Chapter 3: A Princess in disguise
Thanks for reading everyone! I'd like to start this chapter out with an apology with Hermione's major OOC in the first few chapters, and I'm trying really hard, but when I first got the idea for this story forever ago, I didn't really care about OOCness and so now I'm sorta stuck with how I started, because otherwise the story wouldn't work as well…anyways, please don't freak out on me about it. Blame the me of (oh jeez, I never noticed how old this way) five years ago, not today! Oh, and since I'm apologizing for OOCness, let me PRE-APOLOGIZE for Ginny's. I did used to be a major Ginny basher, but I'm not anymore. I actually sorta like her. So yes, please don't start flaming me with how OOC Ginny's behavior is because it won't last long. I swear. I WILL redeem her.
Okay, enough of my blabbing. ENJOY!!
(Spiffy divider thingy)
Each Salem student spent the night in the house resembling their own, so Serenati got to sleep in Hermione's, although none of the girls slept much. They spent the entire night talking about what they'd do for the ball mixed in with what the Salem boys were like ("Jeez Lavender, I'd never guess that you had a boyfriend," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "If Ron can look, so can I," Lavender replied proudly)
"Girls, it's three in the morning. Maybe we'd better get some sleep so we don't miss the train?" Hermione suggested.
"Oh, alright," Lavender and Parvati replied with sad grumbles.
"Night Herm," Serenati said with a laugh at the behaviors of the other two girls. She rolled off Hermione's bed and got into her temporary one. Hermione flicked her wand and all of the lights in the room went off and the girls drifted off to sleep.
"Wake up, girls!" Lavender called later that morning. "Come on, they won't wait for us," she urged, shaking each of the girls out of their rest.
"Let them sleep, Lav. They'll miss their chance to get dresses and we'll win," Parvati told her friend wickedly.
"Think you can honestly get away with that?" Serenati asked, coming out from the bathroom. She was dressed and completely ready to go. Hermione followed her. When the other two looked between them and their sleeping forms, Serenati laughed and pushed over the thing sleeping in her bed. It was merely a mannequin head and some pillows.
"They looked so real," Parvati muttered in surprise.
"You forget, dear, that we're witches," Serenati said, proudly producing her wand. She put it back in her purse and left the dorm room, the three behind her.
The whole ride there, Lavender and Parvati giggled in one another's ears between the whispers they shared, while Hermione and Serenati opted for talking out loud. Hermione filled her cousin's ears with questions about Salem since she hardly got the chance the night before, all of which she got answered. Lavender and Parvati were busy were discussing what style dress they'd buy, fearing that if the other two heard they'd find some way to one-up them.
"Okay, we'll split up. We're going to hit Lady Catharine's Finer Wear while you two can head to Galdrags Wizardwear. In an hour, we'll switch," Lavender advised when they arrived.
"Go figure they head for the nicer place first," Hermione muttered in her cousin's ear. They both smiled and split up.
They were not the only girls frantically looking for a gown, of course. Almost every girl able to attend was pulling dresses off racks, throwing them over their arms, or, in several cases, trying to pry one from another girl's fingers. These actions made Hermione nervous, but Serenati was right there to reassure her that this was nothing compared to what she had seen at dress stores back home when there were sales. Nevertheless, the two made their way to the back of the store where the other girl's hadn't yet made a battleground of it.
"Look at this," Serenati said with a half-laugh, pulling forward a patchwork gown that looked like someone merely cut some holes in a quilt and added some tulle. "I'd look so hot," she joked, holding it up in the mirror.
"That's not the worst of it," her reflection replied with the same mild amusement.
For the remainder of their hour in Galdrags, Hermione and Serenati had fun finding the absolute worse dresses and trying them on. They even spent a good chunk of time looking at Galdrags famous display of unusual socks, some of which Serenati ventured to buy.
"Sere, why are you wasting your money?" Hermione asked after her cousin made the purchase.
"You obviously haven't been home in a while, Herm. Being unfashionable is totally fashionable lately. I'll show you when you get there exactly how to dress like the true born American Girl you are," Serenati replied with a grin.
"I may have spent seven years living in America, but I never adapted to the style. I'm okay with looking the stereotype of 'Proper English Girl'. I gave up on the American Girl image when we moved here," Hermione replied with a soft smile.
"Then don't you worry, Herm. I'll snap you back into shape," Serenati boasted. "But first, let's get ourselves some knockout dresses and beat those friends of yours."
Their hour was up and they made their way over to Lady Catharine's, happily noting that the place looked emptier. But, that was probably because most of the girl could not afford the fashions. This was a fact that went unnoticed by Hermione until she looked at the price tag of the first gown she looked at.
"Bloody hell," Hermione nearly screamed. The skimpy red dress in her hands had a price tag that totaled to more then her books had cost for the entire year!
"What? Oh, that's nothing. I've seen worse in Paris," Serenati replied, taking one look at the non impressive price tag before going back to her own browsing. "I'm surprise you didn't take a peak into the stores. They have the loveliest things."
"I don't know about you, Sere, but I don't have this kind of money. We might as well go back to Galdrags," Hermione said.
"Hey, don't worry. Remember the bet? All we have to do is find you the perfect dress and they'll have to pay for it. I brought my own and I'll price it around these, so there'll be no problem," Serenati reminded her.
"But I can't even afford these in the first place," Hermione replied.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I can pay for it. I've got enough money.. Now let's find you an amazing dress," Serenati said, grabbing Hermione's hand and leading her through the isles before Hermione could continue to protest.
By the time they were forced to leave, Serenati had completed an outfit for herself and her cousin. She bought Hermione's dress, shoes, and both of them some accessories, though the whole time Hermione told her that it wasn't necessary. Serenati ignored her and kept handing over more and more money.
"So, how did you girls do?" Lavender asked when they met up in their previous compartment. Hanging from the window was two bags boasting Lady Catharine's symbol.
"I've seen better at home, but these will have to do," Serenati replied with a shrug, hanging up the dress and dropping their bags.
"Jeez, what all did you two buy?" Parvati asked in astonishment, leaning over to peak into one of the bags. Serenati pulled it away.
"No peaking," Serenati replied.
Parvati huffed and slouched in her seat.
The next day, every boy watched in amazement as the fifth through seventh year girls begin their preparations for the ball that evening. Serenati and Hermione joined Ginny in her dorm room to prepare so that they could keep their looks a secret from Parvati and Lavender as long as possible. Hermione didn't like having to listen to Ginny brag about Harry so she took every chance possible to ask Serenati about Jason or say something about Zander. Any chance to bring up another boy was one she leapt on.
"Serenati, your dress is so amazing," Ginny commented when Serenati zipped it up and turned around to show the girls.
"Thanks. One of my friends back home made it for me," Serenati replied.
"Which?" Hermione asked, her eyes perking up at the comment.
"Madison, of course," Serenati said.
"I would have figured. She was always the creative one," Hermione replied with a fond smile of memory of her childhood friend.
"Well, I saw her designing it in class one day and asked if she'd make it for me. All she asked in return was that I pay for the fabric, so I did and two weeks later," Serenati lifted her arms up to indicate the result.
Her dress was truly amazing, the colors proudly displaying her Superbia pride. It was a gorgeous royal purple color with gold colored bears decorating the bodice in tiny star-burst patterns here and there, a group of beads forming a diamond in the center of her chest. It had a long skirt with purple tulle under it to give it a slight puff, though it was still slim. The skirt, too, was covered with the gold beads, though the star-busts were large. The lining where the skirt met the dress was dotted with gold beads shaped as flowers. The back laced up with gold lace, though it was hardly visible through her long mass of dark blonde curls that fell around her face. Surprisingly, she didn't decorate her hair in any way. Her accessories were merely a diamond necklace with an amethyst dangling from it, accompanied with matching earrings and bracelet. She had on dark purple eye shadow that made her dark eyes jump out with a simple red lipstick.
"It's amazing, Serenati," Hermione said.
"Now it's time for you to get dressed," Serenati urged.
"I'm still attempting to get this whole make-up thing," Hermione replied. She gazed back in the mirror and picked up the eyeliner pencil once more. "I have no idea how Lavender and Parvati did any of this the other day," she muttered to herself. She had only gotten as far as getting on her foundation and finding the right colored blush, while her cousin and friend were almost done.
"Then allow me to dazzle you," Ginny said. She stepped away from the mirror and put on her own dress.
Ginny's dress was far simpler then Serenati's, but still beautiful. The dress was a gorgeous emerald green with a v-neck and see-through short sleeves that had a slit up either side. The waist was empire and lined with dark green rhinestones. The dress was form-fitting and flared out slightly past the hips, though not as much as Serenati's. Her flaming hair was put up in a pile of elegant twists that formed together to make a bun, the front of her hair smooth and parted off to the left side. Ginny's only accessory was a pair of matching earrings. She did her make-up lightly as usual, only a light brown on her eyelids and a pale pink lipstick on her lips.
"Green looks beautiful on you, Ginny," Hermione commented truthfully.
"C'mon Hermione, it's your turn now," Ginny urged her.
"I'll just meet you guys there. This is going to take me forever," Hermione replied.
"We can help you," Serenati replied. Hermione shot her an evil glance from the mirror, which later made sense to the blonde.
"Don't worry about me, girls. I'll be there soon," Hermione said.
"But you only have twenty minutes," Ginny protested.
Hermione stood up and began pushing the girls out of the room. "Go!"
"You'll be making Zander wait forever if you don't let us help," Ginny continued.
Hermione stopped. She hadn't thought about Zander at all. In fact, she hadn't seen him since that morning at breakfast, and even then she hadn't paid him much attention. She winced at this realization, feeling bad for neglecting him so. 'I've just been so preoccupied with trying to impress Harry and win that bet that I haven't even paid my own boyfriend attention. Some girlfriend I am!' she chastised herself.
"It'll be okay, Ginny. We'll have him escort us down," Serenati said to the younger girl.
Ginny sighed. "Alright. But don't say I didn't try to help," she said before leaving.
When they left, Hermione closed the door and locked it. Luckily, Ginny's dorm mates had finished getting ready long ago, which made it all the more easier for her to get ready. Hermione quickly rushed to the vanity and finished her make-up best she could. The only time she had ever done it herself was back in 4th year, and even back then it was nothing more then foundation, a light blush, and some lip gloss. Fortunately, she had been paying attention when Lavender was doing her eyes, and had Hermione had often observed the two in the morning. After Hermione was satisfied with her face she started on her hair. She was surprisingly quick with the pinning and sprayed it like crazy with hairspray. Finally, she put on her dress, shoes, and jewelry, applied some perfume, and was out the door. All of this had taken her only a half hour.
"Where is she?" Lavender asked. She, Ron, Parvati, Serenati, Jason, and Zander were standing by the entrance, looking in vain over the heads of the entering guests for the bookworm.
Lavender and Parvati had decided to dress different from one another, for once. Lavender had discarded her namesake color for a dark red number. The dress was strapless with an A-line skirt, a simple cream colored sash around her tiny waist. She wore her hair up in a pony-tail with curls tumbling from it. She wore dark red lipstick with a contrasting white eye shadow. Parvati, on the other hand, was sporting a gorgeous robins egg blue gown that hinted at her Indian routes, though was far more daring then the outfit she had worn to the Yule Ball. The fabric was a smooth silk covering her breasts, the rest of the bodice a cream color with intricately designed robins egg blue lace over it. Where bodice met skirt was a silver diamond, a V of the same fabric as the one that covered her chest separating skirt from bodice. The skirt was long and slimming. There was one layer that parted to show another, the color slightly lighter, and a slight trail of both layers behind her. The dress was held up by two straps that streamed from a diamond in the middle of her chest, the two ribbons tying around her neck. Parvati dropped her signature braid for tight curls that framed her tan face perfectly. She wore only a bracelet and earrings, both made out of turquoise with a silver frame. Her matching eye shadow stood out brilliantly against her flawless skin, her lips colored darkly. They were a stunning pair, though Serenati was hardly intimidated.
"Ahh, there's my girl!" Serenati said happily when she spotted her cousin amongst the couples coming down the stairs.
"That's Hermione?" Ron gasped.
"That's my girlfriend?" Zander asked in surprise.
"That's her!" both Parvati and Lavender cried at the same time, looking at one another in disbelief.
Hermione had truly outdone her transformation in her 4th year. Never before had anyone seen someone look so beautiful descending the stairs. Other students even stopped to look in amazement. Even a certain Boy-Who-Lived and his date stopped on their way to get a refreshment to stare at this gorgeous wonder that was Hermione Granger.
Hermione was wearing a breathtaking gown of pale blue; a color that Serenati had decided fit her best. The dress was strapless, giving the room a never-seen glimpse of her flawless skin. Her breasts were covered by a white material that was dotted with blue, the center a blue diamond. From the covering streamed flower-like designs going down, two on each side, and a longer one in the middle. The bodice hugged to her curves then let loose for a beautiful bell skirt that was dotted with white. The skirt was long with a slight trail, many layer of silk and tulle puffing it out. It was a dress worthy of a princess, and the wearer of it looked the part, too. Hermione had applied onto her face a light foundation, a natural-looking blush, and stunning red lipstick. Her eyes were lined with dark brown, her eyelashes curled long and fanned out perfectly. She wore light blue eye shadow on her lids, white above it. She styled her hair in an elegant chignon towards the top back of her head with some of her hair free in curled tendrils. Hermione wore diamond studs in her ears, a silver diamond necklace, and a diamond tennis bracelet (Serenati was the only one who knew that the white gems were merely rhinestones). Hermione truly looked the part of a princess.
"Hermione, you look, wow," Zander breathed when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Thank you," Hermione replied, a blush creeping all over her face. Zander leaned down to kiss one of her heated cheeks but happened to do so just as Hermione went to say something, his lips coming in contact with hers for their first kiss. For the entire week they had dated, Zander had only gone so far as to kiss her cheek, and even then only in private, and yet, neither pulled away. Hermione actually leaned into the kiss slightly, willing him to continue. He rested his hand on her hips and pulled her closer, their kiss suddenly becoming more intimate as the rest of the world was forgotten by them both.
But the rest of the world did not forget them. Or rather, Harry Potter did not. While everyone else turned from this affectionate display to talk about Hermione's stunning transformation, Harry stared on in an emotion that shocked him. He was jealous. He was jealous that the 7th year Zander McKell, pretty-boy of his year, was kissing his Hermione. 'No,' Harry's mind said, 'she is not my Hermione.' He looked guiltily down at Ginny, who had happily linked their arms long ago and was talking to a friend who was standing next to them. Harry knew that it was wrong to be jealous of the display before him when he had the girl he loved standing right next to him, but the instant he turned his eyes back to the intimate couple, he could feel the jealously boil even more.
"She looks fabulous," Ginny commented, smiling sweetly when she turned her attention from her friend to her boyfriend.
Ginny was a possessive person by nature. Being the youngest child and only girl of a poor family had taught her long ago that if she wanted something, she had to get it no matter who she stepped on on the way. Sure, she had kept up the act that she was still the happy and loyal friend to Hermione, but it was a clever façade to hide her jealousies. She had known that Hermione secretly liked Harry as more then a friend, a truth accidentally revealed during the previous summer while Ginny asked her questions as she laid nearly-asleep, completely unaware of the questions and answers that slipped from her mouth. Ginny had always planned on being Mrs. Harry Potter, but never in her youthful fantasies did she picture herself having to crush her best friend in order to obtain such a status. But, Ginny knew that she must, so with a jealous heart lined with guiltiness, she devised a plan to distract Hermione from her attractions to Harry, lest she act on them and Harry accept. Ginny was no fool and knew that Harry though fondly of the brunette, though he never admitted. So, on the morning that Hermione came into the Common Room after a much needed makeover, Ginny quickly tracked down a friend of hers, who just happened to be the pretty-boy Zander McKell, and begged that he ask Hermione. Lucky for her, he accepted and asked for nothing from her in return, for he had been lusting after the bookworm for quite some time. She felt guilty that he agreed only on the terms that Hermione would succumb to the seductiveness that would eventually work it's way into his irresistible charm once he was sure she was comfortable with him (that was, after all, how he had gotten all two dozen girls to sleep with him that he had, though his reputation went unstained by such a fact). But, as Ginny constantly reminded herself every time she saw them together, it was all for her and Harry. With Hermione out of the way, they would be happy.
Meanwhile, Hermione's head was spinning. She had never received such a passionate kiss in her life. Kisses with Viktor were slobbery and rough, while the one kiss she shared with Ernie was just plain slobbery. No, Zander's kiss was perfect. He was soft yet controlling, his tongue making its way into her mouth expertly, exploring every inch and causing her to moan ever so slightly. His hands tightened on her waist, though not too hard; just enough to press her tightly against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers running through his sandy locks. She shivered when she felt one of his strong hands stroke her side, one thumb brushing slightly against the side of her breast. She could feel herself getting dizzy as she fell deeper and deeper into the spell that this passionate kiss had over her. It wasn't until she heard the clearing of what was no doubt Harry's throat that she pulled away, her blush so intense that it crept down her neck and to her chest.
"I thought they would suffocate," Serenati teased. She approached her cousin and gave her a huge hug. "You look way more kick-ass then I had ever envisioned you."
"Uh, thanks?" Hermione replied with a nervous laugh, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
"Shall we go in?" Zander asked, offering her his arm. She smiled brightly and accepted it, the other couples following behind, Ron escorting both Parvati and Lavender.
"Alright girls, time to split up. We'll meet up at the steps of the staircase in exactly two hours time. The girls who received the most compliments will fork over the money tomorrow morning. And I have to warn you two, this dress was one of the most expensive in the store," Lavender said with a pleased smile.
"Well, have fun paying for both of ours, because with Hermione looking this hot, how can we not win?" Serenati said with a smug smile.
"We'll just have to see," Parvati retorted.
Ron and Zander exchanged interested looks and followed the separate couples as they split off and entered the crowd. This was sure to be a long night for both boys.
-end of chapter!
Well, does the length of it make up for how long it's taken me to update? No? Oh, okay! Well, at least you're honest! Actually, I wrote this whole thing today. And I had about three different versions of Ginny's thoughts about the plan and such. Don't forget, I will be redeeming her, so before you flame me with things like "Ginny would never do that!"…don't? Haha. So yeah, I PROMISE I'll try to update as soon as possible. Please review, guys! They keep me writing!
-Serenity