OMG! What reviews! I haven't blushed this much since Madam Pomphrey told me she like my new earmuffs…lol.

Thanking pinkputtytats and Jewelblossom for your stunning reviews and uasoccerbear08 for pointing out my little mistake about the measuring. I realized after I had written it that it was wrong, and I'm too lazy to fix it. And the line thing in chapter nine was me being mad at my computer because the divider line wasn't working.

Chapter 24

Spending Is Not Wasting

Rhea and Jenna waited till Transfiguration class the next day to tell Hermione the good news. Addy sat huffing angrily behind them, her wand tapping against the palm of her hand, but not saying a word. They were supposed to be practicing switching spells, but this was much, much more important.

Hermione was grading essays from the fifth years when the trio walked quietly up to the desk.

"Mum?"

"During school hours, it's Professor Weasley, Rhea."

"Sorry…umm… Professor Weasley?"

"Yes?"

"Jenna's mum said she could come to the wedding."

At this, Hermione looked up from her papers and gave the girls an apprehensive look. But this stern glare was replaced by a smile before either girl could comprehend the meaning.

"That's wonderful, Jenna. You can come with us on Saturday to get our dress robes. I'm assuming you don't have a pair with you." Hermione tapped her quill on a student's paper, causing ink to splatter everywhere.

"I don't. Thank you again for inviting me. I can't wait." The professor smiled broadly once again before shooing them back to their seats to practice the spell. When they settled back in, Addy had already switched the butterfly's wings onto the mouse, and the mouse was half-running, half-flying over her desk.

"Well, how's The Plan going?" she asked cautiously.

"Perfectly. Not a thing is going to go wrong." At that, Rhea picked up her own wand with a flourish and stated the spell very clearly to the creatures on her table. They spent the next ten minutes of class trying to figure out how Rhea had 'glued' the animals together.

Lessons seemed quicker that week for the Weasley twins and their best friend. It was a Hogsmeade weekend for the older students, and they – first years – were actually going with them. It would be exciting for anyone in their position.

The Weasley's and Jenna left for the dress shop at eleven. It was warm and breezy, and Rhea complained the whole way, that she should be allowed a broom and that it was too nice a day to be inside staring at dresses when she could be flying…even though she too, was looking forward to this trip.

The bell tinkled softly inside the shop. Fabrics of all colors and textures swayed in a nonexistent breeze and dust floated in the warm patches of sunlight coming in through the windows.

At the sound of the bell, a chubby aged woman in faded purple robes shuffled towards her customers.

"Well now, well now. What do we have here? What, oh what, might you dears be interested in?" She had a sweet smile, like a grandmother, and her black eyes shone brightly beneath wrinkles.

Hermione stepped forward. "We're here to buy dress robes for a wedding."

The old woman looked at the four ladies. "Well now, which one of you is getting married?"

Addy and Jenna burst into a fit of giggles, while Rhea's face showed a look of pure disgust at the very idea of marrying…especially this young. Hermione, on the other hand, had gone red-faced and began stuttering a little before gaining her composure.

"N-no no, Ma'am. None of us are getting married. It's my sister-in-law that is the lucky bride-to-be."

The old woman smiled brighter, showing pearly, white teeth that looked a little too perfect to be real. "Well now, my deepest apologies." She shuffled over to a box covered in moons and stars and pulled out a long sheath of fabric in a light blue, which she held up to Addy, the closer of the twins, and sighed.

"Well now, that's a lovely color on you." Addy slipped her hands over the fine cloth and grinned.

"It's perfect! Oh Mum, I want this for my dress…please?" Hermione smiled at her and glanced at the price tag hanging from the fabric.

"Oh dear…this is a little out of our budget. We don't need to waste this much money on your outfit."

Addy looked to the others for help. The old woman stood there, smiling and holding the cloth. Rhea spoke up.

"Mum, it's not wasting, it's spending." She stated matter-of-factly as she grabbed a fistful of the pale blue cloth. Hermione looked at Addy, then Rhea, then back to Addy before admitting defeat.

"Fine. Addy, you can have this fabric, but Rhea…" she glanced at Rhea. "You have to find fabric that is much less expensive." Rhea saluted her mother and began ravaging the store for a cost effective cloth that suited her personality.

After a half hour of rooting through the entire store, Rhea emerged carrying a bolt of sparkling orange silk – at half-price. She raised it above her head triumphantly as she made her way towards her sister and mother who were both being fitted by the old woman for their robes. Addy in the light blue and Hermione in a deeper version.

Jenna was left to her own devices. She was having a rather difficult time finding the right fabric for her. She had never owned anything extraordinarily fancy, and she had no idea what would look good on her.

By the time she reached the front of the shop again – empty handed, both Addy and Hermione had finished their fitting and Rhea was draped in bright orange on the pedestal.

"I couldn't find anything," she stated sadly.

"Are you sure? There a million boxes in this place and you couldn't find one thing you liked? Ow-" Rhea yelled as a needle stuck into her leg.

"Well now, you move you get poked. I told you that." The woman stopped pinning the fabric and walked over to the box with the celestial scene on it once again, this time pulling out a soft, shimmery, pink satin.

It seemed to glow by itself. Jenna couldn't take her eyes off the shiny cloth. "Wow…" Jenna breathed.

Hermione, who had been tapping her foot to an old song she had stuck in her head, gave the woman one of her signature stares.

"How much?"

"Cheap." Hermione stood up and walked over to the old dressmaker. She carefully took the fabric from her and stared at the dangling tag for a moment before handing it back.

"Fine. Jenna, it's your turn." Rhea hopped off the pedestal, the orange dress trailing on the floor.

Forty minutes later, they were walking along the main road towards the grounds of Hogwarts, bags filled to the brim with things for the wedding. Hermione had insisted she buy them all matching shoes and there was some Honeyduke's chocolate and a pack of Toothflossing Stringmints that Hermione had gotten oddly attached to.

"Where're we going now, Mum?"

"Back to school, Addy."

"Couldn't we just stop at the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer?"

"No, Rhea. Look," she said as she pointed to a group of fourth years emerging from a shop and walking back to Hogwarts, "everyone else is leaving. We have to as well. And no more arguing. You should be privileged to be here in the first place. Now not another word about it or I'm not signing your permission slips when the time does come for you to come here on your own."

There was silence as they headed back to the castle, as they wandered through the school corridors, as they ate a hurried dinner and as they climbed through the portrait of the fat lady into the Gryffindor common room. The three girls slumped up to their dormitory where Rhea fell fast asleep, fully clothed on the first bed she reached…which happened to be Jenna's. Addy grabbed six or seven books and headed back down stairs to study and do homework, but Jenna followed neither example.

The dress Professor Weasley had bought her attracted her attention like no item she had ever owned before. Jenna pulled the dress from the pretty box it was wrapped in and held it up to her body. The silk glided over hand as though it were made of water. She stared at herself in the mirror. When Addy came back upstairs an hour later she found Jenna asleep on the floor in that same spot. She levitated her friend into bed before getting in herself.

Jenna woke the next morning, one hand clutching the soft pink of her dress, the other hand holding tightly to her necklace.