Trademark smirks and Temperamental redheads

Chapter 20 - Chreestmas makeover (Sixth Year)

The days seemed to drag on, unwilling to end without Draco receiving a letter from Ginny, or from his father. It came as a surprise when he opened his drawer one day, to find that it was already full of letters from Ginny. He fixed it with an Enlargement charm and carefully placed the latest letter inside. Checking the date, he was surprised to find that Christmas was less than a fortnight away. The past few months had been a blur to him as he walked around the corridors in a daze, not bothering to take points from other Houses, or making snide remarks just plainly for the fun of it.

Few people paid attention to this change in Draco, as the students around school took up the habit of ordering the Daily Prophet. At breakfast each morning, heads could be seen crowding around a single paper, all over the house tables, straining to see any news of the Dark Lord. In fact, the only people who weren't doing so were those at the Slytherin table. They would sit and talk amongst themselves, laughing at the stupidity of the others. In the corridors, they would smirk as those from other houses whispered 'Death Eater' behind their backs.

Draco watched the Trio as they sighed with defeat, the anger shining in their eyes each time an attack was reported. The giants had joined the Dark Lord; the Dementors had abandoned Azkaban. Soon there were reports of vampire sightings and werewolves hunting in packs.

Ex-Aurors as well as acquitted Death Eaters were found horribly murdered in their homes, drained of blood with scars all over their bodies, testimony that they had been tortured for a long period of time before death.

Even muggles sat at their televisions every night, gasping with horror at the mass murders being committed. Muggle police were at a loss as to the connection between the murders. A family of five would be found dead in Ireland, and not even two hours later, another family would be found in the South of France. Same murder styles, no weapons found, no sign of a struggle. Surely, no one single killer could move that fast, and the thought of a whole group of murderers working together was even more frightening. The biggest mystery of all however, was the murder motive, none could be found, no connections established with each new death.

At Hogwarts, the owls were struggling with the increasing number of letters carried back and forth between students and their parents. Each letter filled with worry and concern and warnings.

Voldemort was becoming bolder, seeing as there was no need to hide his reappearance any longer. Each body found in the wizarding world was marked with the Dark Mark, clearly indicating his revenge upon those who had defied him or betrayed him.

To Draco, all this was a shadow at the back of his mind, glad that, at least for now, he was safe from a more active role as a Death Eater. All he was instructed to do was keep an eye out for any movement at school and to train the others as effectively as possible.

Draco made his way out of the Great Hall, wanting to go back to his room for some solitude. He had received another letter from Ginny. His mind was so wholly concentrated on the letter he held tightly in his hand, that he didn't notice a figure coming towards him; they bumped into each other roughly.

"Malfoy," Harry said, frowning.

"Potter," Draco drawled, a sneer on his face.

"Did you get a letter from Ginny too?" Harry asked him, eyeing the letter he held in his hand. Draco tensed at this, so she had been sending Potter letters as well, of course, her beloved Potter. He could feel the anger building inside of him, damn Potter and damn her, they were insignificant slime.

"Been enjoying them Potter?" he asked with a smirk. "Dearest Harry, I miss you so much and I wish you were here. I can't wait to be back in your arms."

Harry stared at him in confusion. "Malfoy, what are you talking about? Ginny hasn't written a decent letter to me since she left. All she can talk about is you. She keeps reminding me to treat you civilly and to restrain Ron if he gets too hot tempered."

Draco looked at the other boy for a moment, startled by what he had said. "How touching. Pass on a message for me Potter, I don't need peasant girls like her worrying over me," he said, regaining his arrogant drawl. "I'll be just fine without her."

Harry knew that this was not a barb, however snidely it had been delivered. He knew it was Draco's own way of assuring Ginny, telling her that he would be fine.

"Tell her yourself Malfoy," he returned just as coldly. "Oh, and just so you know, I told her I liked her and that I'd be here if she ever came to her senses and dumped you." At the murderous expression on Draco's face, he continued, knowing he'd regret this later. "She turned me down, she only cares for you Malfoy, Merlin knows why. Any idiot with eyes can tell she's totally in love with you. So take your head out of your rear, drop the shady façade ad just write to her."

He turned and walked away as he finished, wanting nothing more than to knock out all of Malfoy's teeth.

Draco stood still and listened to the sound of Harry's receding footsteps. He grinned in spite of himself, Wonder Boy had just told him off. He frowned then. Well, just goes to show how painfully obvious he was being, 'Poor Draco who had been dropped by the Weasley girl'. He resolved to keep his mind blank from now on, at least, away from the subject of Ginny Weasley.

~~~

With Christmas on its way, Beauxbatons Academy began its grand decorations to welcome the Christmas spirit. Gabrielle and Ginny began with their room first, Ginny covering the ceiling with multicoloured tinsel that rained a light sprinkle of snow onto the room. Ginny had charmed the snow to disappear as it came in touch with any object, a complex charm she had learnt from the Charms teacher here. Gabrielle conjured up a mini Christmas tree that was placed in the corner, and found several fairies in the gardens to place on the branches of the tree. Ginny grinned as she spotted a pair of fairies fighting to be on the tip of the tree, reminding her of standing amongst the rose bushes at Hogwarts with Draco.

The portraits sang carols in French; looking the liveliest Ginny had seen them since her arrival. In the Dining Chamber stood several large statues carved out of ice, each glittering beautifully. They reflected tiny rainbows all around the room, one sculpture for each table. Outside, the usually lush green grounds of Beauxbatons were covered in a thick layer of white snow. The lake had frozen over and many students went ice-skating during the afternoons and weekends.

"Will you be going home for Christmas?" Ginny asked Gabrielle one afternoon. Wondering if she'd get to go as well, she was very curious to see what sort of house Gabrielle lived in.

"Oh, no. We are all staying here for Chreestmas," Gabrielle replied.

"Doesn't Beauxbatons have Christmas holidays?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"Yes we do. But this year, Madame Maxime is holding a Chreestmas Ball. Everyone is staying here to entertain the exchange students," Gabrielle answered.

"A Christmas Ball? That sounds fun," Ginny returned cheerfully, her smile wavered as she thought about what to wear. "I have nothing to wear though!" she exclaimed in horror.

"We will go shopping for dress robes tomorrow, I need to buy a new one, I am growing too tall for my old robes. What colour do you think I should wear?" Gabrielle asked.

"You'd look beautiful in anything," Ginny replied honestly. "How about something dark? A deep, rich colour will contrast with your hair wonderfully," she said, warming up to the subject.

The girls spent the afternoon debating over ideas for dress robes, hair and make up, giggling and laughing.

~~~

When Ginny awoke the next morning, Gabrielle was already dressed and ready to go, she sat at her writing desk reading a book.

"Morning!" Ginny greeted her cheerfully, as she yawned loudly and stretched. They walked downstairs to the Dining Chamber to have some breakfast before setting off. Gabrielle led her around the back of the school and along the edges of the forest.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked curiously.

"St Leonce," Gabrielle answered. "It is a small wizarding town on the other side of the forest."

"Are there lots of wizarding towns in France? At Hogwarts, we have Hogsmeade weekends; it's the only wizarding settlement in Britain."

"Wizarding towns are very common in France, St Leonce is quite small compared to many others I have been to."

When they arrived at St Leonce, Ginny thought it looked nothing smaller than a miniature city! As opposed to Hogsmeade which had one main road and thatched cottages on either side, St Leonce was full of winding roads and tall buildings, people bustled about on their last minute Christmas shopping. The shop windows were decorated in shades of red and green and filled with galloping reindeers.

The shop Gabrielle led them to, was a large two storey building with a sign proclaiming Madame Béa: Robes et vêtements pour toutes occasions.

As they opened the door, a cheery carol met their ears, a lady in her mid forties and dressed lavishly swept over to them from the counter.

"Ma chère Gabriell!" the lady said, kissing Gabrielle on both cheeks. "Ah, et qui est ta jeune amie?"

"Madame Béa, je vous présente mon amie Ginny Weasley. C'est une étudiante de Hogwarts, en échange chez nous," Gabrielle replied in rapid French. "Le bal de Noêl a lieu bientôt et nous avons besoin de nouvelles robes de bal."

"Ah, bien sur! Nous en avons reçu hier plusieurs d'un style nouveau, montez les escaliers, on va vous mesurer là-haut," the lady said.

Ginny made her way upstairs with Gabrielle and began to look through the wide variety of dress robes on display. There were dress robes of every colour of the rainbow, and more, taking up rack after rack. There were satin dress robes that flowed elegantly, frilly ones that were covered with lace and velvet dress robes that winkled in the light.

Ginny watched as Gabrielle tried on dress robe after dress robe, each time modelling it for Ginny before turning back for the next one. To Ginny's envy, Gabrielle looked quite stunning in anything and everything in the store.

Finally, after an hour or so, Gabrielle decided on lavender coloured satin dress robes.

"Now it is your turn Ginny!" Gabrielle cried excitedly.

"Oh, I-I don't need dress robes," Ginny answered quickly, wondering how on earth she'd be able to afford them. The prices of the dress robes had nearly given her a heart attack.

"But you said last night that you have nothing to wear! There are some very nice ones I think will look very good on you. Please try them on," Gabrielle said, her eyes imploring.

"Oh, well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just try -" But before she could finish her sentence, Gabrielle had let out a happy squeak and pushed her into the changing room.

The first outfit was a silk dress of a rich gold colour, the bottom swept out slightly and the lace on the cuffs brushed the back of Ginny's hands. She stared at herself in the mirror, barely able to believe the girl in the mirror was her, Ginny Weasley.

"No, I don't like it," Gabrielle said flatly. "Try the green one Ginny."

Ginny reappeared five minutes later in forest green dress robes of a thick velvet material. It contrasted with her hair beautifully and once again, Ginny was startled by her reflection in the mirror.

Once again, Gabrielle was shaking her head, her silvery hair dancing from side to side. "Turquoise," she said flatly, and pushed Ginny inside the changing rooms.

The turquoise dress robes were tight fitting across the chest and abdomen before puffing out slightly.

"I-I don't think this one suits me," Ginny said, blushing. The dress was really quite revealing, the way it hugged her curves. Gabrielle grinned at her discomfiture and shrugged.

Ginny skipped the rose pink dress robes, pink had never really been her colour, and went instead, for the dress robes of iridescent silver-grey.

When she stood out, instead of looking at her reflection in the mirror, she turned to check for Gabrielle's approval. To her, all the dress robes she had tried on looked better than anything she had ever worn in her life. Gabrielle was smiling and nodding her head in approval.

Slowly, Ginny turned to the mirror and smiled herself when she saw her reflection. The dress was beautiful, fitting enough to show Ginny's figure yet elegant and flowing. The many folds at her waist that fell to the ground shimmered in the light, surrounding Ginny in a glowing aura.

"This is the one," Gabrielle said softly beside her. Ginny nodded her head mutely, eyes still focused on her reflection.

Ginny was reluctant to change out of the silver dress robes, her fingers lingering over the soft material, smooth under her touch. As she stepped out, the shop assistant whisked her downstairs where Gabrielle was waiting.

"So the silver it is then?" Gabrielle asked eagerly.

"What?" Ginny asked, confused. "Oh, no, I-I couldn't possibly afford it!" she said, after catching Gabrielle's meaning. The other girl gave her an odd look.

"Don't be silly Ginny, I will be paying for the dress robes of course," she said flatly.

"No, that's very nice of you Gabrielle, but I couldn't possibly accept," Ginny returned quickly.

Gabrielle smiled at her. "Think of it as your Chreestmas present, you would not reject such a gift," she said, giving Ginny an inquiring look.

"But I haven't bought anything for you Gabrielle!" Ginny said, looking very put off.

The other girl merely patted her arm and paid for the dress robes, linking their arms together, the girls made their way to the local pub for butterbeer.

~~~

On the night of the Christmas Ball, Ginny nervously slipped into her silver dress robes and allowed Gabrielle to curl her hair so that it ran down her back in auburn waves.

Gabrielle had a date for the Ball, a seventh-year that was very handsome. She was meeting him outside the Dining Chamber, leaving Ginny to her own devices for the remainder of the evening.

The Chamber was decorated with floating snow globes, which reflected prisms of colour all around the room. Garlands of mistletoe were charmed to hover above couples, sprinkling them with sparkling glitter.

She saw Gabrielle with her date at the far side of the room, dancing close to each other, their heads bent in conversation.

"Ce n'est pas possible qu'une si jolie dame n'ait pas de cavalier?" a voice whispered behind her, she could feel the warm breath on the back of her neck.

"Si, c'est vrai," she replied with a shrug. Turning around, she saw it was Louis Levêque, a sixth-year and friend of Gabrielle.

"Voulez-vous danser?" he asked, sweeping out his arm in a bow.

She laughed and took his arm, allowing herself to be led onto the dance floor. The song was soft with a slow rhythm, and many couples were revolving slowly on the spot, their arms wrapped around their partners. Louis followed suit and Ginny soon found her arms resting lightly on his shoulders, talking to him quietly.

Ginny briefly wished Draco was here dancing with her, wondering what he was doing now at Hogwarts. Thoughts of Draco were cleared from her mind as the music changed into a fast-paced song and Louis directed her into a spinning twirl.

Translations:

Madame Béa: Robes et vêtements pour toutes occasions.

Madame Bea : Robes and clothes for all ocassions

Ma chère Gabrielle! - Madame Bea

My dear Gabrielle!

Ah, et qui est ta jeune amie? - Madame Bea

Oh and who is your little friend?

Madame Béa, je vous présente mon amie Ginny Weasley. C'est une étudiante de Hogwarts, en échange chez nous. - Gabrielle

Madame Bea, I would like you to meet my friend Ginny Weasley. She's an exchange student from Hogwarts.

Le bal de Noêl a lieu bientôt et nous avons besoin de nouvelles robes de bal. - Gabrielle
We have a Christmas Ball coming up, we need new dress robes.

Ah, bien sur! Nous en avons reçu hier plusieurs d'un style nouveau, montez les escaliers, on va vous mesurerut. - Madame Bea

Oh of course, I've just had some new styles come in yesterday, go upstairs, we'll fit you two up there.

ce n'est pas possible qu'une si jolie dame n'ait pas de cavalier? - Louis

It can't be true that such a pretty lady doesn't have an escort?

Si, c'est vrai. - Ginny

No, it's true.

Voulez-vous danser? - Louis

Would you like to dance?