Hey guys! Sorry (again) for the long update. Busy summer! I hope everyone is enjoying there's. I'd like to thank Lida (forever4), for be a fabulous editor. Unfortunately, she must retire her duties, and I'm very sad to see her go. If anyone is willing to be an editor for this story, I would be glad to send you the next few chapters to edit! Just PM me your email.

Enjoy!

XX

"Wow Rosie," Lily says, and Roxanne nods her head excitedly next to her. "I think my work here is done!"

Never before, in all of my life, have I thought of myself as beautiful. I have noticed the way people stare at me, how they think I'm pretty. How could they not notice me with flaming red hair, tanned skin with a spattering of freckles, and gold and blue eyes. I knew I seemed exotic to people, but I'm not the type of beauty that could draw eyes without lifting a finger. I have always admired these lucky few, like Aunt Fluer and her children, for their splendor. I have always wanted what they have, but never saw it in myself.

Until now. Now, I am as radiant as the sun.

My gown is unbelievably beautiful. It alone adds to my beauty almost beyond recognition. This is Rose Weasley, the girl with books draped over her back, baggy robes on her body, and hair pulled into a messy bun. I am like my conceited and beautiful twin tonight. The gown itself is pure white, and the skirt flails out past my arm length, and it has a draped curtain of pale gold along one side of it, and the other side tied to my hip. The white part of my chest is decorated artfully in gold glitter, woven in patterns I can only describe as the waves off the sun itself. It's strapless, so I let my auburn curls drape over my collarbone. The effect is intoxicating. It gives the illusion that the rays of gold sunlight are going directly from the dress into my red hair, which is alive with gold glitter as well. I can hardly tear my eyes away to stare at my face. "I think you went a little overboard on the glitter, Roxanne," I say. I shimmer as I turn around. "I look like a fairy for Merlin's sake!"

"Too much glitter is always a good thing," Lily says. I laugh. Lily herself looks fabulous, her hair pulled up in an elegant bun, her dress clinging to her every curve. She's a bit more made up than me, but that's mostly because she always wears make up and loves getting the chance to overdo it. Especially on me.

As my mother had predicted, my hair had settled down into smooth curls at the start of my sixth year. It was highlighted with blonde and brown, having spent so much time in the sun. After years of trying to somehow fry the red and curls off my head, I finally accepted them as permanent. I don't mind them so much now, draped in gold. My dad's eyes were what I considered to be my strongest point. I had gotten his icy blue and beautiful eyes, but that wasn't the end of it. My mother had brown eyes with gold flecks in them, which I had always admired. As I grew from a toddler to a young child, her flecks of gold began to come to the forefront of my eyes. I hardly ever looked in a mirror. My mother always told me the worst thing to have was a big ego. But tonight, I let my head swell to the size of a boulder.

I never wore makeup much, but my older girl cousins loved giving me makeovers. They had taught me to apply certain things over the years, but I still had absolutely no artistic talent at applying it (cue Lily and Roxanne). Lily just went crazy though. I thought about taking some of it off, but she had worked so hard I thought I should humor her for just one night.

She had used magic on my eyelashes to separate, thicken, curl and lengthen them. The effect it had was dizzying. I need only blink and I forgot that I wasn't a seductive sort of witch. I had insisted Lily skip the eyeliner. But in place of that, she had spent almost half an hour on eye shadow. She mixed colors until she got the perfect shade of blue, and then did something with the gold and red. She didn't let me look until she was done. I had absolutely no idea what the hell she was doing to me, but now that I can see myself, I knew it was worth the agony.

I had combed my hair previously, but it still wasn't what Lily deemed satisfactory. She had curled each individual strand around her wand. I liked the result; it made my hair silky smooth as well as bouncy. Roxanne tried to decide on a way to apply the gold glitter to my hair. She ended up just applying gold glitter with magic. I made it all fall slowly over my head, lodging the glitter in places it wouldn't normally reach. It took every ounce of will power not to look in the mirror as I put on my dress.

Now, staring in the mirror, I know every excruciating moment spent was well worth it. My face is so stunning, you'd think an artist had erased it all and painted out my features again with a practiced hand. I try a smile; the girl standing in the mirror lights up like a firefly.

My smile falters for a moment. I want to be the image of beauty tonight; having spent years shunning these glorious gifts I've been given. I want to draw every eye in the room like bugs to a light. It has to be—

"Oh!" Roxanne says, her eyes widening excitedly. She wasn't allowed to go to the ball tonight, but she's enjoying herself anyways. I cringe slightly, afraid of more glitter, but she runs forward with her wand. "The finishing touch!"

She mutters 'lumos' and flicks her wand at my head. I gasp. My head begins an ethereal glow of brilliant gold light that continues down to my toes. I truly look like the sun now.

I couldn't have asked for more, right?

But what of the boy waiting for me below? Right now, as it has always been this entire year, we are just friends. There is no real love between us. Despite my voracious craving for him in times, I do not love him. I feel horrible for it, what I'm doing. I'm using him to make Scorpius jealous. If I can't get Scorpius by loving him myself, he can fall for me alone when he sees me with Lorcan.

I look back at myself in the mirror. I am defining myself tonight, so why not make the most of this night? I want to have fun tonight, to be glorious tonight, to shine like a star tonight. Just tonight. Then tomorrow, I will go back towards working for my true and serious goal. Tonight, my goal is to be beautiful and in love. I don't even have to try tonight; Scorpius will fall for me without my help.

"Thank you guys," I say happily. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Of course you couldn't!" Lily says happily. "You're about as skilled with beauty stuff as Albus is with potions."

Roxanne and I laugh. I go to hug her, but she shakes her head. "I hate glitter," she says happily. I glare at her.

"Come on Rosie," Lily says. "Lorcan and Jerry are waiting downstairs."

I want to enter the common room gracefully, so amazingly that even the unshakable Lorcan will be speechless. I don't manage that, however, because I am in such a hurry to see him that I practically fall down the stairs. There he is. Waiting at the bottom. Looking stunning in the plain black dress robes with gold cuffs and bow Lily assigned him.

I suppose no matter how I entered, he would have been speechless. But no. He is more than that…. He's completely breathless. He has never seen the beauty in me, I'm sure, but even he cannot deny that I look dazzling.

"Wow," he breathes. "Rosie's all grown up." Despite his joking manor, I can tell he is taken aback.

"Hi," I say, eager for him to like my look tonight.

"You look beautiful, Rose," he says. He holds out his arm for me to take and I laugh at his gesture.

Jerry, I'm glad to see, is staring open-mouthed at Lily. "Close your mouth, Jerry," Lily says. "You look like a fish."

I don't suppose Jerry could look like a fish. He's one of the most handsome boys in the school. He asked Lily out, and Lily said yes (she hasn't said this, but I'm sure of it) only because she wanted to go to the ball and wasn't able to unless someone above fifth year asked her. I wish I had her luck sometimes.

"We better get going. The ball is about to start, and the champions have to be there to enter first," I say. Lorcan walks me to the portrait, and we take the secret pathways to the Great Hall. At the stairs we part with Lily and Jerry. For a moment I'm nervous about entering. Everyone's already in the Hall, and at the bottom Professor McGonagall is talking to Scorpius and Anna (who, I notice furiously, are linked at the arms). Lorcan seems bent on keeping me moving as fast as possible. And I'll be the first to admit running in high-heels is not at all easy.

"I want to show you to everyone," he says, still pulling me along, but beginning to slow to look at me again. "I'm with the most beautiful girl on earth right now."

I can't help it. I blush profusely, and I regret putting on makeup blush. I give a small smile, trying to ignore the feeling of the heat in my cheeks. "Well, I'm with the most handsome boy, so there's no competition."

"Are you glowing?" he asks suddenly. Our pace has slowed to a steady tread, and I still hold onto him.

"Yeah," I say, still blushing.

"Oh. I thought I might have been imagining it."

I laugh. We talk lightly until we're at the bottom of the stairs. I use all my concentration to keep talking to Lorcan and not look at Scorpius.

"Lorcan and Rose," the Professor says happily. "Well, it seems we have two couples this year instead of four. Interesting."

She looks very interested indeed. I can see out of the corner of my eye how intently Anna and Scorpius are staring at me. I turn my eyes to meet his just as the Professor ushers us toward the door. His breath catches in his throat, and I wink at him seductively as the doors open.

I feel as light as air as I enter the room, and every single pair of eyes settles down on me with a quiver.

XX

Once again, looking for an editor!

Reviews are awesome,

Chloe