Chapter 5
As expected, Lavender and Parvati were beyond excited for the party when Hermione found them at the Gryffindor table for lunch later that day. As soon as she told them they were off, talking a hundred miles an hour about what they were going to wear and how they would do their hair. The girls made plans to meet in the dormitory as soon as classes were done for the day so they could start getting ready together. They knew Fred and George would pilfer some food from the kitchens so there was no need eat dinner in the Great Hall. They girls split for their afternoon lessons – Parvati and Lavender had Divination, Hermione Ancient Runes.
Realising she was now running a bit late, Hermione set off at a brisk pace. As she rounded a corner, she ran headfirst into a solid chest. She stumbled and lost her footing but before she could hit the ground, a pair of large, strong hands gripped her waist, steadying her.
“Woah easy there, Speedster!” Fred chuckled. She swore his hands gave her a little squeeze before they released her. Hermione could feel a deep blush blooming on her cheeks and dropped her gaze to the floor, letting her hair form a shield across her face. She bent down to retrieve her bag, which had fallen from her shoulder when she crashed into Fred, using it as an excuse to take a few deep breaths and centre herself.
“Hey, Fred. Sorry about that. Should’ve looked where I was going.”
“Sure, no problem,” Fred responded. He looked at her, tilting his head to the side, a slight crease to his brow. “Your hair’s different.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Uh, yeah.”
Fred made a sudden jerk with one of his hands, almost as if he was going to reach out to touch one of her waves but stopped himself instead. “I mean, it looks lovely…but I kind of preferred the way it was before. It sort of suited you better, you know? A little bit wild…unrestrained…free…”
Hermione was only mildly aware she was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. What? He had liked her hair before? No one had ever complimented her natural hair. She mentally gave herself a shake and closed her mouth. She knew she needed to respond to him, but for once words failed her. Fred, however, didn’t seem to notice and began to speak again.
“Hermione, about last night. Can we talk abo-,”
“So sorry, late for class,” Hermione cut him off, darting around him and dashing off as fast as she could without making it look as if she was running away. “Catch up later, yeah?” she shouted back over her shoulder.
That evening, Hermione relayed the conversation she’d had with Fred back to Parvati and Lavender while they were getting ready for the party.
“I know he wants to talk about why I ran off the way I did last night, but what am I supposed to say?” Hermione moaned, throwing herself backwards on top of her duvet, hair spilling all around her like a halo.
“How about actually talking to him about it?” suggested Parvati. “Tell him the truth?”
“What, ‘sorry but I’ve come to the conclusion I really like you and it hurt to see you kissing someone else, even though I know you would never look at me that way? Oh and now I’ve embarrassed myself and you and you no longer want to be friends with me? Kay, thanks, cool, bye.’ Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“Alright, Mopey. Enough, up you get,” Lavender grabbed Hermione’s hands and heaved her upright. “You are going to get yourself all done up. We’re going to go to this party. We’re going to flirt with some boys and you’re going to have fun, you hear me?” Hermione nodded. “Uh-uh, I want to hear you say it,” Lavender said, shaking her head.
“Okay, Lav. No more moping.”
“Better, now go get that outfit on we picked last night and then Parvati’s going to help you with make-up, okay?”
Hermione pushed up from the bed, gathered up the clothes from the night before and headed to the bathroom. Once dressed, she looked herself over in the full-length mirror next to the door. She had to admit, the girls did good. She was wearing skin-tight, black jeans that showed off her legs and clung to her curves. On her upper half, she had a metallic silver, cowl-necked top with teeny spaghetti straps that criss-crossed her bare back. It was more revealing than anything she’d ever worn before but paired with the full coverage jeans, she felt comfortable. She felt confident. She looked fantastic.
Heading back into the dormitory, both girls were dressed. Parvati was adding the final touches to her own make up, while Lavender was finishing an elaborate braid in Parvati’s long dark hair. She was wearing a pretty pink halter dress with a daring neckline and a skirt that flared out from her hips, far too short than Hermione would have been comfortable with, but still relatively modest in length. Lavender however, had the tiniest black miniskirt on Hermione had ever seen. Barely covering her bum, it showcased her sky-high legs magnificently, making them seem never ending. She had teamed it with a deep purple one shouldered tank top and had straightened her long blonde hair. Both girls looked amazing, and Hermione told them so.
“And so do you!” exclaimed Parvati. “Just wait until everyone sees that body you’ve been hiding! They’re gonna die!” She guided Hermione to sit down on the stool next to her bed and grabbed a second stool, perching in front of her. “Now, I’m going to do your make up. I like to do it the muggle way and then charm it after, so it stays put. More natural than a glamour. I’m not going to do anything too drastic like mine and Lav’s, just highlight some of your features, okay?” Hermione nodded.
Lavender had moved behind Hermione and was gathering her curls behind her shoulders. “You mentioned something that Fred said about your hair that got me wondering about something. Do you trust me?” she asked.
“Umm, sure,” Hermione replied. She had no idea what Lavender was planning but so far everything the girl had done had been great, so she was happy to go with it for now.
Thirty minutes later and Hermione was staring at herself in the mirror, absolutely speechless. Parvati had done exactly what she said she would. A light dusting of blush showcased her cheekbones, her eyes were highlighted with black mascara and just a hint of bronze shimmer on her lids and her lips were emphasised with a soft dusty pink colour. Lavender, however, had outdone herself. The soft, loose, waves cascading to her waist from earlier were gone. Now, her hair was formed into tighter, more voluminous curls – like a more defined version of her normal hair. The perfect inbetween. She had to admit, Fred was right. As much as she loved the looser style, this suited her so much more.
“I undid the loosening charm,” Lavender explained. “This is your natural hair just without all the frizz and chaos. If you don’t like it, I can do something else?” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, misreading Hermione’s amazement for displeasure.
“It’s perfect,” Hermione stated. “Thank you, so much, both of you.” She turned from the mirror and gave them each a quick hug. “Now, how about we go have some of that fun you keep telling me about.”
The party was in full swing when they descended the spiral staircase. The girls pulled Hermione on to the makeshift dance floor immediately and began shaking their hips to the music. She felt awkward at first but soon loosened up as others joined them. Ginny pulled her into a tight hug and told her how great she looked and how nice it was to see her letting her hair down.
She glanced across the room and locked eyes with Fred. He was standing with Lee and George, the former laughing heavily while the latter gestured wildly, clearly in the middle of some elaborate story. Fred wasn’t paying them any attention though, his eyes firmly on her.
Hermione jumped slightly as she felt a pair of hands on her hips. Glancing over her shoulder, Seamus was dancing behind her, shifting her hips from side to side, making what she was sure he thought was a sultry face at her; she just found it incredibly off putting. He came up closer behind her and began whispering in her ear. She struggled not to flinch at the sensation. Ahh. The flirting the girls had told her about. Was it supposed to feel this awkward and uncomfortable?
She glanced over to where Fred had been, but he had disappeared. Great. Probably gone off to find Katie, no doubt. She couldn’t help but think she would feel entirely different if it was Fred behind her, rather than Seamus.
Suddenly Fred appeared in front of her, startling her. She jumped back a little and accidently stomped on Seamus’ foot, his hands dropping from her hips in surprise. Fred took his opportunity and seized one of Hermione’s hands in his, pulling her from the dancefloor. He continued to drag her behind him, out of the portrait hole and through the castle until they reached the now familiar seventh floor corridor.
“Fred? What are we doing here?” He didn’t answer. He let go of her hand and she felt the loss immediately. He paced back and forth three times before the door to the Room of Requirement shimmered into existence.
“Fred?”
“We need to talk, Hermione.” With that, he grabbed her hand again and pulled her through the door behind him.