Hello there! I tried to get this chapter out as fast as I could to make up for the amount of time it took to get out the last chapter. This chapter might not be as funny as some of the others, but I needed it to pull everything together before the Masquerade Prom. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Chapter Ten, I never thought I'd get this far. Thanks everyone for the support. Now, without further ado...

Chapter Ten

The SHHHHH-lelujah Chorus

As the day of the Masquerade Prom drew closer, Ginny grew more and more excited. Her costume looked excellent (in her humble opinion) and her plans were complete. All she had to do now was sit back and relax…and dodge the amorous designs of what seemed like the complete male student body and Professor Logan. She had considered taping a sign to her forehead saying "I'm Taken", but she decided to just start wearing sunglasses and a trench coat wherever she went.

-----------------------

Harry was quite smug. All the girls had stopped throwing themselves at him once they saw his hot date. It was a bit of a turn-off to them, him being tailed by a cute elf chick. Harry's only problem was that all the other guys kept hitting on Arwen. But hey, he thought to himself, I could have it a lot worse! At least I have a date.

-----------------------

Hermione was in a continuous foul mood over Seamus breaking up with her. After what Ron did, she didn't blame him. Hermione blamed Ron! Every time she was near him, bad things started happening to Ron. First there was the arsenic in his cornflakes, the grenade in his bed, and the toaster in the bathtub. Then she got really nasty. Mushy love notes from Ron found their way into hideous Slytherins' pockets, he woke up wearing make-up, and, worst of all, someone keyed his broom!

This was all starting to tell on Ron's nerves, and he tried to stay near Harry and Arwen as much as possible so they could warn him of danger. Ron started paying first years to taste his food and always made someone go before him into any room. Harry was getting rather tired of this (it was cutting into his and Arwen's making out time), so after classes were over, he steered Ron into a seat in their common room to talk.

"Listen Ron, you've got to sort this thing out with Hermione. All these assassination attempts are really starting to bug me." Harry began sternly.

"What did I do wrong? All I did was save her from going out with a complete idiot! She should be thanking me!" Ron pouted.

"I don't know why she's mad at you, but girls always expect you to apologize. It doesn't matter who did it. It doesn't matter what it was. She expects you to apologize." Harry said, sagely.

Ron squared his shoulder and said, determinedly, "I'll do it then. I, Ron Weasely, will apologize!"

---------------------

Hermione was in the library, hunched over a book entitled Assassination for the Mentally Handicapped, when Ron walked in. He had walked determinedly the whole way to the library, but one look at the raging witch sapped all the determination out of him. He crept over the table she was sitting at and made a small "ahem" noise.

A seventh year doing "research" that involved a lot of wet slurpy noises said, "SHHHHHHHH!"

"What." Hermione hissed menacingly at Ron.

Two more people shushed.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Ron whispered and under his breath said, "For whatever it is I did."

Six other students added their voices to the, "SHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh Ron! I've been waiting days for you to say that!" Hermione whispered in an exclamatory kind of way and threw herself at the confused wizard.

Fifteen students now were "SHHHH"ing.

"Right." Ron said as he patted her on the back.

Now thirty-five students lent their voices the "SHHHHHHH"-lelujah Chorus.

"And I have the perfect way for you to make it up to me." Hermione smiled wickedly.

Fifty students chimed in as the "SHHHHHHHH!" crescendoed.

"Uh-oh."

Finally the whole library yelled, "Shut the $!& up!"

"What's your problem, you &!$?in' library dictators!" Ron and Hermione yelled in unison and skipped out hand in hand.

------------------------------

Aside from all the excitement over the prom, Ginny was rather dejected. She hadn't heard from Tom since their last date. She reasoned with herself saying that his mirror was broken, but she still felt a bit forsaken. She sat on her bed halfheartedly trying to finish a potions essay, but mostly just feeling sorry for herself. Then Ginny heard a sound coming from the mirror. She launched off of her bed, crashing into the floor.

"Oww…well that didn't work."

She shook her head and snatched the mirror off of her nightstand. There he was!

"Tom! I've missed you so much!" Ginny gave him "the abandoned puppy-dog look".

"I know, Ginny, but I haven't had a minute off the job to steal another mirror." Tom explained.

"Are you sure there isn't another woman? That Bellatrix looked a little too friendly with you, if you ask me." Ginny questioned sharply.

"Aww, Ginny, who could compare with you? Who else can eat fifteen breadsticks in under a minute? Who else can juggle chainsaws? Who else can remember ALL of the words to Les Miserables?"

"You're too kind Tom." Ginny blushed, "But who wouldn't want a man who can actually win a prize from a claw machine, look hot in a sombrero, and unicycle across a tight-rope?"

"Ginny, we were made for each other." Tom asserted.

"You got that right, Stud. Now what I really wanted to talk to you about was that the Masquerade Prom is coming up soon, and I want you to be my date." said Ginny.

"Oh yeah, the Masquerade Prom. I remember going to that. One year I went as Godric Gryffindor, just to mess with their minds." Tom laughed, "So do you have a plan to get me in?"

"Of course."

And with that Ginny launched into a detailed description of her plan, using a crumpled up newspaper, a power point presentation, and a party hat.