The gala quickly arrived, being the Saturday after Christmas. Narcissa had insisted that Hermione and Draco both get ready at Malfoy Manor that day, and Hermione quickly realized exactly why Narcissa was so insistent about that.
"Let's see..." Narcissa hummed as she inspected her wardrobe. "The unfortunate thing about you is that you will look good in everything, so it will be hard to pick something."
Hermione gave a nervous laugh from her spot at the foot of the bed. "I won't look good in everything..."
"Nonsense, you're absolutely beautiful!" Narcissa said with a smile as she turned to look at the younger witch. "I have a piece that I think you might like."
"What's wrong with the dress I was going to wear?" Hermione asked curiously, nodding towards the long light-blue dress that was hanging against the back of the bedroom door.
Narcissa glanced towards the dress with a frown, her eyes raking over the piece as she tilted her head back and forth. "There's nothing wrong with the dress per se...it just isn't quite extravagant enough for this event."
Hermione blinked and looked at the dress. "That isn't extravagant enough?"
With a wide smile, Narcissa went to Hermione and gently patted her hand. "Trust me, dear; Malfoy galas are very flashy and full of life. That is a beautiful dress, yes, but it will do nothing for you. You need something that will make everyone see you."
She walked away then towards her closet with a smile, continuing with, "I have a piece that I've never worn; I've never been daring enough to wear it but I think you might like it."
"That sounds like something very much not my style," Hermione said nervously. "I'm not exactly a daring person, Narcissa."
There was a scoff from the closet. "My knowledge of your past begs to differ."
Hermione couldn't help but smile at this as Narcissa reappeared with a garment bag draped across her arm and a wide smile across her face. "Let's take care of your hair and makeup first before you try this on."
"That makes me even more nervous for what it is," Hermione said with a nervous laugh.
Narcissa waved her off as she laid the garment bag down on the bed and gestured towards the large vanity against the wall. "Don't worry; I know you'll absolutely love this outfit!"
Hermione stood up from the bed and went to sit down in the chair in front of the large, ornate mirror, smiling slightly. She was still amazed by how close she and Narcissa had become, especially considering just how recently it had happened. Draco was very happy that Narcissa had come to accept Hermione and even joked that he thought his mother liked Hermione more sometimes, which always made Hermione laugh.
"What do you think you'd like to do with your hair?" Narcissa asked, standing behind Hermione and looking at her through the mirror. "Your hair's a bit longer than it was before so we can play around with it more."
Hermione ran a hand through her hair while she hummed. "Maybe something pulled back? I don't think I'll want my hair in my face tonight."
"Probably a good idea," Narcissa nodded as she began to play with Hermione's hair.
To Hermione's surprise, it didn't take long for Narcissa to put her hair up into a simple yet beautiful style; the front of her hair was teased slightly for lift and then pulled into a loose braid that tucked into itself into a low faux-bun. It was a very loose style that she rather liked, though she was worried that it would come apart as the night went on.
"It's beautiful, Narcissa," Hermione said happily as she turned her head from side to side to get a better look at it. "Thank you!"
"You're very welcome," Narcissa smiled warmly. "I've become rather fond of more relaxed styles of hair lately."
Hermione laughed at this, gently tucking a stray piece behind her ear. Narcissa hummed then as she looked over her work before clapping her hands together excitedly. "I know exactly what would be the finishing touch for this!"
Giving her a confused look, Hermione watched as Narcissa began to wave her finger in the air around Hermione's head, tracing a pattern that Hermione couldn't quite figure out. She could feel something weaving around in her hair though and after a few seconds Narcissa beamed.
"There, perfect!"
She held up a smaller mirror so that Hermione could see the back of her head, revealing a beautiful gold vine piece that was delicately woven into her hair. Hermione smiled widely as she turned around to look back at Narcissa and say, "I love it! It's absolutely beautiful!"
Narcissa beamed again. "I'm so happy you love it! Alright, let's move on to makeup..."
Draco sighed heavily as he looked between his two dress shirts, trying to decide if he wanted to go for the traditional white shirt under his black jacket or if a black shirt was better.
"Are you nervous for tonight?" Lucius asked from his chair, swirling the whiskey around in his glass.
"A little bit," Draco admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Blaise is much more nervous however."
"Understandable," Lucius nodded. "I bet it doesn't help his nerves that his mother is going to be here."
Draco groaned slightly. "I completely forgot..."
Raising an eyebrow, Lucius said, "Come now, Draco. There's no need to react like that."
"Father, you and I both know that she is going to voice her opinions on Hermione," Draco said in a frustrated tone. "I don't want tonight to be ruined."
"She is already aware of Hermione being at the Gala," Lucius said before taking a drink.
Draco blinked in surprise. "Really? How?"
"I told her," Lucius said simply with a shrug. "I figured it would be best for her to know ahead of time. And I've also warned her that any unnecessary words regarding my future daughter-in-law will not be tolerated."
"You didn't use that phrasing, did you?" Draco asked warningly.
Lucius gave his son a wry smile and Draco sighed heavily, sitting down in the chair. "Father..."
"Draco, let me have my happiness," Lucius said with an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, I was very worried that you were going to settle down with someone less suited for you that wouldn't make you happy. But you and Hermione are perfect for each other, it only makes sense that you two marry."
"I'm not saying that it doesn't make sense," Draco said slowly. "But continually referring to her as your daughter-in-law sort of takes away the excitement."
"I've only said future daughter-in-law," Lucius said smugly. "And you've already admitted that you don't see yourself marrying anyone else so it's not necessarily a lie."
Draco scowled at him before taking a drink of his whiskey. "Just don't say it in front of Hermione, please. I don't want her to think I'll be proposing tonight and have her be nervous."
"I understand," Lucius nodded. "Have you talked to Blaise?"
"Yes, he and I have everything worked out for how it will happen," Draco said. "We're both nervous about the reaction to it but hopefully it will work out."
"You know she'll say yes," Lucius chuckled. "Blaise knows this too."
"His fear was that it was too public for Ginny," Draco sighed. "And since the plan changed slightly, he's even more nervous."
"It's a good change though; everything will work out fine," Lucius said with a smile.
"I hope so," Draco muttered before taking another drink. "This is very important, I don't want the change to mess things up."
"When is Blaise going to arrive?" Lucius asked.
Checking his watch, Draco said, "Actually here soon. He wanted to go over everything again with plenty of time before the gala, and I know Ginny and Hermione will want to spend some time together."
"Narcissa will keep them occupied," Lucius nodded.
Draco frowned slightly at this. "Is Mother...okay with Ginny?"
"She's grown to love Hermione, I can't imagine Ginny would be any different," Lucius smiled. "And Ginny is important to Blaise; your mother won't do anything to jeopardize that."
This made Draco smile as well as he took another drink of his whiskey.
Narcissa looked over Hermione's face, humming as she inspected her makeup. After a few moments Narcissa smiled and said, "Stunning. You did a wonderful job!"
Hermione smiled in return as Narcissa pulled away and went to the bed, reaching for the garment bag. She hung the bag on the back of the door and opened the side, allowing for a pile of black tulle to spill out.
"Oh my..." Hermione stared at the outfit in shock before looking at Narcissa. "You picked this for yourself?"
Narcissa laughed at this. "Yes, back when I was younger; my style was much different when I first married Lucius."
Hermione reached out to feel the fabric. "This is stunning! I really love it!"
"Wonderful!" Narcissa clapped her hands together happily. "I thought it would be perfect for your first Malfoy gala as a host; you can move around in it easily but still provide an air of elegance and sophistication!"
Smiling to herself, Hermione looked over the entire outfit before her smile dropped. She looked back at Narcissa nervously and asked, "Are you sure it's not too much?"
"I'm absolutely sure," Narcissa said warmly. "What are you worried about?"
Hermione hesitated, looking back at the outfit as she admitted, "I just don't want to outshine Ginny tonight."
Narcissa waved her off then and said, "Don't worry about that, dear; Aster has picked out an absolutely beautiful dress for Ginny."
"Aster?" Hermione asked in confusion.
"Yes, Blaise's mother," Narcissa smiled.
Hermione stared at her, her jaw dropping slightly. "Blaise's mother picked out Ginny's dress?"
"Yes, and I, for one, am excited to see it on Ginny," Narcissa said.
"Does Aster know what is going to happen tonight?" Hermione asked slowly, tilting her head slightly.
"Oh yes," Narcissa smiled. "That's why she picked out Ginny's dress."
The sudden sound of bells ringing caught their attention and Narcissa looked towards the doors to the room. "Ah, that should be Ginny and Blaise!"
She left the room quickly and Hermione stared after her in shock. She turned her attention to the outfit again, smiling quietly to herself as she ran her fingers across the fabric again. The only part of the outfit that worried her was the neckline, but the sound of footsteps distracted her and she grinned widely as Ginny entered the room with a similar grin.
"Oh my goodness, your hair!" Ginny gasped with excitement, setting her own garment bag down on the bed and immediately circling Hermione. "It's stunning!"
"Narcissa did it," Hermione said happily. "I absolutely love it."
"What are you wearing?" Ginny asked curiously, looking around before spying the outfit hanging on the back of the door. Her eyes went wide as she looked back at Hermione and said, "Is that it?"
"Do you like it?" Hermione asked with a grin as Ginny went to have a closer look.
"Merlin, Hermione, it's beautiful!" Ginny said happily. "Where did you find this?"
"Actually, it's Narcissa's," Hermione laughed. "She said she's never had a chance to wear it and picked it out for me to wear."
Ginny felt the tulle fabric and said, "I hate to admit it, but I like it much better than your original pick."
"Honestly, I do too," Hermione admitted with a smile. Then she gestured towards Ginny's bag and said excitedly, "Let me see yours!"
Blaise nervously paced across the floor while Lucius poured him a drink. "Don't be so nervous, Blaise; everything's going to be fine."
"I can't help it," Blaise said with a nervous laugh. "I mean...this is a big, big event! What if it goes badly?"
"Ginny's going to say yes, you know that," Draco said from across the room as he adjusted his tie in the mirror.
Lucius handed Blaise the glass and put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be perfect."
Blaise tried to smile and sighed, taking a long drink. "I sincerely hope so. I'm rather excited about this change, though."
He looked over to Draco, who pulled slightly on the collar of his shirt as he sighed heavily. "I'm glad you're excited."
"Aren't you?" Blaise raised an eyebrow.
"Well yes, but you have it admit that it was a very last-minute change," Draco said. "And I don't want to do anything that could mess up your proposal with Ginny."
"Well the way you two have it planned out, I doubt anything could mess it up," Lucius said, looking between the two of them.
"It's still a possibility," Blaise said with a sigh. "And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about that."
"Does she suspect anything?" Lucius asked.
"Not a thing," Blaise said.
"Good." Draco finally moved away from the mirror and took a drink from his whiskey. "The surprise would be ruined if she suspected."
Lucius then leaned back in his chair, looking between the two of them. "Why don't you two tell me the plan one more time?"