Hermione surreptitiously glanced at the clock as her students worked on their assignments. Ten minutes and the class was over. Her last class of the day could be dismissed and she could disappear into her rooms, to get ready. That night was the long awaited Halloween Ball, and she felt as if she could jump out of her skin with excitement.
Ever since tea with Mrs. Weasley, Hermione had been putting the plan they had come up with into action. Up to that night, The Plan had mostly consisted of subtle hints and covert changes in her behavior. Honestly, it hadn't been all that hard to progress in the direction she wanted, as she had already been heading that way, however unconsciously it had been. She just stepped up the pace her subconscious had set. Hermione glanced at the clock once more. Five minutes to go, and she could practically see the excitement pouring off the students in waves. Seems they were as excited as she. Hermione didn't see the harm in dismissing the class early.
"Students, I expect you to turn this assignment in first thing when you come to class Monday. I will not accept excuses due to the celebrations tonight, as you have all weekend afterwards. Remember I want six inches." As she spoke, the sound of rustling parchment filled the air as her students packed up. The excitement was rising, and she couldn't help but smile. "Class dismissed." Hermione found herself chuckling as her students nearly ran out the door.
The smile stayed in place as Hermione walked down the corridors to her rooms. She knew full well she had both her men nearly out of their minds at this point, with the little touches, the flirting, the affection she had been bestowing upon both men when alone - both when with just one of them, or the two of them. She had a feeling that both were trying to convince themselves that it meant nothing out of the ordinary, because when all three of them were together, she acted the same way. The only time her behavior hadn't changed, in fact, was when someone else was around. Save, of course, for when Ginny was added to their group. After all, Ginny was well aware of the plan.
Tonight was going to be, well, something else entirely. Her costume had been charmed by herself and the Weasley women. The intent was that her men would see a costume considerably more revealing than everyone else. Of course, they wouldn't know that, and it would keep her amused to see how long they could stand thinking that everyone saw what they saw, and it would be very interesting to see whom would break first. How they broke would be very telling. Of course, they would be hard pressed to get her out of there too early, as they were all listed as chaperons for the first half of the event, and couldn't leave before about 11, when the other half of professors came on shift. She had, very sneakily, swiped the sign-up list from McGonagall before they could, and signed all three of them up for the early shift. Left to their own devices, they probably would have each taken a shift to make sure that a Slytherin professor was present to catch any students acting inappropriately.
Once she reached her quarters, Ginny was already there waiting for her. Before they each went their separate ways, Ginny was going to help Hermione set up her rooms just perfectly for what Hermione hoped would happen. Hermione knew that candles and rose petals were over done, and rather blatant, and she wanted something different for her boys. The bed coverings were changed to luxurious silk sheets, and a down feather duvet. The fire in both her bedroom and her common room were lit, and she made sure that flu access was shut down.
The silencing charms were reinforced, because she knew from experience that both she and Draco could get very... vocal. The wall scones were lit, leaving a quiet ambiance in the rooms. A few candles were placed and lit, for their aroma rather than the light. She had placed a few honeysuckle candles around, for the bonds of love she hoped to form. She would have used some vanilla, but knew that Severus disliked the smell. Similarly, she detested the smell of roses, so that was out. She instead chose Sandalwood and Jasmine, as both were heady romantic smells. Not to mention that sandalwood was her favorite. The scents were rising and mingling, creating a lovely smell that she felt she could almost wrap herself in.
Her last touch, before Ginny left and she went to take a bath, was placing a bottle of good red wine in an ice bucket off to the side of the fire in the common room, three glasses waiting on the end table there. Then a simple concealment charm to make sure the men didn't notice the changes in the room when they came to escort her to the ball. Ginny said goodbye, giggling on her way out the door, and Hermione double checked the safety charms on the candles (so her rooms wouldn't burn down while she was gone) before heading to her bath.
Lavender salts in the bath would help sooth her nervousness over this whole thing, and her usual passion flower soaps and lotions would give her a sense of normality over this whole thing. Besides, Draco had said more than once that he liked the scent on her, and Severus certainly seemed to appreciate it when she was near. Stepping out of the bath, she used a quick charm to apply the lotion to her skin.
Pulling her costume out, she couldn't help the devious smile that appeared on her face. It was, simply, a harem girl outfit. The charm they had put on it assured that where everyone else would see a solid material of deep forest green, her men would see sheer material of the same color.
Charming her hair smooth and straight, Hermione placed the headpiece made of fine silver chains and silver coins over her hair. It created a net of chains that continued down the full length of her hair, which fell to her hips. Among the charms the seamstress had put into the outfit before she bought it included one to prevent the chains from tangling and snatching at her hair. It was small things like that which made her grateful to be a witch. Next came the top, which was a shimmering silver material to cover her assets, as well as hold them in such a way as to supply some truly magnificent cleavage, if she did say so herself. Attached to the silver material, and covering her abdomen where it did not, were scarves of the green material. Beneath that, her men would be able to see the emerald she'd charmed to her bellybutton, much in the way muggles pierced their flesh. Attached to the back of the top, and leading to silver bracelets on either wrist, were wide strips of the green material, giving her wings of a sort.
The underwear was bikini cut, and made of the same silver material. No one but her men would see those however, as the loose, green pants covered them, sitting low on her hips. Around the waistband, she placed a belt that matched the headpiece, made of the same fine chains and coins. There were anklets to go around each of her ankles, and the one on her right foot had a chain that let to a toe ring - in a sort of slave-bracelet. Her feet would remain bare, but a simple charm would keep them clean as she walked around. The same charm would also make sure that nothing would hurt her feet, in case she walked over a sharp rock or anything similar.
The last touches were a face scarf of the green material on a chain that attached to the headpiece, silver bracelets that were placed on each of her upper arms, a necklace around her throat that copied the net pattern of the headpiece, silver coin earrings, and a silver hoop running through her nose. Thanks to another charm, the piercing in her nose was painless and quickly healed. Tomorrow she would remove the hoop and heal the hole. Another charm applied the makeup to her face, shading her lips a deep and dusky red beneath the scarf, and applying greens and charcoals to her eyes. A glance in the full sized mirror in her bathroom had her nodding her head in satisfaction. The makeup gave her eyes a smoky, seductive look – exactly what she and the Weasley women had wanted when they decided on it.
Her men would be able to see, through the sheer material, almost every inch of her skin while everyone else would only see her feet, arms, and upper chest. And since Draco and Severus would be escorting her to the hall, she pulled out the last piece of the costume. It was a full hooded cloak in the same deep green color, though this was not sheer even to her men, that was fur lined and trimmed. The fur was the silver gray of the arctic wolf. Hermione managed to pull the cloak on, fasten the silver clasp around her throat, and pull the hood up just in time, as she heard the men knocking on her door. Sending a quiet question to her portrait, the woman in the painting confirmed it was indeed Severus and Draco.
"Come in!" Hermione quickly schooled her expression into a calm smile, instead of the anticipatory smirk she really felt like, even though all they would see would be the sheer green material draped over her mouth. Looks of disappointment passed over both Draco and Severus' faces, and she allowed a grin to form on her face. "Don't like the cloak, gentlemen?" She walked over to stand between them, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Not unlike the one Albus always had, and she knew if they could see it, it would raise the ire of both men.
"Hermi, you know we were hoping to be the first ones to see your costume!" Draco smirked at her, looking devilishly handsome in his pirate costume. Given how he looked in the knee high boots, black leather pants, and white shirt, with his blond hair pulled into a braid, she couldn't bring herself to regret dragging him to see Pirates of the Caribbean the summer after they graduated. The hat he wore was very Jack Sparrow, and he had transfigured something into the pistol and sword Johnny Depp had carried in the movie, along with the matching belts and sheaths. Yummy to say the least.
"Couldn't you just give us a peek then?" Severus said with a grin on his face. He was equally as yummy in his pin-stripe suit and fedora as a 1920's American Mobster. He to had transfigured a tommy-gun with a drum magazine, and was carrying it via strap on his shoulder. He also had an unlit cigar tucked into the pocket of the jacket, in front of the white handkerchief. His black hair, which students assumed to be greasy and was actually just that smooth and silky, was pulled back into a tight ponytail at the base of his neck.
Hermione knew full well that had Albus not imposed a mandatory costume rule for the professors, Severus would have been in his teaching robes like he'd been at every Halloween ball while she'd still been in school. She was sure he would have figured out a way to still pull that off, had Albus not made himself perfectly clear that he expected each and every professor to actually put effort into their costumes – while looking directly at Severus.
Her smirk, she knew, could rival either of theirs as she leaned forward and kissed them both on the cheek in turn, the material of her face scarf ghosting over their skin. "That would ruin my fun Severus! You wouldn't want to do that now would you?" She could practically feel their desire to see what she was wearing as she started to glide out of the room in front of them. "Oh, would one of you be so kind as to cast a warming charm on me? I've never been to good with them, after all!" She stopped and turned to look over her shoulder as she asked, and allowed herself to giggle at the looks on their faces. From confusion, to understanding, to curiosity magnified ten-fold. Severus was the first to regain his composure, and whipped out his wand to cast the requested spell. Hermione felt the pleasant brush of his magic as his charm settled around her.
Continuing her glide out of the room, she knew that they would catch peaks of her green-painted toenails beneath her cloak as she walked. She smiled to herself, knowing that phase 1 of The Plan was working well. Hiding under the cloak until the great hall, the request of a heating charm when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself, the peak of her toes, were all part of it. All little hints designed to get their curiosity to almost unbearable levels. She knew she was being sneaky on a level even some Slytherins never managed, but a woman almost always could.
*~*~*~*~*POV*~*~*~*~*
Severus decided that Hermione knew she was teasing. The only question in his mind was, which one of them? A side glance at Draco told him that the blond was just as intrigued – nay, insanely curious – about her costume as he. The request told him that she was wearing... less than was necessary for the cold weather, as the ground was covered in snow thanks to the flurries the two days previous.
He and Draco moved to catch up to her, and Severus' eyes narrowed has he spotted her bare feet under the hem of the cloak. Since the cloak trailed the ground, he could only see her toes – and were the nails painted Slytherin green? - when she took a step forward. Over her head, Severus caught Draco's eyes, and nodded for him to watch. He kept his eyes on Draco's face, and so was able to pinpoint the exact moment Draco saw Hermione's toes by the surprised widening of his eyes.
Severus knew that the time was fast approaching when Hermione would choose one of them. Even after the recent attack and flashback, she was surely working past her rape. There were even times that he thought he could see desire in her eyes when she looked at him, but he couldn't be right, as he had also seen that same look on her face when she looked at Draco. The problem was he couldn't seem to catch a clue as to which of them she truly wanted, as she treated them both exactly the same. At least, when all three of them were together, and she didn't treat him any differently than that when it was just the two of them.
Of course he couldn't guess as to how she treated Draco when it was just the two of them, and it was that fact that gave him pause. Surely it was Draco that she would turn to. There was, after all, the past relationship between the two of them. Severus knew he didn't stand a chance – the only thing between him and Hermione, from her point of view, was friendship.
Sure, he'd been in love with her for years. A love that had only grown deeper, had only entrenched itself more firmly in his heart while he was caring for her these past months. She, surely, only saw it as the care of a friend, rather than a man who loved her deeply. The, admittedly limited, experience he had with women suggested her behavior tonight meant that she was ready to let her choice know that she was ready for a relationship. The mystery, the deliberate teasing, it practically oozed seduction. The question of who she was seducing was driving him nearly insane.
He saw that they were approaching the Great Hall, and made sure that his typical sneer was plastered across his face. No students had arrived yet, as it was tradition that the Professors be present and seated when the students began to enter. As per usual, supper would be first served and then the festivities would ensue. Severus was looking forward to docking some serious points for out of bounds students – it always put him in a better mood, and if he had to find out for sure that the woman he loved chose someone else, his mood needed all the help it could get.
*~*~*~*~*POV*~*~*~*~*
Draco caught the look Severus was giving him over Hermione's head. He started paying attention to the area he indicated, and nearly choked when he saw Hermione's toes peek out from under the cloak. Barefoot? She was barefooted? Oh sweet Merlin what was she wearing? All they had seen so far were green-painted toenails and a green scarf covering what little bit of her face they could see beneath the cloak.
By the look on his face, Severus knew better than he what was going on with Hermione. Draco, himself, couldn't figure it out. She was doing a wonderful job of frustrating him with the same physical closeness they shared when they had been lovers, but she was the same with Severus, at least when he could see. Gods, what did it mean?
Why did he get the distinct feeling that he was going to need to start reciting Arithmancy formulas when she took off that cloak? He could, at least, be comforted about the fact that they were going to a ball that would be filled with the students, and she wouldn't wear anything overtly suggestive. Right? Of course, with Hermione, she could be covered from chin to toe and he would still want her. He always would, despite the fact that he knew well that she was in love with Severus. When she was ready for an intimate relationship, he would be pushed aside. Oh Merlin, what that it?
As they approached the Great Hall, Draco schooled his face. While the students couldn't be allowed to see anything other than their Auror Defense teacher, he certainly didn't want the other professors to see anything either. Nosy coworkers that they were, Dumbledore especially!
Regardless of how schooled his expression was, Draco noted the curious smirk on Ginny's face. It was a look that was rather disturbing on a Gryffindor's face. Well, except for his Hermi, that was. That damnable twinkle was, naturally, present in Dumbledore's eyes. They took their seats, and a wave of Dumbledore's hands closed the doors to the Great Hall. Theatric old coot probably wanted the students to gather in the hallway before opening them to the Halloween decorations. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw McGonagall pull her wand, and seconds later her announcement echoed throughout the castle.
"Students may now leave their common rooms." Draco couldn't shake the feeling that this would be a long night.
*~*~*~*~*POV*~*~*~*~*
Hermione couldn't help the anticipation building in her heart. She would, one way or another, convince them both that this would work – and she would do it tonight.
Her cloak would stay pulled up over her head until the students had arrived and dinner was served. Once her food was in front of her, she would lower the hood, and her arms would slide out of the arm splits in the cloak, giving her men a hint of her costume. Once the dancing began, she would leave the cloak behind to join everyone on the floor.
It didn't take long after Minerva's announcement for the sound of students gathering outside the doors. She figured that Albus was only waiting for the majority of the students to get there. Once he decided to open the doors, the students would be treated to the decorations of the Great Hall as designed by the Head Girl and Prefects.
The Great Hall was actually rather magnificent, in a run-down, creepy, haunted castle sort of way. The Head Girl was muggleborn, and had chosen a horror/haunted theme for the decorations. As the doors to the hall slowly creaked open, she saw the crowd of students in their many different, and some very colorful, costumes. The sight they were treated to was quite similar to what Hermione imagined muggles thought they would see when they saw the broken ruins, instead of Hogwarts herself. The walls themselves were charmed to look aged, dirty, and crumbling. Spiderwebs covered the walls, and hung between the arches, below the ceiling that appeared to be broken and open to view the full moon above. Though it was actually cloudy outside, the Headmaster had adjusted the charms at the Head Girl's request.
Here and there you caught glimpses of young acromantulas, maybe about a meter across from leg tip to leg tip at the most, moving over the webs high on the walls. The Professors and Prefects knew the were illusions, of course, as acromantulas would never be allowed into the school regardless of size because of their violent nature. Hermione knew of Aragog, of course, but Hagrid had hidden him. Near the arches, skeletons hung from chains. Jack-o-lanterns, carved with creepy faces, cats, and scenes of the full moon, floated above the students heads. Upon the house tables were tall candelabras covered with cobwebs, and on the table surface the cobwebs continued between the platters where the food would appear. Caught in the webs were finger bones, rat skeletons, lizard mummies, and various other creepy props. And over everything, was a layer of dust that didn't seem to move even as the students walked over it, or ran their fingers through it.
In the corner, a goblin band played a mix of traditional muggle Halloween music, which they must have gotten from the Head Girl, and wizarding music. Well, actually that was the plan. They wouldn't begin to play until after dinner, but they were set up anyway. At the moment, a charm Professor Flitwick had cast was providing the auditory ambiance. That it, they could hear the wind, various crickets and frogs, and the occasional howl of a wolf. Hermione was absolutely delighted with the student's reactions as they settled into their seats quietly. Well, mostly quietly as one younger girls in Hufflepuff screamed suddenly when one of the phantom spiders appeared in front of her plate.
Once everyone was seated, Albus stood, and waved his arms. It didn't surprise her a bit that he was dressed as Merlin, staff included. One tap of that staff on the ground, and the food appeared on the tables. "Let's Eat!"
Hermione was very aware of the men on either side of her as her hands slipped from beneath her cloak, and her hood lowered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tell-tale widening of Severus' eyes, and she adjusted her head slightly to see the smirk on Draco's face. Her eyes met Ginny's and they both grinned. Hermione then reached up to unhook the scarf across her face, so that she could eat.
*~*~*~*~*POV*~*~*~*~*
Severus almost didn't stop the surprised look that wanted to appear on his face. The first thing that when through his mind, when he saw her bare arms adorned with the silver bracelets and the strip of sheer material, was 'no wonder she needed the warming charm.' That, of course, was closely followed by 'Dear Merlin' when she lowered her hood to show the same material across her face was attached to a chain headpiece. It was unmistakable, he knew that a headpiece like that was only found in the Far East. With the face scarf and the bracelets, it wasn't hard to deduce from there that she was wearing the traditional garb for either a belly dancer, or a harem girl.
Either option bounced around in Severus' head, and he knew it would drive him crazy until she took that cloak off. Over Hermione's head, he caught Draco's eye, and knew that the two of them were in complete agreement. They both sincerely hoped that the face scarf and the material attached to her bracelets was the only shear material in the costume. Severus didn't think he'd be able to handle even an inch more than that. Draco didn't look like he would be able to either.
Severus lamented the fact that he would not be able to slip away from the Ball before 11 o'clock, he wouldn't be able to go and hide in his rooms. His Hermione had made sure of that when she didn't even let them sign up for their own shifts. Then she had charmed the bloody parchment so that he couldn't change it later.
At that point, it was far from difficult to maintain the sneer on his face. Thoughts of Hermione getting closer to Draco and pushing him aside were more than enough to keep that going. Perhaps he allowed a little too much force to enter his hands as he stabbed his fork into his food, but so what? Everyone would just think that he was pissed about being in costume – which he was, to be frank. More truthfully, he just didn't want to be there at all. His heart was going to be broken, he could see it coming, but all he could do was watch. Like a train wreck, he just couldn't look away. So, for now, his steak would just have to be mutilated.
*~*~*~*~*POV*~*~*~*~*
Draco's suspicions about thoughts of arithmancy were confirmed when Hermione drew down the hood of her cloak. The headdress and arm adornments suggested a costume that by definition was meant to entice and arouse the opposite sex. On one hand, he applauded her willingness to wear something like that after what she had been through. However, at that moment, all he could truly think of was how he was going to keep himself from dragging her out of the hall and away from hungry, hormonal teen-aged male eyes.
If he knew his Hermi at all, he didn't worry about much other than her arms and feet being bare – but that hardly made a difference in his mind. Of course, he was still trying to figure out her reasons for remaining covered for this long - and it appeared that she was having no problems keeping the cloak on throughout dinner. The whinny preteen brat he used to be was in the back of his mind, going on and on about how he was supposed to be suave, debonair, and charming, and that it was most definitely not supposed to be this difficult to understand a single woman – a Gryffindor one especially!
To be honest, Draco was sure of only three things at that moment. The first, was that Hermione was going to be the death of him. The second, was that he was going to have to draw on every bit of self control he'd ever learned to keep himself from wrapping her in her cloak and dragging her out of the hall and away from the lustful gazes of the teenagers all around them. The last, was that Severus was going to be in a very similar situation as himself. That, he knew, because he was listening to Severus attack his food with far more force than necessary.
Dinner passed quickly enough, and with a wave of the headmaster's hands, the house tables were replaced by smaller round tables scattered around the perimeter of the dance floor. He watched sourly as the Head Girl and Head Boy opened the Ball with their dance. He managed to miss Hermione slipping from her seat and disappearing into the crowd of students. His eyes did, however, nearly jump out of his skull when he turned to say something to her, and the only think that was left was her fur lined cloak draped over the back of her seat. Severus was still scowling at his plate on the other side of the open seat. They appeared to be the only professors that had yet to join the masses out on the floor.
Draco's swift departure from his seat was still not enough to grab Severus' attention, so on his way out to the floor, Draco caught the Potion Master's attention with a light tap on the shoulder as he passed. It was not like the man to be so unaware of his surroundings, years as a spy requiring 'constant vigilance,' a practice Moody had drilled into his head in auror training. Draco sensed that Severus was behind him, and he could guess that the other man was on the same mission as himself. To find Hermione, and asses the threat level, to use another auror term. The feeling in the pit of Draco's stomach told him that this could be bad, very bad, for himself and Severus.
*~*~*~*~*POV*~*~*~*~*
Ginny was keeping track of the two Slytherins as they left the head table. It was her job, as part of The Plan, to keep an eye on their reactions, and run interference if it appeared that either one of them were about to do something stupid. If it became necessary, she would tip them off to the fact that they were the only ones who could see through the green material of Hermione's costume. They had discussed the necessity of it during tea with her Mum. Hermione had even made sure that Ginny was capable of being subtle enough so that Severus and Draco could figure it out, and not believe that they had been told on purpose.
Though Ginny still didn't understand it, that was apparently rather important. When she had asked why they needed to do it that way, her mother had told her that if she ever needed to use such tactics to capture her own man, she would understand why it was important that they thought it was their idea. That was when Ginny learned that her own mother had needed to resort to such subtlety to capture the attention of an oblivious Arthur Weasley.
Ginny saw the exact moment that Draco and Severus spotted Hermione, and her costume in its entirety. For the first time in her life, she witnessed Severus Snape's jaw hitting the ground. And though she had not witnessed Hermione punching Draco during her own second year, his gob-smacked look was rather similar to what she had imagined his face to look like when the event had later been described in the Gryffindor common room.
Hermione, for her part, was engaged in a cheerful dance with the Headmaster, surrounded by a throng of students. Catching her friend's eye across the dance floor, Ginny gave a slight nod to let Hermione know that the objects of The Plan had seen her. The satisfied grin on Ginny's face was enough to let Hermione know that their initial reaction was what they had been hoping for. Of course, Ginny was quickly on the move, because it didn't take Severus and Draco long to get over their shock, and start to make a bee-line for Hermione.
Thinking, and moving quickly, Ginny managed to maneuver herself into their path casually enough to make it seem as if she had been in that spot all along, and they had just happened to run into her. Pasting a look of confused concern onto her face, Ginny stopped the men in their tracks.
"What is the problem Sev? Draco? You both look rather angry. I know you weren't pleased with the costume requirement, but I didn't believe that either of you were angry enough about it for it to show!"
Letting them know that they were both visibly and obviously upset was enough to get them to slow down and actually look at her, instead of through her.
Ginny, herself, was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. Given the press of the dance floor, she had left her picnic basket up on the head table. She wore heeled maryjanes, white stockings, a red mid-thigh length dress, a white apron, and of course the short little hooded red cape. Given that, Ginny couldn't help but compare both men's looks to that of the hungry werewolf in the fairytale. (Yes, in the original wizards' tale, it was a werewolf. The woodsman was actually a werewolf hunter carrying a silver axe.)
When Severus finally answered her, his words came out in a growl. "Have you seen Hermione's costume?" While Severus had spoken to her, Draco had turned back to search again for Hermione. Ginny knew that as soon as Hermione had spotted Ginny's interception, she would have disappeared out of sight to give Ginny time to take care of them. Meanwhile, it didn't surprise Ginny one bit that she had to enact the "if necessary" part of the plan less than an hour into the dance.
"Yes. I was there when she picked it up. Isn't it lovely?" The look on Severus' face was one she was much more familiar with, and it brought her back to potions class, when someone had done something especially stupid. This was a look that said 'you're an imbecile.' "To be honest, she was a bit worried about that material, but I was absolutely sure that it was plenty thick enough that even next to a fire, you wouldn't be able to see through it." There was the absolute confusion appearing on both their faces as Draco turned his full attention back to her. Now, for the nail in the proverbial coffin. "Really, all it took to keep the scarfs around her stomach from flying up and showing off her abdomen was a little spell-o-tape. I told her she didn't need to worry about anyone seeing a single bit of skin that she didn't want them to see!"
Severus had regained his composure half way through her comments, so she wasn't exactly sure when he figured it out. Draco, however, didn't manage so well. She could almost hear the bell go off in his mind before he too regained his glacial mask of indifference. Ginny could now go back to her mother and tell her that, no, she didn't need to wait until she was pursuing her own man to understand why the subtlety was necessary. Watching Severus and Draco demonstrated the point beautifully. She almost couldn't wait until both men nodded their acknowledgement to her and drifted away – much more calmly – to locate Hermione to allow the smirk spread across her features. Now she got to sit back and watch Hermione evade the two increasingly frustrated (and aroused) men for the next three hours.
Ginny dutifully kept her eyes on them as she enjoyed the music, food, dancing, and frivolity of the students during the celebrations of All Hallows Eve. She had plans of putting their reactions throughout the dance into a pensive, and sharing it with her Mum as promised. By the time 11 o'clock came, Ginny was convinced that The Plan had been, and would continue to be an absolute success.
*~*~*~*~*STORY*~*~*~*~*
I do believe that next chapter could very well be the conclusion of the journey.