"Are you guys almost ready?" Bridget whined.
"Almost!" Viola shouted over the sound of the blow dryer.
"Hurry up. I have to be back in time to do the rest of my homework,"
"Relax, B." Viola teased. "It's going to be fun."
"You still haven't told us who we're going out with," Pandora reminded Viola as she slipped around her to look in the mirror.
"It's a surprise," she spun around to face the two. "Okay, Pandora, love your outfit. But put your hair up! You have stunning cheekbones…show them off. And B, you look gorgeous. But your skirt…" she paused, eyeing the outfit head to toe. Bridget shifted uncomfortable.
"What? What about my skirt?" she asked impatiently.
"Wait, I got it," Viola ran over to her bed, rummaging around in the drawers nearby. "Try these on," she handed her a pair of bright red flats.
"These are a little…bright," Bridget mumbled, pulling them on.
"Ah! Perfect!" Viola squealed. "You needed a little color." Pandora and Bridget looked at each other, their eyes wide and nervous as they both realized that they had no idea what they were in for.
"Hi beautiful," a tall, blonde Slytherin boy greeted Viola with a kiss on her cheek.
"Hi Michael," she greeted him. "These are my friends, Bridget and Pandora."
"Nice to meet you two," he smiled. "Bastien and Cameron are waiting for us at Hogsmeade." When they arrived, two boys waved them over to a table.
"I'm Bastien," a blonde haired, dark eyed boy said. Viola nudged Pandora, giving her a look that told her that this was supposed to be her date.
"I'm Cameron," a dark haired boy introduced himself, smiling knowingly at Bridget. She shifted uncomfortably in response. The six of them sat and engaged in awkward conversation for a few minutes. As the waiter came over, Viola excused herself to the bathroom.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waiter asked, a teenage girl with mousy curls and big glasses.
"I suppose you can," Bastien drawled. "We'll all take Butterbeers, yeah?" Cameron nodded.
"Okay, so five Butterbeers…"
"There are six place settings," Bastien corrected. "You've got those glasses for a reason. Next time, use 'em." The waiter looked at him, her eyes wide and embarrassed. She apologized and left quickly.
"That was unnecessary," Pandora said to him, shocked at his rudeness. He waved her off.
"I've seen that girl around before. She's an odd one."
"I'm going to the bathroom," Michael stood up and excused himself quickly.
"Atta boy!" Bastien hooted, patting Michael on the back. "You go get her!"
"Ugh," Pandora groaned, realizing this was about to be the worst date ever. As the minutes ticked by, Bastien grew louder and more obnoxious.
"Get us some Fire Whiskey, Four-Eyes!" Bastien ordered the waiter.
"I can't serve you guys, you're underage," The waiter stammered.
"Oh, hop off that. We're paying customers and we want Fire Whiskey."
"I'm sorry but I can't-"
"Listen here, Four-Eyes…" he stood up to get in her face. Pandora grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"Look, I don't know what your problem is," she hissed in his ear as the waiter scampered away. "But you better chill out. Now." He shook her hand off and sat down, rolling his eyes. Pandora looked at the bathroom door expectantly. Viola and Michael had been gone for almost a half hour.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Bridget said abruptly, standing up and skittering to the restroom.
"If you find Viola in there, tell her to get out here!" Pandora called after her. She sighed and sat down at the table. They hadn't even ordered yet. She began to grow frustrated and longing, more than anything, for Harry. She wondered what he was doing about now. After another twenty minutes, she grew even more antsy. Bastien and Cameron continued to torment the waiter. Pandora recognized the panic in her eyes as she travelled back and forth to the table, delivering Butterbeers and eventually Fire Whiskeys, as she had clearly given up on trying to deny the requests of Bastien.
"Excuse me," Pandora said, walking to the bathroom. She walked near the Men's Room and could hear Viola giggling and Michael shushing her. She rolled her eyes and entered the girl's bathroom. As she stared in the mirror, she took note of what she saw. Straight blonde hair. Blue eyes, glazed over with boredom. Cream colored skin. She began to pick apart what she saw, starting from the cheekbones Viola had complimented before. Her cheeks were too chubby, she noted. Her hair was boring, flat. Her eyes were dull, a dark blue with no sparkle. She didn't know what Harry saw in her, or anyone for that matter. She felt insecure and subpar, especially compared to gorgeous Viola and talented Bridget. In their presences, she was nothing.
As her eyes began to travel down, she noticed a pair of feet in one of the stalls that hadn't moved since she had entered. She slowly rotated to face the stall, realizing that the feet were sprawled out as if the person was lying down. As she stepped closer, she bit back a scream. The feet were sporting flats. Bright red flats.
She slammed open the stall door. Bridget was lying on the ground; face up, her eyes fluttering, foam coming out of her mouth, her body twitching. A voice Pandora didn't recognize screamed for help. It wasn't until a doctor was tearing her away from Bridget's spasming body that she realized the voice shrieking was her own.