Chapter 13: I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
"Ron! You look fabulous." The orange of the Chudley Cannons uniform, which should have clashed abominably with his hair, was subdued enough by the keeper gear to just give an overall impression of vitality. Ginny looked over her brother fondly, remembering how he used to stuff both of them into Cannons robes to play pretend. He might have his moments of being a prat, but he was her brother and lifelong playmate.
He smiled back before gathering her into a bear hug. Dropping a kiss on her temple, he said, "You're beautiful, Gin, even if sometimes it's hard to remember you're grown."
"Does that mean you're going to stop being overprotective?" Ginny looked up from the circle of his arms with one eyebrow arched skeptically.
"Never. But I'm glad you're actually clothed tonight." He grinned even as she punched him playfully in the stomach. "D'you think we should go get Hermione? I think the three of us are all that's left in Gryffindor Tower, everyone else is already at the ball, except the wee ones that are in bed."
"Wee ones? Honestly, Ron." Ginny shook her head sadly over her brother, even as her eyes twinkled. "Anyway, you go on up, since she's your date. I'm going to go down before all the dateless boys are taken."
"Gin..." Ron was less than pleased over her laughing exit, but then shrugged. At least she was wearing something that covered her breasts and knees this time. Shrugging, he moved up the stairs to the room that Hermione and Ginny shared.
He knocked on the door tentatively. Things had been going fairly well with Hermione, but she'd been giving him odd looks lately and he was a bit on edge at the thought of once again facing her surprisingly effective wrath. He heard a muffled voice telling him to come in, so he slowly opened the door and stepped inside a room that looked completely unfamiliar.
Instead of the double occupancy dorm room that Hogwarts provided for the prefects, he seemed to have stepped into a seraglio. The walls were draped with soft fabrics in jewel tones, which shimmered in the candlelight and enhanced the overall impression of being inside some sort of nomad's harem. All the furniture seemed to have disappeared, except for a massive four poster bed resting on a pedestal, the curtains pulled back to reveal silky sheets and a mountain of pillows. There was perfume in the air, something between floral and musk that he couldn't identify, but which sent messages straight to his libido.
His mouth went dry and his voice cracked as he managed to squeak out, "Hermione?"
"Sit down, I'll be right out." Her voice floated from behind a carved screen and he obeyed dumbly, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. He heard some music start, something slow and foreign sounding, with a heavy beat. Then she stepped out from behind the screen and all his breath left his lungs.
"Oh, fuck me." His mouth had not consulted his brain before it had expressed the sentiment that he was definitely in serious trouble. Hermione was wearing what was either a very fancy bra or the tiniest waistcoat he'd ever seen. Her skirt seemed to consist of a fancy belt with scarves dangling from it. Both the belt and the bra were a deep plum satin with gold embroidery, which made her skin seem flawless and alabaster. His eyes darted to her cleavage, and her bare midriff, and the way her legs were exposed and hidden as she moved sinuously with the music. The crowning touch was a small veil, a scrap of diaphanous cloth that obscured the lower half of her face and drew attention to her magnificent eyes.
Then she smiled, slowly, the hungry, triumphant smile of a cat that had just found itself in a dairy. "All right, I will."
...
Ginny stood a few feet away from the entrance to the Great Hall, out of the flow of traffic but counting on the SEP charm to keep from being noticed. She took her wand out of the special pocket she had sewn for it and muttered the spells that Hermione had researched. A quick look at her reflection in the breastplate of the suit of armor she'd ducked behind and she was more than reassured that the charms were perfectly in place. Once the entry was clear and there wasn't anyone approaching, she dropped the SEP charm and put her wand away.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up straight and threw her head back regally before opening the door. For the first time in her life, she felt completely beautiful, confident that she deserved to be stared at in admiration. It felt marvelous.
There seemed to be a ripple of silence in the room as people further away from the door turned to see what their neighbors were staring at. Ginny Weasley in stylish clothes walking in the halls had been one thing. This... This was something else.
Her costume was simpler than most, but deceptively so. A column of some kind of dull silk like material was draped around her figure, skimming over every curve enough to tantalize without flaunting. A simple braided gold cord was tied loosely around her waist, the ends trailing into the folds of the skirt. Her hair was loose, the fiery color of it enhanced by the crown of small white flowers she wore, and the petals that seemed to be scattered throughout the length of her curls. The way that her hair tumbled over her shoulders and the color of her dress made it hard to tell where the cloth stopped and her skin began, and more than one person in the crowd had to look twice to dispel the initial suggestion of nudity. Her feet were bare, and already stained from walking on the grass and wildflowers that appeared where she stepped. The air in the room seemed to fill with the scent of spring as all eyes locked on Ginny and couldn't seem to look away.
Then Ginny spotted Professor McGonagall, who had entered into the spirit of the evening by dressing as her namesake goddess of wisdom. With an impish smile, Ginny moved to join her, her hands outstretched. Conversations that had started again slowed into silence as Ginny took the older woman's hands and led her to the dance floor. McGonagall blushed a bit, but she was smiling as she and Ginny began to move in the simple dance that was traditionally performed on holidays by witches from old-fashioned families. The band recognized the steps and swung into a traditional melody, and soon the two dancing were joined by another witch, and another, the muggle-borns picking up the steps as they watched and their friends explained, and soon every witch in the Hall had joined in the circle of laughing, dancing women.
The dance ended to thunderous applause and excited chatter, the general themes being how much fun it had been and how beautiful each girl had looked as her date watched her dance. A crowd of unattached boys flocked to where Ginny stood, and a few of the more gallant ones asked Professor McGonagall for a dance. She had successfully turned away most, but Seamus Finnigan laughed and wouldn't take no for an answer. Despite her protests, the flustered teacher found herself swept into a graceful, if enthusiastic, waltz.
Ginny smiled to see Professor McGonagall trying to look as if she wasn't somewhat pleased, then turned to accept the offer of a dance from a nervous looking fourth year Gryffindor. When the dance ended, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and he turned a brighter red than even Ron could manage before stammering and backing away. Next she was pulled onto the floor by a dark-haired Ravenclaw, then by Harry, and then she started to lose track as she passed from one partner to the next in a blur of color and music and laughter.
She stopped abruptly as the movement of the dance swept her towards a figure that was so still, the air around him seemed deadened. His eyes were dark as he looked at her, the color of storm clouds heavy with lightning. His chest was mostly bare, covered only by the tail of the toga wrapped around his slim hips before it fell to almost brush the ground. His hair was crowned with poplar leaves and his skin seemed to gleam against the black velvet.
Ginny had just started to feel like she might be able to breathe again when his lips quirked, just the slightest upward curling of one corner of his mouth, and his hand stretched out to offer her something. She stared at the pomegranate in his hand, remembering that it was Persephone's choice to eat the fruit offered to her by Hades that bound her forever to the King of Hell. Slowly, as if the world around them did not exist and there was all the time in the world, she reached out to take the pomegranate from his fingers.
"You do realize that when she took his offering, it was forever." He looked thoroughly forbidding and her hand paused over his.
"Are you implying that you want forever? With a Weasley?" She looked into his eyes, half afraid of what he might say.
"Weasel, I'm wearing a bloody toga in public. What more proof of complete, moronic devotion do you need?" His sneer was back in full force and it dissolved the tension that had knotted her stomach. She couldn't help smiling as he crossed his arms over his chest in a move that seemed as familiar to her as her own breathing.
Ginny moved closer to him, resting her hands on his chest for balance as she stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, "You don't fool me. You like making all the girls drool."
His brow arched. "Are you drooling, Miss Weasley?"
"Only as much as you are, Mister Malfoy." Ginny winked and would have backed away if he hadn't moved to grab her around the waist. She felt like her breath was not fully entering her lungs as she stared into his eyes and saw a mixture of emotions ranging from mischief to passion.
"In that case..." His lips moved to hers and she let her eyes flutter closed as she melted into the sensation.
(Author's Note: Yes, the continuation of both scenes is written. No, it's not archived in the same file, since I want to keep the PG-13 and NC-17 stuff separate. They'll be uploaded soon, but I don't want to inflict smut on those who don't wish to see it.
In other notes, the SEP charm is stolen from Douglas Adams (he called it a field). SEP stands for "Someone Else's Problem" and it's a powerful camouflage. The chapter title, of course, comes from The A-Team, and the story of Persephone and Hades comes from Greek mythology.
"Ron! You look fabulous." The orange of the Chudley Cannons uniform, which should have clashed abominably with his hair, was subdued enough by the keeper gear to just give an overall impression of vitality. Ginny looked over her brother fondly, remembering how he used to stuff both of them into Cannons robes to play pretend. He might have his moments of being a prat, but he was her brother and lifelong playmate.
He smiled back before gathering her into a bear hug. Dropping a kiss on her temple, he said, "You're beautiful, Gin, even if sometimes it's hard to remember you're grown."
"Does that mean you're going to stop being overprotective?" Ginny looked up from the circle of his arms with one eyebrow arched skeptically.
"Never. But I'm glad you're actually clothed tonight." He grinned even as she punched him playfully in the stomach. "D'you think we should go get Hermione? I think the three of us are all that's left in Gryffindor Tower, everyone else is already at the ball, except the wee ones that are in bed."
"Wee ones? Honestly, Ron." Ginny shook her head sadly over her brother, even as her eyes twinkled. "Anyway, you go on up, since she's your date. I'm going to go down before all the dateless boys are taken."
"Gin..." Ron was less than pleased over her laughing exit, but then shrugged. At least she was wearing something that covered her breasts and knees this time. Shrugging, he moved up the stairs to the room that Hermione and Ginny shared.
He knocked on the door tentatively. Things had been going fairly well with Hermione, but she'd been giving him odd looks lately and he was a bit on edge at the thought of once again facing her surprisingly effective wrath. He heard a muffled voice telling him to come in, so he slowly opened the door and stepped inside a room that looked completely unfamiliar.
Instead of the double occupancy dorm room that Hogwarts provided for the prefects, he seemed to have stepped into a seraglio. The walls were draped with soft fabrics in jewel tones, which shimmered in the candlelight and enhanced the overall impression of being inside some sort of nomad's harem. All the furniture seemed to have disappeared, except for a massive four poster bed resting on a pedestal, the curtains pulled back to reveal silky sheets and a mountain of pillows. There was perfume in the air, something between floral and musk that he couldn't identify, but which sent messages straight to his libido.
His mouth went dry and his voice cracked as he managed to squeak out, "Hermione?"
"Sit down, I'll be right out." Her voice floated from behind a carved screen and he obeyed dumbly, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. He heard some music start, something slow and foreign sounding, with a heavy beat. Then she stepped out from behind the screen and all his breath left his lungs.
"Oh, fuck me." His mouth had not consulted his brain before it had expressed the sentiment that he was definitely in serious trouble. Hermione was wearing what was either a very fancy bra or the tiniest waistcoat he'd ever seen. Her skirt seemed to consist of a fancy belt with scarves dangling from it. Both the belt and the bra were a deep plum satin with gold embroidery, which made her skin seem flawless and alabaster. His eyes darted to her cleavage, and her bare midriff, and the way her legs were exposed and hidden as she moved sinuously with the music. The crowning touch was a small veil, a scrap of diaphanous cloth that obscured the lower half of her face and drew attention to her magnificent eyes.
Then she smiled, slowly, the hungry, triumphant smile of a cat that had just found itself in a dairy. "All right, I will."
...
Ginny stood a few feet away from the entrance to the Great Hall, out of the flow of traffic but counting on the SEP charm to keep from being noticed. She took her wand out of the special pocket she had sewn for it and muttered the spells that Hermione had researched. A quick look at her reflection in the breastplate of the suit of armor she'd ducked behind and she was more than reassured that the charms were perfectly in place. Once the entry was clear and there wasn't anyone approaching, she dropped the SEP charm and put her wand away.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up straight and threw her head back regally before opening the door. For the first time in her life, she felt completely beautiful, confident that she deserved to be stared at in admiration. It felt marvelous.
There seemed to be a ripple of silence in the room as people further away from the door turned to see what their neighbors were staring at. Ginny Weasley in stylish clothes walking in the halls had been one thing. This... This was something else.
Her costume was simpler than most, but deceptively so. A column of some kind of dull silk like material was draped around her figure, skimming over every curve enough to tantalize without flaunting. A simple braided gold cord was tied loosely around her waist, the ends trailing into the folds of the skirt. Her hair was loose, the fiery color of it enhanced by the crown of small white flowers she wore, and the petals that seemed to be scattered throughout the length of her curls. The way that her hair tumbled over her shoulders and the color of her dress made it hard to tell where the cloth stopped and her skin began, and more than one person in the crowd had to look twice to dispel the initial suggestion of nudity. Her feet were bare, and already stained from walking on the grass and wildflowers that appeared where she stepped. The air in the room seemed to fill with the scent of spring as all eyes locked on Ginny and couldn't seem to look away.
Then Ginny spotted Professor McGonagall, who had entered into the spirit of the evening by dressing as her namesake goddess of wisdom. With an impish smile, Ginny moved to join her, her hands outstretched. Conversations that had started again slowed into silence as Ginny took the older woman's hands and led her to the dance floor. McGonagall blushed a bit, but she was smiling as she and Ginny began to move in the simple dance that was traditionally performed on holidays by witches from old-fashioned families. The band recognized the steps and swung into a traditional melody, and soon the two dancing were joined by another witch, and another, the muggle-borns picking up the steps as they watched and their friends explained, and soon every witch in the Hall had joined in the circle of laughing, dancing women.
The dance ended to thunderous applause and excited chatter, the general themes being how much fun it had been and how beautiful each girl had looked as her date watched her dance. A crowd of unattached boys flocked to where Ginny stood, and a few of the more gallant ones asked Professor McGonagall for a dance. She had successfully turned away most, but Seamus Finnigan laughed and wouldn't take no for an answer. Despite her protests, the flustered teacher found herself swept into a graceful, if enthusiastic, waltz.
Ginny smiled to see Professor McGonagall trying to look as if she wasn't somewhat pleased, then turned to accept the offer of a dance from a nervous looking fourth year Gryffindor. When the dance ended, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and he turned a brighter red than even Ron could manage before stammering and backing away. Next she was pulled onto the floor by a dark-haired Ravenclaw, then by Harry, and then she started to lose track as she passed from one partner to the next in a blur of color and music and laughter.
She stopped abruptly as the movement of the dance swept her towards a figure that was so still, the air around him seemed deadened. His eyes were dark as he looked at her, the color of storm clouds heavy with lightning. His chest was mostly bare, covered only by the tail of the toga wrapped around his slim hips before it fell to almost brush the ground. His hair was crowned with poplar leaves and his skin seemed to gleam against the black velvet.
Ginny had just started to feel like she might be able to breathe again when his lips quirked, just the slightest upward curling of one corner of his mouth, and his hand stretched out to offer her something. She stared at the pomegranate in his hand, remembering that it was Persephone's choice to eat the fruit offered to her by Hades that bound her forever to the King of Hell. Slowly, as if the world around them did not exist and there was all the time in the world, she reached out to take the pomegranate from his fingers.
"You do realize that when she took his offering, it was forever." He looked thoroughly forbidding and her hand paused over his.
"Are you implying that you want forever? With a Weasley?" She looked into his eyes, half afraid of what he might say.
"Weasel, I'm wearing a bloody toga in public. What more proof of complete, moronic devotion do you need?" His sneer was back in full force and it dissolved the tension that had knotted her stomach. She couldn't help smiling as he crossed his arms over his chest in a move that seemed as familiar to her as her own breathing.
Ginny moved closer to him, resting her hands on his chest for balance as she stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, "You don't fool me. You like making all the girls drool."
His brow arched. "Are you drooling, Miss Weasley?"
"Only as much as you are, Mister Malfoy." Ginny winked and would have backed away if he hadn't moved to grab her around the waist. She felt like her breath was not fully entering her lungs as she stared into his eyes and saw a mixture of emotions ranging from mischief to passion.
"In that case..." His lips moved to hers and she let her eyes flutter closed as she melted into the sensation.
(Author's Note: Yes, the continuation of both scenes is written. No, it's not archived in the same file, since I want to keep the PG-13 and NC-17 stuff separate. They'll be uploaded soon, but I don't want to inflict smut on those who don't wish to see it.
In other notes, the SEP charm is stolen from Douglas Adams (he called it a field). SEP stands for "Someone Else's Problem" and it's a powerful camouflage. The chapter title, of course, comes from The A-Team, and the story of Persephone and Hades comes from Greek mythology.
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