A/N

I'm sorry about the huge chunk of time in between chapters 7 and 8 or 6 and 7 depending on what story you're reading, I lost the access to Microsoft word for a while there and had no way to write. Just as I was starting to get desperate my dad decided to load it and here we are! This chapter starts the long Christmas part of the story so be prepared!

A/N

The final Battle Trilogy Part One

"Mi?" Fred called outside the bathroom door, waiting impatiently for her to be ready to go. It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation and the day of the Hogwarts annual Yule ball.

"I'm coming, jeez Fred are you always so impatient?" Hermione rolled her eyes putting on one last coat of lip-gloss she pulled open the door and smiled at him widely.

"Finally." Fred joked they linked arms and walked down the stairs, "You're getting ready in the room of requirements with Luna and Sarah right? So I can have this room and not worry about you?" Fred double-checked with her.

"What about the rules? You're not supposed to leave me alone." Hermione reminded coyly.

"Mi, we do this every week, don't tell me you're growing a conscience now." Fred pleaded.

"I'm just kidding, but you have to walk me there right after classes to avoid suspicion and Harry's going whether he likes it or not so you need to go make sure he gets ready after you drop me off." Hermione told him.

"What am I your slave?" Fred asked curiously.

Hermione stared at him pointedly, "Okay stupid question, I know." Fred admitted.

"Exactly, now what are you going to do after classes?" Hermione asked him slipping her small hand into his large one.

"Not go talk to Harry because I can't be seen without you. So ha!" Fred announced proudly.

"Dammit." Hermione cursed under her breath she had been outsmarted by Fred. Fred Weasley…dammit.

"I'll make sure Ron checks on him though okay, Mi?" Fred asked tugging on her hand lightly.

"Thank you sweetie." Hermione smiled sweetly looking up at him, he kissed her and they walked into her first class. She sat down where Ron could sit beside her and Fred sat in a provided desk at the back of the classroom after signing in with McGonagall.

"How's Harry?' Hermione asked as Neville entered the class sitting on her left side. Neville went to visit Harry every morning while the others went after class.

"Fine, he's not thrilled about the Yule ball being tonight but he's fine." Neville told her smiling sadly.

"He's still going right?" Hermione asked frazzled.

"Only because he promised you otherwise he wouldn't be." Neville told her regretfully.

"Who wouldn't be what?" Ron asked joining them.

"Harry wouldn't be going to the ball." Hermione filled him in just as McGonagall clapped her hands to signal the start of class.

--

Harry's POV (rest of chapter)

"Hey gin, I know I don't normally talk to you but I have to today, I'm really sorry I'm not staying but Hermione's making me go, sorry. I hate leaving you and I know it won't be the same without you there not that you would talk to me if you were anyway but I wish you were. I'm really sorry about what happened and I know I should've told you about the prophecy but I didn't want to worry you. But I know now that I worried you more by not telling you and I'm sorry. I really wanted to talk to you today to tell you that I've fallen in love with you, and I can't help it. I'm sorry it took losing you to realize what you meant to me but I've never felt love before…I've never known what it's like to love someone and it's a new feeling. A complicated feeling and I know you probably don't feel the same way about me and I'm sorry about that. I have to go get ready now, just know that I love you and I don't want you to hate me anymore. Love you Gin." Harry turned and walked away with tears in his eyes not noticing his best friend standing just behind the curtain around Ginny's bed.

Harry wandered slowly back to the Gryffindor dorms to get dressed into his dress robes and wash his hair not in that exact order of course. He was going to the ball alone of course and his friends all had dates, why had he agreed to go, you ask? Because his friends were worried about him just like they had been worried about Ginny and he knew how that felt. That's why Harry had stupidly agreed to go to this stupid event and it was also why he had agreed to participate in the annual Weasley snowball fight tomorrow. It sucked to be him.

"Hey Harry." Ron caught up to him.

"Hey Ron." Harry nodded and kept walking Ron keeping close behind him.

"Time to get ready?" Ron tried to keep the conversation casual; he didn't want to bring up what he'd heard today, maybe tomorrow.

"Yep." Harry nodded again saying the password.

"Are you excited?" Ron asked nervously.

Harry looked at him pointedly as they entered the dorm and he grabbed his stuff.

"Take that as a no." Ron nodded laughingly.

Harry nodded again and went to enter the bathroom, "Are you going to follow me into the shower too Ron?" Harry asked as Ron took a step in the same direction.

--

Harry looked himself over in the mirror and sighed, his hair was a mess like always and his robes were becoming a bit frayed at the hem. He cast a quick spell Hermione had taught him after she had seen what Ron did to his robes in 4th year and it made his fraying disappear. Harry turned away form the mirror and walked down the stairs to the common room where he met with his friends.

"Hey Harry." Neville and Ron greeted.

"Hey." Harry smiled, "Where are we going first?"

"To get Fred from his rooms and then to the Room of requirements to pick up the girls." Ron told him as they walked towards the right place.

"Kay." Harry said and they walked in silence for a while, Harry was bored, Ron was sort of nervous and Neville looked like he was going to be sick.

"Fred?" Ron knocked on the portrait and waited impatiently for his brother.

"What?" Fred came out of the common room dressed in his best robes, pressed perfectly obviously done by Hermione or Mrs. Weasley and not himself.

"Hurry up." Ron told him.

"I'm ready, let's get going." Fred started to walk, "You okay Neville, you look like you were run over by a stampede of raging hippogriffs."

Neville nodded obviously not trusting himself to speak.

"I wonder if the girls are ready…" Fred said thoughtfully as they continued their trek to the room of requirements.

"Probably not, they are girls after all." Ron reminded.

"Thanks Ron, I had noticed between kissing her and stuff." Fred said sarcastically.

"And stuff?" Ron asked angrily.

"Holding her hand, hugging her, living with her…" Fred explained.

"Okay then." Ron said stiffly.

"Leave it alone Ron." Harry spoke quietly for the first time since they had left the common room.

"Okay." Ron said resignedly.

"Hello." Luna announced the girl's presence just outside the door where they were waiting.

Ron, Fred and Neville's mouths all simultaneously dropped open. Luna was wearing a dress so not typical of the girl, it was low cut, deep red and there were no funky patterns. Her hair was tied up in a tight knot and she looked gorgeous. Sarah was wearing a dress in a deep blue, not extremely low cut but it was an even more gorgeous dress, it shimmered in the light and was all sparkly. Her hair was down but very curly and she also looked incredible. But the biggest change by far was Hermione her hair was dead straight and left down but a few of the top layer pieces were curled. Her dress was spaghetti strapped, with a low, loopy neck that sort of scrunched up where it fell, the bottom was a diagonal cut with a bit of a ruffle. Hermione Granger looked like a completely different person and it looked amazing.

"Hi." Hermione and Sarah said shyly uncomfortable under the heavy stares from their dates.

"You look gorgeous." Fred recovered first and kissed Hermione quickly and held out an arm so she could take it. Harry watched this exchange with a briefly amused look, Hermione had so dreaded him staying with her but it had worked out pretty well.

Harry watched as Neville approached Sarah and said something quietly causing the girl to blush slightly before taking his arm and they turned all waiting for Ron to react.

"Hello." Luna repeated stepping a step closer to him. This seemed to snap him out of his reverie and he smiled at her slightly, no words were exchanged but they seemed to understand what was conveyed in each others eyes. They finally grabbed hands and Harry led the way down to the great hall.

--

Harry sat in the back corner of the great hall, nursing his third firewhiskey. He had no real desire to be there but he had promised and tat was why he stayed. It had been one long tantalizing hour since they had arrived and he figured if he put in another one Hermione might let him go. Another girl approached him slowly asking if he was alright before proceeding to ask him to dance he declined for the fifth time that night and took the last gulp of his drink.

"Harry?" Hermione smelt his glass and looked at him disapprovingly. She moved his glass away and placed a butterbeer in front of him.

"Thanks." Harry rolled his eyes intending to grab another firewhiskey once his friend left him alone.

"Dance with me?" Hermione asked smiling at him weakly.

"Nope." Harry declined, "Where's Fred?"

"Dancing with Ron and making a fool of himself." Hermione laughed as they pulled of a weird stunt.

"I would but I'm not in the mood." Harry said and he took a sip of the butterbeer defiantly deciding it wasn't strong enough.

"Fine, I'll find someone else to dance with then." Hermione walked away angrily not bothering to pay anymore attention to him.

Harry watched her walk away and he got up to get another firewhiskey, the school was providing it for those students over seventeen but the cut off per student was 5. He got his fourth trying to make it last so that he could leave after having his fifth.

He sat back in his corner waiting for Fred to come yell at him for making her angry but he never cam it had almost been the hour that he had decided to stay when he heard the door open and the live band stop. Not bothering to look up he figured someone popular had just entered, after a few minutes the music started again but you could still hear the whispered conversations about who had just entered…

"Are you going to dance with me or should I find someone else to dance with?" Harry heard a sweet voice that he immediately recognized and he looked up quickly.

"Oh my god! What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Harry hugged her tightly before pulling away to await an answer.

"I'm fine, Harry." Ginny smiled at him and he almost lost his breath, she looked amazing now that he thought about it. Her dress was white and the top part was engraved with jewels in a beautiful design, it was strapless and went down to the floor. She had her hair curled and pinned up in a half-ponytail thing…

"When did you wake up? They were supposed to get me no matter what." Harry told her stroking her cheek gently.

"I asked them not to, I wanted to surprise you." Ginny smiled leaning into his touch.

"How did you do all this so fast?" Harry gestured to her outfit.

"Mum and McGonagall helped me a lot, I already had the dress." Ginny told him leaning into him lovingly.

"You look amazing." Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her closely.

"Thanks, now how about that dance?" Ginny asked teasingly.

"Let's go." Harry led her out onto the dance floor.

--