Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. Harry Potter is the property of J. K. Rowling.

Polish

Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the eighth years' common room having some girl time. Hermione was going through nail polishes, trying to decide what she wanted, while Ginny
Dutch braided her hair.

"Have you ever thought of getting a different style?" Ginny asked as she wrangled her friend's bushy hair into the braid.

"No, why?"

Ginny sighed at the answer she should have expected. "With the right haircut your hair would be much easier to manage. Even just having a hairdresser thin your hair a little would make a huge difference in how long you have to spend making your hair cooperate." Ginny said as she finished off the braid and put an elastic around the end of it. She came around to sit in front of Hermione and looked at her.

Hermione set down the bottle she was holding and looked up at Ginny, "Why the sudden interest in my hair?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "It isn't sudden, Hermione. I've thought it for years. I simply didn't say anything because we all had more important things to focus on. Such as preparing for a war. However, the war is done and we're more at leisure to spend time on ourselves." Ginny picked up a bottle of iridescent blue nail polish watching the light reflecting on it.

Hermione frowned. "And you think I need to change my hair?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, not need to. I just think that it might be something fun for you to try. And as I said it will make things easier for you. You'll need less shampoo and conditioner, as well as sleekeazies, and it will be easier to brush. Just think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

Ginny smiled. "So, any idea what color, or colors, you want?"

"I think I'm going to use this one." Hermione held up a bottle that had sparkles in it.

"Really? It looks like it will just dry clear."

"It is basically clear when it dries, but it glows in the dark."

"Ooh. That sounds fun. Good choice. Hmm. I think... I'm going to do black and then do this clear one with blue glitter on top."

Hermione opened a plain clear polish and made a face. "Ugh, I hate how this stuff smells."

"So do I. Too bad there isn't a wizarding equivalent, if there was I bet it would smell a lot better, or maybe not have a scent at all."

"I still can't believe that there isn't one." Hermione responded as she started putting the first layer on her toenails.

Ginny took a second bottle of clear polish and mimicked Hermione. "Maybe you should try making one. After-all you're amazing at potions."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, sure. Can you imagine what Professor Snape would say if he caught me in the labs trying to make nail polish? No, thank you. I'll stick with using Muggle, even if it does stink."

Ginny laughed too. "I would love to see his expression if that happened. Though, I totally understand why you don't want it to."

Hermione closed her bottle of polish and set it aside. "Aren't there wizarding cosmetic companies? I know there are pure-blood females out there that would never set foot in a Muggle shop to buy make-up."

"Of course, there are. And before you ask why no-one has told you about magical make-up or where to buy it, it's because you weren't interested before. Or at least didn't show any interest in it." Ginny finished her first layer of polish, closed her bottle, and looked up at Hermione. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, why don't we send a letter to one of those companies recommending that they look into making nail polish?"

"And let them take credit for our idea? I think not!" Ginny exclaimed half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"Well, then you make one!"

"No way! I'm decent at potions but not good enough for something like that. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"But you think I would?"

"Of course!"

Hermione just shook her head and checked to see if her polish was dry.

"Come on Hermione, we should try it!"

"Do you have any idea how much work that would entail? We would have to research what goes into making Muggle nail polish. How to find similar items in the wizarding world. And I have better things to do with my time."

"Fine, but I'm not letting someone else have our idea." Said Ginny as they both started their second layer of polish.

Hermione shook her head with a smile. "Why do I get the feeling that you won't let this go?"

"Perhaps because you know me so well." Ginny replied without looking up from her nails. "But I won't say anything else about it now. By the way how much longer do you think we'll be able to enjoy this peace and quiet?"

Hermione shrugged, "I have no idea. I'm actually surprised that none of them have come back yet. I mean with the-"

The common room door opened and one of the boys walked in. The girls looked at the door and then at each other.

"I guess that answers your question." Hermione said trying not to laugh.

"What question?" Asked the newcomer.

"Don't worry about it." Responded Ginny. "Where are the other boys?"

"Not sure." He saw the girls' faces and rolled his eyes. "We did not fight. I simply wasn't interested in what they wanted to do. So, I came back here." He sat down on one of the armchairs and looked at the little glass bottles between Hermione and Ginny. "What are you two doing?"

"Painting our toenails." Ginny said as she showed-off her feet to the boy.

"Why?"

The girls looked at each other again and shrugged. "Because we can."

The boy raised an eyebrow and moved to sit on the floor next to the girls. He picked up a bottle of black liquid with sparkles and looked at it. "What is this stuff?"

"It's called nail polish. It's what people use to pain their nails." Hermione said while she checked how dry her second layer of polish was.

"And anyone can do it?"

"Ye-es."

The boy thought for a moment. "Show me how."

"What?" Asked the girls in unison.

"I want to try it. Show me."

"Really, Draco?"

"Yes, really. Why are you so shocked?"

Neither girl answered for a moment.

"What?" Asked Draco exasperated.

"It's just that this is a Muggle thing, and usually only girls do it." Hermione finally answered.

"So? That doesn't mean that males can't do it. I want to try it."

"Okay," said Ginny. "But only if you say the magic word."

Draco rolled his eyes again. "Will you please show me?"

"Sure. Pick what color or colors you want. Also decide if you want your toenails painted, like us, or your fingernails."

Draco nodded and started sorting through the bottles of polish. "Any particular reason why you two aren't painting your fingernails?"

"It can get chipped easily." Was Ginny's response.

"And I don't know how it will react to potion ingredients even after it's dry."

"I think I'll take that risk and use this color." Draco showed the girls a bottle of polish that looked dark green from one angle and black from another.

"Shocking choice." Ginny said with a smirk. "Give the polish on my nails a minute to dry and then I'll start helping you with yours."

"Are you saying that I'm predictable?" Draco smirked.

"You said it, not me." Ginny teased. "Alright, show me your hands."

Draco held up his hands and Ginny moved them to how she wanted them. "Hmm. Your nails are a good length, but your cuticles are horrible. Hermione where's your cuticle cutter?"

"Here." Hermione handed Ginny the tool.

"Thanks."

"Is this really necessary?" Draco asked as he watched Ginny take the small piece of metal.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right." Ginny responded as she started pushing back the cuticles on Draco's right hand using one end of the tool.

"Do his nails need buffed?"

"It wouldn't hurt."

"Alright I'll buff his nails when you're done with his cuticles."

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as Ginny flipped to tool over and pressed the other end to the base of his fingernail at a different angle.

"Cutting off the dead skin."

"What!?" Draco tried to yank his hand back, but Ginny held it firmly.

"Stop moving, otherwise I'll cut you."

"You are cutting me!"

Ginny gave him an annoyed look. "Fine, stop moving, or you'll get hurt."

"Nope, I've changed my mind!"

"Oh, come on Draco." Said Hermione. "It won't hurt, if you're scared just look away."

"I'm not scared."

"Then, it shouldn't matter that I'm doing it. Actually, I'm done with your right hand."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I don't see why you were making such a big deal out of it."

"You were cutting my skin!"

"Dead skin, that you couldn't even feel being cut off. Alright Hermione, these nails are ready to be buffed."

Ginny moved to Draco's left side and started taking care of the cuticles on his left hand. While Hermione started buffing the nails on his right.

"Do you girls really do this every time you want to paint your nails?"

Hermione answered, "it's why it's referred to as doing our nails. It's a bit of a process."

"But worth it."

"So, what happens after this... whatever Hermione is doing?"

"I'm buffing your nails and when I'm done the first layer of polish gets put on."

"First? How many layers does this normally take?"

"I normally do at least four."

"So do I." Said Ginny.

Draco was about to ask something else when an awful scent reached his nose. He noticed that Hermione and Ginny had switched sides again and that Ginny was holding a small bottle with clear liquid. The open bottle was in one hand and the lid in the other. "Does all nail polish smell this bad?" He asked wrinkling his nose.

"Yes," Ginny replied, setting down the bottle. "We always have the windows open when doing our nails, to help dilute the smell." She grabbed Draco's hand and started brushing clear polish on his nails.

"Why does it smell so bad?"

"We don't know."

"Don't the bottles have an ingredient list on them?" Draco asked as he tried to ignore the smell.

"No, only a warning to keep the polish away from young children. Along with a warning to keep it away from open flame because it is flammable. Though, only some of the bottles have those warnings. There might be ingredient lists on the boxes that some of the polish bottles come in, but I never keep those boxes." Hermione responded as she finished buffing the nails on Draco's left hand.

"I don't think those boxes have ingredient lists either. But I haven't paid very close attention to them. Besides even if they did, the ingredients would all be chemicals that I know nothing about so it wouldn't matter anyway." Ginny capped the bottle she was holding as she spoke and handed it to Hermione. "Alright, Draco, you're not allowed to do anything with your hand now. You could mess up the polish and it would have to be reapplied. The polish will take a few minutes to dry and then it will be time for the next layer."

Draco gingerly moved his hand closer to his face to look. "How do you check to make sure that its dry?"

"Gently press it with the tip of a finger. If there is an imprint of the fingerprint, then it isn't quite dry. Now while your nails are drying, I'm going to do the second colored layer on my nails." Ginny picked up the bottle of black polish she had been using and started applying more to her nails."

Draco looked at the color she was using. "Just plain black? That doesn't seem quite you."

"I'm going to put a clear polish with blue glitter on top of it."

"I see." Draco looked over when he felt Hermione let go of his hand. He watched as she closed the bottle of clear polish, set it down, and pick up a different bottle. He took a closer look at it and saw that it had some very small silver glitter bits in it. "What is it with girls and glitter?"

Hermione and Ginny looked at him. "This is honestly the only thing I do with glitter. What about you Hermione?" Ginny asked looking over at her.

"It's the same for me. So, I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer your question, Draco."

"But it seems like all accessories for girls are glittery."

"Well, most of them are. However, that doesn't mean that all girls like glitter. In my opinion it makes a mess and is a pain to clean up even with magic sometimes."

"Ginny is right. Items with glitter are always shedding said glitter. And it always gets everywhere."

"So that's why I would sometimes find glitter in my dorm-room." Draco said in a speculative tone of voice.

The girls laughed.

"It's a good thing that the glitter only went that far. Can you imagine what professor Snape would have done if glitter had appeared in his classroom?"

Draco started laughing with the girls. "We really shouldn't be laughing. After-all glitter really could adversely affect the potions, we brew in class." Draco said between bouts of laughter.

"I know," replied Hermione still giggling.

"But his face would be priceless." Added Ginny as she finally calmed herself down. She checked the polish on Draco's right hand. "Time for the next layer."

"I almost wish that there was a way to make it happen." Draco said as Ginny started painting his nails again.

Hermione got a thoughtful look on her face. Draco and Ginny both looked at her.

"You have an idea." Draco said with a gleam in his eye.

A gleam that was mirrored in Ginny's eyes.

"Well, it is an idea to see his reaction to glitter. But it wouldn't be in the potions classroom. And it will make a rather large mess..." Hermione said slowly.

Draco and Ginny, both gave her matching evil grins. "We don't care. Just tell us what you're thinking."

'Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.' Hermione thought as she looked at her two companions. "It's something that is called a glitter bomb. I've never made one, but my dad told me of how he had fallen prey to one when he was in university. He told me that glitter was absolutely everywhere and that it took weeks to clean it all up." She was now feeling a little nervous of the look on Ginny's face.

"I do believe I need to write my brother. I think we've just found the next big thing for his joke store."

"I have to say I quite agree with you, Ginny. We could suggest that it be an April Fools special. I don't believe it is something we would want to witness every day."

"You're right. I get the feeling that once a year will be perfect. Especially with the enhancements George will most certainly add to it. What do you think Hermione?"

"I think that I should have kept my mouth shut." Hermione shook her head as she took the dark green polish from Ginny.

Draco and Ginny laughed at what she said. "Don't worry Hermione. No one will know that this idea came from your brain. George will gladly take all the credit so none of us will get in trouble."

Hermione just sighed and continued working on Draco's nails. "You do realize that George will most likely magic it so that glitter will literally get all over the room that it is opened in. And I'm sure that room will be the Great Hall since the bomb will very likely be delivered with the mail. We will get covered with glitter because if we shield ourselves, it will be obvious that we know about it. We just said that glitter is very difficult to clean up even when using magic. I am really not liking this idea."

"You worry too much. We have months before April Fools. We have plenty of time to think of something." Draco said in a calming voice. "Perhaps to go along with the glitter bomb George could develop cloaks that make their wearers imperturbable. Similar to the shield line of products that he and Fred developed."

"You know I'm actually a bit surprised that he hasn't already." Ginny said as she started painting her nails with the blue glitter polish. "Though, I suppose that he hasn't had a reason to. We could give him the idea, and suggest that, if possible, he releases them at least a month before April Fools. Then we could just happen to be wearing them that day."

Hermione frowned thoughtfully and she closed the bottle of green polish. "That just might work. I bet that most of the student population will have them. So, it is entirely possible we wouldn't be the only ones wearing them. And thus, not be implicated."

Draco and Ginny grinned at each other as Hermione started painting her nails again. "I think we just got her seal of approval."

"I think you're right. I'll send an owl to George as soon as we're done with our nails."

"I still think I shouldn't have said anything. But I have to admit I am now looking forward to April Fools."