A/N: Enjoy some Hunger Games inspired dress imagery! :D

For those who don't know, dapping is the motion of grabbing the other person's fist and chest bumping. Or at least that's what dictionary dot com says as a slang word XD

Summary: Hermione has to attend a Ministry sponsored event celebrating 5 years since the Battle of Hogwarts. But they're holding it on a ski slope and Hermione is annoyed.

Words: 1254

Prompts:

Ministry of Magic Discord Group: Easter Egg Hunt

Polka Dot- (Setting) Ski Slopes

Ministry of Magic Discord Group: April Monthly (The Odds are in Your Favour)

[object] fire

"On Fire"

Having to attend a ministry sponsored event wasn't the worst they could do with a Saturday night. Having it commemorate the five year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts was a little tacky though. Having this event be like a Muggle Red Carpet event with all of the guests dressed to the nines and then holding it at a ski resort on the ski hill was overkill.

Hermione didn't know what she hated more: the fact that she had to be there or the fact that she had to wear something matching the theme. Why couldn't she have just worn her best blouse and slacks and have no one scrutinize her?

Well, if they wanted to nitpick, they might as well do it on an ingenious piece of artwork.

Hermione arrived through the Floo with Marcus on her arm several days before the event. She had gone skiing before, and was completely willing to show her new boyfriend how to do so, even if he had to start on the bunny slopes to do so. And if that meant they also got to snuggle before the fire in their room to warm up after a full day on the slopes, then so be it! If she was able to also show him off to everyone there, then that was just a plus.

The years after Hogwarts had been kind to him. With professional Quidditch money, he had been able to fix everything about himself that he didn't like–his teeth, mostly, and Hermione knew exactly how he felt about not liking your own smile–and with him dressed up in impeccable black and blue dress robes next to her, Hermione felt like the most powerful woman in the wizarding world.

Her mother always told her to dress for the job she wanted, after all.

And what better way to get a job setting the world on fire–legally as Minister, of course–to then rebuild it into a better society than to pick fire as her theme for tonight. The overall theme for the event was the elements: fire, water, ice, lightning, earth, air. The costumes tonight were meant to be classy and elegant, but inspirational and creative. Hermione had already seen several outfits that were bird themed to fit the element of air, and Neville had wandered over to her resort room earlier that day dressed in earth tones with live foliage placed in pockets. He even had a Bowtruckle in the tiny pocket on the front of his robes meant for a decorative pocket square, the welted chest pocket, as her father had explained to her once.

Hermione felt that being over Neville's heart was the perfect safe space for a Bowtruckle to hang out at one of these events.

But now she stood in a floor length flared black gown that clung to her to her from the neckline to the waist, leading to voluminous fabric trailing along her hips and spilling over her feet. There was a strip of blue fabric at the bottom, bright, and seeming to give off a light. Marcus stood next to her, nursing his second drink of the night since they entered the warded area for the event. Hermione was thankful that her sensible heels didn't sink into the packed snow of the ski slopes as she nursed her own drink, annoyed at the Wizengamot member next to her as he jabbered away at her ear. He was trying to get her opinion on a bill he was proposing in the Wizengamot next month, but everything about him grated on her. His voice, his tone, even his expression, which made him look like he had just stepped in dog poo. His bill was atrocious too, a carryover from a more prejudiced time. It was one that Umbridge had stuck her fingers into, and no one had ever revised it, so this was just another attempt to get a Muggleborn Registry restarted.

The whole man, his bill included, was repugnant to her, and she had to take a large gulp of her drink to prevent her feelings from showing on her face in such a public place.

"Hermione! Just the woman I wanted to see!" came a familiar voice from behind her. Movement came from her side and Hermione turned to see Ron bounding up to them, accidentally knocking into the man next to her and causing him to tumble forward. Marcus shook with repressed laughter from next to her as the man went flying, sliding on the packed snow, passing through the heating charms within the warded area and down into the darkness. Hermione would have been more concerned about his fading screams and him sliding down the slope without the proper gear and in only his dress robes, but she spotted two security guards working the event go down to get him, so she didn't fret.

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed and he wrapped her up in a giant hug. His wife of two years Lavender trailed up behind him in a dress the color of her name with tulips and other spring flowers springing from the bottom. A swirling wind in embroidery thread shot through her dress at her movements, making the flowers wave in the breeze. Ron matched with dark green dress robes with a cut tulip in his welted chest pocket. He shrunk back, as if expecting her to yell at him.

"I was only rescuing you for once! You look like you needed it," he argued, wrapping his arm around Lavender with a grin.

"And you were right! I owe you a drink for that!" Hermione declared with a grin. Marcus couldn't hold his laughter in anymore and guffawed.

"Did you see his face?" he exclaimed, and the other three joined in the laughter. He held out his hand and he and Ron dapped, grins on their faces.

"Lav, mark it in your calendar! Hermione Granger admitted that I was right for once!" Ron said teasingly.

"There is a first time for everything, dear," Lavender teased back, greeting Hermione with cheek kisses. She motioned to Hermione's black dress. "Did you choose to do minimalist water, or something?"

"Or something," Hermione replied with a grin. She took a few steps back and then twirled, the skirts of her dress flaring up and the blue trim on the bottom igniting. With an impressive bit of enchanting, the blue strip, which upon closer look revealed to be undulating embers, flared up into a fire pattern that ignited her dress with her infamous Bluebell fire. As she stilled after a few rotations, the skirts of her dress swirled around her legs and showed off the ingenious fire that danced up along her body, the flames licking at her curves. The flames died down a moment later.

"Hermione, that is amazing! I need to know who your dress designer was! I need to compare notes," Lavender stated. Hermione grinned and promised to owl over those details in the morning.

A Sonorous announcement grabbed their attention, and the general talking died down. Marcus moved closer and Hermione leaned up against him, resting her head on his chest. With his hand on her hip and glaring at anyone trying to approach them, Hermione figured she could try to enjoy this ministry event, with Marcus as the eye candy for once.

After all, she might have to run one of these events in the future when she became Minister. She could only hope that Marcus wouldn't mind being the husband of the Minister.