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Chapter Seven: Getting Ready

Hope awoke to someone knocking harshly on her door.

"Go away!" She muttered, glancing at the clock which read ten o'clock. She had stayed up from excitement until about three in the morning, so she had not gotten as much sleep as she usual did.

"Nonsense!" A voice called from the now open door. "We must pick out jewelry still and your hair will take forever, and not to mention make up and last minute tailoring to your gown. We have no time to waste."

Hope looked up to see a beaming Narcissa Malfoy walk into her room. She had no clue how her dress looked or how her hair was going to look, or what kind of jewelry she would be wearing or anything else, so she just groaned and turned over in her bed. She was almost back asleep when her blankets were rudely pulled off of her.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, shivering from the cold.

"Get up, then," she repeated, walking toward the bathroom with a multitude of bags in her hands. She started pulling things out as Hope went to help, only to get shooed into a chair as Narcissa pulled out an elegant looking jewelry box.

"You are going to pick from the jewelry pieces the Dark Lord sent me. They should all match your dress, so you will pick your favorites and the rest will go back to him," she instructed, pulling out a multitude of necklaces.

Hope looked over all the jewelry before deciding. She sighed and sat back in the chair before noticing with shock it was noon. If it took two hours to pick out jewelry, how long was everything else going to take?

Narcissa interrupted her thoughts by ushering the young lady to a table that the house elves had set up with food. The two ladies spent an hour talking and eating before getting back up to work. Narcissa pushed Hope into the bathroom to get a shower while she got out her supplies for hair. While it would be easier and faster to do it with magic, Narcissa had loved doing a person's hair with actual tools, and it was a practice not looked down on by pureblood families because it always got a better result.

Hope took a long relaxing shower before changing into a silk robe left out for her and getting comfortable before Narcissa started on her hair and makeup. Time was flying, but she couldn't help but wonder what Severus was doing to help prepare Draco for tonight.

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Draco and Severus were enjoying lunch in Diagon Alley while finishing up some shopping. Draco had gotten new elegant black dress robes for tonight and had his hair cut so it wouldn't have to be gelled back.

It was nearing four in the afternoon, and Draco still needed to find a tiara and corsage for Hope. It was, after all, pureblood tradition to present the girl you were escorting to a ball with those two items.

This was a challenging task, as Draco soon figured out as he attempted to find the perfect one, with Severus's help. Thankfully he had seen the dress because his mother had made it, but he hadn't seen Hope, which made the tiara difficult.

He picked out the perfect corsage, but kept looking for a tiara until around six o'clock , when he found the perfect one. Smirking to himself, he picked it up and bought it, leaving the store knowing she'd love them both.

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Harry pulled out his father's cloak and hid it until he left the tower. He pulled the cloak over himself as he crept down to Dumbledore's office. No matter what he was told, there was not a chance he would stay at the school while they rescued Hope. Especially not if that rescue mission was led by Snape and Malfoy of all people.

Harry sat outside Dumbledore's office waiting for the men to exit and head outside the school where the portkey would work. He knew that they hadn't had the chance to rescue Hope before tonight, and that if he got caught, then everything could effectively be ruined, but he was willing to risk it because he had to see her before everyone else swarmed in.

Finally the door opened and out stepped Snape and Malfoy themselves, quickly leaving to go past the wards. Harry followed silently and glanced at his watch as they set the portkey on the ground.

"Okay Draco, the thing will glow when it's activated. After the glowing goes away again, we have thirty seconds before it transports us. Do not touch it while it is glowing or you will receive a nasty burn," Severus explained to the boy, glancing at his watch.

Harry smirked. This would be easy enough. All he had to do was grab on to the portkey after it stopped glowing. Snape and Malfoy were on the same side, leaving the other empty. Harry just had to make sure that his cloak didn't fall off, so he whispered some quick sticking charms while the other two made small talk.

Finally, the portkey glowed and went back to normal, while Snape and Draco grabbed onto the portkey, never knowing about the third passenger who had snuck on.

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Hope stood in front of the full length mirror and gasped at what she saw. Her gown had been fitted and was absolutely gorgeous. The midnight blue color of it matched her rare colored eyes perfectly. It had thin spaghetti straps, leading into the top half of the gown which showed elegantly stitched glittered flowers. At the waist of the gown, there was something similar to a sideways sash, secured in place with a diamond pin. The bottom half of the gown flared out elegantly, coming almost to the floor, showing the bottom of her shoes when she moved.

The shoes she had on were the most beautiful she had ever seen. The shoes themselves were silver, but the straps sported a few diamonds that glittered brilliantly when the light hit them. The straps went around her ankles, giving them support so she wouldn't easily trip.

She looked into the mirror again. Her jewelry was simple, but stood out easily against her tanned skin. She chose a simple sapphire necklace and earring set. Her medium blonde hair had been pulled back halfway, then fell in tight curls to the middle of her back. Her makeup consisted of light colored blush and clear lip gloss. Her eyes were simply left alone because they drew enough attention on their own.

Hope smiled. For the first time she felt truly beautiful. She turned to thank Narcissa again, but was interrupted by the door knocking. Narcissa shrugged before answering and admitting Severus, fully dressed in black dress robes.

Severus walked over to Hope and looked at the beautiful girl standing in front of him. He noticed the happy look on her face and knew that he was right in letting her enjoy her first ball, even if it would be surrounded with bad memories from the time before and after.

"You look beautiful, Hope," Severus said, pulling the girl into a hug that she tensed against. He knew she would have problems with the dancing tonight because she still had problems with people touching her because of the abuse she had suffered at the hands of death eaters. She would let Severus hug her or comfort her if she was distressed, but otherwise, she tensed up when touched still, especially if she isn't expecting it.

"Thanks. It's all because of Narcissa though," she said to the lady standing behind her. Narcissa just shrugged and said something about having to meet her husband.

"Have fun tonight Hope. Don't think about why the ball is taking place, or which side you're on, just take the time to enjoy your first ball, okay?"

She nodded and looked in the mirror again. Severus knew he needed to get back downstairs but was hesitant to leave his goddaughter.

"Remember everything I taught you. Tonight's the night. I have to go; you have about five minutes before you have to be downstairs."

She smiled at her godfather before he turned and left. Hope turned from the mirror, and headed towards the staircase after a few minutes. Tonight had finally arrived. She got to act like a princess, then escape the hell she'd been stuck in. And it all started now.

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A/N: I'm not getting any reviews:( Come on you guys, if you're reading it, let me know what you think. I'm sorry I posted later than usual today, but I'm sick and I just woke up, so yup. Anyway, if you all are nice and review I'll give you two chapters next week!

Thanks to Nita for betaing!

Kayla