AN: You guys asked for it, so here's the mini-chapter :) Fear not, a nice long Draco chapter is coming up with the ball! As always, thank you so much to everyone who favorited/followed! And sparkly virtual hearts and hugs for everyone who reviewed: anjiepotter05, PinkSlytherin, LightofEvolution, ArabellaTepes, I was BOTWP, kkcnelson2002, JLLove, Davina 71, and guests! So here's a late Valentine's Day present, and I promise to post a full chapter in the next few days!


Changing Scenery

Chapter 15: Cinderella II

Hermione glared at Ginny.

"What?" Ginny looked at her with an expression Hermione was sure she must have practiced in the mirror to be so absolutely innocent.

Hermione kept glaring.

"Oh darling, please." Ginny rolled her eyes and stepped fully out of the hearth, waving her wand to Banish the light coating of soot. "You need my help and you know it."

"I do not!"

Hermione had received an owl from Ginny an hour ago saying she was coming by to help her get ready for the Samhain Ball. Hermione had owled her back and said she didn't need help. Ginny's response had been to send her a pair of heels that Hermione was sure had to be illegal somewhere.

"Hermione, the ball starts in three hours and you haven't even done anything with your hair yet." Ginny gave her a look of mixed pity and disappointment.

Hermione touched her hair. "Three hours is plenty of time," she muttered defensively.

"For me, yes." Ginny flicked her long, shiny red hair back. "For you? Since you won't let me teach you any beauty charms? No."

"I've gotten ready for plenty of events in less than three hours, Ginny." Which was absolutely true. But you didn't care about impressing anyone at those events.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course, and that's fine for most Ministry events. Anyway, I brought you a dress." Ginny pulled something out of her pocked and then enlarged it to its full size, revealing that it was a garment bag.

Hermione glared at the bag. She must have an unending supply of those.

"I don't need a dress," Hermione protested. "I have one!"

Ginny walked by her and started toward Hermione's bedroom. "Is it one of those horrid dresses you wear to charity balls when the Minister wants to show you off?"

Hermione followed Ginny into her bedroom in time to see Ginny gently lay the garment bag on her bed. "It's not. I bought it specifically for the Ball."

Ginny spun around dramatically. "You went shopping?"

"Yes," Hermione replied warily.

"Without me?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly capable of shopping without you, Ginny."

"That's what Harry says as well. You, at least, manage to wear something decent on a day-to-day basis. Harry would be hopeless if the Aurors didn't have a uniform. But you are both useless when it comes to dress robes." Ginny perched one hand on her hip and waved her other hand. "Alright then, let's see this dress."

Hermione sighed and then turned to her closet, pulling out the dress she'd bought a couple days ago. She held it up on the hanger for Ginny's inspection, turning it so she could see the back as well.

Ginny scrunched her nose. "Well, it's better than I expected. But Hermione, it looks like something you'd wear to scheduled drinks at a business conference. Why is it navy blue? And have long sleeves? It's Samhain, not a funeral."

Hermione looked at the dress. It was modest, sure, but only by Ginny's standard. And it was perfectly appropriate for a Department Head at a Ministry function.

"I'm representing the department, I can hardly dress like a tart," Hermione retorted.

"I would never dress you like a tart!" Ginny placed an offended hand over her heart.

Hermione felt she did very well by restraining a comment about that dress Ginny had squeezed her into on that night out.

"Now put that away and look at this." Ginny grinned at her and then turned to the garment bag.

Hermione blew out a breath and returned the dress to her closet and then reluctantly walked over to the bed to stand next to Ginny.

Ginny unzipped the bag and then pulled out one of the two dresses inside. She held up it, smiling widely. "So? What do you think?"

Hermione stared at it.

"I got a muggle dress, because I know how much you hate robes-"

"I don't hate robes," Hermione muttered.

Ginny ignored her comment. "And I found this dress at this fabulous shop in muggle London. Blaise helped me with the money, he's really quite brilliant at those sorts of things, and then I got it tailored in Diagon Alley."

"Blaise helped you? And you know my measurements?" Hermione shook her head. Wrong things to focus on. "I absolutely will not be wearing that!"

Hermione crossed her arms. She had to admit, the dress was gorgeous. But it was the principle of the thing.

"Of course you will. It's fabulous and it will look fabulous on you."

"I can't let you buy me dresses, and I'm sure that dress cost more money than I make in a month." Hermione could see the label and it was a designer she would never be able to afford.

"All the more reason you should let me buy you dresses." Ginny held out the dress, admiring it. "I make enough money to buy you a dress for every Ministry function and still have enough left over to buy us both plates at a charity ball of your choice."

Hermione folded her arms more thoroughly and glared at Ginny.

Ginny sighed, laying the dress down and then perching on the edge of the bed. "Hermione. It's a dress. I like getting all dressed up, and I like helping my friends get all dressed up. You're the only one who makes this big a fuss over looking nice at a function. And yes, technically the Samhain Ball is a Ministry function," she said, interrupting the protest Hermione had been about to make, "but everyone knows the seasonal festivals are when even the purebloods let their hair down. And since this is the first official Samhain ball since the war… Trust me, you'll see people tonight in more compromising positions than at any club I've ever taken you to."

Hermione looked at Ginny's serious expression, then at the dress, then back at Ginny. She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll wear the dress."

Ginny leaped up and squealed. "Fantastic! I'll get the wine!"

Two and a half hours later, Hermione had to admit that Ginny did have really good taste in clothes. And surprisingly good taste in wine. A mostly-empty bottle of merlot sat on the dressing table next to a half-empty bottle of Sleekeazy's.

Hermione had been primped and polished with a combination of spells and potions, and Hermione had even let Ginny teach her a few beauty charms.

Looking in the mirror, she touched one of the large ringlets that was draped artfully over one shoulder. Ginny had sprayed her entire head with something like hairspray that would keep everything intact and would keep any stray Finite from ruining the spells keeping her hair from frizzing up.

Ginny had also managed to get ready in between using Hermione as a dress-up doll. The other dress in the bag had been her own, and she looked gorgeous.

While Hermione was examining herself in the mirror, trying to see if she could see a sign that magic had been used to apply the kohl lining both of her eyes, Ginny's head appeared over her shoulder.

"You look fantastic. He won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

Hermione spun around, nearly catching her heel in the weave of the carpet. "Who?"

Ginny laughed. "Harry of course. He is the one taking you to ball, isn't he?" Ginny's eyes lit up. "Or is there someone else you're trying to impress?"

Oh fuck, I shouldn't have said anything! "No, of course not. I'm not trying to impress anyone. Not Harry, either."

Ginny patted her arm, still grinning maniacally. "Of course not, darling."

Hermione was extremely glad for the chime of the doorbell at that moment. "That'll be Harry."

"I'll get it!" Ginny said, sailing out of the room, wine glass in one hand.

Hermione followed more slowly. Even though she'd cast a Steadying charm on the heels Ginny had sent over, which matched the dress perfectly, she didn't want to accidentally twist an ankle before even leaving her flat.

When Hermione reached the living room, where she could hear voices, Harry turned to look at her.

"Hey Hermi…uh…" Harry trailed off with his jaw hanging open.

"Harry? Do I look alright?" Hermione looked down at her dress. Even though she'd agreed to wear it, and she did think she looked alright, she was worried by Harry's apparent inability to speak.

Ginny walked over and slung an arm around her waist. "You look amazing, I told you that already."

Harry snapped his mouth closed. "Yeah, you, uh, you look good, Hermione." He raised a hand to his hair but stopped before he actually ran his fingers through his hair. "Bloody fantastic, actually."

Hermione smiled shyly. "Thank you." She looked Harry up and down. Oh Merlin. Her mouth dried. I am in trouble.

"Are you, uh, ready to go?"

Hermione forcibly dragged her mind out of the gutter. "Yes, I just need to get my purse." She nearly fled from the room, not even needing to focus on her balance.

In her bedroom, she took a few deep breaths, smoothed her dress, grabbed a little clutch Ginny had bought for her last year, and then walked back out to the living room. Harry was standing in front of the hearth, cheeks pink, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Ginny looked like the cat who'd got the cream.

"Ready," she said nervously. She glanced at Ginny. "Oh! Are you going with Blaise? Are you waiting for him?"

Ginny waived a hand, grinning. "He's meeting me there. Don't worry about me, darlings. I'll see you there!" With a very loud crack, she was gone.

Harry cleared his throat and then offered her his arm. "All set?"

Hermione laid a hand on his arm, reminded strongly of Draco's strong arm leading her around the Manor. Very deep trouble. She shivered. "Yes."


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