FIC: Aftermaths, Part 46

[geri_chan]

Title: Aftermaths, Part 46
Rating: NC-17 overall, but most chapters are closer to PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin, Theodore/Blaise, and a few other minor pairings
Word count: ~8,600
Warning: AU; written pre-HBP
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising
Summary: Several students try to find dates for the Yule Ball, which leads to Parvati giving a makeover to a somewhat unwilling recipient.

Part 45 (Previous chapters can be found under the aftermaths tag.)

***

"So the Death Eaters murdered her brother?" Lukas asked.

"Yes," Snape replied, then smiled bitterly. "People tend to lump in all the Slytherin families together and assume that they were all Death Eater sympathizers, but the truth is that a good many of them lived in fear during the war. They didn't really want the Dark Lord to win, but at the time, it seemed likely that he would, so they didn't dare side against him. My parents were among those who sat on the fence, as Lucius used to call it."

"I would call them cowards," Lukas said, "except that I did the same thing. I couldn't see the point of defending the wizarding world that treated us like outcasts. It wasn't until the Death Eaters directly threatened my pack that I realized there could be no neutral parties in this war."

Snape nodded. "I suppose I should have kept a closer on eye on Miss Greengrass, but she never caused any trouble, and the other Slytherins left her alone and didn't seem to be harassing her. She's so quiet that you tend to forget she's there sometimes."

"Hmm," Lukas said. "Perhaps she needs my Defense lessons more than the other students do."

"Well, she's not in any danger now," Snape pointed out. "I'll check in at the dorm later to make sure that Mr. Malfoy doesn't seem to be carrying a grudge."

"All right," Lukas said, then grinned wolfishly. "Perhaps we'll make a warrior of Miss Greengrass yet; it really was a splendid hit, even if it was completely by accident!"

Snape couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm almost sorry that I missed it. But Miss Greengrass is lucky that Draco is no longer the little Death-Eater-in-waiting that he used to be."

Still, he expected Draco to be in a bit of a snit, so he and Lupin made one of their semi-regular visits to the dorm that night, bearing a platter of Christmas cookies. He tagged along in his usual grumpy manner, pretending that the whole thing was Lupin's idea. But to his surprise, Daphne seemed reasonably calm, although she still glanced over in Draco's direction warily every now and then as she nibbled on her cookie. And Draco seemed to be dealing with the whole incident fairly well himself, despite some gentle ribbing from his housemates.

"No harm done, I suppose," Draco said, rubbing his nose, when Snape asked him if he was all right. "Madam Pomfrey did a good job healing me."

"The first thing he did was check his reflection in the mirror to make sure his nose was still on straight!" Dylan teased. "And I thought I was the vain one!"

"A crooked nose might give you character!" Damien laughed.

"That's enough, guys," Blaise said with a smile. "It's no big deal; it's a class in combat, after all--people are bound to get hurt every now and then. There was the time that Ginny Weasley hit Dylan in the stomach--"

"That really hurt!" Dylan groaned.

"And Goyle gave me a black eye once," Blaise continued.

"I said I was sorry!" Goyle protested.

"I broke my nails once," Yvonne announced dramatically, "and right after I'd just had a manicure, too!"

That led to everyone comparing injuries they'd received in Physical Defense class, and they all seemed to forget about Draco's bloody nose. Lupin smiled at Snape, and Snape allowed one corner of his mouth to curve up slightly in acknowledgment. He leaned back against the couch and began reading the book he'd brought with him; apparently there had been nothing to worry about after all.

***

"Say, Lavender, wait up!" Seamus called as they were hurrying down the hall between classes one day.

"I'll be late for Potions class!" she protested, but came to a halt. "Well, what is it?" she asked, trying for a casual tone of voice, trying not to look too expectant or eager.

"Well, um...uh..." Seamus stammered as Parvati and the other girls watched. He hadn't wanted to do this in front of an audience, but the girls never seemed to go anywhere alone! "I was just wondering if you'd...um...maybe like to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Lavender said with a smile.

"Does that mean 'yes'?" Seamus asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Lavender laughed.

Seamus grinned in relief, and Damien came running down the hall, calling, "Parvati!" He sank down on one knee in front of her, held out a single long-stemmed red rose, and said, "My lady, would you do me the honor of consenting to be my date to the Yule Ball?"

Parvati accepted the rose, sniffed at it, smiled delightedly, and replied, "Of course."

Damien took her hand and kissed her fingertips as she giggled. "Then you have just made me the happiest man in the world!" he declared dramatically.

"This is all very touching," Ginny said in a dry voice, "but we're going to get detention if we're late to Snape's class."

Snape's sixth-year Advanced Potions students ran laughing down the hall, and Seamus sighed and shook his head. "That Slytherin makes the rest of us look bad in comparison! I wonder if he's been taking lessons from Rosier?"

"Maybe we should take lessons from Rosier," Harry said, only half-joking. "I wonder if Pierce stole that rose from the greenhouse?" Maybe Sirius was right, after all...

"Then he'd better hope that Professor Sprout doesn't find out about it!" Seamus laughed. "So...do you have a date to the Ball yet, Harry?"

"Not yet," he replied. "I was going to ask Ginny, but I haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Better not wait too long," Ron warned him. "Remember what happened to me in fourth year!"

"I hear there are a lot of guys who would like to ask Ginny out," Seamus added.

"Really?" Harry asked, looking alarmed.

"Better hurry up, Potter," Seamus said with a grin; it was easy for him to joke about it now that he'd finally asked Lavender.

"I've just been, you know, waiting for the right moment," Harry said. "I wanted to catch her alone, not ask her in front of the entire school."

"Girls seem to travel in packs," Seamus sighed. "I swear they don't go anywhere alone, not even to the bathroom!"

"Yeah, that's true," Ron mused. "Have you ever noticed that they always go to the bathroom in pairs? What's up with that?"

But Harry finally did find a quiet moment, after Quidditch practice that afternoon. He asked Ginny to help him put away the equipment, and Seamus and Ron winked at him and made themselves scarce.

"The guys could have helped instead of running off like that," Ginny grumbled. "Still, I suppose Ron needs the extra study time. But he'd better really be studying and not goofing off playing cards or something!"

"Say, Ginny?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Harry?" she asked distractedly as they stowed away the case containing the Quaffle and Bludgers.

"You look really nice today," he blurted out, attempting to follow Sirius's advice.

"I do?" Ginny asked, startled, then blushed a little. "I'm all sweaty from practice."

That was true, and it was also true that her hair was disheveled from exertion and the wind. But it didn't make her look any less pretty. Harry suddenly realized that he thought she looked beautiful while playing, with her hair streaming out behind her as she chased after the Quaffle, and her face full of intensity and determination. It had started snowing towards the end of practice, and there were little clumps of snow melting in her hair; he had to repress the urge to reach out and brush them away. "Well, you do," Harry said, his face turning even redder than Ginny's. "Look nice, I mean."

"Thanks, Harry," Ginny said, still looking startled, but sounding pleased as well. Harry hesitated, thinking that he should probably ask her to the Ball now, but wondering how he should go about it. Should he just ask casually, the way Seamus had, or should he make a big production of it, the way Damien had? Well, for one thing, he didn't have a rose on him, and for another, he'd probably look stupid...

While he was mentally waffling, Ginny interrupted his thoughts by saying, "Harry?"

"Huh?" he asked, too preoccupied to come up with a more intelligent response.

"Would you like to go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Harry stared at her in shock, and Ginny laughed at the expression on his face. "Well," she said playfully, "it was beginning to look like you weren't ever going to get around to asking me yourself, so..."

"I was!" he protested. "I was just working up to it!" Then he laughed, suddenly relieved that his problem had been solved, if in a rather unexpected way. "Sure, I'd love to go with you, Ginny."

"Great!" she said, smiling widely and blushing again. "Well, I'll see you later, Harry!" Then she ran out of the equipment room.

"Wait a minute," Harry said to the empty room. "Was she asking me as a friend or a girlfriend?" She had seemed pleased by his compliment, but she had run out of the room, not lingering behind after he'd agreed to go the Ball with her. Sirius said that if a girl avoided being alone with you, it was a sign that she just wanted to be friends. Then he shrugged and grinned. Well, at least they were going to the Ball together; he supposed they could figure out the rest of it later.

***

As Snape's seventh-year Advanced Potions class ended the next day, the students lingered behind in the hallway outside the classroom talking.

"So who are you two going to the Ball with?" Parvati asked Millicent and Pansy.

"Miles is coming to escort me to the Ball," Millicent said smugly. "Dumbledore is allowing alumni to attend."

"Ooh, you'll be the envy of all the girls!" Lavender squealed. "An older man and a professional Quidditch player!"

"No, I think Granger will be the envy of all the girls," Millicent said with a sly smile, and Hermione laughed good-naturedly.

"What about you, Pansy?" Parvati asked.

"I don't have a date yet," Pansy admitted.

"Well, Doherty doesn't have a date yet," Millicent said, "if you don't mind going with a younger man. Or maybe I could see if Miles could get one of his teammates to escort you--"

Justin Finch-Fletchley, who had also lingered behind after class, suddenly looked alarmed, and took a deep breath and marched up to the cluster of gossiping girls. "Excuse me," he said. "I--I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Ball with me, Pansy."

Pansy's jaw dropped, and not just the Slytherins, but all the students stared at him in shock. "He's crazy!" Susan Bones exclaimed softly. "No Slytherin would ever go out with a Muggle-born!"

Hannah looked just as shocked, but she said uncertainly, "Dylan would."

Pansy stared at him in stunned silence for so long that Justin started to turn away, saying, "Never mind; forget I--"

"Yes!" Pansy suddenly shouted.

Now it was Justin's turn to look shocked. "What?"

"Yes, I will go to the Ball with you," Pansy said firmly.

A relieved smile spread across Justin's face. "That's great," he said. "Um...what color dress will you be wearing?"

"I don't know," Pansy replied. "I haven't bought one yet. Why do you ask?"

"Because I wanted to get you a corsage," Justin replied, "and I wanted to make sure that it matched your dress." He blushed a little and said shyly, "That red dress you wore last year was really pretty."

Pansy flushed with pleasure, but she said, "Oh, but I couldn't wear the same dress to the Ball two years in row."

"Too bad," Justin said wistfully.

"She'll wear the red dress," Parvati declared, and when Pansy opened her mouth to protest, added, "we'll make it over--add some embroidery and beading, maybe alter the skirt. It'll look like new, trust me!"

Pansy closed her mouth, and Justin said cheerfully, "Great! Then I'll get roses for the corsage. See you later, Pansy."

"See you," Pansy said, and the Hufflepuffs walked off.

"You're going to the Ball with Finch-Fletchley?!" Millicent exclaimed. "But he's a Muggle-born! Your parents will have a fit! Your grandmother will have kittens!"

"Oh, so what?" Pansy said flippantly, tossing her hair back. "What are they going to do, disown me?" Her voice turned just a little bitter. "It doesn't matter if they do, because Patrick is the heir, and he'll inherit everything. I'm just the girl, so I'm not important."

"But it might ruin your chances of making a good marriage later," Millicent argued.

Pansy shrugged. "I don't really like any of the boys that my family thinks are good candidates, anyway," she said. "Justin's handsome, and he's nice, and he must like me a lot if he was willing to risk humiliation by asking me out in front of everyone."

"He's got guts," Theodore said, looking a little bemused, "to ask a Slytherin out."

"I never thought Hufflepuffs were brave," Pansy said thoughtfully, "but he did come to help out in the field hospital during the final battle. And he didn't run when the Death Eaters attacked; he stayed and helped the rest of us fight them off."

"Do you really like him that much?" Millicent asked. "To risk getting disowned over him?"

"I don't really know him that well," Pansy admitted. "I'm not saying I want to marry him. But I'm tired of being a good little pureblood daughter. I don't want to marry some guy I don't like just because he's rich and my family thinks he would be a good catch." She held her head up high, her eyes gleaming defiantly. "I can earn a living for myself if I have to. If that werewolf girl, Kyra, can make her own way in the world, so can I! My grades are good enough to be a curse-breaker; I could apply to work at Gringotts, or maybe I'll go work for Ali Bashir and travel around the world. You know, I don't know why more women don't head pureblood families--like the Blackmores or the Donners."

The students slowly began walking down the hall to their next class, still excitedly discussing Pansy's date and the possibility of her being disowned. There was a short break between classes, and Snape, who had overheard everything, went to his office to meet Lupin.

Snape was still shaking his head when Lupin walked into the room. "What's wrong, Severus?"

"My Slytherins have been corrupted," Snape said, and explained what had happened.

Lupin burst out laughing. "Good for Pansy! I admit, I never expected that of her, but I guess I underestimated her!"

Snape scowled at him. "Easy for you to laugh. It isn't you who will have to listen to the Parkinsons screaming in outrage, demanding to know how I could have let such a thing happen. And Priscilla's bound to tell my mother about it, and then I'll hear about it again from Lady Selima..."

Lupin chuckled, "I'm sorry, Severus, but it's not your responsibility to tell the students whom they can or can't date."

"Tell that to the Parkinsons," Snape said sourly. "It's all your fault, you know. And the werewolf's. And Blackmore's. And--"

Lupin cut him off with a kiss. "We only have ten minutes left before class starts. Let's argue about this later, shall we?"

Fifteen minutes later, Lupin fastened up his robes, saying, "We'll be late for class, Severus."

"They won't start without us, Lupin," Snape said, looking much calmer now. He gave Lupin a quick kiss on the lips and turned to leave.

"By the way, Sev?" Lupin called.

"Yes, Lupin?"

Lupin smiled at him, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "Will you be my date to the Ball?"

Snape gave him a disgusted look. "Teachers don't have 'dates,' Lupin. We're there to be chaperones, not to have a good time."

"Well, I plan to have a good time," Lupin informed him. "And I want you to be my date."

"It's not like I'll be going with anyone else, Lupin," Snape said sourly.

"Does that mean 'yes'?" Lupin asked.

Snape heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "If you must be so childish about it, yes, I'll be your 'date.'" He added in a voice heavy with sarcasm, "Unless you'd care to take Bleddri."

"Thank you, Sev," Lupin said, beaming at Snape happily, then hugged him tightly. "I know it's a silly little thing, but it made me sad that we couldn't openly 'date' when we were students. So I'm happy that I can be your date to the Ball now."

Snape's expression softened, and he wrapped his arms around Lupin, pressing his lips against Lupin's silky hair. Then he disentangled himself, cleared his throat, and said gruffly, "That's enough of that, Lupin. We're already late for class."

Lupin gave him one last kiss, then hastily exited through the fireplace. "Silly werewolf," Snape grumbled to himself as he headed back to the Potions classroom, but there was an unusually tender look in his black eyes.

***

"Are you crazy?" Ernie Macmillan asked his housemate later in the dorm that evening. "Asking out a Slytherin? Weren't you afraid she'd laugh in your face?"

"A little," Justin admitted. "Well, okay--a lot. But she didn't laugh in my face." He grinned. "She said yes!"

Susan frowned. "But the Slytherins have called you nasty names like 'Mudblood'."

"I never liked Pansy until the end of last school year," Justin said. "Although I did think she looked really gorgeous in that red dress at the Yule Ball." He grinned sheepishly as his housemates stared at him in shock. "But there was no point in mooning over a Slytherin girl, especially one as stuck-up as Pansy used to be. She never would have given a Muggle-born like me a second look. But...she's different now. She changed, after the war--a lot of the Slytherins did. She and Millicent came to work in the field hospital when the Death Eaters attacked the school. They were scared; they didn't really want to do it, but they came along to protect Lavender and Parvati. I always thought of Slytherins as sneaky, but I thought that was a brave and loyal thing to do--as loyal as a Hufflepuff, even. She worked hard, and didn't complain about getting blood on her robes when she helped treat the patients--this is the same girl who worries about breaking her nails or getting sweaty in Physical Defense class. And when the Death Eaters attacked the hospital, she fought alongside the rest of us. I think that's when I started to think of her differently. She's a lot different than she used to be. She's a lot nicer, not as snobbish. Isn't it obvious? The Slytherins all love Professor Lupin now, when they used to sneer at him back when he first started teaching here."

Susan said nothing, and sat there lost in thought, wondering if she and the R.A. were wrong about the Slytherins, after all.

Tristan scowled and asked, "What if she's just setting you up? Maybe she's going to stand you up, or make fun of you at the Ball. That's the sort of prank a Slytherin would find funny."

"She's not like that," Justin said, quietly but firmly. Tristan opened his mouth to argue further, but Justin cut him off. "I'm willing to take the risk. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

Zacharias Smith was frowning a little; he didn't entirely approve of his friend dating a Slytherin, either. But he could see that Justin's mind was made up, so he tried to lighten the mood by slapping Tristan on the back and joking, "You'll understand when you get older, Tristan--guys are always willing to risk making fools of themselves over pretty girls!" Tristan continued to scowl, but said nothing more.

***

Slytherin House was abuzz with gossip that evening, with everyone talking about Pansy and Justin going to the Ball together. But Draco was strangely distracted, and didn't seem to care that his former sort-of girlfriend was now seeing a Muggle-born Hufflepuff. He stood in one corner of the common room, his hands in his pockets, fidgeting nervously and shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other. Finally he went over to where Serafina was sitting alone, studying beside the fireplace.

"Avery?" he asked.

"Yes?" Serafina replied, without looking up from her book.

"WouldyouliketogototheBallwithme?" Draco mumbled.

"What?" Serafina asked, looking up.

"WouldyouliketogototheBallwithme?"

"Draco," Serafina said irritably. "Will you stop mumbling? I can't understand a word you're saying."

"I said, would you like to go the Ball with me?!" Draco shouted, then turned bright red as everyone in the room turned to stare at him.

"Ah...um...ah..." Serafina stuttered, stunned into speechlessness.

Pansy hastened over to her side. "Yes, she'd love to," she answered firmly on Serafina's behalf.

"But--" Serafina started to protest.

"Great!" Draco said, sounding relieved. "Glad that's settled! Well, talk to you later, Avery!" Then he ran out of the room before she could contradict Pansy.

"Hmm," Millicent said thoughtfully as she joined Pansy and Serafina. "Never thought she was Draco's type, but they have been spending a lot of time together recently..."

"What did you do that for?" Serafina demanded of Pansy. "I don't want to go to the Ball!"

"Well, don't you like Draco?" Pansy asked in a reasonable voice.

Serafina's pale face flushed slightly. "Well, sure," she said hesitantly. "We're...friends, sort of. But--"

"So you don't want to hurt Draco's feelings, do you?" Millicent purred.

"But...but..." Serafina stammered. "I hate balls and parties! I'm no good at dancing and dressing up and stuff like that!"

"Oh, we can take care of that!" Pansy said cheerfully, grabbing Serafina's hands and hauling her to her feet.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to have Parvati make you over, the way she made over me and Millicent for the Ball last year," Pansy told her.

"I don't want to be made over!" Serafina protested, as Pansy took her by one arm and Millicent took hold of the other. "I don't want anyone curling my hair or sticking me in lace and ruffles!"

"Parvati has better taste than that," Millicent assured her. "She won't make you wear ruffles."

"I said I don't want to be made over!" Serafina yelled as the two girls hauled her towards the door. "Let go of me! I'll hex you if you don't let go of me!" But it was an empty threat, as the other two girls had a firm grip on her arms and she was unable to reach her wand.

"It's for your own good, Avery," Pansy told her. "Don't worry, you'll be beautiful when Parvati is done with you."

"I think you and Draco will make a sweet couple," Millicent added.

"I don't WANT to be beautiful! And we're not a couple!"

The other Slytherins stared at each other as Pansy and Millicent dragged Serafina out of the dorm, still protesting. "Well," Blaise said, after a long silence. "I'm sure glad I'm not a girl!"

Pansy and Millicent dragged their victim to Gryffindor Tower, and called out to Parvati and Lavender. Serafina had given up struggling, but glared at her two housemates and said, "You two are so dead when I get hold of my wand."

"Feisty," Millicent said with a grin.

"Good," Pansy said, grinning back. "She'll keep Draco on his toes."

"Why are you doing this?" Serafina demanded. "What do you care whether I go to the Ball with Draco or not?"

Pansy shrugged. "I feel sort of bad that my family made me dump him. He's not really a bad guy, just a little full of himself."

The picture of the Fat Lady swung aside, and Jack Sloper glared at them. "What's all the racket out here? Don't you belong in Slytherin?"

"Oh, get out of the way, Sloper," Parvati said, rudely shoving him aside. "They came to see me and Lavender."

"You ought to move in with the Slytherins, already," Jack grumbled.

Parvati and Lavender pushed their way past him and joined the other girls out in the hall. "So what's up?" Parvati asked.

"Avery's been invited to the Ball," Pansy replied.

Lavender raised her eyebrows. "Really? By who?"

"Draco," Millicent answered.

"Oh," Parvati said, "I didn't know you two were seeing each other."

"We're just friends," Serafina grumbled, but she blushed a little.

"We want to make her look nice for the Ball," Pansy said. "But as you can see, she needs a little work." She tugged gently on a lock of Serafina's limp, mousy-brown hair, and Serafina glared at her.

"I see," Parvati said, looking Serafina over carefully. "Hold on a sec while I get a few things." She ran back into the dorm, and emerged carrying her bookbag. "Okay, let's go to the Incantations workshop. I'd invite you into the dorm, but Sloper and his stupid friends would make a big fuss about it."

They trooped down to the workshop together, Serafina following a little sullenly, but no longer needing to be manhandled. "I still think this is dumb," she complained as she took a seat on a stool in the workroom.

"You said back in Slytherin that you didn't want to be beautiful," Pansy said curiously. "But who wouldn't want to be beautiful?"

"It's not wise to attract too much attention to yourself when you live with Death Eaters," Serafina replied quietly.

A look of horror filled Pansy's eyes. "Did your father...or the others...did they ever...?"

Serafina shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It was just wise not to stand out too much. Lucius Malfoy and some of the others tried to stand out and curry favor with the Dark Lord, but that wasn't really a smart thing to do. If you stand out, you might be the first one to be rewarded when things go well, but you'll also be the first one to punished when things go wrong."

There was an awkward silence, then Lavender said, "Well, you don't have to worry about the Death Eaters anymore. Wouldn't you like to look pretty for Draco?"

Serafina flushed. "Isn't it better if a boy likes you for yourself, and not just because you're pretty?"

The other girls frowned, as if such a thought had never occurred to them. "Well, of course," Parvati finally said. "If Draco asked you out, that must mean he likes you the way you are. But when you like someone, you want to look nice for them. And this is a special occasion; it's not like you're dressing up just to go to Potions class or something."

"I guarantee Draco will be dressing up for you," Pansy said with a giggle. "He's a little vain; he always makes sure to wear expensive new robes for dances and parties, and I've seen him preening in the mirror more than once. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he was so concerned about his nose getting broken in Physical Defense class--he didn't want to look ugly for the Ball!"

"I hate dressing up," Serafina said sulkily. "And anyway, I can't afford a fancy dress."

There was another awkward silence; they all knew that most of the Avery's money had been taken by the Ministry and that Serafina's mother was working at The Three Broomsticks to support them now. "It doesn't have to be something expensive," Parvati finally said. "In fact, I think something simple would suit you better."

"And I know you're not totally broke," Millicent pointed out. "Your mother sent you a package last week; didn't she send you some spending money for Christmas? You gave us two Galleons for Lupin's present."

"Yeah, but I'd rather spend it on Lupin than on something stupid like a new robe," Serafina replied. Then she added reluctantly, "I still have some money left. Not a lot."

"I know your mum would be happy if you went to the Ball," Pansy said slyly.

"Yeah, I know," Serafina said glumly.

"Well, then," Parvati said briskly. "Why don't we get started? Hmm, your hair is so fine that it looks limp at this length. Maybe if we cut it--"

"You can make me over, but I refuse to cut my hair!" Serafina said firmly. "And if you try it, I'll make you break out in warts!"

"So," Parvati said with a smile, "you do have some feminine vanity after all!" Serafina's face turned crimson. "Okay," Parvati said agreeably. "We won't cut it, but maybe if we braid it..." Serafina squirmed restlessly as Parvati worked on her hair. "Oh, this is so much fun!" Parvati said happily.

"I'm not your doll, you know," Serafina said grumpily. "Ow! You're pulling my hair!"

"Sit still!" Parvati scolded. "I can't help it with you squirming around like that!" She tied the bulk of Serafina's hair back into one long, thick braid, and framed each side of Serafina's face with several thin braids. "These would look better with beads on the ends of them," Parvati mused. "Purple ones, I think, to match your eyes. You know, you really have beautiful eyes, Serafina. I don't think I've ever seen anyone with that particular shade before." She took a makeup kit out of her bookbag and began applying cosmetics as Serafina protested. "Oh, stop grumbling," Parvati said. "I'm not going to cake it on. Just a little kohl, to enhance your eyes, and maybe a little blush." She stepped back and frowned thoughtfully, then cast an Illusion spell on Serafina's robes, turning them into a deep shade of violet to match her eyes.

"Wow!" the other girls gasped, and their eyes widened. Serafina frowned, looking anxious.

"One last thing," Parvati said, and loosened the main braid. "That's just to give it a little wave and volume. It'll look better if you leave it on longer, though. You should wear it braided all day, and then loosen it just before the Ball." She pulled a mirror out of her bag and held it up. "Okay, you can look now."

For a moment, Serafina did not recognize her reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at her was a stranger, surely too lovely to be herself. The texture of the just-unbraided hair made it look less limp, and the thin braids that remained seemed to frame and call attention to her heart-shaped face. It was only when she saw the violet eyes--enhanced and somehow made more dramatic by the kohl, as Parvati had promised--that she realized it really was her reflection. The girl in the mirror was...pretty.

"Wow!" gushed Lavender, as Parvati regarded her creation smugly. "You look beautiful, Serafina!"

"It's true," Pansy agreed. "I can't believe what a difference a little makeup, a new hairstyle, and a different-colored robe make!"

"The violet robe really makes your eyes stand out," Millicent added.

"Draco's eyes will pop out when he sees you," Parvati said with great satisfaction.

"I don't care if his eyes pop out or not," Serafina said, but she looked just the tiniest bit pleased.

"And we need to order you a new robe," Parvati added, reaching into her bookbag again. "I have a catalog here from Gladrags Wizardwear. We could place an order and pick it up on Hogsmeade day. It doesn't have to be something expensive."

"I don't think they carry that color of violet in their normal off-the-rack robes," Pansy said. "You would have to special-order it, and that's expensive."

"We can get a plain robe in a light color and enchant it," Parvati said dismissively.

"I'm not going to turn into a pumpkin at midnight, am I?" Serafina asked dryly.

Parvati smiled at her. "We could use a simple Illusion spell, like the one I just used--Master Satoshi's class has come in pretty handy, after all. Or if you're worried about it wearing off, we could ask one of the Professors to help us a put a permanent enchantment on it. Or we could just dye it. That woad stuff we were using in Potions class used to be used as a dye, after all. It certainly turns our hands blue enough! I'm sure there must be something we could add to it to make a purple dye; we could ask Dylan for help."

"Very well," Serafina sighed, making a great show of reluctance as she took the catalog from Parvati. "But nothing with ruffles or lace!"

***

"You'd better hurry up and find a date to the Ball, Ron," Harry told his friend. "Unless you want to go stag."

"I don't know who to ask," Ron said morosely. He'd finally accepted that he and Hermione were never going to be a couple, but he had no idea who to ask to the Ball. No other girl had really caught his fancy.

"Well, what about Luna?" Hermione suggested.

"Loony Lovegood?" Ron asked, making a face.

"Don't be mean!" Hermione scolded. "She's a little odd, but she's a nice girl, and she really likes you."

Ron thought that he really had better find himself a date before Hermione tried to set him up with Luna. He sat in Potions class and looked over his female classmates. Padma still held a grudge about the way he had neglected her at the Ball back in fourth year, so she was out. And of course the Slytherin girls, Pansy and Millicent were out, and besides, they already had dates. Hmm...Lisa Turpin was very pretty, and she was quiet and soft-spoken, not too intimidating to talk to.

"Mr. Weasley!" Snape said sharply, and Ron jumped and looked up to see the Potions Master glaring down at him. "Your potion is about to boil over while you are daydreaming."

"Oh...sorry," Ron said, and quickly turned down the fire and added the next set of ingredients.

"Five points from Gryffindor for your inattention," Snape said, looking very pleased with himself. Well, at least he'd made somebody's day, and it all turned out even in the end, because Snape grudgingly awarded five points to Hermione for her potion later.

A perfect opportunity presented itself, as Lisa dropped her bookbag as they exited the class, and she waved for Padma to go on ahead. "Go on," she said. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." And as Padma was busy flirting with Terry Boot, she nodded and went on ahead without arguing.

Ron stopped to help Lisa pick up her books and she smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Ron."

"No problem," he replied. "Er...say, Lisa, I was wondering...?"

"Yes?"

"Um...would you like to go the Yule Ball with me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ron," Lisa said. "I'm very flattered, but I'm afraid that someone else has already has asked me."

"Who?" Ron asked curiously.

"Neville," Lisa replied.

"Really?" Ron blurted out, then realized it sounded a bit insulting. But while Neville was a nice guy, he was certainly no ladies' man like Dylan Rosier, whom Lisa had dated before. Well, neither was Ron, for that matter...

"Really," Lisa replied pleasantly. "We've been spending a lot of time together discussing plans for building cauldrons. He has a lot of interesting ideas, and I'm planning to apprentice with Damien's father when I graduate. Well, thanks for helping me pick up my books, Ron. See you around."

Ron sighed. "Now what?" he asked himself. Well, Hannah Abbott was in his class, too, and she was kind of cute.

But when he managed to track down Hannah between classes, she said, "Oh, thanks for asking, Ron, but I'm already going with Ernie."

Ron silently groaned. There was a sixth-year Gryffindor girl who was a friend of his sister, Melissa Carroll, who seemed nice enough. And she was kind of shy, so hopefully she didn't have a date yet.

But it turned out she did. "Thank you, Ron," she said, "but Brad already asked me."

"Brad?" Ron asked.

"Brad Doherty," she replied.

"He's a Slytherin!" Ron exclaimed.

Melissa frowned at him. "I'm aware of that," she said in a much cooler voice. "But he's very nice. We partner together in Professor Lupin's class a lot."

Harry was right; he had waited too long. Finally he gave in to the inevitable, and went to ask Luna Lovegood to the Ball.

"Why, I'm very flattered that you asked, Ronald," Luna said, with that usual dreamy look in her eyes. "But I'm afraid that I already have a date."

"What?" Ron cried. "Who's your date?"

"Vincent," she replied serenely.

"Vincent?" Ron asked, puzzled.

Crabbe walked up to Luna and put an arm around her. "You snooze, you lose, Weasley," he said, grinning smugly.

Ron turned and headed back to the Gryffindor dorm, his face hot with embarrassment. Turned down even by Loony Lovegood--how humiliating! "I guess I will have to go stag, after all," he mumbled gloomily.

He happened to run into Goyle at that very moment. "If it makes you feel better, Weasley," Goyle told him glumly, "I don't have a date, either. It's even worse this year, since Crabbe does."

"How did he and Luna ever get together?" Ron demanded.

Goyle shrugged. "The three of us have been working together a lot with Hagrid's Thestrals," he replied, "and I guess the two of them just hit it off."

Ron walked down the halls, muttering and groaning to himself. He passed by Pansy and Millicent along the way, who gave him puzzled looks. "What's wrong with Weasley?" Millicent asked. "People usually don't break down until the N.E.W.T.s get closer."

"It's not the N.E.W.T.s," Goyle informed them. "He's depressed 'cause he doesn't have a date to the Ball."

"Hmm," said Pansy, and she and Millicent looked at each other thoughtfully.

Back at the Slytherin dorm, the students were eagerly chattering about their holiday plans. Most of them were staying over during the vacation for the Ball. Even Aric was going to the Ball with Yvonne, although he looked a bit pained when she prattled on endlessly to him about what her dress was going to look like.

"Please, Yvonne," he said desperately. "Just surprise me, okay? Like--like getting a Christmas present, right? You don't want to peek at it ahead of time because it would ruin the surprise."

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Yvonne declared, and Aric sighed in relief when she ran off to giggle with some of her girlfriends.

Theodore snickered, and Aric scowled at him. "Oh, shut up, Theo! You don't even have a date!"

Theodore just grinned, for once not taking offense at his cousin's insults. "Yeah, and I think I'm better off than you!"

Aric just grunted, because he wasn't sure that Theo was wrong.

Only one person did not seem caught up in the excitement over the Ball. Pansy and Millicent looked over to see Daphne sitting in the corner quietly, reading a book, ignored by her housemates, and ignoring them in turn.

"I have an idea," Pansy said, and whispered it into Millicent's ear. They went to their room, and Pansy pulled some stationary out of her desk.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Millicent asked dubiously. "Weasley hates Slytherins."

"Not really," Pansy said. "He hung out with Dylan and Theodore during the summer. And I hear that he went to comfort Daphne after she ran out of Physical Defense class the day she smacked Draco. You know guys--they're a sucker for a helpless girl."

"And why are we playing cupid for Weasley and Greengrass?" Millicent wanted to know.

"What Granger said made me feel a little bad," Pansy admitted. "We were a little mean to Greengrass. Well, not really mean, but we've always ignored her."

"As you said, she's not in our social circle."

"Yeah, but technically, neither is Lupin," Pansy pointed out. "And neither is Justin. All that blood purity stuff doesn't seem so important now." She grinned. "And since I'm soon to be disowned for dating a Muggle-born, I feel like helping a fellow outcast. Or maybe I'm just caught up in the Christmas spirit!"

"If we want to help Greengrass, why don't we set her up with a Slytherin guy?" Millicent asked.

"Because she's scared of most of them," Pansy replied. "And most of them wouldn't want to date a girl whose blood might not be pure. Weasley doesn't care about stuff like that, so she's better off dating a Gryffindor. Besides, she looked a lot more cheerful when she came back to the dorm after he comforted her that day, so I think she kind of likes him. And when you think about it, he's a good catch: he's a pureblood, and he's the son of the Minister of Magic."

"I don't know if this will work, but it should be interesting to watch," Millicent said.

***

A little origami bird made its way into Gryffindor Tower and fluttered into Ron's room where he was studying. He unfolded it and saw a brief message written in a neat, feminine script:

Dear Ron,

Would you like to go to the Ball with me? If your answer is yes, please don't answer this letter directly. Slytherin girls aren't supposed to ask boys out, and I'm a little embarrassed about being so bold. Will you please pretend to ask me out, so that I won't lose face in front of my housemates? I'll be waiting for your answer, or hopefully, your question.

Love,
Daphne

***

"I still say signing it 'Love' was laying it on a bit thick," Millicent told Pansy the next morning. "She's too timid to sign a letter 'Love.' She's too timid to send a letter in the first place."

"Weasley's too thick to realize that," Pansy said, unconcerned. "He'll be too flattered to think straight, trust me. It's not like he has a lot of girls chasing after him, and Daphne is pretty, for a mouse. Prettier than Lovegood, certainly."

They gleefully noticed that Weasley seemed nervous and flustered in DADA class, and kept glancing over at Daphne. She caught him looking her way and gave him a quick, timid smile, and he blushed and looked away.

"Like taking candy from a baby," Pansy whispered to Millicent. After class was over they ducked down a side corridor and lingered behind to see what happened.

Weasley and Greengrass were the last two students to leave the classroom. "Uh, Daphne," he said as they walked down the hall.

"Yes, Ron?"

He took a deep breath.

"What's he so nervous about?" Millicent asked. "He already knows the answer, or thinks he does, anyway!"

"Shh!" hissed Pansy. "They'll hear you!"

"Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Daphne blinked and stared at him in surprise. "With you?"

"Who else?" Weasley asked with a knowing grin. "If you won't 'lose face' by going with a Gryffindor."

Daphne smiled, looking puzzled but flattered. "You really want to go with me?"

"Yes," he said firmly, "I do."

The two girls hiding in the corridor held their breath while they waited for Daphne's reply.

"Thank you, Ron, I would love to."

"Great!" Weasley said. "I've got Potions class now, but I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," Daphne said, still looking a bit puzzled, but Weasley was apparently too euphoric to notice. He ran towards the dungeon, whistling cheerfully. Daphne shrugged, and continued on to her next class.

Pansy and Millicent emerged from the side corridor, laughing. "We did it!" Pansy said triumphantly.

"Did what?" Lupin asked pleasantly.

The two girls jumped. "Ah...nothing, Professor," Pansy said hastily.

"It's a...surprise," Millicent added quickly. "A Christmas surprise."

"Then I won't ask," Lupin said, giving them a wink. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. But you'd better hurry, or you'll be late for Potions. You know how grumpy Professor Snape gets when his students are late. And life is much more pleasant for me when Professor Snape is in a good mood." He winked at them again.

"Yes, Professor!" they said, and ran off to Potions class. Lupin chuckled and returned to his own classroom.

***

Goyle was in the library, doing some research for Incantations class, when he happened to see Allegra Zabini sitting at a table with three of her Gryffindor friends.

"It's so unfair that only fourth-years on up can go to the Yule Ball!" she was complaining. "Why can't younger students attend? I can't believe it's my first year at Hogwarts and they're having a Ball and I can't even go! They don't hold a Yule Ball every year; what if they never have another one before I graduate? I might never get to go to the Ball!"

Her friends made sympathetic noises, and they seemed disappointed too, but not nearly as distraught as Allegra sounded. She looked so sad that Goyle walked over and said, "A younger student can go to the Ball if an older student asks them. Would you like to go with me, Allegra?"

Allegra's face lit up with joy. "Really? Do you mean that, Goyle?"

"Sure," he said.

"But wouldn't you like to go with a girl your own age?" Allegra asked. "Don't you have a girlfriend or something?"

Goyle shook his head ruefully. "No, I don't have a girlfriend, and I couldn't get a date to the Ball. So it's okay. I figured that even if I can't get a real date, at least I could make you happy."

Allegra beamed at him. "Well then, thank you, Goyle! Thank you so much! I can't understand why no one would want to go with you; you're such a nice guy! Say--why does everyone always call you by your last name?"

"Uh, I don't know," Goyle replied. "Malfoy's always called me that, and I guess it just stuck. No one calls me and Crabbe by our first names except for our families and Lupin and now Luna."

"Well, it seems kind of rude to always be calling you by your last name," Allegra said, "especially since you're my date to the Ball. Is it okay if I call you 'Greg'?"

Goyle shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Thanks, Greg!" Allegra pulled up a chair and stood on it, in order to get high enough to kiss Goyle on the cheek. "Boy, I can't wait to tell Blaise that I'm going to the Ball!" She ran out of the library, and her three friends ran after her, all of them laughing and giggling and squealing excitedly.

"Five points from Gryffindor!" Madam Pince called after them.

Allegra ran down to the dungeon and stood outside the entrance to the Slytherin dorm, shouting, "Blaise! Hey Blaise, are you in there? Come out, I want to talk to you!"

A moment later Blaise emerged, saying, "What are you shouting about? Do you want to get detention from Professor Snape?"

"Guess what, Blaise? I'm going to the Ball!"

Blaise gave her a puzzled frown. "You're too young, Allegra; you have to be at least a fourth-year--"

"Unless an older student asks you! And Goyle--I mean Greg--asked me to go to the Ball with him. Isn't that great?"

"He WHAT?!" shouted Blaise.

"He asked me to go to the Ball with him," Allegra obligingly repeated.

"Where is he?" Blaise demanded.

"Well, he was in the library last I saw," Allegra replied, giving her brother a quizzical look. Blaise took off running down the hall. "What's wrong with him?" Allegra asked. "I thought he'd be happy for me."

"Er...he is, Allegra," Theodore said. "He just...ah..."

"Wants to thank Goyle for inviting you," Dylan finished smoothly. "Now, why don't we go over to Gryffindor, and talk to Parvati about finding you an outfit for the Ball?"

"Okay," Allegra said happily, then looked worried. "I don't know if my parents can afford to buy me a new robe. I asked for one of those toy wolf cubs for Christmas, and I don't think they can afford both." She sighed. "Maybe if I gave up the wolf cub..."

"We'll work something out," Dylan promised.

"I have lots of party dresses at home," Portia said. "You can borrow one; I'll have Mummy owl it over."

"Thank you, Portia!" Allegra said, giving her friend a hug. "You're the best!"

Portia flushed with pleasure, and her flush grew even deeper when Dylan smiled at her and said, "Allegra is lucky to have such good friends." They headed off to Gryffindor Tower, and Theodore ran after Blaise.

***

Blaise ran into Goyle on his way back from the library. Without warning, he grabbed the bigger boy by the front of his robes and slammed him up against the wall. "What do you think you're doing, asking my sister to the Ball?!" he demanded. "She's eleven years old!"

"Z-Zabini?" Goyle stammered.

By this time, Theodore had caught up with them, and grabbed Blaise and tried to haul him off of Goyle. "Have you gone insane?" he cried. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

But Goyle seemed more stunned than angry, regarding the normally meek and quiet Slytherin boy with the bewildered air of a St. Bernard being attacked by a chihuahua.

"I'm sure that Goyle isn't trying to put the moves on your sister," Theodore said placatingly.

"Of course not!" Goyle said indignantly. "I'm not a child molester, Zabini!"

"Then why did you ask her to the Ball?" Blaise asked suspiciously.

"Because I felt sorry for her, you moron!" Goyle told him. "She's a cute little kid, and she's always nice to me; makes me wish I had a little sister myself. She was talking about how she wished she could go to the Ball, and she sounded so wistful. I haven't got a date, so I figured why not make her happy?" He gave Blaise a reproving look. "You know, Zabini, you could have taken her yourself, since it's not like you have a date to the Ball, either." He glanced over at Theodore. "At least, not an official one."

Blaise released his hold on Goyle's robes. "I didn't think of that," he said sheepishly.

"Look, if you'd rather take her yourself, that's fine," Goyle said. "I was just trying to be nice."

"No," Blaise said, "Allegra will probably be hurt if you un-invite her. Will you please take her to the Ball? I'm really sorry I jumped to conclusions and lost my temper."

"It's okay, Zabini," Goyle said magnanimously, brushing off his robes. "I forgive you."

"Well, thank you for being nice to Allegra," Blaise said. "You're right; I should've realized she'd want to go."

"No problem," Goyle said. "She's a good kid."

Goyle continued on his way, and Theodore gave Blaise a sardonic smile. "Boy, I've never seen you go into overprotective big-brother mode like that before. I hate to see what you're going to be like when Allegra is old enough to really start dating."

Blaise groaned. "I don't even want to think about it!"

Theodore grinned. "Even now, she's a pretty little girl. In a few years, she'll be beating the boys off with sticks."

"I think I'll lock her in a tower until she's thirty," Blaise grumbled. Theodore laughed, and they headed back to the dorm.

Part 47