I own nothing.
CHAPTER 28.
All in all, Hermione could not remeber a happier christmas. And with the diary's to comunicate with Charlie, something they had allready started doing, the prospect of going back to school wasn't nearly as awful as it had been after the summer hollidays, although they would both miss the new physical aspect to their relationship greatly.
So all in all, she wasn't dreading her return to the castle.
That is, untill Harry told her of yet another bloody party, being thrown by Slughorn on the second night back, to start the year in style apparently. Brilliant. But Harry and Ginny would both be there. Ginny was very excited about the prospect of getting to dress up properly for the first time since the Yule Ball in her third year.
It was raining as Hermione kissed charlie goodbye on platform nine and three quater at the end of her christmas break. No matter how easily they could talk, she still hated the thought of being away from him. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and she hugged him tightly.
"I'll see you soon Princess, I love you."
"Love you too Char." Hermione said, kissing him one last time, before running through the rain to the departing steam engine, jumping on board as it began to move away. She waved untill she could no longer see him, and rubbed her chest like she had all those months ago, sure he was doing the same.
Sighing, hermione, Ginny and Harry went to find a compatment. The girls complaining about being soaked through, and freezing. when they found an empty car, and flopped down, hermione began to cast drying and warming charms over them, making them sigh contentidly.
The start of term feast was its usual spectacular affair, many courses of marvelous fair. Everyone stuffed themselves to the point of bursting, then retired to bed.
The next day was a saturday, the day of Slughorn's new year party, although it wasnt untill the evening, many of those lucky enough, or unlucky enough, depending on your view point, to be invited, spent the majority of the day primping and readying themselves.
Hermione had slept untill ten.
Ginny brought herself and all of her things over to Hermione's dorm room to change. Parvati, who was going with Cormac, and Lavender, who was still dating Ron,-who had managed to get himself invited by dropping the fact that he was in the department of mysterys in front of slughorn,- where both getting ready hours before hermione and ginny had even awoken, which was to the chemical smell of countless spells and potions, with which the resident griffyndor sluts were smeering themselves.
Hermione and Ginny both showered, Hermione just drying her hair into her natural curls, before securing it magically atop her head like she had for the Yuell Ball, using an invisible sacuring charm, with a few ringlets lose here and there framing her face, and elongating the ellagant coulum of her neck.
She then curled Ginny's hair into sleek waves for her, before saccuring it attop her head, using a butterfly clip made entirley from chrystalized flame, which Hermione made to match Ginny's necklace.
Hermione wore minimal make up per Fleur's instruction, not needing it. She added the tinyest touch of mascara, and eyeliner, enough to make her jade green eyes sparkle like emeralds in the dimmed light, and some clear lip gloss, that was it.
Ginny on the other hand spent ages drawing her face on, adding various creams and powders, with blood red lipps and dark eyeshadow. She looked beautiful in the end, but hermione thought it unnececary, and when she old Ginny this, she was rewarded with a derisive snort, and a shaking of a pretty red head.
Finally the dresses. Which had been gotten for them by Fleur and Tonks during the christmas hollidays. Ginny's was black, contrasting strikingly with her vibrant hair and pale complexion. It had cute, off the shoulder puff sleves, and a sweatheart neck line. It was sinched at the waist, and acentuated by a deep red ribbon tied in the back, the skirt puffed slightly, then fell streight to the floor, showing the tips of her black heels.
Hermione's dress was a stark contrast. It was dark green silk, the colour contrasting with her pale skin, making it seem like she was constantly bathed in moonlight, and draped over her form like water, or rather honey, dripping over her curves. It was backless, and with her hair up, her back was completley exposed to the bottom of her ribs, showing off her tattoo.
It was also strapless, being held up by magic, it had a heart shaped neckline, like jessica rabbit, and was fitted tightly, showing off her tiny waist. It draped over her hips, like molten liquid, clinging to her, from hips it fitted snugly untill her thigh, where it fell straight to the floor, in a pool of shining material. She looked stunning.
She wore plain stud black opal earings, and the pendant her perants had given her, although tonight she wore it backwards, so the teardrop stone rested against the skin of her back. Her rings from Charlie, which she never took off, and her charm bracelete, which was also a permanant fixture, completed the look perfectly.
The dresses material clung to her so much, that it excentuated the way she now walked, her rolling gate looking like a seductive prowl, and the sway of her hipps and behinds were extreemly prominant.
On her feet, which weren't really visible, she wore modest black heels, aware of the fact that she would be on her feet all night, and that there would be dancing and no doubt avoiding to be done.
There wasnt really anywhere for Hermione to carry a wand, so she strapped it to her thigh, under her dress, knowing that her wandless magic ment that she didn't really need it, but she felt better carrying all the same. Ginny had stuffed her wand down her clevage, earning some chuckles from Hermione, and some jokes about asking harry for help with her wand work from Parvati.
She asked Ginny to take a picture of her for Charlie, Hermione smiled, twirling for the camera then blowing it a kiss. Ginny handed hermione the photo, which she then magically inserted into the diary, sending it to Charlie.
In reply, she recived a picture of Charlie himself, catching her kiss, and pressing it to his heart. He was smiling heartbreakingly at her, and as she watched, he winked, making her swoon.
"Wow princess!" Charlie had replied quickly.
"You like it?" hermione scribbled.
"You look beautiful, stunning, sexy as hell." came the reply, making her giggle in a very un-Hermioneish way.
She continued writing to Charlie until the other girls were ready to leave. She copied the picture Charlie had sent, enlarging it, and setting it on her bedside table, creating a chrystal flame frame for it, in the same way she made the chains.
As she saw it more clearly, she realised he must have come from the shower, for his hair was wet, and he was clad in only a towel, slung low over his hips, Hermione moaned quietly. Her eyes hungrily traced his naked torso, along the winding dragon tattoo to his arms. She sighed, remebering those arms holding her, and their shaired shower...
"Is that him Hermione?" Came a voice from behind her, turning she saw the three girls watching her, she just nodded. Parvati and Lavender were both looking at the picture hungrily.
"Ready?" she asked, eager to remove the lecharous gaze of her dorm mates from her dragon tamer.
She took the two girls in for the first time, they had both opted for dresses far more strinking tha Hermione and Ginny's.
Lavendar was in an extreemly tight body con dress, that was a lurid pink, with bands of white at the top and the bottom, Ginny muttered that it would clash with ron's hair. The dress was plunging in the front, and was strapless, it also stopped at mid thigh, with a slip up her right side, reaching the bottom of where her underwear should have been, Hermione and Ginny cringed.
On her feet, she wore the highest heels hermione had ever seen, on man or beast. They were rediculous, it was a wonder she could stand, watching her stagger back drunk and exhausted later would be fun though.
Parvati was also striking, in a canary yellow dress, which didn't complement her skin tone very well. It was floor length, with two monumental slits in the skirt, one on either side. It was backless, with a sort of halter top, the front of her dress consisted of two scraps of material, leaving Parvati's back, sides and the slit between her breast to her belly button bare, with cormac as her date, that was sure to end badly. She was also waring high heels, and was staggering allready.
Walking down to the common room, or staggering in some of their cases, it seemed the entire house was there, waiting to see the party goers, or more spesifically Hermione, all dressed up. They weren't dissapointed, when she emerged, a hush fell over the room, before whooping, and woolf whisteling, and even some applause ensued, making her blush.
Lavender and parvaty ate it all up, giggling as they made their way over to their dates. Ginny and Hermione went over to Harry and Neville.
"You both look stunning." Neville said, harry nodded his agreement. Both boys had forgone dress robes, in favour of a Muggle suit trousers and jacket, over a white sirt, unbuttoned, no tie. They both looked very dashing, looking as if they hardly cared for the dress code.
"Shall we go meet Luna?" Hermione asked, Neville nodded entusiastically, then blushed as the others grinned at him.
They met Luna in the entrance hall, just as the rest of the school were meeting for dinner, she was waiting at the entrance to the great hall, her silver dress standing out amongst the other students.
The sight of Hermione in Fleur's chosen dress, with the tattoo clearly visible, caused quite a stir, with people openly stopping to stare, Ginny hid giggles benhind her hand, as one fourth year slytherin boy managed to bounce of the doorframe to the main hall.
"Nice ink." called one hufflepuff seventh year, smiling at Hermione politley. He reminded her of Cedric, and she felt a slight pang of sadness as she smiled back, he staggered away, blinking rappidly, looking slightly punch drunk.
Luna looked typically Luna, in a silver gown that fell to her ankles, covered in some sort of floaty gausze material, with silver ballerina flats. Her blonde hair loose about her, and decorated with tiny silver stars, she looked pretty, in an ethereal, typically Luna way.
Slughorns party was being held in the magically enlarged, and lavishly deccorated dungeons, in his cavernous office to be more prasice. Upon arrival, Hermione once again brought the room to a stand still, she was getting used to it, which was rediculous in and of itself. Hermione saw many faces she recognised, both still in school, and some allready left. There were also many ministry officials she recognised.
Hermione took some time to take in her surroundings. In the corner of the large, dimly lit, room was an orchestra of ghosts, rather like the one she had seen at Sir Nicholas' death day party in her second year, only the music from this orchestra wasn't nearly as terrible.
Several large buffet tables lined the other walls, groaning under the weight of canapes', and several ornate punch bowls.
Hermione then shifted her attention to the other guests. The women had all excelled theselves with their gowns, each one she saw was bigger, more sparkly and more striking than the last. She noticed she was recieving quite a few unplesant glares from the female guests, something Ginny had also noticed, and seemed to feel very smugly about.
Harry was cornered by the minister for magic the second he arrived. Scrimgour spent twenty minutes trying to persuade 'the boy who's heart won't stop' to publically support the ministry, something Harry flat out refused to do, after umbridge, and his slatting in he prophet. Scrimgour avoided him after that.
Hermione spent a large portion of her night dancing, with Ginny, Harry, Neville, she was even pulled into dances with Draco Malfoy, instigated by Slughorn, and Blaize Zabini, instigated by himself, both of which were beyond awkward.
During the dance with Malfoy, Hermione had been constatly aware of Parkinson's eyes burning into the back of her skull. Pansy had come in dress robes that obviously extreemly expensive. They where pale pink, and made of chiffon, which floated about her form delicatley as she walked.
"That tattoo is causing quite the stir." Malfoy said smoothly, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I would never have imagined it from you." He drawled silkily, looking down at her, with hunger in his grey eyes.
"Bloody dress." Hermione mumbled, making Draco throw his head back and laugh, it hadn't been that funny, Hermione thought.
"Where did you get a dress like this Granger." Malfoy drawled, having calmed down, his eyes scanning her appreciativley, his hand on the bare sking of her back making her flesh crawl.
"Fleur, my sister in law for all intents and perpouses." She had answered in forced pollitness.
"Delacour?" he had asked, eyes widening slightly, she nodded.
He hadn't spoken for the rest of the dance, his eyes wide, and with a far away look in them. Hermione didn't want to know what he was imagining, but figured it had something to do wth her and Fleur in a chaging room.
She tried to avoid men on the slower dances after that, for they seemed to take it as an oppertunity to grope her bare back, or try to slip their hands inside her dress. Only one succeded in that, he was one of the chasers for he Whimborn Wasps, and thought himself god's gift to women kind. He was to be pulled off her by an apoplectice Harry Potter. Nobody seemed to try that particular stunt again.
People where staring and muttering at Hermione, talking about her dress, jewelary, hair, tattoo, who she danced with, spoke with, stood with, anything and everything.
Lavender came over to her after about two hours, staggering slightly from the amount of punch she had consmed, asking if Hermione would do a tattoo for her, "But not a rune," she had said, "A bunny or something."
Hermione had a feeling the teachers might object to her opening a tattoo parlour for underage students, so told her, that if she still wanted the tattoo when she was sober, she would give her the spell she used, but not do it for her. This seemed to please her well enough though, for she and Parvati, went back to their dates, discussing what tattoo's they would get.
She shook her head as she watched them wobble back to their dates. Both Cormac and Ron were staring at her, althoug they had aslo both kept their distance so far, long may it continue, she thought hopefully.
Hermione was later drawn into a conversation with Ginny, Slughorn and professor Snape, who looked like he really wished he were somewhere else, this was such a surreal night.
"Never known a one like him for potions..." Slughorn was telling Snape, about Harry, Snape was not fooled.
His eye met hermione's briefly, his eyebrow raising as if to ask weather Slughorn had actually ever tought harry.
"I was under the impression that I never managed to teach him anything. His educational merrits were purely Miss Grangers," He said silkily, making Harry, who had just arrived shuffle awkwardly, and Hermione chuckle throatily, at least one of the teachers knew that Harry and Ron had been mooching off her for years.
At the sound of her chuckle, many heads turned her way, trying to finds its owner, all eyes widend when they saw the mysterious beauty it belonged to, not to mention the company she kept.
It was then that their conversation was joined by a few others, including the chief for the Daily prophet much to Harry's disgust, several quidditch players, all of whom became even more intranced with Hermione after Snape let slip - completley accidentally of course- that she had dated Viktor Krum, and some higher ups from the ministry, all of whom seemed more interested in staring intently at Hermione, than listening to a word she had to say.
Slughorn, sensing an oppertunity to win him favour, changed tack, and started singing hermione's praises.
Brightest witch of her age, fought along harry for good, bla bla bla. From beside her, she saw Snape role his eyes, making her snigger quietly.
"And she does this marvelouse thing with her hands," Hermione's eyes widened comically as Ginny's eyebrows raised, Harry choked on his Butterbeer and Snape snorted, they now well and truley had the attention of ever male in the room, " A marvelous piece of magic, where she makes beads out of fire, their a craze at the school, a craze I tell you, all the girls have them!" Slughorn was saying.
"Would you show us my dear?" Slughorn simpered, the whole room now gazing upon her with rapped attention, Harry grimace sympathetically.
"Yes miss Granger, show us." Snape stirred, mirth evident in his black eyes.
So Hermione smiled, turning to Professor snape, she held out her hand, palm up, conjuring the blue flame. This time however, she concentrated on the flame itself, and before her eyes it darkened, to black, she smirked at snape, who saw where this was going, and was fighting the twitch in his lower lip.
Elongating the black flame, she twisted and formed it into a long chain, before encasing it in chrystal, and handing it to a chuckling Snape.
"Here you go Professor." She smiles innocently.
"Isn't she something else." Slughorn boomed, as if Hermione where a particularly tallanted puppy he had bread. The room broak into applause, and Snape cracked a grin, clearly delighted, he pocketed the beads.
"Thank you Miss Granger." He chuckled, the students all stared, having never seen the man behave so affably.
Hermione was then accosted by hordes of people who wanted one themselves, or in many mens cases, just wanted to get closer to Hermione.
The party went on all night, and every time Harry Hermione and Ginny tried to leave, Slughorn would mysteriously appear with someone else they just had to talk to. Several authors, all wanting to do a biography for Harry, many heads of department a the minisry, and one very hungry looking vampire, who stared, hypnotized at Hermione's bared throat and shoulders throughout their entire conversation, making her shuffle closer to Harry, who subtly threw an arm around her waist.
At one point Hermione even considered getting Ginny drunk, just for them to have some entertainment. The little red head had blushed and laughed when Hermione told her this. Harry had just looked confused.
"Ohh, of course, you were passed out Harry," Hermione said, "Ginny decided that instead of going to sleep that night, she wold much rather play in the non-exsistdent snow, have me chase her around number twelve in my underware, and then have a sleep over with her two eldest brothers. Sirius thought she was hillarious." Hermione grinned, as Harry once again choked on his butterbeer, some of it going up is nose, making Ginny clapp him on the back.
So by the time anyone could leave, it was half past six on saturday morning, by which point they were all equal parts, annoyed, exhausted grumpy and starving. The group decided to eat in the great hall, before going to bed, and sleeping untill class the next morning.
And so the twenty or so students went to breakfast that morning in full ball gown attire, -most of them barefoot, carrying their shoes,- many of them, like cormac, drunk, or like lavender, looking slightly the worse for wear. They got quite a lot of attention, espessially hermione, who even exhausted, looked stunning.
She had just finished her third cup of tea, when her headache started. Waving her hand over her hair, she let it tumble back into its lucious cascade of ringlets, she felt her scalp realx, and sighed.
She wrote in her diary, which she conjured from her dormitory, to charlie, filling him in on the party, the fact that she hadnt slept yet, and that she was in a ballgown and barefoot, at nine ocklock in the morning, at griffyndor table.
At about four in the morning, she and Harry had caved, and gotten Ginny absolutley sloshed. Which had been really entertaining for all of two hours, now however...not so much. She kept giggling and throwing bits of toast at a sleepy Harry, much to the halls amusement.
Hermione took another picture, this time one of her and a very excited Ginny, she was holding a mugg of tea and yawning, whilst Ginny was waring the tea coasy as a hat, laughing maddly. One of Harry, who had fallen asleep in his eggs, and one of Ron, who had a disheveled Lavander sitting in his lap, both smashed and eating eachothers faces, and sent them to him.
Needless to say, he thought it was all hilarious.
It took quite some coaxing to get Ginny to leave the hall, by the time harry just picked her up and carried her out, (which Hermione got a picture of!), they had attracted a laughing audience, most of them, surprisingly, were teachers.
Hermione and Ginny managed to shower, before changing into pajamas, and falling into bed. Ginny having crashed, and not even making it back to her dorm, just falling asleep next to Hermione.