Greetings, all! Hope you like this chapter! Thanks to ThatOneDiabeticGirl (sorry, I haven't gotten used to your new name yet XD) and Zuzanna, who gave me the much needed prodding to get on with this story.
How difficult can it be to find a dress?
This was a thought that Rune was fast regretting having. She hadn't planned on going to this stupid "Halloween Ball", but Darcy's words had spun through her mind constantly for the past week.
You're on a bad track with that Sirius Black …he's bad news … he's a player you can d…
Of course she had known that Sirius was friendly to girls. He chatted with them, laughed with them, but so did many boys. She simply hadn't heard these rumours Darcy had spilt over her.
Besides, she was being stupid to even consider that he might … you know … like her. She wasn't like the popular, cute girls who knew all the right things to say and knew when to back down.
This had started the spark. She could at least try to be a little more like that, couldn't she? For her own sake, of course. Trying new things was healthy.
This was how Rune had managed to find herself in Hogsmeade, hopelessly trying to find a half-way decent dress amongst all the other hysterically vicious girls. They were all squeezed into Twilfit and Tattings; a relatively new shop that had recently started stocking ballgowns just for the event at Hogwarts.
Rune doubtfully pulled out a red silk dress from the mass of clothes. It had silk straps on the back and was above the knee. I don't think so, she thought. Who would have the lack of dignity to wear something like that?
"Give it here, I saw it first!" A snarling Hufflepuff snatched the dress from her fingers. Apparently shopping can bring out the worst in teenage girls.
Rune sighed. She was never going to find something she liked, or anything at all at this rate. She didn't even want to go to this ball. It was a stupid idea, really.
"Ah, my favourite Ravenclaw!"
Rune turned as best she could in the crowded shop. Darcy Rathmore was leaning against a display of clothes, ignoring all the First-Years frantically trying to reach it.
"Hello," said Rune tiredly.
"How's the shopping going?" Asked Darcy blithely.
"Terribly," Rune answered, not in the mood for lying. "I hate shopping. Also, I don't like any of these dresses; they're too gaudy."
Darcy nodded. "You're looking in the wrong places for this dress."
"This is a dress shop."
Darcy ignored this comment, and came over to her. "These dresses are awful." She said more quietly. "I'd tell people they were if I didn't want to outshine them on the night. They're cast-offs from other shops, and besides, they're not going to look good in a dress if they haven't been fitted for it, are they?"
"Can you get fitted?"
"Of course." Darcy fought her way through the crowd to this till, with Rune in tow. There was a massive queue, but Darcy just walked around it straight up to the counter.
"Over here," she said commandingly to the shop assistant, who was dealing with another customer. The assistant jumped, and swept over to Darcy instantly. "What can I do for you, Miss Rathmore?"
"Oh, it's not so much me as my friend here," said Darcy superiorly to the poor woman. "She wants a dress fitting, but for a dress that's a little more sophisticated than the rest of the dresses in here. Like from where you got my dress, for instance."
"Of course, Miss, of course," twittered the assistant. "Right this way."
Rune found herself being swept through to the back rooms of the shop, which were panelled with dark wood, stuffy, and mercifully quiet.
"How did you do that?" Rune hissed in Darcy's ear.
Darcy smiled. "My family is well-known. We gave the financial backing for most of the businesses on today's market, so they're only too keen to help me out when I need it."
Rune raised her eyebrows. "And why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"Helping me out. I mean, I barely even know you."
Darcy blinked. "For fun, I guess."
"Fun?"
"Yeah."
Before Rune could enquire further, the assistant reappeared. "We have a selection of brand-new dresses right here for you to choose from.
"Good." Darcy strode forwards. If you leave them here, Miss Draconis and I will choose one and then organise a fitting for it. You can go; we'll call you back when we're done."
The woman left, returned, staggering under a huge pile of dresses, deposited them on a nearby table and went back to the front room of the shop again.
Rune backed away from the pile of clothes.
Darcy raised one corner of her mouth, looking amused. "Go on, then. Choose one."
"I'm not very good at shopping," muttered Rune.
Darcy sighed impatiently, but with an air of one who is pleased to be the expert in the room.
She picked up the first dress. It was a rich violet colour, with long flowing sleeves and dark embroidery at the hem. "Do you like it?"
Rune shook her head. "No. It's too … girly."
Darcy smiled. "Good decision. This is from a Muggle brand."
Rune stiffened.
"Not that … that fact … is remotely important to the dress." Darcy added hastily. "Here's another one."
"No."
"This one?"
"Umm…"
"I'd strongly advise you to say no. Light green is not a good colour for you."
This went on for another few minutes, with Darcy becoming more exasperated by the second. "Oh, come on!" She said after Rune disregarded a short black and red dress. "That one would have suited you!"
"It's too short." Said Rune stubbornly. "And too … flashy."
"Fine." Darcy finally held up the last dress.
"Oh!" Said Rune. "I like that one!"
"Praise Merlin." Darcy muttered. "Yes, I think that one's good too. Good colour."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
After the fitting, Rune went back to the castle with a new (yet hideously expensive) dress. She had been surprised at Darcy's new friendliness, but then came to the conclusion that she must simply have misjudged her. Her meanness towards the others must have been because of the ridiculous Slytherin/Gryffindor feud.
She went immediately up to her dormitory after saying goodbye on rather friendly terms to Darcy in Hogsmeade and hung up her dress in the huge, Louis XVI armoire that they all shared.
Afterwards, Rune went down into the grounds with her favourite book, planning for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.
She got down by the lake and spotted a gnarled old oak tree leaning over it. Smiling, Rune clambered up it like a demented monkey, settling herself down to read in the branches overhanging the bank.
She got barely five minutes peace.
The Marauders were walking under the tree, chatting happily.
"Heya!" Rune called to them. They stopped, and looked all around them for the source of the noise. Rune laughed, but jumped out of the tree with a thud just behind them.
"Runeyclaw!" Sirius laughed.
"I told you not to call me that." Rune smiled anyway. "So, what's up?"
"Not much," said James happily. "We've been keeping our heads down all day."
"That's likely." Rune smirked.
"What've you been doing?" Sirius asked her curiously.
"I've been shopping with Darcy Rathmore."
It was worth saying that simply to see the effects on all their faces. Remus's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. James had a coughing fit. Sirius looked gobsmacked. "Why?" They chorused.
"It wasn't planned or anything," said Rune earnestly. "But she just turned up and helped me find a dress. She was actually … nice."
"Rune, that girl's a complete –!" Here Sirius said an obscenity that made Rune's eyebrows shoot up.
"She's actually not. I think she just doesn't like you because of the whole Slytherins hate Gryffindors thing. If you just got to know her –"
"But she's horrible, Rune! We hate her, remember?" James put in.
"No, we don't!" Rune said, frustrated. "Well, I don't."
"Rune, you can do much better than her." Said Sirius.
These words, said to her only a week ago by Darcy herself, fired Rune up. "Well, tough!" She said angrily. "She's my friend, one of my only friends actually. Who else do I have?"
"You've got us." Said Remus quietly.
"Really? Looks to me like you only want me around so you can show off!" She shouted. Rune knew she was being totally unreasonable, but just didn't care. "Can you not stand that I have other friends? Is that it? Do you want me to rely on you lot for friendship?"
"No," said Sirius, looking scandalised. "That's not what I want at all – "
"Really? Well, I just don't believe you!"
"Rune – "
But Rune turned on the spot and stormed away from them.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
She regretted her outburst as soon as she got back into the castle. It had been unprecedented and unreasonable, but her emotions had, for the first time that she could remember, overpowered her head.
She walked without noticing where her legs were taking her, until she found herself in the library. She sat down at a window seat and curled her knees up to her chin. She could actually see the Marauders from where she was now. Well, she could see Sirius and James. Where was …
"Rune," said Remus.
She turned her head. "I'm sorry." She said in a small voice. "I don't know why I … I didn't mean to…" She trailed off.
Remus came to sit by her, resting his back against the window. "I think I do. It's Sirius, isn't it?"
Rune lifted her shoulders. "I don't know. I really don't. I haven't shouted at someone like that in … well, ever."
Remus smiled. "It was … unexpected."
Rune gave a weak giggle. A tear slipped out of her eye onto her cheek. Remus didn't try to console her with empty words, just sat there.
"Are you going to the Halloween Ball?" He asked.
Rune brushed away the tear, angry with herself for showing weakness. "I was planning on it. But I'm not sure if I want to anymore." She admitted.
"Well, why don't you go with me?" He offered slowly.
Rune looked up surprised. "With you?"
"Yeah. I mean, as friends. This way Sirius gets jealous and I get a pretty date."
Rune lifted a corner of her mouth. "Thanks. Um, okay then. As friends."
Remus grinned. "I don't want you to have any … misconceptions. I'm not interested in you in that way."
"I know."
Remus stood up and turned to go, but then turned back again. "Don't worry about Sirius." He said abruptly. "I know he seems a bit flirty with girls in general, but he's not a player."
"I didn't think he was." Rune lied quickly. "And, Remus?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
He smiled. "No problem. You really are our friend, you know."
And another one's done! Hope you liked it. Next up is the Halloween ball, but with an unwelcome gatecrasher...
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