Sorry guys for such a long wait, and I know you probably want to kill me for making you wait this long, but please don't or you won't know how the story turns out. Lol Actually, this chapter took so long because first I had really bad writer's block. And then right when I got over it, family came in for Easter, so I had little to no time to write. And then when they leave, I suddenly have block again. I think it was so hard to write because I've been envisioning this chapter since almost the beginning of the story, so it had to be just right. Oh, and if you're reading this now, then the title of the story has probably already changed.

Disclaimer: I don't own so you don't sue.

Chapter 25: The Masquerade Ball

Maybe you didn't forget. Maybe you just never knew.

Those words rotated throughout Ginny's mind all night. What did they mean? She frowned, staring at her ceiling. Since when did Neville become philosophic anyway?

Ginny rolled over so that the moonlight wouldn't shine in her eyes. It was late at night, and Ginny was unable to sleep. Ever since her encounter with Malfoy earlier…

Don't think about that, Ginny told herself firmly. Think about what those words mean.

The only problem was that Ginny had no idea what to make of them; it was one of the reasons she had left her room in the first place. What was it that Ginny didn't know? Is Neville trying to say that I'm psychic now? Ginny thought wryly. The only person she knew that was truly psychic, minus Sybill Trelawney, was Miss Reina.

The thought of the brightly-clad lady made Ginny remember the ring she had found tucked in the folds of her dress. She had decided earlier that evening that she would go back to the store in the morning and try to return it. She had no use for it; the ring was too big to fit her anyway.

As Miss Reina drifted out of her mind, Ginny pulled the Gryffindor gold sheets closer around her neck, willing away the chilling feeling of winter. For just a moment did her mind remain empty. Then, completely against her will, what had happened only an hour ago with Draco flooded her mind. Ginny closed her eyes and cringed. What must he think of her now? Not that Ginny cared what Draco thought about her…but he probably thought she was turning into one of his insane groupies who were only interested in his looks.

Not that he's bad looking, Ginny thought. She immediately stuffed her face into her pillow and let out an angry sigh of self-annoyance. Truth be told, Draco was more than okay-looking…he was downright handsome. He always had been, actually, but Ginny had never paid much attention to it; she had been too caught up in her extreme dislike of him. Ever since she started spending more time with him, though, she hadn't been able to ignore it as well. And, even more disturbing, she had begun to see him as more than just the pompous, spoiled brat she had always thought him to be. He actually had feelings. He hadn't held them back very well this evening, though he did try.

As a matter of fact, Ginny wouldn't be surprised if Draco was trying to kill himself right now for that momentary lapse of self-preservation. What must he think of himself for displaying his emotions like that?

Perhaps I'll get lucky, mused Ginny. Maybe he'll be in too much a fuss over his own arse to chew on mine.

With that small hope comforting her, Ginny finally fell asleep.


After she was dressed in the morning, Ginny pocketed the ring and headed down to the common room. Since it was a Sunday, and exactly one week till Christmas, the common room was packed with students studying. Teachers had assigned lots of homework and tests due by Thursday morning, the day of the ball. Dumbledore had stated, no doubt caught up in the Christmas spirit, that afternoon classes were canceled the day of the ball. Ginny thought it practical as well as thoughtful since many students, girls in particular, would be taking several hours to get ready.

When she stepped off the stairs, Ginny started searching out her friends. Several kids in the common room were younger; specifically, they were mostly first and second years. Hogsmede was still open to the students today, and Ginny knew many were going back to the village for more shopping. She herself was going to return the ring.

"Oi! Ginny! Over here!" Ginny turned and saw her brother waving her over. Curious, Ginny walked over.

"Watcha got there, Ron?" she asked, nodding at the piece of parchment in his hand. Harry and Hermione were standing next to Ron.

"Fred and George are coming for the masquerade ball!" Ron said, his eyes excitedly running through the contents of the letter. "They just owled us."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked. "Why would Fred and George be coming?"

"Dumbledore hired them," Harry replied. "You remember those fireworks they developed that year that Umbridge was here?"

"Remember?" Ron said, stunned, turning towards Harry. "How could anybody forget! Dumbledore hired them to put on a show for the ball, down in the Quidditch pitch or something," Ron furrowed his brow, turning back to the letter. "Yeah, that's what it says."

"Professor Dumbledore wants those fireworks?" Ginny exclaimed. "But those were those wild ones, right? The ones that never stopped and kept exploding and spelling out all those bad words?"

"Nah," Harry said, "they said something in their letter about a 'new line of the Weasleys' Wildfire Whizzbangs' or something like that."

"Oh," Ginny replied. She glanced at Hermione who had a look on her face somewhere between excitement and dissaprovement. Obviously Fred and George's behavior two years ago still bothered her. "Well, when are they getting here?"

"Day of the ball, I expect," Ron shrugged. "Then they'll be coming home for Christmas with us."

As Ron and Harry got into a discussion on what types of fireworks Fred and George would be bringing and whether or not they could get some for free, Ginny pulled Hermione over to the window for some privacy. Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver ring, handing it to Hermione.

"I found this in with my dress," Ginny said. Hermione looked at the ring and then handed it back to Ginny. "I'm going to go return it to Miss Reina; she must've accidentally put it in there. Just don't tell Ron or Harry where I'm going, okay?"

As Ginny started to turn around, Hermione stopped her. "Wait, Ginny, you can't just go returning this."

"Why not?" Ginny asked.

"Well…I mean, she's psychic, right?" Hermione went on. "I don't think a psychic person would 'accidentally' do anything, really."

"So I'm supposed to keep it?" Ginny questioned. "But I can't. For one, it's too big; it doesn't even fit me. It's too…masculine. Besides, Reina's already given me enough. I mean, what if this is some sort of heirloom or something?"

Hermione shrugged. "All I'm saying is that if she did put it in there, she probably wanted you to have it. Returning it might seem like an insult."

Ginny thought for a moment. Perhaps Hermione was right, but what was she going to do with the ring? She shook her head. "I guess you're right," she said, leaning against the wall. She sighed. "I suppose I'll keep it, but I don't know what I'll do with it."

"You'll think of something, I'm sure," Hermione said. With a smile, she walked back to Ron and Harry. Ginny glanced at the ring in her hand before she slipped it back in her pocket.


The few days before the ball passed agonizingly slowly. The teachers were bombarding the students with a heavy workload, wanting them to finish their testing before the holidays. Ginny's head was spinning with all of the information she had been memorizing. She had a sneaking suspicion that she had failed her Potions test and possibly her History of Magic test, but she was sure that she aced Herbology and Divinations. Trelawney passed almost every student as long as they played along with her "predictions". All she had left to do was her Transfiguration test in the morning, Charms after that, and Care of Magical Creatures right before lunch.

The snow started the night before the ball. When Ginny went to bed that night, she could still see the tiny flakes swirling in the moonlight, but by morning, she could hardly see out her window because the snow was so thick.

Still in her pajamas, she sat next to the window in her dormitory and pulled her knees up to her chest. Resting her head on her knees, she stared at the window, stared into whiteness. Ginny held her hand up to the frost-covered window and pressed her hand to the glass. She pulled her hand away and looked at the print left on the window, sighing.

It was early in the morning and the other girls were still sleeping. Today was going to be a busy day, Ginny knew. Fred and George would be arriving sometime around breakfast to prepare for that evening, and she had the rest of her tests that morning. There were no more classes after lunch, so Ginny had the afternoon free. Most likely it'd be spent preparing for that evening, but she hoped it wouldn't take all afternoon. She wanted to talk to Fred and George for a while; they'd be busy too, though.

Ginny yawned and dragged herself away from the window. If she got cleaned up first, she could go down to breakfast early just incase her brothers arrived early. The last time she had seen the twins had been for a few days that summer. Molly Weasley had wanted the boys to stay longer, but they insisted that the shop was too busy to leave for more than a few days. Over the last few years, Ginny had missed her brother's presence more and more. Fred and George were the two that she got along with best, besides Ron. She missed the strange telepathy the two shared with each other and the pranks that would spring up out of nowhere, startling though they were.

Grinning at the memories, Ginny started getting ready for the day.


When the young Gryffindor left the common room, she saw only a few students out in the hallways. Most looked as if they had just gotten out of bed and were wishing they were still there; others carried stacks of books and papers, getting in some last minute studying.

Ginny blinked the last traces of sleep from her eyes and pulled her robe tighter. The castle was dark with the lack of sunlight and extra candles had been lit in the hallways. Still, there was an odd chill in the air that no flame seemed able to curb.

When she entered the Great Hall, Ginny saw only a few students at the tables. Actually, it looked as if the House Elves had just sent the food up from the kitchen. The tables were piled high with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, porridge, biscuits and gravy, waffles, rolls, toast, and fruits. Seated next to each other, piling their plates high with biscuits and gravy, were two boys with flaming red hair and freckled faces, their backs to Ginny.

Immediately a grin broke out on Ginny's face and she snuck behind her twin brothers.

"Pass me that pumpkin juice, will you, Fred?" George was saying as he took a bite of breakfast. Fred nearly dropped the pitcher of juice when Ginny tapped both boys on the shoulder at the same time.

"Sister!" shouted Fred through a mouthful of bacon, turning to see Ginny, who grinned.

"Sister!" echoed George, opening his arms wide. The two boys stood and sandwiched Ginny in a hug. Ginny laughed and hugged them back.

"Have you shrunk?" asked Fred, pulling back to look at Ginny. "Yes, I knew it. Told you she'd get smaller, George," he said over Ginny's head. "I told him that this summer," he addressed to Ginny with a nod.

"I'm not shrinking," Ginny pretended to be upset, swatting Fred on the arm. "You two are just really tall. In fact, I think you've grown since summer."

"Well you're probably right," added George.

Ginny sat down across from her brothers and started buttering a piece of toast. "So Ron tells me you two are putting on a show tonight," she began. "How did that happen?"

"Dumbledore came to see us," George said gravely. "One evening just as we were closing up, he did. Said he's heard about our fireworks and thought they'd make a good conclusion to the ball."

"Is he paying you?" Ginny asked curiously.

Fred looked affronted. "You think we'd accept payment from the man who gave us our education? Who taught us all we know? Who helped our natural talent flourish so that -"

"He's paying us one hundred galleons," George interrupted. Ginny's mouth dropped. "That's right, little sister," George nodded.

"Do you know what you could buy with one hundred galleons?" she asked incredulously.

"Sure we do," Fred said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "You could buy the firework show that we're putting on tonight." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Fireworks aren't cheap," George said. "Especially ours."

"And why are yours so special, dear brother?" Ginny asked, raising her eyes.

"Is she insulting us?" George asked, turning to Fred.

"Why, yes, George, I do believe she is," Fred replied. They both turned their heads back to her at the same time with identical grins in place. "You'll have to watch yourself, Ginny," Fred said, grinning. "We've got lots of prototypes that we're just dying to try out. You never know when something might…" he shrugged, "accidentally fall into your drink, or perhaps your dinner this evening."

"Don't try to threaten me, Fred Weasley," Ginny said, unperturbed. "You're no good at it."

"Oh, crash and burn, Fred," George laughed.

"Don't laugh, George, you're no good either," Ginny said satisfactorily. Now it was Fred's turn to laugh at George.

"So who're you going to the ball with this time, Ginny?" George asked. "Neville again?" Fred snickered.

"For your information," Ginny said, "no."

"So there's someone else?" Fred asked, pretending to be shocked. "Poor Neville will be crushed."

"Yeah, how could you go leading him on like that, Ginny?" George joked. "We guys don't appreciate it."

Ginny ignored them and took a bit of her now soggy toast.

"So who is it?" Fred asked. "Who dared to ask our little sister out?"

"We'll have to, uhh...congratulate him," George said, smiling wickedly.

"Don't you two dare do anything to him," Ginny said, motioning with the butter knife at them. "I have a Bat-Bogey Hex and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Okay, okay," George said, putting his hands up. "We won't do anything to him."

"Yeah, we promise," agreed Fred. "That is, as long as you tell us."

"It's Seamus Finnigan," Ginny said matter-of-factly. The twins looked at each other and then back at Ginny with grins in place.

"Excellent," they said simultaneously.


Ginny shivered and readjusted her scarf. It was just her luck that her one outside test would be on what seemed like the coldest day of the year. Now she'd be sniffing all evening, probably end up with a cold just in time for Christmas too.

Her Charms and Transfiguration tests had gone well enough, she supposed. She wasn't quite sure what Hagrid had planned for Care of Magical Creatures, but she wasn't too worried; he never gave hard tests, though they were usually more physical than written as the other tests were. With the snow still falling, she hoped that they wouldn't do anything that would take too long; she was already cold enough.

Around the outside of Hagrid's hut, the snow was up to her ankles. A few of her classmates were standing around already, but only the Gryffindors. They usually had Care of Magical Creatures with the Ravenclaws, but so far none of them were there. Hagrid was nowhere in sight either.

She stood under the overhang of Hagrid's house and closed her eyes, thinking of the evening to come. She was a little anxious of the ball, though she knew there wasn't much to be nervous about. Perhaps it was the thought that she was actually going with someone. Dancing wasn't exactly her thing and she didn't know what would happen later that evening when Seamus inevitably would ask her to dance. And then there was the dress. She had tried it on a few nights ago, and it fit almost too perfectly, but she was worried that she'd spill something on it. If Ginny ruined Miss Reina's old dress, she'd never forgive herself.

A crunching sound brought her back to the present. Hagrid was walking towards them, dragging a wooden crate the size of a small hippogriff.

"Hey, Hagrid, where are the Ravenclaws?" Colin asked. A few of the other students voiced similar ponderings.

"They're not coming," Hagrid said. He set the crate down. "The schedule got all mixed up and the Ravenclaws took their exam las' night when the Slytherins were supposed to take theirs."

"So…what now?" one of Ginny's dorm-mates, Gina Rowlands, asked.

"Well the Slytherins still have to take their test, righ'? So they'll be taking theirs with us; jus' got a note from Professor Sprout saying she's sending them down righ' away."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. She wasn't quite sure what year of Slytherins Hagrid meant, but she had a bad feeling that she already knew. Harry, her brother, and Hermione had taken their Care of Magical Creatures test last night as well, and had come back saying that they had had it with sixth year Ravenclaws instead of the Slytherins as it usually was with. She remembered once hearing a comment from Hermione that both the sixth and seventh years were learning the same thing in Care of Magical Creatures, but she had never thought that might mean she'd ever be taking a class with Draco Malfoy.

Almost as if on cue, she saw a group of figures making their way through the snow towards Hagrid's hut. The snow was too thick to yet make out their features, but she could almost sense that it was the seventh year Slytherins. This ought to be interesting, she thought wryly.

Indeed, the lesson was branded to be interesting at the least when Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, walked into the clearing. The other Slytherins, including Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and four or five others, stood looking haughtily at them.

"I still don't see why we have to take our test with these little kids just because another class messed up," Pansy was whining to nobody in particular, wrinkling her nose at the Gryffindors. Ginny rolled her eyes. Little kids? They were only a year younger.

"Well, now that everybody's here, let's ge' on with the lesson," Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together. Ginny glanced at Draco just in time to see Pansy loop her arm through his, and just in time to see Draco shake her away and place Blaise in between them. She worked hard to hide her smile at Pansy's indignance and concentrated on the large black creature that Hagrid was pulling out of the crate. But a sound coming from the Slytherins captured her attention again. Looking once more at Draco Malfoy, she saw him standing with his mouth open and face paling at the sight of the creature. Confused, she looked back and forth between the black thing and Draco, trying to make a connection.

Finally, she addressed Hagrid. "What is that, Hagrid?" she asked.

"This, Ginny," Hagrid said with a smile and a glance at Draco, "is a Sucking Bleater."


Draco felt shock course through him at something he had hoped to never see again; he still remembered the detention he had had with Potter and Weasley, sorting through the Sucking Bleaters in Hagrid's cabin. What had happened to the tiny creatures no longer than six inches? These things were nearly as big as Draco's whole arm. In a voice that didn't quite sound as sure as it usually did, Draco voiced his question.

"Those were jus' babies," Hagrid said, as if Draco should've known that.

"Well how did they get so bloody big?" Draco asked.

"I told ya they were magical," Hagrid assured him. "They grow mighty fast."

Draco shook his head to clear it of the shock. He didn't want anybody to see him alarmed. He could already see Ginny Weasley's smug look on her face, eyeing him out of the corer of her eye. She thought he couldn't see…he rolled his eyes. She had a lot to learn, that one did.

"Now that these fellows are bigger, we've go' to turn 'em loose," Hagrid said. "The original test I had planned for you lot got cancelled because last night's class – the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws that were supposed to be here today – used up the last o' the Bulgarian Wartless Frogs, so I had to come up with something else; you're my last class." Hagrid paused as the Bleater he was holding on to lashed out suddenly towards a friend of Pansy's, Ana Jenkins, who screeched and jumped back. The Bleater then lazily curled back up around Hagrid's hand as if laughing. Hagrid, who was starting to laugh himself, hastily coughed at the glare the Ana was sending him.

"I think he likes you," Hagrid smiled at her. Looking at Ana, Draco saw that she appeared to want to both faint and murder Hagrid all at the same time. Suddenly he was happier than he had been in a while; he supposed it had to do with his extreme dislike of Pansy and all of her friends. It also had to do with the fact that one of them had almost been eaten but a Sucking Bleater.

At least that's what Draco told himself.


Ginny grinned as Hagrid turned back to the class. "Back to business," he said, clearing his throat. "Like I said, now that these guys are full-grown, they have to be turned loose. And truth be told," he added, "they're getting' a bit big and rowdy for my cabin. Always wantin' out o' that crate…" he shook his head.

"Well, the lake is frozen over righ' now, so we can't put them in there," Hagrid said. "There's a natural spring not too far into the forest, and tha' is abou' the only other place to put them; it's a warm spring and never freezes."

"Into the forest?" Blaise Zabini questioned. "We're not supposed to go in there. Off limits, remember?"

"I know that', Mr. Zabini," Hagrid. "I've got permission though since this has to be done. Professor Dumbledore says that if you accompany me in there and help me give them a home, you'll pass your test. Oh, and by the way, this is considered your test, helping me with this. So," Hagrid continued, pushing an attempting-to-escape Sucking Bleater back into the crate with his boot, "you lot better be cooperative and pay attention; I can still fail you." He winked at Ginny. "Anyway, you're goin' to want to pay attention since we're goin' into the forest. Keep your wands out 'n ready."

Hagrid bent over and put the Sucking Bleater he was holding back in the crate. "Colin, come here and give me a hand with this." As Colin levitated the crate to follow behind him, the group started into the Forest, Hagrid in the lead.

"Fang!" he shouted, and the great dog came lumbering out of the house, padding his way through the snow. Ginny grinned and rubbed his ears as the dog came up to her and wagged his tail. Grabbing a mouthful of snow, Fang walked forward next to Hagrid, who patted him on the head affectionately.

Ginny fell into step beside Colin and tried not to feel too anxious about going into the forest. She also tried to ignore the fact that Draco Malfoy was with them.


Not too far into the forest, Ginny noticed that the air got warmer. Probably from all the trees being so close together, she reasoned. The snow also got less and less thick on the ground until there was only a slight dusting that had fallen from the trees. As they continued walking, Ginny even began to sweat a little; she loosened the scarf around her neck.

Everybody in their group was quiet, not daring to utter a sound. Hagrid lumbered at the front, accompanied by Fang, whose tail was between his legs as though he were being punished. Colin walked next to Ginny and behind him was the crate full of Sucking Bleaters. Those creatures seemed to be the only ones of the group that weren't the least bit awed or afraid at being in the forest. Sharp squeaks emitted from the box now and then. Occasionally Pansy would mutter something to her friends out of the corner of her mouth, look around at them disdainfully, and raise her chin higher in the air. Most of the Gryffindors had looks of indifference on their faces; one or two skidded about nervously whenever a twig snapped. The Slytherins were all doing their best to look superior in front of the younger Gryffindors; they only ended up looking as if they had a particularly nasty smell in their noses and were doing their best to ignore it.

Draco Malfoy in particular, Ginny noticed, was restless. She snuck glances at him whenever she could, which wasn't too often. But when she did, Ginny saw his fingers tightening and relaxing, then tightening again on his wand; his eyes continuously darted to and fro, never quite resting on one object alone. He walked stiffly, almost as if he was strapped to a long plank and was forced to carry it.

A splattering of crumbly snow on Ginny's shoulder made her face whip upwards just in time to see a dark bird fleeing from a tree, the snow falling at its sudden departure. The bird let out a shrill call and Ginny wrenched her face away from its black wings when she stumbled over a rock on the ground. Colin grabbed Ginny's elbow to steady her and they continued on.

After almost ten more minutes of walking, Hagrid halted and the students all clustered around him, all of them inwardly fearing being left on the outskirts of the group as if they'd be picked off one by one.

Looking behind Hagrid, Ginny saw a spring sunk into the ground, surrounded by rocks of all shapes and sizes. Steam was rising from the pool, sending a light mist flooding into the forest. The mist hovered around their ankles as if it was clinging to them, not wanting to let them go. Ginny shifted her feet nervously, suddenly wishing she could've dealt with the Bulgarian Wartless Frogs as the other class had.

"Righ', now what we gotta do," Hagrid began in a low voice, "is just put the Bleaters into the water. They'll like it since they haven' been in water for a while now; they'll be willin' to go. But you can't just toss 'em in, because that migh' hurt 'em. You got to be gentle, see?"

Hagrid reached into the crate that was still hovering near Colin and tenderly pulled out a Sucking Bleater. He kissed it once on what Ginny supposed was the Bleater's back and then lowered it into the spring. At once the Sucking Bleater started wriggling about through the water happily. A tiny smile tugged at Ginny's mouth as she watched it.

"Why don' you set that crate down now, Colin?" asked Hagrid. Colin took the spell of the crate and it settled upon the forest floor. Peering in, Ginny saw that the crate contained many more Bleaters than she had originally thought; they were almost spilling over the top.

This is going to take a while, Ginny thought dejectedly, the smile slipping off her face.


Indeed, putting the Sucking Bleaters into the water proved easier said than done. The group's silence ceased as soon as the students started picking up the Bleaters. Pansy and her friends were fiercely reluctant to even touch a Bleater, let alone pick one up. Whenever one of them got close to picking it up, her friend next to her screamed, causing the first girl to scream as well and drop the Bleater. Ginny shook her head disgustedly and picked up another Bleater. The sooner this job got done the better.

Ginny saw Draco toss a Bleater into the water, ignoring Hagrid's warning of injuring them. She recalled Ron and Harry talking about their detention with Hagrid and how they and Malfoy had had to sort through Sucking Bleaters. At the time, she had wondered what a Sucking Bleater was, and how something so little could be such a menace. Now she wished she'd never found out what a Sucking Bleater was. They weren't so little anymore.

When Ginny reached for what was probably her tenth Sucking Bleater, the creature latched onto her hand. Ginny cried out as she felt the Bleater's sucker working against the palm of her hand, felt her skin being pulled out by the Bleater. She waved her arm around in distress until Hagrid, with one great yank, detached the Bleater from her hand.

"All righ' there, Ginny?" he asked, putting the Bleater into the water. "He didn't mean any harm by that; he's jus' hungry, I expect."

Ginny nodded. Sucking Bleaters had already "meant no harm" to four other students as well today. Warily rubbing her hand to get back some feeling, Ginny turned back to the wooden box.


That afternoon at lunch, Ginny sat down, grateful that Care of Magical Creatures was over. Hagrid had passed all of them, even the Slytherins, with flying colors. Only two more Sucking Bleaters had tried to assault a student, but no real damage had been done. Ginny happily bit into her sandwich, thinking of the ball that would come that night.

"Hello, Ginny," said Hermione, sitting down next to the redhead.

"Hey," Ginny replied, watching as Harry and Ron sat down across from the two girls. "Have you seen Fred and George yet?" she asked.

"We passed them in the halls on the way here," answered Harry.

"They said they had 'business to attend to'," Ron said, slightly put out. "Said they already ate and that they'd see us later. Blimey," Ron muttered, shaking his head. "We haven't seen them in almost five months, and they can hardly spare us a greeting."

"Well they've lots to do for this evening, Ron," Hermione rationalized. "And so do we," she said, turning to Ginny.

"What have you got to do?" Ron teased. "Brush your teeth?" Hermione huffed at his comment.

"No, Ronnikins," Ginny said sarcastically. "For your information, there's a lot more to it than that."

Ron looked at Harry and they both shrugged their shoulders. "All I'm going to do is change my robe…maybe comb my hair if I'm in the mood." Ginny could tell that Ron was teasing, but his statement wasn't far from the truth. He and Harry would probably change their clothes and clean up a little, but wouldn't put nearly the same amount of effort to getting ready any girl in Hogwarts would undoubtedly be doing.

"Whatever, Ron…whatever," Ginny said, taking another bite of her sandwich.


Hours later, Ginny and Hermione were sitting in front of one of the many giant mirrors hanging on the wall in the sixth year girls' dorm. The rest of Ginny's room-mates were rushing around the room and running out the door to ask a girl in another year a question.

"Which one do you think I should do, Hermione?" Ginny asked, flipping through the pages of the magazine they had borrowed from Lavendar and Parvati. Ginny had heard about magazines like this before, but she had never seen one. The magazine, "Hair Styles for Young Witches," was filled with pictures of all hairstyles imaginable from a casual twist, to braids, to the fanciest updos Ginny had ever dreamed of. All they had to do was point their wand at the hairstyle they wanted, then point the wand at their hair and say in a loud, clear voice, "Mimscalla." Then their hair would be in the exact same style as the picture.

"I don't know," said Hermione. "There's so many to choose from."

"Too many," said Ginny. There were lots of styles, but Ginny already had an idea of what she wanted. She just needed to find the right picture…

"Aha!" Ginny shouted, pointing her finger at the style that caught her eye. "Take a look at this one, Hermione," she said excitedly. Ginny moved her finger away from a picture of a model whose hair had been casually pulled back and twisted into a half pony tail, leaving a tiny strand hanging forward around the face.

"Your hair will have to be straightened for that, Ginny," Hermione said, looking over her friend's shoulder.

"Do you know how?" asked Ginny.

"No."

"Hmm. Maybe Lavendar or Parvati knows how," Ginny shrugged. "But I like this one. It's not too fancy, but still really pretty."

"We can ask them," asked Hermione. "Here, let me see that a minute."

Ginny handed Hermione the magazine and let her look through it, thinking about her future hairstyle. It would go nicely with the blue dress, not standing out too much yet just enough.

"How about this one?" Hermione asked, pointing to another style. Ginny took one look at the multiple strands of braids hanging down the girl's back and shook her head.

"Hermione, as a friend, I couldn't possibly let you be seen looking like that," Ginny said seriously.

"Is it really that bad?" laughed Hermione.

"Yes, it is," Ginny nodded. "You'd look good with your hair spiraled somehow, with all of it on top of your head."

"I don't know…" said Hermione hesitantly.

"Oh come on, it'll be really pretty," reassured Ginny. "Let me have a look." Ginny took back the magazine and started rifling through the pages. Soon she found just what she was looking for.

"This is perfect!" exclaimed Ginny; Hermione glanced at the picture and smiled.

"I love it already," said Hermione. The hairstyle Ginny had picked out was just as she had envisioned. The model's hair had been folded delicately atop her head, and a few strands of hair spiraled down to her shoulders.

"Ok, so now what?" Ginny asked, looking at Hermione.

"I guess we try it out," Hermione shrugged. Ginny knew that both girls were new to this sort of thing, being all girly. It was slightly unnerving.

"You go first," Ginny said, pushing the magazine towards Hermione. She took a deep breath and pointed her wand at the picture. She then pointed the tip to the side of her head and said "Mimscalla." Right before Ginny's eyes, Hermione's hair started curling and moving all by itself to the top of her head. Hermione watched anxiously in the mirror, but before ten seconds had passed, her hair was identical to the picture, except that Hermione's hair color had remained the same.

"It is perfect," breathed Ginny, taking in every detail. "And I guess we don't have to straighten my hair, because we didn't have to curl yours!" Hermione nodded before turning around to face Ginny.

"Now it's your turn," she said. Ginny flipped back through the magazine until she found the picture for her and repeated the same process as Hermione. Within seconds, her normally curly hair was parchment-straight and swept back behind her head in a wonderful half-twist. Ginny's mouth opened in a big "O" of excitement and she turned her head to the side to better see her new hairstyle.

"That looks great on you, Ginny," Hermione said. The two girls took one look at each other's fancy hairdo and then at the bathrobes they were wearing (ready to change into their gowns) and burst out laughing.

After a moment, Ginny, while clutching her stomach with one hand and wiping away tears with the other, said, "Why are we laughing?"

"I – don't – know," choked out Hermione in between laughs. Ginny reasoned in her mind that the reason they were laughing was from a mix of anticipation of the ball, the complete contrast from their clothes to their hair, and the fact that neither of them ever bothered to get this fancied up.

"Now what?" breathed Ginny, composing herself. Hermione sighed.

"Well, the ball officially begins in an hour, but as Head Girl, I have to be there earlier, so I suppose we had better get dressed," the older girl replied.

Ginny nodded, and Hermione disappeared for a moment to get her dress. Ginny quietly pulled out her blue dress and slipped into it, relishing the feel of the silk against her bare legs. Ginny sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing the dress across her stomach.

I almost look…pretty, thought Ginny. She knew she was never an "ugly duckling", but Ginny never thought that she was truly beautiful. At summertime running about in old ripped jeans and shirts that were always too big, getting the hand-me-down robes from her brothers, Ginny had never felt very attractive. Sometimes, when she bothered to put on nicer clothes (or had the money to do so) she thought that she might be pretty. That was one reason she had always been so shy around Harry; she never thought she looked good enough. But gazing at herself now in the mirror, wearing the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen and having her hair straightened and pulled back, Ginny actually felt comfortable with herself for the first time in her life.

I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, Ginny thought dazedly. Waiting for the moment when I'd finally accept myself for who I am and not want to change it. She licked her lips and swallowed thickly. Well hell, Ginny girl, you finally found yourself.

A throat clearing in the doorway brought Ginny back to her senses. She turned around and smiled as she saw Hermione standing tentatively in the doorway in her red and pink dress that plumed out at her waist, holding a rather large brown and pink wooden box in her hands. If Ginny was nervous about her looks, Hermione was probably worse. Ginny almost felt bad for her, the way she was so self-conscious. I guess that's why we're such good friends, thought Ginny. We understand each other completely.

"You look great, Hermione," Ginny smiled, "but we're going to have to rethink your choice of accessories. I don't think that box will do you any good carrying it around all night."

"Well that's not what it's for," Hermione said, stepping into the room. "And by the way, you look great too." Hermione set the box down on Ginny's bed and unlatched it. "Parvati and Lavendar lent us some makeup to use."

"Makeup?" asked Ginny nervously. "Whoa, Hermione, neither of us has ever bothered with makeup. And more importantly, we don't know how to use any of it." It was true; Ginny had hardly ever worn makeup. She had tried it once when she was younger but thought it too much of a hassle to bother with on a daily basis. Hermione never wore it either.

"Well, we'll just have to wing it," Hermione said, shrugging her shoulders. "It can't be that hard, can it?" Ginny distrustfully watched the box Hermione was taking various bottles and tubes out of, almost as if waiting for something horrid to jump out at her.

"I don't know about this," Ginny said, shaking her head. Hermione held two different tubes in each hand, looking at them questioningly.

"What's this one used for?" Hermione asked Ginny, holding up the tube in her right hand.

"How should I know?" Ginny asked.

Hermione sighed and picked up a bottle. "Well what about foundation? What do we do with that?"

Ginny just shrugged and looked through a few of the items in the box. "If you ask me, Hermione, we'd do better without all of this stuff," she said, holding up a set of fake eyelashes. "I mean, who'd where these things? They look like one of Hagrid's pets."

"Don't insult my stuff," came a voice from the doorway, and both girls looked up to see Parvati Patil in a dark green dress. "Those are expensive." The girl walked into the room, her large updo swaying precariously on top of her head. "Do neither of you know how to use any of this?" she asked incredulously. Hermione and Ginny shook their heads. "Hermione, I'm surprised," said Parvati. "I mean, you've been watching me and Lavendar put this stuff on for six and a half years now. Surely you paid attention at least once!" When Hermione again shook her head, Parvati looked scandalous. "Well hold on a minute," she said, scuttling back to the doorway.

"Hey, Lavendar!" she shouted into the corridor. "We have a crisis over here! Come quick!" She turned back calmly and came walking back into the room. Heavy footsteps and distant cries of "I'm coming!" could be heard from outside the room and within seconds, Lavendar Brown rushed into the room, heading straight for Parvati.

"Did you break a nail?" she asked Parvati quite seriously.

"It's not me; it's them," said Parvati, pointing to Ginny and Hermione, who looked at each other as if they had done something wrong. Glancing at Ginny and Hermione out of the corner of her eye, Parvati said quietly to Lavendar, "They don't know how to use makeup." She said this seriously, as if explaining to a mother that her only child had just died. Lavendar gasped and looked at Hermione and Ginny. She then clicked her tongue and started removing with familiarity the many items in the box.

"Parvati, you take Hermione. I'll take Ginny," Lavendar said before scooting both girls to a seat on the bed and beginning her work.


Almost a half hour later, Ginny walked down the stairs to the common room. Lavendar and Parvati had finished their "job" only a few minutes ago and Hermione had dashed out the door as soon as they were done, exclaiming that she would be removed from the Head Girl's position for being late. Ginny had taken her time coming down, knowing that she was about to face her brother, her boyfriend, and the guy she'd had a crush on for nearly six years. Ginny didn't think she'd ever looked so fancy before and she didn't know how they'd react.

As she nervously made her way through the crowded common room, her gloved hands holding onto a white and gold mask, Ginny looked for her friends. Standing near the portrait hole was one person she was looking for, Seamus Finnigan. When Seamus saw Ginny, his eyes widened and he swallowed. Ginny smiled shyly as she looked at his astonishment; Seamus looked as if he'd just laid eyes on Heaven itself.

"Wow," he said, and his voice sounded as if it had been out of use for some time. "Ginny, you look…stunning," he exclaimed. Ginny's smile grew.

"You don't look bad yourself," she said teasingly. Seamus laughed. He was dressed in a black dress robe. The only differences between the robe he was wearing now and his school robes were the absence of the Hogwarts crest on the front, the stiffer collar at the top of the dress robe, and the gleam on the robe showing that the robe had just been cleaned. His brown hair was fashionably swept over to the side and his light brown eyes glittered with happiness behind a black and white mask.

"Ron and Harry told me to tell you that they already went down, that they had to meet their dates," Seamus said.

"So they did get dates then?" Ginny asked. "I didn't know if Ron was serious or not when he said he had a date. Do you want to go see?"

"Sure," Seamus said. When they were out in the hallways, he offered Ginny his arm and she let her hand rest in the crook of his elbow; the white gloves with the gold ornamenting stood out fabulously against the black of Seamus's robes, and Ginny couldn't help but smile.

They passed many other couples in the hallways, some walking or just standing and visiting. All of the girls wore dresses of every style, fabric, and color imaginable. Ginny even thought she saw a glittery orange dress go by; some she recognized from All-Occasion Dresses and others she didn't. All of the candles on the walls were lit to brighten the hallways and through the windows could be seen tons of tiny snowflakes tumbling to the ground. The stars were visible in the cloudless sky, small specks against the black abyss; it would be a good night for fireworks.


Draco took another look at himself in the mirror. He straightened his dress robe and turned to the side. Everything looks good, he thought. As it always does. He smiled, grabbing his mask off of the bed. The only downside to this night would be his date, Pansy Parkinson. Draco suppressed a growl of frustration of who he had been stuck with.

For this night, if only this night, Draco was going to try to forget his father, his mother, the monster down in the tunnel, whoever had been kidnapping students, and all other troubles on his mind. Even though Draco would be going home for Christmas the next day, he still had no plan for helping his mother. Sprinkles of doubt were edging into Draco's mind, saying that his mother had never been under the Imperius Curse and that the whole letter was some cruel joke, but when he pulled out the letter and read it, all doubts were washed away.

As he left his room and walked down to the common room, Draco saw people scuttle away to make room on the staircase. Smirking inwardly, Draco kept a straight, serious face on the outside; people still feared him. Good.

However, when Draco saw who was standing near the fireplace with her normal pack of girlfriends, all traces of smugness vanished. Pansy Parkinson, clothed in the most hideous dress ever made, was doing her best to look seductive; she was doing a poor job. The completely black, strapless dress she was wearing made her look like a mutant mermaid. The fact that the dress was probably two sizes too small didn't help matters any.

"Hello, Draco," she said, fluttering her eyelashes as she leaned against the wall next to the fireplace. Her friends all exchanged glances, broke into a fit of giggles, and hurried away when Pansy glanced at them.

Draco swallowed. Someone should Avada Kedavra me for ever agreeing to go with that monster, Draco thought. When Pansy reached onto the mantle and donned a brown, cat-faced mask with black feathers sticking out at odd angles (and also a large, ostrich feather sticking out of the back), Draco gagged. He'd be the laughing stock of school for showing up with Pansy. He thought briefly of not going, of just refusing Pansy right here, but Draco Malfoy not showing up at a ball was worse than Draco Malfoy showing up with the most frightful creature ever.

Pansy let out a little simpering sigh of happiness and looped her arm with Draco's as they walked out of the common room.


Ginny sat down gratefully in a chair in the Great Hall, thankful to take a break. For the past hour or so, she'd been dancing continuously with Seamus. The ball had been progressing steadily, and Ginny, to her surprise, was enjoying herself. The first two dances had been to upbeat songs, but the last one was slow and romantic. Ginny had blushed when Seamus's hands had rested on her waist, and she had been shyly quiet during that dance, but Seamus hadn't said anything about it. She had excused herself for a moment to rest and get a drink; Seamus had gone off to talk with Dean.

Ginny sighed and took a sip of punch and glanced around. The Great Hall looked amazing. Hermione and Ron had had a large part in overseeing the decorating, but the teachers along with the House Elves had assisted. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside; it was entirely black with tiny silver specks glittering occasionally. Snow was falling from the sky and disappearing in the air lazily before it reached anybody's head. The gold candle holders scattered on the walls had been polished until they gleamed and holly hung from them. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling with hundreds of strands of tiny crystals hanging in loops. Candles were resting on the chandelier's branches and lit up the Great Hall spectacularly.

In each of the four corners of the room was a Hagrid-sized ice sculpture, one for each house. The Gryffindor lion stood majestically in one corner; the Slytherin serpent was in the opposite corner. To the serpent's left was an eagle for Ravenclaw and opposite that sculpture was the badger for Hufflepuff.

A large Christmas tree decorated with various glass balls, garlands, tinsels, and other trinkets stood erect on either side of the Head's table, which was the only table still in its original place. All other house tables had been removed from the Great Hall entirely. An extra table was pushed against one whole wall and was piled high with food. Chairs lined all of the other walls; some were occupied, but almost everybody was out on the dance floor, dancing to the quick tempo of some song that Ginny didn't recognize.

Looking to her left, Ginny saw Hermione and Ewan talking in a corner. They had only danced a few times; it seemed they preferred talking to dancing. She didn't think Hermione noticed, but Ginny saw that Ewan could hardly keep from staring adoringly at Hermione. Ginny laughed inside. Those two were so cute together, so innocent and genuine in their attraction to each other.

So far there had only been one blunder for Ginny that evening, and even that moment was bittersweet. It had been shortly after she and Seamus had entered the Great Hall. The two of them had meandered over to the food table and were getting a glass of punch, when she had seen Pansy Parkinson. Just as Ginny had taken a sip of her drink, she looked to the side and saw Pansy putting a tiny sandwich on her plate. One look at the Slytherin's ridiculous outfit, along with the ostentatious mask, and Ginny's drink sprayed out of her mouth as she doubled over with laughter. Pansy had glanced at her affronted and stalked away, leaving Ginny laughing uncontrollably as Seamus, also laughing, tried to steady her. When she had controlled herself, Ginny saw Draco looking at her with a mixture of amusement and shock on his face. Then he had glanced at Seamus, whose arms were still on Ginny's shoulders, frowned, and walked off.

Bittersweet, Ginny thought. At first the way Draco had looked at her troubled her; she wondered what it was all about. Then when he had frowned at Seamus and walked off, she got to thinking. Is he jealous? had been her first thought, but she had shaken it off. Now she wasn't so sure. But how could Draco be jealous of Seamus? Ginny wondered. If he was jealous, then that means that he…No, no that's not possible. Ginny shook her head. Draco couldn't possibly like her. At least not like that. He couldn't! He just couldn't…

Ginny's eyes immediately started searching the Great Hall for him, but there were too many people in blocking her view. Just as she was about to get up and take a stroll, Harry and his date whizzed by her; she could hear the girl's laughter still floating through the air as she danced with Harry, obviously laughing at something he had just said. She had met Harry's and Ron's dates earlier that evening – yes, Ron had been telling the truth – but she had already forgotten their names. She had never met them before, but they were two girls in Ravenclaw, each a year younger than Ginny.

Surprisingly, though, she never even once felt jealous over Harry.


"Come on, Draco, let's dance," Pansy simpered, tugging on Draco's arm. Draco pushed her away. So far he had only danced once with Pansy, and it was bothering her.

"No, Pansy, go away," Draco said, folding his arms. Pansy stomped her foot and then turned away and struck up a conversation with Crabbe, if only to do something other than talk to Draco. When that conversation proved fruitless, she stalked away.

Draco sat down with a heavy sigh. Tonight was turning out to be more boring than he had ever imagined it to be. He refused to dance with Pansy because she looked ridiculous. More than one person had burst out laughing at the sight of her, Ginny Weasley included. When Draco had seen her for the first time that night, he had been truly surprised. She looked nice. Actually, nice was putting it mildly. She looked downright gorgeous. Draco had never actually seen her wearing clothes that fit or that were remotely feminine, but that dress looked amazing on her. The only thing about it that he didn't like – and Draco would never admit this on pain of death – was her hair. Though it looked nice on her, Draco preferred the curls; he had never been one for straight hair unless it was on him.

As if thinking of himself made him self-conscious, Draco reached up and smoothed his hair, just to make sure it was still in place. It was still early in the night; the ball would be going on for hours yet. Might as well find someone to dance with that doesn't look like they just jumped out of horror story, he thought ruefully, standing up and straightening his mask. After all, Draco Malfoy doesn't come to a ball and dance with the person he came with the whole time.


Hours later, Ginny was standing with Hermione at the food table, both girls putting a few orderve-type foods onto their plate. "So how's your evening going so far, Gin?" Hermione asked. "Better than a month ago when you thought it would be a royal disaster?"

"Well the night's not over yet," Ginny muttered under her breath.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "So you're not having fun?"

"No, I am," sighed Ginny, putting a piece of cheese on her plate. "It's just…never mind."

Ginny started to walk away from the table, cursing herself for about to let something slip. Hermione wasn't to be shrugged off that easily though. Hermione was almost back to the seat she'd been sitting in for most of the night when Hermione caught up to her, pulling on her arm.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Hermione asked. Still carrying their plates of food, they walked outside of the Great Hall into the entranceway of Hogwarts, where more than a few couples were already.

"I know this may sound silly," Ginny began, "but Seamus has only danced with me a few times. I mean, for the first hour or so, all he did was dance with me non-stop, but now it's just stop."

"Well…" Hermione thought for a moment. "What's he doing now?"

"He's talking with Dean," Ginny exclaimed. "Those two have been talking for the past few hours as if this were any ordinary night!" Ginny let out an angry breath. She knew she never should have come to the ball. It was all just a big waist of time.

"Well, guys can be like that sometimes," Hermione said, trying to find the right words to cheer Ginny up. "They're too thick-headed to know what we want."

"Well Seamus must be pretty thick, then," Ginny muttered, casting a glance towards him. "What guy would take a girl to a dance and then not dance with her…" Ginny folded her arms and looked down at the ground. She knew she was overreacting, but what happened to Seamus's earlier exclamations of how beautiful she was? Was there something wrong with her? Perhaps the makeup had thrown him off. After all, Ginny had never worn any before; maybe he preferred her without.

Just then, as Hermione was about to say something else, Ewan walked up to them. "What are you doing out here, Hermione?" he asked; he didn't seem to notice Ginny yet. "I thought you were coming right back after you got-"

Ginny cleared her throat, and Ewan turned around. "Oh," he said. "Hello Ginny. Having fun tonight?" Ginny bit back a sarcastic comment and merely smiled, though it was forced. After all, Ewan wasn't the one she was mad at; he was a nice guy. Now she just wanted to be left alone.

"Actually," Hermione started in, seeing Ginny's temper surging, "we were just talking a little." As she steered Ewan back towards the Great Hall, she sympathetically looked over her at Ginny.

"Sorry," Ginny mouthed at her, now wishing she hadn't let her temper get away with her, or almost, rather. Hermione nodded and smiled weakly at her; soon the pair were back in the Great Hall. Ginny sighed and glared at the ground. She was being stupid. First off, she let herself get upset just because Seamus wouldn't dance with her. Secondly, she very nearly insulted her best friend's boyfriend just because he was being polite. And lastly, now she was left standing by herself near the doors to the Great Hall. Well, she was only alone if she didn't count the couples snogging in the corners.

Ginny leaned back against the wall and tried to think what to do. She could go back into the Great Hall, walk over to Seamus and demand why he wasn't paying any attention to her; she could go back into the Great Hall, sulk in a corner, hope Seamus would come ask her to dance, and then reject him; she could call it a night and go back up to her room; or she could stand out here till Fred and George's firework show started, which would probably be soon. Ginny knew which option she wanted to do, but she didn't think anybody would appreciate her ranting and raving in the Great Hall at Seamus.

So Ginny settled for waiting against the cool stone wall. She didn't even know why she was so upset, anyway. She didn't even like dancing. Maybe it was the fact that she was all dressed up and nobody was even paying attention to her. Ah, well, Ginny thought. That's life I guess. She straightened her mask.

Just then, two people stumbled out of the Great Hall, both laughing. One had his arm slung around a beautiful girl whose black hair was pulled up in a loose bun. The girl wore a bright pink dress that was too small for her, and the boy's mask was resting on the top of his forehead instead of his face. When he spotted Ginny, he and the girl made their way over to them.

"Well, well, well," taunted Draco Malfoy, stopping in front of Ginny. "What do we have here? A weasel without her fox? And what would you be doing out here all alone, huh?"

"Sod off, Malfoy," Ginny said with all the disdain she could muster. The girl was watching her with her head cocked to one side and a superior look plastered on her face. "Take your little toy and go play somewhere else. I'm busy."

"Doing what?" asked Draco incredulously. "Being a hermit? Party's inside, just incase you were wondering," he indicated with his thumb over his shoulder.

"I'm – I'm," Ginny stuttered, thinking of some reason she could give Draco for being out in the hall by herself. "I'm going to see Fred and George," she said indignantly, turning around and stomping across the hall until she reached the doors that led outside. Heaving one open, she stepped out into the cold night.


Draco watched Ginny storm out of the castle, her dress waving behind her in her hurried flight. He wasn't quite sure why he had been so rude to her, but he supposed it was just his nature. Besides, he wasn't about to lose face in front of his beautiful companion, whose name he couldn't quite remember at the moment. But he did have a pretty good idea of why she was standing out in the hall by herself; he'd seen Seamus with his Gryffindor buddies all night, had seen Ginny sitting dejectedly by herself. He'd wanted to go and punch the boy in the face for ignoring her, for making her feel unappreciated, for letting her beauty go to waste that night.

Well, not entirely to waste. Draco had enjoyed watching her that evening, though he tried not to let anybody else catch him at it. And you didn't exactly cheer her up any, Draco thought. But what were you supposed to do? Go up to her, give her a hug and a pat on the back and say that everything would be alright? Well, it won't. It's time she learns that life doesn't always turn out spectacular and care-free and happy and –

"Draco?" his companion was looking at him questioningly. It was then that Draco realized he'd been staring at the doors that Ginny had disappeared out of.

"Oh," Draco said, shaking his head. "Right. Let's uh…let's go this way." And, with his arm now around the girl's waist, they walked off down the hall.


Ginny angrily stomped down the path towards the Quidditch stadium, her arms wrapped around herself. Curse that Malfoy! she thought. How dare he act like that! Ginny now regretted going outside. Though the snow was falling only gently, it was still bitterly cold, and since Ginny only wore a thin silk dress, she was feeling frigid right about now. Her arms were bare except for the gloves that covered her hands and lower arms, but those offered little warmth. Her cloak was back up in her common room since she had planned on going back up to get it before going to see the fireworks, but she hadn't wanted Draco to think she was going to cry up in her room. Her wand was also up there, so casting a warming spell on herself was out of the question.

This is all Seamus's fault, Ginny now turned her wrath on her date. If he had just danced with me a little more, or at least talked to me, then I'd be back in there and not out here.

Ginny, still silently venting her anger on the two boys, soon reached the Quidditch pitch. Walking through the common entrance, she saw Fred and George off to the side, bending down and looking at something on the ground.

"No, we should save the Rampaging Hippogriff for after the five Sparkling Showers but use it right before the finale," George was saying.

"And in the finale we're going to –"

"Hello, boys," Ginny said, walking up to them. Fred and George whipped around to see who was trying to sneak a peek at their show, but relaxed when they saw it was only Ginny. Fred looked her up and down and let out a whistle.

"Gee, little sister," he said, "don't you look all grown up."

"Yeah, I bet Seamus could hardly keep away from you all night," added George. At the steely look that Ginny sent them, they turned back to their work. Ginny folded her arms and leaned against the paneled walls and watched the twins finish preparing the show to come. She'd wait to see the fireworks and then go back to her room. And if Seamus even dared to come see her that evening…well, he had better pray Ginny didn't see him.


Neville walked outside of Hogwarts in one of the only places he felt like he belonged, the Greenhouses. He'd been at the ball for a few hours. Truth be told, he didn't know why he'd gone. He didn't have a date, hardly knew how to danced, yet he had gone. Maybe it was so he'd fit in more. Neville knew people always laughed at him, called him a Squib, fat, and many other unthinkable things. Perhaps going to the ball, if only to talk for a few minutes with people who knew him, seemed like a normal, popular-kid thing to do.

Guess I was wrong, he thought dejectedly. Even though he'd dressed the part – brand new navy blue dress robe that his grandmother had bought for him plus shiny, black dancing shoes – everybody had ignored him. Well, mostly everybody. His roommates talked with him as well as a few people from other houses who he saw in his classes, but for the most part, he stood by himself, uncomfortable and just wishing he could disappear. Nobody would even notice if he did.

So that was when he had decided to go for a walk. There were several people who were doing just that, but he decided it was much less crowded outside than even in the hallways. The only other place besides his room where he felt like he could be himself was down in the Greenhouses. After all, Herbology was his best subject. He'd actually been offered an apprenticeship from Professor Sprout for after Hogwarts; she said that she'd want to retire in a few years and Neville would make a great replacement. One thing that Neville prided himself on most was that he was second only to Hermione Granger in Herbology. He'd also been considering getting a job out of the country, perhaps working as a botanist somewhere over in Ireland. He'd always wanted to go to Ireland; he'd heard some of the rarest species of magical plants existed there. Perhaps he'd take a trip there with his grandmother when school let out. That sounded nice.

Neville wandered down the path between the Greenhouses. To his right were Greenhouses one, two, three, and four. He remembered those years very well. They were the easiest, looking back, even though they had seemed hard at the time. On his left were Greenhouses five, six, and seven; Greenhouse six was his favorite, he reasoned. Seven was slightly harder, still rewarding in knowledge, yet Greenhouse six had been the most fun. That had been the year they had studied water plants. Those had been his favorite ever since his fourth year when Professor Moody – who had actually been an escaped Death Eater, the one who had assisted with his parents' torture, actually – had given him Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean and Neville had discovered the pleasure in studying them.

As Neville approached the end of the path, he heard fireworks start. Fred and George must've begun the show, he reasoned. Looking up, he saw several green, gold, and red fireworks dissipating in the air, leaving only a faint trace of smoke. Before he had left the dance, he had heard Harry and Ron saying that the fireworks were going to start soon and that they'd better get down to the stadium fast if they wanted good seats. That was why Neville's disappearance had gone so unnoticed; anyone who saw him probably just thought he was going to get a seat for the fireworks.

Neville contemplated going down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the show, but in the end he discarded that idea. For one, it would be crowded with students down there, and he preferred being alone. Secondly, he could see the show just fine from here, providing he looked between Greenhouses four and seven. If he did just that, he could see the pyrotechnics sparkling and crackling in the air.

Just then he heard a bit of noise from inside Greenhouse seven, which was directly to his left. He looked that way and through the clear walls he could see a bit of movement. Though the Greenhouses were dark, he saw two bodies move further into the shadows. Probably just a few kids going for a bit of privacy, he thought, his brow furrowing. I wish they'd get out of the Greenhouse; I don't want them to destroy anything. But Neville didn't want to go tell them off because then they'd just accuse him of being in the Greenhouses as well. Perhaps if he had been made Head Boy, or even a Prefect, he'd go in there. But certainly not when he was just an ordinary student. Just ordinary, plain old Neville Longbottom.

Instead, Neville leaned against Greenhouse four and watched as the fireworks continued. He saw a firework whistle up into the air and then disappear. With a loud crack, it suddenly exploded and a large, gold hippogriff started swooping through the air. It opened its mouth wide as it glided towards the far side of the stadium; he could hear a few screams from students but then the hippogriff flew over them and was back in the air. It circled the stadium a few times, and then a new firework shot up in the air. The hippogriff turned its feathered head and watched as the firework blew up and a silver ferret was standing high up in the air. With a loud call of delight, the hippogriff started dancing towards the ferret, which scampered away with fear.

A laugh escaped Neville's throat as he realized that the scene was portraying two of his favorite moments at Hogwarts. He remembered back in fourth year when the fake Alastor Moody had transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret, and then again in third year when Hagrid's hippogriff Buckbeak had attacked the Slytherin bully as well. Draco, who was constantly teasing Neville, must be red as a radish right now. Fred and George were geniuses for coming up with this specially-designed firework. He'd have to congratulate them later that evening. He could already hear loud peals of laughter coming from the Quidditch stadium, as well as some boos from the Slytherins.

Just as the hippogriff was snapping playfully at the ferret's heels as the two of them circled the stadium in the air, several fireworks shot up in the air and exploded in a shower of colors and shapes. When they disappeared, the hippogriff and the ferret were both gone, much to Neville's disappointment.

As he laughed at the thought of what Draco Malfoy had looked like as he had watched the display, he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw a dark figure raise his wand. Before Neville could pull out his own wand, before his shock could register in his mind as he recognized the familiar face before him, the person shouted "Stupefy!" and Neville fell to the snow-packed earth, his eyes still open wide.


Ginny sat in one of the highest stands, watching the fireworks. Fred and George really were brilliant. The whole Quidditch pitch, with the exception of the Slytherins, had cheered when they saw the hippogriff and ferret. Draco Malfoy, who was only a few rows above her, had turned an impressive shade of scarlet and sunk low in his seat, trying to hide from the many jeering and laughing eyes. Ginny had felt a moment's pity for him, and had then laughed aloud with everybody else. Now she watched as a new set of fireworks exploded, spelling out "Happy Christmas" in bright, festive colors.

Just then Ginny saw Seamus making his way up the steps, coming towards her. A block of dread settled in her stomach at the confrontation that was to come; he must think her a complete loon for leaving. He came and settled down into a seat next to her.

"There you are, Ginny," he said breathlessly. "I've been looking for you everywhere. What happened? Why did you leave the ball?"

Why did I leave the ball? Ginny thought incredulously. Why did I leave the ball! Because you were ignoring me, you idiot! "Just because," she replied coolly, turning away slightly. I'm surprised you even noticed. She almost turned around to see whether Seamus's silence was because he was surprised, sad, angry, or any combination of the three, but she decided not to.

As a light wind passed throughout the stadium, Ginny shivered and rubbed her arms, which had been covered in goose-bumps for about an hour now. She had refused to go back and get her cloak, yet she had also not told anyone that she was cold. Now, however, she felt like doing just the opposite.

"Seamus," she said, turning to her date, "I'm cold. Will you go fetch my cloak? It's up in the common room." Nodding, looking at her warily, Seamus stood up and worked his way down the steps and eventually out of the Quidditch pitch. Ginny smiled to herself. She hadn't told him that her cloak was in her dormitory; he'd have a hard time figuring out how to get it if he couldn't even get up the charmed staircase.

Sighing with satisfaction, Ginny turned her attention back to the lights. Fred and George were now lighting a series of fireworks that when they exploded in the air, took on the image of flames; soon it looked as if the sky was burning.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream wrenched the night. Looking about for the source of the noise, she saw two figures come tearing into the Quidditch stadium, a boy and a girl who looked to be in their fifth year.

"He's back!" screamed the girl hysterically. "He's back! He took him!"

"We saw it!" yelled the boy. "In the Greenhouses! Quick, somebody help! He's back!"

The whole stadium went silent as they stared at the boy and girl down in the middle of the field. The flames up in the air sputtered and died, and Fred and George, who had almost lit another large firework, stood and stared at them. Only the girl's sobbing could be heard. Ginny's eyes darted towards the opposite end of the field where all of the teachers where gathered together in a viewing box. Professor Dumbledore was standing and giving instructions to the teachers. He then, along with Professors Snape and McGonagall, swept out of the box and down onto the field. Guiding the boy and girl along, the five of them soon disappeared out of the stadium.

Ginny's heart thudded and she swallowed thickly as whispers raced around the stadium. Who was back, the kidnapper? And who did he take? Several students leaped out of their seats and started dashing out of the Quidditch pitch, whether to get back to the safety of the castle or to follow the professors, she didn't know. All she did know was that their hasty flight was startling the rest of the students, and despite the remaining teacher's presence, pandemonium broke out.

Several people were screaming, saying that they were doing to die. The students closest to the ground were trying frantically to get out of their boxes and the people above them were shouting at them to hurry. A few people fell on the stairs, blocking traffic even further. Ginny stood in her seat tentatively, wondering what she should do. Their own box was high up enough that it would take forever for her to get down because of the lower students. She then regretted sitting up that high; she and her friends never did. But she had wanted to sit there so nobody would find her there; she had no idea where Ron, Hermione, Harry, or anybody else was.

Looking behind her, she saw Draco talking with Blaise. He glanced at her once, a serious expression on his face, before resuming his heated conversation. Ginny decided her best bet was to start making her way out of the box, which was what everybody else seemed to be doing.

Abandoning her seat, she entered the crowd, all of which were surging towards the stairs. Malfoy and his friends were trying to get on the stairs, even if they were bringing up the rear; Ginny herself was in the back of the group. The going was slow, trying to get down the stairs. For nearly ten minutes, Ginny was pushed, elbowed, and pushed some more as everybody attempted to get down as fast as possible. Once she almost fell, but managed to remain standing by pushing off of the back in front of her.

From back up in her seat, the confusion down on the field had seemed minor other than everybody being panicky. But once she actually got down onto the field herself, she thought twice. The double doors to the Quidditch pitch were open wide, but the mad rush to get out was clogging up the passageway. Ginny herself had been sitting on one end of the Quidditch pitch, on one of the short ends of the oval; the doors were in the middle. As she stepped onto the green turf, she was immediately swept into the current of students heading for the doors. The screams got louder as people became more panicked at being trapped in the stadium. Definitely not a good time to not have a wand, Ginny thought, cursing herself for leaving her wand behind.

Someone directly behind her stepped on her heel and Ginny, caught off balance, fell to the ground. Whoever it was, delighted that one less person was now in their path, jumped over her and continued on. Ginny kept trying to get back up, but she kept getting knocked back down. Her dress was getting filthy from being on the wet ground, but she couldn't worry about it at the moment. She needed to get out of the field and fast, because in their panic, people were getting violent. Off to her right, Ginny could see two boys who had gotten into a fight. Jinxes and hexes flew about in the air, hitting random, innocent people. Twice she got to her knees and then almost to her feet, but it was harder to get up in a dress rather than pants.

Trying not to be stepped on from people behind her, Ginny crawled forward a few paces on her hands and knees; she wasn't the only one either. A few other people had also fallen to the ground. She let out through her clenched teeth an exclamation of pain as some girl's high-heeled shoe crushed down on two of her fingers. Biting her tongue to keep from crying out, Ginny sat back on her legs and looked at her fingers. The skin on part of her pinkie was scraped away and blood was slowly oozing forth. Wiping the blood on the palm of her other hand, Ginny once again tried to get to her feet. She was successful this time, but only because somebody had roughly grabbed her elbow and was forcing her to her feet.

Ginny looked over her shoulder momentarily and saw Draco Malfoy give her a shove forward. "Get moving!" he shouted over the roar of noise. Ginny turned around and once more worked her way to the doors, this time not restraining from elbowing people if they got too close to her. She didn't want to fall again.

Though Ginny couldn't tell while she had been on the ground, she had gotten much closer to the doors. Before long, she was through them and in open air. Without the constraining walls of the Quidditch pitch hindering them, students were able to spread out over the ground. All of them were making their way toward the castle, and Ginny was soon on the path; she wasn't running very fast, however. Neither the dress nor the shoes allowed her to. She could still see Draco, who was now a little to her right. He wasn't running as fast as some of the others, instead choosing to hang back a bit. Ginny wondered if he was staying back to make sure she didn't fall again, or that she got back to the castle.

Ginny's heart softened a bit, even though she willed it not to. The fact that somebody, especially Draco Malfoy, wanted to make sure she got back safely was very comforting. Of course, he could just have a rock in his shoe, she told herself as she huffed up the path. Or maybe he just doesn't want to miss any of the action. Though the rational part of her mind was giving her those reasons, the wishful, romantic side of her told her that Draco just wanted to make sure she'd be alright.

When she finally reached the castle, she stood on the steps and looked out over the grounds at the students who were still hurrying up there. The wind had picked up somewhat, and her hair blew around her face. As Draco walked up the steps, he looked up at her, a tense, yet serious look in his eyes. Ginny turned her head and watched him go by her without a word.

Then she saw another familiar face bound up the staircase. "Ginny!" Ron shouted, pulling her into half a hug. With his arm around her shoulder, he pulled Ginny up the grand staircase and towards the Gryffindor house.

Ginny only looked back once.

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A/N: Ok so please review and tell me what you think. This chapter didn't quite turn out as well as I'd hoped it would be, but oh well. I thank you all for sticking with me for this long, even though I'm not a very faithful updater. Sorry.

Right. So I had all this stuff in here the first time I posted the chapter, like with how to get to the links and stuff. But those didn't work at all, goshdarnit. So now I'm replacing it all with directions on how to get to them. I was going to give them in a review reply to the people who left signed reviews, but then I started thinking that's not fair for the people who read but don't review, or the ones who review but leave an anonymous review. And yes, I know you people are out there who read but don't review. But anyway…I can only give directions for how to see Ginny's dress and hair, Hermione's dress and hair, and Pansy's dress. All of the masks are on eBay, and they're gone, but I had the pictures saved in my favorites, so all I have for them is a link and we all know that those are proving pointless. So here we go. I'm leaving the notes I had here the first time, so read those.

Ginny's dress – For this, it's completely coincidental that the model's hair is also red, and that the dress is the right color of blue. But I suppose that it'll give you a better idea of what it'll all look like together. For a full description on the dress, since the dress in my story differs a bit from this dress, go back to 22 and read about it.

Go to Google and type in "The Dress Catalogue". Then click on the first link, which should say "Prom Dress Catalogue". Scroll down to the bottom and click on the "Anu Pam" section. Once in there, it's the dress on the far right, up in the corner. It'll be the blue dress with the model with red hair, just in case.

Ginny's hair – Nothing to note on this one. Just picture it red for Ginny.

Go to Google, type in "Just Hairstyles" and then click on the first link, the one that says "Just hairstyles. Simply pictures of hair styles." Once in there, click on "Prom or Weddings" and then click on number 4. It's the fourth down on the left column and it's the girl with the blonde hair who's looking down.

Hermione's dress - Again, go back to chapter 22 to see a full description of Hermione's dress. It's very different (in colors) from this picture.

Go to the same website that you did for Ginny's. Except instead of going to Anu Pam, go to the Flirt section. Her dress is the third down on the far left. It's light green in the picture, just for reference.

Hermione's hair – Very pretty, no?

Go to Google, type in beautifulhairstylesdotcom. Then there should be the link that says "Beautiful Hairstyles for Women: Celebrity Hairstyles Pictures…" so click on that. Scroll down through the little pictures of hairstyles and lick on the link that says "Formal Hairstyles". Once in there, scroll down and it's the 15th picture down, the one that says "Half-up Half-Down Romantic Evening Hair Style." That's Hermione's hair.

Pansy's dress- I honestly had a lot of fun picking out Pansy's dress. I just wanted something that was horrible, ugly, and laughable, and for me, this dress is just that. It's not my style at all, so I fancy it as a Pansy dress. Just picture it completely black and without those little white specks. And not little dog collar like this picture has.

And for Pansy's dress, go to the same website as the other dresses and once again go into the Flirt section. It's the third picture (the black one) in the very bottom row. It's directly in the middle of that row.

Please leave a review guys. Tell me if you got to see the pictures.

Lauren