"I think we're ready," Angelina said, stepping away from the mirror and giving a twirl. Angelina really was a stunner in her long shapely midnight blue velvet slip. With the sweetheart neckline held up by tiny sparkling straps, she had accessorized the slinky dress with a silver choker and had woven glittering metallic silver ribbon through her waterfall of tiny braids.
"Just one second," Jamie swiped some gloss across her lips to preserve her lip stain and then smoothed her skirts. "There, now we can go."
Guinevere let some of the older girl's drift into a muggle formal dress shop in London after no luck in Hogsmeade last week. They had even taken Ginny and Hermione along.
In homage to her first task and victory over the dragon, Jamie was wearing a glittering red-hot sequin, lace, and tulle gown that gave the illusion of molten lava. Goblin made; this dress was one of a kind.
The torso and bodice of the dress was alternating patches of embroidered lace and sequins, giving the illusion of dragons' wings, ending up in a collared halter neckline with tufts of tulle around the shoulders creating a dramatic, regal effect. The dress was cut to show off a sliver of her shoulder blades and middle of her back to keep the dress from being too conservative.
The gown hugged her body, flaring out slightly at the knees into ruffled of red tulle, sequins hidden underneath to catch the light in subtle winks of sparkle, like embers of a fire.
She had piled her waves on top of her head in a messy updo, tendrils hanging down and framing her face. Keeping her eye makeup simple, she had opted to apply a cherry red stain on her lips that would last all night and her eyes were lined in a smoky black. The Patil sisters had even offered to paint a dragon henna on her left hand that traveled up her arm when they had invited some of their classmates to partake and learn about their formal customs in the common room earlier that morning.
Guinevere had called her the dragon princess.
The girls chattered excitedly as they made their way carefully down the spiral staircase to the common room. Some students were gathered on the sofas and armchairs, waiting for friends, dates, or taking pictures. Someone whistled when they stepped off the last step and she smirked while Angelina hid her face.
They stopped along the way out and talked to some of their housemates, mostly the girls, complimenting their dresses or hairstyles. They had arranged to meet Alicia shortly, giving her time to collect herself after the latest afternoon debacle, and then would all walk down to the ball together.
Alicia had been quite publicly stood up by a boy from Durmstrang and was recovering with Katie for a few moments before she joined them at the ball, vowing to give him hell.
Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnegan passed through the common room on their way out, all four boys were dressed in dress robes.
"Hey," Harry greeted her. She grinned at him. Things were a little quieter between them due to lack of alone time, they usually stuck to calling out a greeting or occasionally stopping to chat in the corridors.
"Alright Harry?" She said and he smiled at her, nodding.
"You lassies look lovely," Seamus Finnegan called out as the groups passed each other, and he turned his head to waggle his eyebrows at them.
"Ignore his antics," Harry apologized for his dorm mate. "He was right, you both look great, though."
"Thanks, same to you…see you in a bit," Jamie said genuinely as the boys stepped through the portrait door and with a last wave they disappeared outside.
The Gryffindor common room was getting lively now. Mostly upperclassmen gathered around taking pictures and already dancing very salaciously, music blaring. Jamie spotted Fred and George in the thick of it. Angelina went to wrangle them over so they could leave at a somewhat decent time so Jamie wouldn't be awfully late.
"Let's get this show on the road," Alicia marched down the staircase, pulling out sunglasses and shoving them on her face to cover her bloodshot eyes. Jamie winced at the sadness in her friend's voice. Alicia looked very beautiful in her dress, and the sunglasses actually only served to make her look even cooler.
The dress was a plum color, ending right at her knees, with a black overlay decorated in floral embroidery. The bodice had a high V-neck with thick straps, and she had paired it with a beaded choker necklace and chunky Mary Jane heels. Her hair was soft and waving and pulled back in a half-up half-down style. Her makeup was neat and simple, despite the fact that she had covered most of it with the sunglasses.
"Alright LeLe?" Jamie asked quietly, "You don't have to go if you don't want to."
Alicia heaved a big sigh but then dismissed her words with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, I'm gonna go and have a great time. I look amazing, we can't let this go to waste...I'll show him exactly what he rejected."
They let out a laugh as Jamie cussed in agreement with her.
"I'll be fine. He's just one stupid boy, and I know for a fact there are dozens of other equally handsome, if not more, stupider boys out there just waiting for me to crush their hearts."
"That's the spirit," Jamie muttered dryly, "you could still let me kill him though, save an awful lot of trouble…"
"Hey Alicia," a voice said quietly. They all looked up to see Lee standing outside the door that led up to the boy's rooms. Lee was in dress robes, a determined look on his face, rivalling the rainbow striped socks and neon sneakers that were peeking out from under the hem.
"Hey Lee, you look nice," Alicia greeted their buddy.
"Thanks, so do you," Lee said and fidgeted. Jamie hid a smirk; it wasn't very often she saw Lee looking anything less than confident. "You look…wow."
Alicia smiled and there was a moment of awkward silence before Lee shook himself.
"So, listen, I'm sorry that prat from Durmstrang upset you," Lee said. "I know he was supposed to be your date and all, and so I thought maybe if you wanted…we could go together, I mean we were going to be with same group anyway, and we can maybe go for a couple dances? If you want, that is."
A great, genuine beaming smile overtook Alicia's face and she let out a little squeal, practically leaping to Lee where she threw her arms around him.
"Lee Jordan you are the sweetest thing, thank you, I would love that!" Alicia cried out and Lee grinned, hugging her back. Jamie and Angelina got a hold of the twins and made sure they left the smoke bombs they had been handling behind, all but dragging them across the common room. Oliver and Katie joined them on their way out. Katie was wearing a red satin dress— ever the loyal Gryffindor.
"Wait!" Another voice stopped them as they were making their way out of the portrait door. Jamie looked to see Hermione approaching them, looking absolutely breathtaking—even prettier than when she had tried the gown on in the shop.
Hermione was wearing a long flowing gown of chiffon, layered in varying shades of pink, that reminded Jamie of petals of a flower. The bodice was satin with floaty cap sleeves, and she had a ribbon tied neatly around her small waist.
Hermione had notorious wild, uncontrollable frizz that shot out in every direction. A lot of girls and guys had given her grief about her hair when they were younger, as bullies were prone to do, but lately she had found a way to transform it. Tonight, she had tamed her hair into smooth bedroom waves and ringlets and pinned it all up on her head, leaving delicate tendrils hanging down around her face.
"Hermione," Angelina shook her head in awe. "You look amazing." The others nodded quickly as well, stunned. Hermione was a pretty girl, but as she cared more about her studies and often acted like she had a broom up her arse, meaning she often got overlooked because she wasn't chasing trends or attention like other girls.
"Thanks," Hermione blushed. "Do you mind if I walk down with all of you?"
They all agreed and began the trek down to the great hall chattering.
"His eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you," Jamie muttered to her brothers' best friend.
"Which one?" Hermione asked genuinely before she caught herself and laughed, looking more assured of herself than Jamie had ever seen her be.
"Both," they said at the same time, matching grins on their faces.
They reached the staircase that led down to the great hall and Jamie stopped short, standing at the top. Hermione waved to her and made her way down the staircase, smiling, eyes on her date: Viktor Krum. As Jamie had predicted, everyone stopped and turned, staring in awe at Hermione as she walked down the stairs while Viktor's eyes literally looked ready to roll out of his skull and across the floor.
The moment passed and Hermione and Viktor were standing with each other, hands clasped together before he led her over to some of his friends. Jamie and Fleur had already warned him to behave absolutely gentlemanly that evening, not that Viktor needed the reminder. Never had Jamie seen someone treat anyone so gently and respectfully than how Viktor treated Hermione.
"Miss Shacklebolt, there you are!" McGonagall strode up to them. "The rest of the champions and their dates are gathered near the door, please join them with Mr. Wood for the entrance."
"Wood, you're up," Jamie waggled her eyebrows at Oliver, who grinned, nudging Katie with his shoulder before offering Jamie is arm. She rolled her eyes but took it, and together they left their friends, wolf-whistles and catcalls in their wake. Even Katie participated.
"Thanks for this," Jamie muttered.
"No big deal," Oliver chuckled, "Katie ain' mad at me, and what are mates for?"
"Exactly."
They met up with Viktor and Hermione, Harry and Parvati Patil, and Fleur and Roger Davies.
"Alright lot?" She grinned in greeting.
"You look beautiful," Fleur trilled in her heavily accented English. Fleur herself, impossible to ever look less than stunning, was in a silvery blue one-shoulder gown that made it look as if she glowed. Roger had an arm possessively around her waist, not that she seemed to mind.
"So do you, Fleur," Jamie winked. Together, the two looked like fire and ice. The rest of the group explained pleasantries, and Jamie was impressed that they all managed to remain friendly despite competing for eternal glory or whatever. The remainder of the ball goers had gone inside the great hall, and McGonagall came and lined them up.
Fleur and Roger went first, followed by Viktor and Hermione, and Jamie and Oliver, and Harry and Parvati.
Together, they all made their way into the hall. It had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The floor had been charmed into a very reflective white marble, so shiny it almost looked like ice, but lacking the slipperiness.
The ceiling had been charmed to be a beautiful starry night with the aurora borealis waving mystically across it in vibrant greens, pinks, and purples. Snow was falling delicately around them. The snow disintegrated at the touch and wasn't cold but looked completely real. Pine trees covered in glitter, snow, and icicles sat in the corners. Thinner trees, all white branches, were lining the walls and had fairy lights strung through them, with real sprites flitting around them. The walls were covered in actual ice, given a stasis spell so as not to melt, but was cool to the touch and reflected the lights beautifully.
An orchestra of musicians was playing a fanfare up on the large white marble stage that had been placed where the high table usually sat. The musicians were all dressed in white dress robes and their instruments appeared to be made out of ice. Everyone in the hall had crowded together, making a pathway for the champions as they entered, thunderous applause thrumming in their ears.
It was overwhelming.
The music was stopped and it was announced that the champions of the tournament would lead the first dance. A different ballad was played as the four champions and their dates immediately began waltzing.
Jamie found Cedric standing on the edge of the dance floor, and he had in fact brought Cho Chang, and he smiled weakly at her, color flooding to his cheeks. She clenched her teeth, eyes drifting to Cho who looked delighted by the ball, and she turned back to dancing with Oliver. Due to him being an athlete obsessed with perfect form, and her love for dancing in the center of every dance floor, they actually moved very well together.
The music changed as The Weird Sisters took the stage later in the evening, and Jamie and her friends danced for several numbers, quite honestly the life of the party, holding court in the middle of the dance floor.
While Oliver, Angelina, and Katie were athletes and could do a few perfected moves gracefully, they were rather uncomfortable dancing but willed themselves to let loose and jump around with their friends. Fred, George, and Lee were hysterical, doing the worm and a myriad of other moves while singing along dramatically to the music.
Jamie and Alicia were actually decent dancers, they had natural rhythm, and it showed as they moved to the beat. Jamie hadn't laughed so hard in her life, her stomach hurt. At one point she had to sit down and remove her heels, finding a seat beside Harry, Ron, and the Patil twins.
"No dancing then?" She asked the four, and Padma and Parvati both huffed and crossed their arms.
"May I have your arm?" A Durmstrang boy approached Parvati, who practically leapt from her seat.
"Arm, leg, whatever. I'm yours," she took his hand quickly, following him to the dance floor. Padma turned to shoot a dirty look at Ron, who ignored her.
"Remind me to teach you how to treat the ladies, boys," Jamie snickered, "because you both are pants at it."
"You don't even have a date, Shack, you just used Oliver as a body for the champion dance," Ron snipped back at her.
"Yeah, exactly, and you don't see him running away from me as if he's on fire," Jamie countered. She took her heels off, flexing her foot, not accustomed to dancing in heels.
"Are you going to ask me to dance or not?" Padma hissed at Ron.
"No," Ron crossed his arms.
"Why even ask me to the ball if you're going to be so miserable!" She demanded angrily, adjusting her turquoise robes. "You obviously have somewhere else you would rather be!"
"M-m-me?" Ron sputtered incredulously. "You haven't said more than two words to me all night! You've been glaring down anyone—including me— who looks at you!"
"I have not-" but the girl even knew she had notorious resting-stern face. "Fine; whatever, it's just my face! But being here with you… it's not the worst thing in the world… to be honest, I'm just not much of a dance person...it's awkward. This is awkward."
"Me either," Ron muttered. "I'd rather play quidditch or—"
"Chess," they both said at the same time and glanced at each other, blushing.
"You play?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Every day," he nodded.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Me too!"
"Really? Are you any good?"
"I'm the best back home," she jutted her chin out proudly, "and I'm top reigning champ in all of Ravenclaw."
"I bet I could take you," he scoffed and she smirked at him.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's just see who is best," she stood up, her robes swirling around her. He had stared at her incredulously for a few seconds before getting up and following her out.
"Wow, that took a turn, huh?" Jamie said to no one as Harry stared off into space. Seamus joined them, sitting on Harry's other side sullenly.
"Jamie, can I steal a dance?" Cedric appeared over her, a friendly hopeful smile on his face. Jamie glanced up, a frown settling on her face.
"Cho?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Is in the powder room with a crying friend," Cedric shrugged. "Come on, it's a slow one, it'd be cruel not to dance with me."
She huffed, relenting, and stood up. She took his hand ignoring how nicely their fingers joined together and let him lead her to the floor.
"What was that all about?" Seamus asked Harry, who shrugged.
"Don't know," Harry said as his eyes watched the dancing couple. "Not sure I want to know, either."
Jamie let him wrap her arms around his neck, let him pull her close, his arms hugging her waist. His forehead was nearly touching hers, his cool minty breath flooding her nostrils.
"You look beautiful tonight, like a flame," he told her. A smile twitched at her lips and she let her eyelids flicker shut not sure what to say.
"Jamie, you know I wish I could have come with you deep down," he continued. Her eyes opened, widening, but his cool blue ones were serious.
"Please don't start this."
"Come off it, I saw you watching me when you were dancing with Wood," he insisted. "You can't tell me that you don't feel something still between us."
"Cho is nice," she felt the urge to defend the girl. "Very pretty…a safer option."
"Cho is nice, and she is pretty…maybe she is safe," Cedric acknowledged. "But there are other things that are more important."
"Oh yeah, like what?" Her voice was low, husky even, and it sounded foreign to her ears. He twirled her, before dipping her, cradling her in his arm before languidly lifting her so they could sway together once more.
"Fire…passion…danger…" he reached out and tapped her nose with his finger and she fought the urge to lean in and kiss him. She turned, looking away from him, eyes casting about to see if they had witnesses. They didn't.
"I don't know what you want me to say," she mumbled.
"Tell me you feel it, too."
She turned to him, tilting her head to the side, as fear and panic bubbled up in her chest. The image of her parents, memories of her mother screaming when she realized James was dead…before she died too…love hurt too much.
"I already made a promise to myself," she felt the words tumble out of her mouth before she could stop them, "I'll never let myself fall for anyone."
"Jamie, you love me, I know you do," he frowned. "Just say it, three words, even only this once. Say it, please...I love you and you love me."
"I can't," her voice broke, her heart crumpling, and she turned away from him, ducking her head as tears burned in her eyes.
"Jamie—"
She didn't give him the chance to finish before she was jerking free and darting away, grabbing hold of the first male-like figure she could see in her vision line. Arms wrapping around a neck, eyes glazed and breath panting, "dance with me" she demanded.
"A little desperate tonight, aren't we, Shacklebolt," an all too familiar voice sneered and she glanced up slowly, dread filling her even more. The boy in question was lean with hidden athletic muscles, a seeker build, and wearing immaculate designer robes. Eyes trailing up a pale neck to a beautiful sculpted face, she met the mocking silver eyes of Draco Malfoy.
"Oi," she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. "Of all the people, I grabbed you."
"Hiding from someone, Shacklebolt?" Malfoy taunted, one corner of his perfect mouth lifting in a sneer. "That big stupid Keeper not good enough anymore?'
"Wood's taken," she muttered. "Listen, just shut up and dance with me. I'm avoiding someone."
"Who," Malfoy pressed, but for some reason, began navigating her into an easy waltz.
"None of your business, cretin," she snapped back, "just one dance and then we never have to speak of this again."
"That's what you say now," he smirked back at her, spinning her out and dipping her just as Cedric had done. "Just don't come after me when you realize you've fallen in love with me."
"Ha!" She laughed, pretending to retch as he scowled at her.
AN:
Jamie's dress is inspired by Zuhair Murad's Mayugi tiered dress, which you can Google.
The music mentioned goes as follows, and you can YouTube it:
The Entrance of The Champions: The London Symphony Orchestra - The Final Countdown
Waltz: One Republic - All The Right Moves (Instrumental)
Friends dancing: The Weird Sisters – Do The Hippogriff
Jamie and Cedric/Draco dance: Aerosmith - Crazy