A Force of Magic [HP Jamione fanfic]

Chapter 17: The first annual ball

1st May 1999
5pm
Potter Manor - Barnstone, Nottinghamshire

The first annual ball to celebrate the end of the war was to be held at the Ministry in the ballroom Hermione wasn't aware they had. Thankfully it had been scheduled a day before the year anniversary, because her and Harry had agreed to spend the next day in quiet remembrance for those who had given their lives.

Ron had originally been invited, but after the fiasco of his birthday and the cruel words he'd directed at Hermione, she'd been avoiding him. She knew that even if she tried to stop avoiding him before he'd properly apologised, James and Sirius would have some choice words for her, especially if they didn't deem his apology good enough. She thought they'd probably taken his words worse than her, which was saying something.

Ginny and Luna had come back from Hogwarts for the weekend and had come over to get ready for the ball with Hermione, ushering her up to her room hours before they needed to be there just to get primped and polished. Ginny had hunted through Hermione's wardrobe, throwing dress after dress over her shoulder until there was a pile of discarded clothes behind her.

"Ginny, do you have to make such a mess?" Hermione complained, picking up the pile of clothes and dropping them onto the bed.

"Urgh! You have nothing to wear 'Mione!" Ginny groaned, poking her head back out of the wardrobe, "Why do you have nothing to wear?!"

"Because I don't usually go to balls?" Hermione said with a short laugh.

"Just transfigure something." Luna suggested, flopping back on the uncovered part of the bed, her eye-watering sunshine yellow robes floating up around her as she did. She had sewn real daisies along the hem and neckline, and had more woven into her long blonde hair. She swished her hand as though her wand was in it.

Ginny swore, buried back in the wardrobe again, then came fully out, scowling, "Why didn't I bloody think of that?" She sat down in the chair Hermione kept in the corner of the room with a huff, "Well," She said, gesturing at the pile of clothes on the bed, "Is there anything there you're happy with me transfiguring?"

Hermione sighed, but resigned herself to having to wear something fancy that Ginny transfigured for her instead of the dress she'd been planning on wearing. She picked up a ratty shirt from the pile she used to sleep in, and handed it over to Ginny, "Here you go."

It didn't take Ginny long to transfigure Hermione some dress robes that Hermione would have never chosen for herself. They were a dark maroon, and flowed over her curves, with a long slit up the side of one thigh, it had a high neck, and was backless - a scoop that showed her bare skin off all the way down to her lower back.

"This is too much Ginny," Hermione said, looking at herself in the mirror. "I'm showing way too much skin! It's a damn ministry function."

Ginny just tutted and ignored Hermione, helping her pull her hair back into some semblance of an elegant style, though a lot of wayward curls and frizz still managed to work their way out.

"Ginny-"

"Oh stop, Hermione! You look fucking amazing, you're gonna knock everyone's socks off at the ball."

Hermione swallowed tightly, there was only man's socks she secretly wanted to knock off, but it was never going to happen. She had to get over it already. Hermione sighed, "Fine. Let's go already."

Ginny laughed at her reluctance, putting the finishing touches to her own dark green dress robes, even more risque than Hermione's, they finished above her knee, hugging all of her curves. They had a deep v-neck that showed off Ginny's generous decolletage and cutouts over her waist and hips.