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Dennis Creevey's First Night
Dennis Creevey was waiting for his brother in an alcove in the Entrance Hall. Tonight was the night. His big debut. The night which would either make his career, or send it down the tubes.
Well, not really.
But it was his first time, so, despite the brave face he was putting on for the gussied-up people slowly drifting into the Great Hall, he was actually a bit nervous.
He just hoped no one could see how tightly he was gripping his camera. Looking down, Dennis saw that his knuckles were turning white. With a great effort, he pried his fingers away from the plastic, and raised his head to a shout of,
"All right! Dennis!" Colin was jogging across the Entrance Hall, having just darted upstairs to pick up a bag of spare film. Dennis marveled, once again, at how much bigger and more intimidating the sixth-year was, compared to himself. Try as he might (and oh how he had tried), Dennis had not been able to induce his own growth spurt, no matter how many glasses of milk he drank. He remained the shrimpiest fourth-year Gryffindor there was.
"Hi, Colin," said Dennis, forcing a smile. He let his camera dangle awkwardly by his side from his clammy hand.
"You all right?"
"Yeah, fine, fine," Dennis assured him, not convincing his brother or any of the paintings lining the alcove. Fortunately for him, the portraits kept their opinions on this to themselves.
Colin, however, didn't. "Look, you've got nothing to worry about. People love you."
"Yeah, right."
"They do. Besides, you want my big brotherly advice?"
Dennis shrugged, glancing up at what seemed like hordes of people entering the Great Hall, though in actuality it was only a few stragglers hurrying in late. "Sure."
Grinning, Colin told him, "Just give 'em your best smile, hold up your camera, and say,"
"'Can I take your picture? Only two sickles, and
the memory will last forever,'" Dennis said with his brother. "Yeah, I
know," he smiled more strongly this time. Somehow I think it's a little
more complicated than that... he thought to himself. "All right, let's
go." The two brothers ducked out of the alcove, and, within seconds, were
entering the Great Hall.
The Yule ball was, quite simply, amazing. Dennis hadn't been able to attend the first time around, having been only a first-year, so he hadn't known quite what to expect, but...
"Wow," he whispered to himself in awe.
Ice sculptures, hanging white garlands, the whole kit 'n' caboodle. The entire Great Hall was flooded with an intense ivory light, which made nearly everyone within almost glow with beauty. The house tables were gone, and instead the walls were lined with small, round tables, leaving the main floor open for dancing. Near where the teachers' table usually rested was a rather more upscale band than, say, the Weird Sisters, on a raised platform in the corner of the hall.
Each small table had two chairs and its own centerpiece, and on closer examination, Dennis realized that each centerpiece was a vase of Tinkling Bellflowers, which were very difficult to grow in the British climate, and which were a beautiful, soft pink. They also, he recalled, jingled pleasantly when shifted. Operating on automatic, and not drawing his eyes from the spectacle that was the ball, Dennis switched off the flash on his camera.
First time around, Dennis had been itching to attend the Yule ball, but he'd been unable to get a date (and unable to get specific permission from the Headmaster, like Colin had tried to obtain). That was why he was ecstatic when he'd heard they'd decided to bring it back this year. Apparently, in the general euphoria surrounding the end of the war, the Prefects of Hogwarts had been so adamant in their pleas for another Yule ball (sans Triwizard Tournament) that the faculty had finally relented. This...gulp...was the result. The rules were the same as before: no one under fourth year was permitted, unless they had a date who was allowed to get in. Thus, all the older kids had gotten dressed up while the first, second, and third-years sulked around in their common rooms and complained about having to go home over Christmas break.
Dennis himself was dressed up, in the wizard equivalent of one of those Muggle tuxes, with their smart bow-ties. Personally, he wasn't concerned with dress robes, but Colin had insisted that image was everything when it came to photography (and Dennis had to point out that, yes, that was how photography worked), and picked out some for his younger brother.
Now Dennis tugged at the collar of those very same dress robes and scanned the Great Hall for his first victi--er, targe--er, customers. Not his classmates, ugh, he was too embarrassed to go to them yet, but who...? Aha! A familiar face: Harry Potter. Yes, he'd start there--but, no...
Dammit! Why did Colin always have the same ideas, only faster? Grr...Dennis had asked him that question once, and Colin'd told him that it came with the Big Brother Territory.
Non-threatening couple, non-threatening couple...Dennis rocked back and forth from his heels to his toes as he searched. Finally, he just steeled himself and headed to the nearest table, where a sixth-year boy and a seventh-year girl were snogging each other within an inch of their lives.
"Hi!" said Dennis brightly to the couple. There was no response, so he plowed on. "Can I take your picture? Only two sickles! and it'll last forever!" The two students didn't even pause for breath. "Hello?" asked Dennis. Then he wavered, wondering what to do. Get that picture, Colin's voice came back to him, no matter what. Bracing himself, Dennis reached out and tapped the boy on the shoulder. "Excuse me?"
There was a smacking sound as the two disengaged. The boy looked very annoyed. "What?" he asked of Dennis.
"Um," said Dennis. "Take your picture? Two sickles? Last you forever?"
"Oh, Billy, let's," said the girl, who looked very familiar, with sandy blonde hair and a sunny-looking face.
"Must we?" said Billy.
"Please?" the girl begged him, catching his arm and gazing in a simpering sort of way into his eyes.
"All right, fine, Susan," grumped Billy, and then Dennis recognized the girl. Susan Bones, wasn't she? Billy shelled out two sickles, which Dennis pocketed, readying his camera.
Snap!
The camera spit out the picture, which Dennis shook to let the image develop faster. He had a Polaroid camera, with a very complicated charm on it, so it would take magical (that is, moving) pictures. Colin was still working with his older, to-be-developed-elsewhere camera. Dennis smiled. Silly fool. He still had to take people's names down. This wasn't so bad. All he had to do was--
"I think it's ready," said Susan Bones, kindly. Dennis startled out of his daze, and looked down at the photo. Amazed at just how visible Billy's bruised and now-lipsticked lips were in the picture, Dennis handed it over.
"Thanks," he said brightly, and left before they
could complain. Colin had always told him, The customer is always right,
but if you aren't listening, you don't have to agree with them.
To be continued...