alright, i'm weak. the next update for Charmed is here ! although my computer seems to dislike the document for the next few chapters, so it might be a bit longer before those come out. enjoy chapter five !
*kisses*
lil_irish_girl
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Previously;
As the girls walked up the stairs, Harry could have sworn he heard them giggling.
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"I just can't get over how gorgeous this dress is," Hermione said, gingerly putting it into the closet.
"Yeah," Ginny said. "And you got such a deal on it."
"It was still pretty expensive," said Hermione. "Most of my secret stash."
"Secret stash?" Ginny asked, sitting on Hermione's bed.
"Money that I put away for special occasions, or emergencies."
"Ahh," Ginny said, nodding her head. "Well you can use this dress for quite some time after the Bash. Madam Greyrose said that the dress would stretch a little bit, so it grows with you."
"It's amazing," Hermione whispered, sitting on the bed next to Ginny. "Now, he told me to meet him in the middle of the dance floor at quarter to eleven."
"The Bash is in five days," said Ginny. "You don't have to worry. You've got your dress, and your mask, and your shoes. I'll take care of your hair and your make up. Face it, hun; this is gonna be one magical night."
"Let's hope," Hermione said, crossing her fingers and smiling at Ginny.
~*~
"Guess who?" Ron asked, smiling as he covered a girls' eyes.
"Well, I'm just taking a stab in the dark," the girl said. "But I'm guessing it's my boyfriend."
"That's right," said Ron, removing his hands and gently tipping her head back so he could look at her. Her startling blue eyes looked up at him, and he couldn't help but smile.
"Have I told you how beautiful you are?" he asked, gently stroking her cheek.
"Not today," she whispered, smiling softly.
"You shine with the light from the sun," Ron said quietly.
"Stop flirting with her," Harry said good naturedly, watching the two of them from his position on the couch. "She's already your girlfriend."
Ron looked at Harry and childishly stuck his tongue out at him, causing Lauren to laugh.
"So what are you two going as for the Bash?" Harry asked, setting his book down.
"I'm going as one of Charlie's Angels," Lauren told him excitedly.
"I have no idea what I'm going as," Ron said, shrugging.
"Ron!" Lauren said, practically bouncing up and down in her chair. "You could go as Neo!"
Harry immediately started laughing.
"That's a brilliant idea, Lauren," he said, grinning. "But you'd have to get him a black wig."
"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Ron said, confused.
"It's from the Matrix," Lauren explained. "My parents used to watch those movies all the time."
"Will this Neo person look good with one of Charlie's Angels?" Ron asked.
"Of course," Lauren said. "So you'll do it?"
"For you, anything," said Ron, smiling.
"Fantastic!" Lauren said. "I have my costume upstairs. I might need a bit of help with yours, though, Ron. Care to go see what we can find?"
"Why, sure, milady," Ron said, walking around to the front of the chair and offering her his hand. Smiling, she took it and they walked out the portrait hole hand in hand.
~*~
"I can't stop thinking about her," a boy said softly into the darkness. Everyone had long past gone upstairs to get sleep, and he was alone in the common room. "She's so amazing. I can tell she's pretty. I don't know how, but I have that feeling. The Bash is in two days. I'll meet the girl who has been haunting my dreams in two days."
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"Ginny, where do you want this… thing?" Hermione asked, holding up a giant banner.
The two girls were in the Great Hall, decorating for the Masquerade Bash, which happened to be that night. Hermione had offered to help, seeing as Ginny couldn't do the job all by herself.
"Just put it somewhere so people can see it," Ginny yelled down from the ladder she was currently on. She had insisted on putting up the decorations without (much) use of magic, stating that it would be more "fun."
The four long tables that had been there that morning were gone, and in their place a number of small round tables had been placed sporadically around the room. The one part of the room she had used magic on was to place a shimmering glow on the walls, making the whole place seem surreal.
Hermione was in charge of music. Using magic, she placed a charm that made music sound throughout the room. There were also streamers being strung from the higher parts of the ceiling- a job that Ginny was performing by standing on a very high ladder.
"How do the streamers look?" she called down to Hermione.
"They look great!" Hermione said enthusiastically, looking up.
"Do you girls need any help?" a male voice said as the doors to the Great Hall were shut. Ginny turned on the ladder to see who it was.
"Malfoy?" she said incredulously. Due to her quick turning, it caused the ladder to teeter. Ginny lost her balance, and began falling. Draco immediately ran over to where the ladder had crashed, and caught Ginny effortlessly. Breathing heavily, she turned her face towards his chest.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes," Ginny said, looking up at his face. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, Draco," Ginny assured him. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Would you like to come with me to the Masquerade Bash?" Draco asked, still holding onto her.
"Wait, lemme get this straight," Ginny said, attempting to be business-like while tangled up in Draco Malfoy. "You, a Malfoy, are asking me, a Weasley, on- on a date?"
"It would appear so," Draco said, looking directly into her eyes.
"Are you going to let me go?" Ginny asked, wriggling a bit in his grasp.
"Well if I let you go, you might fall again," said Draco, his eyes mischievous. "And then I'd have to catch you again." Ginny sighed.
"If I say yes, will you let me go?" she asked.
"Hmm, I don't know," Draco said. "I rather like you wriggling in my arms."
Ginny playfully smacked his arm. He laughed.
"Okay, okay," he said. "If you say yes, I'll let you go."
"Then yes," she said softly. He released his grip on her, and she put her feet back on the ground.
"Ginny, I don't know where this banner would look good and-" Hermione said, walking up to where the ladder lay, useless. "Oh," she said, noticing Draco. "Are you two having fun? Everything PG over here?"
Ginny shot a mock-angry glare at her friend. "Yes," Ginny said. "Draco just asked me to the Masquerade Bash, and I said yes."
"Oh, I see," said Hermione. "Told you!"
Ginny scrunched her nose, sticking her tongue out.
"You're cute when you scrunch your nose like that," Draco observed.
"Am I now?" Ginny asked, turning to face him. "Interesting," winking at him, she turned her attention back to Hermione.
"Now, I was thinking the banner would look nice over here…"
~*~
"Hermione, would you quit fidgeting?"
Ginny and Hermione were in Hermione's dorm, putting final touches on both of their costumes. Ginny was all decked out in a sexy bunny outfit, currently doing Hermione's hair; she had found a charm that made it fall in loose curls down her back. Ginny had, however, insisted on doing her make up the Muggle way. Hermione was wearing mascara, a hint of blush, and a little bit of lipstick. Not much, but it accented all of her features.
"Alright, go put on your dress," Ginny said, gently pushing Hermione out of the chair in front of the mirror. "Let me put on my makeup."
Laughing softly, Hermione got up and took the dress out of the closet. She put it on carefully, then checked herself in the mirror. She really did look breathtaking.
"How do I look?" Ginny asked, stepping away from the mirror and facing Hermione. Ginny had lightly rimmed her eyes with a Muggle liquid liner she had borrowed from Hermione. She also put on mascara and red lipstick which complimented her black bunny suit nicely; she had bent the ears slightly.
"You look gorgeous," Hermione said truthfully.
"Gorgeous, maybe," Ginny said. "But is it sexy enough?"
"Gin, you were sexy enough as it is," said Hermione, laughing.
"Trying to flatter me won't work right now," said Ginny, waving a hand in the air. "Save the compliments for your mystery date. Speaking of your mystery date, remember what we planned?"
"Yes," Hermione said. "Regardless of how good or bad the date's going, you come and drag me out of it at midnight."
"Exactly," Ginny said, smiling.
Hermione checked the clock on her bedside table.
"It's a few minutes before quarter to eleven," she said. "We should head down."
The two of them were almost out the door when Hermione stopped.
"My voice!" she exclaimed, facing Ginny. "Everyone knows the sound of my voice. If I don't want him to know who I am, I need to not have my voice."
Looking around the room as if it would give her an answer, Ginny looked helplessly at her friend.
"I can't think of anything that could disguise your voice," she said. "You could just talk differently."
"I'll forget eventually," Hermione said, wracking her brain for some spell she had read about the previous summer. "Oh! I remember reading a spell that raised your voice by a couple tones. I'll try it out on myself." Raising her wand, she murmured a few words.
"Did it work?" Hermione said in a voice that clearly was not her own.
"Hermione, you're brilliant!" Ginny said, beaming. "Let's go."
Walking down the staircase, Hermione was quite the center of attention. The Gryffindors stopped and stared, as if placed under a charm at the sight of her. Walking down the halls weren't any better; she still got those stares.
"What's everyone staring at?" Hermione asked quietly, leaning towards Ginny.
"Well, they're not staring at me or my bunny tail," Ginny said, smiling softly. "They're looking at you, Ms. Gorgeous."
Hermione blushed, the little part of her cheeks that were exposed turning pink. When they finally got to the Great Hall, they walked through the doors to find the place full of people. At that moment, it seemed as though everyone stopped to see who the girl in the Cinderella dress was. Ginny took Hermione's arm and led her through the throng of people; right into the middle of the dance floor.
"Good luck," Ginny whispered into her friend's ear. Then, turning on her heel, left Hermione standing there alone.
Hermione took a moment to take everything in; the energy from everyone dancing, how beautiful she felt with everyone staring at her.
"Hey there, Cinderella," a voice from behind her said. Spinning around, hopeful, she saw a boy a bit taller than she, dressed in what appeared to be a Dracula outfit. "Is there a Prince in the picture? If not, you could look for the pot of gold at the end of the Wayne-bow."
"I'm not Irish," Hermione said. "And you're not getting lucky."
"Damn," the boy said, walking away.
Hermione rolled her eyes and glanced at the giant clock on the wall: 10:47 pm.
"You're two minutes late, Mr. Perfect," she murmured. The second after she said it, she felt the presence of someone behind her.
"GHJ?" he asked quietly.
Hermione took a deep breath, preparing herself. It's time, she thought. Turning around, her eyes widened.
"Harry Potter?"
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there we go ! if you have the time, please leave a few words. (: