A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters!!!
Hermione was floating on air. She had never actually felt beautiful in her life, and now, as she walked down the hallway, people were stopping to stare at her. Ron couldn't stop looking at her; she actually felt sexy. It was an incredible feeling and she hoped it would carry over to her time on stage. "Feeling better?" Ron said as they reached the spot where they would have to part. "Much better, thank you," she said, her hand reaching for his. "You're going to win today," he whispered, squeezing her hand. Hermione laughed and said, "I doubt that. My goal is to get past the first round." "You will," he said, squeezing her hand again. Parvati and Lavender walked by, waving at her as they entered the room off to the left of the Great Hall. "I'll see you after it's all over," Hermione said, a touch of nervousness in her voice. "Good luck," Ron said as they backed away from each other. "Thanks," she said, her hand on the door knob.
It was comical to see 80 girls crammed in one small room, and it was even funnier when Peeves showed up, blowing raspberries and telling some Slytherin girls that they should have stayed home. Hermione tried to look scandalized, but small bursts of laughter kept slipping out. A photographer from the Daily Prophet was taking group pictures while they waited for the pageant to begin. Professor McGonagall gave a short talk and then introduced Ashley Cuddington, the winner of the Miss Hogwarts pageant from seven years back. Hermione's nervousness came in spurts; at times she could control it by thinking about schoolwork.
When 1 pm came, Hermione heard music coming from the Great Hall, and the rest of the girls began to giggle and chatter nervously. Ginny rolled her eyes, still retaining her tom-boyish qualities under all the make up and glitzy fabric. "Ladies, remember. Tonight, you not only represent yourself, you represent your house and Hogwarts School. So please, try your hardest," Professor McGonagall said, opening the door to the stage, revealing the standing room only crowd. Hermione's stomach flipped and flopped as the girls filed out onto the stage for their introductions and the evening robes competition. Glancing down at the judges, Hermione was shocked to see Donatella Versachi sitting at a judging table. Donatella winked at Hermione as she made her first pass across the stage and walked to her placement marker on the stage. A band of goblins played strange music as an announcer stated each contestant's name, house, and a fact about her. "…Genevra Molly Weasley, Gryffindor, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Ginny proudly walked across the front of the stage as the Gryffindor Quidditch team and the rest of the house cheered loudly. Hermione could see Ron and Harry in the back with Ron's brothers. "GO GENEVRA!" They yelled loudly, causing Ginny's smile to grow larger as she made her way back to her placement marker; the team had taken to calling her that since they had found out that her full name was Genevra. Several other names were called before Hermione was called to the front. "Hermione Jane Granger, Gryffindor, Head Girl." The crowd broke into loud applause as she held her head high and walked across the front of the stage, genuinely smiling as her nervousness melted away.
"Hermione looks positively spiffing," George said to Ron. "Absolutely maddening!" Fred added. The smile faded from Ron's face as George asked, "Oy, is she your girlfriend?" Ron looked at Harry, who could offer him no assistance. "No…" Ron began. "Good, then you won't mind if I go after her, will you bro?" George said, rubbing his hands together. "I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that," Fred continued, nudging Ron in the ribs. "Oh shut it," Ron said angrily. "Ickle Ronnie's got a crush!" George said gleefully. "Just shut it," Ron groaned, covering his red face with his hands. "No joking, Ron. If I weren't… preoccupied, I'd be entertaining the thought myself," Bill said, gesturing to Fleur, who was a few chairs down the line from him.
Hermione patted her hair, ensuring that it was still in place as the rest of the 80 contestants made their way across the stage. She had parted her hair on the side and combed it across, making a smooth part on the top of her head. Then, she had curled the rest of her hair, creating spiral curls that bounced when she walked. She was amazed at the different a hair style and some make up could make, and it felt good knowing that Ron had finally noticed her. 'He actually thinks I'm beautiful,' she remembered, thinking about the incident in the bathroom. Lost in thought, Hermione jumped when her name was called. The crowd was cheering as Hermione walked to the front of the stage to join 9 girls who had already been called forward including Ginny, Parvati, Lavender, Pansy, and five others. Five more were called after Hermione, completing the field that was now narrowed to 15.
Unfortunately for Hermione, she had been drawn out of the Sorting Hat to go first in the Charms round. Everyone watched in anticipation as she walked to the front of the stage to speak, her voice having been magically magnified. "I'm going to perform a charm called Sensus Ostendo, which allows the user to determine the mood of the person she places under the charm. Could I have a volunteer?" Hermione said, forcing her voice to be steady as her hand shook slightly. Several people raised their hands, but Professor Dumbledore walked onto the stage. "This won't hurt a bit, Professor," Hermione said, the crowd chuckling. "Sensio," she said, performing the complex wand motion. A loud "pop" was heard and a bright blue halo appeared around Professor Dumbledore's head. "Congratulations Professor, you are very happy today," Hermione said, causing the crowd to laugh again. "There are seven possible colors, each indicating a specific mood. Red is angry, orange is lonely, yellow is anxious, green is confused, blue is happy, indigo is content, and violet is love." She bowed as the crowd applauded cheerfully. "Finite Incantatum," she whispered at Professor Dumbledore as she left the stage.
Hermione stood off stage in agony as she waited for the rest of the girls to finish their charms. Ginny produced flowers all over the Great Hall and Pansy Parkinson made bubbles shoot out of her wand. Finally, it was time to head back out onto the stage to hear the names of the remaining contestants. "The charms contest was judged on difficulty, execution, and reaction of the crowd. The finalists, in random order are: Genevra Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Parvati Patil, Susan Bones, and Hermione Granger." The crowd erupted. "Alright Hermione and Ginny!" Harry and Ron yelled from the back, barely audible over the cheering of the rest of the crowd. Hermione had to restrain herself from screaming as she walked to the front to join the other four girls. The other girls filed off stage sadly as Professor McGonagall climbed up the steps that lead to the stage. The crowd quieted as she came to a stop on the right side of the stage. "The final questions have been personalized for each contestant so that they will be particularly difficult. Each contestant will have a maximum of thirty seconds to complete her answer. First up, Pansy Parkinson." Pansy practically pranced into the spotlight next to Professor McGonagall.
"Miss Parkinson, if you were forced to make a choice to become destitute to be with the one you loved or live a rich and lonely life, what would you choose and why?" The crowed oohed as the smile on Pansy's face faltered. Essentially, Pansy couldn't win. She could lie, and everyone would know it, or she could tell the truth and everyone would hate her answer. Of course, she lied. "I would choose love. Love is the most important thing in the world. It's definitely more important than gold or power," she forced herself to say while pasting on a smile. Several snickers were heard from the back of the auditorium.
Ginny answered a question about animals, Parvati answered a question about the importance of formal education, and Susan answered a question about what she would choose: bravery or knowledge. At last, Hermione was called into the hot seat. "Miss Granger, are loving relationships as important for development as practical knowledge?" Hermione's body relaxed. Two months ago, this question would have been impossible for her to answer, but today, she was proud to say that she knew the answer to that question. "Professor," her voice boomed over the crowded hall, "loving relationships are more important. Whether it is a close relationship with a friend, or a secret romance that shouldn't be a secret anymore, love teaches us to give freely, without wanting something in return. Maybe if we all added a bit more love to our lives, we'd be a whole lot happier." As she walked back to her place in the line, hearing the cheers of the crowd, Hermione swore that she saw Professor McGonagall smile.
"Before proceeding, we would like to introduce tonight's judges," the announcer said and the magical spotlight swooped down below the stage, "Professor Flitwick, Charms teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House; Donatella Versachi, muggle and wizarding fashion expert; Lucious Malfoy from the Ministry of Magic; Celestine Warbeck, Entertainer; and Remus Lupin, former Hogwarts professor." Each judge stood in turn to wave at the crowd in response to cheers. Lucious Malfoy only received a smattering of applause.
Professor Dumbledore climbed onto the stage, escorting Ashley Cuddington, the previous Miss Hogwarts. Her sash twinkled like the tiara that she was carrying. "Thank you all for coming," Professor Dumbledore said to the crowd, "We will begin by announcing the fourth runner up." A man appeared on stage with flowers in his arms as Professor Dumbledore said, "Miss Susan Bones." The Hufflepuff crowd cheered as Susan walked forward to accept her flowers. The tension rose up into Hermione's throat as she shook in anticipation. "The third runner up is Miss Parvati Patil." The crowd cheered as Parvati received her flowers, trying not to cry from disappointment. "These last three positions were very tough to decide. The second runner up is Miss Genevra Weasley." Ginny smiled happily and the Gryffindor crowd again cried, "GO GENEVRA!" Hermione couldn't believe it. Pansy Parkinson had beaten Ginny despite her obviously fake answer to the final question. Hermione tried not to fume at Lucious Malfoy as Professor Dumbledore began to speak again. "The first runner up is…" he paused suspensefully. Time stood still for Hermione as she looked out to Ron in the audience. The room was dim and the stage lights were bright, so she could barely see him, but she knew where he had been sitting. "… Miss Pansy Parkinson." The Great Hall exploded into screams and cheers as Ashley Cuddington and Professor Dumbledore walked up to Hermione. "Congratulations to Miss Hermione Granger, the new Miss Hogwarts!" The crowd screamed again as Ashley placed the tiara on Hermione's head, tapping it with her wand to set it in place. Cameras flashed all over the audience as Professor Dumbledore flicked his wand, placing the sash around Hermione.
"All Hogwarts students and family are invited to stay for a victory celebration right here in the Great Hall beginning in one hour. The dress is casual, so ladies, you may return to your dormitories to change into some more festive clothing," Professor Dumbledore said, dismissing the group. Hermione was in a state of shock as she walked off the stage and out into the crowd. "Way to go, Hermione!" "Great job, wicked charm!" she heard. No matter how hard she listened though, she didn't hear the one voice that she was dying to hear. 'I'll see him in the common room, I'm sure,' she thought, being shunted out of the hall and up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
To be continued…