Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. Harry Potter is the property of J. K. Rowling.
Plans
"You know," Ginny said as she started applying the glittery polish to her nails. "There are going to be a lot of comments when people see your nails."
"I doubt it." Draco said with his usual confidence.
"Why do you doubt it?" Hermione asked as she finished putting the last layer of polish on her nails.
"I doubt it, because people are used to me be eccentric. How will this be any different?"
"Oh, it will be different." Ginny said.
"She's right." Hermione agreed. "Have you ever seen anyone at school with their fingernails painted? Even during events such as the Yule Ball?"
Draco thought about that for a moment. "No, but that doesn't mean anything."
The girls looked at each other then back at Draco. "It does mean something." Ginny stated firmly as Hermione nodded.
"I don't believe you."
"Fine." Ginny huffed as she checked Draco's nails and, determining they were dry, started applying the first colored layer of polish. "Since you're convinced no-one will say anything and Hermione and I are convinced of the opposite, let's make a wager."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "What kind of wager?"
"I bet you that someone will comment on your nails before dinner on Monday. I say Monday because we hardly ever interacted with anyone during the weekend. So, if there is a comment made to one of us about your nails before dinner on Monday, you have to perform in the upcoming school talent show. And not just perform, you have to perform a song that Hermione and I choose."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "If I agree to this and no-one comments, what will you two do?"
Ginny answered. "We'll perform, a song of your choice, in the talent show."
"Okay, I agree. However, Harry and Ron don't count."
Hermione nodded as Ginny said, "Agreed."
Draco finished explaining the nature of the bet to Severus and sighed. "I was certain that Harry and Ron would be the only ones to say anything. And with them not counting I thought I would win the bet."
Severus raised an eyebrow, clearly amused with Draco's dejected look. 'I suppose I should feel remorseful that I'm the reason Draco lost the bet. However, I find that I can't.' "This does not explain why you need my help Draco."
"I need help getting them back. I can't get out of performing the song they chose, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be humiliated without them paying for it. I was thinking of finding a way to make them do an equally embarrassing song in the talent show. However, I don't know how I'll get them to do that."
Severus frowned. "What song did they choose for you?"
Draco's cheeks became vibrantly red, and he refused to speak.
"Draco, how am I to help you if I don't know what you have agreed to do?"
"I can't say it. Couldn't you use legilimensy on me to find out? Please?"
Severus sighed. "Very well." And a moment later he was looking into Draco's mind. It wasn't difficult to find the memory he was looking for. Draco had it at the forefront of his mind. After seeing all that he needed to Severus withdrew. 'Those two young women are more devious than I thought. Even after all they've done the past seven years. Well, seven for Hermione, six for miss Weasley.' "They certainly chose an interesting song."
Draco gaped at his Godfather. "You think it's interesting? It is many things Uncle, but interesting is not one of them."
"If you wish for my help Draco, you must calm yourself. Being hotheaded will be of no use to either of us."
Draco huffed but didn't say anything.
"That's better. Now, have you a song in mind that you wish for the two young women to sing in the talent show?"
Draco shook his head. "Not yet. I've thought of a few, but none of them seem good enough."
"I see. Then, we shall proceed thusly. Determine which song will be most appropriate for them. In the meantime, I shall devise how to have them participate in the talent show.
Ginny and Hermione were laughing hysterically when Ron and Harry joined them in the Eighth-year common room.
"What has you two in stitches?" Harry asked, his mouth twitching in amusement.
It took a few attempts, eventually one of the girls was able to gasp out, "Draco."
"Why? What did he do?" Ron asked as he fell into an armchair.
Ginny and Hermione worked on getting their laughter under control, but it took several minutes before they could actually speak coherently. Every time they stopped laughing, they would look at each other and started up again. However, eventually they were able to answer Ron's question.
"Well, you see, when we did Draco's nails, we made a bet with him. We bet that if someone said something about his nails before dinner tonight, he would have to sing a song that we chose in the talent show at the end of term. And someone said something about them to Hermione this morning."
Harry and Ron frowned in confusion. "But," Harry started. "We said something about his nails the minute we saw them. Doesn't that mean he lost the bet on Saturday?"
"Well, he would have. Exempt all three of us agreed that any comments you two made wouldn't count towards the bet." Ginny replied in a reasonable voice.
"Okay," Ron said nodding. "I understand that. But that doesn't tell us why you two were laughing so hard."
This time it was Hermione who responded. "We were laughing at his reaction to the song we chose. It was absolutely priceless. Something I will never forget."
"Agreed." Ginny stated.
"Well?" Harry said.
Ginny looked at him. "Well, what?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "What song is he going to be singing? It has to be a doozy if his reaction was so entertaining."
Ginny just smirked.
"Sorry, Harry. You'll just have to wait until the talent show to find out." Hermione said with an innocent smile on her face.
"Oh, come on!" Ron complained. "You can't mess with us like that. Tell us the song."
"Demanding like that isn't going to get us to divulge the information, Ron." Ginny said tartly. "And asking nicely won't work either. You're just going to have to be patient.
Ron folded his arms across his chest. "That's just mean."
"Sorry, not sorry."
Ron shot a rude hand gesture at his sister.
"So mature," she said with an eyeroll.
"Maybe we could get Draco to tell us the song." Harry mused out loud.
Hermione snorted. "I seriously doubt you could. I have a feeling he won't tell anybody about this."
"I don't know Hermione." Ginny said in a thoughtful voice. "He certainly left here in a hurry. And I don't think it was simply to get away from us. Remember, even though he is friends with us, he is still a Slytherin."
"That's true. But who would he tell?"
Ginny shrugged. "I have no idea. But even if he hasn't told anybody you know that he's going to want to get back at us somehow. It's just who he is."
Hermione frowned. She knew Ginny was right.
"Maybe there is a way to find out if he has talked to anybody." Harry said evenly.
"How?" Hermione asked.
Harry didn't answer. He simply unfolded a piece of parchment, that he had pulled from his pocket, and tapped it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Once the Marauders Map was fully formed, he searched for the little black dot that would be labeled Draco Malfoy. "Well, damn."
"What? Where is he?" Ginny asked.
"He's heading back here. He'll be here any minute. Sorry, you two." Harry looked up at the girls. "It's impossible to know where he went." He tapped the map again. "Mischief managed." When the parchment was blank, he folded it up and put it back in his pocket.
Not one minute later the door opened and in walked Draco. "Nice to see you're done laughing your asses off." He walked over to an unoccupied armchair and sat down. He noticed the inquiring looks on Harry and Ron's faced and turned to Ginny. "Why aren't they laughing?"
"Do you want them to be laughing?"
"Don't be ridiculous. However, I've never known them to be able to control themselves."
"Oi!" Came Ron's disgruntled shout.
Draco raised his eyebrow as though to say 'case-in-point.'
"We told them they would have to wait until the talent show to learn which song you will be performing." Hermione said in a soothing voice.
"Well thanks for that."
"You're welcome." Hermione's tone matched Draco's sarcastic one perfectly, causing the other three to chuckle.
Draco walked towards Severus' office. It had been a few days since he was tasked with choosing a song for Hermione and Ginny's performance. It took a lot of thinking and listening to various songs, but he finally found that perfect one. He knocked on the office door and entered when bid.
"Well?" Severus said, without looking up from the essays he was grading.
"I know exactly what song for them to do. And I believe it will be just as unnerving for them as the song I'm singing is for me."
Severus raised an eyebrow as he finally looked at Draco. "How so?" It wasn't that he didn't trust Draco's judgment. He simply wanted to know how Draco made his choice.
"Well, I've actually found out that Hermione would find going out on that stage extremely embarrassing. Seems knowing all the answering in class and wanting to show that doesn't translate to being in front of the entire school.
"As for Ginny, the idea of being in front of the entire school doesn't bother her, afterall she does it every quiditch match. However, shed does not like the idea of having to possibly some over-the-top outfit. She is a tomboy, but she does have fashion sense.
"So, with both of those in mind, I have chosen this song. Along with the outfits they have to wear." With that Draco pulled two pieces of parchment out of his pocket and passed them to Severus. One had song lyrics the other had an image.
After looking over both Severus gave a smirk. "Very good choices, Draco. Do either of them know the song?"
"Yes, I heard them listening to it yesterday. It's actually what gave me the idea of having them perform it. They were commenting on how it's a stupid song, but enjoyable. Similar to how they feel about the song they're forcing me to do."
Severus gave Draco a look that said he had no-one to blame but himself for the predicament he was in.
The next morning was potions again. The students gathered their potion samples as they enter the classroom. Ginny and Hermione set up their cauldrons on either side of Draco. He didn't acknowledge them, just focused on getting the flame under his cauldron just right.
"So, Draco, have you worked on your song at all?" Ginny asked as she poured her sample into her cauldron.
Draco rolled his eyes. "It isn't as though the lyrics are that difficult. I already have them memorized.
"But that is only part of it." Hermione said in her know-it-all voice. "Just singing won't be enough to engage the audience."
"She's right," Ginny agreed. "You have to do some choreography to go with it."
"Well, since you two are such experts perhaps you should participate in the talent show. Let other people know how it's done." The silky voice of Severus Snape caused the three young adults to freeze.
Ginny and Hermione nervously glanced behind themselves, while Draco tried to suppress a smirk.
"As you are undoubtedly aware I do not tolerate idle chatter when my classes are in session." Severus gave Ginny and Hermione a severe look.
"Yes, sir." The two girls replied.
"Stay after class, so that we can discuss your punishment. Now focus on your potions." Severus turned from their table before any of the young adults could respond. 'The perfect opening.' He thought to himself as he checked Harry and Ron's potions.
"Professor?" Harry asked in a voice low enough.
"Yes, Mister Potter?"
"Are you really going to give them detention for that?" Harry and learned not to yell and argue with Severus. But that didn't stop him from questioning him.
"I do not believe that it is any of your business, Mister Potter. However, I will not be giving them detention." 'Somethings will never change.' Severus moved to his desk at the front of the classroom. 'Though, I have been more tolerant of talking during class since the start of term. So, suppose I can't fault him for asking.'
The rest of the period passed without incident and soon there were only three people left in the classroom. Severus negligently waved a hand at the door to shut it and watched Hermione and Ginny standing before his desk. "There is no need to be so scared. I am not taking house point. Nor am I giving you detention."
Both girls relaxed, but now looked perplexed. "But then.." Ginny trailed off, not wanting to push their luck.
Severus smirked. "I believe I told you earlier what you two shall be doing, to make up for your talking." He saw that Hermione understood what he meant, and she looked even more tense than she had when he first shut the door.
"Professor, do you mean...?"
Ginny blinked in confusion for another moment before her eyes also lit up in understanding. "Sir, you want us to participate in the talent show?" Her voice broke a bit at the end of her question.
"Yes, I do." With that simple response Severus held out the same two parchments that Draco had given him the previous evening.
Hermione hesitantly reached out and took the parchments. She and Ginny both looked at them. Their eyes widened in shock, and they looked back at their potion's professor.
"Sir, you can't-" Ginny cut herself off. Telling Professor Snape that he couldn't be serious about something was never a good idea.
"Is this just an example of a song to sing?" Hermione asked in a voice that she was forcing to be steady.
"It is not an example, Miss Granger. It is the song you two will be performing."
Hermione gulped but didn't say anything else.
Ginny was also silent.
Severus waved his hand at the door again causing it to open. "Now then, I suggest you two start practicing. After all, a performance is more than just singing."
Recognizing the dismissal Ginny and Hermione left the classroom. Neither spoke until they knew Severus couldn't hear them.
"I think we can guess where Draco went the other night." Ginny's voice was flat.
Hermione nodded. "Yeah, but there isn't anything we can do about it. We're stuck with it, just like he is."
Ginny gave a long sigh. "That damned Slytherin. He really got us good didn't he. I mean look at this nonsense. The song itself isn't so bad, but the costume!?"
"I'm more worried about being on stage. I'm not a performer."
The girls had a free period and headed out towards the lake. They sat down underneath their favorite tree. And looked at the parchments again.
"I don't think I can do this." Hermione said in a quiet voice.
"Oh, no. None of that. We can do this. We may not like it, but we can do it. Understand?" Ginny said in a firm voice.
Hermione still didn't look convinced. So, Ginny kept going. "And we are going to do it big. Draco went to someone for help. So, we are going to do the same thing." Ginny had opened her bag as she was talking and pulled out some parchment, ink, and a quill.
Hermione watched her with a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about?"
Ginny gave an evil grin. "You'll see." She wrote a quick note, rolled it up, and sealed it with a tap of her wand. "I'll be right back." With that she stood up and hurried back towards the castle.