| Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 2,438
|  Chapter 10: The Masquerade Ball!
Ok, I'm posting chapter 10 like, right now. Since I editted it last night, I don't feel like going over it for like, the millionth time and yeah... so if I really wanna change something, I'll change the post.
Anyways, there's only six more chapters after this, and I'm already starting on the sequel. I'm debating on some ideas I had... (I started the firstchapter over cause of my debating  But yeah, I'm starting on it already. This F.F might be kinda short, but I'm all out of ideas for things that happen in 7th year! So many more options after, I'll try to make the sequel a lot longer  But it's cause I did this all in advance, that's why itime's like, passing by really fast)
Anyways, here's chapter 10! Again, kinda long, but not super long!
P.S: I found I love Green now...
Chapter 10
Masquerade Ball
October 31st came around. There was a trip to Hogsmeade for some people that day so they could get dress robes, some to even get masks they haven’t gotten yet. Hermione strolled down the streets of Hogsmeade with Ginny. She didn’t feel like joined Lavender and Parvati, they were getting on her nerves.
“So what colour dress are you going to get? Because I’m hoping they have...”
Ginny went on. Hermione was starting to consider going on her own, Ginny talked non-stop about what she’s going to wear for the ball later that day.
Together, they walked into the new dress robes store in Hogsmeade, which was so new, it didn’t have a sign up showing its name. Despite how new the store was, it became increasingly popular. Together, they walked in and searched for a dress.
“How about this one?” Ginny asked as she pulled out a black dress. It had tank top style that had a pink strap that sat just below where the waist line was supposed to be, and below that it ruffled slightly that went all the way down to your ankles.
“I love it! Try it on,” Hermione said. When Ginny went into a change room, Hermione started going through the racks of dresses again. A few minutes later, Ginny came out in the black dress she picked out.
“Well?”
“It’s perfect!”
Ginny smiled and went back into the change rooms. She came back out and went to pay for the dress, and joined Hermione with helping her find another dress. They found a dress identical to the one Hermione wore to the Yule Ball in 4th year, but in a baby blue, progressively getting darker as the ruffles at the bottom of the dress neared the floor. Finding it was a perfect fit, Hermione bought it, and the two of them left the store. They walked into Gladrags Wizardwear and got masks.
Checking her watch, Ginny said it was only noon. They had seven hours until the Masquerade Ball, so they decided to go to Madam Puddifoot’s for some tea.
“Masks won’t be able to hide the fact you’re a mudblood, Granger!”
Hermione and Ginny looked in front of them. They saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle a couple yards ahead of them.
“And that you’re just a disgraced, poor Weasley,” Malfoy added as they got closer.
“A mask can’t cover your big, ugly, fat ego, Malfoy,” Hermione shot at him. “So just leave us alone, you little prat.”
“Ooh,” Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle in a disdainful way. “Our little Head Girl can’t cover her mouth when it comes to her superiors.”
“Hope you don’t mean yourselves,” Ginny spat.
“How dare you speak to me! You little blood traitor.”
“How dare you speak to her like that, so-called Head Boy,” Hermione retorted defensively. “Not acting like the superior your ego so claims.”
“Shove off, Malfoy.”
Malfoy’s eyes flashed angrily for a moment. It was so quick, Ginny and Hermione thought they imagined it. It took Hermione another moment to realize she did see it, and she understood why.
“What’ll you do if I don’t, Potter? Take it out of my mouth?” Malfoy sneered.
Hermione refrained from giving him a warning glare.
“You’ve got a sick mind, ferret,” Harry practically spat at Malfoy, now standing by Ginny.
“I bet he wants it,” Hermione inputted, grinning triumphantly. It looked more like a smirk than a grin to Malfoy, who clenched his jaw. Crabbe and Goyle glared heatedly at her.
Before Malfoy could respond, Ginny and Hermione pushed the door open into Madam Puddifoot’s, leaving the three Slytherins and Harry outside. The two of the got some tea, and they joined Lavender and Parvati at a table.
“So are you going to the ball with anyone?” Lavender asked Hermione eagerly.
“Yeah, how did that work out?” Ginny asked, grinning slightly.
“Well I talked to the guy a few days ago, and we still are going, Ginny,” Hermione answered her.
“Who with?” Parvati asked intently as she took a sip of her tea.
“Well... it’s a secret,” Hermione thought fast. As soon as it came out, she wanted to hit her head against the table; it was a horrible lie, in her opinion.
The three of them raised an eyebrow.
“So who’re you going with, Parvati?” Hermione asked, trying to sway the conversation slightly.
“I’m just going with Lavender and Padma, we all don’t really have official dates, and from what I heard, you don’t really spend much time with your date, to busy dancing with others,” Parvati responded, shrugging.
“So are you going with a guy or friend?” Lavender asked, smiling.
“Guy...” Hermione replied as if it was obvious.
“What house is he from?” Lavender asked. Hermione saw what she was trying to do as soon as she asked.
“Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, maybe Slytherin,” Hermione shrugged it off.
Lavender and Parvati rolled their eyes. They dropped the question; they knew they wouldn’t get it out of Hermione if she didn’t want to tell them.
“Hermione?” Ginny asked slowly.
“Yeah?”
“When Malfoy said that comment about Harry taking... it out his mouth or whatever, do you have any idea what he meant?”
Hermione flushed. She forgot she never told Ginny, but she didn’t really want to tell her, because with her habit of not always keeping secrets to herself, so of course Hermione didn’t want to tell Ginny, let alone anyone else. She would’ve thought Harry said something to Ron, who would most likely slip it to Ginny.
“Mione?” Ginny saw Hermione’s cheeks go red.
“Oh, um... I have an idea of what he meant...”
“So he didn’t just make it up or anything?”
“Yeah, he didn’t.”
“So what was it about?”
“Something Harry did, why else would Malfoy say it directly to him?”
Ginny looked confused. A split second later, her face filled with realization.
“You... Harry?” she sputtered out.
Hermione attempted to keep a straight face. She still couldn’t believe Harry kissed her, but in front of Draco, her own boyfriend. She was slightly mad at him now, even with her and Draco ‘back together’, she was even angrier with Harry before then.
“So he... kissed you?” Ginny asked slowly.
Hermione nodded slowly.
“How does Malfoy now?”
“He saw it, how else?”
“You know, find out from someone or something. But what about you and Harry? Are you going with him to the ball or something?”
“No, I’m not!” Hermione exclaimed. “No one other than who I’m going with knows... who I’m going with! So just stop asking, I’m not saying!”
With that, Hermione grabbed her bag and left, leaving half a cup of tea where she was sitting. She practically stormed out and walked back to Hogwarts.
“Thou wish to duel?”
“Not now, Sir Cadogan,” Hermione snapped.
“Sounds like thy is in for a verbal duel.”
“I’m not in the mood to duel at all. I never have, and I never will!” Hermione exploded.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the 7th floor?”
“Password?”
“Masquerade.”
Sir Cadogan opened the door, to Hermione’s slight surprise. She’d never gotten the password right on the first attempt. Apparently the knight didn’t bother to change the password yet. Bet he’ll change it tonight or tomorrow... Hermione thought as she went up to her room. Dropping her bags in there, she left. She knew Ron didn’t go to Hogsmeade, he already got new dress robes that weren’t as feminine as the lacy ones he had at the Yule Ball, and he didn’t want to go ‘shopping’ all day. Hermione wanted to talk with him.
“Password?” the Fat Lady asked.
“Wicopies.”
She opened the door, and Hermione stepped in. As she came into the common room, she saw Neville coming down the stairs that led to the goys dormitories.
“Is Ron up there?” she asked.
Neville looked up and saw Hermione.
“Oi, haven’t seen you in here for awhile, Mione.”
“Hello to you to... but is Ron up there?”
Neville appeared to be in thought.
“I think so... why do you ask?”
“Want to talk to him,” Hermione responded, shrugging. It’s not like there was anything else she would want him for, well, that she could think of that is.
A few moments later, Ron came into the common room.
“Yeah?” he asked plainly.
“I just a question really.”
“Go on.”
“Has Harry talked to you lately?”
Ron raised a questioning eyebrow. He was slightly taken aback; he thought it was a ‘different’ question.
“Obviously, why?”
“Well did he talk to you about detention with Flitwick?”
“No...”
“After detention?”
“He said you and him had a quick spat.”
“Is that it?”
“I thought you said this was going to be one question.”
Hermione rolled her eyes.
“Did he say anything other than ‘just a spat’?”
Ron appeared to be in thought. Hermione rarely saw him look thoughtful before in the seven years she knew him.
“Yeah, he said he knows where your common room is.”
“Anything else?”
“Not that I remember. Why’re you asking me about it?”
“So you don’t know, haven’t told Ginny?”
“Told Ginny what?” he exclaimed. “Is there something you’re trying to tell me? Because if so, just... say it. Better than playing this endless question game.”
Hermione sighed.
“Never mind,” she waved it off. She started to head to the portrait hole when she stopped. She turned around and saw Ron still standing in the common room, completely befuddled.
“Are you going with anyone to the ball?” Hermione asked. As soon as she did, she couldn’t believe how she phrased it. It made her sound like she wanted to go with him.
“Not that I know of. What about you?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Ron face seemed to fall ever so slightly.
“But I’ll save a dance for you,” Hermione offered. “Besides, people aren’t really staying with the same person throughout the dance. It’d be pretty hard to find the exact same person with a mask on.”
“Never thought of that... so it doesn’t really mater if you have a date or not then?”
“Not really, I guess.”
“Huh,” was all Ron said.
As Hermione opened the portrait hole, she heard Ron mumble ‘I’ve got to talk to Harry more...’
“Come on! Who’re you meeting with?” Ginny pestered.
“It doesn’t really matter, it’s not like we’re all spending the whole night with the same guy,” Hermione shrugged as the two of them walked down the corridors towards the Great Hall. She kept on flipping some of her hair forwards. He had it down, but most of it was perfectly straight. There were some areas of hair that was its natural, curly state that sat overtop of the straight hair, which was mainly underneath. Her royal, dark purple mask covered most of her face. She was only able to find Ginny because her red hair stuck out easily; her pale gold mask made it stick out without a problem.
“Is that Dean?” Hermione asked as she pointed to a group of Gryffindor guys.
“You’re right! I’ll see you later, have fun with your mystery man.” Ginny hurried off and joined Dean.
Hermione walked down the stairs gracefully and pushed through the crowds waiting outside the closed doors of the Great Hall. After making her way through, she pushed one of the doors open just enough to let her pass through, and then closed the door. She gasped when she looked inside. It was like the Halloween Feast, but better. The enchanted ceiling was pitch black, the only light came from the floating jack-o’-lanterns, all carved differently. Looking at the tables, the cloths were fringed with orange, the large tables had food on top, and the smaller tables were only cloth-covered. Chairs were circled around the small tables, about eight for each table. in the middle of the room, in front of the record player (Draco and Hermione couldn’t get a band to play for the night), was the dance floor. It was just as large as it had been on the night of the Yule Ball. Hermione could only imagine what the elves went through to get this to work.
There was a stage in the front of the room, and there sat a cat. It appeared dark, nearly black, because of the lighting, but Hermione knew better.
The large doors flew open and light flashed into the room. Hermione turned around and was nearly blinded, it was so bright compared to the dimness of the Great Hall. Looking at the stage again, Professor McGonagall was standing in front of her.
“Would you say we’re ready, Miss Granger?”
“I would say so, professor.”
Two of the teachers’ outlines appeared beside Professor McGonagall, and with the flick of a wand, both doors opened. The other teacher aimed their wand up at the ceiling, and moonlight shone above them. Hermione walked away from the three teachers.
“May I have this dance?”
Hermione looked up and saw a tall guy standing in front of her, hand in front of her. His face was covered by an ivory crescent moon mask. It matched his pale skin perfectly, and only a few shades lighter than his hair. Hermione smiled and took his hand. She was lead to the dance floor, and together, they danced for the first two songs. On the third song, they broke apart.
“Would you like to dance?”
Hermione was just getting off the floor when she saw an guy with emerald green mask, it matched his almond-shaped eyes perfectly. She wanted to take a break and see if she could find Lavender, Parvati or Ginny, and she really didn’t to dance with Harry all that much, but she forced herself to accept and she danced with him for one song.
Throughout the rest of the ball, she danced with four other guys in a row, took a break for one song, and another came up to her and they danced.
“Good evening Hogwarts students! I trust you’ve had a fabulous time at our Masquerade Ball. Unfortunately, this enjoyable night has come to an end. I ask for our Head students to come up as they make a quick speech,” Professor McGonagall announced.
Hermione walked away and up to the stage. The still-masked Draco stood waiting.
“First of all, if everyone would take off their masks,” Hermione started.
She was revolted to find she just danced with Blaise Zabini, who looked equally angry about the fact he touched a ‘mudblood’. Harry was horrified to find he was dancing with Pansy Parkinson. Ginny was just as disgusted as Goyle was, who she turned out to be dancing with for at least two songs. Parvati was sickened when she found out she was dancing with Crabbe. Neville nearly fainted when he found out he had danced with Millicent Bulstrode, his face went as white as Draco’s mask. Ron was the only fortunate one, he was relieved he was dancing with Lavender, for he had noticed who Harry danced with and that worried him.
“Well hopefully you had a great night tonight...” Hermione started.
“And we’ll see you all here at Christmas,” Draco cut her off.
Everyone milled out of the Great Hall, leaving some teachers, Draco, and Hermione inside the large, dark Great Hall. After everyone was gone, the two got off the stage and headed back to their common room. Once they were on the second floor, the floor that nearly no people hung around, Draco slid his hand into Hermione’s, who entwined her fingers with his. Together, they made their way back to the common room.
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