The Masked Ball
By Serena-chan
Part Two:
Saturday morning arrived cold and blustery, but the girls of Hogwarts didn't mind a bit. They eagerly lined the corridors outside an unused classroom that
Madam Spindleweb had used to set up a makeshift fitting room. The girls had been arranged to come in according to what year they were in. First years would be fitted from 9am to 10am, second years from 10am to 11am, and so on and so forth.
Ginny eagerly stood waiting in line with the rest of the fourth year girls. True, she had ended up at the back of the line, but she didn't care. She was so excited! Because of her family's bleak financial situation, she had never owned anything lovely to wear to such events as balls. Soon, however, she would be fitted for a gown made by one of the most prestigious dressmakers in all London. She could hardly wait to slip into something lovely, even if it was just for one night.
It was nearly 1pm before Ginny got her turn to be fitted. Already there were fifth year girls lining up behind her. Nervously, Ginny entered the room, and found herself surrounded with racks of clothing, trunks of masks and jewelry, and stands filled with shoes. Ginny had never seen so many beautiful things in all her life.
Madam Spindleweb was a tall, thin woman with dark black hair that was pulled up into an ornate bun of braids and curls. She reminded Ginny of a very elegant spider.
"Hello dear," she said warmly. "Are you the last of the fourth years?" When Ginny nodded, she continued, "Well then we shall have to find something very special for you, won't we?"
Ginny didn't have a chance to reply because Madam Spindleweb had already flicked her wand in Ginny's direction. Ginny found herself being thoroughly measured, by a somewhat pushy tape measure.
"Just let me get your measurements, dear, and then the real fun can begin." Madam Spindleweb flicked her wand once more, and the tape measure retreated. A long rack of clothes rolled forward. It was positively overflowing with gorgeous gowns, all in Ginny's size. The colors were all bright and bold, many of them dripping with feathers and flashy beadwork.
"Now then, dear, how about this one." Madam Spindleweb pulled out a green silk gown with flashy deep green beadwork. "This will set off that red hair of yours beautifully."
A long, gold trimmed mirror rolled forward. Ginny held the dress up in front of herself. It was true; the deep greens of the dress set her red hair ablaze in a most charming fashion. However, Ginny had never dressed in something this bold before, and she wasn't quite sure that she'd be comfortable doing so.
"I'm not sure that green's my color," said Ginny. "Pink's always been my favorite."
With a wave of her wand, Madam Spindleweb whisked the green dress away and produced a hot pink garment with lighter pink frills. It was pretty, but Ginny was dismayed to see that it was even brighter than the green dress. Besides, when she held it up in front of the mirror, it clashed horribly with her hair.
"Yes," said Madam Spindleweb, making a face, "I don't think pink will be quite right in this situation."
"Don't you have something a little more, well, subtle?" Ginny asked tentatively.
"Ahh, so you favor a more pastel shade of pink? Well, I might have just the thing right here. Mind you, it won't be nearly as flashy as what all the other girls are wearing." She dug through the rack of clothes, muttering to herself, until finally she gave a triumphant cry and pulled out a pale pink satin gown.
Ginny gasped as she held the gown up to herself. It was the most beautiful piece of clothing she had ever set eyes on. It was sleeveless with a subtle design embroidered on it with silver thread and pearls. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at herself in the mirror and tried to envision herself in something this lovely.
"Yes," said Madam Spindleweb appreciatively. "Yes, that will do quite nicely. You'll certainly stand out from all the other girls."
"I suppose it is a lot simpler that what the other girls chose to wear," Ginny said.
"True," nodded Madam Spindleweb, "but remember: In simplicity can be found the greatest elegance of all." Ginny blushed as Madam Spindleweb continued, "You know, your the first girl to come in here who hasn't chosen the first flashy thing I handed to them, and I respect that. So, I'm going to make you my pet project."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Ginny, embarrassed.
"Of course I do, dear. I like a girl with a good sense of fashion, and I'm going to make sure that you're not outshined by all the other bright costumes. Now, for jewelry. . . " She rummaged around in a trunk before pulling out a crown, earrings, and gloves. The crown was a simple ring of pearls with a diamond that sparkled in the center of the forehead. The earrings were extravagant things of pearls and diamonds that glimmered brilliantly in the dim light of the classroom. The gloves were long white satin.
Ginny was speechless. She opened her mouth to say something, but Madam Spindleweb waved a hand to stop her.
"No need to thank me, my dear. The look on your face is all the appreciation I need. Now, if you'll just tell me your name, I'll have all these things delivered up to your room on the day of the ball, with the matching shoes and mask, of course. Now, many of the other girls have chosen to further their disguise by changing their hair color with one of my hair potions, guaranteed to beautifully color your hair and wash out in the morning."
"Well," Ginny said, "I don't think I want to go to all that trouble, but I suppose that it would help me disguise myself. I'll take whatever color potion you've sold the most of."
"I could give you that easily my dear, but it won't do you any good," Madam Spindelweb smiled. "Red has been a best seller all day. Perhaps you'd like to be blond for the evening?"
"No," Ginny decided. "I'll just go with my own hair color. People will expect me to dye my hair, so when I show up with red hair, no one will guess it's me, especially in a room full of so many other redheads."
"A wise decision my dear," Madam Spindelweb advised.
That afternoon, when Ginny left the classroom, she felt as though she were floating on air.