A Few Good Ships

Chapter Five

A Few Good Surprises

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ginny asked when she saw Hermione frowning in the common room one night.

Hermione sighed and looked around. Seeing no one in particular, she decided to answer her friend. "You know that party before Holidays?"

"Yeah," Ginny affirmed. "Who doesn't?"

"Well, Padma cornered Harry into agreeing to go with her."

"So? It's not like his chasing after Cho Chang's getting him anywhere in particular."

"He really doesn't want to go...but Ron does."

"I doubt that, those dress robes he's got are a disaster."

"Exactly, and Ron knows he won't get new ones."

"So, what, exactly is wrong? Is Ron not speaking to Harry again?"

"No...they're plotting together, that's what's wrong. They want me to make a Polyjuice Potion so Ron will go in Harry's place, and no one will know any different."

"Isn't that a Potion that will turn Ron's body into Harry's body or some such?"

"Yes," Hermione said sadly.

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry...did you agree?"

"Yes."

"Then will simply have to move on to Plan B," Ginny said stubbornly.

"Plan B? What's Plan B?"

"I don't know yet."

"I don't like the sound of that..."

"Nonsense. It's sounds perfectly good."

*

"You know, I still don't understand why we can't just raid Snape's office," Ron said for the hundredth time.

"No! He'll automatically suspect me! He STILL thinks I did it during our second year AND last year for gillyweed! I am NOT dealing with Snape over that again when I don't really have to," Harry told his friend vehemently.

"Well, where else are we going to get it? Snape is the only person in this school likely to have boomslang skin!"

"I know! Is boomslang skin a controlled substance in the wizarding world?"

"No...just an odd ingredient."

"So could we owl a store for some? Or do you think we might be able to get it in Hogsmead?"

"There's no Potion Ingredient store in Hogsmead, and I have no idea where to mail order from. I'm telling you Harry, we have to get it from Snape!"

"NO! There has to be another way!"

"There isn't!"

*

"So, Parvati, who are you going to the party with?" Lavender asked.

"I don't know. You're going with Sea, right?"

"Mmhmm. I don't know whether to be happy or not...he can be such a jerk at times."

"Aren't all boys?"

"Very true. Even our dear Harry Potter...and especially Ron."

Parvati shuddered. "I am never going to go with Ron!"

"So who are you going with?"

"Like I said, I don't know."

"What about Dean? I don't think he's taken."

"It's an idea at least..." Parvati conceded.

Lavender then pulled out a Teen Witch magazine. "What design for our dress robes do you think?" Parvati sat next to her friend as they flipped through the overly shiny pages.

"I think that color would be good on you," Parvati told Lavender, pointing to a rather revealing dress.

"McGonagal would never let me wear it, though."

"No...she most definitely does not appreciate fashion."

"Look! Isn't that almost exactly what Hermione wore last year?"

Parvati gasped. "But why would anyone want to wear what she wore? It's not like she's fashionable in the least..."

"But she's friends with Harry Potter and she wore that as Victor Krum's escort."

"Some people have all the luck. We should make sure Padma is dressed perfectly, and then we can read about her!" The friends smiled at each other.

*

Ginny sat quietly working in the empty classroom she and Draco used. It was just after dinner, and she was getting in a little extra reading before Draco showed up. She had a lot to think about, for instance, just what was Plan B? Ginny didn't think she could get Ron new dress robes...and how was she going to convince Ron to go with Hermione, not Padma?

Some voices echoed down the hall while Ginny was thinking, interrupting her thoughts.

"...you never even talk to us anymore!" a female voice whined.

"That's because all you ever talk about are things we were talking about in the first year. Really, even the most interesting of subjects wear out eventually," a male voice answered. Ginny was fairly certain the bored drawl belonged to Draco Malfoy.

"What are you up to anyway? You're always disappearing!"

"That's none of your business, Pansy."

"Why shouldn't it be? Didn't we go to the Yule Ball together last year?"

Draco laughed, but it didn't have any humor in it. "That doesn't mean anything Pansy, and you know it."

"Well it should!" Ginny realized the voices were now just outside the closed door to the empty classroom.

"But it doesn't. Nothing I do is any of your business, Pansy. And all this whining and chasing you're doing right now isn't becoming at all, especially not of a Slytherin."

"Well, if that's the way you feel, I'll just open this door and see what all this secrecy is about."

Before Ginny could hide, as she was caught a bit unprepared for Pansy Parkinson's snooping, the door was thrown open. Even though her hair was in its normal braid, no one would ever mistake its color.

"Ginny Weasley?" Pansy all but screeched, "You're taking Ginny Weasley to the Party?! Draco, how can you?"

"Who said I was taking any Weasley anywhere?" Draco asked, showing a great deal of offense at the thought.

"Why else would you be meeting her?"

"I'm not going with Draco," Ginny managed to whisper. Pansy didn't seem to notice.

"Let me tell you something, Draco Malfoy, we are through! Do you hear me?"

"First of all, Pansy, we were never in existence to begin with, and second of all, you are jumping to conclusions."

"Oh really! Don't you dare tell me that some Professor assigned you to tutor her, I don't believe it!" With that, Pansy Parkinson stormed off.