I Do Not Own Harry Potter.

Eva spent the day in cloud nine. She had her best friend back, she had her first real girl friend and Pansy seemed to wince whenever she passed. Life would only be better if Harry were her boyfriend.

She knew that Harry had a game on Saturday and being the captain of the Quidditch team he had to be at all the practices. He was having one every night this week and so their training sessions had been postponed for the week, but Eva had promised him that he would be getting tested at various points during the week. Today was going to be the first day. She waited for him outside of his Defense class. She kept her face down so he would not see her.

He didn't see her and she began to follow the Gryffindor trio. They went towards the library and Eva lightened her steps; she did not want them to hear her before she was sure no one was around. They finally turned into a deserted corridor and Eva summoned her wand.

"Potter!" she called.

Quickly Harry pulled his wand and turned to face her, he had thought someone was following, but had forgotten about her promise of some random tests. He was about to disarm when she cried, "Legilimens!" He braced himself and wiped his mind, effectively blocking her out.

Eva fought a bit to push her way through, finally smashing his barrier with some effort and quickly lifting the spell, but not before catching a glimpse of a memory that involved her father. She gave him a bit of a quizzical look when he opened his eyes.

"That was good, Harry. I had to try harder to get in this time. I can see that you have been practicing."

"Thanks. I kind of felt like someone was following me, but I didn't think much about it."

"Never doubt those feelings, Harry. That's your magic telling you that there's something wrong. Remember what I told on our first night of training."

Harry nodded and smiled. He always remembered their first night; she had told him that he was a very talented and powerful wizard. No one had ever told him that with such conviction; like it was a present state, not future. "I'll try and remember it."

Eva smiled and then turned to Hermione and Ron. "Hey guys. I'm sorry if I startled you."

"It's alright," said Ron. He tried to hide his wand as quickly as possible. Hermione was doing the same, but she had a stunned expression on her face; a cross between fright and wonder.

"I'm glad that Harry's got you two looking out for him. It's good to have people around you that are watching your back. It's a lot safer than being alone."

Harry wished she'd not said that. Now Hermione and Ron would use it as an excuse to be even more protective than they already were. "Did you figure out when our next session is going to be?" he asked.

"I think the best time would be Monday night. Your game on Saturday will probably be too draining on you to train that day and Sunday would be good for you to rest."

"Alright; Monday it is then. Are you going to the game on Saturday? We're playing Ravenclaw," said Ron.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Eva gave a half smile. "I'm going to have to sit with the Slytherins, but I'll be cheering for you Harry. If you see a riot break out in the green and silver stands, don't worry, it's just me cheering for you."

The four laughed and said their goodbyes. Hermione promised to go to Eva's room that night to go through some work for their Arithmancy class. Harry and Ron almost had to pull Hermione away to stop her from having her study session right there. Eva had a class and they needed to get some books. The Gryffindors went on their way and Eva walked down the still deserted corridor.

She was whistling as she went down the corridor and as she past a stone gargoyle in the shape of a hyppogriff she had the sensation of being followed. She did not slow her steps, she just continued and heightened her awareness of what was around her. She turned abruptly into another corridor and stepped behind a statue that was close to the turning. She waited for the culprit to appear; she really didn't think that the person would follow her, she didn't even remember where this corridor led to.

To say that she was surprised at who was following was an understatement. Pansy Parkinson was dumb, but Eva didn't think her a fool. Which is what you would have to be to go looking for trouble like this. She pulled her wand out and quietly got out from behind the statue. Pansy was looking down the corridor for her and she was right behind her.

"Don't move a muscle, Parkinson," said Eva.

Pansy made to turn around. "I said, don't move!" she yelled.

Pansy whipped out her wand and began firing hexes at Eva as she ducked behind a bust of some wizard and tried to think of a way out.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Pansy. You can come out," called Eva.

"Yeah right, Nocturino. Like you're just going to let me go after following you," replied Pansy.

Eva found the bust that she was hiding behind and walked towards it, slowly. "Pansy, if I had wanted to hurt you I would have already done it." She pointed her wand at the crack between the bust and the wall. Pansy had her back to her; she really was horrible when it came to defense. "Ooohhh, Pansy," cooed Eva, as she poked the girl in the back with her wand.

Pansy tensed and slowly turned. She had the look of a frightened unicorn in her eyes. Eva felt bad for her, but did not let her guard down. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just would like to know why you were following me."

"It's my job," she said.

"Your j . . ." Eva finally realized who her father had watching her. "I would have thought Professor Snape would have asked someone quieter to follow me around." Eva lowered her wand and stepped back from the girl.

"He's got half the house looking after you. I don't see why you should be so special. It's like you're a female Harry Potter and that git doesn't deserve half the attention he gets, either."

"You know, if you're going for the spoiled little girl motif, you forgot to stamp your foot as you said that," Eva teased.

"Shut up, Nocturino!"

"Just an observation. Listen, when you go to Professor Snape and report tell him that I send my love."

"Are you mad?!" cried Pansy. "He'd have my wand if I told him that I got caught!"

"Alright, then if you leave Hermione alone, I promise not to tell Professor Snape that you are a horrible tracker."

Pansy couldn't have shot Eva a more venomous look. "Fine," she ground out. She turned to walk down the corridor, but stopped, without turning around, when Eva began to talk again.

"Just so you know, my last little piece of advice is still there if you need it. I wouldn't want you to forget the little promise you made just now."

Pansy shuddered at the thought of what this girl would do to her if she threatened Hermione again. She quickly walked down the corridor and fumed all the way back to the Slytherin dungeons. She wouldn't touch Granger, that was for sure, but she wanted to get at that little piece of shit that passed as a Slytherin. She stopped her pacing and thought about that last observation; most of the people in Slytherin were shits, that's why they were Slytherins. Eva was a traitor, that's what she was. She was a traitor to the Slytherin house. She was with Harry Potter, not only a Gryffindor, but the biggest anti-Voldemort supporter after Dumbledore. She had to be removed.

Pansy thought about all the people she was close to. Harry was out, as were Ron and Hermione. If you touched one of those three the other two would be the first in line to hex you into next week. Neville was a possibility. Then a smile crept up her face. A smile like that on Pansy's face could only mean one thing; she had a victim. Eva had told her to stay away from Hermione and the people she cared about, she never said anything about their families. She couldn't do anything if Miss Weasley had an accident, now could she.

Severus sent Eva a note during one of her classes saying that he wanted to talk to her about something important. She was to meet him in his office as soon as her classes were over. Eva thought it rather odd that he would send her a note about it. She usually went to his office anyway; well she did before the last two days. The subject of the talk was a mystery to her. What in the wizarding world could he have to talk to her about?

Through her day Eva was trying to figure out just what her father could be thinking. Was there something she had done wrong? She couldn't remember being scolded by any of her professors in a while. Was it about her grades? All her grades had been either O's or E's. Was it about her mother? She had not written in a week or so. Maybe she had been hurt and not been able to write to Eva. Was he going to finally tell her why she was here and separated from Saveage? That had to be it.

The thought that she had figured out what her father was going to talk to her about and that it was something she had desperately wanted to hear made her smile at everyone that passed her way. She was still happy as she ate her dinner. She knew that her father had not meant for her to miss the meal and she would go straight to his office when she was finished. Draco sat next to her and they had one of the more pleasant conversations since her arrival.

He offered to walk her to her father's office and she accepted. She waved at Harry, Ron and Hermione as she exited the Hall and fell into step with her best friend.

"What did he want to see you about?" asked Draco.

"He didn't say, but I have leveled it down to a few possibilities," answered Eva.

"What are they?"

"It's either about my mother or about my grades."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I haven't been in trouble lately. Besides that whole Pansy thing, and no one knows about that."

"What if it's not about either of those things?"

Eva's steps slowed a bit. "I don't know what it could possibly be if it's not those."

Draco got a mischievious look on his face. "Maybe he's going to tell you about the birds and the bees."

Eva squinted at Draco. He really had a good sense of humor and she liked it when he joked around with her. True, he would never do it around others from their House, but that didn't really matter. For a few moments, she had her best friend back and she would be content with it.

He knocked on the door to the office for her and waited for Professor Snape's call to enter, before opening it for her. "Good Luck," he whispered as she walked past him into the dark room.

Eva couldn't help but doubt her assuredness of what her father wanted to talk about after her little conversation with Draco. He really had a way of just taking her off balance. Now she was worried about her father trying to explain sex to her. It wasn't like she didn't already know about it. Hell, she and Draco had seen each other naked on more than one occasion; the whole knowledge of anatomy was already there and her mother had done a good job of explaining it to her as well.

She sat down in her usual chair and Severus began to pace in front of the fireplace. "I don't really know where to start," he said.

"I always find the beginning to be the best place," said Eva absently.

Severus smiled at his daughter. A true Snape if there ever was one. "I think it would be the best place." He sat down in the chair opposite her and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, probably the most casual position she had ever seen him in.

"You remember how your mother and I met, right?" He waited for Eva's nod. "Well, it's not unusual for witches and wizards of pure-blood families to meet like that. We had been in school together, but we didn't mingle much. She being in Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin," Severus explained. He knew where he was going but he wasn't sure if he was on the right track to get there.

"Dad, are you trying to tell me about what I think you're trying to tell me?" asked Eva. She looked about as confused as Severus.

"What do you think I'm trying to tell you?" he asked.

"Mum told me all about this already. We had this talk about four years ago. You don't need to do this; I already know about sex."

Severus twitched slightly at her casual use of the word. He had heard, talked, and actually had sex, but hearing his daughter just use the word like an everyday occurrence was a bit unsettling. "How much do you know?"

"Just what she told me. And if you're asking if I'm still a virgin the answer is yes and you can stop holding your breath."

Severus had been holding his breath and he let it out. He caught Eva's hand go to her mouth to hide the smile that was forming. He needed to go on. "That was not the reason I asked you to come, but I'm glad that I don't have to talk about that as well."

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?"

"How close are you and Draco?"

"We're very close. He's the only friend I really had until I came here."

"Is that all you are, just friends?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" Eva began to have a suspicion about where this conversation was going. Her father did seem to have a penchant for putting her and Draco together.

"Eva, I am going to tell you something and I need you to promise me that you will not tell your mother." Severus could not believe he was doing this, but he really had no other way to do it.

"I can't promise that, Dad."

"Why not?" Severus asked, curious.

"I already promised Mum that if there was anything she did that bothered me, I would go to her and tell her. If it's something she did then I can't break a promise."

"Fair enough." Severus stood from his chair and went to stand by the fire. "You have been asking about what your mother and Lucius Malfoy had agreed upon?"

Eva could not believe her ears. Was he really going to tell her? She could only nod her head.

"Eva, Lucius Malfoy has been trying to affiance you and Draco for the last three years."

Eva's mind couldn't seem to process what her father had just told her. She was staring at him with what must have been a completely blank look. Her mind was working over time, however. Three years! Her mother had been arranging her marriage for three years!

"Eva, are you alright?" asked Severus. He walked to his daughter and took her hands in his. "I know this is quite a shock. I really hadn't expected to be the one to tell you about this, but I have noticed certain things and I thought it would be better to have a talk about this."

Eva's mind was brought back by Severus' last comment. "What things have you noticed?"

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with Draco."

"He is in my House and we have a lot of classes together. I didn't think that you, of all people, would have a problem with me spending time with Draco." Her father seemed to be blowing hot and cold and she was honestly confused at where he was trying to go with this conversation.

"I don't mind you spending time with Draco at all. On the contrary, I like Draco, he's from a good family and he's very well bred."

Eva rolled her eyes. "You sound like you're talking about a horse, Dad. I've met a lot of people who are not purebloods who have just as good manners as Draco."

"This is not what I wanted to talk about," mumbled Severus.

"What did you want to talk about then?" asked Eva.

"I wanted to see how serious you were about Draco."

"I told you, we're just friends."

"Are you sure he thinks the same thing, Eva?"

"Of course, why would he think otherwise. It's not like I've done anything to encourage anything more than friendship."

"He knows about the arrangement between your mother and his father," said Severus.

Eva was about to ask him what that had to do with anything, but her mind just kicked itself into high-gear. Draco had known about the arrangement for close to two years. Did he have feelings for her that went beyond friendship? Was that why he had been so flirtatious the last time they had been together at her house? "Oh Merlin, this can't be happening," she muttered as she put her face in her hands.

"Eva, I know that this is very strange for you, but I really need to know how much you feel for Draco. I know that you said you were only friends, but really think about it, darling. Do you care for him at all in another way, in a more romantic way."

Eva lifted her head and looked at her father. "Why do you want to know? Are you going to encourage this arrangement?"

"Eva, I know how horrible arranged marriages are. I saw my parents go through one and I know that you've seen enough of your Aunt Narcissa's to know about what I'm saying. If you don't want to marry Draco, then you don't have to. I just want to know how you really feel. If there's a chance that you do care about him, you should really think about this arrangement."

Eva couldn't believe her ears. Her father was encouraging her to think about marriage. She was only fifteen! "Is this about being pureblood?" Eva asked in a tired voice. "Is this because you want the precious Snape line to remain pure?"

"No, Eva. This is about my daughter being happy,"

Eva was touched by her father's words. He wanted her to be happy. Of course, his own history with her mother would be proof enough that he did not like arranged marriages, but she felt like there was something else here. "This isn't just about me, is it?"

Severus smiled at his daughter. "You are sometimes too much like me for your own good," he teased. "No, this is not just about you. I'm worried about Draco. I asked you if you were more than friends because he seems to be taking an active interest in you, whether you have seen it or not. Had you ever shown him some kind of affection that would lead him to think he's got a chance?"

Eva thought about anything she could have done to make Draco think she was interested and couldn't think of anything. "I can't think of one moment where I would have given that impression. I've only been here two months, there's not much one can do in that amount of time."

"What about before Hogwarts?"

Eva groaned as the memory of their last meeting came into play. "What happened?" her father asked.

"There was this thing that happened between us before mother told him he wasn't allowed to come over any more. It was nothing, though, just innocent fun and I really don't feel that way towards him anymore."

"What kind of thing happened?" asked Severus. His tone was a bit sharper than he had wanted it to sound. He didn't want to give Eva the impression that he was an overbearing monster who would kill anyone who looked at her sideways. Even though the thought had occurred to him.

"It was nothing, Dad. Not even worth mentioning," said Eva. She couldn't look him in the eye. She knew that he would go completely off the handle if he knew just what she and Draco had done.

"If it was nothing, then there's no reason to not tell me, unless it is something."

"You don't want to know, Dad, trust me. Could we just move on?"

Severus leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, looking at Eva over them. "You know, I don't think that you have ever evaded a question of mine so heatedly."

"We rolled around, half-naked and snogged in the forest by the Manor! Alright! Happy?!" cried Eva.

Severus just smiled at his daughter; he wasn't going to fall for this little joke like he'd fallen for her explanation of her training nights with Potter. "If you don't want to tell me, then I won't push you, there's no need to make things up," he said casually.

"If you didn't want to know then why did you ask?" Eva was quite put out by her father. She wouldn't have told him if he hadn't insisted.

Severus' smile fell. "You mean you really . . ?" his voice faded.

"We were fourteen, Dad. We were curious and I really did have feelings for him. He stopped because he didn't want my first time to be on a blanket in the middle of the forest. He said he wanted it to be special."

"He stopped?" asked Severus.

"Yes, I know it's strange for a guy to stop, but he's Draco. I know that he thinks about me first when we're together. He always has."

Severus thought about the new information he had been given about Draco. The boy had two sides to him; Severus preferred the side that his daughter had given to him, but he was not sure which was the real Draco. Severus had not seen enough of the boy that Eva described to believe that Draco could possibly be remotely like that.

Lucius had an influence on the boy and although the man was in Azkaban, he knew it was only a matter of time before Malfoy Sr. was out. The dementors were working for Voldemort now, escape would be easy. In the event that did happen, Severus knew that Draco was going to be given the ultimatum of his life: either join the Dark Lord or die. What was dangerous was Eva's part in Draco's life. The boy would be easy to slip in and use as a device for the Dark Lord's intentions for Eva.

"Eva," began Severus. "There are many things that I would like to tell you, but I know that it is not my place. I want to wait until your mother comes for another visit. I will write and tell her that I have told you about Lucius' attempts and I want you to wait until she comes before telling her how you feel. It's easier to yell when you're in person."

"What about Draco?" asked Eva.

"I will talk with Mr. Malfoy."

Eva looked at her father with puzzlement. "I thought you liked Draco."

Severus smirked at his daughter. "I wouldn't say like; I tolerate the boy. He's often more snotty than the law allows. I would, however, prefer him over say, Harry Potter."

Eva laughed and went over to sit on her father's lap and hug him. She knew that he was still getting used to how tactile she was, but this time she didn't care. "The moment I get over Harry Potter, you'll be the first to know."

Ginny was excited to be going to the Yule Ball. Last year she had been asked by Neville and she had hoped he would ask her again. He'd changed a bit this year and she was glad that it was an assertive Neville that asked to be her escort. He did not stutter like he did before and Ginny found herself saying yes before she could think about it. She could have stayed and gone on her own anyway, but all her friends had dates and she really liked Neville.

Her Mum had told her that she would do the best she could when it came time to buy dress robes, but as usual they were second hand. Ginny was now in her room looking at the frayed edges of the robes. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed with the robes across her lap. Ron wasn't the only one who thought being less than wealthy sucked, but Ginny didn't usually let it bother her. It was different this time, though. She really wanted to impress Neville for some reason.

Ginny smiled. She'd been thinking about him a lot more than she used to. He was constantly on her mind and she would try and bump into him whenever she could. She even memorized his schedule so that she could walk by his class when he was going to the next one. Ginny giggled to herself and fell back on the bed. "I think I like him," she said to the room.

"Like who?"

Ginny squealed and sat up quickly. Hermione and Eva were at the door. She'd not even heard them come in. "Hermione, you gave me a fright."

"Sorry," said the older girl.

"Who do you like?" asked Eva, sitting down next to the girl.

Ginny tucked the dress robes away so Eva would not see them; she knew that this girl had more money than she knew what to do with. It would be embarrassing if she saw Ginny's robes. "No one," said Ginny in a small voice.

"We heard you distinctly say 'I think I like him.' Now who is 'he'," asked Hermione.

"You promise not to laugh?" asked Ginny.

Eva crossed her heart and both girls giggled. "You know I really don't see why everyone keeps laughing when I do that," she said.

"I promise, too. Now who is it?" asked Hermione.

"Neville," whispered Ginny.

Eva and Hermione looked at each other with shocked faces. If Ginny liked Neville then she had a really good way of hiding it, because neither of the girls had noticed anything.

"I knew you guys would think I'm weird," said Ginny as she stood and made for the door.

"No, wait!" called Eva. "We don't think you're weird, it's just a bit of a shock. You've never mentioned anything before."

Hermione was looking at her with her mouth opening and closing. She looked like a fish and Eva reached over and put her finger on Hermione's chin and pushed it closed.

"I think she's trying to ask when it happened," said Eva.

Ginny giggled at Hermione's look of shock and sat back down between the two girls. "I don't really know when it happened. I guess it's just this year that he's changed a lot; he's not the same quiet, stuttering Neville that I knew from before."

"Have you told him anything?" asked Eva.

"Are you kidding?! I would die before I told him anything. It's his job to make the first move. I'd feel silly if I said anything before I knew he liked me."

Eva thought about how she could help Ginny. She knew that Neville did have an eye for her. He had confided that up until last year, he'd had a crush on Hermione, but he'd seen how brave Ginny was when they were in the Department of Mysteries and he'd found respect for her. They'd kept in touch through the summer and he'd developed a little 'thing,' as he put it, for her. Eva knew that if Neville thought there was a possibility that Ginny liked him, he would make a move.

Hermione looked over at the two girls on the bed next to her. Her eyes landed on Eva's concentrated look and she smiled. The girl obviously had an idea. "What's the plan?" she asked.

Eva looked at her with a furrowed brow and then smiled. "You know, for someone who can't see past her nose when it comes to a certain red-head, you sure are perceptive," teased Eva.

Ginny sat up quickly and looked at Eva. Her eyes were the size of saucers. "You're not seriously thinking of doing something, are you? I know what happened when you got Ron and Hermione together."

Eva sat up on her elbows and looked at her two friends. "You know, most people would appreciate a helping hand in the romance department. If you don't want my help, then I won't give it." She fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"It's not that I don't want your help it's just that I'm not sure if he likes me or not," Ginny whispered.

Eva sat up straight and smiled at Ginny. "Give me five minutes," she said before running out the door.

Ginny had barely digested the meaning of her words by the time Eva got to the door. She sat and looked at Hermione with worry. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"He likes you, Ginny. If not he wouldn't have asked you to the Ball."

"He probably asked me because there was no one else to ask, just like third year."

"Did you like him third year?"

"Not really, but that's not the point." She got up and paced the room.

Hermione got tired of watching her and pulled the girl's dress robes to her. She wished her parents would have allowed her to buy Ginny her robes. They said it might be taken as an insult by Ginny's parents, and Hermione guessed they were right. It still didn't make her feel better; she wanted Ginny to shine at the Yule Ball.

Ginny saw her friend fingering her dress robes and blushed. "I want to do some mending on it. I think I know some charms that might help with the length. It's about three inches too short."

Hermione smiled. "It's a pretty color." Indeed the dark blue would really bring out the color of Ginny's eyes.

Eva was back and she had a smile on her face. "I am a damn genius!" she cried.

"What happened?!" asked Hermione and Ginny in unison.

"Let's just say that you have nothing to worry about, Ginny." The smile on her face told the other two girls that Neville had expressed some feelings for the younger Gryffindor.

Hermione let out a squeal of delight and hugged Ginny. "This is great. Now we just have to focus on your robes!"

"Yes, let's see them," said Eva.

Ginny pushed the robes from Eva's line of vision. "It's not really important what I wear, is it? I mean, it's just a school dance, right?"

Eva looked at Hermione with confusion. Why was Ginny reluctant to show Eva her robes? Hermione gave her a look that said 'think-about-it.' Eva realized that Ginny's robes might not be the prettiest. "Ginny? I'm sorry if I hurt you. If you don't have robes, you can always use some of mine. I think I might have something that would fit you."

Ginny's eyes were watering. Eva was a really nice person. Why the hell was she in Slytherin? "It's not that Eva. It's just . . ." Ginny pulled her robes forward and showed them to her. "They're horrible. Mum tried her best to find some nice ones, but it's not even the right size."

Eva walked to Ginny and sat beside her on the bed. She put her arm around her shoulder and pulled the girl closer. "It's okay, Ginny. If it means that much, you can wear one of my dress robes."

"You don't have to do that," said Ginny into her shoulder.

"I know I don't have to, but I would like to. I have just the dress in mind." Eva pulled Ginny from her and looked her in the eye. "Wait for Hermione and I for a bit, okay. We'll be right back."

Hermione kissed the girl on the cheek and walked out of the room with Eva. When they reached the outside of the portrait she smiled at Eva. "And we only went in there to see if she wanted to go to the library."

They both laughed and headed towards the East Tower staircase. Eva and Hermione planned for the Gryffindor to spend the night in the East Tower and they were both excited. Neither of them had ever really had such a close girlfriend before. Eva because she had been so isolated and Hermione because she just got along better with Ron and Harry. Eva whispered the password and allowed Hermione into her rooms.

She led her into her bedroom and began to look through her wardrobe. "I think this will fit her really well. It's just the color of her eyes and I know that Neville's robes are a dark blue, so they will match perfectly. Here it is," she said when she found the box.

Hermione sat on the bed and Eva placed the dress box in front of her. "This looks like a new box," commented Hermione.

"It is," said Eva as she opened the lid.

Hermione let out a gasp at the sight of the gown. That's what it was; not dress robes, not even a dress, this was a full-fledged gown. "Eva, it's gorgeous. Is it silk?"

"Yes, Chinese silk. Grandfather always insisted that I wear nothing else on formal occasions and Mum got used to it."

"Your grandfather gave this to you?"

"No, Mum made it for my birthday this year. She thought it would be nice to continue with Grandmama's tradition of giving me a new dress for my birthday."

"Eva, if your Mum made it, maybe you should wear it," said Hermione. She couldn't help finger the soft material and noticed Eva smiling at her.

"I think Mum would understand if I didn't wear it." She moved back to the dresser and began to rummage through it again as she spoke to Hermione. "Besides, it doesn't go with what Harry's wearing and I want to match with him."

Hermione walked over to the wardrobe and bent next to Eva. "Maybe if you told me what you were looking for, I could help you."

"It's another dress that would look stunning with what Ron's going to wear. It goes well with your coloring."

Hermione's mouth did the fish-thing again and Eva just smirked at her and continued with her search. "Here it is." She pulled out a buff-colored dress that had a sage sash tied around the middle and falling to the hem in the back. It was a flowing dress and even as Eva held it up so Hermione could see, the skirt looked like it was floating.

"Eva, I can't accept this," said Hermione. She really couldn't take the gown. Her parents had already bought her dress robes for the occasion and this dress looked like it cost twice as much.

Eva's face fell. She thought that Hermione would like the dress. She had never worn it because it paled her complexion. The colors were not good on her, but with Hermione's tone and hair color, the dress would be stunning. "I understand if you don't like it. I just thought you might want to match with Ron." She began to hang the dress back on the rack.

Hermione put her hand on Eva's arm. "It's not that I don't like it; it's just I don't feel right taking a gift like this. That dress looks like it cost twice as much as my own dress robes."

Eva blushed. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I sometimes forget that people aren't comfortable with that. Would you at least think about the dress?"

"Sure," said Hermione. She knew that eventually the temptation of wearing something that gorgeous would win out and she would say yes, but it didn't hurt to make Eva think she was uncertain.

"Let's go give Ginny her present," said Eva.

Picking up the package they left Eva's rooms and headed back to Gryffindor tower. On their way they met Draco, who shocked them both with a polite nod in their direction. They were still in a stunned silence when they returned to the common room.

"What's in the box, Eva?" asked Harry. He saw Eva and Hermione come back into the room and wanted to talk.

"Nothing, just a little surprise for Ginny," said Eva.

"Really?" Ron walked over from the table by the fire. "Can I see?" he asked.

Eva pulled the box closer to her. "It's a surprise for the Yule Ball. You wouldn't want to spoil the surprise would you?" Hermione tugged at the sleeve of her robe and they both ran up the stairs to the girls dormitories, giggling all the way up.