Three weeks have passed and as the Christmas Ball grows nearer, Hermione's fears grew as well.
"Hermione, sit down!"
"I can't, Harry. I feel like something bad is going to happen tonight."
They were down under the tree again, her, Harry, Ron and Ginny.
"Relax, 'Mione. Nothing bad's gonna happen. Besides you and Malfoy, of course."
"Just drop it already, Ronald. I know you don't like my friends, but couldn't you be a little more supportive of me?"
"You say it like you've been dying for a date with the ferret."
"Well, what if I was? Would you behave the same or worse?"
"Hermione! You wouldn't!"
"How would you know? There's a lot of things I've done that you'd never understand."
"Like what? Falling in love with the ferret?"
"Well, the Amortentia gave no indication that I'm in love with you, so stop bothering me. Don't you have a girlfriend?"
"Well, what did you smell then? The ferret's bed?"
"Ronald! It was fire, okay? I smelt fire, which had absolutely nothing to do with you!"
"Fire? Fire! Of course, beacuse the bloody ferret saved your arse with that episode in the courtyard."
"This has nothing to do with Malfoy!"
"This has everything to do with him!"
"Should I tell your little Ravenclaw, wat was her name? Sierra? Shall I tell her that you're jealous of a relationship that doesn't even exist? What would she do to you?"
"Hermione, stop it! You're behaving like ... like one of them!"
"Well, what if I am one of them?"
Ginny grabbed Hermoine's arm and pulled her back. She turned her head so that Ron and Harry couldn't see her and began talking barely above a whisper to Hermione while Harry tries to calm Ron down. "If you carry on with my brother your Dark Mark is going to burst into flames."
"I feel like letting him know so he'll back off."
Ginny rubbed Hermione's arm. "Don't. You'll only make it worse for yourself. Pansy's already targeting you for being a muggleborn, she'll get the whole school to back her up if they knew."
Hermione grinned slightly. "She's not targeting me because of that, but you're right anyway. I need to calm down. It's just that I've got this feeling and Ron isn't helping."
Ginny smiled. "Let's go get ready. You told Blaise we'd meet him later, right?"
Hermione nodded. Ginny went over to Harry. She told him something, kissed his cheek and left with Hermione.
"What do you think is wrong with Hermione?"
"For goodness' sake, Ron. Leave it alone. She's got a bad feeling about tonight and you're just making her feel worse. Let's go, there's food in the Great Hall."
Ron reluctantly followed Harry to the Great Hall.
Back in the Gryffindor dorms, Hermione and Ginny packed their dresses and shoes in Hermione's bag. Ginny shoved a nacklace set Sirius had given Harry that previously belonged to Lily.
The two met Blaise up at tye astronomy tower. "Read to go, girls?"
Hermione understood, but Ginny was still confused. "What are we doing up here? I thought we were going to Hogsmeade," she hissed.
Hermione grinned. "Have you ever flown with a Death Eater before?"
Ginny frowned. "No. But Harry tells me it's terrible."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry was fighting Voldemort. C'mon, up on the windowsill. I won't drop you."
Ginny looked a bit uncertain. "Would you rather go with Zabini?"
"Uhh... I'm not so sure the whole thing is a good idea, guys."
"Weaslette, hurry. Filch is monitoring the ground and brooms like a hawk so there's only one way left. Unless you'd travel through the ground?"
"No, we can do it your way. But, no offence, Hermione, I'm afraid you'll drop me."
Blaise sighed and pulled Ginny up next to him. "And yet you'd trust the Slytherin to keep you safe."
Ginny shook her head. "I trust Hermione to bash your face in if you don't."
Blaise sighed. "Ready, Granger?"
Hermione nodded and jumped first. She let herself fall a few inches before taking off to Hogsmeade, Blaise behind her. Blaise landed a few meters behind Hermione when they arrived. Ginny wobbled on her feet. "It's worse than apparating!"
Hermione grinned. "C'mon. I want to be ready in time."
Blaise let Ginny lean on him as they walked behind Hermione.
Hermione walked into the beauty parlour Theo had first taken her to. One of the workers walked up to the three. He had excessively gelled hair and looked like he was out to impress someone. "Good day, Mr Zabini. Girls, what can I do for you?"
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Granger needs her fringe cut nicely and then they need a look for the Christmas Ball at Hogwarts. They've already got their outfits."
The man showed Hermione and Ginny to a change room for each of them. "My name is Antonio, and I will be helping you ladies for tonight. Get changed and meet me out front. I will get everything ready, yes?"
Hermione and Ginny rushed in and got changed, Hermione remembering to charm her Dark Mark. They came out and headed for the front. Blaise stared at the girls. Antonio leaned toward him. "They're not your dates, I suggest you stop staring."
Blaise snapped him mouth shut and glared angrily at the man. Antonio chuckled and motioned the girls to their chairs. Antonio charmed a brush and curler to work on Ginny's hair and came to cut Hermione's fringe himself. He soon left to make sure Ginny's hair was only slightly curled and left Hermione's hair with a charmed straighter. Then he stood back and charmed clips and things to clip Ginny's hair in a small bun with with a few of her curls over her shoulder. With Hermoine's hair, he clipped back just the sides and left her fringe. In the back, he held the two pieces with a green rose.
Hermione and Ginny posed for Blaise. "Not done, ladies! Sit!" Antonio commanded. Hermione and Ginny sat down again. This time, Antonio got someone to help with Hermione's make-up.
When they were done, Blaise was even more surprised.
Ginny had a light shade of red lip gloss and golden eyeshadow. Her eyes were also lightly outlined with eyeliner. Blaise could see that she had a more natural look than Hermione.
Hermione was almost the complete opposite of Ginny. She had smoky eye makeup, complete with the winged eyeliner and red lipstick.
"Malfoy is going to die, and Potter will have a heart attack."
Ginny and Hermione smiled at one another. "Maybe you're right, Gin. Maybe tonight will be perfect."
Blaise led the two girls back to Hogwarts. They didn't fly, for fear of ruining their hair. "I managed to get Theo to pay for that session. He'll kill me if I make him pay for another."
Hermione and Ginny sneaked into the Gryffindor common room. Hermione tried to calm Ginny down. "You're hyperventilating, Ginny. Relax, whatever bad feeling I had about to night was definitely nothing about you and Harry. He's going to love you even more."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Now go down there and meet him. I've got to find Malfoy. We are all supposed to enter together. Apparently it's a ball in our honor. The boys were right after all."
Ginny laughed. "Okay, I'm ready. I'll keep Ron distracted while you slip away, if you want?"
"That'd be lovely."
Hermione picked up her back and slipped her wand inside. She had charmed the bag to be silver instead of its usual color.
She giggled when she heard Ginny dramatically talking to Ron about how Harry might not like her outfit and slipped quietly past.
She found Malfoy waiting outside the Great Hall. "Malfoy! Over here!"
Draco looked around and found her behind one corner. He went over. "You forgot the set with me. I brought it, here hold your hair up."
Hermione held her hair up while Draco clasped the necklace on her neck. She put the earrings in her ears and stepped back. "Okay, how do I look?"
Draco smirked. "In the words of Nott: Drop dead."
Hermione grinned. "Not too bad yourself. Your hair looks great!"
Draco frowned at her. "It couldn't style it since you burnt it."
Hermione smiled and ruffled his hair. "It's fine. You look even better like this, anyway."
Draco held out his arm for her. "Shall we?"
Hermione took it. "We shall."
The two walked over to Harry and Ginny, and Ron and his girlfriend, and Neville and Luna, to wait for McGonagall to call them.