A/N: The next three chapters (starting with this one) span the course of
one evening-namely that of the DA party. As such, there will be a slight
variation in the structure from what you might be used to. These chapters
are what I like to think of as the nexus, or heart, of the story for many
different reasons. As they all take place on the arc of this single event,
stopping points might appear unnatural. Unfortunately, there's too much to
fit into one part, so I'm going to try to get these out in as quick as
succession as I can. Please bear with me in the interim-I hope you enjoy!
To my beta readers Ashwinder and Chi: you push me to be a better writer and I adore you both for it. To my reviewers: thanks for making this journey an absurd amount of fun. And finally, to Maid Marian, whose feedback on one of the earlier chapters provided the basis for one of the most important scenes in this one: Just thanks.
Part 8: In Preparation
The start of December was a particularly painful experience for Ginny, given the disgusting amount of homework she was given. Ron assured her that things had been no different for him the previous year but she didn't quite believe him, as she never remembered seeing him spend as much time studying back then as she did now. Then again, Ron's lack of apparent effort might have acted as foreshadowing for his fairly mediocre O.W.L. results.
It soon seemed that the library and the Quidditch pitch were the only two realities that existed for her and neither were particularly pleasant. Studying with Luna and Neville was becoming increasingly difficult as they had a tendency to whisper to each other almost non-stop making it difficult to concentrate. Desperation finally forced her to stalk and corner Susan one day and they made a date to sit together during the Slytherin/Hufflepuff Quidditch match to talk.
The game had been incredibly close up until Slytherin won due to something that Ginny could only view as complete and utter dumb luck. Malfoy had been chasing Hufflepuff Seeker Alex Summersby around in circles when the Snitch had actually flown down the front of his robes. To hear Malfoy talk about it afterwards, one would think that he'd risked his life to catch the silly thing, but from Ginny's perspective the only real risk involved was the fact that the fluttering ball might have accidentally made it down his knickers.
To make matters worse, Susan informed Ginny that she was not going to the DA party at all, despite having received an invitation, because she was busy with 'other things'. When pressed to reveal specifically what those other things were, she demurred and bolted at the first available opportunity leaving Ginny confused and alone, standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Gryffindor's Quidditch practice wasn't much better as the biting cold was wearing the entire team down, in addition to the increase in workload they were all suffering from. Even Harry had lost much of his edge having twice accidentally knocked Dean off of his broom while demonstrating strikes with the Beaters. After a near third incident, Katie removed him from assisting Chelsea and Amir altogether. Citing the fact that she'd like to see her date survive just long enough to escort her to the DA party, she banned Harry from so much as touching a bat until after Christmas and assigned him to working with Ginny and Ron. Things seemed to go a bit more smoothly after that.
Preparations for the DA party also grew increasingly hectic at that time, to the point where Ginny regretted having volunteered to oversee the menu. For two weeks solid she was forced to make trips to the kitchens each morning to correct mistakes and clarify ingredients for the twenty or so elves that had been assigned to help with the food. Just when she thought Dobby really was crackers, as Tonks had so artfully put it, he turned up with three days left to spare carrying an impeccable list of what she'd asked for and samples for her to try.
Lucky for Ginny, she was saved from being present for the biggest scare leading up to the party, which she only found out about from Hermione after the fact. The evening before the event, she and Tonks had been standing outside The Room of Requirement, envisioning what they wanted based on the floor plan, when Lupin unexpectedly turned up. Had it not been for Tonks's reflexes and Hermione's focus, Ginny had no doubt they would have been caught. In the end, Tonks managed to distract Lupin long enough for Hermione to concentrate the DA space back into existence before he entered.
With everything suddenly in place on the morning of the party and Quidditch practice cancelled for reasons that Ginny felt had more to do with Katie Bell's need to primp than anything else, she found herself with a relatively free day. She had been hoping to pass some of the time with Harry as they had spent many of their evenings together studying. She reckoned she had grown a bit spoiled by his constant company, since his current absence had her yearning for him with an acuteness that reminded her of her first year. Unfortunately, a quick search of the library, the Common Room and the Great Hall turned up nothing. Ron was also mysteriously missing and Hermione was using her afternoon to do some studying for the sinful number of classes she was taking. Neville had managed to get himself an afternoon detention with Professor Snape for blowing up his cauldron and causing everyone in the room to go blind for three hours. Luna, too, was nowhere to be found. Ginny wouldn't have been surprised if the girl had been sitting quietly outside of the Potions classroom waiting for him to come out.
So, in the end, Ginny retired to her room to read by herself. It was with no small amount of amusement that she watched several of the girls in her dormitory start getting ready as early as three in afternoon. Since Hermione wasn't set to come over until 5:30, she read straight through the whirlwind of activity going on around her. By the time Hermione's scheduled arrival had come and gone, the dormitory room was deserted and Ginny started getting dressed without her.
She had just finished putting on some light makeup when she heard a knock on her door.
"Gin, it's me." Hermione's muffled voice barely penetrated the wood.
"Come in." She called, turning away from her mirror, "Where have you been? I was expecting you nearly half an hour ago.Oh, Hermione, you look breathtaking!"
Her friend smiled shyly. "Really?" She was wearing a pale peach set of dress robes that coupled a fitted bodice with a long flowing multi-layered skirt. Her hair had been swept up into an elegant twist that accentuated the delicate arc of her neck and gleamed beautifully whenever it caught the light. The overall effect was to give her a graceful, radiant look.
Ginny couldn't quite contain her excitement over Ron's impending reaction. "The robes are a stunning color-and your hair! How did you get it up like that? Goodness, I know we're supposed to do it the other way 'round, but I think from now on you should help me get ready."
Hermione laughed. "No, no, I'm afraid you're giving me much too much credit. I was attacked, you see." At Ginny's uncomprehending look, she continued. "Two hours ago, when I came upstairs to get my Arithmancy book, Lavender and Pavarti were already half-way done getting ready and they all but pounced on me, sat me down and forced me to submit to their madness. The hair alone took almost all of the time. They were going to start in on my makeup, but I told them I was leaving that to you. It was honestly the only way I was able to escape."
Ginny grinned. "Well, then, take a seat."
Hermione did as she was told. "I really like what you're wearing, too, Gin. It's a very smart cut and the stitching on the neckline is so pretty."
It was then that Ginny remembered the simple dark green robes she was wearing and she frowned. Compared to Hermione's clothes, which surrounded her with an aura of soft, luscious femininity, Ginny thought her plainer robes made her look a bit like a dowdy nun. "You don't think it's too casual, do you? I feel underdressed."
"No, no, I just saw lots of girls in the Common Room and many of them were dressed more informally." Hermione paused. "Wait-do I look overdone to you?"
"No!" Ginny said quickly. "Not at all!"
"You're being honest? I really don't want to appear as though I spent hours trying to look presentable. I mean, I'd like to look as though I've put effort in to looking nice, but I don't want to seem too-"
"Hermione!" Ginny cut in, laughing. "You look fine!" She had never seen her friend so easily flustered and there was something endearing to know that her brother was the cause of it.
The rest of their time together was filled with mindless, excited chatter as Ginny fixed a few different color palettes for Hermione and they mixed and matched them in turn, looking for the perfect combination. Ultimately, they settled on darkening and defining her eyes while pairing that with a subtle shimmery lip gloss that was just a shade darker into the orange spectrum than her robes. A light dusting of blush completed the look and they were just about to start on Ginny's hair when they were interrupted by a loud thud.
"That sounded like something hitting the window." Hermione walked over and peered outside. "But I don't see anything." Unsnapping the latch, she hefted up the heavy glass pane, and leaned her head out. "No," she said after a few moments, "there's nothing out here." She lifted her hands to close it again, when suddenly something small, fast, and brown came hurtling towards her from above.
Hermione let out a surprised shriek as Pigwidgeon came tumbling into the room at such a speed he smacked into her chest, his wings fluttering wildly against her neck for a few moments before falling down, bouncing off the ground, and taking off towards Ginny.
Used to the bird's spastic behavior, Ginny merely held out her hands and sure enough, a folded piece of paper struck her palms just before Pig smacked into the ceiling and fell down onto her bed with a weak hoot.
Quickly opening up the message, she was surprised to find several black elastic pieces with buttons attached to them enclosed. Most of them tumbled to the ground when she unsealed the parchment but she managed to catch one and spared it a glance. Hermione picked up the remaining scattered items as Ginny scrutinized the note.
Gin, what in blue blazes are these stupid things? Please help us.
Come soon!
Ron (and Harry)
"What is this?" Hermione asked, holding up one of the elastic pieces.
Ginny laughed. "It's for men's dress robes. Most of them use charms, but some of the heavier ones come with these pieces to secure sections in place since fabric charms tend to have a short duration. I know because my dad has a set of robes he wears for Ministry functions that uses them." She passed Hermione the note. "It appears that I'm needed in the boys' dormitory. You won't tell the Prefect on me, will you?"
Hermione smiled but hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she shook her head. "Just be quick about it. We still need to do your, hair, you know."
"I think I'll just plait it. Do you know how to do a French braid, Hermione?"
The other girl shook her head.
"Then don't worry, I'll take care of it when I get back. You needn't hang about here if you have other things to do."
"Okay, I think I'll do a quick check of the girls' dormitory to make sure everyone is settled. Afterwards, I'll wait for you all in the Common Room."
They parted company after that, and Ginny quickly made her way up the stairs to the boys' sixth year dormitory. She was walking down the hall, just starting to wonder where, exactly, her brother had obtained such nice dress robes that they had these buttons when she all but tripped over him.
"Ginny!" Ron looked exceedingly pleased to see her. "That was fast. I didn't know if you would come."
"Oh my." She was regarding her brother with genuine awe. He was dressed in a striking black set of robes that were cut perfectly to display his broad shoulders and athletic build. His hair had been tamed into some semblance of a part and he was smiling proudly under her gaze. "Ron, you look.Merlin, Ron, you look like a proper gentleman. Is Colin in there? We really need to send a picture home to Mum. I don't think she'd recognize you."
"Yeah, yeah, funny," Ron grumbled, although he looked distinctly pleased with himself.
She opened her mouth to inquire after the origins of his outfit when Harry suddenly appeared behind him.
"Ron, I think I know what those things are for. See, right under the cuff, there's this-" He stopped and smiled. "Ginny! I didn't even see you. Thanks for coming."
He was dressed in an almost identical set of robes as her brother, but, for Ginny, the effect was entirely different. First, she felt a pulse of heat flood through her chest, followed by a tingling sensation exploding in her stomach. Then her mouth dried up completely. She felt as though she had been entirely robbed of her ability to speak. Normally that only happened when he was standing too close to her but now he was a good ten feet away. She nodded weakly at him and tried not to think about how bad this boded for her general concentration this evening. She'd be lucky if she didn't trip and fall into a fireplace.
Seemingly unconcerned about her lack of a verbal response, Harry continued with his observation. "So, Ron, if you turn your wrist over, you'll see there's this little hole and I think it's for the button to attach the robes to your undershirt so they don't slide down like they're doing right now."
"He's right," Ginny chimed in, trying to ignore the dizziness that was still fogging up her mind. "They're there to secure the robes in place. I know because Dad has a set that uses them."
"He does?" Ron asked. "I've never noticed that."
"Well, that's because he's always had to come to me to do them up since Mum was usually too busy chasing after you boys to help him get ready. It shouldn't take too long, actually. They're really not too difficult to attach but a few are in hard to reach places."
"Well, then, it's a good thing you're here, Gin." Harry beckoned her to follow him. "Come on inside."
With that, they trooped out of the hall and into the dormitory room. The moment she crossed the threshold into the room, she wrinkled her nose in response to the overpowering scent of battling colognes. Seamus let out a startled gasp when he saw her and quickly started shoving things under his bed that looked suspiciously like dirty clothing. "Crikey, Weasley, how about a warning next time you're bringing ladies in to the room?"
"Oh it's just Ginny," Ron said dismissively and she stifled a sigh in response.
Just as she'd predicted, it didn't take long to get the buttons snapped into place, and she was just putting a temporary vanishing spell on the attachments for both boys when Seamus left to meet Lavender in the Common Room.
"Thanks a lot, Gin," Ron said, examining the way the robes fell in the mirror. "Say, shouldn't you be dressed?" he asked, walking past her. "We're meeting Hermione downstairs in twenty minutes and doesn't it take you girls hours to get ready? Has anyone seen my shoes?"
Ginny let out an irritated noise and was about to inform her brother that she was, in fact, dressed already but paused when Harry just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"A bit thick, isn't he?" he said. "That green looks nice on you, Gin."
She beamed at him then, reveling in the pleasure of having caught his notice.
"Good show, Harry!" Ron nudged his best friend jovially on his way to looking for his shoes. "Hermione's right: girls really do like to be complimented."
It took a few seconds for his words to make their way into her Harry-addled brain, but when they did, the smile dropped right off of her face. Hermione's right? A bitter cold feeling washed over her. Oh sweet Merlin, no.
Ron glanced back at the tense silence that had fallen over the room and instantly caught the borderline murderous look he was getting from his best friend. An expression of frantic searching crossed his features as though he were rewinding the last few seconds of the conversation to try and work out what had just happened. Suddenly, he looked over at his sister.
"Which is not to say at ALL that the compliments are insincere," he continued in a rushed tone as though he had merely taken a twenty second pause between his first and second statement.
She simply stared at an invisible point on the floor, her mind reeling.
"Ginny."
That meant that everything nice she had thought about him in the past month or so was directly attributable to Hermione Granger. The apology, the time he'd almost said he would have taken her to the party if he'd known she was going alone, the part where he'd complimented her hair and her sash, the moment, less than a minute ago, when he had said he liked what she was wearing. It had all been because Hermione told him girls liked that sort of thing. Goodness gracious, he was probably just practicing on her in preparation for.well, in preparation for someone he was actually interested in.
"Ginny?"
Sweet, helpful Hermione who Ginny could not, even now, hold at fault for this mess had unwittingly led Harry to act-. She stopped herself then and closed her eyes against the bitter disappointment flooding through her. This was precisely why she made sure she never got her hopes up. Blast him for making her feel this way.
"Ginny!" Ron's voice had taken on a desperate tone during his sister's silence and it finally broke her out of her reverie. She just looked at him then, a clear hurt in her eyes.
"What, Ron?" she asked, in a tired voice.
Having finally received her attention, he didn't seem to know what to do with it. "Well, it's just that-" He shot Harry a panicked look, but it went ignored as the dark haired boy's gaze was fixed on Ginny. "I mean, don't girls like that sort of thing? Hermione isn't wrong, is she? Girls really do like to be complimented, right?"
"Actually, girls like it even more when they're told the truth. They would much rather that boys be honest with them." The response was directed at Ron, but her gaze was locked on Harry's as she said the words. "Empty compliments don't mean much to most respectable girls."
"Empty?" Ron croaked the word. "But, Gin, you don't know that-"
"Yes, well it doesn't matter what she knows, does it? Your sister has a real talent for expecting the worst of people," Harry cut in coldly.
On top of everything else, Ginny felt as though she'd been slapped. The silence, she'd been expecting. The direct verbal assault had come out of seemingly nowhere and she was rapidly starting to wonder just who on earth Harry Potter really was. Anger flared above the hurt and she took a step forward. "Really, Harry? Do I now? Well, perhaps I'm fortunate that you always meet my expectations." He flinched and it just made her feel worse.
Ron cleared his throat nervously. "Now, now.let's not start saying things that we're all going to-"
"Shut up, Ron!" Harry spat. "I think we've heard enough from you for one night."
Ginny had been thinking something remarkably similar, but the fact that she hadn't been the one to say it only served to make her angrier. "You want to know what your talent is, Harry? Being senselessly callous, mean, and selfish!"
"Well at least I'm not pathetic!" he burst out.
It was as though someone had suddenly grabbed her heart and was squeezing it violently. "What?" She could barely choke out the word.
"Well, it's another one of your bloody talents: forcing us to ask you questions we already know the answer to."
Her breath hitched in her throat.
"Say, Ginny, do you want to join the DA again? Well, of course you don't, we all know you don't, but you still insisted on being asked!"
"How do you know I didn't want to join? Who the bloody hell are you to tell me that I wouldn't have said yes if you hadn't asked me in such a terrible way like the arrogant fool that you are?" The truth spilled out accidentally in her anger.
Harry suddenly turned sheet white. "Arrogant, am I?" he whispered.
She suddenly realized she might have gone a tad too far.
"So you would have said yes, eh? Well how about this for a question I already know the answer to: 'Say, Ginny, do you want to be my date to the DA party?'"
She couldn't believe it. He was throwing it all in her face. He knew how she felt and he was throwing it right back into her face. "I'd rather go with Malfoy," she whispered, unable to control her trembling voice, before she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
She had almost made it to the stairs when she felt a sharp tug on her arm and she spun around in fury, coming nose to nose with her brother. He looked so anxious that his freckles stood out starkly in contrast to his pale skin. "Ginny, wait, please-"
"Not now, Ron." She tried to dismiss him but he started to pull her back towards the room.
"Please talk to him, please don't leave it this way-this is my fault-you don't understand-"
"No, of COURSE I don't understand!" she burst out, causing Ron to abruptly drop her arm. "He never tells me ANYTHING so how on earth am I supposed to understand?" Feeling a wretched surge of unwanted tears, she held her hands up in supplication and lowered her voice. "Ron, what do you expect me to do? He doesn't want me to understand."
"Yes, he does!"
"No, he doesn't!" she ground out angrily. "Honestly, Ron, I HATE when you do this!"
"Do what?"
"Defend him! Why are you always defending him to me?"
Ron looked away then and was silent for a moment. "Listen, Ginny, can't you believe me because I'm your brother and I'm telling you that he really does want you to understand? Can't you just trust me?"
She shook her head then in frustration. "Don't you get it, Ron? It's precisely because you're my brother that I hate when you do this. For once in your life, why can't you actually defend me instead of him? Every bloody time there's a fight you NEVER take my side."
"I'm not taking anyone's side! All I'm saying is that Harry's our friend and if you'd just listen-"
"No," she cut him off coldly, "Harry is not OUR friend. Harry is YOUR friend and even you have to admit that he's exerted an awful lot of effort making that clear. Every bloody second I start to think differently, he does something to remind me that how he feels about you and Hermione is entirely different compared to how he feels about me."
Ron looked stricken. "Ginny, how can you say that? You can't honestly believe-"
"Ron, if you really want to do us both some good, march right back in there and just ask him. Ask him why he insists on acting like a complete and total prat when all I've ever done is to try to be his friend." Her eyes caught then on the shape over Ron's shoulder and she realized with shock that Harry was standing in the doorway of the dormitory, a stony expression on his face. The dark look in his eyes left her no doubt that he'd heard every word she'd said.
She forced herself not to care.
Ron glanced over his shoulder, following the direction of her gaze, and he beckoned the other boy to join them. "Harry, mate.come on now."
But Ginny couldn't let him. She couldn't let Ron act the mediator. She was just too angry and it was to the point where she resented the push she was getting from her brother.
Matching Harry's glare with one of her own, she threw him a nasty smile. "I suppose we can add eavesdropping to your list talents, eh?" And with that, she turned and fled down the hall at as dignified a speed as she could.
Arriving in her dormitory room a few minutes later, she had just started to tear off her green robes, resolute in her intention not to go to the party at all, when someone burst in.
Ginny yelped at the unexpected intrusion and grabbed part of her bed curtain to drape over her partially exposed frame. She slowly lowered the covering when she realized who it was. "Hermione, you can tell Ron that he can just-"
"I'm not here for Ron, Ginny, I'm here for you. What on earth are you doing?"
"Getting undressed."
"But why?"
"I'm not going."
"Oh, come on, Ginny."
"No, I'm not going, Hermione. I've got nothing suitable to wear."
"What do you mean you have nothing to wear? Your robes are lovely, Ginny."
"No, no they're not! For Merlin's sake, Hermione, look at what you're wearing. I don't own anything even CLOSE to that. Besides, on top of not having anything to wear, I'm simply too angry to share a room with Harry right now."
"But Ginny-"
"No, Hermione, absolutely not. I feel like I'd be more attractive wearing wallpaper."
Hermione sighed then. "Look, Ginny, let's make a deal. If I take care of the first, do you think you can endure the second?"
"What?"
"If I can get you something more formal to wear, will you be willing to go? Before you say no, please remember how much effort we put in to this. Tonks will be devastated if you don't come and I can't even imagine what Professor Lupin will think. Please Ginny, don't let the fact that Harry is acting like a git spoil everyone's evening."
Ginny paused then, realizing miserably that she was as equally susceptible to Hermione's blinding logic as everyone else evidently was. "But where on earth are you going to get something for me to wear at this hour? Almost everyone is at the party already and I'm much too short for anything you own."
"You let me handle that," her friend responded firmly.
When Hermione finally returned, Ginny had been sitting alone on her bed in her undergarments, staring desolately at the floor for almost ten full minutes.
"Come on, Ginny, up with you," she said briskly. "We haven't got much time."
Looking up, Ginny was surprised to see that Hermione wasn't alone. Striding behind her, carrying a black case, was none other than Pavarti Patil. It wasn't until the Indian girl moved to put the case on Ginny's bed that she saw Luna Lovegood bringing up the rear.
"Hi Ginny," Luna said, smiling serenely. "Try this on, will you?" She thrust what appeared to be a bundle of fabric into her arms.
Gingerly holding it up, Ginny stared at the gleaming white robes with intricate green and gold trim that had been given to her. "What's this?"
"They're mine, but I'm not quite built to fill them properly just yet. I think they might be perfect for you."
"And if they aren't, well, I can do a bit of minor adjusting," Pavarti said. "I also brought a few of my and Lavender's robes, just in case. Between the three of us, I think we can find something that will work."
Ginny's stunned expression over Pavarti's generosity was obscured by the fact that Hermione was tugging Luna's white robes over her head. "Hold still now."
"Hermione, I can dress myself!" Despite it all, Ginny almost laughed at the hen-like mothering she was being subjected to. Struggling to put her arms through the sleeves, she turned her attention back to Pavarti. "Thank you so much for doing this, but I wouldn't want to keep you from getting to the party on time. Isn't your date-" She searched her mind for the boy's name.
"Rufus Wilkes," Pavarti supplied helpfully as she rummaged through the black case.
"Ah, yes. Isn't he waiting for you?"
Pulling out a few sheets of parchment, Pavarti glanced at Ginny and shook her head before staring down at the spells written upon them. "No, we had already left for the party when we bumped into Hermione in the hall on her way to get Luna. He's gone on ahead without me and I told him I might be a bit, so it's fine. How do you feel about a curling charm?"
"What?"
Pavarti raised an eyebrow. "For your hair, Ginny. I think it'd look rather precious."
The last time someone had attempted a curling charm on Ginny, she'd ended up looking like a poodle and it had taken three days to get her traumatized locks back in order. "Uhm, no thank you. Listen, Pavarti, please don't worry yourself on terms of beauty charms. Really, you're already doing so much for me with the robes."
Making a dismissive sound, Pavarti tapped her wand right above Ginny's bosom and the material pulled in slightly where it had been hanging loose. "Oh please, I love doing this sort of thing. If my parents weren't so intent on my becoming a mediwizard, I swear I'd apply to be a fashion correspondent for Witch Weekly. Turn around now."
Obediently, Ginny turned and felt gentle taps from Pavarti's wand on her hips and at the small of her back.
"I think this should hold for the rest of the evening, Ginny. Well, at least until midnight, or so," Pavarti said. "No promises after that."
"Careful, Ginny, or you'll be turning into a pumpkin when the clock strikes twelve." At the curious stares from the other girls, Hermione's smile faded and she shifted uncomfortably. "Never mind. Muggle story," she muttered.
"Right then." Pavarti threw her an odd look before turning to back to Ginny. "Now what about that hair of yours?"
"I was just going to plait it," she responded.
"Oh, but that's so boring!" Pavarti wailed, drawing out that last word. "Come on now, I could do so much better than that if you'd just let me-"
"Pavarti, I really don't feel comfortable doing anything drastic with my hair. I mean, honestly, I just want something to keep it out of my face and make me look half-way decent."
"Fine, fine, but if you're going to insist on being obstinate, the least you can do is let me plait it my way. No magic necessary, I promise."
Not being able to come up with a particularly compelling reason to turn the other girl down, Ginny gave her assent and was pleasantly surprised twenty minutes later when Pavarti finally allowed her to get a look in the mirror. The white robes really were quite becoming and enhanced her red hair while complementing her pale complexion. The fact that some of the gold in the trim matched the natural golden streaks in her locks certainly didn't hurt. As for the issue of Ginny's hairstyle, Pavarti had pulled it back from the top and sides, twisting and weaving pieces into an intricate design that was secured with silver pins in the back of her head. The rest of her hair remained untouched, its slightly wavy texture cascading down her back. Turning her head to the side, Ginny suddenly realized that the strands seemed to have an almost abnormally perfect shine to them.
Pavarti caught her questioning glance in the mirror and shrugged with a slightly wicked smirk. "It's only a glossing charm. I'd be happy to remove it, though, if you don't like it."
"No," Ginny responded, a bit more quickly than she had intended to. "It's fine."
"It's beautiful," Hermione said softly.
"Yes, it really is," Luna echoed.
"Thank you so much, Pavarti." Ginny grinned. "You've made me look presentable and that's more than I imagined possible. I never realized you were so talented at this sort of thing."
"Well, I have been known to be helpful sometimes," Pavarti sniffed in mock offense as she repacked her case. Ginny wondered for a second if the other girl was actually privy to her rather unflattering reputation of being somewhat soft-headed at times. She silently resolved that, from that moment forward, she would never say anything ill about Pavarti Patil no matter how tempting the occasion that presented itself. It wasn't too bad, really.
After all, Padma was still fair game.
"Well, let's be off then," Hermione said. "If we rush, we can probably make it to the DA room before Professor Lupin is supposed to arrive at 7:30. Let's just hope he isn't early."
"I'm going to put this back in my room, refresh myself, and meet you at the party," Pavarti responded. She flashed them a brilliant smile before hurrying off.
The three remaining girls quickly made their way out of Ginny's dormitory and down the hall. "Ron must be losing his mind wondering where we are. I'm shocked he didn't send Pig after us again," Hermione said.
"Ron!" Ginny yelped, having entirely forgotten about her brother and, for that part, the boys in general. "Oh no, I didn't even think about the fact that he's been waiting." Did that mean that Harry.?
"Not to worry, Neville has been keeping him company and he's extremely patient," Luna said as they all but flew down the stairs.
Rushing into the Common Room, Ginny realized with equal parts relief and frustration that Harry wasn't there.
"Well, it's about bloody time," Ron said from where he had been clearly pacing in front of the portrait hole. Neville stood from where he had been seated in an armchair and silently offered his arm to Luna who took it gracefully.
"We've got just over fifteen minutes to get there, Ron," Hermione responded in her most soothing voice, although the panic in her eyes was fairly apparent.
"I'm sorry, Ron, this is my fault," Ginny said and at this, her brother's expression softened a bit.
"Fine then, we can discuss it later, let's just get there before we miss the surprise."
And with that, they scrambled out of the portrait hole and all but raced down towards the DA room. It took them less than five minutes to cover most of the distance, but the last few hallways were proving the trickiest to maneuver as Ron had insisted that they all stop running and instead dart from point to point behind statues, columns and assorted wall coverings just in case Lupin was around. He was doing it with such ease that Ginny started to think that he'd had an awful lot of practice with this sort of thing. Hermione had appeared exceptionally annoyed when he'd first started, but by the time they were approaching the door of the room, she had a look of breathless excitement as he dragged her by her hand from place to place.
Ginny let out a sigh of relief as she saw the sign for the DA room and noted that it was still bright green. Tonks had charmed it to turn back to its dull silver color if Lupin was in the vicinity and that would trigger another charm which turned the lights red on the inside of the room to warn everyone that he was coming.
"Ready?" Ron whispered, glancing back at Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He tugged Hermione closer and shifted his weight as though about to make a run for it.
Not really, Ginny reckoned, suddenly realizing that even after they got into the room safely, she would still have to face Harry. She sighed. The evening had started off so beautifully and now she was regarding it with the same enthusiasm that she would a detention with Snape.
Luna squeezed her hand gently then and Ginny took a deep breath, trying to shake off her negative thoughts. She was going to have a good time tonight, even if it was the death of her. With Merlin as her witness, Harry Potter was not going to spoil another day of her life, least of all this one. Bracing herself, she saw a rustle of movement and suddenly Ron and Hermione dashed the last few feet across the hall and into the room.
Moments later, she, Luna and Neville bolted after them.
~*~
End Part 8
To my beta readers Ashwinder and Chi: you push me to be a better writer and I adore you both for it. To my reviewers: thanks for making this journey an absurd amount of fun. And finally, to Maid Marian, whose feedback on one of the earlier chapters provided the basis for one of the most important scenes in this one: Just thanks.
Part 8: In Preparation
The start of December was a particularly painful experience for Ginny, given the disgusting amount of homework she was given. Ron assured her that things had been no different for him the previous year but she didn't quite believe him, as she never remembered seeing him spend as much time studying back then as she did now. Then again, Ron's lack of apparent effort might have acted as foreshadowing for his fairly mediocre O.W.L. results.
It soon seemed that the library and the Quidditch pitch were the only two realities that existed for her and neither were particularly pleasant. Studying with Luna and Neville was becoming increasingly difficult as they had a tendency to whisper to each other almost non-stop making it difficult to concentrate. Desperation finally forced her to stalk and corner Susan one day and they made a date to sit together during the Slytherin/Hufflepuff Quidditch match to talk.
The game had been incredibly close up until Slytherin won due to something that Ginny could only view as complete and utter dumb luck. Malfoy had been chasing Hufflepuff Seeker Alex Summersby around in circles when the Snitch had actually flown down the front of his robes. To hear Malfoy talk about it afterwards, one would think that he'd risked his life to catch the silly thing, but from Ginny's perspective the only real risk involved was the fact that the fluttering ball might have accidentally made it down his knickers.
To make matters worse, Susan informed Ginny that she was not going to the DA party at all, despite having received an invitation, because she was busy with 'other things'. When pressed to reveal specifically what those other things were, she demurred and bolted at the first available opportunity leaving Ginny confused and alone, standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Gryffindor's Quidditch practice wasn't much better as the biting cold was wearing the entire team down, in addition to the increase in workload they were all suffering from. Even Harry had lost much of his edge having twice accidentally knocked Dean off of his broom while demonstrating strikes with the Beaters. After a near third incident, Katie removed him from assisting Chelsea and Amir altogether. Citing the fact that she'd like to see her date survive just long enough to escort her to the DA party, she banned Harry from so much as touching a bat until after Christmas and assigned him to working with Ginny and Ron. Things seemed to go a bit more smoothly after that.
Preparations for the DA party also grew increasingly hectic at that time, to the point where Ginny regretted having volunteered to oversee the menu. For two weeks solid she was forced to make trips to the kitchens each morning to correct mistakes and clarify ingredients for the twenty or so elves that had been assigned to help with the food. Just when she thought Dobby really was crackers, as Tonks had so artfully put it, he turned up with three days left to spare carrying an impeccable list of what she'd asked for and samples for her to try.
Lucky for Ginny, she was saved from being present for the biggest scare leading up to the party, which she only found out about from Hermione after the fact. The evening before the event, she and Tonks had been standing outside The Room of Requirement, envisioning what they wanted based on the floor plan, when Lupin unexpectedly turned up. Had it not been for Tonks's reflexes and Hermione's focus, Ginny had no doubt they would have been caught. In the end, Tonks managed to distract Lupin long enough for Hermione to concentrate the DA space back into existence before he entered.
With everything suddenly in place on the morning of the party and Quidditch practice cancelled for reasons that Ginny felt had more to do with Katie Bell's need to primp than anything else, she found herself with a relatively free day. She had been hoping to pass some of the time with Harry as they had spent many of their evenings together studying. She reckoned she had grown a bit spoiled by his constant company, since his current absence had her yearning for him with an acuteness that reminded her of her first year. Unfortunately, a quick search of the library, the Common Room and the Great Hall turned up nothing. Ron was also mysteriously missing and Hermione was using her afternoon to do some studying for the sinful number of classes she was taking. Neville had managed to get himself an afternoon detention with Professor Snape for blowing up his cauldron and causing everyone in the room to go blind for three hours. Luna, too, was nowhere to be found. Ginny wouldn't have been surprised if the girl had been sitting quietly outside of the Potions classroom waiting for him to come out.
So, in the end, Ginny retired to her room to read by herself. It was with no small amount of amusement that she watched several of the girls in her dormitory start getting ready as early as three in afternoon. Since Hermione wasn't set to come over until 5:30, she read straight through the whirlwind of activity going on around her. By the time Hermione's scheduled arrival had come and gone, the dormitory room was deserted and Ginny started getting dressed without her.
She had just finished putting on some light makeup when she heard a knock on her door.
"Gin, it's me." Hermione's muffled voice barely penetrated the wood.
"Come in." She called, turning away from her mirror, "Where have you been? I was expecting you nearly half an hour ago.Oh, Hermione, you look breathtaking!"
Her friend smiled shyly. "Really?" She was wearing a pale peach set of dress robes that coupled a fitted bodice with a long flowing multi-layered skirt. Her hair had been swept up into an elegant twist that accentuated the delicate arc of her neck and gleamed beautifully whenever it caught the light. The overall effect was to give her a graceful, radiant look.
Ginny couldn't quite contain her excitement over Ron's impending reaction. "The robes are a stunning color-and your hair! How did you get it up like that? Goodness, I know we're supposed to do it the other way 'round, but I think from now on you should help me get ready."
Hermione laughed. "No, no, I'm afraid you're giving me much too much credit. I was attacked, you see." At Ginny's uncomprehending look, she continued. "Two hours ago, when I came upstairs to get my Arithmancy book, Lavender and Pavarti were already half-way done getting ready and they all but pounced on me, sat me down and forced me to submit to their madness. The hair alone took almost all of the time. They were going to start in on my makeup, but I told them I was leaving that to you. It was honestly the only way I was able to escape."
Ginny grinned. "Well, then, take a seat."
Hermione did as she was told. "I really like what you're wearing, too, Gin. It's a very smart cut and the stitching on the neckline is so pretty."
It was then that Ginny remembered the simple dark green robes she was wearing and she frowned. Compared to Hermione's clothes, which surrounded her with an aura of soft, luscious femininity, Ginny thought her plainer robes made her look a bit like a dowdy nun. "You don't think it's too casual, do you? I feel underdressed."
"No, no, I just saw lots of girls in the Common Room and many of them were dressed more informally." Hermione paused. "Wait-do I look overdone to you?"
"No!" Ginny said quickly. "Not at all!"
"You're being honest? I really don't want to appear as though I spent hours trying to look presentable. I mean, I'd like to look as though I've put effort in to looking nice, but I don't want to seem too-"
"Hermione!" Ginny cut in, laughing. "You look fine!" She had never seen her friend so easily flustered and there was something endearing to know that her brother was the cause of it.
The rest of their time together was filled with mindless, excited chatter as Ginny fixed a few different color palettes for Hermione and they mixed and matched them in turn, looking for the perfect combination. Ultimately, they settled on darkening and defining her eyes while pairing that with a subtle shimmery lip gloss that was just a shade darker into the orange spectrum than her robes. A light dusting of blush completed the look and they were just about to start on Ginny's hair when they were interrupted by a loud thud.
"That sounded like something hitting the window." Hermione walked over and peered outside. "But I don't see anything." Unsnapping the latch, she hefted up the heavy glass pane, and leaned her head out. "No," she said after a few moments, "there's nothing out here." She lifted her hands to close it again, when suddenly something small, fast, and brown came hurtling towards her from above.
Hermione let out a surprised shriek as Pigwidgeon came tumbling into the room at such a speed he smacked into her chest, his wings fluttering wildly against her neck for a few moments before falling down, bouncing off the ground, and taking off towards Ginny.
Used to the bird's spastic behavior, Ginny merely held out her hands and sure enough, a folded piece of paper struck her palms just before Pig smacked into the ceiling and fell down onto her bed with a weak hoot.
Quickly opening up the message, she was surprised to find several black elastic pieces with buttons attached to them enclosed. Most of them tumbled to the ground when she unsealed the parchment but she managed to catch one and spared it a glance. Hermione picked up the remaining scattered items as Ginny scrutinized the note.
Gin, what in blue blazes are these stupid things? Please help us.
Come soon!
Ron (and Harry)
"What is this?" Hermione asked, holding up one of the elastic pieces.
Ginny laughed. "It's for men's dress robes. Most of them use charms, but some of the heavier ones come with these pieces to secure sections in place since fabric charms tend to have a short duration. I know because my dad has a set of robes he wears for Ministry functions that uses them." She passed Hermione the note. "It appears that I'm needed in the boys' dormitory. You won't tell the Prefect on me, will you?"
Hermione smiled but hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she shook her head. "Just be quick about it. We still need to do your, hair, you know."
"I think I'll just plait it. Do you know how to do a French braid, Hermione?"
The other girl shook her head.
"Then don't worry, I'll take care of it when I get back. You needn't hang about here if you have other things to do."
"Okay, I think I'll do a quick check of the girls' dormitory to make sure everyone is settled. Afterwards, I'll wait for you all in the Common Room."
They parted company after that, and Ginny quickly made her way up the stairs to the boys' sixth year dormitory. She was walking down the hall, just starting to wonder where, exactly, her brother had obtained such nice dress robes that they had these buttons when she all but tripped over him.
"Ginny!" Ron looked exceedingly pleased to see her. "That was fast. I didn't know if you would come."
"Oh my." She was regarding her brother with genuine awe. He was dressed in a striking black set of robes that were cut perfectly to display his broad shoulders and athletic build. His hair had been tamed into some semblance of a part and he was smiling proudly under her gaze. "Ron, you look.Merlin, Ron, you look like a proper gentleman. Is Colin in there? We really need to send a picture home to Mum. I don't think she'd recognize you."
"Yeah, yeah, funny," Ron grumbled, although he looked distinctly pleased with himself.
She opened her mouth to inquire after the origins of his outfit when Harry suddenly appeared behind him.
"Ron, I think I know what those things are for. See, right under the cuff, there's this-" He stopped and smiled. "Ginny! I didn't even see you. Thanks for coming."
He was dressed in an almost identical set of robes as her brother, but, for Ginny, the effect was entirely different. First, she felt a pulse of heat flood through her chest, followed by a tingling sensation exploding in her stomach. Then her mouth dried up completely. She felt as though she had been entirely robbed of her ability to speak. Normally that only happened when he was standing too close to her but now he was a good ten feet away. She nodded weakly at him and tried not to think about how bad this boded for her general concentration this evening. She'd be lucky if she didn't trip and fall into a fireplace.
Seemingly unconcerned about her lack of a verbal response, Harry continued with his observation. "So, Ron, if you turn your wrist over, you'll see there's this little hole and I think it's for the button to attach the robes to your undershirt so they don't slide down like they're doing right now."
"He's right," Ginny chimed in, trying to ignore the dizziness that was still fogging up her mind. "They're there to secure the robes in place. I know because Dad has a set that uses them."
"He does?" Ron asked. "I've never noticed that."
"Well, that's because he's always had to come to me to do them up since Mum was usually too busy chasing after you boys to help him get ready. It shouldn't take too long, actually. They're really not too difficult to attach but a few are in hard to reach places."
"Well, then, it's a good thing you're here, Gin." Harry beckoned her to follow him. "Come on inside."
With that, they trooped out of the hall and into the dormitory room. The moment she crossed the threshold into the room, she wrinkled her nose in response to the overpowering scent of battling colognes. Seamus let out a startled gasp when he saw her and quickly started shoving things under his bed that looked suspiciously like dirty clothing. "Crikey, Weasley, how about a warning next time you're bringing ladies in to the room?"
"Oh it's just Ginny," Ron said dismissively and she stifled a sigh in response.
Just as she'd predicted, it didn't take long to get the buttons snapped into place, and she was just putting a temporary vanishing spell on the attachments for both boys when Seamus left to meet Lavender in the Common Room.
"Thanks a lot, Gin," Ron said, examining the way the robes fell in the mirror. "Say, shouldn't you be dressed?" he asked, walking past her. "We're meeting Hermione downstairs in twenty minutes and doesn't it take you girls hours to get ready? Has anyone seen my shoes?"
Ginny let out an irritated noise and was about to inform her brother that she was, in fact, dressed already but paused when Harry just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"A bit thick, isn't he?" he said. "That green looks nice on you, Gin."
She beamed at him then, reveling in the pleasure of having caught his notice.
"Good show, Harry!" Ron nudged his best friend jovially on his way to looking for his shoes. "Hermione's right: girls really do like to be complimented."
It took a few seconds for his words to make their way into her Harry-addled brain, but when they did, the smile dropped right off of her face. Hermione's right? A bitter cold feeling washed over her. Oh sweet Merlin, no.
Ron glanced back at the tense silence that had fallen over the room and instantly caught the borderline murderous look he was getting from his best friend. An expression of frantic searching crossed his features as though he were rewinding the last few seconds of the conversation to try and work out what had just happened. Suddenly, he looked over at his sister.
"Which is not to say at ALL that the compliments are insincere," he continued in a rushed tone as though he had merely taken a twenty second pause between his first and second statement.
She simply stared at an invisible point on the floor, her mind reeling.
"Ginny."
That meant that everything nice she had thought about him in the past month or so was directly attributable to Hermione Granger. The apology, the time he'd almost said he would have taken her to the party if he'd known she was going alone, the part where he'd complimented her hair and her sash, the moment, less than a minute ago, when he had said he liked what she was wearing. It had all been because Hermione told him girls liked that sort of thing. Goodness gracious, he was probably just practicing on her in preparation for.well, in preparation for someone he was actually interested in.
"Ginny?"
Sweet, helpful Hermione who Ginny could not, even now, hold at fault for this mess had unwittingly led Harry to act-. She stopped herself then and closed her eyes against the bitter disappointment flooding through her. This was precisely why she made sure she never got her hopes up. Blast him for making her feel this way.
"Ginny!" Ron's voice had taken on a desperate tone during his sister's silence and it finally broke her out of her reverie. She just looked at him then, a clear hurt in her eyes.
"What, Ron?" she asked, in a tired voice.
Having finally received her attention, he didn't seem to know what to do with it. "Well, it's just that-" He shot Harry a panicked look, but it went ignored as the dark haired boy's gaze was fixed on Ginny. "I mean, don't girls like that sort of thing? Hermione isn't wrong, is she? Girls really do like to be complimented, right?"
"Actually, girls like it even more when they're told the truth. They would much rather that boys be honest with them." The response was directed at Ron, but her gaze was locked on Harry's as she said the words. "Empty compliments don't mean much to most respectable girls."
"Empty?" Ron croaked the word. "But, Gin, you don't know that-"
"Yes, well it doesn't matter what she knows, does it? Your sister has a real talent for expecting the worst of people," Harry cut in coldly.
On top of everything else, Ginny felt as though she'd been slapped. The silence, she'd been expecting. The direct verbal assault had come out of seemingly nowhere and she was rapidly starting to wonder just who on earth Harry Potter really was. Anger flared above the hurt and she took a step forward. "Really, Harry? Do I now? Well, perhaps I'm fortunate that you always meet my expectations." He flinched and it just made her feel worse.
Ron cleared his throat nervously. "Now, now.let's not start saying things that we're all going to-"
"Shut up, Ron!" Harry spat. "I think we've heard enough from you for one night."
Ginny had been thinking something remarkably similar, but the fact that she hadn't been the one to say it only served to make her angrier. "You want to know what your talent is, Harry? Being senselessly callous, mean, and selfish!"
"Well at least I'm not pathetic!" he burst out.
It was as though someone had suddenly grabbed her heart and was squeezing it violently. "What?" She could barely choke out the word.
"Well, it's another one of your bloody talents: forcing us to ask you questions we already know the answer to."
Her breath hitched in her throat.
"Say, Ginny, do you want to join the DA again? Well, of course you don't, we all know you don't, but you still insisted on being asked!"
"How do you know I didn't want to join? Who the bloody hell are you to tell me that I wouldn't have said yes if you hadn't asked me in such a terrible way like the arrogant fool that you are?" The truth spilled out accidentally in her anger.
Harry suddenly turned sheet white. "Arrogant, am I?" he whispered.
She suddenly realized she might have gone a tad too far.
"So you would have said yes, eh? Well how about this for a question I already know the answer to: 'Say, Ginny, do you want to be my date to the DA party?'"
She couldn't believe it. He was throwing it all in her face. He knew how she felt and he was throwing it right back into her face. "I'd rather go with Malfoy," she whispered, unable to control her trembling voice, before she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
She had almost made it to the stairs when she felt a sharp tug on her arm and she spun around in fury, coming nose to nose with her brother. He looked so anxious that his freckles stood out starkly in contrast to his pale skin. "Ginny, wait, please-"
"Not now, Ron." She tried to dismiss him but he started to pull her back towards the room.
"Please talk to him, please don't leave it this way-this is my fault-you don't understand-"
"No, of COURSE I don't understand!" she burst out, causing Ron to abruptly drop her arm. "He never tells me ANYTHING so how on earth am I supposed to understand?" Feeling a wretched surge of unwanted tears, she held her hands up in supplication and lowered her voice. "Ron, what do you expect me to do? He doesn't want me to understand."
"Yes, he does!"
"No, he doesn't!" she ground out angrily. "Honestly, Ron, I HATE when you do this!"
"Do what?"
"Defend him! Why are you always defending him to me?"
Ron looked away then and was silent for a moment. "Listen, Ginny, can't you believe me because I'm your brother and I'm telling you that he really does want you to understand? Can't you just trust me?"
She shook her head then in frustration. "Don't you get it, Ron? It's precisely because you're my brother that I hate when you do this. For once in your life, why can't you actually defend me instead of him? Every bloody time there's a fight you NEVER take my side."
"I'm not taking anyone's side! All I'm saying is that Harry's our friend and if you'd just listen-"
"No," she cut him off coldly, "Harry is not OUR friend. Harry is YOUR friend and even you have to admit that he's exerted an awful lot of effort making that clear. Every bloody second I start to think differently, he does something to remind me that how he feels about you and Hermione is entirely different compared to how he feels about me."
Ron looked stricken. "Ginny, how can you say that? You can't honestly believe-"
"Ron, if you really want to do us both some good, march right back in there and just ask him. Ask him why he insists on acting like a complete and total prat when all I've ever done is to try to be his friend." Her eyes caught then on the shape over Ron's shoulder and she realized with shock that Harry was standing in the doorway of the dormitory, a stony expression on his face. The dark look in his eyes left her no doubt that he'd heard every word she'd said.
She forced herself not to care.
Ron glanced over his shoulder, following the direction of her gaze, and he beckoned the other boy to join them. "Harry, mate.come on now."
But Ginny couldn't let him. She couldn't let Ron act the mediator. She was just too angry and it was to the point where she resented the push she was getting from her brother.
Matching Harry's glare with one of her own, she threw him a nasty smile. "I suppose we can add eavesdropping to your list talents, eh?" And with that, she turned and fled down the hall at as dignified a speed as she could.
Arriving in her dormitory room a few minutes later, she had just started to tear off her green robes, resolute in her intention not to go to the party at all, when someone burst in.
Ginny yelped at the unexpected intrusion and grabbed part of her bed curtain to drape over her partially exposed frame. She slowly lowered the covering when she realized who it was. "Hermione, you can tell Ron that he can just-"
"I'm not here for Ron, Ginny, I'm here for you. What on earth are you doing?"
"Getting undressed."
"But why?"
"I'm not going."
"Oh, come on, Ginny."
"No, I'm not going, Hermione. I've got nothing suitable to wear."
"What do you mean you have nothing to wear? Your robes are lovely, Ginny."
"No, no they're not! For Merlin's sake, Hermione, look at what you're wearing. I don't own anything even CLOSE to that. Besides, on top of not having anything to wear, I'm simply too angry to share a room with Harry right now."
"But Ginny-"
"No, Hermione, absolutely not. I feel like I'd be more attractive wearing wallpaper."
Hermione sighed then. "Look, Ginny, let's make a deal. If I take care of the first, do you think you can endure the second?"
"What?"
"If I can get you something more formal to wear, will you be willing to go? Before you say no, please remember how much effort we put in to this. Tonks will be devastated if you don't come and I can't even imagine what Professor Lupin will think. Please Ginny, don't let the fact that Harry is acting like a git spoil everyone's evening."
Ginny paused then, realizing miserably that she was as equally susceptible to Hermione's blinding logic as everyone else evidently was. "But where on earth are you going to get something for me to wear at this hour? Almost everyone is at the party already and I'm much too short for anything you own."
"You let me handle that," her friend responded firmly.
When Hermione finally returned, Ginny had been sitting alone on her bed in her undergarments, staring desolately at the floor for almost ten full minutes.
"Come on, Ginny, up with you," she said briskly. "We haven't got much time."
Looking up, Ginny was surprised to see that Hermione wasn't alone. Striding behind her, carrying a black case, was none other than Pavarti Patil. It wasn't until the Indian girl moved to put the case on Ginny's bed that she saw Luna Lovegood bringing up the rear.
"Hi Ginny," Luna said, smiling serenely. "Try this on, will you?" She thrust what appeared to be a bundle of fabric into her arms.
Gingerly holding it up, Ginny stared at the gleaming white robes with intricate green and gold trim that had been given to her. "What's this?"
"They're mine, but I'm not quite built to fill them properly just yet. I think they might be perfect for you."
"And if they aren't, well, I can do a bit of minor adjusting," Pavarti said. "I also brought a few of my and Lavender's robes, just in case. Between the three of us, I think we can find something that will work."
Ginny's stunned expression over Pavarti's generosity was obscured by the fact that Hermione was tugging Luna's white robes over her head. "Hold still now."
"Hermione, I can dress myself!" Despite it all, Ginny almost laughed at the hen-like mothering she was being subjected to. Struggling to put her arms through the sleeves, she turned her attention back to Pavarti. "Thank you so much for doing this, but I wouldn't want to keep you from getting to the party on time. Isn't your date-" She searched her mind for the boy's name.
"Rufus Wilkes," Pavarti supplied helpfully as she rummaged through the black case.
"Ah, yes. Isn't he waiting for you?"
Pulling out a few sheets of parchment, Pavarti glanced at Ginny and shook her head before staring down at the spells written upon them. "No, we had already left for the party when we bumped into Hermione in the hall on her way to get Luna. He's gone on ahead without me and I told him I might be a bit, so it's fine. How do you feel about a curling charm?"
"What?"
Pavarti raised an eyebrow. "For your hair, Ginny. I think it'd look rather precious."
The last time someone had attempted a curling charm on Ginny, she'd ended up looking like a poodle and it had taken three days to get her traumatized locks back in order. "Uhm, no thank you. Listen, Pavarti, please don't worry yourself on terms of beauty charms. Really, you're already doing so much for me with the robes."
Making a dismissive sound, Pavarti tapped her wand right above Ginny's bosom and the material pulled in slightly where it had been hanging loose. "Oh please, I love doing this sort of thing. If my parents weren't so intent on my becoming a mediwizard, I swear I'd apply to be a fashion correspondent for Witch Weekly. Turn around now."
Obediently, Ginny turned and felt gentle taps from Pavarti's wand on her hips and at the small of her back.
"I think this should hold for the rest of the evening, Ginny. Well, at least until midnight, or so," Pavarti said. "No promises after that."
"Careful, Ginny, or you'll be turning into a pumpkin when the clock strikes twelve." At the curious stares from the other girls, Hermione's smile faded and she shifted uncomfortably. "Never mind. Muggle story," she muttered.
"Right then." Pavarti threw her an odd look before turning to back to Ginny. "Now what about that hair of yours?"
"I was just going to plait it," she responded.
"Oh, but that's so boring!" Pavarti wailed, drawing out that last word. "Come on now, I could do so much better than that if you'd just let me-"
"Pavarti, I really don't feel comfortable doing anything drastic with my hair. I mean, honestly, I just want something to keep it out of my face and make me look half-way decent."
"Fine, fine, but if you're going to insist on being obstinate, the least you can do is let me plait it my way. No magic necessary, I promise."
Not being able to come up with a particularly compelling reason to turn the other girl down, Ginny gave her assent and was pleasantly surprised twenty minutes later when Pavarti finally allowed her to get a look in the mirror. The white robes really were quite becoming and enhanced her red hair while complementing her pale complexion. The fact that some of the gold in the trim matched the natural golden streaks in her locks certainly didn't hurt. As for the issue of Ginny's hairstyle, Pavarti had pulled it back from the top and sides, twisting and weaving pieces into an intricate design that was secured with silver pins in the back of her head. The rest of her hair remained untouched, its slightly wavy texture cascading down her back. Turning her head to the side, Ginny suddenly realized that the strands seemed to have an almost abnormally perfect shine to them.
Pavarti caught her questioning glance in the mirror and shrugged with a slightly wicked smirk. "It's only a glossing charm. I'd be happy to remove it, though, if you don't like it."
"No," Ginny responded, a bit more quickly than she had intended to. "It's fine."
"It's beautiful," Hermione said softly.
"Yes, it really is," Luna echoed.
"Thank you so much, Pavarti." Ginny grinned. "You've made me look presentable and that's more than I imagined possible. I never realized you were so talented at this sort of thing."
"Well, I have been known to be helpful sometimes," Pavarti sniffed in mock offense as she repacked her case. Ginny wondered for a second if the other girl was actually privy to her rather unflattering reputation of being somewhat soft-headed at times. She silently resolved that, from that moment forward, she would never say anything ill about Pavarti Patil no matter how tempting the occasion that presented itself. It wasn't too bad, really.
After all, Padma was still fair game.
"Well, let's be off then," Hermione said. "If we rush, we can probably make it to the DA room before Professor Lupin is supposed to arrive at 7:30. Let's just hope he isn't early."
"I'm going to put this back in my room, refresh myself, and meet you at the party," Pavarti responded. She flashed them a brilliant smile before hurrying off.
The three remaining girls quickly made their way out of Ginny's dormitory and down the hall. "Ron must be losing his mind wondering where we are. I'm shocked he didn't send Pig after us again," Hermione said.
"Ron!" Ginny yelped, having entirely forgotten about her brother and, for that part, the boys in general. "Oh no, I didn't even think about the fact that he's been waiting." Did that mean that Harry.?
"Not to worry, Neville has been keeping him company and he's extremely patient," Luna said as they all but flew down the stairs.
Rushing into the Common Room, Ginny realized with equal parts relief and frustration that Harry wasn't there.
"Well, it's about bloody time," Ron said from where he had been clearly pacing in front of the portrait hole. Neville stood from where he had been seated in an armchair and silently offered his arm to Luna who took it gracefully.
"We've got just over fifteen minutes to get there, Ron," Hermione responded in her most soothing voice, although the panic in her eyes was fairly apparent.
"I'm sorry, Ron, this is my fault," Ginny said and at this, her brother's expression softened a bit.
"Fine then, we can discuss it later, let's just get there before we miss the surprise."
And with that, they scrambled out of the portrait hole and all but raced down towards the DA room. It took them less than five minutes to cover most of the distance, but the last few hallways were proving the trickiest to maneuver as Ron had insisted that they all stop running and instead dart from point to point behind statues, columns and assorted wall coverings just in case Lupin was around. He was doing it with such ease that Ginny started to think that he'd had an awful lot of practice with this sort of thing. Hermione had appeared exceptionally annoyed when he'd first started, but by the time they were approaching the door of the room, she had a look of breathless excitement as he dragged her by her hand from place to place.
Ginny let out a sigh of relief as she saw the sign for the DA room and noted that it was still bright green. Tonks had charmed it to turn back to its dull silver color if Lupin was in the vicinity and that would trigger another charm which turned the lights red on the inside of the room to warn everyone that he was coming.
"Ready?" Ron whispered, glancing back at Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He tugged Hermione closer and shifted his weight as though about to make a run for it.
Not really, Ginny reckoned, suddenly realizing that even after they got into the room safely, she would still have to face Harry. She sighed. The evening had started off so beautifully and now she was regarding it with the same enthusiasm that she would a detention with Snape.
Luna squeezed her hand gently then and Ginny took a deep breath, trying to shake off her negative thoughts. She was going to have a good time tonight, even if it was the death of her. With Merlin as her witness, Harry Potter was not going to spoil another day of her life, least of all this one. Bracing herself, she saw a rustle of movement and suddenly Ron and Hermione dashed the last few feet across the hall and into the room.
Moments later, she, Luna and Neville bolted after them.
~*~
End Part 8