Miss Hogwarts

Miss Hogwarts

Chapter Three
In the Fitting Room

It was only as she reached the Great Hall when Ginny realized that she was practically skipping her way to breakfast.

Getting a hold of herself, she wove her way through the crowd towards where Ron and Harry were sitting. She squared her shoulders, flipped her long, flaming-red hair, and smiled as she approached them.

“Hi,” she said, taking the empty seat beside Ron. “What’s up? Where’s Hermione?”

“Haven’t seen her all morning,” Ron replied, spreading marmalade over his toast. “Harry?”

“Uh, no,” Harry mumbled, staring down on his cereal. “I haven’t seen her.”

Years of watching Harry from afar had taught Ginny that if Harry couldn’t look into the eyes of the one he was speaking to, something about him or her was seriously bothering him. She noticed Fred and George sitting not far from them. Both of them seemed to be stifling smiles.

Ginny drummed her fingers on the table impatiently. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Ron shrugged. Fred and George both kept straight faces as they shook their heads, confirming Ginny’s suspicion that whatever happened, her brothers had something to do with it.

Just then, Hermione arrived, clutching her usual stack of books between her arms. “‘Morning, everyone,” she greeted.

“So what are the details?” Harry asked quickly.

“Hush up,” Hermione hissed. She was discreetly keeping an eye on the Slytherin table. Ginny saw that a few of the Slytherins were standing up to take a good look at Hermione.

“What’re they doing?” Ginny wondered aloud.

“Trying to find out who’s joining from Gryffindor, of course,” Hermione answered as she saw down beside Ginny. “They still want to win, even in a contest like this. Come to think of it, this contest is worth two hundred House points,” she added as an afterthought.

Ginny shook her head in disbelief. “Imagine what they’ll do if they find out you’re joining,” she told Harry.

“They’ll probably trip me wherever I go,” Harry sighed.

“Just like every Quidditch season,” said Hermione. “That’s why we still don’t know who’s joining from the other Houses. It’s like we all want to keep our candidates secret.”

“So you have absolutely no idea?” Ginny asked.

“Well...actually I’ve got a hunch that a sixth-year Hufflepuff is joining...”

“Wouldn’t it be great if Goyle joined?” muttered Harry.

Ginny grinned. “He’ll win for originality and incredible confidence,” she said.

She felt her heart skip a beat when Harry gave her a lopsided smile.

“Oh no,” Ron was saying, lowering his voice. “When they find out you’re joining, Harry, Malfoy’d volunteer.”

“Malfoy?” Ginny repeated. Everyone knew Draco Malfoy was Harry’s school rival, dating back to time knows when.

Hermione smiled. “I can’t see why not.”

“That’s all I need,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Competing with Malfoy over who’d make a better girl. As if Quidditch hadn’t been enough.”

“Come on, Harry,” Ron said, nudging him. “Ginny will, er, turn you into a good one.”

Harry lifted his eyes at Ginny. Ginny smiled and shrugged.

She marveled at how good she had suddenly become in hiding her feelings for Harry. Harry, meanwhile, had looked away, and it was then that she noticed an apprehensive look on his face.

Ginny was about to say something when Hermione spoke up again. “I think they’ve stopped looking. Now. I’ll be telling you a bit of what to do for the contest.”

“I’m listening,” said Harry.

“Well, we just got great news from Gladrags in Hogsmeade, and they’re willing to let us rent the dresses we’d use for the contest. That’ll include the shoes and accessories. Isn’t that great?”

“Er...I suppose,” said Harry uneasily.

Ginny nodded, all the while wondering if she could keep those gowns for herself.

“You’ll have to choose the gown on the next Hogsmeade visit,” Hermione went on, smiling. “Which, as you all know, is two days away.”

Ginny saw Harry swallow. It looked as though the full force of what he was facing hadn’t hit him fully yet.

“We’ll have to hide him if that’s the case,” said Ron. “If you still want to keep Harry a secret from the Slytherins.”

“Of course,” Hermione replied. “Thank goodness there’s the Invisibility Cloak.”

Ginny looked at her in surprise. “You’ve got an Invisibility Cloak?”

Ron jerked his thumb towards Harry. “He does.”

“Wow,” Ginny whispered to herself, staring. “That’s—that’s quite rare, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” said Harry quietly.

“That would take some planning,” Hermione said, wheeling back to the topic at hand. “Will you let me continue now?”

Harry, Ron and Ginny turned to Hermione as she looked down on a scrap of parchment.

“A few bits of these might change, but this is what we have so far. The four contestants will first come on stage, have a bit of presentation together, and introduce themselves. Then we’ll have the talent portion—which you should prepare for, Harry. Then there’d be the evening gown, then the interviews. With me so far?”

The other three nodded.

“We might put in some informal interviews and stuff between each portion. Harry—remember this. A huge percentage of your total score will be based on your intelligence and wittiness, so you’d better watch out.”

Harry looked at Hermione. “I’m not intelligent enough for you, huh?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I just wanted you to know. It’s forty percent of your score. Twenty-five will go to your talent, fifteen for your long gown, ten for grace and confidence, and another ten percent for overall impact. Got it?”

“I think,” Harry mumbled.

“Right,” said Hermione. “There’ll be a dress rehearsal two days before the contest. You’d have to wear the dress and all, but you’ll keep the talent to yourself.” She handed the parchment to Ginny.

“Talent,” Ginny said, scanning the piece of parchment. “Do you already know what you’re going to do, Harry?”

Harry shook his head. “I thought you’re supposed to teach me?”

Ginny set the parchment down and looked at Harry squarely in the eyes. “You wouldn’t exactly let me teach you how to belly-dance, would you?”

Harry looked abashed. “No!”

“I thought so.” She smiled smugly.

“You have to make up your mind soon,” said Hermione. “And Ginny, suggest a few things, won’t you?”

Ginny regarded her with a half-smile. “That’ll be quite hard,” she said. Especially since it’s Harry we’re talking about, she added mentally. “But I’ll come up with something.”

What Ginny came up with, Harry found out that Saturday in Hogsmeade.

“You’re going to dance.”

Harry sighed heavily. Nothing seemed to surprise him anymore.

Harry, Ginny and Ron were discussing the Miss Hogwarts contest quietly over tankards of Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. As they had earlier planned, Harry kept his Invisibility Cloak in his bag. It was a lot of hassle, but Harry thought he’d rather go through it than let everyone know so soon that he’d be wearing a gown on Halloween.

Hermione had gone a few minutes earlier with Betty Sparks, the Hufflepuff prefect, to scout for possible stage decorations.

“I suddenly remembered this song, and it sounds perfect for dancing,” Ginny was saying. “It’s sort of a club dance, and it’s easy enough to learn.”

Ron knotted his forehead. “There’s already a dance step for it?”

“I’m working on it,” Ginny said. “It’s already running in my head.” She grinned at Harry. “Of course, that’s if you’d like to do it.”

Harry was beginning to strongly suspect that the twins and Ron had made up the story about Ginny’s doll collection. She hadn’t threatened to do something drastic to his hair, at least. In fact, she had been nothing but friendly and supportive, albeit quite annoying, all week.

But then again, he hadn’t seen her handle a make-up kit yet.

“It sounds okay,” Harry said finally. “Unless you have any other suggestions?”

Ginny took a swig of Butterbeer. “I was also thinking of you lip-synching a Weird Sisters song and dancing on stage, like in a concert,” she said. “But that would be too easy. Anyone can lip-synch. Besides, they’ll all be looking for real talent.”

Harry let out a dry laugh. “You haven’t seen me dance before, have you?”

“Sure I have,” Ginny said, seemingly taken aback for being asked such an obvious question. “Last year, at the Yule Ball. You were dancing with...with Parvati.” She suddenly ducked her head. Harry thought he saw her blush.

“That’s was one of the worst nights in your life, wasn’t it?” Ron said, grinning.

Harry smirked. “It was worse for you.”

Ron turned red in no time. Harry smiled with satisfaction—the reaction was always the same whenever Harry reminded him of his fight with Hermione last year.

Ron coughed loudly and looked down on his watch. “We’d better get going,” he said. “It’s almost three.”

Harry and Ginny finished their Butterbeer in long gulps, and followed Ron out of the pub. Ron kept casting furtive glances around him. Finally seeing no one looking their way, he signaled to Harry and Ginny. The two of them sidestepped to a hidden spot behind the Three Broomsticks.

Ginny watched in awe as Harry took out his Cloak and draped it over him.

“You still there?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Can you...can you see me?”

Harry had to chuckle. “How is this going to work when I can’t?”

Ginny shrugged, smiled sheepishly, then tossed her head towards Ron’s direction. “Come on, then.”

Harry followed her. He had never been more anxious about being seen.

“Is he here?” Ron asked Ginny.

Ginny looked about her. “I told him to follow me.”

She started trashing her arms here and there, promptly whacking Harry hard in the right eye.

“Ouch! Ginny!” Harry gasped, clapping a hand over his eye.

Ginny gasped and pressed her hands over her mouth. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Harry croaked, blinking. “Look... just lead the way to Gladrags. I’ll be right here, I promise.”

“If...if you say so,” Ginny said. Ron, smiling, walked along the High Street towards Gladrags.

Ginny and Harry followed him. They passed by Fred and George, who went straight to Zonko’s Joke Shop, and (to Harry’s horror) an irritated-looking Draco Malfoy, flanked not by Crabbe and Goyle but by Pansy Parkinson. Harry held on tighter to his Cloak. If Malfoy would see him standing right outside Gladrags....

Ginny was looking at Malfoy and Pansy with interest. “Wonder what’s up with him?” asked Ginny.

“Who cares?” Ron snapped. He opened the door to Gladrags, which was quite empty—it only seemed crowded because of the moving mannequins waving as Ron entered. When Ginny stepped into the store, Ron slammed the door shut.

Just as the door was swinging back to its frame, something in the air hit it, bouncing it back towards Ron. There was a bumping noise right outside the store.

Ginny let out a gasp. “Harry!”

The door opened by itself, was closed by an invisible force, and a disgruntled-looking Harry appeared out of thin air.

“Er, sorry?” asked Ron, trying very hard not to laugh.

Harry was rubbing his head as he mouthed a swear word to Ron.

They were approached by a very pretty saleswitch. “May I help you?”

Ron gaped at her, mouth hanging open. Harry shook his head, inwardly relieved that Hermione was nowhere near.

“Um, we were...” Ginny looked around and, seeing that no Hogwarts students were present, went on. “We were going to look at the dresses for the Miss Hogwarts contest.”

“Ah, of course,” the saleswitch said, smiling. “A contestant has just gone with his own choices. You’re from Gryffindor, I presume?”

Ginny nodded.

“Who’ll be fitting?”

Ron stepped aside to show her Harry.

The saleswitch gasped. “Harry—Harry Potter?”

“Er, yes, that’s me.”

“Of course you’re him.” The saleswitch smiled at him. “I’m just surprised that you’d join the contest.”

Harry blinked.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Ginny asked, grinning. Harry raised his eyebrows at her.

The saleswitch led them to one side of the store, where there were dress robes and gowns of all designs and colors. The moving mannequins, chalk-white in color, smiled at them and waved their arms in perfect model fashion. Harry made a mental note to imitate them if he were to do the whole Miss Hogwarts thing properly.

Ginny gawked at the gowns, as though she hadn’t seen such dresses in her entire life. She let her fingers trail on a gown, which changed from lavender to periwinkle as she moved the fabric.

“Here,” the saleswitch said, holding out a scarlet gown. “Try this on.”

Harry had expected Ginny to take it, when the saleswitch handed it to him. He blinked, then realized that he would be fitting the gown. He took it and looked at Ginny and Ron uncertainly.

Ginny nodded encouragingly. “I’ll take your Cloak—to hide you...you know, in case someone’s looking.”

“I’ll keep watch,” said Ron.

The conspiracy’s going well so far, Harry thought. Harry handed Ginny the Invisibility Cloak and followed the saleswitch to the fitting rooms. She held the door of a cubicle open. He stepped inside and bolted the door.

He looked at himself on the full-length mirror inside and held out the gown. Trying on a gown, with Ginny Weasley, Ron and a saleswitch waiting outside, was repulsive at its best. But did he have any other choice? He should have just escaped while he was still under the Invisibility Cloak.

The things he had to do for Gryffindor.

Shrugging, he took off his robes, shirt and pants and, figuring out how to open the gown, stepped in it.

He looked terrible. The sleeves fell off his shoulders and the skirt ballooned from waist down. “Hey, will you take a look at this?” he yelled, unlocking the door.

Ginny peeked in, and broke into a grin. “Very...flashy.”

Ron shook his head. “Next please.”

The saleswitch held out an elegant fuchsia gown.

This went on for another quarter hour. The discarded gowns were being stacked on a nearby chair, and the pile was getting higher and higher, and the saleswitch was becoming irritable by the minute. Harry was strongly reminded of the day he chose his wand back at Ollivander’s, in Diagon Alley, five years ago.

Finally, Ginny decided to handle the choosing of the gown herself. Harry watched her purse her lips, look around, and pick up a shimmering pale green gown. She studied it and gave it to Harry. “If that doesn’t look good on you, I don’t know what will.”

Harry closed the door again, took off the revolting ruffled pink dress he was wearing, and slipped into the green gown.

“Can we see?” Ginny called out.

Harry stepped out of the cubicle. Ron and Ginny blinked at the same time, and the saleswitch nodded in approval. “You’ve got taste, young lady,” she told Ginny.

Ginny beamed. “Turn around,” she told Harry, who obliged.

The dress was very simple, yet elegant—and Harry didn’t look bad in it, considering. It was made of a kind of fabric that sparkled beautifully.

Ginny hurriedly went away and came back with a pair of silver-colored shoes, with heels so thin and high Harry thought they’d snap once he stepped into them. The saleswitch handed him a sparkling necklace and bracelet (“Fake diamonds,” she had said), and they didn’t look so bad—just as long as Harry covered his face.

“Try to look graceful,” said Ginny. “Put a hand on your waist, bat your eyelashes, and smile.”

Here we go, Harry thought. He remembered the mannequins.

He grinned widely, blinked furiously, and put his fist on his waist.

Ron was shaking with laughter so badly that he had to go away to recover.

“We’ll work on it,” Ginny assured him. “But you’ll take that gown, all right?”

“Fine by me,” Harry said.

“Oh, and you’ll have to choose your dress for the opening and talent, too,” the saleswitch said.

“What?” Harry gasped.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to wear that for the whole contest, you know.”

Harry stared at her in disbelief. This day was going to be longer than he had anticipated.

In the end, Harry chose a black glittery dress, which was perfect for the dance number Ginny had in mind. They also chose a flashy red thing (Harry couldn’t even bear to call it a dress) for the opening number—red because, as Ron had said, Harry would be representing Gryffindor.

Ginny chose the shoes and accessories herself, and signed on the rental slip. As she did, Harry caught her staring at a short, simple white dress displayed on a smug-looking mannequin. When the mannequin noticed Ginny, it straightened up as though to flaunt its dress even more.

Ginny wrenched her eyes off the mannequin and proceeded to put one of the parcels into her bag. “Let’s go,” she said quietly.

Harry took the Invisibility Cloak from her and put the black dress into his bag. Ron hid the other dress in his. Making sure that no one is looking, Harry put on the Invisibility Cloak, and the three of them got out of the store. (Ron had held the door open longer this time.)

Harry let out a sigh of relief. Stage one of the pageant preparations was over. The three of them walked as far as they can from Gladrags, and Harry finally removed his Cloak just outside Honeydukes.

“Hey! You three!”

Fred and George were running towards them with mischievous, triumphant grins on their faces. Ginny looked at them dubiously. “What did you do this time?” she asked.

“Spied,” George told her, still grinning. “On the Slytherins.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“To find out who’s their candidate, of course!”

Harry grinned widely for the first time all day. “So you found out? Are you sure?”

Fred nodded vigorously. “Positive. We were in Gladrags, and he and his girlfriend caught us watching them, and the kid was wearing a peach gown. He looked pretty, come to think of it....”

“Well?” Ginny pressed on, looking excited. “Who is it?”

George looked at Harry seriously. “The platinum blonde-haired, pale-faced, amazing bouncing ferret.”

Harry, Ron and Ginny stared.

“Malfoy,” Fred confirmed. “Draco Malfoy.”

To be Continued...