Pride and Polyjuice Potion

Chapter 34

Harry had broken his nose, as he had rather ominously predicted.

"Hey, free nose job?" Ginny had tried, feeling rather guilty for having dragged him onto the ice, but only received glaring looks from her beau.

Madam Pomfrey then prescribed him a dose of skele-gro, eying him rather critically.

"Wasn't once enough?" she had said, shaking her head.

Taking the potion twice in one's life unfortunately removed none of its repulsive taste and Harry had to be given a third dose, having spat out the previous two.

Luckily, the bones in his nose healed over night and so all the had to worry about then was preparing for the Yule Ball. It had arrived at last.

Still, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if Harry hadn't fell, if Draco's hand had touched here's there on the ice. Would they have been alright again? Were they ever alright?

After having tended to Harry, Hermione spent the rest of the morning and the early afternoon in the library. The most important ball in Hogwarts history could not keep her from her studies. Only one thing seemed to be able to do that.

Perhaps it was better that they had drifted apart. At least she could spend her evenings productively instead of breaking more rules she could scarcely begin to imagine.

Hermione strolled into the common room at five o'clock in the afternoon, in no ways expecting to discover an absolute havoc before her. The ball started in three hours, why was everyone getting their knickers in a twist already? She rolled her eyes and made her way up to her dorm, which was in an equivalent state of disorder.

"Hermione Jean Granger! What time do you call this?" Parvati scolded.

"Sorry mum, didn't realise it took three whole hours to get ready," she replied mockingly.

"Three hours? We all need at least five. We have potions to down, glamours to cast, dresses to fit. The list goes on. Now get to work, Hermione, or I will never see you again."

"And I will never see you again if you keep stressing us all out," Ginny replied with stern eyes and Hermione chucked a little, receiving a vexed glare from Parvati.

Luna was sitting in the corner, minding her own business, humming along a little tune as she wove a thread and needle through a piece of grey material.

"How's the dress coming on, Luna?" Hermione asked softly as she crouched down on the floor beside her.

"Quite well, I suppose, not long left to go," she whispered, scrunching her nose a little. "Although please do be quiet. I can't have Parvati finding out I'm still working on it with three hours to go."

"Do you need any help? All I really have to do is fix my hair and throw on my dress and I don't think I need three hours for that."

"No need, I've just finished," she said with a smile, sealing the end of her stitching with a quick spell and standing up to hold the dress out in front of her.

It was a light grey dress with white celestial embroidery running all throughout its layered length. Each layer had a scallop hem and about the bust was some darker embroidery that looked astrological, like a constellation or something similar. The thin straps joined the bodice in a way that created a shallow U shape neckline. It was a monochrome starry sky.

"Oh, Luna, it's splendid," Hermione gasped, unable to take her eyes off its magnificence and when the other girls saw it, they were just as in awe.

Hermione went over to sit on her bed, not knowing quite what else to do with her time when she saw a white box tied with a dark green ribbon and a note resting on it.