The Masked Ball
By Serena-chan
Part Three:
The day of the ball finally arrived. Although the wind still howled outside, blowing snow in every direction, the castle was ablaze with activity as everyone prepared for the night's festivities. Needless to say, most of the excitement was taking place in the girls' dormitories when they came back from lunch to find that all their clothing and costumes had been laid out on their individual beds.
Ginny couldn't help but gasp when she saw all her beautiful things laid out on her bed. The mask and shoes that Madam Spindelweb had picked out were perfect. The mask was a pale pink thing with silver lining, and the shoes were dainty, silvery white, and slightly transparent.
Gazing around at all the other girls, who were already beginning to put potion in their hair so they could begin styling it. To her dismay, she saw that Madam Spindelweb had indeed been right about all the other girls choosing flashy costumes. Her dress was by far the plainest. All the others were brilliant colors and dripping with feathers, sequence, and beads. She definitely would be singled out.
Oh well, she decided, if I'm going to be singled out, I definitely don't want them to know that it's me behind this mask.
Quickly gathering her things, Ginny dashed into one of the girls' bathrooms and locked the door. She held the gown up in front of her once more before she started getting ready. She suddenly felt very plain and childish next to the gown. Perhaps when she put it on she would look like a small child playing dress-up in her mum's clothing? Trying hard not to think about it, Ginny bit her lip and began pinning up her hair.
Ginny wasn't sure how many hours had passed as she meticulously styled her hair and put on her makeup, (Not too much though. She never wore much makeup, no matter what the occasion was.) but she suddenly became very aware that the noise and clatter in the girls' room had ceased. They must've already begun to walk down to the Great Hall where the ball was being held.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny stepped in front of the mirror and gasped. Earlier when she had looked in the mirror she had seen an awkward teenage girl, but now a beautiful woman was staring back at her in the glass. Ginny smiled, put on her mask, and left for the Great Hall.
The Great Hall looked magnificent. Professor Dumbledoor had indeed gone all out this time. They had used magic to lower the floor and create a huge grand staircase for the students to make their entrance on. Candles, flowers, and silky ribbons were everywhere. An orchestra played lively dancing music, and there were tables lined along the walls filled with food and drink. The "sky" above had been temporarily adjusted to not match the blustery weather outside, and bright twinkling stars shone down on the arriving students.
Harry and Ron hovered near the tables of food, munching pastries and watching the steady flow of students arriving. Neither of them had bothered to conceal their identity too much. Ron had simply not wanted to hide who he was, and Harry knew that no matter what kind of mask he wore, it wasn't going to keep his hair from sticking out at all angles as it always did.
Madam Spindelweb had coaxed Ron into wearing a silky green tunic with brown trousers and a shiny purple mask covered with green feathers and gold beads. Needless to say, he was feeling very foolish. The greens and purples of the costume set off his red hair brilliantly so everyone was bound to know it was him. (Hardly any of the boys had opted to wear hair potion.)
"When I told Hermione about my costume she said that I was probably going to look like an advertisement for Mardi Gras," Ron grumbled. "Whatever that means."
"I think it's some muggle holiday in France or something," Harry replied. He was dressed simply, but attractively in a black silk shirt with silver lining and black trousers with a black velvet mask with silver sequence. "By the way, what's Hermione wearing?"
"She wouldn't tell me," Ron complained. "She said I'd just have to guess. What's that supposed to mean?"
Harry grinned, "Judging by how you and Hermione act around each other, I'm guessing that means that if you guess wrong, you're a dead man."
Ron groaned and began pushing through the crowd, searching for any signs of Hermione. Harry sighed and smiled after his friend before wandering through the crowd himself, looking for anyone he could recognize.
He quickly realized that this would be much harder than he thought it would be. Most people had really gone all out on the costume thing, especially the girls. From the masks, elaborate costumes, hair potion, and makeup, it was a virtually impossible task!
Harry saw that most of the students were either already dancing with someone or hovering around on the sides, trying to find someone to dance with. He supposed he ought to be doing the same. He'd never really liked dancing, but that did seem to be the whole point of this ball. Besides, he might end up dancing with someone really interesting, even Cho!
Harry began to gaze intently out at the sea of people before him, wrinkling his nose at most of the girls' costumes. They were just so...flashy, so...big. Many of his fellow classmates had to hold their dancing partner at arm's length to keep from crushing the feathers on the front of the girls' gowns.
As he was eyeing the crowd, Harry saw that Ron had already found himself a dancing partner. Guess I'm on my own for the evening, Harry thought, fetching himself a glass of punch from a nearby bowl and slumping down in a chair. It was going to be a long night.
Ginny knew she was late, but glancing at the clock in the Gryffindor commons, she was relieved to see that she wasn't too terribly late. Just fifteen minutes. Still, she rushed through the empty hallways as quickly as her heals would allow her.
As she entered the Great Hall, Ginny stood in amazement for a moment, surveying the scene before her. A huge staircase led down to what looked more like a ballroom than the room she had eaten her lunch in only a few hours ago. The whole room was alive and simply bursting with warmth and color.
As she began descending the staircase, a few people acknowledged her with friendly greetings, although they had no idea who she was. It was in that moment that Ginny had a sudden, wonderful realization: She could truly be herself tonight.
She was always so timid and shy around others. She never exposed too much of herself for fear of getting hurt, especially after the Chamber of Secrets. Wearing this mask however, she had no fear. If she humiliated herself, no one would ever have to know it was her.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she suddenly found herself face to face with Harry Potter. She'd know him anywhere. Those beautiful green eyes, that impossible hair, yes it was definitely Harry, and he was looking right at her.
Harry was eyeing the doorway boredly, wondering if anyone would notice if he slipped out early, when the doors opened and a girl entered. The moment Harry saw her, all thoughts of Cho permanently left his mind, and he stared at the new arrival as if frozen. She was simply the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. She wore a pink satin gown with simple modest designs and beads. Her red hair was pinned back from her face, and cascaded around her shoulders in waves of fiery curls.
She looked so different from the other girls around her, so pure, like an angel. She didn't need a flashy gown to make her attractive because beauty simply radiated from her.
He had to meet this girl. He simply had to! He leapt up and pushed his way through the crowded room towards her, his heart pounding in his chest.
Almost there...he felt as though he'd forgotten how to breathe...and there she was in front of him. She looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes. He was so nervous. He didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to say something soon!
"May I...I mean, would...would you like to dance?" He winced. It certainly wasn't the most articulate thing he could have said. She'd probably turn him down.
"Of course I will."
Harry looked up to see her smiling warmly at him. His heart leapt with joy, and he took her hand to lead her onto the dance floor.
To be continued...
A/N: Mwahahaha! I'm so evil! Chapter four coming in the next day or two. Also, a big thanks to Jill-Weasley, Lil Lillian, tokris, Divagurl277, mary w, Hallie, Colleen, and Jade Green 14 for their wonderful reviews! Thanks again!
Serena-chan