A Moment Like This
Part 1
By: Nicole
Note- This is the ball! If you have read Something Like You, then you will understand this much better. And if Hermione seems a bit to concerned about colors and robe styles in the robe shopping, remember, this is Harry she's going with and she wants to look nice at the ball.
The key is pretty much the same as last time- Bold - thoughts; and italics are song lyrics.
Also, thanks to Libbie in the H/H House party for reminding me what the Tickling charm is.
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
~"A Moment Like This" - Kelly Clarkson~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Lavender, hurry up! You're not the only one who's going in couples to Hogsmeade today!" Hermione Granger paced in front of the door connecting the bathroom to their dormitories.
"Fine, Granger, let me look bad for Ron! You only care that you look good for Mr. Potter. And you want to get to Hogsmeade and get the good robes." Lavender called back indignantly.
"Well, Lav, can you blame me? I mean we only just knew we were going to the ball together five days ago! You and Ron have had your minds made up since before the last Hogsmeade weekend. You could have gotten your robes then!"
"Hermione… Mr. Weasley only just got his promotion, remember? Ron didn't have the money last Hogsmeade weekend. Besides, we're not leaving until he's up and has eaten. And you know it takes him a while." Lavender poked her head out from behind the door, making sure Hermione was the only one there before coming out. "Where's Parvati?"
"She went to ask Ginny if she could use their bathroom. Said something about a 'silly blonde with a boyfriend.' Anyway, I've already been down to the common room, and Harry's already up! He said he was waiting on me, and that he'd left Ron for Neville, Dean, and Seamus to wake up. They have just enough distance to be able to do a prank to wake him up." Hermione laughed, imagining what Dean and Seamus would come up with and what Neville's reaction would be.
"Well, go on Herms, get in there and get clean, I'll pick you something to wear, since I'm assuming you've been so busy getting me out of there you never picked your outfit for the outing today? Well, have no fear, Lav's here!" Lavender had just gotten her outfit on and looked happy at the prospect of choosing someone else's outfit.
"Fine. Nothing too short or too skimpy. Basically, one inch max between top and skirt, or you can find my black skort and a top that you think will go with it. Nothing of Parvati's, ok?" Hermione figured that anything in the categories she had said not to choose was over the top, and most everything else was decent enough for her age.
"Okay, now get in there, I'm going to go with your skort, if I can find it, and I think I may have a top to go with it. Just trust me, okay?" Lavender opened the bathroom door and shoved Hermione inside, closing the door behind her. "And don't come out until you're through!" And with that Lavender went straight to her own trunk to find something.
"Now where did I put that green ¾-sleeve blouse?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hermione had agreed to the green blouse, and had let Lavender put a little make-up on her. Ginny had come in as well, commenting on how natural the make-up looked, and how the blouse and eyeshadow brought out the gold flecks in her cinnamon-colored eyes.
Harry's reaction, however, was nothing short of spell-bound, or star-struck, depending on which one you preferred to use. Ron, who had been woken up with a bucket of ice cold water to his face, told Hermione she looked "Absolutely ravishing." Of course, Ron being Ron, this was to be expected, as the response was a typical one.
Once in Hogsmeade, Ron drug Harry away to the Quidditch Supply Store and Zonko's, while Hermione dragged Lavender to the Wizard Supply Shop, and the Bookstore.
After a while the boys and the girls emerged from those shops and headed to Gladrags' Wizard Wear to get new robes for the ball. Lavender and Hermione made sure when they passed Ginny heading out, that the two boys were distracted from noticing whose company she was in, for, especially in Ron's case, Ginny's present company would not go without some kind of fight between brother and sister.
Lavender went through the possible robe colors, picking up color samples every now and then. Finally she held up a blue scrap and showed it to Ron.
"What do you think of this color?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said, snatching the scrap out of her hand. "How does it look with my hair?"
"Perfect. It makes your hair seem not as red, as though it's actually brown. Hmm, now I need a lighter shade of blue…" Lavender took the scrap back from Ron and held it next to some lighter samples. "Aha! Hermione, how do these colors look together?"
"Huh, Lav? Oh, those go very well together! I'm trying to find a robe style I like, but I'm having trouble. Plus, what about colors?"
Hermione looked up from the pictures of different robe styles.
"Well, let's see what I can help you with. Hmm… How about this shade of green?" Lavender asked pulling out a scrap of green that she had stashed with the lighter blue. "I think with your coloring…"
"Oh, coloring, my foot! You just want Harry and I wearing green, because green goes with blue very well. Not to mention his eyes…" Hermione got a dreamy look on her face. Lavender looked around and saw Harry and Ron over looking at the guys robes and commenting on how ridiculous some of them were.
"Herm, snap out of it! Let's go help those two over there in choosing their robes, then we can find robes in our colors and see which the boys like best." Lavender pulled Hermione up out of the chair she had sat in to drag her to the boys. Almost right away Lavender spotted some blue robes. She pulled them off the rack and handed them to Ron. "Here you go!"
"Thanks, Lav. You're such a help with these things. I'll be right back, okay?" Ron took the robes to make sure they fit right and if not, to get them altered.
Lavender shot Hermione a look that clearly said "Help him out!"
Hermione scanned the rack for a dark green robe and pulled the first one she saw.
"Harry? Are you looking for something?" she asked with a small smile on her face.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, Herm. Just drifted off for a minute there. You found one? Thanks!" He grinned and hugged her, dashing off in the direction Ron had went.
"Now lets go find some robes, Hermione, and surprise them." Lavender pulled some robes with embroidery on them off the rack, handed the green ones to Hermione, and dragged her to the try-on area. "Come on!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After they got their robes, they went to the Three Broomsticks and had a couple Butterbeers, but when they finished them, they decided to head back to Hogwarts. After all, it had been a long day.
The next week was full of homework, even though the ball was that Saturday, ironically, after the Slytherin/Ravenclaw quidditch match. Because of the ball though, the game was going to start earlier than usual.
Finally, it was Friday, and you could tell that something was happening soon, for all the excitement in the air- along with all the magic, of course. After dinner, when the girls went up to their dorms, Ginny brought her robe to Hermione and Lavender to keep, since they were helping her get out of the tower without Ron asking who her date was. If there was one thing that would happen, Ron would definitely get mad at Hermione, since she had known since it happened, but most of all, Lavender would probably suffer the worst, being Ron's date to the ball.
They all slept well that night, dreaming of the things they wanted to happen at the ball. Ginny dreamed Ron just ignored who her date was and was at least civil to him. Hermione just dreamed of getting Harry do at least dance once, if she got one dance, she would be happy. Lavender, however, hoped that she and Ron would get some 'alone' time. Ron dreamed he actually approved of Ginny's date, and that Lavender wouldn't force him to dance too much. Harry dreamed he told Hermione all about how he felt about her, and that he got to have some 'alone' time with her, just enjoying being with one another.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Ravenclaw beat Slytherin, thanks to Cho Chang catching the Snitch before Draco Malfoy was even halfway there. Hermione had borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak before the match, and was going to lend it to Ginny, who would give it back after the ball. After the match, the girls went up to start getting ready, and Ron started up an impromptu chess tournament.
Hermione set her stuff up while Lavender was washing up, and when Lavender came out, Hermione went in next, while Parvati worked on Lavender's hair. Then when Hermione came out, Parvati dashed to wash up.
Hermione put on her green robe, which with its gold trim, looked like it had been made for a princess. Lavender, who was dressed in equally nice blue robes with bronze trim, was looking through the stuff she had lying on the table they had conjured up. She looked up and beckoned Hermione over to her.
"Okay, let's fix you up, Herm. Hair or make-up first?" Lavender asked her.
"Hair, I think, Lav. Doing my hair first should make doing the make-up easier." Hermione relaxed slightly seeing Lavender's face. She figured since Lavender was being so calm about this that there was no reason for her to worry.
"So, Herm, how was Ginny going to do her hair? Was she going to get a spell for it?" Lavender asked after casting a spell that made her wand act as a curler and winding strands of Hermione's hair around the tip. She held it for about ten seconds before letting the hair go and going to the next strand.
"I found her a really good charm, but you have to wait to see what it does. It's mine and Ginny's little secret. At least until we see her at the ball," Hermione closed her eyes, picturing what she'd like her own hair to look like.
"Herm! I'm your partner in crime here, not some spy who's going to run telling the big bad brother as soon as you tell me! I swear on my honor as a Gryffindor!" Lavender was almost on her knees begging, or as close as she could be without stopping her hair curling.
"Okay, I guess I can tell you. The spells I gave her were Curlius Spiralis for spiral curls, and then I gave her Pilius Tressalus to pile the curls on her head. We even tried them then and there, and it was exactly like she wanted them to be! Lav, she's going to look perfect." Hermione couldn't wait for the ball right then, she wanted to see what everyone thought of Ginny's hair.
"Hermione, what's the charm for a lot of curls on the side and only curls on the end in the middle?" Lavender had had an idea, but she needed those charms to do it.
"Hmm… Lots of curls on the side, that would be Curlius Sidalus, and end curls in the middle is Medianis Tipus Curlius. Might I ask-"
"What it's for? No, but you will find out." Lavender muttered the charms, rummaged around in her hair clips, found her lily hair combs with the emeralds, placed them in Hermione's hair and muttered the Holding Charm so Hermione's hair would stay all throughout the ball. "Okay, I think it's time for make-up, Herm. How about the same as last Saturday plus some glitter in your hair, and on your skin? And for the colors, I'm thinking green and gold, and for your lips, red. But not too heavy, okay?
"O-okay. Lav?" Hermione couldn't help but look at their clock and see that the ball started in twenty-five minutes.
"Yes, Herm?" Lavender said as she cast the glitter charms on Hermione's skin and hair.
"Are you sure I'll look okay? I mean, my robes aren't like the ones I wore at the Yule Ball last year, and I don't even have a cloak to go with them. And what if-" Hermione got cut off by Lavender closing her mouth.
"Let me put your Lipstick on, Herm. And yes, I'm sure you'll look great, your robes are perfect, and that remains to be seen. Now pout." Lavender took a few quick strokes with the tube. "Hold it, Granger. We need the powder, then the lip gloss for shine." She pressed the tissue against Hermione's lips, dabbed powder over it, then took the lip gloss and dabbed some on. "Okay, rub your lips together. Do you have your slippers on yet?"
"No. Lavender, what did you mean by 'That remains to be seen'?" Hermione grabbed her gold slippers, pulling them onto her feet.
"Was that about me having a cloak?"
"That's for me and someone else to know and you to find out when we go down. Speaking of that, there's a better mirror down there, but you can't look in it until Harry's seen you." Lavender pushed her through the door, following her down the stairs. "Wait, I'm going first, Herm. You need grand entrance."
"Okay… If you say so Lav." Hermione noticed they were almost downstairs, so she stopped. "Should I wait here, Lady Lavender?"
"Yes, Lady Granger, I believe that would be most convenient. Don't come until you here me say something, okay? I believe your prince awaits." Lavender stepped down the final steps into the common room. Hermione could hear Harry tell Lavender she was looking very pretty. That was just like Harry, always the gentleman.
"Lavender, where's Herm?" Harry asked, wondering why she hadn't yet entered the common room.
"She's waiting for my signal. Hermione, you can come down now!" Lavender stood beside Ron, with her arm resting in the crook of his elbow.
Hermione descended the stairs with the grace of an angel. When she was finally in view, Harry felt his mouth open, and tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Ron pointed this out to Lavender, who stepped over to Harry and shut his mouth, though it did nothing to distract him. He just stared at her like he'd never seen anything as beautiful as Hermione in his life.
"Hermione, you look very nice tonight, and I hope I can say we won't do any fighting tonight," Ron said, turning a little red. "You gonna do something about him?" Ron pointed to Harry, who seemed to be petrified.
"Harry? Hello, anyone home? Harry, I'm sure I don't look that nice! Okay, that's it, you asked for it Potter! Rictusempra!"
That did the trick. Harry doubled over all of a sudden, finally jerked out of his stupor. Hermione removed the charm and pulled him up.
"Figures it takes me this long to understand why I like you so much, Herm. Let's see where did I put that infernal box? Oh, here it is. Herm, this is for you." Harry handed her the green square box with a look in his eye saying that he didn't even think what was in the box was enough.
She opened the box to find the most beautiful cloak she had ever seen. "Ohh, Harry, you shouldn't have! This must have cost you a fortune!" She pulled the cloak out to find that not only was it green, the inside was gold, the edges were lined in gold, and the clasp was gold with emeralds in the shape of a 'H'.
"Here, Hermione, you want me to help you with it?" Harry held his hand out for the cloak and she handed it to him. He draped it around her shoulders carefully, and she held it in place while he came around to face her. He tilted her chin up and fastened the clasp, which glowed green and suddenly, Hermione felt warm inside. "It has a warming charm on it, and its other properties work best if the giver fastens it the first time." He offered her his arm, and she slipped her arm inside his. As they walked out the portrait hole, Ron and Lavender just barely heard something exchanged between the two.
"You know, Hermione, I think you're the absolute prettiest witch on the planet."
Hermione just blushed and said thank you, by the way.
Stay tuned for part 2 - The Ball