The Hogwarts grounds were sprinkled in a thick layer of freshly fallen snow that accompanied the arrival of the winter holydays.
It was precisely a week before the start of the winter break.
The student body was busy running errands to Hogsmede as it was the last weekend before the break when they would be able to purchase last minute gifts and such. However, the majority of the female population of Hogwarts was busy with a much more important task. For you see, dear reader, in an attempt to somewhat alleviate the sullen mood that had engulfed the school as a result of the impending war, the professors had decided that a winter ball would be well suited.
Thus, our story finds Hermione Granger wondering the crowded streets of Hogsmede accompanied by Ginny Weasley and Lavender Brown. The latter two were currently engaged in animated chatter regarding their dresses and the makeup they planned for the upcoming ball, certainly matters of utmost importance. Hermione, however, was nowhere near as interested in the matter. She even debated not going, however, she was well aware that such a stunt would be unacceptable as she was head girl. Thus with a sigh of gloom, she attempted to push the miserable affair into the back of her thoughts, though it was rather hard considering it was the only thing people seemed to be talking about these days.
"Hermione, you never told me what you're going to wear? I'm dying to know!" questioned an overly excited Ginny, snapping Hermione out of her thoughts.
She considered the question for a few moments, gazing at the younger girl briefly before answering. "I'm not sure yet. I'm sure I have something in my closet that can be deemed suitable."
"You must be joking!" shrieked Ginny in astonishment.
"And a rather bad joke at that!" replied the equally shocked Lavender. "This is the event of the year and you mean to say you have yet to buy a dress! Hermione Granger, have you lost your mind?"
"Certainly not! I just, well, I don't quite understand what all the fuss is about," replied Hermione, stubbornly. "It's just a bloody ball, nothing special. I might just wear the robes I wore in fourth year to the ball."
"You will most certainly do no such thing!" gasped Ginny, grabbing Hermione's forearm and dragging her into a different direction than the one they had previously been walking in.
"Where are we going?" asked Hermione, attempting to pull free.
"To find you a dress, of course!" replied Ginny brightly. "And there will be no arguing, mind you."
The trip to Gladrags Wizardwear was not a very long one, and within minutes, Hermione found herself in the formal wear section, surrounded by rows upon rows of extravagant dresses. Lavender and Ginny were flipping through the dresses throwing the ones that deemed suitable across one of the fitting room chairs while Hermione gloomily wondered around. There was nothing in particular that caught her eye, but she decided to give in none the less.
She did not have the energy to fight them.
"I'm thinking red or gold, in honour of our house. She is head girl so she might as well show some house pride," murmured Ginny as she examined a puffy red dress.
"Oh or pink! I just love pink don't you?" gasped Lavender holding a piece of fabric that was far too revealing to be deemed a formal dress.
After what seemed like an eternity, Hermione was finally ushered into the fitting room by the two excited girls and instructed to try on each and every one of the gazillion dresses pilled high on the chair. Sceptically glancing at the pile, she immediately eliminated the ones that were downright preposterous before commencing to try anything on.
Most of Ginny's choices were truly horrifying piles of suffocating taffeta bathed in seas of gaudy sequins. On the other hand, many of the garments Lavender chose were made out of thin strips of material connected at strategic angles so as to not fall right off. Hermione had difficulty figuring out how to put most of them on as the lack of fabric was truly startling.
After about half an hour and what felt like a million dresses later, Hermione came out wearing the last one left in the pile , a burgundy number that tied around her neck and fell asymmetrically, one side around her knee while the other to the floor.
Hermione surveyed herself in the mirror, scrunching her nose in disapproval. For one, the dress was too big around the bust making her appear ungracefully manly. Furthermore, the material which was most likely synthetic due to its exaggerated sheen did not clothe her figure very gracefully as it wrinkled and clung to all the wrong bits.
"Overall, a disaster," muttered Hermione, as she turned around to re-enter the change room and done her normal wear. "Frankly, I don't particularly like any one of them."
"But Hermione," whined Lavender. "What about the strawberry pink one? I think that it looked stunning on you."
"Yes certainly, apart for the fact that if I bend even slightly I would make every male in the room quite happy," muttered Hermione sarcastically.
"But you have to pick something, Hermione," said Ginny. "Otherwise you'll have nothing to wear!"
"Yes I assure that I will make an effort and find something that I like, as impossible as it may be. Are there any other dress shops that you two may know of?" she asked feeling a pulsing headache coming on.
"Well, there is that one place on the north side of Hogsmede, next to the tea shop," replied Lavender slowly.
"Oh yes I know the one you're talking of. But blimey is it ever expensive. I walked in with Padma one day and we nearly ran out after seeing the prices," replied Ginny. "They did have some beautiful dresses however, all silk and lace."
"Well I might as well pay them a visit. I really have nothing to loose," replied Hermione as she put her cloak back on and gather her things. "You two can go ahead without me. If I remember correctly we were supposed to meet Harry and Ron at the Three Broomsticks."
"Are you sure you don't mind going alone, Hermione?" asked Ginny, though it was evident she did not care much for the answer as the thought of seeing her boyfriend thrilled her even more than dress shopping.
"I'm certain. I know I can be quite difficult in regards to these things so there is really no point in dragging you two along as well," answered Hermione, a genuine smile touching her lips though it was caused by the fact that she would finally have some peace.
The three girls parted ways in front of the store, and Hermione soon found herself making her way down a far less crowded road towards the dress store. She noted that not that many students frequented this part of Hogsmede, and silently prayed that she would not bump into anyone upon reaching her destination.
She really needed some alone time.
As she battled the cold wind and sudden flurries of snow, she reasoned that it was not completely unreasonable to visit this store. It may be more expansive, however, the dresses she had seen at Gladrags really did not impress her. Many were completely tasteless, made out of cheap synthetic materials. She preferred to pay a bit more for a quality piece that she would enjoy wearing rather than buy something that she was not completely infatuated with. Her mother had always taught her to pick quality over quantity and to buy items made out of natural materials such as cotton, silk and linen, rather than synthetics. She had not been raised to be snobby but had always been taught to pick the finer things in life as any true lady would. Those lessons had always stayed with her, often preventing her from ever purchasing items that were impractical yet all the rage, in exchange for more sensible, timeless items.
She finally reached her destination and glanced up at the sign of the store which read "Madame Du Maurier's Fine Wear". She hesitantly entered the store, noting how drastically it differed from Gladrags. This was certainly a much classier place, though it was currently empty. A tall, elegant woman stood behind the counter. She wore dark grey robes and her blonde hair was coiffed into a simple yet elegant chignon.
"Hello," muttered Hermione, slightly unsure of herself in the extravagant setting.
"Hello, dear. How may I help you today?" replied the woman, in a surprisingly pleasant tone.
"Well you see, I'm looking for a gown," replied Hermione looking around, "for the ball."
The woman coolly appraised her before walking around the counter and among the racks. "I'm surprised you came here, my dear. Much of the younger set, save for a certain few, generally choose Gladrags," she commented as she browsed through the racks. Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust, earning a slight chuckle from the elder woman.
"I already went there but I daresay I was quite disappointed," replied Hermione. "Their wear was far to exaggerate, not to mention that they certainly lack in quality."
"A young woman with taste," commented the elder woman as she eyed her keenly. "I come across fewer and fewer such people every day."
The compliment earned a slight smile from Hermione as she too began to look through the racks of expensive dresses. She picked out two dresses that suited her taste, one midnight blue and one in silver before making her way towards the back of the store.
"I picked out a few that I thought might suite you quite well," stated the shop owner as she prepared a spacious fitting room for her. "Go ahead and try them on. If you need any help you shall be able to find me in the front," she said before pulling the curtain.
Hermione sighed in relief, pleased by the tranquil atmosphere offered by the store as well as by the welcoming yet not fawning nature of the shop owner. She set out and tried each dress, marvelling at the softness of the fabrics and perfect detail in which the material was worked.
She liked each and every dress, however, she felt that she had yet to find the one that truly stood out. The last dress she had to try on was the silver one that she had picked out earlier. Once securely dressed, Hermione walked out of the fitting room to examine herself in the large, three panel mirror. She gasped in surprise upon seeing herself.
The gown truly was stunning, though slightly more revealing than she would have preferred. It was made out of fine silvery silk that delicately draped her body and accentuated her best features. It fell to the floor in delicate drapes that formed a slight train behind her, while a rather provocative slit ran across her right knee. The top part was fitted with an inner corset secured to her torso. Two snake like stripes of silvery sequins and crystals were stitched across the front, intersecting along the left side. One of the stripes crossed her right shoulder and snaked its way across her bare midback to the left side of the dress, perfectly holding the material in place.
The fineness of the material made her feel like royalty, though she wondered if it was perhaps too extravagant. A lazy clapping snapped her out of her trance as she hurriedly turned around to find none other than Draco Malfoy eyeing her from across the room. He carelessly sat on the waiting room sofa, with his arms behind his head and legs lazy draped across the sofa.
"Bravo, Granger. I didn't think you had it in you," he drawled. "I thought that my little challenge would be met by deaf ears but apparently, you chose to pleasantly surprise me instead."
"W-what do you mean?" she stammered, feeling slightly uneasy by the way his hungry eyes locked onto hers. He stood up then, advancing towards her with the strides of a graceful predator. He proceeded to slowly circle her, examining the dress up and down before finally meeting her eyes once more.
"I mean this," he gestured to her dress. "It's certainly stunning, but it's much riskier than anything I ever pictured you as picking out."
"It is rather revealing isn't it?" muttered Hermione, attempting to cover herself.
"On the contrary, it's quite perfect. Quite... Slytherine of you if I do so say so myself," he continued.
"Slytherin? How so?" she questioned in alarm. It certainly wouldn't do for the head girl to be supporting the Slytherins, especially considering the whole Gryfindor-Slytherin matter. And of course the whole muggleborn-prejudiced bigots matter had to be taken into consideration as well.
"Well, it is silver. Have you forgotten, little kitten?"
"It's grey thank you very much," she replied in outrage. Really, even if it was silver why did it mater? There was not a single sprinkle of green on the damn thing, and that was what really mattered.
"Keep telling yourself that, kitten. Nevertheless, I daresay our little chat had quite the positive effect, hmm?" he said, moving closer and gently grabbing her chin, tilting it upwards until their eyes locked. "I think I may even see a trace of that little spark back in your eyes."
She gazed into his eyes for a few long moments, fire clashing with ice, before she allowed a small grin to take form upon her pouty lips. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, turning around to inspect the dress once more.
"Is that a smile? My, my Granger, I'd say you like me more than you let on," he said, walking behind her and looking over her should in the mirror. "As for your previous question, do you really think you're the only one that needs dress robes?"
His answer caused Hermione to actually glance at what he was wearing, and indeed he had on a smart pair of midnight black dress robes. They fitted similarly to a muggle tuxedo though they came with a black cloak that was carelessly thrown across the sofa. The jacket was tailored in a way that clearly depicted its quality and price, fitting both his broad shoulders and abdomen snugly instead of forming the boxy outline common to poor quality clothing. The trousers seamlessly fit his long muscular legs without forming a single crease. On his feet he wore shoes of patented black leather that ended in sharp circular points, making even his feet look elegant.
Overall, Hermione had to admit that he was quite the picture of aristocratic perfection.
"My, don't the two of you make the dashing couple," commented the shop owner from the doorway as she surveyed them, a pleased smile gracing her thin lips. "I only wish there were more tasteful young people such as yourselves. Merlin only knows what this world is becoming!"
"Oh we're not..." started Hermione but stopped as the woman had already walked away shaking her head. She quickly glanced back into the mirror her eyes meeting Malfoy's own amused ones. She felt a deep blush starting to form upon her cheeks, and immediately moved to run back into her fitting room but was stopped by an arm draping across her abdomen, holding her in place.
"I hope you plan on purchasing this gown," he whispered, his breath burning her skin. "If not, I will be buying it for you. Think this dress as representing the second step you are to take on your path to reinvention, kitten."
Hermione merely nodded shakily before pulling away from him, though he did not pose any resistance. She immediately walked back into her fitting room, no risking another glance. Once safely inside the draped confines she rested her back against a nearby wall, trying to catch her breath.
She was not quite sure why she had reacted that way.
It was just bloody Malfoy after all.
The enigma that was Draco Malfoy.
Merlin, since when did Malfoy start having such an effect on her. For a second, Hermione thought back to the shop owner's words, allowing a brief smile to form on her lips. Ha, them a couple. Wouldn't that be a disaster? They would probably hex each other to oblivion, not to mention the sensation such a pairing would create within the school, and the entire magical population for that matter.
For the briefest of seconds, however, she thought that it would be rather nice to have someone, anyone really.
Merlin did that ever sound desperate! She pushed all other Malfoy related thoughts out of her head before she gave herself a seizure. She quickly changed back into her regular clothing, glancing longingly at the dress.
She had yet to make up her mind.
It really was rather extravagant, but oh so beautiful. It wasn't in the least bit gaudy like the ones Ginny and Lavender had forced her to try on.
But what would everyone think?
After long deliberation, she concluded that she was really giving the whole matter far too much attention. Since when did she or anyone else, for that matter, care what she wore. She knew enough about human psychology to recognize egocentrism. There was after all some theory or another that stated that people tended to think everyone's eyes were on them at any given moment, good or bad, though that really wasn't the case.
Wizards were human too, slightly more advanced mind you, but still human, so why would the same logic not apply to them as well?
That thought in mind, Hermione decided no one would spare a second glance at what she wore, thus she grabbed the dress and made her way towards the front of the store. On her way there, she gratefully noted that Malfoy seemed to have disappeared, which helped in relaxing her nerves a bit.
"Have you made your selection, my dear?" asked the owner, eyeing the hanger.
"Yes, I do believe this gown is quite perfect," replied Hermione, eyeing the silk in her hands.
"A stunning selection. I find that a strange thing happens when picking out dresses. It's as if one can feel it in one's bones when one finds the perfect dress," she stated as she placed the dress inside a tissue lined box. "It's magic."
Hermione kept silent, though she mentally agreed with the woman's words. It was an inexplicable feeling though it certainly existed.
She had to turn a blind eye when paying for the garment, as it came up to more than a sensible person would ever pay but she decided she deserved a small treat. Furthermore, she was sure that there would be many weddings to wear it to once the year ended so it really wasn't a waste at all.
By the time she reached the grounds of Hogwarts, she had successfully convinced herself of the value of her purchase. Furthermore, Malfoy's words continued to resonate through her brain causing her to conclude that it would have been far more embarrassing to have him buy it for her. She certainly did not want him to think it was in regards to money...
oOo
If anyone is intersted in seeing the dress, it's Elie Saab, haute couture, spring/summer 2008 dress number 50 which can be seen on the Elie Saab website. There's no point in me trying to post it in my profile as it is one of those links that only takes you to the homepage...
As for Malfoy, I picture him wearing one of those supper fited, Hugo Boss-esque tuxes. I think those really look amazing on guys!
The psychology reference is regarding a theory whose name or founder I can't be bothered to search, which states that we as humans always think that people's attention is always focused on us. However, that is rarely the case, not withstanding if it is in a moment of great success or great embarasment. SO next time you do something stupid in public, don't sweat it...
Lastly, I appologise for the spelling errors but being the smart person that I am, I somehow disabled spellcheck and I have NO IDEA how to get it back...