Chapter Fourteen: Preparations
Riley awoke on time for her final dress fitting. She dressed, skipped breakfast and exited the house as efficiently as possible. When Riley slid into the back of her car, she smiled wearily at her driver, "Good Morning."
She knew that he thought she was a spoiled brat, but that was fine with her because she thought he was an uptight prick.
"Morning," He replied stiffly as he put the car in gear.
A few moments later, Riley stepped into the dress shop and immediately kicked off her shoes. "Riley Macnair," She said to the receptionist who immediately beckoned her into a fitting room.
Her dresses for the upcoming balls already hung in the room. Tonight's was pale lavender silk with thin straps that allowed for a startling amount of cleavage. The skirt stopped just above her knee, showcasing her long legs.
The dress for the Potter Ball was made of a fabric that slipped and slid over her body unlike anything she'd ever touched. It shimmered without ever giving up it's pure black hue. The dress left her back completely bare, except for a string of diamonds that went from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, and the fabric hung all the way to the floor.
Suddenly Hugo, her parent's tailor, entered the room. "Riley, darling, Sarah will not be pleased with the state of your face! What did you do? Stay up all night?"
"Something like that," Riley mumbled, "Are they finished? They look beautiful on the hanger!"
"Well try one on and you tell me!" Hugo teased. He was very clearly pleased, and distracted, by her praise.
Riley quickly slipped into the lavender dress, her dress for that night, and twirled causing the skirt to swirl about her long legs.
"It's lovely on you," Hugo told her, clasping his hands together, "You look sensational! How do you feel?"
"I feel lovely," Riley responded. She felt like a goddess, or more accurately a fairy princess, in her short and saucy dress, especially once she added her high heels.
"Then, yes!" Hugo said, seeming to exult in the gleam of her eyes, "The dress is finished!"
Riley beamed back at Hugo, "Thank you so much my dear friend."
"Tell your parents I send my best," Hugo told her as he walked her out with the dress bags.
After picking up her shoes, a set of black stilettos for the January Ball, and a wonderfully high pair of gladiator style heels for that night, Riley was delivered to her Mother's make-up artist.
Sarah was one of the remaining wizarding spas that maintained pampering their clients by hand, instead of using beauty magic and charms. That was the reason that Mrs. Macnair continued her patronage of the spot. Riley was loathe to spend the whole day in the spa, but she also knew that she would be on display for the evening. She'd hate to be disappointing again.
Riley's only hope was that for the Potter's Ball she'd be allowed to spend the pre-Ball preparations with the Prewitt twins, even if she then had to convince Walden to escort her.
Later Riley could hear the commotion of her parents friend's arriving downstairs. So far neither the Prewitt's, Potter's, nor Andromeda and Sirius had arrived. The rest of the Black's the Dolohov's, and many of Walden's pureblooded friends like Lucius and Rodolphus were in attendance.
Riley had snuck away in the interest of avoiding the leering stares of Rodolphus and Lucius, and the snickering cattiness of Narcissa and Bellatrix.
Suddenly she heard two giggling, definitely feminine, voices. Riley thought it was a pretty safe bet it wasn't Bellatrix so she stood, poked her head out of her door, and saw on the stairs the Prewitt twins.
"Molly! Alice!" Riley called bounding out of her room to hug them.
"Oh thank God!" Molly exclaimed, squeezing Riley tight, "You're house kinda freaks me out!"
Riley giggled as she was tugged into a hug by Alice as well, "Sorry, I couldn't stand the Slytherin's anymore."
"Don't blame you," Alice grumbled.
"Molly! Alice stop snooping! Come downstairs this instant!" Mrs. Prewitt called up the stairs.
"Yes mum!" Molly called down the stairs and looking at Riley.
"I'll meet you down their in a second, let me just grab my shoes.." Riley said stepping towards her room.
She watched as Molly and Alice made their way down the stairs and then slipped back into her room. She checked her make-up in the mirror, strapped her shoes on, and loosely draped her black sheer silk wrap over her arm before heading for the stairs.
Balls always made her so grateful for her stint in charm school.
He was sitting in the entryway. He'd told Andromeda he needed a minute before facing the rest of his family.
Bloody James and his I'm going to be late bullshit!
Then suddenly he looked up, and there she was.
Riley Macnair. She had on a beautiful lavender dress that made her skin look luminous in the twinkling lights in the entry way. She was graceful as a gazelle on heels that were high enough to give a man wet dreams for weeks, as she stepped down the staircase.
As she reached the bottom stair he stepped out of the shadow and whistled low, "Wow."
Riley grinned immediately, her eyes lighting up, "Sirius!" She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He slid his arms around her waist and heard her giggle, "I can't believe you're still taller than me! These heels have to be almost five inches!"
"That's how you know I'm perfect for you," He teased her, squeezing her gently before letting her go, grinning cheekily down at her.
Riley slapped his shoulder playfully, "You're an idiot."
He grinned at her offering his arm, "Shall we, my darling?"
"If we must," She responded, smiling up at him she took his offered arm.
AN: Totally unedited, Apparently in my rush to type all these up I skipped one extra long chapter about the Ball. So I've been trying to find the time to type it up. I offer you half the chapter, again unedited, and an apology.
Leave a note please! I'm trying to work faster I promise!