The Magic of a Book

Chapter 7

or

"In Which Ellie tries to make to make the fic longer while thinking of a sequel."

Hermione brushed her hair and put it up in a ponytail. She took the ponytail down and attempted a plait. The plait didn't work. She tried just wearing her hair down. She looked like a sheep. She brushed her hair again. She tried sweeping it into a style. She looked like a penguin. Hermione threw her brush on the floor and growled.

Lavender had been sitting on her bed for the past few minutes watching Hermione struggle. She sighed loudly,

"Just let me at it, Hermione."

Hermione turned round angrily, "I can do it myself."

"No, you can't," Lavender replied with a roll of her eyes. Hermione stamped her foot, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"I can, I'm just not getting the style yet."

"Hermione I'll do it for you, I know more about this than you, and I know what'll suit your face." Hermione seemed to be fighting with herself, she knew deep down she'd be at it for another hour, but really Lavender attacking her hair. It was shuddersome.

"I, oh alright." Hermione sighed, sitting down dejectedly in front of Lavender's vanity table. Lavender gave a squeak of delight and hopped off the bed, wand in hand.

"Right, you have an average sized face, good cheekbones, so, hmm, yes." Hermione had no idea what relevance her cheekbones had to her hair, but went along with it anyway, if all failing Lavender could be hexed. "So, I think, yes, right." Hermione had no idea what Lavender was about to do, but figured what ever it was could be solved with a spell if it was disastrous. "Right, this won't hurt Hermione, just keep still."

"What? What are you doing?" Hermione asked frantically. Next thing she heard was Lavender saying a spell and pointing her wand at her hair. Hermione looked in the mirror- her hair had lost its fizz. "How did you do that?" Hermione demanded.

"Simple spell, you like?" Hermione felt her hair and looked at in the mirror from several angles. She smiled.

"It makes me look pretty," Hermione said.

"I'm not fished yet," Lavender replied, fixing a decorated clip in and reach for some lipstick. "Pink orrrrr," Lavender shuffled around in her make up bag, "rust?" Rust? Brown? Oh God, anything would look better than that.

"Erm, pink." Hermione replied tentatively. Lavender got it out of her bag and started putting it on Hermione, who was trying not to get any in her mouth.

"Nervous?" Lavender asked with a cheeky grin.

Hermione smiled, "a bit," she replied tentatively.

"Who wouldn't be, Mr Zabini is rather yummy, I think every girl in the school is envious of you right now."

"Every girl in the school? How do people know about this?" Hermione demanded frantically. Lavender rolled her eyes,

"You tell Ginny Weasley, one person overhears and word spreads faster than the plague, use your common sense Hermione."

Hermione sniffed, as Lavender started brushing pink stuff on her cheeks. Suddenly there was a knock on the door,

"Who is it?" called Lavender.

"It's Harry and Ron, can we come in and see Hermione?" came Harry's voice. Lavender frowned and walked over to the door. She pulled it open to see Harry and Ron levitating about 3 inches off the ground in the doorway. She tutted and walked away from the door, letting Harry and Ron drift through.

"You'd have thought they'd have put up wards against levitation," Ron remarked mildly, floating back to the ground and dusting himself off.

"They probably didn't think about a simple spell like that, that was quite clever of you two actually, but still you shouldn't be up here."

The boys went and sat on Hermione's bed, as Lavender started putting mascara on Hermione.

"We'll take that as a backhanded compliment," Harry replied.

"No more after this, alright?" Hermione warned Lavender, who sniffed but nodded. Lavender worked for a couple more minutes before finishing with a flourish.

"There, what do you think?" Hermione looked into the mirror and smiled, apart from her less frizzy hair she couldn't really tell a lot of difference, perhaps her cheeks and lips were a bit pinker? The boys seemed impressed, nodding appreciatively. "Now, all we need to sort out are clothes, do you have a skirt?" Hermione thought for a moment and suddenly remembered. She walked over to her trunk and dug deep inside, emerging a few seconds later with a green, flared out skirt. "My mum bought it for me; I've never really had an occasion on which to wear it," Hermione explained. Lavender looked utterly delighted.

"It's lovely! I have a top you can wear that will look brilliant with it, what size are you?"

"Ten," Hermione replied, "This top is er, suitable isn't it?" she asked nervously.

"It'll show about an inch of you midriff, can you live with that Hermione?" Lavender asked sarcastically. Hermione sniffed. Lavender went into her wardrobe and pulled out a blue strapped top, holding it out to Hermione, who took it, looking it over. It wasn't something she would usually wear. She took a deep breath,

"I'll go and change," and she walked into the girls showers. Hermione took off her clothes and folded them neatly, before slipping into the outfit. She really didn't have any idea what she looked like; there was not a mirror in the toilet. Taking a deep, she walked back into the dormitory and faced Lavender, Harry and Ron. "So?" They didn't say anything and Hermione nervously looked into the full length mirror. She smiled, it was pretty and summery, she could live with her bare arms and partially revealed stomach, as the skirt was ankle length.

"I think it's nice," Hermione stated, turning back to them. They all nodded, smiling widely. "I need shoes," Hermione said, knowing she didn't have any which would suit the outfit.

"You want flip flops but I don't have any with me, you could ask Ginny. You two both have small feet." Lavender suggested. Hermione nodded, heading out of the room.

***

Meanwhile in the Slytherin boys dormitory something along the same lines was going on. Blaise Zabini was standing in front of a mirror attempting to style his hair with his fingers. He had been doing this for about fifteen minutes. Theodore Nott finally spoke up.

"Stop being so bloody nervous and leave your sodding hair alone, it looks the same as it did fifteen minutes ago."

Blaise stopped and looked at it. "You're right," he stopped and went to sit at his desk chair. He sat and started re-arranging parchment on his desk. Theo rolled his eyes.

"For God sake Zabini, stop being so bloody nervous. " Theo paused, "it's quite annoying."

Blaise sighed, "I can't help it, she's just so, so-"

Theo nodded wisely, "She's already got you whipped, for God sake, she wouldn't have agreed to go out with you if she didn't like you, so stop looking like a lost puppy and go and give her the time of her life!"

Blaise stared at Theo for a minute, "That was a good empowering speech, where you get it from?"

Theo shrugged nonchalantly, "I adapted the "I have a dream" speech," a pause, "was it good?"

Blaise nodded, "Definitely use it again." He checked his watch and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's move out."