Hermione stood before the mirror in her room, examining her reflection. She was already dressed for the Valentine's Day Ball, which had come sooner than she'd expected. She was wearing a plain black satin dress, which her father had sent her from London. Lavender had done her hair and her brown locks now seemed tamer than usual. She was reminded of how excited she had been at the Yule Ball, when Viktor has asked her to dance. She was alone this time, since no one had asked her to the dance and she wasn't quite sure on how she would spend her time there. Yet, she knew Harry and Ron would ask her to dance – which was good enough.
Hermione had to admit that her make-up looked quite elegant. Parvati had wisely used lovely shades of frosted pinks and mauves, which suited her perfectly and went well with her dress. She had never really learned how to use make-up, but upon examining her friend's handicraft, she felt the desire to know to apply make-up skillfully. On her feet, she wore black platform heels because she found them the easiest to walk in. She planned to stay at the party for a few hours and then, she would return to her room so that she could finish her Transfiguration essay.
At that moment, Ginny came in, wearing a beautiful red gown that went well with her hair. She was holding a red rose and a card in her hand and there was a happy smile on her face as she looked at Hermione.
"Oh, hello," said she.
"Did Harry give you those?" Hermione asked, looking interested.
"Oh, yes." Ginny showed her the card. On the front cover, there was a magical picture of a heart beating and roses blooming. It was a lovely card in her opinion and she knew that it was from Harry's heart. Hermione smiled when she saw Ginny blushing slightly and she said, "It's lovely."
"I know," said Ginny. "Well, hurry up. Harry's waiting for us downstairs."
As the girls went downstairs together, Hermione asked, "Where's Ron? I haven't seen him all day?"
Ginny shrugged. "Dunno. He said something to Harry about showing up at the dance to meet with Hannah. That's all I know."
Hermione suddenly felt nervous. Would Snape be there?
Well, what if he was? Logically (and Hermione was a very logical person), it shouldn't bother her. Snape's feelings were his problem not hers. As an adult, he should deal with his own problems.
Harry was waiting beside the staircase, dressed in a tuxedo, looking as handsome as ever. He smiled graciously at the two of them. "Good evening," he said. "May I say how lovely you two look?" He offered one arm to Ginny and the other to Hermione. Together they went to the Great Hall.
Everything was perfect. The house tables and chairs were gone from the Great Hall, the whole room being lit with candles and moonlight, which shone down from the enchanted ceiling. Hermione saw that there were smaller lantern-lit tables to sit and talk on the sides of the room. Not very far away, she could see the house-elves bringing in a series of rich, warming stews, soups and soft drinks, along with roast chicken and beef to already food laden tables. Nobody was wearing dress robes; everyone was dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos.
In the distance, she saw Malfoy talking with his faithful disciples Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. If Crabbe and Goyle had found dates, she did not know about it.
"Oh, there you are!" Ron rushed to them and as he spoke, they found that his breath smelled of shrimp and punch. "I've been waiting for you."
"Where's your date?" asked Ginny. "Or you don't have one."
"Of course I do!" said Ron indignantly, "It's just that she hasn't arrived yet."
There was soft music playing in the background and Hermione looked up to find Dumbledore talking with a tall, blonde woman dressed in a soft pink gown with red hearts printed all of it. The woman seemed familiar, but Hermione couldn't recognize her at first. When she looked carefully, she realized who it was.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "That's Sophie B. Hawkins!"
The other three looked at the direction she was pointing at and smiled.
"I had no idea she was a witch!" said Hermione.
"Many of them are," said Harry. He was about to give a few examples when Ron said, "There's Hannah." He fixed his hair, straightened up and left them to join his date, who was dressed in an elegant teal blue gown.
Ginny looked amused. "I wonder if he has a Valentine's card for her," she remarked.
"I'm sure he doesn't," said Harry with a smirk. Then they saw Ron giving Hannah a card.
"I stand corrected," said Harry.
Hermione saw Snape standing in a dark corner, scowling at everyone. Her heart jumped upon seeing him. Then she took a deep breath. Why should she not have some fun?