Harry hung back and thought about it, Cho's departing words ringing in his ears. It wasn't that he minded what Ginny wore to the ball. He could really care less whether she was wearing the latest fashion or if she was wearing something ten years out of date. He didn't even know what was in fashion. But he didn't want Ginny to have to worry about it. He knew she probably wouldn't accept any "charity" from him, and he would never dare to offer to buy her robes, because he didn't want her to think that it mattered to him. That would just be a disaster waiting to happen.
An idea slowly started to form in his head. He already planned to head to town early the next day to make certain arrangements. One quick stop along the way couldn't hurt. And so Harry's friends were all surprised the next morning, when he inhaled a quick breakfast and told them he'd meet them in town, before beating a hasty retreat.
Harry covered the sunny grounds quickly, barely taking the effort to notice the changing color of the leaves adorning the trees and lining the path. He had to squint as he walked swiftly towards the gates as the morning sun was still somewhat low in the sky. It was a brisk morning, the fall weather beginning to settle in. If not for warming charms, Harry would have dreaded his morning time runs. He didn't have a pair of pants to work out in, though he suspected he could get away with a pair of jeans if push came to shove. He had almost slapped himself when he began fretting over that predicament, only to realize that a warming charm made the change in clothing unnecessary.
Harry's hair fanned out behind him as a gust of wind picked up. It was still a bit chilly, but not uncomfortably so. He covered the distance to the town in very little time. His first stop was Gladrags Wizardwear. He noticed that the shop was advertising dress robes heavily in its windows. Apparently they had heard about the upcoming ball and were looking to do some business this weekend.
Harry entered the shop and looked around for the proprietor, but the store looked to be empty. He walked through the different racks of robes and came to a section of footwear, more specifically socks. Figuring it was never too early to begin Christmas shopping, Harry looked for the most outrageous socks he could find. He found some lewd orange and brown swirled socks and a pair of shockingly yellow socks with magenta polka dots. Before he walked away, he remembered something Dumbledore had once told him in his first year, and grabbed a couple pairs of thick woolen socks as well.
When he turned around, he noticed that the shop owner had appeared while he was distracted. Harry walked determinedly up to the older witch. She looked over at him and smiled, "You're here early. Can I help you, dear?"
"Yes," Harry replied politely, nodding his head as he stopped several feet in front of her. "I would like to purchase these socks, and I was hoping you might be able to do me a favor."
"Well the first part shouldn't be a problem," she said easily. "But I'm afraid I'll have to hear what you need before I agree to do you any favors, Mr…?"
"Potter," Harry hastily inserted. "Harry Potter."
Her eyes did the usual flick to his scar, as if she needed confirmation that he was indeed who he claimed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter," she finally said, somewhat flustered.
"Please, just Harry," Harry insisted.
"Very well then, Harry. What was that favor you were asking about?"
"Well, it's like this," he began. "I'm sure you know about the ball that's coming up." She nodded affirmative. "Well I have a date for the ball. Her family isn't the wealthiest, and I overheard her talking with one of her friends, saying she was worried that she wouldn't be able to afford decent robes. I could care less what robes she wears; she could show up in her school robes for all I care. But I don't want her to have to worry about it, so I was trying to think of a way I could help her.
"I don't think she'd let me buy her robes," Harry explained. "And I think even suggesting it would land me in a spot of trouble. So I thought you might be able to help me out. Sometime today, Ginny Weasley is going to come into this shop looking at robes. She said that she only had about 10 galleons to spend, so when she finds something she likes, I was wondering if you could just tell her that it's on sale and charge her around 9 galleons for it. I'll pay the remaining cost, of course."
The older woman seemed to be thinking over what he had told her. She held her hand to her chin and was looking above Harry's right shoulder. Her gaze focused back onto him as she asked, "What does she look like?"
Harry smiled. "She has long red hair, lots of freckles, and is probably about this tall," he informed her holding his hand somewhere around the level of his chin. "So does that mean you'll help me?"
"I think I'll require some insurance, just to make sure that you don't forget to stop back in and pay the rest of the cost," she said.
"Oh, of course," Harry hastily replied. "That's not a problem. How much do you want? How much is your most expensive robe here?"
....
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