Chapter Seven

The Yule Ball

“Ginny! Ginny, Wake up!” An irritating voice was penetrating Ginny’s dream. She tried to ignore it but then someone started shaking her.

“What? What is so important that you are waking me up at the butt crack of dawn?” Ginny asked holding a pillow over her head.

“It’s almost lunchtime, you twit. Wake up.” It was Hermione. Ginny didn’t want to, but she sat up. Her hair was going every which way and still she looked terrific. Hermione beat down a pang of envy over Ginny’s beautiful hair. She had nice hair too, with the right spells, anyway.

“This came for you this morning at breakfast.” She was holding out a long box that was wrapped in the same green paper as the ring had been. “And, this came for you by special Owl Delivery later.” This time the wrapped box was smaller but still in the same shiny giftwrap.

Ginny smiled and Hermione couldn’t help but feel a little bit of her joy.

“Thanks, Herm.” Ginny said and then patted her bed for her to sit down.

“Who are these from?” Hermione asked the question that everyone had been dying to know all morning.

Ginny grinned and she had a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You’ll find out tonight. They are from my date to the Yule Ball.”

Hermione gasped, “Really? You know that there are bets going around on who sent you the gifts. You wouldn’t believe some of their picks. Let’s see, Lavender thinks its Oliver Wood. Seamus Finnigan has been telling everyone that they are from him and that’s why the wrapping is green because he is Irish. Pansy says Snape is your admirer. Blaise is betting that it’s Filch.” They were both laughing hysterically by now. “But, the funniest one of all is Ron. He swears that Draco is making moves on you.” Hermione didn’t seem to notice that she was the only one laughing now.

“Do you want to stay and see what they are?” Ginny asked, itching to rip into them.

“Thanks,” Hermione said, “ I know that Harry, Ron and I sometimes leave you out of things. But, I really do consider you a good friend. And, my only real girl friend.” She blushed then. It must be really hard for her to talk about emotions. She was just such an analytical person. If she had a problem, she went to a book for the answer instead of a person.

Ginny grinned at her and with shaky hands began to unwrap the smaller present first. It was another velvet box, only bigger than the one the ring came in. She opened up the hinged lid and tears welled up into her eyes.

Hermione gasped, “Oh my God, it’s beautiful.”

And so it was. It was a necklace of delicate silver links. In the middle of the necklace was a pendant that was the same as her ring, only much larger. It had the two teardrop stones, placed in a heart shape. One half was a red gem, the other a green one. Ginny noticed that the clasp was a little snake’s head, with the other end being it’s tail, grasped in its mouth. She covered that tell-tell sign with her hand, as she held it over for Hermione to get a better look at.

Her friend appeared to be in shock, “Wow. Who would give you such an extravagant present?” Her eyes were wide and she was looking quite bewildered.

Ginny thought that it was a good time to go ahead and open the other present before Hermione figured out who it most likely was.

She started to unwrap the package; inside was a note card lying on some velvety fabric. She picked up the note and tilted it so that Herm couldn’t see what it said, just in case he had signed it.

To Virginia

Your Beauty will outshine these gifts.

I only hope they can begin to do you justice.

I will meet you in front of the Gryffindor

Tower Portrait at 8:10.

Love, Me

Ginny laughed out loud. She couldn’t help it. The little note was so un-Dracoish that she thought it must be a ploy to confuse nosey-nellies. The time sounded like Draco though. He would want to be fashionably late since how the ball started at eight. She picked up the fabric and this time she gasped out loud while Hermione just stared with her mouth hanging open. It was a dress. More precisely, a stunning, dark green velvet ball gown. It was floor length, with a slit that appeared to go up way too high on the thigh. The neckline almost met it, Ginny thought with a worried look. She wasn’t sure that she, well, had what it would take to fill this smashing dress out. She got off of the bed and held it up to her. Hermione was still trying to catch flies with her gaping jaw. The dress was lovely. She thought Draco must have been being sarcastic in his note. She was going to look awful in that beautiful dress. She’d have to try it on and see how it looked. She bit her lip nervously and looked at Hermione.

“That dress was made just for you. The color is perfect with your hair and skin tone.” She was looking at Ginny like she had never seen her before. Just then Ginny’s dorm mates came bouncing in. They “oh’ed” and “ah’ed” over her dress and necklace for a bit and then Hermione slipped out. Ginny made small talk for awhile and then left for the bathroom. It was going to take some work to get ready for tonight. She might have to find a potion to make certain body parts get temporarily larger.

Draco was a nervous wreck. Sure, his stupid mirror told him that he looked like a million galleons, but he knew that thing lied. He was wearing a black dress robe with dark green trim on the sleeves and collar. The Slytherin crest was embroidered on the left-hand side of his chest. Beneath it, he wore a soft black shirt, open at the collar. He also was wearing a pair of black suede pants. They were as soft as buckskin and clung to him like a second skin. His black boots shone with a soft gleam. Oh, hell, his palms were sweaty and his silvery hair was sticking up all over. It was time though. The other students should all be entering the ball now. He began the walk up from the dungeon to the high Gryffindor tower. He wasn’t this nervous since he had to go into the Forbidden Forest for detention when he was a first year.

He turned into the hallway where Ginny was supposed to be waiting and stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked, but couldn’t quite get his mind to accept what he was seeing. The most beautiful woman that he was ever seen was wearing the dress that he bought for Ginny.

“Draco, are you okay?” The vision rushed down the hall to meet him now with a worried expression clouding her features.

“Gi...Ginny?” Draco gulped.

A slow smile appeared on her face, “Yes, Draco? Do I look okay? I don’t have a boogie hanging out my nose do I?” She had thought that she looked pretty good in the dress, but when she saw his shocked face she wasn’t sure. Now, though, since he had a bit of drool hanging out his mouth, she decided that she did, indeed, look fetching.

“Oh my God. Ginny, you’re so beautiful...I mean, I knew you were beautiful, I didn’t think you were butt ugly or anything before, you know you just look so much prettier now...not that well, I mean you were always nice to look at and I didn’t mean that the way...” Draco stammered running a slim hand through his hair.

She put a finger on his lips and leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Thank you, Draco Malfoy. I think I understand.” She flicked her tongue at his ear and he actually swayed on his feet. God, she could get used to this power, she thought to herself.

He stepped away from her then with his hands on her shoulders. She was just wicked. Her hair was pulled up, but it tumbled all around her face at the same time. Her long black lashes framed her bright blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her face was perfection. Her body was beyond that. The necklace glittered at her throat. The low neckline showed so much cleavage that he thought about throwing his robe over her head. What had made him get it so low? The material clung to every curve she had. It was a formfitting dress and it fitted the form quite nicely. She shifted feet then and he saw the curve of her milky thigh glide out of the slit of her dress. Oh shit. He was in trouble. His damn pants were a little too tight in a certain area. Why did those idiotic muggles wear these things all the time?

“Are you nervous about being seen with me in front of your friends?” Ginny asked, getting a little worried under his scrutiny.

“No,” he said with his voice cracking, “I’m just worried that I am going to have some very bloody and battered knuckles before the night is through. Every guy in there is going to be ogling you all night and I’m going to beat the hell out of every one of them.” He smiled then. Obviously the prospect of violence appealed to him, she thought. Damn, he was cute.

They interlocked arms then and headed down the stairs. When they reached the top of the main staircase he pulled her to him and kissed her hard. She returned it with equal feeling. They broke apart and descended the stairs.

Ron was dancing with Hermione. He was trying not to step on her toes. Harry and Cho were dancing beside them and he seemed to be having the same trouble. The two guys kept making faces at each other every time they got too close and the girls just rolled their eyes. Couldn’t they be serious for just one night? Hermione was about to ask Ron to stop and get some punch when a murmur passed through the crowd. She looked up and was startled by the look on Ron’s face. He looked like he just saw Voldemort walk in the room. She turned in the direction he was staring at and her jaw hit the floor.

Draco and Ginny entered the room, side by side. She was clinching his arm in a vise-like grip. If she didn’t, she would most likely collapse. Everyone, and that was no exaggeration, was looking at them. There was whispering voices filling the room. Some of them were non-too-quiet.

“How could she be seen with that nasty git?”

“Lucius Malfoy is going to raise hell....literally.”

“How could she afford that dress? And look at those jewels. I bet she stole them....dirt poor Weasle.”

“She’s always been so sweet and he’s such a little ferret.”

Draco gave her hand a squeeze and gazed into her eyes.

“It’s going to be okay. I love you.” She could have sworn she actually heard his voice in her head. Then, of course she realized that he had spoken out loud. She beamed up at him and they moved onto the dance floor. The crowd parted for them and they moved to the center of the room. Fairies were flying everywhere, lighting up the dim ballroom. The stars were shining on the ceiling. She felt like she was in heaven. He slid his arms around her waist and his fingers just skimmed her curvy backside. She wove her hands behind his neck and moved closer to him. They stared into each other’s eyes and twirled around the floor. As far as they were concerned, they were the only ones in the room. Eventually the whispers died down and the other students began dancing again. They danced all night together. The only time they broke apart was when Ron tapped Draco on the shoulder. He turned his head lazily around and when he saw it was Ron he removed one arm from Ginny’s waist and held it out to him. Ron looked like he wanted to rip it off at the socket but something made him take it and give it a firm shake instead. He asked if he could dance with Ginny. Draco bowed to him and asked Hermione if she wanted to dance. Blaise was dancing close by and as soon as Draco released Ginny she hurried over and almost died when he snubbed her and asked that mudblood to dance. She turned and rushed out of the room and didn’t return for the rest of the night.

Ron started to ask Ginny what the hell she thought she was doing but she shook her head at him when he started to speak. “I like him. A lot. We are going to be seeing each other. You are going to have to get used to it. If you can’t, I’m going to have to put a pucker spell on you. It’ll make you pucker up and kiss his arse every time you get within ten feet of him.” Something in her eyes made him think she was serious. That damn Malfoy’s evil ways were already rubbing off on her. Ron, quite maturely, decided to save the battle for another time. Besides, Malfoy had his hands on Hermione now and he didn’t want him to poison her mind too. He kissed Ginny’s cheek and then took her back to Draco. They nodded coolly to each other and then resumed dancing with their girls.

Up at the teacher’s table two people were watching the proceedings with much interest. They glanced over at each other discreetly and the corners of their mouths lifted.

Under the table their hands met and clasped together. One rough long fingered hand wore a ring with a Slytherin crest. The other dainty hand wore a ring with a red stone that bore the Gyffindor seal. They held on to each other under the table and watched the pair dance out on the floor. Dumbledore watched them with a twinkle in his eye. They thought they were so sneaky. He rolled his eyes. He knew they had been matchmaking, then he grinned when he remembered that he had had to help their love along too. From what he had heard, they even used some of the same tricks that he had used on them. He smiled and drank a toast to the lovers, young and old. It was going to be an interesting rest of the year at Hogwarts. He could hardly wait.

The End.....for now >;o)