That night in the common room, Hermione couldn't get any homework done. Everyone wanted to talk to her and sit with her and joke with her and hang around with her. She sat with Parvati, Lavender who were obsessed with talking about the upcoming ball.

"So Hermione, who have you got your eye on? Who do you want to go t the ball with?" Asked Parvati, giggling.

"I haven't really thought about it" Replied Hermione, but at that moment she looked at Ron across the room, and he was looking at her. She had thought about who she'd like to go with. "Who do you want to go with?" she asked.

"Dunno." Said Parvati before commencing to giggle again, and Lavender joined in.

"She does too! She wants to go with Harry Potter!" Said Lavender.

"Oh, well why don't you go and ask him?" Said Hermione, smiling.

"Don't be daft Hermione. The boy has to ask the girl!" Said Parvati shaking her head.

"Oh… Well that's silly, what if he doesn't ask you?"

"We'll I'll let him know I'm available and I want to go with him and hopefully he'll just ask" Said Parvati as if It was common knowledge. Hermione suddenly got very nervous about this whole ball thing. If the boy was supposed to ask the girl, what would happen if no one asked her?

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were talking alone on the other side of the room.

"What's with her? Ever since she changed her hair and stuff she's ditched us" Said Ron, staring at Hermione.

"She's allowed to hang around other people. She's just making new friends." Replied Harry.

"Yeah, but they never paid any attention to her while she was just plain old Hermione" Said Ron, glumly.

"What does it matter?"

"I just want her to know they're only using her"

"Are you jealous?"

"No."

"I think you are, Ron"

"No I'm not"

"Ooh, Ron, you're turning a little pink in the cheek!"

"Am not! Shut up, Harry." And Ron got up and stormed up to his dorm.

Over near the fire, Hermione saw Ron storm off, and she was just about to get up and follow him, but just then Seamus grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, would you come with me tomorrow on the trip to Hogsmeade?"

"Uh… Yeah, okay Seamus, I'll come to Hogsmeade with you" She replied, a little taken back. But he grinned.

"Okay, I'll meet you in the courtyard tomorrow" And he left the three girls sitting there. As soon as he was out of earshot, Lavender and Parvati burst into fits of giggles.

"Ooh! Hermione, he is going to ask you to the ball tomorrow, bet my bottom galleon!" Said Parvati.

"What makes you think that? He just asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him."

"All the boys ask girls to balls at Hogsmeade! Everyone knows that!" Said Lavender, and Hermione scratched her head. Everyone knows that? Hermione certainly didn't. She had a lot to learn about being "girly" it seemed.

"Well I better get some beauty sleep if I'm going to Hogsmeade with Seamus in the morning", and she said goodbye to the girls and walked over to Harry.

"Harry, I'm really sorry but I can't go to Hogsmeade with you and Ron tomorrow like we planned. I'm going with Seamus" said Hermione. Harry smiled and nodded.
"That's fine Hermione, have fun. Ron and I will have to get by without you" Harry grinned.
"Thanks Harry" said Hermione, and she went up to bed.

The next morning, Hermione woke up early with Lavender and Parvati to get ready.

"What are you wearing? You're not wearing that are you?" Asked Parvati when Hermione emerged wearing track-pants and a plain blue sweater.

"Why?" asked Hermione.

"You can't wear THAT!" Shrieked Lavender, and she and Parvati dived into Hermione's chest, looking for something else she could wear. After a while of digging around, they declared that Hermione had nothing presentable to wear. At that moment, Parvati ran to her chest saying Hermione could wear something of hers.

Hermione was just about to object just as Parvati pulled the most beautiful little dress Hermione had ever seen out. It was a red shoes-strap dress, figure hugging and low cut. The two girls stuffed Hermione into it, and there were squeals of delight at the end product. Lavender had the privilege of putting the final touch on, a red rose clip to tuck her hair behind her ear. The three girls walked down to the court-yard together. Hermione marched straight past Harry and Ron in search of Seamus.

"Was that…" said Ron.

"It was" Replied Harry.

"I thought she was coming with us!"

"Change of plans, Seamus asked her last night."
"She's going with him? Right… Right" said Ron furiously.