Chapter 4

A few weeks later, Melody and Rose still needed to find their dresses, which they planned to do during the Hogsmeade visit later that day. They had roped Amy and Donna into shopping with them. The girls met at the Entrance to the Great Hall and bounced some ideas off each other.

"We should stop at Gladrags first," Donna suggested, "They're usually good at keeping up with the season, and I know a couple of girls who have found dresses there."

Rose nodded, "And if that doesn't work out, there's that new shop that opened recently. We haven't been there yet. I think they specialize in formal attire."

Amy and Melody concurred, although Melody was still a bit reluctant. Rose caught her grimace, "Cheer up, Mels! Shopping therapy is the best kind of therapy. Besides you want to knock John's socks off."

Melody gave a little smile, "He is super adorable with his 'pleasantly surprised' look."

Donna scoffed, "'Pleasantly surprised?' Please. That man is sure to give you his best 'She is so hot and I love her to bits' face. Don't deny it. You know him the best, and even I know that he wouldn't give you 'pleasantly surprised'. His faces for you range from 'She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen' to 'Please, Merlin, let it be known that there is nothing I want on Earth more than to please the most perfect and lovely and wonderful person in my life, Melody Pond.'"

Rose burst out laughing at Donna's description of John's attitudes while Melody blushed, "Shut up. He wouldn't say that."

Amy added her two bits, "She never said that he'd voice those opinions. He's smart. He knows you'd slap him. But there's no doubt in my mind either that his emotional range, concerning you, is nothing less than what Donna said."

Melody covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. It was, of course, at that moment that John, the Doctor, and Tony walked over to meet them. The Doctor immediately strode over and poked Melody's red cheeks, "Is she dying? Or did she experiment with some makeup that made her look like a strawberry?"

Rose smacked him on the arm, "Shut up, you! We were teasing her. Don't be mean. She can't help it."

"She still looks beautiful," John added as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I wouldn't want her any other way."

Donna smirked and raised an eyebrow at Melody, her point just proven, while Melody's face flushed even more. John unwrapped his arms from Melody as the Doctor said, "You ladies have fun with your retail therapy. John, Puff, and I have some business to attend to elsewhere."

Tony didn't even hardly react to the nickname, having finally gotten used to the annoying, but accurate description. He simply raised his eyebrows at his sister. Rose grinned quickly and rolled her eyes at him. When John spoke, the siblings turned their heads back to their friends.

"We do?" John asked, glancing at his girlfriend, "Help! I think I'd rather be your personal assistant all day. I'll carry all your bags and not complain a bit!"

Rose pursed her lips, "We're having an all-girls day. Besides you can't peek at Melody's outfit yet. We want to surprise you."

John pouted but reluctantly acquiesced to be surprised on the day of the Yule Ball. He pecked Melody's cheek before turning to the Doctor, "I suppose that makes me your prisoner for the day, then. Lead on, mon capitaine."

The girls heard the Doctor's indignant cry that he was in no way forcing John to spend the day with him, in fact John could spend the day with Puff instead! He then added that anyone could see that the girls were the ones doing the forcing! The girls in question doubled over in laughter before linking arms and heading down to Hogsmeade.

In the middle of their walk, Amy asked the question that had been on Melody's mind for a couple weeks, "Rose, did the Doctor ever ask you to the dance? I mean, we all know that you'd go together regardless, but did he ever do it?"

Rose snorted and rolled her eyes, "Yes he did ask… yesterday in fact. In only the way that the Doctor could. We were just off exploring, because even though we're seventh years, we still keep finding new things about the castle. We had just come back from a nasty encounter with some Doxies hiding up on the third floor. The Doctor immobilized them with a jinx and then turned to me, Doxies floating around us aimlessly, if I'd go to the ball with him," she sighed dramatically, "I love that man to bits."

The other girls all squealed, knowing to appreciate the ways the Doctor approached things, "He's my best friend," Melody grinned, "And so I know how much it means for him to do the polite thing and ask. I'm so happy for you."

Rose hugged her quickly, then glanced at the town ahead. Melody could appreciate the sight. All the buildings were covered in freshly fallen snow and cosy lights flickered in each of them. Melody shivered as the wind took up again momentarily before dying down. Thankfully, the charm she had placed on her hands to keep her gloveless hands warm hadn't yet disappeared. She grimaced, "When we stop at Gladrags, I need to get a new pair of gloves. Mine disappeared towards the start of term."

"What rotten luck! At least they weren't your best pair, right?" Amy asked.

"That's right. I didn't want to bring my best pair here because I knew they could've gotten lost. And now I know that if I had brought them, they would've, and so I'm very grateful of that foresight."

Their mindless chatted continued all the way to Gladrags, where they were quickly welcomed in by a friendly looking older witch. She fussed all over them, brushing snow from there hair and escorting them to the fire, "Take a moment to warm yourselves up, dears. My name is Gladys and I run this establishment. Is there anything you're looking for today?"

"We were hoping to maybe browse through your ball attire? The Yule Ball is only a few weeks away, and we've still got to get some dresses," Rose said.

"And gloves," Melody put in. Her hands were freezing now that the charm had worn off, "Mine have wandered off without me."

The woman smiled and responded, "Gloves are quite near; they're in the winter accessory section just over there," she gestured with her hand to a brightly lit area close to the fireplace, "And our ball attire is going quickly, so if you don't find what you want, my daughter, Gwendolyn, has recently opened a shop just down the way. Gwenda's Gowns. Her dresses are more chiffon, patterned, etc., whereas my designs are more silk and satin. She's just starting off, so she still has many options."

The girls thanked Gladys for her help and hospitality before making there way to the winter accessories. Melody quickly picked out a nice pair of black leather gloves and slid them on to feel their comfort level. She nodded in satisfaction before turning to her friends, "These'll do. Let's get this over with."

She squared her shoulders as Rose led the way up the stores to the more formal attire.