Chapter 45- Oh, The Pink Frilliness Of It All
"Why did I let her talk me into this?" Draco moaned, face in hands. He sat on the couch in his and Hermione's common room, elbows on knees.
"Don't worry too much about it," Harry said, trying ineffectively to alleviate Draco's completely warranted concern. "You probably didn't know what you were agreeing too. With Hermione, sometimes it's hard to tell."
"She clouded my mind with kisses! Damn women and their seductive ways!"
They were sitting across from each other. Harry was trying to help Draco figure out how Hermione had done it, but Draco was not helping at all, just whining. And he knew it. But he could not help it, after what she did.
It was official- the worst thing that could have happened to him had now happened.
Hermione had convinced him to have a Valentine's Day ball.
"But really, it won't be *that* bad, Malfoy."
Draco's head came up, and he stared at Harry incredulously. "*Not* that *bad*, Potter? Are you out of your mind? Do you know what Valentine's Day balls are like?"
"Well, they can't really be much different from all those other balls…"
"Oh, you poor naïve homosexual. You really have no idea." Draco shook his head pityingly. *He* certainly wasn't going to be the one to tell him. "Oh, fine! The short version, though. If I tell you the details I'm pretty sure I'll vomit. A Valentine's Day ball is very much like another ball. However, every thing is *pink*, and everyone is *mushy*. And you have to have a date to go. It's just the way it works."
Harry appeared to be waiting for something. "What's so bad about that?"
Draco's head went back into his hands.
************************************************************************
"I can't believe I actually convinced him," Hermione told Ginny as they sorted through the rack of robes at Gladrags'. It was the day after they had agreed on the ball, and the very same day that Draco was complaining to Harry. "I don't know how I did it."
"You probably clouded his mind with kisses," Ginny suggested, shrugging. She grinned. "Vixen."
"If anyone's a vixen, it's you, Ginny. You and your plans to get Seamus in bed."
"Shh! Hermione!" Ginny whispered in alarm. "You *know* how rumors spread around here. I don't want people to know until we've actually *done* something."
Smiling, Hermione looked down at the robe she currently held in her hands. It was velvet of a pretty green hue. "What do you think of this one?" She held it up for the other girl to see.
Ginny cocked her head to the side as she scrutinized it. "Too plain," she said. "Come on, I'll make you a robe that will turn every head. And I do mean every."
Hermione willingly let Ginny take measurements, pin up fabric- miraculously avoiding turning her into a pincushion in the process- whatever she needed to do to make her this alleged head-turning robe. While she worked, they talked, planning the decorations.
"Why didn't you ask Lavender and Parvati to help you? They're very Valentine's-minded."
"Are you kidding?" Hermione almost shuddered, but she did not want to be pricked. "Do you have any idea how- how *pink* and *frilly* it would be? I can usually stand that pretty well, but not if it's covering the Great Hall, and not if I have to look at it for hours on end."
Ginny glanced up, one eyebrow raised. "Why did you tell Draco you asked them, then?"
Hermione grinned. "I just wanted to bug him. I'm just picturing all the horrors of incredible mushiness he must be expecting to appear in the Great Hall on Valentine's."
"You're evil, Hermione."
"Well, I learned from the best."
"Draco?"
"No, you."
They both giggled for five minutes, Hermione because she was joking, Ginny because she knew it was true. "Well, I am glad you asked me," Ginny said, once they had recovered. "I'm honored to help. Between the two of us, Valentine's Day might actually be tasteful this year."
Smirking in a Dracoesque fashion, Hermione argued. "As long as your tastes have improved over the last few years. We don't need any more Valentines comparing lover's eyes to toads-"
"Hermione, that was mean! Anyway, Harry's the only one with eyes the color of fresh pickled toads, and NO one would be stupid enough to send him a Valentine this year. Ron would kill them- plus, they saw how embarrassed I was about that. They wouldn't want it to happen to them."
"Well, I'm glad people learned from that experience. It would have been a horrible waste if all that happened was a good joke and a very red Weasley." Hermione smiled innocently when Ginny glared up at her.
They talked a bit more about the decorations. Hermione favored red over pink, since red was less revolting to certain males, not to mention it being the color of love and passion. Ginny suggested white, to make the Great Hall seem brighter. They decided together that touches of pink would be added to accent the occasion, but they would *not* turn into Parvati and Lavender. Then, just before Ginny finished, Hermione asked her opinion on dim candle lighting for the night.
"Yes, that would be romantic," Ginny smiled. Her dreamy expression turned amused quickly. "All right, it's finished. Look in the mirror."
Hermione eagerly stepped in front of the mirror, which began to laugh immediately. Hermione stared in horror. "Ginny, what the hell is this! And when did you put a bonnet on me?!"
Taking into account the lace, the bows, and the bonnet, Hermione looked not unlike Little Miss Muffet.
Ginny was holding her stomach laughing. After several warnings from Hermione, she managed to recover enough to gasp, "I'm just kidding, that's not the one. I was getting you back for before, the toad thing." She waved her wand. "Here, there's the real one."
Hermione turned again. The mirror immediately stopped laughing. So did Ginny, for that matter. As for Hermione herself, she could not stop smiling.
"Oh, *Ginny*! It's beautiful!"
"It was my pleasure, believe me. I just hope Draco isn't wearing black. Then you guys would be *all* black. That's so tacky."
"No it isn't. It's elegant."
"Tacky."
"What are you wearing, Ginny?" Hermione changed the subject.
Smiling suggestively, Ginny answered, "That's for me to know, and for everyone else to find out. It's only three days. On Wednesday night, you'll see what I'm wearing."
Clothes aside, Ginny and Hermione spent the next three hours planning for the ball.
"How are we going to get all this stuff?" Ginny wondered suddenly. "Normally I'd suggest borrowing it from people around the castle, but I doubt you'd agree to that. And I don't think we're going to find what we need in Hogsmeade."
"Ginny, haven't you realized yet the best thing about our headmaster? He can get anything he wants."
"Or anything we want," Ginny added, flashing a grin.
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"How did I let her talk me into this?!"
He was pacing in front of the fire this time, restlessly taking a few steps one way or the other. Harry was sitting on the couch, watching him with amusement. Draco glared at him periodically, which only served to lighten Harry's mood.
"Only three days, too. Three days to plan! I mentioned it, and you know what she said? 'Don't worry about it, you don't have to lift a finger. I'll get Parvati and Lavender to help me.' Argh! Oh, the pink frilliness of it all!"
"Malfoy, seriously. Get a grip. You're going a little crazy here. It's just a ball."
"Oh, you can talk! You *like* this stuff, remember Potter? You like *balls*."
Harry grinned, to Draco's surprise. "Yes, I do. And now I know for *sure* that Ron is a natural redhead…and Ginny."
"Ugh, ew, too much information, Potter! Keep your little sex-capades to yourself, thank you." Draco managed to hold in most of his shudder.
"So why don't you go and help her plan? Then you can be sure it won't be too," Harry leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "*Pink* and *Frilly*."
Draco rolled his eyes. "I can't, then she'll think I don't trust her."
"Do you?"
"Yes, but come on! She's female, of course she's going to make Valentine's Day extremely prissy-looking. That's what they do."
"Let me ask you something. You and Hermione were together last Valentine's Day. What did you do?"
"Well, we basically made out in the Room of Requirement…"
"Did Hermione ask for anything pink, or lacy, or frilly?"
"No…"
"You worry too much, you paranoid prat."
"Oh, thanks. Comforting." Draco felt slightly better. Hermione did not seem to favor pink frills…however, if she was planning with the Patil girl and Lavender Brown, he had no doubt that pink frills would be somewhere in the decorations equation. It was quite a disturbing thought.
An even more disturbing thought, when it occurred to him, was that Harry Potter was in his common room, acting as though they were- they were- friends. Of course, they weren't, they were just not enemies. Only, mere not enemies were not usually privileged with this type of confidence- not in his experience.
Were they, in fact, against their better judgment, against their wishes even, becoming friends? Were they starting to like each other?
No. It was impossible…right?
Draco debated silently voicing these thoughts to Harry. He also debated why he called him Harry in his mind, and Potter aloud. Why didn't he just call him "Potter" all the time? He could not answer. In the end, he decided that he wouldn't tell him. It wasn't as if they were *friends*.
"Anyway, if you're that worried about it, Malfoy, just don't go."
"Don't *go*? Are you kidding? Hermione would kill me!"
Speak of…Hermione, and she enters. Again.
"I'm glad to know you two have been getting along," she smiled. Draco attempted a scowl, but it was half-hearted. Frankly, he was somewhat relieved to be getting on with Harry himself.
"What's that you're carrying?" Draco asked, pointing to the bundle under her arm.
"It's a secret," she said. Smiling innocently, she disappeared into her corridor. Against his expectation, she did not return for a few minutes. Harry and Draco sat awkwardly in their places, not commenting for fear Hermione would hear them.
"Girlfriends," Draco murmured. "You live with them, and you can't ever have a private conversation. It's incredibly annoying, you'll find. Once you've live with your girlfriend for a while, Potter, you'll see what I mean. You'll be dying to get out of the house…dorm…whatever."
"It will be a little different for me, though," Harry said, his mouth turning up at the corners. "My girlfriend will be a guy."
A few moments of silence lapsed by, and Harry got up to leave. "I'll see you later, mate."
It took them both until he had almost left to realize what he just said. When they had, they looked at each other in surprise for a second. "Tell you what. It never happened, okay?" Draco suggested. "You never said it. You said 'I'll see you later, Malfoy'. Nothing unusual there."
Harry nodded firmly, then with a small wave he exited. Draco blew out a sigh of relief, which Hermione caught as she reentered the common room.
End Chapter 45
To anonymous reviewer "ur lover" from chapter 20- If you expect me to believe what you said, then you'll have to email me (Plaidlylush@aol.com). I'm waiting.
To KittieSpit411- Thank you. You have restored my faith in the readers of this story.
Now for a typical author's note. You people need to stop asking me to change the plot, in any way or form. If you don't like it, go write your own freaking story.
No, Harry does not fall for Draco. Does this look like a Harry/Draco fic to you? I didn't think so.
Well, I'm pretty sure that's all I have to say about all this. Review for pink frilly confetti. Or, if you don't like pink frilly confetti, review anyway and you can use it to take compromising pictures of people.
"Why did I let her talk me into this?" Draco moaned, face in hands. He sat on the couch in his and Hermione's common room, elbows on knees.
"Don't worry too much about it," Harry said, trying ineffectively to alleviate Draco's completely warranted concern. "You probably didn't know what you were agreeing too. With Hermione, sometimes it's hard to tell."
"She clouded my mind with kisses! Damn women and their seductive ways!"
They were sitting across from each other. Harry was trying to help Draco figure out how Hermione had done it, but Draco was not helping at all, just whining. And he knew it. But he could not help it, after what she did.
It was official- the worst thing that could have happened to him had now happened.
Hermione had convinced him to have a Valentine's Day ball.
"But really, it won't be *that* bad, Malfoy."
Draco's head came up, and he stared at Harry incredulously. "*Not* that *bad*, Potter? Are you out of your mind? Do you know what Valentine's Day balls are like?"
"Well, they can't really be much different from all those other balls…"
"Oh, you poor naïve homosexual. You really have no idea." Draco shook his head pityingly. *He* certainly wasn't going to be the one to tell him. "Oh, fine! The short version, though. If I tell you the details I'm pretty sure I'll vomit. A Valentine's Day ball is very much like another ball. However, every thing is *pink*, and everyone is *mushy*. And you have to have a date to go. It's just the way it works."
Harry appeared to be waiting for something. "What's so bad about that?"
Draco's head went back into his hands.
************************************************************************
"I can't believe I actually convinced him," Hermione told Ginny as they sorted through the rack of robes at Gladrags'. It was the day after they had agreed on the ball, and the very same day that Draco was complaining to Harry. "I don't know how I did it."
"You probably clouded his mind with kisses," Ginny suggested, shrugging. She grinned. "Vixen."
"If anyone's a vixen, it's you, Ginny. You and your plans to get Seamus in bed."
"Shh! Hermione!" Ginny whispered in alarm. "You *know* how rumors spread around here. I don't want people to know until we've actually *done* something."
Smiling, Hermione looked down at the robe she currently held in her hands. It was velvet of a pretty green hue. "What do you think of this one?" She held it up for the other girl to see.
Ginny cocked her head to the side as she scrutinized it. "Too plain," she said. "Come on, I'll make you a robe that will turn every head. And I do mean every."
Hermione willingly let Ginny take measurements, pin up fabric- miraculously avoiding turning her into a pincushion in the process- whatever she needed to do to make her this alleged head-turning robe. While she worked, they talked, planning the decorations.
"Why didn't you ask Lavender and Parvati to help you? They're very Valentine's-minded."
"Are you kidding?" Hermione almost shuddered, but she did not want to be pricked. "Do you have any idea how- how *pink* and *frilly* it would be? I can usually stand that pretty well, but not if it's covering the Great Hall, and not if I have to look at it for hours on end."
Ginny glanced up, one eyebrow raised. "Why did you tell Draco you asked them, then?"
Hermione grinned. "I just wanted to bug him. I'm just picturing all the horrors of incredible mushiness he must be expecting to appear in the Great Hall on Valentine's."
"You're evil, Hermione."
"Well, I learned from the best."
"Draco?"
"No, you."
They both giggled for five minutes, Hermione because she was joking, Ginny because she knew it was true. "Well, I am glad you asked me," Ginny said, once they had recovered. "I'm honored to help. Between the two of us, Valentine's Day might actually be tasteful this year."
Smirking in a Dracoesque fashion, Hermione argued. "As long as your tastes have improved over the last few years. We don't need any more Valentines comparing lover's eyes to toads-"
"Hermione, that was mean! Anyway, Harry's the only one with eyes the color of fresh pickled toads, and NO one would be stupid enough to send him a Valentine this year. Ron would kill them- plus, they saw how embarrassed I was about that. They wouldn't want it to happen to them."
"Well, I'm glad people learned from that experience. It would have been a horrible waste if all that happened was a good joke and a very red Weasley." Hermione smiled innocently when Ginny glared up at her.
They talked a bit more about the decorations. Hermione favored red over pink, since red was less revolting to certain males, not to mention it being the color of love and passion. Ginny suggested white, to make the Great Hall seem brighter. They decided together that touches of pink would be added to accent the occasion, but they would *not* turn into Parvati and Lavender. Then, just before Ginny finished, Hermione asked her opinion on dim candle lighting for the night.
"Yes, that would be romantic," Ginny smiled. Her dreamy expression turned amused quickly. "All right, it's finished. Look in the mirror."
Hermione eagerly stepped in front of the mirror, which began to laugh immediately. Hermione stared in horror. "Ginny, what the hell is this! And when did you put a bonnet on me?!"
Taking into account the lace, the bows, and the bonnet, Hermione looked not unlike Little Miss Muffet.
Ginny was holding her stomach laughing. After several warnings from Hermione, she managed to recover enough to gasp, "I'm just kidding, that's not the one. I was getting you back for before, the toad thing." She waved her wand. "Here, there's the real one."
Hermione turned again. The mirror immediately stopped laughing. So did Ginny, for that matter. As for Hermione herself, she could not stop smiling.
"Oh, *Ginny*! It's beautiful!"
"It was my pleasure, believe me. I just hope Draco isn't wearing black. Then you guys would be *all* black. That's so tacky."
"No it isn't. It's elegant."
"Tacky."
"What are you wearing, Ginny?" Hermione changed the subject.
Smiling suggestively, Ginny answered, "That's for me to know, and for everyone else to find out. It's only three days. On Wednesday night, you'll see what I'm wearing."
Clothes aside, Ginny and Hermione spent the next three hours planning for the ball.
"How are we going to get all this stuff?" Ginny wondered suddenly. "Normally I'd suggest borrowing it from people around the castle, but I doubt you'd agree to that. And I don't think we're going to find what we need in Hogsmeade."
"Ginny, haven't you realized yet the best thing about our headmaster? He can get anything he wants."
"Or anything we want," Ginny added, flashing a grin.
************************************************************************
"How did I let her talk me into this?!"
He was pacing in front of the fire this time, restlessly taking a few steps one way or the other. Harry was sitting on the couch, watching him with amusement. Draco glared at him periodically, which only served to lighten Harry's mood.
"Only three days, too. Three days to plan! I mentioned it, and you know what she said? 'Don't worry about it, you don't have to lift a finger. I'll get Parvati and Lavender to help me.' Argh! Oh, the pink frilliness of it all!"
"Malfoy, seriously. Get a grip. You're going a little crazy here. It's just a ball."
"Oh, you can talk! You *like* this stuff, remember Potter? You like *balls*."
Harry grinned, to Draco's surprise. "Yes, I do. And now I know for *sure* that Ron is a natural redhead…and Ginny."
"Ugh, ew, too much information, Potter! Keep your little sex-capades to yourself, thank you." Draco managed to hold in most of his shudder.
"So why don't you go and help her plan? Then you can be sure it won't be too," Harry leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "*Pink* and *Frilly*."
Draco rolled his eyes. "I can't, then she'll think I don't trust her."
"Do you?"
"Yes, but come on! She's female, of course she's going to make Valentine's Day extremely prissy-looking. That's what they do."
"Let me ask you something. You and Hermione were together last Valentine's Day. What did you do?"
"Well, we basically made out in the Room of Requirement…"
"Did Hermione ask for anything pink, or lacy, or frilly?"
"No…"
"You worry too much, you paranoid prat."
"Oh, thanks. Comforting." Draco felt slightly better. Hermione did not seem to favor pink frills…however, if she was planning with the Patil girl and Lavender Brown, he had no doubt that pink frills would be somewhere in the decorations equation. It was quite a disturbing thought.
An even more disturbing thought, when it occurred to him, was that Harry Potter was in his common room, acting as though they were- they were- friends. Of course, they weren't, they were just not enemies. Only, mere not enemies were not usually privileged with this type of confidence- not in his experience.
Were they, in fact, against their better judgment, against their wishes even, becoming friends? Were they starting to like each other?
No. It was impossible…right?
Draco debated silently voicing these thoughts to Harry. He also debated why he called him Harry in his mind, and Potter aloud. Why didn't he just call him "Potter" all the time? He could not answer. In the end, he decided that he wouldn't tell him. It wasn't as if they were *friends*.
"Anyway, if you're that worried about it, Malfoy, just don't go."
"Don't *go*? Are you kidding? Hermione would kill me!"
Speak of…Hermione, and she enters. Again.
"I'm glad to know you two have been getting along," she smiled. Draco attempted a scowl, but it was half-hearted. Frankly, he was somewhat relieved to be getting on with Harry himself.
"What's that you're carrying?" Draco asked, pointing to the bundle under her arm.
"It's a secret," she said. Smiling innocently, she disappeared into her corridor. Against his expectation, she did not return for a few minutes. Harry and Draco sat awkwardly in their places, not commenting for fear Hermione would hear them.
"Girlfriends," Draco murmured. "You live with them, and you can't ever have a private conversation. It's incredibly annoying, you'll find. Once you've live with your girlfriend for a while, Potter, you'll see what I mean. You'll be dying to get out of the house…dorm…whatever."
"It will be a little different for me, though," Harry said, his mouth turning up at the corners. "My girlfriend will be a guy."
A few moments of silence lapsed by, and Harry got up to leave. "I'll see you later, mate."
It took them both until he had almost left to realize what he just said. When they had, they looked at each other in surprise for a second. "Tell you what. It never happened, okay?" Draco suggested. "You never said it. You said 'I'll see you later, Malfoy'. Nothing unusual there."
Harry nodded firmly, then with a small wave he exited. Draco blew out a sigh of relief, which Hermione caught as she reentered the common room.
End Chapter 45
To anonymous reviewer "ur lover" from chapter 20- If you expect me to believe what you said, then you'll have to email me (Plaidlylush@aol.com). I'm waiting.
To KittieSpit411- Thank you. You have restored my faith in the readers of this story.
Now for a typical author's note. You people need to stop asking me to change the plot, in any way or form. If you don't like it, go write your own freaking story.
No, Harry does not fall for Draco. Does this look like a Harry/Draco fic to you? I didn't think so.
Well, I'm pretty sure that's all I have to say about all this. Review for pink frilly confetti. Or, if you don't like pink frilly confetti, review anyway and you can use it to take compromising pictures of people.