Hey guys! Sorry I took ages to upload this - have been out most of last week and all weekend - had our school prom on Friday, it was amazing! The guy I went with got me ten red roses, how sweet! (not twelve, he said he wanted to be different! lol) but I better not ramble on about it though, you'd get bored! The pictures are fab though, everyone looks amazing! …I'm still talking aren't I…
The Halloween Masquerade Ball
The week before the Ball seemed to fly by for Hermione, and she couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or not. She was getting increasingly nervous about who her partner would be. More than once she woke up terrified from a dream in which Dumbledore lifted the spell at midnight and Hermione found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy. Each time this happened she told herself that she would not go, but if she was honest, wild thestrals couldn't keep her away. She was actually really looking forward to it.
Well at least its not as low as Lavender's! Hermione thought, tugging at the bodice of her dress and sighed as it went back to what it was before. It was 5pm on October 31st - the night of the Ball. Hermione, Lavender and Parvati were in their room, getting ready for the Ball. Ginny had joined them to help with their makeup, she seemed to have a talent for it. "Hermione, would you stop doing that! As much as you pull, its not going to get any higher!" Ginny exclaimed. "Here, this will stop it slipping down at least" She waved her wand and Hermione felt a strange tingling feeling on her chest. She frowned down at her dress. "What did you do Ginny? That felt odd." Ginny just shrugged. "I don't know exactly, its just something mum taught me. Now hold still, I've got to get this right!" she scooped up large amounts of Sleekeasy's hair potion and rubbed it into Hermione's bushy hair. After half a pot of the stuff was absorbed into her hair, it finally lost the bushy look and Ginny nodded in satisfaction. She then called to Parvati "Will you curl Hermione's hair now please? I'm not very good at the charm, and if I get it wrong we'll have to do all this again!" Parvati came over and with a complicated wiggling movement of her wand, Hermione's hair cascaded down past her shoulders in loose ringlets. Parvati then moved in front of her and using two light blue sparkling hair grips, held Hermione's hair back from her face on one side. "There! Now all you need is Ginny to do your makeup, but you'll have to wait though, because when she's finished Lavender's she's doing mine. You look really nice Hermione, some guy is going to me very lucky tonight!" she smiled. "Thanks Parvati, you look wonderful too. You all do." Hermione said, smiling at them. She found she was actually quite enjoying the whole girly thing. She had never really been that good friends with Parvati and Lavender, but this year they got on a lot better as Hermione took the time to talk to them. Finally Ginny came over to do her makeup. She applied a little blusher, but not too much or Hermione would complain. Next came the charm to curl her eyelashes, then she applied navy blue mascara, and Hermione tried not to blink too much, but still got told off. After this, Ginny added her eye makeup. Light blue fading into darker blue. Finally Ginny tried to draw on her navy blue eyeliner but ended up having to re-do the makeup of one eye as Hermione flinched away from the pencil and got it on her eyelid.
By half past six the girls were adding the finishing touches to their makeup and costumes. There was a tap on the window and Hermione went to let in the two owls that were perched on the sill. One flew straight to here shoulder, the other landed by Lavender. "Open it Hermione! It must be from your partner, telling you where to meet him! What does it say?" Ginny asked excitedly. Hermione smiled nervously and opened up the parchment. "Dear Miss 58" she read "Shall we meet at the top of the Marble Staircase at half past seven? I will be next to the portrait of Pongo the Smelly to wait for you. I will be wearing a dark blue shirt. Regards, 58." Lavender giggled. "Well that's romantic. Meeting by Pongo the Smelly's portrait! Oh well, it could be worse I suppose, at least yours didn't ask whether you're any good at dancing or he won't dance with you! Look at this!" She said, waving her note in front of them. They read it and laughed. It seemed like whoever Lavender was partnered with thought a lot of themselves. Hermione replied to her partner that half past seven is fine and confirmed the meeting place. Then they all sat down and waited until seven to see just how the identi-spell worked.
Harry was getting increasingly nervous watching Ron continuously pace around the room in his suit. Ron's number was 21 and so he had to wear traditional muggle clothes, so he was dressed in a tux with a dark purple shirt on. Harry was in what Dean called a 'peasant' shirt, a loose shirt that laced up at the throat. Ron instructed Harry on what to wear and how to wear it. When Harry came in with the lace done up Ron laughed for five minutes while informing Harry what an idiot he looked. Apparently the lace was meant to stay loose, and the shirt was not meant to be tucked in. now Ron was talking very fast about all the partners that he would probably be stuck with, each worse than the last. Harry was now quite alarmed, and Neville was sitting wide-eyed on his bed biting his nails. Seamus was asking repeatedly why they had signed up for this and Dean was trying to read a quidditch book, although he had read the same page for the last ten minutes without noticing. "Don't you think we're overreacting a bit guys" Harry said. "I mean, its only a Ball right?" they all just stared at him and replied that that was exactly the problem. Not knowing who they would be dancing with all night seemed to be really bugging them. Dean said he was worried that Ginny would like the person she was dancing with more than him, which brightened Ron up. It looked like Dean and Ron were about to start arguing when an owl flew in through the window and dropped a piece of parchment on the floor between them. Dean picked it up and saw the number 58 written on it. "Here" he said, holding it out to the four boys in front of him. "Looks like your mystery partner has replied." Number 58 took the parchment and opened it, reading out the reply to the others.
Seven o'clock. All through the school students gasped as they suddenly could not recognise their friends faces. As they tried speaking to each other they couldn't even recognise their friends' voices. Hermione, Ginny, Lavender and Parvati made their way down to the Entrance Hall, all talking excitedly. When trying to say anyone's name, they found that they couldn't, instead just went silent. They saw all the milling students as they descended the marble staircase, a lot of them calling out numbers in unrecognisable voices. "Hey, any of you 86?" a voice called. Ginny squealed excitedly. "Oooh that's me! Wish me luck!" she hurried down the stairs towards the person who had called out her number. Hermione said goodbye to Lavender and Parvati and turned and made her way back up the staircase and saw that a guy in a dark blue shirt was standing there, waiting for her. She smiled nervously and made her way towards him.
Harry waited by the top of the staircase, tugging nervously at his dark blue shirt. He jumped at a nervous voice said behind him "Hello". He turned around and gasped. A beautiful young lady stood before him wearing a lovely blue dress. He studied her face, and looked into her soft brown eyes that seemed so familiar, yet when he tried to think who it was his brain went all fuzzy. "Wow" he said quietly. "You, err, you look, err, great." she smiled at him and he grinned back. "Shall we go?" Hermione asked the amazing young man in front of her. He looked so good, despite his messy hair. She looked into his eyes and saw that they were a brilliant green. She knew him, but yet she could not think who it was. He held out his arm and she took it, and together they went into the Great Hall.
Hermione gasped as they entered. The house tables had been cleared and replaced by little tables for two around the edge of a large dance floor in the centre of the Hall. The stage was set up, and Yellow Hell's banner was draped across the wall behind it. Yellow Hell themselves had just walked on stage to the applause of the waiting couples. They struck up a fast song and the couples started dancing. "You want to dance?" The handsome young man beside her asked. "Yes, sure." Hermione replied, and found herself being led onto the dance floor. As she stepped into his arms she felt as though she had danced with him before, they seemed to move together so well, so naturally.
Harry couldn't believe it. He had been dancing for hours with this beautiful young woman and still had no idea who she was. They were sitting at one of the little tables around the dance floor and talking about everything and nothing. They chatted about everything but themselves, and Harry was increasingly sure that he knew this person fairly well. Still his brain wouldn't let him even think about any names, and so he gave up trying, and just enjoyed spending time talking and dancing until midnight, when he would finally get to see who this amazing girl is.
Hermione couldn't wait until midnight, but at the same time she was anxious. What if he doesn't like he when he sees who I am? she thought. But at that point the took her hand and led her onto the dance floor again. They danced through three songs, perfectly instep with each other. The music suddenly stopped playing and the lead singer of the band announced: "Hey guys and girls, we're gonna play one last song for you and by the end you're gonna see who you were dancing with all night!" Cheers followed this statement and the band struck up a slow, romantic song that got all couples onto the dance floor. Hermione felt so happy in the arms of this mysterious young man that she did not want the song to end. She rested her head against his shoulder and he put his arms firmly around her. Too soon the last note of the song rang out and Hermione reluctantly pulled away and looked into his beautiful green eyes… Harry's eyes.
As she pulled away he looked into her eyes that had widened in surprise. "Hermione?" he half whispered. "Harry." she said. He couldn't believe how he hadn't recognised her before, how he had had her in his arms all night and not realised until now. Suddenly he knew that she was more to him than just a best friend. Slowly he tilted his head and his lips met hers.
Hermione closed her eyes as Harry's soft lips touched her own. She slanted her mouth and stepped closer to deepen the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and feeling him pull her closer. …I'm kissing Harry…I'm finally kissing Harry… she thought vaguely as she lost herself in his embrace, in his kiss…