly. Hermione noticed how beautiful they both looked. Lavender was wearing pale pink robes and a slightly darker shade of lipstick. Her eyeshadow was chosen to bring out her bright blue eyes, and her cheeks glowed both with blush and excitement. Her hair was swept half up and curled into small springs, bouncing whenever she moved her head.
"Now, I know that you know my family doesn't have a lot of money," Ginny said sourly. "But I really did need dress robes, so I found another way to get them."
Parvati was dressed in dark green silk with lace at the trim, which fitted her body like one of Ginny's gloves. Her lips were a red similar to Ginny's, with a bit more brown in it. Her eyes had no shadow, but were lined in an enticing black. She had added tiny rhinestones to her usual long black plait.
"I made them."
At once Parvati, Lavender, and Hermione all gasped unintentionally. "Oh my goodness, Ginny!" Lavender squeeled. "That's amazing. You could probably sell them, seriously! But what about the hair."
"Uh-uh," Ginny said sneakily, shaking a finger. "That one is going to remain my secret."
Lavender and Parvati chattered loudly as they left together for the ball. Hermione at last allowed herself the eye roll she had been aching for. Then she said, "Thank you so much, Ginny. I would never be able to look like this on my own."
Ginny winked. "I'll teach you. Let's go."
Hermione felt very self-conscious walking next to Ginny. The younger girl was a good deal taller than her, though not nearly as tall as Ron and a few inches shorter than Harry. Hermione, though, had always been shorter than any of them, and though they usually refrained from teasing her they could not resist the occasional jibe.
Nervously, she let Ginny lead the way to the common room. She realized that it was probably a mistake to walk in *after* someone who looked like Ginny. Probably, no one would even notice her.
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"Come on, Ron. It's better than last year, at least. Anyway, we're all going as a group. Don't worry about it. Just put your robes on, and hurry up about it will you?"
Ron was standing in front of his bed in only his red paisley boxers. Harry wanted to laugh at the thought that Ron would own boxers to match his pajamas, but he didn't. It probably would not help the situation.
Harry could not see what the problem was, though. The dress robes Ron had this year were brand new, definitely the darkest he expected bright blue could be. They looked much like Harry's own robes, which he was already wearing. His hair had refused to succumb to any semblance of order despite half an hour of combing, and he had given up when the mirror in the bathroom had said, "Oh, it's hopeless, dear, just go and have fun."
"Ron, come *on*. We're going to miss the whole thing."
"Gee, that's disappointing."
"I promise you'll have more fun than you did last year. Viktor Krum's not here, remember?"
Ron shot him a look. Seamus sighed and added his own comments. "If you don't hurry up the girls will be ready before we are. You have no idea how *that* would look to some of them."
After five more minutes of arguing, they finally managed to wrestle Ron into his robes and drag him downstairs to the common room. While waiting, Ron tried several times to escape back up to the dorms, until Harry threatened to hex him- nothing serious, he would just lose control of his legs and end up looking like a fool on the dance floor. After that, Ron stood grumbling with his arms crossed, waiting impatiently for the girls to descend.
Lavender and Parvati passed them, and Harry acknowledged with a raise of his eyebrows that their efforts had been worthwhile. He caught Ron looking as well, though he did not seem any happier.
A few minutes passed, with no sign of Ginny or Hermione. After checking Seamus's watch for the zillionth time, Harry finally glimpsed Ginny walking regally down the stairs from the girls' dormitory. When her full figure was in view, Harry was unable to tear his eyes away. She looked radiant and seductive, and Harry had to shake himself at the thought in order to shift his gaze. It settled on Hermione, who looked absolutely beautiful. He smiled at her, and she smiled uncertainly back. He saw her eyes flicker to his hair once.
Harry looked at his male companions. Seamus was gazing raptly at Ginny, his eyes twice their usual size. Ron's jaw had dropped lower than Harry would have thought possible, and he was now trying to get Ginny to go get a cloak to cover herself. She just laughed him off and playfully suggested that he might wake up with his face covered in Yellownabers if he did not shut up.
It seemed to Harry, when he observed the room, that every male in the common room had turned when Ginny arrived, and every female member had glared with jealousy upon noticing what the boys were staring at. Ginny gave him a grin and a wink.
Hermione stood quietly off to the side. Harry offered her his arm. "Care for an escort?" She took it gratefully and gently. Seamus did the same for Ginny. Harry laughed at the thought that to follow suit, Ron might do so for Neville, but dismissed the notion. Still, he whispered it to Hermione, who laughed softly. She turned to glance back at Ron and Neville, both walking warily behind the group. Her hair swung to the side as she did, one of the tiny braids catching the light. Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Who did your hair?"
"Ginny," Hermione answered simply, smiling at her. Ginny smiled slyly back, winking again. It was her new trademark, winking.
The Great Hall held many smaller round tables with five chairs each surrounding a large space cleared for dancing. A stage was set up, on which stood a group of musicians known commonly as the Weird Sisters. They were tuning their instruments as the group of Gryffindors entered, the resulting sound not one Harry would have chosen to listen to.
They chose a table at the far end, where they could watch everyone come in and stole a chair from one of the other tables for Neville. Seamus, the perfect gentlemen, pulled Ginny's chair out for her, and pushed it in as she sat down. She winked at him. Ron almost blew smoke out his nose.
Harry was just wondering why no one else except the teachers were there when the doors opened again and what seemed like the whole rest of the school entered. Some were in couples, there were a few larger groups, and even fewer entered alone. They chose tables rather hurriedly, the singles mostly opting to stand by the wall.
Dinner was a loud affair, full of jokes and, of course, food. After about half an hour, people got up to dance, the Weird Sisters playing a lively tune. Harry sat tapping his foot in time with the music unwittingly. He had not noticed the absence of two members of their table until he turned to find two empty chairs. "Where are Ginny and Seamus?"
Hermione smiled amusedly, and Ron nodded sourly to the dance floor. Harry turned, spotting them. Ginny was laughing with delight, Seamus grinning from ear to ear. He twirled her and steered her, pulling her close and pushing her out in tricky little moves. From Ron's point of view, Harry could see how sometimes they were too close. He did notice one thing, though. Seamus was a better dancer than he would have thought.
A while later, they sat down again, and Ron stood and stalked off. Ginny grinned and winked almost imperceptibly at Harry, who cleared his throat. "I'm going to, um, get a drink," he said, standing. He paused. "Does anyone want anything?"
"I'll take one," Ginny said cheerfully. Neville and Seamus shook their heads.
"Hermione?"
She nodded weakly.
"Are you all right, Hermione?"
"What? Oh- yes, I'm fine, Harry."
Not quite believing her, Harry went for the drinks, and returned a few minutes later. Seamus drank from Ginny's glass. Ron had been returning at that moment, but upon seeing this turned on his heel and exited. He did not return for the rest of the night.
Ginny and Seamus got up again to dance. This song was slower, and many couples swayed together on the dance floor. Seamus held Ginny so close that Harry was glad Ron had gone. He hoped he would not be short one roommate before the night was out.
Neville got up to use the bathroom, and knowing him would most likely be injured on the way there or back. This left Harry and Hermione alone at the table.
They sat for a little while in awkward silence. Not knowing what else to do, Harry asked. "Um, Hermione? Would you like to dance?"
She smiled shyly. "Yes, all right."
He offered his arm again, leading her out onto the floor. He only took her right to the edge, not wanting to get caught up in the crowd. Harry only then realized that he was not quite sure what to do. Hermione helped him by taking one of his hands, and he placed the other gently on her waist. Because keeping one hand on his shoulder would very likely have tired out her arm, she placed it on his chest instead. He followed the lead of the other couples, twirling her slowly but surely to the music.
"Thank you, Harry."
"Are you really all right? I've never seen you this quiet, and that *includes* that time in third year when…you know."
"I know. I'm all right, Harry, I was just…thinking. I'm nervous."
"About what?"
"It's just something- oh, Harry, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you worry. It's just there's an essay I haven't finished yet and it's due in four days and-"
She broke off because Harry was laughing. He couldn't help it. Only Hermione would spoil a Halloween Ball for herself by thinking about homework. "Is that all? Just forget about it, Hermione. You still have time to do it. You'll probably get five hundred percent on it no matter when you finish."
She smiled. She laughed along with Harry. He wondered whether she was agreeing with him or whether his laughter was just that effective. The rest of the night, for him and especially for Hermione, was much more enjoyable. They ended up dancing right alongside Seamus and Ginny.
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Hermione felt bad about lying to Harry, but she refused to break the confidence of her anonymous pen pal. She did take his advice, however, and forgot about it for the time being. She got lost in her happiness, and it wasn't until later, up in her room, that she remembered him.
She had to find Ginny to undo her hair. It was later than she had intended, but Ginny was not in her room. She crept down to the common room, where she was shocked by the sight of two people making out on the couch. The shocking thing was that the two people were Seamus and Ginny. Hoping that Ron did not happen to leave his room that night, she tiptoed back up the stairs. Her hair could wait.
End Chapter 5
I know you all really wanted to see them reveal themselves, but you'll just have to wait until next chapter. I'll post as soon as I can, so you won't have to wait *too* long. I love reviews.