hello all! i decided to update this cuz i wanted to dedicate this story to my gewd and awesomely awesome fwend FARRAH who is the reason i wrote this one-shot. i started off the idea when we were talking on AIM and she told me to go on with it and it would make a good story... so i did! i personally like this one a lot! it feels pretty rushed though (cuz it is, as a few of my faithful reviwers pointed out.). hehe. thanx so much my faithful reviwers FSI, GG-chan, slytherinphoenix7, and any other i may hav forgoten(i hav a horrible memory) that hav been with me since the beggining! luv ya! i hope y'all had a merry halloween. i did. so yeh, anyway. decided to edit this a tad.hehe, i like when harry and ron are talking in the dorms and... u'll see.

So yeh, dedicated to my awesomely awesome fwend Farrah, who is as big an hp freak as I, and viceversa, and thats saying sumthin!

Disclaimer: it tears me up to say this... damn u lawyers for making me do this! :gun held to neck is push harder and hears click of safety coming off: I DONT OWN HARRY POTTER OKAY! :cries and stands and looks at captors with tears: ARE U HAPPY NOW? ARE U!?!?!??! :collapses on knees and sobs: are u happy or not? or has this just been sumthing to mess with my feeeelings? :sniffle: :captors look at each other, shrug, nod, then walk away:

A Halloween Ball

About a month ago, Dumbledore announced that a Ball would be held on Halloween. Dress robes required, only years fifth and up. Everyone in the Great Hall was filled with glee.

Harry had soon asked Ginny and she blushingly accepted. Hermione didn't know if Ron had asked anyone, but she guessed he had. Truth was, Ron hadn't. He had been waiting for the perfect person and the perfect moment.

Ron paced around the 6th yr boys dorm quietly muttering to himself.

"How am I going to ask her? What would she even say...this is so annoying" he said in annoyance

"What's annoying?" Harry yawned in a light, airy voice.

"This stupid Halloween dance! I'm asking Hermione but how in hell can I?! She's been my best friend for years and we've gone to Hogsmeade and stuff together but never as a date, you were always there with us!!! What'll she think of me? What if she LAUGHS at me?! Why am I going to ask her, why should I ask her? She probably wouldn't believe I actually like her.... why is this sobloody frustrating?!" Ron said to Harry as he paced then he stopped at Harry's head and started hitting his own head with his palms...

"Ron.... shut up. You're ranting on and on and on..." Harry yawned again. He noticed it was only fifteen minutes until 7.

"Why are you up this early? To frustrate yourself?!" Harry said as he flopped onto his stomach and put the pillow over his head to block out Ron's annoying worrying. He got that he was worried.... but this was just far too early to be worrying....

"I don't know.... I woke up half an hour ago and couldn't go back to sleep... what if she says no and that she doesn't like me? Harry.... Harry..." Ron went on then yelled into the pillow over his head "HARRY ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!?"

Harry sat up immediately, flung off his sheets and got a glass of water. He carried it to his bed, dipped a finger in and wiped his eyes. Then he glugged down half the glass as he went to stand face to face with his best friend.

"Ron..." he mumbled menacingly and when Ron opened his mouth to answer he flung the remaining water into his face.

"Shut up and let me sleep now," Harry said and sat down on his own bed. Before he lied down he added to his friend, "You're asking her because you've liked her for the past four years and want her to actually know, she isn't going to laugh in your face either. You know Mione isn't like that. If you say you like her she won't think your lying, after all, what kind of stupid lie is that? Now you can stop talking now and just sleep for another… half hour or something…." Harry wavered back into sleep almost instantly as his head hit the pillow.

Ron sat on his bed. He twiddled his thumbs and lied down. He stared at the ceiling knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep. He looked at the clock again. Only three minutes had passed. He looked again. Two minutes passed and he stood back up. He quickly changed clothes and started down the steps, he stopped when he heard a voice.

Hermione sat sadly in the now empty Gryffindor common room, it was only 6:50 and she was already sad. Depressed she was, but who wouldn't if the Halloween Ball was that night and she still hadn't been asked by a boy. Not one. Hermione fumbled with her fingers, and then picked up a book and started reading the text. A tiny tear fell from her eye. You see, Hermione wanted with all her heart for Ron to ask her. She would ask him herself but she just couldn't gather the courage when she was around him. She would always grow weak-kneed and nervous.

"I'm kidding myself," she whispered to herself.

"Kidding myself. Why would a know-it-all bookworm like me be asked to the ball? Who, in their right mind, would ask me…" she said, louder this time. Hermione didn't notice the sound of the faint footsteps from the boys' dormitories before she spoke. She didn't hear the pause at the steps when she started to speak.

"I would," a boy behind her said. Hermione turned her head so quickly that she just knew she'd have whiplash the next day.

She looked at he redheaded friend and noticed his hair was very wet. His hands were jammed in his pajama pockets as he leaned against the stonewall.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said, shocked.

"I would…" Ron said uncertainly.

"Would…what?" Hermione didn't believe Ron for a second. This must be a prank, a stupid one at that, but still a prank.

Ron gulped and stepped to the couch Hermione was sitting on. He sat next to her and touched her hand. "I would ask you to the Halloween ball. In fact… Hermione, would you like to go to the ball with me?" He looked at her eyes hopingly and Hermione realized this couldn't be a prank, it was too stupid a prank even for Ron. Ron gave her a heart-melting smile as he wiped away the tear that had traced her cheek.

"I…I…I…" she paused. She had trouble talking, she was too surprised.

Hermione nodded. "I…I'd love to."

Ron smiled again and embraced her. He wasn't sure why, he just did.

"Thanks Mione. But why are you awake so early?" Ron said.

"I couldn't sleep. You?" Hermione asked.

"Same."

Around 7:30 p.m., only half an hour until the ball, there was much commotion in the Gryffindor common room. People trying to find their dates, last minute arrangements, showing off of dress robes. Hermione straightened her hair for the occasion from a charm taught to her by Ginny. Her robes were a plain black with silver edging and collar. She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at her slim figure in the girls' dormitory mirror. She made her way down the steps and looked above the many heads for Ron. Finally she saw a glint of red and she called, "Ron!" he turned and smiled at her. He pushed his way through the crowd to her. She smiled as he grabbed her hand and made their way to the portrait hole. By the time they were in the Great Hall the ball was in progress.

Ron smiled at her. "Shall we?" She shrugged and they entered. They could see Ginny and Harry in the corner so the walked up to them.

"So you got up the courage to finally ask her out, did ya?" Harry asked as him and Ron went to get some pumpkin juice for them and the girls.

"Yeah, I guess," Ron mumbled embarrassed.

"It took you 5 whole weeks to ask her… a bit sad really…" Harry went on.

"Leave it be, Harry…" Ron groaned.

Harry shrugged, "Just saying mate. I'm just saying…."

They returned to the girls, handing them their pumpkin juice.

Hermione sipped her juice nervously, as if they were in their second year again and she was afraid Ron had slipped a sleeping draught or a truth serum in her drink. But they weren't in second year and, of course, Ron hadn't put anything in the drink. He never would have, not now anyway…

Ron offered her his hand and she took it. He led her to the dance floor and they danced. They slowly inched closer and closer until they were hardly inches apart. Hermione looked into Ron's eyes and, without realizing what she was doing, stood on tiptoe and touched his lips with hers in a kiss. For a split second, before she stood normally again, there was nothing else in the world but them. But then the pounding music of the Weird Sisters came back into their ears and the universe existed again.

i personally like the ending. it was oh so tough for it not to bee too corny. thanx to those who reviewed, wished me luck, read the story withput reviewing and silently wished me luck, etc. cuz i got the part of PAM in the play! yay me! the play went off pretty well, i didnt screw up. yay me! haha. im still intrested if anyone wants ta tell me wat ya did for all hallows eve!poleeez review! like to kno ppl read my fic since there arent counters on these storieS(they outta though)

HAPPY HOLIDAES AND NEW YEARS AND SUCH, WATEVER HOLIDAY U CELEBRATE THIS TIME A YR, HAV FUN DURING IT! unless, ya knows, ur notsupposed to be happy...lol. i celebrate christmas, so yeh, but i hav fwends that dont celebrate it. ya kno, tons of friends with different religions, muslim, mormon, catholic, christian, jewish, oh so many more religions i, for the reason of my stupidity arent mentioning... i kno im missing hella but u cant blame me... to readers of R and R: sry it takes me so long to update. i had this uber big assiginment for science and ya kno, a life. not saying ppl who update evryday DONT hav a life, im sayin they hav a lot more perserverence than me. haha. check out my weblogs and if ya can! i write about a lot that happens to me on that! just not uber personal stuff like who im crushing on or whos my boyfriend or stuff like that cuz ppl i dont wanna read it can see it :cough cough John cough cough: and yeh, they can tell ppl bout that and yeh, that would suck. btw, i dont hav a boyfriend (never have, wondering if i ever will) neither am i crushing on anyone. :sigh: crushing is a total waste of my time. blah, anyway. thanx for reaing, visit my pages, review review review! and ciao!