AN: A second chapter in a month, what a surprise! And it's even over 2k words! What a shock!
There is brief mention of a Hindu holiday, so if that is likely to make you uncomfortable for any reason, read my end note for more information. I am not Hindu myself, so if I did anything wrong I would like to know so I can fix it or change the holiday to Christmas or Yule. The holiday is literally only mentioned, and not expanded upon at all, except that gifts are included.
Distributor Note: the name was inspired by us struggling to find the proper name for Harry's dress robes, as neither of us are Indian or know jack about shit when it comes to Indian culture. I'll try and include pictures, but if I'm unsuccessful Echa has descriptions, and honestly I'd put it in anyway bc sometimes wattpad hates pictures
About three weeks before the Yule Ball, Luna floated up to Harry with a smile on her face. "Daddy has found the perfect robes for me. They will match yours perfectly!" Then, before Harry could call her back to say he didn't have robes yet, how did she know hers would match, what color were they so he could match her, she danced away, humming some song Harry had never heard.
Harry grimaced as she disappeared around a corner. He had completely forgotten about that little note at the end of the Hogwarts letter this summer. So, he turned towards the Slytherin dorms, where Draco would be--. No. He couldn't go to Draco. They had to maintain their cover. So he sighed and turned to the library. Hermione would be able to help him.
As expected, he found his Ravenclaw friend in the library. Unexpectedly, she was with a friend. That was good. Hermione needed more friends outside of Les Amis. If she was making friends in her House that was only for the better. He grinned before flopping down into the seat next to her, careful not to touch the table until his friend had acknowledged him.
The other girl at the table noticed him first, and nudged Hermione. "Hermione. برتن is here to see you."
Harry cocked his head at the strange language. He wondered what it was and what, who he was guessing was the Ravenclaw Patil twin, had called him, but Hermione looked up before he could ask. "Oh. Harry. What do you need?"
"Dress robes. Luna says she's found the perfect match for mine for herself, but I don't have any. 'Mione, the ball is in three weeks! How could I have forgotten dress robes?"
Hermione rolled her eyes fondly. "I told you to get some over the summer. Of course you didn't. I bet Ron doesn't have any idea what he's wearing either."
"'Mioneeeee," Harry whined.
"Yes, yes, one moment. You'd think you've never heard of owl order." At this Patil looked up, alarmed.
"You can't buy dress robes over owl order! How will you know they fit right? No, no." With a quick shake of her head, Patil reached her hand out towards Harry, who took it hesitantly. "I'm Padma. If you don't mind, I'd like to help you. How do you feel about modern Indian clothing?"
Harry grinned and shook her hand. "I'm Harry. I have had absolutely no thoughts about clothing in my life ever, so if you have some way to help I would be grateful."
"Give me two weeks. My grandmother is a weaver and she would absolutely love to make something for you. Call it a Pancha Ganapati gift from the Patil family."
And, for the second time, before he could ask any of the questions on his mind, such as what Pancha Ganapati was, what she had called him earlier, or why she wanted to help, she disappeared up towards the Gryffindor tower. Harry blinked. Wasn't she a Ravenclaw?
Hermione saw his blink and laughed. "Her sister is in Gryffindor, don't you remember? Now sit down, I need your help with this Defense homework."
*****************
Ron's mum had pulled him aside the day before they left for Hogwarts, telling him that she had something extra for him this year. "Your Hogwarts letter mentioned that you would need dress robes this year. I found these in the attic. If you absolutely hate them we can figure something else out, but I want you to at least look at them before I just owl them to you in the middle of breakfast." She winked at the last bit, and pulled out the most hideous robes Ron had ever seen.
His first reaction was to say he hated them, but he looked at his mum's face and knew he couldn't. His parents would do anything to make their children happy, even if it was a little beyond their means. He looked back at the robes and thought for a minute. "Is there a way you can fix them up some? They're fine robes, but they look like they came in a capsule from the 1800s. I'll wear them either way, but if you have time I bet you could make them look fantastic, Mum."
His mum had smiled a watery smile, and he endured the hug that came flying at him. He had later told Neville that those robes had been the worst robes he had ever seen and he might have just gone in his school robes if his mum hadn't agreed to fix them up.
Now, he got a package in the owl post. It was from Mum. He opened it carefully to find the robes. Except they looked nothing like they had when his mum had shown them to him at home. They looked amazing. She had somehow managed to get rid of the lace entirely, and make the color shine out. She had also put in some lighter embroidery on the lapels. He grinned. His mum was the best.
****************
Pansy had worn many dress robes to many occasions. But this was the first time she would be allowed to pick her own clothing. She had found a black dress at Twilfitt's and Tatting's, and had bought it. She had later found some black beads at a miscellaneous shop that her parent's wouldn't be caught dead at, and went to Madam Malkin's to ask if she could do some work for her. When the final dress came by owl a few weeks before the ball, Pansy was pleased. The dress was perfect.
*********************
Draco had had his robes since summer. His mother had taken him to Twilfitt's and Tatting's and told him to find what he liked while she did her other shopping. He had gone for something simple that could match anything, black. He had also found a green tie that matched Harry's eyes exactly and couldn't help but buy it. It would look amazing with the dark outfit. He'd had it altered to his size, then sent to Hogwarts. He had taken the tie home with him, though. He wanted to keep it close to him, if this year was going to be anything like he feared.
************************
Hermione had found her dress via owl order. She had taken to the library to learn some tailoring charms, just in case, but she had picked a reputable store and found a dress that would match Viktor's uniform, which he had explained he was wearing to the ball. It was beautiful while still being modest, but she would also stand out quite a bit more than she usually did. That was good. She had also convinced Padma to help her with her hair, since she didn't want it to be a bush at the ball. Padma had grinned at the request and promised to help.
Hermione nodded sharply in satisfaction and turned to the next thing on her list. Keeping Harry alive underwater for an hour.
**********************
Ginny yelped as the needle hit her finger again, for the fifth time in the last hour. It was time to put the dress away. She would be able to finish it tomorrow, but if she continued tonight, she'd probably mess something up from tiredness. After her first year, she had spent a lot of time with her mum, watching and learning, to take her mind off of that whole fiasco. As a result she had learned to sew, and she loved it. She had decided to sew herself a dress at the end of second year, taking Narcissa's and her own measurements to give a maximum and minimum size for the tailoring charms to use. The summer and weekends of work had paid off, and now she had a dress that she hadn't been expecting to wear so soon, but was pleased to be able to nonetheless. She was doubly pleased that Neville's robes matched hers so well.
************************
Neville had gotten an owl from his gran, so he opened it in private. It had been robes. Traditional robes that looked probably rather similar to Ron's before Mrs. Weasley had fixed them. Thankfully he had guessed this might happen and asked Ginny what color she was wearing so he could match her, then bought his own robes from the same shop Hermione had found her dress at. When they had arrived, one of his plants had taken a liking to them and planted itself into the front pocket. He had smiled fondly and made sure that pocket would never get too much sun if he had to wear them outside.
**************************
A week before the ball, Padma found Harry on his way to the Quidditch pitch. "I have your clothes," she announced, then began dragging him to Ravenclaw tower.
"I have Quidditch practice in about five minutes!" he yelped, which caused Padma to stop and squint at him.
"When does it finish?" she asked.
"In an hour."
"Good. You will meet me at the front doors in an hour or I will find you and you won't enjoy it." Her implacable voice made him shiver and he nodded fervently. She nodded back and disappeared around a corner while he gaped at her before remembering practice and running for the field.
As promised, he met Padma at the front doors. Her sister was with her. They both had the same glint in their eyes, and Harry gulped before following them silently. Patil turned around and cast a quick Cleaning Charm at him, winking, before turning back around and stopping at the bottom of Ravenclaw tower. "Wait here. I will be back in five minutes." Padma went up the stairs, leaving Patil with Harry.
"I'm Parvati," she said pleasantly. "Sorry about my sister, she can be a bit brusque at times."
"It's fine," he said with a smile. "I'm Harry."
Padma returned quickly and led them to an abandoned classroom nearby. Parvati hung a curtain and Padma handed Harry a pair of trousers. "Put these on and come back out. We will teach you how to put these clothes on."
Harry obeyed, finding it interesting how the trousers clung to his legs, ruffling at the bottom. When he emerged from behind the curtain, Padma held out a long sleeved robe that looked like it would end just above the ankle. Padma demonstrated how to put it on first, then handed it to him. He put it on. Next came a belt, which Parvati had to adjust to show him how it would stay. Then came the over robe. It was easy enough to put on, and the Patils nodded in satisfaction. When he was changed back into his normal clothes, Padma held out a garment bag.
"Keep the clothes in this. When you take it out, lay all the clothes out flat so they don't wrinkle. We'll be excited to see you at the ball."
"Thanks guys," Harry said with a grin. "I'll see you at the ball."
**********************
The Yule Ball finally arrived and Harry nervously waited for Luna at the bottom of Ravenclaw tower. He had followed the Patils' instructions to the letter, and was ready to get this over with, especially the dancing part. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad.
When Luna reached the bottom of the steps, Harry was amazed. She looked amazing. The dress fit her personality, and his suit, perfectly, as promised. Her hair was in an intricate braid with flowers scattered throughout, and he had no idea how they were going to stay put through the dancing they would have to do. As Daphne had promised, even Luna, who was the only person in Les Amis who was shorter than him, towered over him by a few inches with high heels.
As she reached him, he extended his arm as he'd been coached in one of the first dancing lessons for Luna to hold onto. She took it, but he felt none of her weight on him, even though it must have been hard to walk in those heels.
"How do you walk in those?" he finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Oh it's quite simple really," Luna said. "Magical heels are much more comfortable than Muggle heels."
"I wish someone had told me that," Hermione's voice broke in with a grumble. Harry startled and glanced over to see her clutching Viktor Krum's arm like it was the only thing keeping her standing. Harry suspected it was.
"Ron's going to flip when he sees who your date is," Harry laughed after he'd gotten over the shock of seeing his friend actually in a dress. When she wasn't in uniform she wore slacks, and while she never looked boyish, it was just strange to see her in a dress. "I'm not sure who he'll be more jealous of." He winked, then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Congratulations."
Hermione blushed and glared at him before primly turning up her nose. "I'll have you know he asked me, not the other way around."
"Of course!" Harry said, grinning, while Luna nodded solemnly beside him. "You're a catch. Krum's just lucky he got to you first. That said," he turned to Krum, "one wrong move and no one will find your body. I've got, lets say friends in low places." He smirked, letting his teeth show.
Krum laughed nervously. "Part of me hopes you are kidding, but part of me also thinks that it is a good thing you are so protective of your friends."
Hermione turned her glare onto Krum before snapping, "I can take care of myself, thanks. If anything, I should be the one threatening your date, Harry, except I know Luna wouldn't hurt a fly, even though she could absolutely beat you in a fight."
Harry laughed. "You're right. Good luck to the both of you then."
By that time they had reached the doors to the Great Hall, where Diggory and Delacour were already waiting with their dates. Diggory had of course, asked Chang, who he'd been dating for as long as Harry could remember, while Delacour had brought a Durmstrang girl Harry didn't know. Harry shook his head at himself. Of course they'd be allowed to bring dates of the same gender. He should have asked Ron after all. Then he thought for a minute. No, then they'd both suck at dancing, and he didn't particularly want to make a big fool of himself in front of three schools and representatives of the Ministry.
For the next few minutes, they chatted all together, until Professor McGonagall clapped to get their attention. "In just a few moments I will open the doors. You will walk in in the order your name was called from the Goblet, and then you will go sit down at the table prepared for you. There will be a light supper, then the band will set up for the first dance. Good luck."
With that, she turned towards the doors, peeked through them, then, with a spell that rolled off her tongue easily, the doors swung open, letting Krum and Hermione step through.
Distributor/Authors Note: as promised, the descriptions and pictures
The word Padma says when telling Hermione that Harry is there is just the word "pot" in Urdu, an Indian language that is commonly spoken in one of the area's the last name Patil comes from according to Wikipedia. Pancha Ganapati is a five day Hindu holiday in December that celebrates the five-faced Maha Ganapati (according to a Google search) it celebrates with worship, gift-giving, and celebration. I figured the Patils wouldn't follow a Christian holiday, so I looked for a Hindu one and this one fit what I needed perfectly. If anything in this is offensive or my research was not done well, let me know, and I will change the holiday to Christmas or Yule.
Also, the chapter title is a reference to the fact that my cowrite and I have no idea what Harry's clothes are called (if you know, please tell us!) and all our searching got us literally nothing. Thanks Pinterest.
I have attempted several times to upload images of their clothes, to no avail, so I will just describe them here.
Harry is wearing a blue over robe over a calf length white top and white pants. According to Pinterest it's Indian wedding attire.
Luna is wearing blue with white edges, and it's just all ruffles. It looks like a flower decided to grow around her legs. She looks strange and fantastic.
Draco is wearing a black suit with a green tie, and a black robe over it.
Pansy is wearing a black off the shoulder dress with beading on one side and it looks fantastic, like the queen she is. She has a green and silver comb in her hair to match Draco's tie.
Neville is wearing a brown suit with a boutonniere (flower on pocket).
Ginny is wearing a red dress with darker red lines running lengthwise along the torso looking somewhat like a corset. It also has a cape and is very dramatic, as Ginny should be. She has about seven braids in her hair, with the rest of it being down. There are flowers along the top two braids that form a crown like thing at the back of her head.
Ron is also wearing brown, but he's got some lighter brown detailing on the lapels and cuffs.
Hermione is wearing a red off the shoulder dress. Her hair has been tamed down from it's floof into braids that stop about halfway down her hair, which are then pulled back into a half up ponytail