Chapter 9 Ellie's POV

It was a week before the ball. Claire and I decided to go shopping for ball gowns during the next Hogsmeade trip. Mainly because, Lou and Gabe couldn t make it cause of quidditch practice. I m excited, Claire squealed. We finally get a day to ourselves, not that having the guys around was bad, but today we get to do girly things! First we ll go shopping for gowns, and then we ll look at hairstyles. I smiled; it was fun being with only her. We walked into Gladrags wizard wear. They had a small gown area in one of the back rooms, Claire and I had an appointment. Hello girls! You re just a tad early; I ll be with you after I finish with another girl. You can come back and have a seat if you wish, the dress consultant said. Claire and I thanked her and walked back. We sat down and looked at catalogues. The consultant finished with her other customer and came over to us. Is there any specific gown you girls are looking for? I was wondering if you had anything like this, Claire said, showing the consultant a picture of a long, green, one shoulder, Chiffon evening gown with a split on the side. I think I could find something close to that, the consultant said with a smile. She looked over to me. How about you dear? Have any preferences? I thought about it for a moment and shook my head. Alright, the consultant said, her big grin never leaving her face. My name is Victoria. I ll be right back with some selections for the two of you. She walked back to where all the gowns were and left Claire and I sitting in the back room.
This is so exciting, Claire said, not able to sit still.
Maybe you should go first, I laughed, then you might be able to sit still. Claire laughed with me and the consultant came back. I have a few selections for both of you, she said hanging them all up across the wall. What were your names again? I m Claire and this is Ellie, Claire said.
The consultant smiled. It s very nice to meet both of you, she said. Which one of you is first? I shoved Claire up there, knowing she wouldn t calm down until her dress was picked. The consultant chose one of the three dresses that were chosen for Claire. They were all different shades of green.
Now this is the gown you wanted to try on, the consultant said. She zipped up the back and it fit Claire perfectly. It especially brought out her brown eyes.
She looked at it astonished, and turned to me. What do you think? She asked, giving it a small twirl.
I like it, I said smiling.
Let s try on the other two and make this one a maybe, Claire said turning back towards the mirror.
The second gown was a darker green strapless ball gown.
It s a little too puffy, Claire said. She walked around with it on. Plus, it s really hard to walk in. This one is a no. She stepped back over and Victoria took off the ball gown and slipped on a light lime green slim strapless dress.
It seems kinda tight, Claire said, sounding like she was having trouble taking a breath. I think I ll take the first one. Victoria gave another big smile. Good choice, she said. She slipped the dress off of Claire and it was my turn to try on gowns. I looked at the rack and noticed I had a bigger selection than what Claire had, which was because I had no idea what I was looking for. We tried on many different gowns; I couldn t even remember most of them. The only one I remember fully was a blue ball gown. The tulle skirt was a light blue and the top was the same shade with a darker blue fabric that was sewn as a v shape. It fit perfectly.
I-I think I ll get this one, I stuttered.
Victoria helped me out of the gown and Claire and I paid for them. Thankfully we had enough. Victoria put an expansion spell on our bags so the dresses wouldn t get ruined and were easier to carry back to the castle.
I have so many plans for your hair, Claire exclaimed excitedly. She always styled my hair when I needed it done, so I trusted she had good ideas. We bought shoes before walking back to the castle. This was a fun day, I thought as we walked down the path. I couldn t wait to see the look on Gabe s face when he sees me.
Gabe s POV
Quidditch practice was rough. My right shoulder hadn t completely healed, so it was still sore, didn t help my right arm is my beater arm. I was happy when practice was over. Lou and I put our broomsticks away and headed towards the castle.
Do you need to go see Madame Pomfrey for your shoulder? She should have something that will help with the pain, he suggested.
I guess that would be best, I said. I was happy the girls were still out; I really didn't want Ellie to see me in pain like this. We walked up to the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey gave me a horrible tasting medicine for my shoulder. I almost threw up, but held it down with my strong stomach.
Ugh, I can t wait for dinner. That medicine tasted horrible, I said as we walked to our common room to change.
Lou laughed. That s what you get for being hit by a dragon s tail, he teased. Besides its helping isn t it. Yeah, I replied with a small sigh. I just hope it won t hurt this much by Saturday. That Saturday we had a quidditch game against Slytherin, one of the toughest teams. They played dirty. I was surprised they even let those players on the quidditch team.
As long as you don t get hit by anyone, I think you ll be fine, Lou said.
That s almost expected with Slytherin, though, I stated. They re the dirtiest playing team out of all of all four teams. They beat James to a pulp last year. Yeah, but James is a seeker, Lou argued, They go after the seekers so they don t get the snitch. They won t go after a beater. I highly doubt that, I sighed. The only non-dirty player on that team is Scorpious Malfoy. Speaking of Scorp, what has your Uncle Ron said about him dating your cousin Rose? I m not sure he knows yet, but when he finds out, it won t be pretty. Lou replied as we reached our common room. I said the password and we walked inside.