A/N: This was a fun chapter to write :) Dress sizings are going to be touched upon here, and I just want to point out that sizes in the UK are one more than in the US so a size 6 here would be a size 4 in America. After some research I discovered that the sizings could also be 2 sizes difference instead of just one, so I pretty much gave up in figuring this out. I've made Hermione a UK 8 because that's the size I've been since I was 15 so I'm just going with it. I kept changing my mind if Ginny should be a 6 or a 4 but I settled for a 6... just go with it and accept it for what it is.. I have tried! :)
The Imp in the Mirror
4 days until the Yule Ball
"Bloody hell, Ginny where have you been?" Hermione asked in a panicky but relieved voice.
Ginny was wide-eyed when she jogged up to Hermione in the line in the Entrance Hall.
"Chill out, Mum, I just overslept," Ginny said dryly as she pulled on her hat and gloves.
"Then why did you just come out of the Great Hall?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"I'm a Weasley – food will always be a priority regardless if I oversleep," Ginny stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "why are you giving me the third-degree anyway?"
Hermione sighed and drew her winter robes tighter around her body as she and Ginny were cleared by Filch to head into Hogsmeade, and the bitter wind scraped against the skin on her face, "S-s-sorry. I was worried I'd have to go d-d-dress shopping without you. I wouldn't have a b-b-bloody clue what I was doing." Hermione tried to laugh but her teeth were chattering so much it was impossible to do so.
Snow was falling thick and fast, and was already an inch or so deeper on the ground than it had been when the girls had left the castle fifteen minutes ago. As much as they liked visiting the village, they were secretly envious of Harry and Ron, who had chosen to stay in the warmth of the castle walls since they already had their dress robes. Ron claimed he wanted to make the most of the peace, as most of the school would be going to Hogsmeade and would be staying at school for Christmas because of the Ball; however Harry had confided in Hermione that Ron simply didn't want to go because he didn't have enough money to buy replacement robes and it would be 'bloody torture' to watch everyone else buy lace and ruffle-less outfits whilst Ginny and Hermione shopped.
Regardless of Ron's sulking, Hermione told him that he and Harry would be more than welcome to join them for a drink in the Three Broomsticks in the afternoon, since they'd hopefully be finished by then. At first Ron seemed reluctant, but that was nothing a little bribery of Honeydukes sweets couldn't fix.
"Bloody hell," Ginny commented as they continued to trudge along the path to the little village, "I'm surprised this trip didn't get cancelled; those clouds look very ominous, don't you think?"
Hermione shielded her eyes from the snow with her hands and glanced up at the sky. Sure enough, dark grey clouds were grouping together, blocking out the already limited patches of blue.
"I s'pose they had to risk it since about half the school would want to buy stuff for the Ball today."
"Yeah but I would've thought safety would be Dumbledore's top priority," Ginny mused.
Hermione scoffed, "to be fair Gin, a bit of snow isn't exactly perilous compared to the bloody Triwizard Tournament that Dumbledore has allowed to happen, is it?"
"Good point. Merlin this school is so bizarre."
"Completely," Hermione agreed, "so where are we heading to first? And please decide quickly, my feet are like ice cubes."
"Malkin's Boutique. It's just opposite the Three Broomsticks. Come on."
Hermione followed Ginny to the shop, which had been specially opened by Madam Malkin's sister, Macie, to provide students with dresses, dress robes, shoes, accessories, jewellery, bags, make-up and pretty much anything the students would need for the Yule Ball. Hermione was a little sceptical when she saw how many students were cramming their way into the small building. She was more than a little convinced that there would barely be any room to breathe in there, but death-by-suffocation was worth it if it meant she and Ginny would get out of the freezing conditions – at least they'd be toasty inside.
Just like their tents had been at the Quidditch World Cup, the outside of the shop was very deceiving, and was thankfully much bigger than it appeared to be. The main space was large; about twice as long as it was wide. The front half of the shop had a high ceiling, whilst the back half had a tiered second floor, which was accessible via iron staircases at either side of the shop, so the ceiling was about half the height in this area.
Oak floorboards covered the ground, and the walls were stone painted white, with torches and ceiling-to-floor length mirrors covering them. The ground floor had rails upon rails of evening gowns and dress robes; sorted by colour, size, length, style and neckline – Hermione immediately regretted zoning out on Ginny's waffle the night before upon seeing this – and a long row of changing cubicles ran along the far wall.
Looking up to the floor above, Hermione could see several shoe boxes stacked against the right-hand wall. The remainder of the floor and walls on the upper level were clear of products or furniture, bar mirrors or wooden chairs for changing shoes. There were also several levitating flat discs that held bags, jewellery, make-up, nail polish and hair accessories hovering mid-air at random points.
It was like a haven for the majority of the girls in the school, though Hermione felt very overwhelmed and intimidated and she'd barely walked two paces across the threshold. Students were milling around all corners of the boutique; some chatting excitedly with their friends; some looking rather stressed; some were playing tug-of-war over outfits (though these games weren't very friendly); and some were holding up several similar outfits waiting for their date's approval. The boys in these scenarios seemed oblivious to what exactly the difference was between them, much to the chagrin of the girl.
Even Hermione couldn't decipher the differences; if Ginny weren't here there was a very good chance she would have run away…or fainted…whichever came first.
Ginny, for once, hadn't picked up on Hermione's dumbfounded awe. She too, was staring around the shop, though there was a wide grin on her face.
"Holy crap!" she exclaimed, a little breathlessly. Hermione was thinking the same thing, though in a completely different context and tone.
"Is everything okay, dearies?" A kind and slightly cockney voice said from nearby.
The two girls realised that they had been stood in the doorway for quite some time. They looked to where the voice came from and saw a small, plump woman squeezing herself through the narrow space between the wall and a rack of dresses. This manoeuvre wasn't the smoothest, for her spectacles were slightly crooked and her hair was coming loose from its bun when she emerged; however the witch was smiling.
Hermione inhaled sharply through her nostrils. It was like a bloody agility course in here; this would surely be the death of someone as un-athletic as her.
"Are you okay?" she asked the middle-aged witch sceptically.
"Oh yes, yes. It's part of the fun ain't it girlies?" she said cheerily as she fixed her hair again with a flick of her wand, "I remember when I was at Hogwarts; never had anything as fancy as the Yule Ball in my day," the woman sighed and momentarily spaced out at nothing in particular.
Ginny and Hermione exchanged looks; both were yet to decide what they thought of this woman. What Hermione did know, was that she was way too happy to be working somewhere like this. Ginny cleared her throat and the witch came to again.
"Oh, was I away with the pixies again? Apologies dearies, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Macie Malkin. I presume you are both acquainted with my sister?"
The girls nodded. "Splendid! Splendid!" Macie laughed, "Now if you're looking for shoes and accessories, go up the stairs and feel free to browse. If you're looking for dresses, follow me."
Macie turned and started walking to the left side of the room. Hermione and Ginny had to rush and swerve out of the way of bustling students to keep up with her. It was quite surprising that someone of Macie's stature and build could be so agile. Hermione felt like such a klutz in comparison.
Macie stopped in front of a large mirror with an ornate, carved, wooden frame and gently guided Ginny by the arm to stand in front of it, all the while humming to herself leisurely. Ginny turned to ask her what she was supposed to be doing when the voice of an upper-class English woman spoke.
"Ginevra Weasley. Height: 59 inches. Bust: 30 inches. Waist: 25 inches. Hips: 32.5 inches. Dress Size: 6."
"Thank you!" Macie replied to the disembodied voice. She had, at some point, whipped out a sheet of parchment and was scribbling down Ginny's measurements.
"What in the name of Godric's underpants just happened?" Ginny asked. She turned to Hermione at first, but she was just as stumped as her friend was. Hermione had never heard – or read – anything like this before. Then again, fashion-orientated charms and objects wasn't really her cup of tea.
"'Tis the mirror of Polly-Anne Padmore," Macie replied. Upon seeing Ginny and Hermione's blank expressions, she continued patiently, "ah, I forget how young you girls are. Polly-Anne Padmore was a famous designer in the Wizarding World. I was only a nipper myself when she died. Anyhoo she had a chain of studios and boutiques around the country; used to dress the most famous wizards of her time, Padmore did. Each one of her studios had a mirror just like this one to save time on all of that measuring malarkey my sister still insists on doing."
"How does the magic work?" Hermione asked; surprisingly feeling rather intrigued by the whole thing.
"No-one knows. It was Padmore's own invention. She never told a soul for fear o' other designers stealing her idea. Many people have wanted to dismantle one of the mirrors to find out how it worked, but Padmore used to go around telling ev'ryone there was a curse inside, so no-one would live to share her secret."
"That's a lie, surely." Ginny scoffed.
"That's what Martin Alvey said two years ago. Few days after he dismantled a mirror he was as dead as a doorknob."
Ginny's face fell and Macie started laughing, "Oh I'm just messin' with you, dearie. Of course it's probably just a myth but you never know do you? Anyway, take it away Parkin," Macie was seemingly speaking to the mirror by the end of her explanation.
"You named the mirror?" Hermione blinked rapidly in disbelief.
"Good gracious no," Macie laughed, "one of the carved imps on the frame of the mirror has a charm on it. Padmore originally intended it to be used as a kind of 'personal shopper' for her clients and customers in her boutiques, again to speed things up, but she and her husband had a falling out you see – he demanded Padmore to hand a vast amount of her profits to him or he'd divorce her. Padmore, being a strong woman, went straight to the divorce lawyers herself, so her husband altered the charm in the hope it would drive away business. Apologies in advance, dearie."
"What are you-" Ginny began, but she was cut off by another voice. This time, it was the deep voice of a man, though the upper-class accent remained.
"Oh dear, dear. Look at this ghastly complexion." The tone of the voice was obnoxious.
"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed. She spun around on the spot as she tried to identify the source of the voice. She heard the soft beating of wings around her ears, and finally her eyes landed on a peculiar looking thing. The small creature was apparently the charmed imp from the mirror, because it looked as though it was made of wood.
The imp looked a little like a pygmy puff snowman with wings. It had a pom-pom like body and head, with a cute though slightly pompous squashed in face that reminded Hermione of her cat, Crookshanks, and it's limbs were like those of Cornish pixies. It crossed its wooden arms as it scrutinised Ginny.
"Then again, I could say the same thing to you, Wood Grain," Ginny said dryly to the creature.
"Touché, Ginevra, though the name's Parkin," the imp flitted around her with its fingers on its chin, as though in deep thought. It was bizarre that such a deep voice could come from something so small.
"Hmm. Light, pastel hues would suit you best, Ginevra," Parkin confirmed as he circled back around to face Ginny, "it would compliment your Ginge- er, red hair nicely."
Ginny nodded, "well that narrows it down at least. Thanks, I think."
"Yes, yes, yes. I'm a genius I know, now move on." The imp waved its tiny hand away, and Ginny muttered a curse word under her breath at it before standing beside Hermione.
"You next, dearie," Macie smiled, parchment at the ready to take Hermione's measurements.
By the time she stood before the mirror, the imp had disappeared, and the disembodied female voice rang out.
"Hermione Granger. Height: 64 inches. Bust: 32 inches. Waist: 26 inches. Hips: 33 inches. Dress size 8."
"Thank you," Macie said as she scribbled the information down. She glanced at Hermione, "Apologies again. You know what's next."
Hermione gulped and readied herself. Whatever she and Ginny had planned the night before, being mildly insulted by a wooden imp certainly wasn't on their to-do list.
"Oh, heavens," the arrogant voice of Parkin met Hermione's ears. From years of being tormented by Draco, she knew all too well what the creature would throw at her, "this hair is just…hideous. I certainly don't envy your hairdresser, child. And these clothes certainly don't do you any justice. It is making my job rather difficult as I have no clue of your body shape is. Remove those winter robes, now."
The imp folded its arms. Hermione scowled at it. Never mind that she could handle it because of Draco: this thing could be Draco. She sighed and tossed her robes to the side, smoothing down her jumper the best she could.
"Hmm." Parkin circled around her like he did to Ginny, "you are very… stick-like, Hermione."
"You're one to bloody talk," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Yes I think we established that I am wooden when I was advising Ginevra."
"Insulting was more like it," Ginny cut in.
The imp ignored her and spoke to Hermione again, "What I meant, was that there is very little shape to you."
"I'm only fifteen!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Nevertheless," Parkin said pompously, "you're going to need a dress with some element of layering around the hips. A fitted bodice with that would look exquisite on you."
Hermione was shocked the imp was capable of saying nice things. She muttered her thanks to Parkin and moved to stand next to Ginny, not wanting to prolong her conversation with him any further.
"Well I hope his advice will help you two find perfect dresses, girls," Macie said kindly, "he may be an obnoxious creature but Parkin knows what he's talking about."
"Yeah he does," Hermione had to admit, "how come he said I need layering but not Ginny? She's just as skinny, if not skinner, than I am."
Macie perused her parchment, "well looking at your measurements, Ginevra has a greater difference of bust-to-hip ratio than you, Hermione. Perhaps that is why. You may question him if you wish, but I daresay you girls are anxious to get your shopping done now."
"I think I'll take his word for it," Hermione laughed humourlessly, "thank you Macie."
"Not at all dearies, now run along. Just come and find me if you need any assistance."
Hermione and Ginny nodded and turned towards the crowded shop floor.
"Should we separate to find our own dresses or should we stick together and do one at a time?" Ginny asked.
"Did you seriously just ask me that?" Hermione laughed.
"Okay, fine. So, let's get mine first, Stick Lady," Ginny grinned.
The girls managed to locate Ginny's dress quite easily once they managed to access the 'size 6' rails - a task that had been easier said than done. There was a constant crowd of students so it was a matter of 'push your way to the front, grab anything pastel-y and get out. Then 'keep what you like, push your way to the front, return unwanted dresses and repeat'. There was also the option of going to the rails that were sorted by colour, but that meant having to scrutinise each label for the size and given the hectic rush they had to work in, the girls opted for the size rails.
Hermione toyed with the idea of using a summoning charm, but she feared the dresses would get battered from being dragged through the crowd, so the job had to be done the Muggle way. The girls took it in turns to dive into the mass. After Hermione emerged for the third time with no new options, panting and red-faced, it was time for Ginny to try on the four dresses they managed to get.
Ginny was evidently very decisive when it came to knowing if she did or didn't like something, which was like a god-send to Hermione, who would be of no more use than the boys who had been dragged in by their dates if it came down to choosing for her friend. Hermione only ended up seeing Ginny in one of the dresses.
"Were the other ones so terrible that you couldn't face me?" Hermione joked.
"This is the only one that suits me," Ginny admitted, "two of them had quite low, scooped necklines that looked stupid with my non-boobs, and the purple one clashed horribly with my hair."
"Fair enough," Hermione said, "but I have to admit, I really like the one you have on."
"Me too," Ginny smiled as she examined herself in one of the giant mirrors, "that bloody imp really does know what he's on about," she added reluctantly.
The style of the dress was simple and sleeveless, with a mint green collar and overlay skirt. The main bodice and skirt were baby pink, and there was a hot-pink belt around the waist, as well as three stars of the same colour for decoration on the bodice. Hermione never would have dreamed that those colours would work together, but they did, and together, the colours only made Ginny's hair even more vibrant.
"Hey, there's even a bit of lace around the collar," Hermione pointed out.
"Even better. Ron would be even more convinced he'd be wearing a dress instead of robes now," Ginny smirked, "although it's a bit too long. I'll have to leave it here to be altered."
Hermione was about to respond when a disgruntled and shrill groan echoed around the room, which was saying something given how crowded and noisy the shop was. Pansy Parkinson came storming towards them. She stopped midway on her mission to get to Ginny's vacated changing cubicle to scrutinise the girl.
"Having fun dressing up like a box of sherbets, Weasley?"
"What's got you so worked up Parkinson?" Ginny asked, cleverly not rising to the jibe.
"That bloody little imp thing in the mirror," she snapped, tossing the dresses into the cubicle.
Ginny smirked, "what did he tell you, that you'd be better off buying your outfit in a Muggle pet shop? That is where they sell outfits for dogs after all."
Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or gasp at the boldness of Ginny's words. Pansy bristled; her eyes were stormy and fierce.
"Don't push your luck you filthy Blood-Traitor," she hissed.
At that moment, Viktor emerged from the crowd, looking very confused.
"Pansy, vhat are you doing? The imp told you not to buy dresses zat are not floor-length because your calves are too fat." He obviously didn't understand what was so wrong about what he said, for he merely blinked a few times when Pansy squeaked and drew the curtain across aggressively.
"Vhat did I say?" Viktor asked no one in particular. Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances and headed back to the throng of people once Ginny had found an empty cubicle and changed back into her normal clothes, leaving Viktor to his thoughts.
Ginny paid for her dress and explained the necessary alterations to Macie, who told her that the dress would be delivered to her dormitory before the Ball, so there'd be no need to come back to pick it up.
After that the girls repeated their earlier process, this time searching in the 'size 8' section of the 'style' rails (luckily this section was so big that it had to be divided up into sizes too). Several knocks, pushes and bumps later, Hermione strode towards the changing area again, just about able to carry the seven dresses she and Ginny hadn't discarded from the ten they found.
Unlike Ginny, Hermione had to come out of the cubicle for her opinion with every dress. There were many disagreements between the pros and cons of the first six; however the initial reaction of the seventh was identical with them both.
"Oh Godric, you look amazing!" Ginny squealed as a beaming Hermione emerged from behind the curtain.
"Do you really think so? I mean I think so too but I didn't want to sound vain," Hermione laughed as she walked to the nearest mirror. This was definitely her dress. It was a little expensive even though the entire shop had been priced fairly for a student market, but Hermione knew she had to get it. In that moment she finally understood why brides spent so much money on their dresses; it wasn't stupid or done to show off how rich they are, it was purely out of necessity and need for their perfect dress.
"That bloody imp was spot-on," Hermione mumbled to herself as she looked at her reflection. She had purposefully pulled out a couple of dresses that had no layering in the hope that she could prove Parkin wrong, but she did look like a shapeless stick in those. This dress was just perfect. It was a periwinkle shade that was more light blue than purple. It complimented her fair complexion beautifully, with a floor length skirt and fitted bodice. There were several floaty pieces of fabric attached to the skirt, giving her hips more shape, and the same material was used on the straps of the dress. The only decoration it had was a dark blue belt around her waist, but other than that it was simple and just right for Hermione.
Draco can get stuffed if he kicks up a fuss about this dress, Hermione thought, though a tiny part of her secretly hoped that he would approve of it.
The dress didn't need any alterations as Ginny's had done, but Hermione asked Macie to keep a hold of it and to send it over with Ginny's out of fear that she would somehow ruin it within the few days they had left until the Ball.
Dress bought, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, though her happiness was short-lived when Ginny dragged her up the stairs to buy the accessories. Hermione had no need for a bag, as really, what would she put in it? They were obviously for showing-off purposes, so she idly browsed the jewellery and hair accessories. She didn't really expect to find anything but she needed something to do whilst Ginny tried on shoes.
Hermione gave up on the jewellery eventually. It struck her that she had a pair of blue, crystal stud earrings in the shape of flowers that her Gran had bought her for her birthday, so she focused on the hair things. Merlin knows if there were a chance to throw Draco's hair insults back in his face she would take it.
She was about to give up on these too, as most of the products on display were either the wrong colour or too flashy and garish, but a glint of blue shone at her from somewhere in the pile on the levitating disc, and Hermione reached out to examine it.
"Whatcha found, Mione?" Ginny asked as she peeked over Hermione's shoulder, "that's so pretty, you have to buy it," she said as she took note of the barrette in Hermione's hand.
In the centre of the barrette was a blue flower that matched the colour of her dress perfectly. In the centre of the flower was a circular crystal that sparkled in the light. Spanning out from either side of the flower to the ends of the barrette were small blue leaves and scattered, smaller crystals. A smaller version if the flower was positioned at the very ends. It was elegant and beautiful, and Hermione wanted it so badly. Not only did it match her dress but it would go well with her earrings too.
With a pounding heart, Hermione flipped the price tag and let out a brief wail of despair. It was 9 Galleons and 17 Knuts: £45 in Muggle currency. It was ridiculously expensive for something so small, but Hermione still wanted to find some excuse to buy it. Never before had she felt like such a girl; first she was obsessing over things matching and now she wanted to waste her money for the purpose of one night- a night to be spent with Draco Malfoy, no less.
"Ouch," Ginny commented, "I guess that's what you get for those crystals."
"Mmm," Hermione said absently. She reluctantly placed the barrette back on the stand, but didn't take her eyes off it. So much for showing Draco up about the hair thing.
"What have you got, anyway?" Hermione asked as a means to distract her thoughts from the barrette.
"Some green flats and a mint-green choker necklace," she said, holding up each item as she did so.
Hermione nodded her approval. She needed shoes too but she didn't much fancy browsing now and buying shoes when the barrette was so close that Hermione could hear it calling her name, wanting to be bought. Hermione ignored its non-existent pleas and dragged Ginny down the stairs to pay for her accessories. She'd just have to settle for charming some of her own shoes to match the colour of her dress, or borrowing some from Lavender or Parvati.
Hermione and Ginny left the Boutique and hurtled across the street and into the Three Broomsticks as fast as they could; the snow was falling faster than it had been earlier and the wind had picked up considerably.
The two girls somehow managed to find an empty table in the crowded pub. Hermione slumped into one of the chairs and ordered two Butterbeers. She was exhausted after the couple of hours they had spent in the shop, and happily allowed relaxation to take over her body as she sipped her drink and chatted to Ginny.
Her bliss lasted for a whole two minutes when a new voice slithered its way into her brain.
"Hello, Granger," Draco Malfoy said.
To be continued...
A/N: The hair barrette was based on something I found online. If you want to see the picture there's a link on my profile :)
Okay, updates may be a little slower after chapter 13. I've been on chapter 14 for days. It's kind of a biggie and it's really quite long. I've changed it around about 3 times as it is so apologies if there's a bit of a pause after the next update or so. (I like to have chapters pre-written in case I want to go back and change anything.) Anyways I'll update you on this once ch13 is up.. hopefully I would have managed to make progress by then! Thanks everyone!