Chapter 35: The Yule Ball and the Strapless Catastrophe part- 1
"I look like I am going to be sick," Harry muttered, pulling at his collar. "I feel it, Ron. The 'Curse' is waiting. It is laughing at me."
I sat on my bed, fastening the hideous lace cuffs of my own traditional dress robes. My mother had sent them. They smelled like an attic and looked like I was wearing a doily.
"Relax, Harry," I said, checking my reflection and grimacing. "You are the Champion. You are the hero. You have the girl. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Everything," Harry replied darkly. "Hermione has spent the last two days reinforcing her dress with charms usually reserved for Gringotts vaults. She told me this morning that she is wearing a 'containment unit', not a gown."
(Containment unit,) I thought, amused. (She treats her body like a radioactive isotope. It is adorable.)
We headed down to the common room. The portrait hole opened and a hush fell over the room.
Hermione Granger stood at the top of the stairs.
She was stunning. Her hair, usually a bushy mane, was sleek and shiny, twisted into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing a dress of floaty, periwinkle-blue material. It was strapless, fitting snugly around her torso before flaring out at the waist.
It was beautiful. It was elegant. And, crucially for my purposes, it relied entirely on friction and magic to stay up.
"Wow," Harry breathed, forgetting his terror for a moment.
"Hi, Harry," Hermione smiled nervously, descending the stairs. She walked carefully, as if balancing a book on her head. "Do I look... secure?"
"You look beautiful," Harry said, offering his arm.
"I have applied a Permanent Sticking Charm to the bodice," Hermione whispered to us as we walked toward the entrance hall. "It is fused to my skin. I could hang upside down from a broomstick and this dress would not move."
(Challenge accepted,) I thought, adjusting my lace collar. (Permanent Sticking Charms are strong, but they rely on the integrity of the surface they are stuck to. If the skin moves, or sweats, or shivers... the bond weakens.)
We entered the Great Hall. The room was packed. Students from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang mingled in a sea of colors. I found my date, Padma Patil, who looked lovely in turquoise but distinctly unimpressed by my moldy-looking robes.
"Nice dress robes, Weasley," Draco Malfoy sneered as he passed by. "Did you rob a grandmother for those?"
I ignored him. My focus was on the Champions' table.
Harry and Hermione took their seats at the head table with the other champions. I sat nearby with Padma.
(System check,) I thought.
Current Status:Name: Ron WeasleyActive Skills: Thermodynamic Control, Poltergeist Proxy, Music Manipulation, Gravity Well (Minor).Goal: The First Dance.
Dinner was a lavish affair. I watched Harry and Hermione closely. They were eating with extreme caution, taking small bites, terrified of spilling anything.
(Let us loosen them up,) I decided.
(Thermodynamic Control: Increase the ambient temperature around the Champions' table by ten degrees.)
It was subtle at first. Just a gentle warmth. But combined with the heavy food, the excitement and the nerves, it began to work.
Harry loosened his collar. Hermione fanned herself lightly with a napkin.
"It is quite warm in here, isn't it?" Hermione remarked to Viktor Krum, who was sitting next to her and staring at a crab leg.
"Is hot," Krum agreed.
Sweat began to form. Specifically, perspiration began to form on Hermione's skin, right underneath the bodice of her strapless dress where the Sticking Charm was applied.
(Moisture is the enemy of adhesion,) I noted scientifically.
Finally, the plates were cleared. Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"And now," Dumbledore announced, his eyes twinkling, "let the music begin!"
The Weird Sisters, a popular wizarding band, took the stage. They were a hairy, ragged bunch with electric lutes and drums.
"Champions, please!" Dumbledore gestured to the empty dance floor.
Harry stood up. He offered his hand to Hermione. She took it. They walked to the center of the floor. Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum joined them with their partners.
The music started. It was a slow, haunting waltz.
Harry placed his hand on Hermione's waist. She placed her hand on his shoulder. They began to move.
"Twelve inches," I heard Hermione whisper, though they were closer now. "Maintain the buffer."
"I am trying," Harry murmured. "You look... really nice, Hermione."
"Thank you," she blushed. "This Sticking Charm is itching a bit, though. The heat..."
(Phase One: The Tempo Change.)
I focused on the drummer of the Weird Sisters.
(Music Manipulation: Increase tempo by fifty percent.)
The drummer's eyes glazed over. His beat suddenly sped up. The slow waltz morphed into a frantic, upbeat jig.
"What is happening?" Harry yelped, trying to keep up with the sudden rhythm change.
"Just follow the beat!" Hermione shouted, her competitive streak kicking in. "One-two-three! One-two-three!"
They spun. Faster and faster.
(Phase Two: The Slippage.)
As they spun, centrifugal force pulled at Hermione's dress. The sweat beneath the bodice had weakened the Sticking Charm.
I added a touch of Gravity Well.
(Target: The dress fabric.) (Effect: Increase weight by five pounds.)
The dress suddenly felt heavier. It dragged downward.
Hermione gasped. She felt the slip.
"Harry! Stop spinning!" she cried. "My dress! It is sliding!"
"I cannot stop!" Harry yelled. "The music is controlling my feet!" (Actually, that was my Dancing Shoes enchantment lingering in the air, or perhaps just panic).
They did one final, dramatic twirl.
Harry spun Hermione out. Her arm extended.
Then, he pulled her back in for a dip.
This was the moment. The sudden deceleration of the spin, combined with the downward force of the dip and the extra gravity I had applied to the dress.
The Sticking Charm failed.
Shhhhlip.
It was a smooth, silent failure. As Harry dipped her backward, her body went down, but her heavy, strapless dress decided to succumb to gravity and momentum.
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