Once upon a time was AmariSanshelle. She lived with Harry Potter in her dreams but doesn't own him... And never will! Disclaimers are so depressing!

Chapter Eight – Halloween Prep

Everyone was asking for dates, now that the party was coming up. A few different girls asked Harry, Lavender Brown being one of them. When he declined them politely, they didn't seem too put down, except Lavender. She burst into tears and started screaming her head off.

"Harry, don't worry," Hermione said to a flabbergasted Harry, "I warned her not to ask you, I told her you already had someone in mind."

"I'm guessing she didn't take your advice," he answered.

"Well, no, she yelled at me for wanting to keep you for myself..." Hermione looked perplexed.

"Blimey, there are girls everywhere but I can't even ask one!" Ron just walked in, looking angry with himself.

"Why don't you ask Lavender?" both Hermione and Harry suggested. Ron stared at them, wondering what the story behind that was, but he let it go when he spotted her, crying. He instead went to the couch where Lavender was sitting and started consoling her.

"Hey, what's wrong Lavender?" Ron asked.

"Harry didn't tell you?" Lavender spat.

"Tell me? He didn't say anything, I just got in." He answered

"Well your friend there denied me! I asked him and he said n-no!" she sobbed.

"I could go with you, then! What do you think? You can join me to the dance!" Ron suggested.

Lavender looked up at him and burst into tears, crying into his shoulder. "Oh, thank you, Ronald! Sure I'll go with you!"

Now Harry and Ron had dates, but Hermione didn't seem to - yet. She didn't mention anyone, but when Ron asked, she said, "You'll see," smiled and walked off.

Now, the boys were facing with the problem of what to wear. They had to wear a costume, but they didn't know which to choose. When they went to Hogsmeade, Ron found a tuxedo that looked a lot like a penguin and bought it; Harry found a cloak that actually belonged to a vampire and bought it. For the ball, Harry would elongate his teeth with a spell and Ron would slick back his hair.

Hermione bought a pink dress with spaghetti straps. The chest area was white with a pink floral design and the skirt part was puffed out. There was also a matching white-floral-patterned scarf. She would magic her ears pointy and wear a floral tiara – she was going to be an elf princess.

When the day before the ball came, everybody was giving the finishing touches to his or her costumes. "What else can I add?" Ron asked the dormitory at large, holding up his tuxedo and pants with the middle too low. The pants made him waddle.

"You don't have a tail or a beak..." Seamus sniggered.

"What's your costume? Who are you taking?" Ron snapped back, disliking the idea of a great orange thing sprouting out of his face.

"I'm not telling you if you don't know!" Seamus said.

"Well you wouldn't tell us if we did know, because we wouldn't have asked!" Harry said. He was sitting there the whole time.

Ron needed a few seconds to register what he said. "Oh!" he said after a moment. "I'm going to leave my costume the way it is for now... If I think of anything good, I have all of tomorrow to change it!" Ron finished. Seamus rolled his eyes.