Ch.3-
Ginny woke up feeling immediately refreshed.
The ball was today!
Classes were cancelled and the boys all went down to breakfast, and the girls stayed in, in hopes that missing a meal might make their dresses fit better, and that they looked flawless.
Harry was groggy and tired, considering he had stayed awake after a dream in which Ginny shouted at him about asking her to the dance sooner, because she was going to confess her undying love for him.
But then she turned into Snape and hexed him, so he was very scatter-brained and annoyed.
"Hey Ron, have you seen Hermione, I need a potion for my headache, bad."
"Nah, sorry mate, she is probably staying in her dormitory to get ready for the ball."
Just then, Hermione walked into the Great Hall and sat in between Harry and Ron.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, you're the only girl at breakfast, all the others are getting ready for the ball later."
Hermione glanced around at the other tables and blushed slightly at everyone shooting curious glances at her.
Then she recovered.
"Well, truthfully… I don't really care how I look tonight…"
Ron was less than convinced.
"Yeah sure, you totally forgot it was this morning and woke up early, and then read."
"Fine, I admit, that it might have slipped my mind, but I mean, I have to eat something don't I?"
A moment later, Ginny walked into the Great hall as well.
She sat in between Harry and Hemrione.
"I'm so exhausted, and all the girls are making a bloody racket in the common room running around and such, you'd think they had sprouted extra heads."
Hermione agreed.
"Yeah, I think Lavender was up at four this morning setting out her things to get ready for today."
Harry smirked at Ron's date, and then caught himself after realizing; he didn't even have a date to make fun of.
"Yah, so Ginny, why aren't you getting ready like everyone else?"
Hermione threw Harry an irritated look.
"I mean- why aren't you getting ready like-most girls?"
"Oh, I think everyone is being ridiculous about this ball thing, its not like skipping meals and immediately clogging your pores with makeup when you wake up is going to make you better looking by eight o'clock tonight."
Everyone seemed to consider this and nodded in fair agreement.
"Alright, I'm full, so I'm gonna go."
"Aw Hermione, you aren't turning into Lav-Lav and trying to pee, spit, and puke to make yourself thinner by tonight are you?"
Ginny smiled sweetly and Ron glared as Harry chuckled.
"No, I'm going to go to the library, and if I feel the need to er... pee, spit and puke, I think I can do it away from that blasted girl screeching common room."
Hermione left, and Ginny played with her eggs, and watched the sky shining through the roof of the Great Hall.
"Hey, er… Ginny?"
"Yes?"
She was still focused on her own mind to realize that Harry was speaking to her.
"Wha- OH! Yes, what is it?"
"Well, I was wondering who you are going to the ball with?"
"Oh."
Ginny giggled and Harry could have sworn she glanced at the Slytherin table before continuing on.
"I want it to be a surprise, I definitely think it will erm…"
She looked away.
Ok, she definitely glanced at the Slytherin table this time, im almost positive. Harry thought.
She continued after cleaning her throat, "shock everyone."
"Oh, I see, ok well your going to save a dance for your favorite brother's best mate right?"
Harry flashed her his winning smile.
She grinned, "of course ill save a dance for Hermione!"
His smile disappeared, but re-registered after he realized that she was joking.
"Ha-Ha Ginny."
"Oh you thought I was joking?"
Ginny playfully looked innocent, but has deep amusement in her eyes.
"Ill see you tonight Harry."
With that, Ginny gracefully stood up, and with all guy's eyes still on her, she ballet pranced and stretched her arms out beside her before doing a small twirl out of the Great hall smiling and giggling as she went.
Before she completely exited, Harry saw Ginny wink at McLaggen.
McLaggen? Harry thought is she out of her fucking mind?
On the way out, Blaise Zambini caught her figure out of the corner of his eye and chuckled to himself, "That girl is way too comfortable with herself for her own good."
Malfoy was watching the redhead beauty as well and nodded in agreement.
"So mate, I hear your taking a mystery girl, no one seems to know who it is, wanna fill me in?"
Blaise barely blushed but recovered by turning to fill himself some pumpkin juice on the side away from Draco.
"It's a surprise mate," Blaise downed his pumpkin juice in one gulp and stood, "So you're just going to have to wait until tonight."
He too smiled widely and walked out of the Great Hall, but Draco noticed that as he walked it turned into a strut and he winked at Millicent Bullstrode before exiting the ending row of tables.
Draco cocked his head to one side, Millicent Bullstrode? Blaise are you out of your goddamned mind?
Back in the common room, Ginny was trying to weave her way to the dormitories, but only arrived after girls had burned her with waving miscellaneous hair curlers at her face, and a long line of lipstick was across the whole back of her robes, as well as glitter in her hair.
She got to her bedroom finally and lay down but immediately regretted it when she realized that she was on top of her dress.
She winced as she tried to lift herself easily away from her dress; careful not to smudge the god knows what from her robes more onto her dress.
But, as she turned to look at it, the dress was undoubtfully ruined.
She tried to use the cleaning spell and muttered it over and over again, but it seemed that the makeup was permanently stuck to her dress.
Just then, Lavender and Parvati walked in and were chatting animatedly.
"Yah, so I've put this permanent sticking charm on the makeup im wearing today and it wont wear off for twenty-four hours, so I put it on this morning, so it would wear off by tomorrow morning see?"
She held up a putrid shade of pink that clashed horribly with her too-tanned skin.
Lavender cooed at the lipstick and smirked, "Wouldn't that stink if you smudged it now? You would have it on your face for twenty-four hours."
It didn't take Ginny long to put two, and two together.
One being that the lipstick that was all over her dress was in fact the long lasting pink, and two that she had just now smudged it meaning it could not come off until after breakfast tomorrow morning, leaving the conclusion that the dress was useless until then.
She let out a cry of frustration as Hermione walked through the door to her dormitory and walked smiling over to her bead.
She looked down at the dress and then to Ginny and stopped smiling immediately, she knew that Ginny would fix it if it were in fact, fixable, but seeing as Ginny was almost in tears, she realized that this must be permanent.
Before Ginny could utter a single, teary word, Hermione held up her hand.
"I have an idea."
"Wha- What is it?"
"Take the sheets off the bed, oh and ill get mine, meet me back here with scissors and gold thread."
"Ginny, where am I going to get scissors and gold thread?"
"Ask Felix."
Hermione made a confused face and then remembered how Harry gave her the Felix bottle to have a good day of luck.
She quickly rummaged through Hermione's trunk and took a few drops.
Immediately she felt wired, energetic, and knew that the new dress she was going to have would be better than the one she had paid for.
But, as quickly as Hermione left, Luna entered.
"Hey Ginny, do you need these?"
Luna was holding a big thimble and gold threat and scissors, she handed them to Ginny and she inspected them.
They had her name embossed on the edge and smiled grandly.
"Thanks Luna thanks a lot."
Hermione walked in right as Luna walked out again, it was like these kids were tag teaming.
She has crisp white sheets in her hands and commanded Ginny to undress to her knickers.
Miraculously Lavender and Parvati immediately remembered they still needed to apply their fake eyelashes and dashed out of the common room at top speed.
Hermione and Ginny were all alone and Ginny was standing almost naked looking at Hermione, thinking.
Hermione spread the sheet out onto the floor and measured Ginny's waist, bust and butt.
Then she spread three more sheets out and placed them perfectly so that they formed a geometric square shape.
Then she sewed with the gilded thread and magically formed the sheets together, so there was no crease.
The she folded the gigantic sheet in half with Ginny's help and then cut a cone shape in the very middle of the folded side.
Then she threw the sheet over Ginny's head.
So far, so good.
The dress was very unfinished but it had a plunging neckline and flowed gracefully to the floor.
Hermione took the scissors and held out the end of the sheet closest to Ginny's right side and cut a vertical slit up her side and in between her arm and the side of her chest.
She followed suit on the other side, and magically sewed the sleeve tight on her upper arm, and then let it have more material as it went down to her hand, giving the sleeve a bell-shaped look.
She did the same on the other side, the sleeves looked good and fitted, and the bottom part of the dress was a little awkward, but nothing Hermione couldn't fix.
She sewed the sides up loosely and then fitted it beginning right below her bust, so it was almost shelf-like and it had a flattering empire waist that was good with Ginny's petite figure.
Then she stood back.
"Hey Ginny, it looks great, but I could use some thick colored ribbon or something for your waist and the sleeves."
Ginny sat and thought out loud, I need some thick ribbon, preferably light pink."
Just then, Luna came into the room again and nodded at them, "Great dress Ginny, but I found this stuff and it looks as if you might want it for your dress."
Ginny smiled widely and Hermione smirked, this Felix guy was amazing.
The ribbon was very large and Hermione wrapped it around Ginny's waist in the front first and then, because it was so long, wrapped it to the front again and then crisscrossed it between her bust and to the back again.
It was the perfect fit. She tied it and then made the seams disappear with her wand.
It was beautiful, but Ginny told Hermione to use the rest of the ribbon somewhere, because Felix thought it would b a good idea.
It was.
Hermione magically sewed the ribbon to edge the way around the end of her bell like sleeves and then around the upper part of her arm, securing her biceps tightly on both sides.
Then edged the ribbon around the very bottom of Ginny's white dress.
She stood back and smiled.
"Ginny, you look like a goddess."
Ginny smiled and then turned to the mirror.
She gasped slightly at the beauty of the dress and the irony that she slept on this dress last night.
She really did look stunning.
Hermione walked out for a split second and then returned carrying her dress and slipped it on as well.
It was the same beautiful dress as before, the silk thick straps almost slipping from her shoulders and the deep sapphire color lighter at her bust and got deeper as it flowed to the floor.
(A/N: think of the yellow dress that Scarlett Johanson wore, except, slightly more modest in the bust area.)
They both opened their trucks and got out the non-permanent makeup and applied little but enough that was necessary.
Hermione used black eyeliner and deep dark mascara to make her lashes fuller and then she used a small amount of blush and was finished, all that needed accentuating was her eyes.
Ginny used a small amount all over her face, but her nice tan and already rosy cheeks from nervousness were helpful.
She chose pink tinges and her eyes were shimmery with light gold and it made her deep chocolate eyes look almost melted.
With a stroke of brown mascara on each eye, she was ready.
They both laughed as they put on their shoes, Hermione's silver and strappy, and Ginny wore simple gold heels.
"Wow, Hermione, its already 7 o'clock. I told B- I mean, my date, that I would meet him earlier."
"Ok, Ginny, you look beautiful, im gonna meet Draco at the entrance hall at 7:45, so ill see you in a bit ok?"
"Thanks a million Hermione, for everything, I would be nowhere without your thinking, and I love my dress, ill get you new sheets."
"Don't worry about it Ginny."
With that Ginny swept from the room with grace and walked out of the portrait and into a crowd of lavish dressed people.
Tonight was going to go perfect, she would have fun and dance until it was time to go to sleep.