Disclaimer: I only own the plot..and Hope :)

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Chapter Nineteen: Back to School Ball

At five-thirty, Hope and Hermione were standing in front of the mirror as they modeled themselves for each other. Hermione was beautiful in her strapless pink dress. It had a clear covering over the entire dress, with rows of glitter running down diagonally. She had curled her hair and pulled it up into a pink clip. She chose very little makeup, going with only a touch of light pink lip gloss and some glitter on her face and hair to match her dress. She turned to Hope with a strange look on her face.

"You promised me you'd find me the perfect shoes! Tell me you didn't forget."

"I didn't!" She laughed. "I found some shoes in my mom's closet that will go with your dress perfectly."

Twisting with obvious pain, Hope summoned a pair of shoes from several rooms down the hall. As they floated in, Hope set them down on the floor right before Hermione.

"You found glass slippers!" Hermione squealed excitedly. She put the shoes on and twirled happily. Hope smiled at her friend.

"I also found some of my mom's jewelry that I think will go perfectly with the rest of your outfit."

Hermione watched as Hope pulled a silver necklace with a pink rhinestone flower hanging off the chain. There were matching pink rhinestone dangling earrings and a chain bracelet with pink rhinestones.

"Oh, Hope, it's so pretty. Are you sure you don't mind if I wear it?"

Hope smiled at her best friend. "My mom had plenty of jewelry. Trust me, you deserve to wear it."

Hermione smiled and hugged her friend, not missing the gasp of pain. Turning to her friend, she looked carefully at her, trying to find out what to add. Hope was wearing a complex spaghetti strap dress. It was a midnight blue with glittering straps. On both sides, starting at the hip, there began a strand of crystallized moons that curled inward before going back out toward the end of the dress. She had curled her hair and pulled it into a messy bun, before placing moon hair pieces all over her hair. She had on white shoes that wrapped completely around her ankles and were imbedded with diamonds.

Hermione searched through the jewelry, and couldn't seem to find the perfect match. She had found dangling moon earrings, but she couldn't find a necklace or a bracelet. Sighing, she knew what she had to do.

"Hope, you know as well as I do what the best necklace for this dress would be."

Hope eyed Hermione with a glare. "Don't even say it Hermione. I can't wear it."

"Why not!" She exclaimed, frustrated. "You're Harry's date. He'll be offended if you don't wear it."

Hope turned away. "Do you think so? I don't want to make him mad, and I thought if I wore it, he would get mad because we aren't dating."

Hermione shook her head and called a house elf. Asking the thing nicely to go get Hope's necklace from her jewelry box at Snape Manor, she turned back toward the girl.

"I still can't find you a bracelet."

Hope shrugged. "Don't worry about it. The boys are getting corsages I'm sure, and I really don't have to have anything on both wrists."

Hermione nodded. She took one last glance in the mirror and led Hope downstairs. Halfway down, the house elf reappeared and handed Hermione the necklace. Hermione clasped the necklace around Hope's neck and then turned to the house elf, telling it thanks before continuing down the stairs.

Once they reached the bottom, they ran into Severus. Severus looked at the two girls and nodded in approval. "You look wonderful, ladies. The boys are in the ballroom waiting for you."

Hope hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad. For everything."

Severus nodded curtly. "I have secured all rooms from anyone except the four of you entering them. This way, no couples can run off."

Hope nodded again and Hermione pulled on her to get her to come on to the ballroom. Once inside, they saw Harry and Draco standing around in their dress robes, looking extremely handsome. Hermione ran up to Draco, and not knowing custom when entering a ball, hugged him. Draco grimaced and looked toward Hope for help. Hope grabbed Hermione and pulled her back.

"Watch and learn," she whispered in her best friend's ear.

Hope walked toward Harry and held her hand out to him. Harry took her hand and gently kissed it while bowing slightly. He then pulled out a box and presented it to her with another bow.

"Oh, come on!" Hermione said. "The ball hasn't started yet, must we be so formal?"

Everyone in the room winced. Severus had entered the room and heard Hermione's outburst.

"Miss Granger, it is custom. Hope and Draco both come from pureblood families, and this is a custom taught even in half blood and muggleborn households. It's a tradition of respect."

Hermione's face made an 'o' shape as she watched Hope open the box. Inside the box was a gorgeous crystal tiara headband accented with moons and stars. Beside the box was a white corsage made up of two roses. She smiled and kissed Harry on the cheek. Harry took the corsage and placed it on Hope's left wrist, his eyes catching the necklace and smiling.

Hope turned to Hermione with a look and watched as she did the same thing with Draco. Harry and Hope both laughed when she squealed after opening her box, which contained a princess tiara with pink rhinestone flowers, diamonds and pearls, while Draco only winced as he took her corsage that matched Hope's in all aspects, except it was pink, and placed it on her wrist.

Hermione threw her arms around Draco in a huge hug. Hope turned toward Harry, stifling another laugh. "She really doesn't know what she's doing."

Severus was watching from his place with disdain. Knowing custom, Hope went over to her father and allowed him to inspect her date's choices in jewelry. Harry followed behind her, standing with his hand on her back while Severus looked carefully at her tiara before adjusting it on her head a little.

He turned toward Hermione who was slowly catching on and did the same thing. Draco looked embarrassed from how his date was acting, which only caused Hope to laugh yet again.

Finally, they were all ready and the food and drinks were set up. Seven o'clock drew near as the first guest arrived. Opening the door, Severus invited all the Weasley children in. Ginny entered and went straight over to where Hope was standing with Harry. She was wearing a tight, red strapless dress, with crystals glimmering on it. She smiled at the sight of Harry in a tux.

"Hi, Harry. How are you tonight?"

Harry turned toward the voice. "Hello, Ginny. You look nice," he said as he pulled Hope closer to him.

Ginny was furious at seeing Harry's arm around Hope. She glared at the girl and stepped closer. "I see you still haven't learned your lesson."

Harry placed himself in between the two girls. "Ginny, you are a guest in Hope's home tonight. If you don't take two steps back, I will personally find someone who will escort you away from here."

Ginny glared and threw her head of red curls back as she turned and walked away. She found some guy that Draco had invited and asked him to join her on the dance floor.

Harry turned toward Hope and took her hand. "Let's go dance. I didn't ask to be your date so we could stand around all night."

Hope followed Harry out onto the dance floor and smiled. They bowed/curtsied as the song started.

They danced for several hours, taking breaks only to get a drink and cool off. Finally, Hope dragged Harry around to check on the other guests. After all, she was hosting the ball.

Harry followed her as she talked with every person who had come. She even stopped to talk with Ginny and her date, smiling the whole time.

After that, Hope led Harry back into the sitting area, which was void of people. Closing the glass doors to block some of the sound, she sat on a couch and placed her hands across her stomach.

Harry sat next to her and gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Hope."

Hope looked at him quizzically. "For what?"

"For making you dance so long."

Hope laughed. "It wasn't the dancing. Not completely anyway. I had fun. I just needed a break. The dress is too tight and its pressing against the gash, making it extremely irritated."

Harry nodded and took her hand. "I have something else for you, you know."

Hope looked at him, questions in her eyes.

Harry reached in his pocket and took out a long slender box. Opening it, he revealed a chain bracelet with a single moon. Her initials were carved into it.

Hope smiled at Harry and kissed him, taking him by surprise. When she pulled away, she immediately put her hand back at her stomach while letting the pain show on her face. Harry slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.

"You know, Severus probably has something you can take for that."

Hope shrugged. "I have to get used to it. School starts tomorrow, well, technically today," she said, with a glance at her watch that read 12:04. "I'll have to deal with it then."

Hope and Harry sat and talked for a few more minutes. Finally, Severus came in and informed them that guests were beginning to leave, and Hope needed to be there to see them off. Hope sighed and stood with Harry's help and a sharp intake of breath. Severus came over and slipped something in her hand.

Hope looked down and swallowed the two pills instantly. Following him through the door, she shook hands and hugged and talked with people for the next hour and a half. Finally, when everyone was gone, she collapsed on the couch again while Harry and her brother took down the decorations that the house elves wouldn't do.

"Wow, that was a success," Hermione said excitedly as she came into the room. "Everyone said they had fun."

Hope eyed the girl tiredly. "Hermione, how you have this much energy left is beyond me. I, however, am exhausted."

Hermione grinned at Hope. "Didn't you have fun, though? I saw you and Harry tonight."

Hope smiled. "I had fun. Look at what Harry got me," she said, showing Hermione her bracelet.

"Wow, that's awesome!"

Hope smiled and shushed her as the boys reentered the room. "The house elves, well, rather this one, called Mipsy, shooed us out and said to go to bed, they would take care of it. Said they are not paid to watch us do the work."

Hope laughed. "That's Mipsy for you. While I was trying to get this place fixed up, she was all over the place, saying she would do it. I'm glad my parents paid them though; otherwise, I would've felt bad for them having to stay here for twelve years with nobody entering the house."

Hermione nodded. They sat and talked for awhile before getting up and going to bed. Tomorrow was the end of the best summer any of them had ever had.

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A/n: Once again, my wonderful beta Nita is posting this. Review:)
Kayla