A Turn For The Better (Completed)

Part 25

Halloween morning arrived. I always looked forward to this holiday, you could be somebody or something else for a day, though I usually didn't participate in getting dressed up, but this year all the teachers wanted us to participate. Harry, Ron, Ginny and I had taken a trip to Hogsmeade a week or two beforehand and bought some costumes. I was going to be a vampire. The costume was similar to that of a muggles costume, only for the fact that it felt like actual clothing, and not flimsy material. Ginny was going as a female pirate, as Harry was going as a male pirate. Ron was going as a professional Quidditch player. After breakfast, Ginny and I went back to our dormitory to get ready, while Harry and Ron went to get ready in theirs. I was doing Ginny's makeup, and she was doing mine.

My costume was red and black. It had a sort of red knee length dress, with black spider web kind of netting over it that trailed behind on the ground and down the length of my arms, and hooped around my middle fingers. A black corset fitted around my waist and there was a neck thing at the back that came up halfway along my head to complete the look. Ginny straightened my hair, before pulling it back into some sort of up do. Dark eye make up, a deep red lipstick and fake fangs finished my look. "Wow, Hermione, you look amazing! Draco's jaw is going to hit the floor when he sees you!" I blushed a little, hoping that it was true!

Ginny's costume was almost like a white tunic, it didn't cover her shoulders, and came as far as her knees with little frills on the end. A long black waist coat/corset went over it and was laced together all the way down. It ended just before the frills. She wore a pirate hat atop her flaming red hair and knee length pirate boots. She also had a pirates sword. She wore make up similar to mine. "Ginny, oh my god! And you said I looked good! Wait til' Harry sees you!"

When we were ready, we decided to head down to the common room. I felt very self conscious in my costume, I hadn't been dressed up at Hogwarts since the Yule Ball in fourth year. After a half hour of waiting, the boys finally came down. Ron in a Bulgarian Quidditch uniform, bringing back yet more memories of fourth year, and Harry in a pirate costume. He wore a patch over his eye. It was a little unsettling seeing Harry in a loose fitting white shirt that only buttoned about half way up. Ginny liked it though.

"Wow, girls, you both look amazing!" said Harry. "Yeah, you look good." said Ron awkwardly to his sister and I. "You both don't look too bad yourselves!" I replied.

The festivities were due to start around 1pm. It was now almost 12. It had taken almost two hours to get into the outfits, lace them up and do the makeup. I was currently wearing flat black shoes, but I had a nice pair of black heels, with red under soles for later on.

"Whoa! You girls look hot!" exclaimed Dean Thomas as he walked by. "Don't, your making me blush Dean!" I replied with a laugh. "He isn't wrong girls!" said Seamus Finnigen with a cheeky grin as he followed Dean to go get ready. I had never been called hot before, especially not by Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigen!

"So I heard they are doing portraits down in the entrance hall this morning. Anybody interested?" asked Harry. "Sounds good!" Ginny replied, and so we all headed toward the portrait hole, climbing out awkwardly in our outfits. I tripped over the lace part of mine, luckily Harry was standing there to make sure Ginny and I could get out alright, and he caught me. "You alright?" he asked me. "Yeah, I'm okay!"I replied a little breathless after my fright.

We made our way down to the entrance hall and found that we weren't the only ones dressed up. It seemed many of the others had the same idea. They wanted to make memories, so they were having their portraits taken. "You and Ginny, should go first." I said. "Okay, we'll be back in a few minutes." replied Harry. Ron mentioned something about the bathroom and headed off. I wandered around the entrance hall, looking at the portraits that had already been taken this morning. They were up on display for the day, and the students could reclaim them tomorrow. "Hermione! You look amazing!" I turned and saw Cho Chang standing next to me, eying my costume. "Thanks Cho, you look great yourself!" Cho was dressed like an Indian princess, very much like that from the muggle movie, Pocahontas. "Thanks, well, see ya Hermione!" "Bye Cho!" I heard my name being called again, I looked over and saw Harry and Ginny beckoning for me and Ron, who had just returned, to join them for a portrait. I made my way over and stood beside Ginny, and Ron beside Harry.