Chapter Seven.

The Hogsmede Escapade.

Saturday the 14th of February had finally arrived and today would be our Hogsmede trip to shop for the last minute requirements for the ball that only 6th and 7th years were allowed to attend. I hadn't even picked a dress yet and I longed to Flourish and Botts. Draco being the date for the special day did everything to curb me as far as possible away from my beloved hide away. We finally stumbled across a lovely little store that wasn't as busy as the others called Madam Octa. Inside was a ginger Haired man with a scar running down his left cheek wearing a lovely red coat over a lovely blue and intricately patterned alike to the cloak, blue suit.

"Hello Miss may I help you?" He smiled warmly without bearing his teeth.

"Yes thank you sir I need a red ball gown," I replied politely.

"Come right this way," he walked me to a line of hideously tacky dresses and i cringed at the thought of wearing the large over bearing dresses until a spotted something amazing.

"May I try this one on?" I asked.

"Why Miss that dress changes shape to fit whoever is wearing it. Like a magic version of lycra."

"Oh i have to see if it suits me... are all these dresses the same sir?"

"Oh no, unfortunately. Our tailor usually works by order and the ones we sell in the shop are merely displays. they are hardly ever bought but you see we hide the beauties amongst them and ones that have a good eye for such things spot them out on occasion and those who don't," he smiled playfully still never bearing his teeth," well it is funny to see them try it on, some even take dresses that are hideous," he continued as i changed into the dress. As he said, it was a beautiful fit I stared at myself in the mirror amazed at the reflection in front of me. I had changed dramatically with the help of Malfoy and i no longer looked frumpy and untidy. My hair shone and my complexion glowed. I was surprised as i saw the girl in front of me had become a lady, a woman.

"May I put this on hold please? I've decided to take it," i inquired.

"Certainly Miss but you do understand this is a very expensive dress it costs almost..." He started.

"Please i don't want to know the price thank you a boy by the name of Malfoy will be picking it up."

"Malfoy? Master Draco Malfoy?" He quizzed me.

"Yes actually do you know him?" i answered.

"Why yes i have been serving the Malfoy since before the only Malfoy child was born but all along they thought their first would be a girl they bought all these clothes for a baby girl about the time he would have been conceived for a little girl." I felt sick that he didn't know that those clothes were for a real baby girl, "well anyway don't worry about him picking it up tell him i will put it on the Malfoy tab and you can take it now."

"Why thank you Mr...?"

"Crespley, Larten Crespley." He placed the dress into an elegant box and tied it with a ribbon then placed into a bag for me to carry and I left the store never knowing the price of the dress and never feeling guilty about it.

I walked leisurely to the three broomsticks where Draco and I had designated to meet for lunch even though i was a bit later than our designated meeting time I didn't bother to walk in a hurry. I just took my time. When I walked in the first thing i really saw amongst the mixed marijuana and cigarette smoke was Harry's scowling face. Ignoring him, i turned to the smiling face of Draco Malfoy who was staring into space sipping a butterbeer and smoking a joint. He turned for a second to notice me standing in the doorway and gave me a dazzling smile until i was shoved from behind and landed clumsily on my knees holding myself up with my hands. I picked up my bag from my side and then picked myself up giving the boorish woman who looked like she belonged in a mine or as a woodcutter or some kind of labor position a dirty look to which she just shrugged her shoulders too. I gave Draco a weak embarrassed smile and made my way to our table to fetch myself a seat. Draco passed me a joint.

"Fantastic entrance hunny you sure know how to be the center of attention," He laughed at me.

"Shut up you," i grumbled for a moment then giving up on my unhappiness gave him a friendly smile.

"What's in the bag could you afford the dress after all which is surprising seeing as i took you to the most expensive shop in the Wizarding community."

"No actually he put it on your tab and you knew that all the clothes in there were terrible why did you take me there?"

"well obviously they weren't all terrible seeing as you brought something and know it was from there i can see the tag on the bag and i know you can find some rare gems in there which i hope you did." I punched him playfully in the arm to which he mad a mockery of an attempt at playing hurt making me laugh once more almost gagging on the smoke i had just inhaled. Obviously not, content with my oblivious display of happiness Harry sooked his way over to our table.

"Granger..."
"Potter..." we addressed each other on a last name basis.

"Been seeing a lot of Malfoy here seem to be getting pretty cozy what did he forget you were a mudblood?"

"Harry, my blood may be dirtier than your but do remember your father was a muggle so you're in no position to talk to dirty blood."

"Jealous Potter?" Malfoy began, "She likes to be in the company of gentlemen who treat her like the lady she is, instead of boys who are forever trying to get into her pants. Root rats that don't care about a girl they know isn't going to put out just because you say so, you abused her friendship potter she doesn't have to consort with the likes of you anymore... If you haven't noticed she is quite the lady and as for her being a mudblood she may not be of wizardry decent but she is far brighter than any other witch i have come upon so please do me a favor and rid me and this lovely woman of your company. Now Hermione would you like a butterbeer and some lunch before we set off?" After such a reprimanding Harry slinked off into the background with his broken pride.

"Sure I'd love a butterbeer and some lunch," i pulled out my purse to get some money for him when he stopped me.

"It's on me dear..."

"But i thought you didn't have much money."

"Well it turns out that a new law was passed that anyone who receives the dementors kiss is classified as legally dead. I mean he isn't physically but he will never leave Azkaban so I inherited everything." He looked a bit glum at this last statement he turned for the bar. Seeing me alone Harry decided to have another chance with just me and this time had decided to play nice.

"Hermione, I just wanted to say I'm sorry, i just don't like to see Malfoy with you because i know he's going to hurt you."

"Like you did Harry?" i snapped back quickly, "It's just the skipper effect one day I was playing with Barbie when my best friend picked up her little sister skipper and I never wanted anything so bad in my life. Now Draco is my friend and you have never wanted me around until you saw i was happy elsewhere! Malfoy has been a better friend these past few months than you have in an entire seven years I have been here now fuck off Potter before I hex you with something more powerful than that old Pinocchio spell i got you with last time." I sneered him a sneer that would have made Draco proud if it had seen it, which i didn't know he had. Harry beaten once again gave up and sulked back to his table of groupies who all had turns at saying nasty things about me that they thought i hadn't heard. Draco came back with two butterbeers and a meal of rissoles, salad, smiles, zucchini, capsicum and grilled tomatoes.

"What did he want?" he asked picking up the salt and applying it to his food.

"To apologies, played hard to get like you told me too though," I smiled. He passed me my butterbeer and for a brief second our hands brushed against each other's. We looked at each other for a second and at he exact same time, we looked away blushing deeply but trying very hard to hide it. We both ate and drank in silence until our stomachs were full with butterbeer and delicious food. As we left, Draco stood behind me and pulled my chair out helping me stand. He pecked my cheek as I stood up and then slipped his hand into mine giving me a wink as he did so his back to Harry. The look on Harry's face was so priceless that I didn't see the hint of a smile on Draco's or notice how fast his heart was beating beside me.

As we got outside, I removed my hand from his and linked my arm into his instead.

"Did you see his face? That was totally puff!" I hooted using the lame new slang word for cool. I didn't notice in my joy Draco's face drop sadly. He had covered it in almost an instant.

"Yeah, he was so jealous, he wants you bad!" he joined in. I practically skipped to a nearby shoe shop to look for shoes, Draco all the while saying that I had, had too much pot, sugar and butterbeer for this to be good. In return, I smacked him in the arm and told him it was good for me and to this he only raised and eyebrow and smirked immaturely as his dirty mind did tricks, I just punched him in the arm again.

In the shoe store, I found a pair of shoes that I wanted quite quickly. Finally, i was able to go to flourish and Botts, read, and buy some new books. I found a nice book decorated beautifully with a boy with dark brown hair and green eyes staring longingly at a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes who in turn who staring at a boy with black hair and blue eyes. It said on the first page that it was based on a true muggle story but that the names had been changed to keep the identities of the people a secret.

"What color is your dress?" asked Draco bored out of his brains.

"Red, gold, silver, blue and black," i replied my nose in yet another book which i added to the pile Malfoy was carrying that almost reached his chin which was saying something as he was holding down around his waist.

"Well I uhhh have a few errands to run."

"Okay, okay," i answered to this and added one more book to the pile and we made our way to the counter where i paid for my purchase. I asked them to send all these to my room in Hogwarts as i had other things to do and i couldn't carry them around all day to which they obliged.

"So I'll meet you in the rose garden shall we say seven?" Draco inquired.

"Sounds good, see ya there Draco," i replied, waving him off as i made my way in the opposite direction.

I made my way through the hustle and bustle of sixth and seventh years on their hogsmede expedition for last minute Valentines things and first to fifth years just enjoying the day in the shopping city of Hogwarts and the towns folk who lived in the area doing their daily grind to Fred and George's joke shop. Inside was just as busy as outside as students and other prankster wizards looked around at new and old gadgets on display and i could have sworn i saw a swish of purple robes with stars and moons over them disappear behind another row of pranks and potions. I smiled as i picked up some of the new gadgets on display.

"Green teeth toothpaste?" i laughed, "Strawberry skin sunscreen? Blue in the face in a bottle? Edible earplugs? Now that's just gross?" I felt a tap on each of my shoulders and jumped surprise at the interruption of my browsing only to find the owners of the property standing behind me.

"Ahh but we have something special for you Hermione our sweet little sister," they grinned from ear to ear as they pulled out a glass bottle.

"A bottle of Jim? I had you boys buy me a year's supply before I went to Hogwarts why would I need another.." Fred or was it George put a finger to my lips and shushed me.

"It's a never ending bottle of Jim Beam Hermione he figured out how to do it and we wanted you to have the first one. We know its your favorite so its a present," George or was it Fred finished for the other.

"Thanks boys," i hugged them.

"You're welcome," they beamed at me in unison. I turned and left the joke shop after this not actually bothering to buy anything. I made for the nearest candy store and bought a pigs supply of sweets. I ended up leaving with two packets of Tim tams, a large in of Milo, ten milkos, five redskins, four strawberry freddo's, seven king size snickers, three large bags of peanut M&M's, three chocolate frogs, two bags of berties every flavor beans and just for good measure a big bag full of Chico babies, fake teeth, milk bottles, sour gummy worms, gummy bears and sour coca cola bottles all sent to your dorm. I was terribly happy that the school provided soft drink for us at our disposal.

Finally, I made my way back to our dorm, took out my dress, and hung it up carefully on the back of my door stunned and amazed at its beauty and glamour. I took a bath with strawberry and apple bubbles and washed my hair with the sun silk summer care shampoo and condition making my hair smell of coconuts making me feel very tropical. I washed my skin with Johnson baby soap and toned it with Neutrogena clear pore toner finally applying dove essential nutrients moisturizing lotion. I sprayed my hair with strawberry detangler. I had exfoliated my skin as Malfoy had told me in small circles working from the top to the bottom not forgetting to shave. I applied fake tan to my sexy smooth skin making me look even more elegant. I went to wrap my towel, which was on the back of the door around me once the fake tan had a chance to dry when I heard the door click and open not believing in my stupidity I had not locked it. Unable to get to the towel i was exposed and tried to cover freshly shaved self with my hands only barely succeeding but unfortunately leaving my humble firma and perky breasts that were not big nor small exposed. For a while, Draco just stood there open mouthed unable to remember what he was going to say before he was greeted with this uncomfortable sight. For this embarrassing period time seemed to move so slowly.

"I'M NAKED!" I cried out finally making him snap out of it.

"Sorry I didn't think you were in here i was just going to borrow some freeze gel, i really should have knocked I'm so sorry, I'll Ahh go now..." he blundered then shut the door behind him. I pulled my towel around myself finally, picked up my freeze gel, walked over to his bathroom, and opened the door only to find Draco in the same situation I was in earlier.

"Here's the freeze gel, and boy you get undressed fast," i said before i could stop myself. With this, i also turned around and left shutting the door behind me before he could say a word. I applied my concealer under my eyes and on any problem spots of redness and blemish on my face making sure i got it all the way to my eyelids, I then applied my foundation working downwards making sure i didn't get it in my eyebrows, that it also covered all the way to my eye lids and also put it over my lips. I blended it down onto my neck and the edge of my hairline but not in my hair and over my ears using the clean side of the latex sponge i was using to apply it with. I applied my translucent powder with a pat and roll technique then brushed it off with a powder brush. I then applied the powder with the pat and roll effect under my eyes making sure i also got it right to the edge of my eyelids. I applied a highlighter eye shadow first going right up to under my eyebrows in an extremely light shade then a darker shade over just the eyelid. Then i applied the first real brown shade in a line from the outside corner of my eye on each side down and in till it reached the edge of my eyelid. I used a cotton tip to run a small line only half of my eyelid across the top just under the bone in my eye. I applied the darkest shade just a little inside the first shade and then used a clean cotton tip to blend it up and out erasing all the hard lines that had been there before. I then applied my eyeliner to the bottom of my eyes and used liquid eyeliner thin in the center of my eyes making it fatter towards the middle and thinning it out again just a little to the outside. After this i applied my mascara and while this was drying my blush starting from the inside of my cheek in line with the bottom of my ear up in circle movements to the top of my ear. I brushed my teeth before adding the final touches of gloss with a hint of reddish lipstick making my lips look like plump strawberries. I tied my hair into a bun with two small pieces of fringe hanging down which i wrapped around my finger and sprayed with freeze spray to make it hold. I was almost ready. Tonight Harry would finally notice me I looked like a goddess. Simply irresistible. I sprayed on my perfume Revlon's pink happiness. Little did i know that Harry wouldn't be the only one to notice me tonight.