The Hallowe'en Party
Emmie frowned slightly as she took herself in from various angles in front of the full-length mirror in their room. To say she felt uncomfortable in the tiny light blue dress that Melanie and Toni had forced her in was putting it lightly. It was too low-cut, too short, and too tight in her opinion. At first, she had thought it would fit just fine, considering Melanie was about the same height, though she hadn't taken into consideration her hips, which caused it to hit her a bit higher on her thigh. Though a small part of her had to admit that it did show off her form nicely, even if she was entirely comfortable in it.
She turned and looked at her backside, frowning slightly. Her bum wasn't out by any means, but all it would take was one misstep and she'd fall over and display her knickers to the whole world. She then cast a worried glance towards the platform heels that Toni had shoved at her. They were sitting on her bed, taunting her. While they fit, she wasn't sure it was such a good idea if they were to be sneaking around the castle after dark. No, they wouldn't do. She would wear a more sensible pair of flats. Much better for creeping around corners and looking out for any prefects or professors. Melanie and Toni and made her hand over her copy of the routes and patrols so they could all navigate the hallways safely. There was a twinge of guilt in that - she did want to stay a prefect, after all - but Toni had sensibly argued that by avoiding getting caught, they were helping her do just that. She had then cut Emmie off when she started to argue that the best way would be for her not to go at all.
Emmie then turned around, facing the mirror as she first pulled at the hem of the satin dress and then touched her hair, which was now in big, loose, smooth curls. Kara had taken over in that department, adding a decent amount of hair potion to get it to stay as such. She had then coated her face in makeup, which she had to admit she did actually like. Perhaps she'd start wearing more than lip gloss if she could learn how to do it like Kara. Her green eyes seemed a bit brighter and her skin smoother with a bit more life in her cheeks thanks to blush. It was similar to how she looked after a match, though minus the sweat, dirt and windblown hair.
"Stop pulling at the dress. It's fine," Melanie said from the other side of the room where she was putting the finishing touches on her own makeup. "You're hot."
"You don't think it's too short?" Emmie asked, looking over at her. Melanie laughed as she turned around and walked towards her, donning a red, satin dress in a similar style with much too high heels. How she walked in them so easily, Emmie wasn't sure, but she had an inkling there was charm work involved.
"It's perfect for you," Toni said, walking out from the bathroom in a black dress that hit her below the knee.
"Why couldn't you have put me in a longer dress?" Emmie asked, on the verge of whining.
"Because you need to show off those amazing legs of yours," Kara said, walking out behind her in a knee-length burgundy dress that didn't leave much to the imagination at the top. Emmie just rolled her eyes and stepped over to pull out a pair of black flats from under her bed. "No. You're wearing the heels."
"But I can't walk in them!" Emmie complained, looking over at her with disdain in her eyes. "We'll be found out by Sprout or McGonagall in a heartbeat if you make me trapeze around the castle in them." Kara seemed to take this into consideration for a moment.
"For someone who is so coordinated on a broomstick, you certainly lack that grace on the ground," Melanie replied.
"Let her wear the flats. She does make a point," Kara said finally. "She's not used to wearing them and we don't want to get caught." Emmie smiled in triumph as she dropped the shoes on the floor and slipped into them. She started to reach for a shawl to drape over her shoulders.
"No. No cover-up," Toni said. Emmie rolled her eyes and dropped it on her bed, reaching for her wand instead. She then looked around the dress, wondering just where she was supposed to put her wand. There were no pockets, and she was wondering if she was meant to stick it in her bra.
"Here," Melanie said, walking over with a small, matching purse. "Got an extendable charm on it, so you can fit everything you need." Emmie took it and opened it up, peering inside. She then dropped her wand in. Kara walked over and dropped the lip gloss she had put on Emmie in there as well as some other makeup items.
"I believe that we are ready," she said with a grin as she checked the clock. "We should get going. Going out in stages so it's not obvious and it's nearly time for our group."
"Still think this is a bad idea," Emmie said as Kara grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs towards the common room.
"Oh, shut it. We'll be fine. Just need to get some firewhiskey in you," she said softly with a wink. They made it to the common room and quickly made their way across it, though not before Emmie caught sight of Cedric out of the corner of her eye. His mouth had dropped open as he watched her and she couldn't help but get a tiny bit of excitement out of it.
"Did you see Diggory's reaction?" Toni whispered as they stepped out into the corridor.
"Hush," Emmie said, swatting at her, though she had a pleased look on her face.
"Come on! We can't be late," Kara said, leading their group. "The others'll be pissed."
Emmie's eyebrows rose as they were met by a wall of sound upon being let into the Gryffindor common room by the fifth-year on guard for the other houses that were visiting. She couldn't hear a thing until they had stepped through the portrait hole, so assumed they must have done some extensive spellwork to ensure that the head of house wouldn't hear and come check things out.
"Now this is a party," Melanie said, her face lighting up as they stopped a moment and looked around. "Always wondered what Gryffindor Tower looked like."
"Sure it's not any better than ours," Emmie said, looking at her. "We are next to the kitchens."
"True, but the fact that it's in another house certainly makes it more exciting," Toni said. She started leading the group over to a table. "Let's get a drink."
Emmie chuckled as she followed her friends over to a makeshift bar at one side of the room, taking the time to look around the room while Melanie and Toni started looking over their options. While they were the first of the Hufflepuffs to arrive, it seemed all the Ravenclaw sixth and seventh years had gotten there. She saw Fred and George over in a corner and wasn't surprised at all, despite the fact that anyone under sixth year weren't supposed to be there. They probably were responsible for the elaborate table of food near the fireplace and hence bought their way in. They must have made several trips from the amount of food on display and Emmie wondered how she hadn't caught them on any of her patrols.
The common room was lively and already filling up though the rest of the Hufflepuffs hadn't arrived yet. Emmie couldn't help as she began to wonder where Oliver was.
"Here," Kara said, handing her a cup. Emmie sniffed at it, immediately recognizing the scent of firewhiskey mixed with butterbeer. She took a cautious sip and then continued looking around after deeming it sufficiently mixed. Now that they were here, she wasn't completely sure what she was meant to do. She had been to parties, of course, but she hadn't been nearly as dressed up as she was now. The Hufflepuff parties normally consisted of everyone playing games, eating and whatnot until they were too tired or drunk to continue. This one seemed to have an area cleared out in the middle of the room for a dance floor while most people milled around the edges of the room in groups chatting. Hallowe'en decorations were put up as well. She pulled at the hem of her dress subconsciously.
"Stop," Melanie said as she stepped to her other side. "You look fine. Just relax." Emmie glanced over at her. "Seems like you're getting a bit of attention as well." Emmie looked around the room, catching the eyes of a few blokes.
"Likely because my dress is halfway up my arse," Emmie muttered, giving the hem another tug down.
"Is not," Toni said. Emmie just sighed and took another, slightly large sip of her drink. She was likely going to need it to get through tonight.
Why on earth had she'd agree to come?
Sometime later, Emmie felt herself begin to relax, though she was sure it had more to do with the firewhiskey her friends were plying her with rather than being comfortable with the party. Each new drink they handed her tasted a bit more like the whiskey and less like butterbeer. Melanie and Toni were currently flirting with a pair of blokes from Ravenclaw while Kara was chatting with Alicia Spinnet and another Gryffindor sixth year next to her. Emmie was half-listening to the conversation and half-scanning the crowd.
"Mac! You made it!" Oliver said boisterously as he walked up to her. Emmie sputtered on her drink a bit as she turned and saw him. She was sure her cheeks were now a rosy hue, though she hoped he'd think it the drink or her blush. It was clear that he had already had a few as his cheeks were a bit rosy as well.
"Couldn't miss out on the fun," she replied, surprising herself at how easily she was speaking to him. Yes, that's right. The last time she had had firewhiskey it had helped her to talk to the handsome blokes on the reserves team. She couldn't help but smile, thinking it some sort of magic elixir that took away all her nerves and shyness.
"Good to see you here," Oliver said. "You remember Ian and Walter." Emmie looked just behind him, seeing his roommates. They held up their cups to her and she nodded towards them, smiling warmly. "You look… great."
Emmie looked down at her cup, feeling the heat enter her cheeks.
"That would be our doing," Melanie said, stepping up to her side. "Had to hold her down to get her hair and makeup done."
"I wasn't that bad," Emmie said, casting a disdainful look at her friend. Melanie just chuckled.
"You were," she said, before turning her attention to Oliver. "So… are you going to ask our Emmie to dance or what?" Oliver sputtered slightly as his eyes went wide and he looked from Melanie to Emmie.
"If you're willin', that is," he said, meeting her eyes. Emmie blinked, but before she could answer, Melanie had taken her cup from her and was pushing her towards Oliver. He grabbed her arms, steadying her before letting go and turning towards the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. He took her hand and led her through the people. Emmie looked down at it, thinking that she liked the way her hand fit into his. The other half of her brain was screaming and dancing around - she was about to dance with Oliver Wood. Emmie tried to drown that side of her mind out, lest it cause her to do something embarrassing. Oliver stopped and turned to face her. Just as they were about to start moving, the song abruptly changed to something slower, causing Emmie to look around, trying to locate whoever was in charge of the music. She was sure this was some sort of set-up by one of her friends. Oliver cleared his throat and then held his hands out to her.
Emmie took his hand and then reached up, putting her other on his shoulder as he took her waist and started moving with the music. She was acutely aware of how close they were and looked anywhere but up at his face. That was a bad idea as she saw Melanie and Toni grinning at her, then the twins giving her a thumbs up from near them. She abruptly turned her head and found herself looking up into Oliver's dark brown eyes. She froze for a moment, getting caught up in them. Blimey, they looked even better up close. She then shook her head, trying to fight off the blush that was surely deepening across her pale cheeks.
"You really do look rather pretty tonight," Oliver said softly. Emmie felt her heart jump slightly at the confession.
"I, ehm… it's not really my sort of… style," she said. "It's Melanie's dress…"
"Suits you," Oliver continued. "Though you look good in just about anything." Emmie glanced around. Blimey, she needed to change the subject, lest she end up stuttering the whole time.
"So… who's idea was it to host a party?" she asked, glancing up at him. He looked around the room.
"Ehm, not completely sure, though I think my roommates had something to do with it. As did Fred and George," he replied.
"Suppose that makes sense," she said, feeling much more comfortable with this line of topic. "If it's anything like Hufflepuff, take it you've got a fair amount of parties throughout the year." Oliver chuckled as he nodded.
"What's a Hufflepuff party like?" he asked.
"Basically, the same," she said. "Music, lots of food. Drinks. Though I don't think anyone gets dressed up. Nor is there dancing. Just sitting around and talking or playing games."
"Suppose this is just Hallowe'en for you," he said. "Dare say there's not much dancing at ours usually. Nor the dressing up bit."
Emmie couldn't help but appreciate how good he looked in his burgundy pullover and khaki trousers. It was a bit snug, showing off his well-earned physique. Merlin, that was not a good train of thought either as she felt the heat rise up in her cheeks again.
"Why aren't you in fancy dress?" she asked, glancing around. It was about half and half - seemed some had managed to find time to put some sort of costume together before the event.
"Ehm… not much for fancy dress," he admitted, smiling at her. "Take it you aren't as well."
"Didn't have time between class and quidditch," she said. Someone bumped into them from behind, pushing Emmie flush up against Oliver. Both of their eyes widened at the contact as they gazed at each other. Emmie felt her breath hitch in her throat as Oliver swallowed. For a moment, they remained frozen before she saw a slight, nearly imperceptible movement from Oliver. He tilted his head towards her slightly and she knew that he was likely to kiss her.
This was it, she thought. He was going to kiss her. She was finally going to kiss her crush. A million thoughts ran through her head in the short span of time that she looked up at him. What should she do? Should she lean towards him? Where were her hands? What did she do with them?
Of all the things she could have done, for some reason her body settled on the last thing she wanted. Before Oliver could move closer, she stepped back and out of his arms, grinning all too brightly as she struggled to breathe.
"Thirsty?" she asked before quickly turning around and heading towards the drink table as the music picked up and the mood was broken.
What was that, MacKenzie? she silently berated. You want to kiss him! You've been wanting to kiss him for YEARS!
Yea, but not in front of bloody everyone! the other half of her mind argued back. This was also true.
Oliver stared after Emmie a moment before slowly moving to follow. Christ, he had nearly kissed her in the middle of the common room. What was he thinking? It was obvious from her reaction that he had spooked her. He wasn't even sure what had possessed him to do such a thing, other than he had gotten caught up for a bit. She was pushed into him and they were so close, looking into each other's eyes. He had sensed something in hers and, Merlin, he couldn't help but think she looked gorgeous staring up at him. While he appreciated the dress and makeup, she didn't necessarily need it, in his opinion.
By the time he reached the table, Emmie had just gulped down the contents of one cup and held it out to be refilled. He stood back a bit, unsure of what to do.
But it appeared that he couldn't deny it anymore. Not now. He, Oliver Wood, fancied Emmie MacKenzie. At least that much was clear. His roommates were going to give him hell for this.
"Any reason in particular why you're avoiding Wood?" Kara asked softly as she slipped up to Emmie's side later on, causing her to jump slightly. She then smiled and shrugged as she looked back out at the party.
"No reason," she said lightly. "Just perusing my options." Kara raised her eyebrows at her normally shy friend, wondering just how much she had had to drink. Emmie was now bobbing her head with the music as she looked around, then stopped.
"Good to see you, MacKenzie," a tall seventh year Gryffindor - Lionel Williams - said as he walked up.
"You as well," Emmie said in response, looking him up and down appreciatively.
"Bloody Merlin," Kara muttered. She needed to get the cup out of her friend's hand and her back to Hufflepuff safely before she made a fool of herself. Apparently firewhiskey did loosen her up.
"Not often we see you out at parties," he said, stepping closer to her. Emmie pushed off the table she had been leaning against and took a short, wobbly step towards him.
"Well, decided it was time for a change," she said. Kara's eyes widened slightly. So Emmie could flirt. She just needed a bit of liquid courage. If only she could somehow divert her towards Wood's direction. She wasn't sure just what had happened with them earlier after they danced together a bit, but she wasn't about to let Emmie get too distracted. She was already juggling enough crushes as it was, even if she wouldn't admit that she like Diggory.
"It's a nice change," Williams said, stepping a bit closer and smiling down at her. He reached out and tucked a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. Emmie giggled in response.
Kara sighed and turned to walk away a bit. As much as she didn't want to be witness, she also didn't want to interrupt. Not when Emmie was finally being a bit more outgoing. She would stay nearby, ready to step in if necessary, but it was time that she allowed her friend to make her own choices without someone hovering around her. She was 16.
"Oh, sorry," she said, bumping into someone.
"It's fine," Oliver replied, smiling as he looked down at her. He then looked over, his smile fading slightly. Kara was fairly sure she knew what he was seeing, though she glanced over, seeing Williams and Emmie now much closer, smiling and laughing as they spoke to each other. Kara sighed and looked back at him. "Ehm, have fun."
He then walked away, disappearing into the crowd. Kara shook her head, and stepped over to the side, content with watching for the time being. This was turning out to be something.
"Why are we leavin'?" Emmie asked as she stumbled out of the portrait hole.
"Shhh!" Kara hissed at her, quickly stepping up to loop her arm through Emmie's, in part to keep her from falling over.
"I was having fun," Emmie managed to whisper this time as Kara led her down the corridors, Melanie and Toni just behind them.
"You have had enough fun," Kara said, glancing at her. "For tonight, anyway."
"Why have I never noticed how fit Williams is," Emmie mused to herself. Kara looked back at Melanie and Toni, who were fighting off their giggles. She had been debating when or if she needed to step in there, but thankfully Emmie had tripped and nearly fell over when he leaned in towards her, mostly like to snog her. Kara had then rushed up and grabbed her by the elbow, saying it was time to get her to bed. She caught the stern look cast their way by Fincher on their way out and knew that even if she hadn't stepped in to take her back, then he would have. All the quidditch blokes were rather protective of Emmie like that.
"In your state, I'm sure you'd find anyone fit," Kara muttered.
"True," Emmie said with a giggle. "Starting to think even Flint isn't so bad..."
"Good thing he wasn't around," Kara said, rolling her eyes. That would have spelled certain disaster. Emmie sighed as she leaned her head on Kara's shoulder as they snuck down hallways and corridors, managing to make it without seeing anyone.
"Thanks for this. I do need to get out more. I had fun," Emmie said. Kara glanced at her and smiled.
"You likely won't be too happy about it tomorrow," she said.
"That's what my brother's tonic is for," Emmie said. "I'll be right as rain by breakfast and ready to go to Hogsmeade after lunch."
"I'm sure you will," Kara said as they came up to the Hufflepuff common room. She quickly tapped out the pattern and then led Emmie in. She stopped abruptly as Cedric sat up from where he had been lying on a sofa, a book falling from his chest to the floor, startling her. Emmie grinned brightly.
"Just… wanted to make sure you lot made it back alright," he said, rubbing his eyes. He had obviously nodded off before their sudden appearance.
"Ehm… we're fine," Kara said with a brief smile. "Just need to get her to bed." Cedric nodded, his eyes falling on Emmie.
"Night, Mac," he said.
"Night, Ceddie," she said with a giggle. Kara rolled her eyes as she started towards the dorms.
"Give her firewhiskey and she turns into bloody Casanova," she muttered as Melanie and Toni chuckled behind her. "Quick to bed before some other suitor pops up from the shadows."
A bit of a taste of Emmie when she lets loose a bit.
And again, not sure how often I'll post this week – I now have 4 articles that ready to be written (2 interview profiles and 2 event reviews) on top of research for the cover and 2 interviews for 2 other articles – god, I don't know why I agreed to so many articles this issue…
Aphrodite-Venus-u.k – Thanks! A little trick I use for that – when I'm editing, I go through and read it out loud. It helps me catch typos as well as get a feel for the dialogue sections. It's something I picked up when I was working as a copy-editor for a news broadcast since the reports/anchors were going to be reading the articles out loud and it needed to sound natural and flow smoothly. And thanks! I always thought the best way to get the full story is to know what others are thinking.
Pamela Hutchins – Thanks! And thanks for reading!
Thanks to everyone for following and reading!
