The Ball and the Key to Freedom
Ok. StarCrystal13, I'm sorry that I haven't sent u the picture yet, but my attaching thing is giving me problems. Please, don't hate me. Thanks for your reviews. Winter spirit- I started writing this story before the fifth book came out. SO therefore, they didn't know Tonks, ok?
Disclaimer: yadda, yadda, yadda the usual. Enough of this. On to the chapter!
Ron managed to recover from his awe, shock, surprise and total wonder. "Wow, Mione, you look fantastic."
She continued down the stairs and said "Thanks Ron. You look really nice too."
Ginny, meanwhile stepped down the stairs and hit Harry playfully on his arm, and asked him "Aren't you going to tell me anything?"
Harry recovered. "Sorry Ginny. You look great."
"Now that's more like it. So do you Harry."
"Thanks."
They all looked at each other. "Ok," suggested Hermione, "Let's go downstairs now, so that we can see other people early."
"Sure," chorused the other three.
They went downstairs, and outside. It was a wonderful night, very clear, though a little chilly. The stars shone like huge diamonds, and the moonlight seemed exceptionally bright that night. Ginny looked at it, then at Hermione, who was gazing at the moon, and she knew why that was. They strolled around. A couple of people were downstairs. The stage for the Weird Sisters was up, though the Sisters were not playing yet. The teachers were strolling around, checking everything.
The four turned a corner, and bumped right into . . . Lupin and Tonks. They stared for a second. Then they burst out laughing.
Tonks was dressed as little Bo-Peep, complete with shepherdess' crook, big blue eyes, and cute fat blonde plaits. Remus was a wolf. Tonks said mournfully, "Please, will you help me find the sheep? They have gone all over, and this nice big wolf is helping me find them, since I can't find my sheepdog, Snuffles."
To this Lupin said "I will help her find them, to eat them up!"
Hermione who had managed to stop laughing said, "Why not Red Riding Hood?"
The Weasleys looked confused, so Hermione explained both stories to them.
"Well," said Tonks, "The joke is in the wolf helping me find the sheep, and you got that." Then mournfully she added, "But I have to find my sheep!" So the two left them.
They walked on, and Ginny remarked, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they are really in love." They had figured out the undercover thing. After completing a walk around the whole castle, they stopped by the doors and then almost choked. Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson had come out the door.
The first impression that Pansy gave you was that she was one big FRILL. She wore a very low V cut neck dress, with a very frilly skirt. They were masses upon masses of tiny frills. The frills stopped at her knees, and she was wearing high heel shoes that had spiraling straps all up her knees. Draco Malfoy was wearing a tuxedo without a shirt. They looked at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and their gazes stopped at the last two.
"Hey, Weasel, how did you get a girlfriend so pretty? She felt sorry for you? Mind if I ask her to dance with me so that she won't feel so sad?"
"I wouldn't dance with you Malfoy, if you were the last boy on earth," said Hermione coldly and cuttingly. "Come on everyone we have better things to do than to talk to two idiots who can't dress."
With that , they all moved on. Ron however, was looking at Hermione admiringly.
People were arriving thick and fast now. Lavender was with Seamus. She wore short leather pants, a midriff exposing matching leather top, with knee high guess what? Leather boots. Her hair was purple and spiked, and she wore a nose ring, which Hermione suspected was fake. Seamus, surprisingly, was wearing a baggy pants, shirt and thick jewelry. They both looked very pleased with themselves. Parvati and Dean were behind them, not wearing costume but formal wear. They spotted Fleur and Bill, talking to Professor Dumbledore. They were not wearing costume either, but Fleur was wearing a wonderful pale blue Muggle dress.
The music started now, since plenty people had arrived, and the first dance was a slow Muggle waltz. (The Weird Sisters were warming up)
Ginny looked at Harry, and Ron at Hermione, and then they joined the people out on the dance area.
It's not so bad as last time, thought Harry as he and Ginny danced. I guess the dancing is better with a nice partner. Ginny smells really nice, of soap. They passed Fleur and Bill, who smiled at them, and Ron and Hermione. It seemed that Ron amazingly could dance very well, or at least with Hermione.
Ron was happy. Hermione, it seemed was a wonderful dance partner, and the dancing wasn't so bad with a good partner. Hermione looked happy, and he was happy, in fact, who wasn't? Everyone was.
The waltz ended, and the Weird Sisters started to play a fast song. Harry and Ginny saw Ron and Hermione leave the dance floor. He looked at Ginny. "Shall we sit this out, or dance?" Ginny laughed, in mock snobbiness and said "Surely Potter, you're not afraid of fast music?"
"Is that a challenge?" asked Harry, grinning.
"Why, I believe it is," said Ginny, grinning also.
Ron and Hermione watched them dancing from the chairs they were sitting in. "They're having a lot of fun," said Ron. "I didn't know that Harry could dance so well."
"Ginny challenged him to it," said Hermione, smiling. "It seems that Harry can't resist Ginny's challenges."
"What's this?" asked someone. "Flirting on the sly? Behind Hermione's back?" asked another.
"Oh hello, Fred. Hi George," said Ron.
'"Is Hermione alright?" asked Fred. "Did you step on her toes?" asked George.
"No, he didn't. He's actually a very good dancer," remarked Hermione.
"Hermione, is that you?" asked George, surprised.
"No. It's Fleur," said Hermione, with perfect sarcastic infliction. After talking to Fred and George for a while, they got up and walked around again. It was a wonderful night, walking under the stars with the moon shining down. Hermione's head was on Ron's shoulders. The music of the Weird Sisters drifted around in the night. The fairies in the bushes shone softly, lighting the path.
Ron was in heaven. Almost. They came to a bench, and sat down on that, fairly far away from the noise of the dance arena.
"It's a wonderful night," said Hermione, her face radiant. There was a sort of halo around her, and her jewelry gleamed in the moonlight.
"Yes it is," agreed Ron. "Um, Hermione?"
She turned her smoke grey eyes onto him. "Yes Ron?" Their faces were inches apart. Then . . .
"Aaaaaw," said Chanel, as Ron and Hermione shared their first kiss (and it's about time too).
Meanwhile, Ginny and Harry were off the dance 'floor', walking hand in hand.
"Harry" said Ginny, "I had no idea that you were such a good dancer."
Harry looked very bashful. "Well, neither did I. I thought that I was only good at Quidditch."
They were in a very secluded spot now. "I have a question," remarked Ginny.
"Fire away."
"Are you also good at kissing?" asked Ginny softly, and sweetly.
They stopped walking, and Harry looked at her tenderly. "Would you like to find out?"
"Yes, I wou" and she got cut off by Harry's kiss.
And Ayesha also said "Aaaaaaw."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A good while later, when everyone had found their way back to the dance floor, after a considerable amount of time, Ron asked Ginny if she had done the prank.
"Of course," she smiled, wickedly. "Just that I set it so that everyone would get to see him."
Hermione came over and tut-tutted. "I still don't think that you should have done it, Ginny."
"Oh, lighten up Hermione," said Ginny. "We do need a laugh break sometimes."
Against her will Hermione smiled. "I guess you're right Ginny."
Then there was a great deal of noise and confusion. A huge ring was forming, and an angry voice, obviously Snape's, said "There is nothing wrong with my hair, Longbottom, so I don't see why you people are surrounding me."
"But Professor," chanted the delighted students "Look at your clothes and hair!!"
Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry exchanged glances. Then in one accord, they zipped across to the big crowd.
In the very centre of the ring, they saw with some difficulty, was Snape. Then Hermione choked, and laughed, and laughed, and Ginny giggled and Ron and Harry also started laughing.
Snape's usually greasy, black, loose hair, was now in pigtails, and streaked pink. On the ends were two HUGE bows, tied loosely. His usual black robes were no longer black, but the same hot pink as the bows and streaks in his hair.
Snape looked down at his robes, and then a look of sheer horror crossed his face. Within seconds he had left the grounds and was back in the castle, but delighted students followed him chanting nonsense.
The four were still laughing when Fred and George slipped across to them, and congratulated Ginny. And each other.
"Excellent timing, little sister! Right when everyone was watching!" said Fred wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
"It turned out well didn't it Fred, better than I thought it would . . .did you add the pink streaks? They're priceless. . ." said George, chortling.
"Yeah, I did. The bows were really the cream of it."
"Fred how do you think of these things?" asked Ron, in between laughing.
"I really don't know, little bro, I don't know."
"Well, we must be off," said George. "We have to set off our new fireworks, and see what you think of them."
The twins vanished again, and everyone managed to stop laughing.
"Ok, "said Harry "I suggest a walk."
They all linked arms, and chatted casually, when two voices interrupted them. They listened rather amused.
"Chanel, I wish that you would tone down the intensity of the night, I'm going to get freckles!" said Ayesha, irritated.
"Hey, it's only payback, for all those hot days! Plus how can you get freckles? You're a watch!"
"I knew that," replied Ayesha. "But it's possible."
"Ha," said Chanel. "I don't think so."
"Will too," said Ayesha.
"Will not."
"Too."
"Not."
"Will you shut up?" said Hermione. "You are acting very childishly."
"Humph," said the watches. They however, didn't say anything else.
Then, huge beautiful fireworks appeared in the sky. Flowers, Snitches, Snidgets, all other types of magical objects. Their colours were as many as you could think of. Around them, oohs and aahs of appreciation were heard all around. It was perfect.
But Hermione felt uneasy. She didn't know why. The night was beautiful, but looking up, she saw clouds starting to cover the moon. Why was she uncomfortable? Was she getting paranoid? Looking at Ginny, she could see that she was also uncomfortable. Her ring was bothering her. It kept burning her skin. From the movement at her hand, she could tell that Chanel was uncomfortable too. Then she heard a small voice in her head. It was Chanel, communicating telepathically.
"Hermione, focus. When you have found the creature that's evil, stun it using the Lunata Stupefy spell, since it will last longer than the normal Stupefy. Ginny will use the Soleil Stupefy, so the effect will be strong."
Hermione looked at Ginny and they concentrated.
Right there, behind the bush, small, what is it? Asked Hermione mentally. Then she knew what it was. And without hesistating both she and Ginny called out the Stupefy spell. They heard a small clunk, and Ginny turned to Harry, whose scar had been hurting. Hermione however, called Accio. A small object, no animal, came to her. It was a rat.
With a paw missing, but a silver one in place. With a tattered ear.
She gasped. She knew that rat. She looked at the others, meeting their gazes.
They all knew that rat.
It was Peter Pettigrew.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Smiles nicely again. Another Cliffhanger. O well.. You will just have to review. And If you have any flames to say, don't say a thing. That's what I do.
Ok. StarCrystal13, I'm sorry that I haven't sent u the picture yet, but my attaching thing is giving me problems. Please, don't hate me. Thanks for your reviews. Winter spirit- I started writing this story before the fifth book came out. SO therefore, they didn't know Tonks, ok?
Disclaimer: yadda, yadda, yadda the usual. Enough of this. On to the chapter!
Ron managed to recover from his awe, shock, surprise and total wonder. "Wow, Mione, you look fantastic."
She continued down the stairs and said "Thanks Ron. You look really nice too."
Ginny, meanwhile stepped down the stairs and hit Harry playfully on his arm, and asked him "Aren't you going to tell me anything?"
Harry recovered. "Sorry Ginny. You look great."
"Now that's more like it. So do you Harry."
"Thanks."
They all looked at each other. "Ok," suggested Hermione, "Let's go downstairs now, so that we can see other people early."
"Sure," chorused the other three.
They went downstairs, and outside. It was a wonderful night, very clear, though a little chilly. The stars shone like huge diamonds, and the moonlight seemed exceptionally bright that night. Ginny looked at it, then at Hermione, who was gazing at the moon, and she knew why that was. They strolled around. A couple of people were downstairs. The stage for the Weird Sisters was up, though the Sisters were not playing yet. The teachers were strolling around, checking everything.
The four turned a corner, and bumped right into . . . Lupin and Tonks. They stared for a second. Then they burst out laughing.
Tonks was dressed as little Bo-Peep, complete with shepherdess' crook, big blue eyes, and cute fat blonde plaits. Remus was a wolf. Tonks said mournfully, "Please, will you help me find the sheep? They have gone all over, and this nice big wolf is helping me find them, since I can't find my sheepdog, Snuffles."
To this Lupin said "I will help her find them, to eat them up!"
Hermione who had managed to stop laughing said, "Why not Red Riding Hood?"
The Weasleys looked confused, so Hermione explained both stories to them.
"Well," said Tonks, "The joke is in the wolf helping me find the sheep, and you got that." Then mournfully she added, "But I have to find my sheep!" So the two left them.
They walked on, and Ginny remarked, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they are really in love." They had figured out the undercover thing. After completing a walk around the whole castle, they stopped by the doors and then almost choked. Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson had come out the door.
The first impression that Pansy gave you was that she was one big FRILL. She wore a very low V cut neck dress, with a very frilly skirt. They were masses upon masses of tiny frills. The frills stopped at her knees, and she was wearing high heel shoes that had spiraling straps all up her knees. Draco Malfoy was wearing a tuxedo without a shirt. They looked at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and their gazes stopped at the last two.
"Hey, Weasel, how did you get a girlfriend so pretty? She felt sorry for you? Mind if I ask her to dance with me so that she won't feel so sad?"
"I wouldn't dance with you Malfoy, if you were the last boy on earth," said Hermione coldly and cuttingly. "Come on everyone we have better things to do than to talk to two idiots who can't dress."
With that , they all moved on. Ron however, was looking at Hermione admiringly.
People were arriving thick and fast now. Lavender was with Seamus. She wore short leather pants, a midriff exposing matching leather top, with knee high guess what? Leather boots. Her hair was purple and spiked, and she wore a nose ring, which Hermione suspected was fake. Seamus, surprisingly, was wearing a baggy pants, shirt and thick jewelry. They both looked very pleased with themselves. Parvati and Dean were behind them, not wearing costume but formal wear. They spotted Fleur and Bill, talking to Professor Dumbledore. They were not wearing costume either, but Fleur was wearing a wonderful pale blue Muggle dress.
The music started now, since plenty people had arrived, and the first dance was a slow Muggle waltz. (The Weird Sisters were warming up)
Ginny looked at Harry, and Ron at Hermione, and then they joined the people out on the dance area.
It's not so bad as last time, thought Harry as he and Ginny danced. I guess the dancing is better with a nice partner. Ginny smells really nice, of soap. They passed Fleur and Bill, who smiled at them, and Ron and Hermione. It seemed that Ron amazingly could dance very well, or at least with Hermione.
Ron was happy. Hermione, it seemed was a wonderful dance partner, and the dancing wasn't so bad with a good partner. Hermione looked happy, and he was happy, in fact, who wasn't? Everyone was.
The waltz ended, and the Weird Sisters started to play a fast song. Harry and Ginny saw Ron and Hermione leave the dance floor. He looked at Ginny. "Shall we sit this out, or dance?" Ginny laughed, in mock snobbiness and said "Surely Potter, you're not afraid of fast music?"
"Is that a challenge?" asked Harry, grinning.
"Why, I believe it is," said Ginny, grinning also.
Ron and Hermione watched them dancing from the chairs they were sitting in. "They're having a lot of fun," said Ron. "I didn't know that Harry could dance so well."
"Ginny challenged him to it," said Hermione, smiling. "It seems that Harry can't resist Ginny's challenges."
"What's this?" asked someone. "Flirting on the sly? Behind Hermione's back?" asked another.
"Oh hello, Fred. Hi George," said Ron.
'"Is Hermione alright?" asked Fred. "Did you step on her toes?" asked George.
"No, he didn't. He's actually a very good dancer," remarked Hermione.
"Hermione, is that you?" asked George, surprised.
"No. It's Fleur," said Hermione, with perfect sarcastic infliction. After talking to Fred and George for a while, they got up and walked around again. It was a wonderful night, walking under the stars with the moon shining down. Hermione's head was on Ron's shoulders. The music of the Weird Sisters drifted around in the night. The fairies in the bushes shone softly, lighting the path.
Ron was in heaven. Almost. They came to a bench, and sat down on that, fairly far away from the noise of the dance arena.
"It's a wonderful night," said Hermione, her face radiant. There was a sort of halo around her, and her jewelry gleamed in the moonlight.
"Yes it is," agreed Ron. "Um, Hermione?"
She turned her smoke grey eyes onto him. "Yes Ron?" Their faces were inches apart. Then . . .
"Aaaaaw," said Chanel, as Ron and Hermione shared their first kiss (and it's about time too).
Meanwhile, Ginny and Harry were off the dance 'floor', walking hand in hand.
"Harry" said Ginny, "I had no idea that you were such a good dancer."
Harry looked very bashful. "Well, neither did I. I thought that I was only good at Quidditch."
They were in a very secluded spot now. "I have a question," remarked Ginny.
"Fire away."
"Are you also good at kissing?" asked Ginny softly, and sweetly.
They stopped walking, and Harry looked at her tenderly. "Would you like to find out?"
"Yes, I wou" and she got cut off by Harry's kiss.
And Ayesha also said "Aaaaaaw."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A good while later, when everyone had found their way back to the dance floor, after a considerable amount of time, Ron asked Ginny if she had done the prank.
"Of course," she smiled, wickedly. "Just that I set it so that everyone would get to see him."
Hermione came over and tut-tutted. "I still don't think that you should have done it, Ginny."
"Oh, lighten up Hermione," said Ginny. "We do need a laugh break sometimes."
Against her will Hermione smiled. "I guess you're right Ginny."
Then there was a great deal of noise and confusion. A huge ring was forming, and an angry voice, obviously Snape's, said "There is nothing wrong with my hair, Longbottom, so I don't see why you people are surrounding me."
"But Professor," chanted the delighted students "Look at your clothes and hair!!"
Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry exchanged glances. Then in one accord, they zipped across to the big crowd.
In the very centre of the ring, they saw with some difficulty, was Snape. Then Hermione choked, and laughed, and laughed, and Ginny giggled and Ron and Harry also started laughing.
Snape's usually greasy, black, loose hair, was now in pigtails, and streaked pink. On the ends were two HUGE bows, tied loosely. His usual black robes were no longer black, but the same hot pink as the bows and streaks in his hair.
Snape looked down at his robes, and then a look of sheer horror crossed his face. Within seconds he had left the grounds and was back in the castle, but delighted students followed him chanting nonsense.
The four were still laughing when Fred and George slipped across to them, and congratulated Ginny. And each other.
"Excellent timing, little sister! Right when everyone was watching!" said Fred wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
"It turned out well didn't it Fred, better than I thought it would . . .did you add the pink streaks? They're priceless. . ." said George, chortling.
"Yeah, I did. The bows were really the cream of it."
"Fred how do you think of these things?" asked Ron, in between laughing.
"I really don't know, little bro, I don't know."
"Well, we must be off," said George. "We have to set off our new fireworks, and see what you think of them."
The twins vanished again, and everyone managed to stop laughing.
"Ok, "said Harry "I suggest a walk."
They all linked arms, and chatted casually, when two voices interrupted them. They listened rather amused.
"Chanel, I wish that you would tone down the intensity of the night, I'm going to get freckles!" said Ayesha, irritated.
"Hey, it's only payback, for all those hot days! Plus how can you get freckles? You're a watch!"
"I knew that," replied Ayesha. "But it's possible."
"Ha," said Chanel. "I don't think so."
"Will too," said Ayesha.
"Will not."
"Too."
"Not."
"Will you shut up?" said Hermione. "You are acting very childishly."
"Humph," said the watches. They however, didn't say anything else.
Then, huge beautiful fireworks appeared in the sky. Flowers, Snitches, Snidgets, all other types of magical objects. Their colours were as many as you could think of. Around them, oohs and aahs of appreciation were heard all around. It was perfect.
But Hermione felt uneasy. She didn't know why. The night was beautiful, but looking up, she saw clouds starting to cover the moon. Why was she uncomfortable? Was she getting paranoid? Looking at Ginny, she could see that she was also uncomfortable. Her ring was bothering her. It kept burning her skin. From the movement at her hand, she could tell that Chanel was uncomfortable too. Then she heard a small voice in her head. It was Chanel, communicating telepathically.
"Hermione, focus. When you have found the creature that's evil, stun it using the Lunata Stupefy spell, since it will last longer than the normal Stupefy. Ginny will use the Soleil Stupefy, so the effect will be strong."
Hermione looked at Ginny and they concentrated.
Right there, behind the bush, small, what is it? Asked Hermione mentally. Then she knew what it was. And without hesistating both she and Ginny called out the Stupefy spell. They heard a small clunk, and Ginny turned to Harry, whose scar had been hurting. Hermione however, called Accio. A small object, no animal, came to her. It was a rat.
With a paw missing, but a silver one in place. With a tattered ear.
She gasped. She knew that rat. She looked at the others, meeting their gazes.
They all knew that rat.
It was Peter Pettigrew.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Smiles nicely again. Another Cliffhanger. O well.. You will just have to review. And If you have any flames to say, don't say a thing. That's what I do.