Saturday came quickly, as did the next reduction of Dora's waist. While it wasn't quite eighteen and a quarter, it was a shade under eighteen and three eighths. She had also fully adjusted to her new night corset the night before, and she knew that her new figure didn't show up under her casual robes. An older woman (or fellow corseter) might be able to tell, but anyone else would think Dora was just wearing a bra. Becky would find out in a few days, but not Polly, and she was glad. All of this was enough to put Dora in a good mood when they Apparated to Diagon Alley.

"You'll make sure we're measured separately for our dress robes, won't you?" Dora asked again, just before the three of them made the trip.

"Yes, honey," her mum answered with patience. "It's really quite standard, as dress robes are more tailored anyway, and you would have to disrobe in order to be measured. No one with any sense would allow a teenage young lady to be measured without her clothes on."

"Just be your confident self," her dad added, squeezing her shoulders. "Your friends will still be your friends."

Dora nodded, then took a deep breath. "All right. I'm ready."

They barely had to wait a minute outside of Gringotts before Polly and her mother appeared. Dora had met her friend's mother before, but it had been fairly brief. Now, she tried to get a good look at both of them without trying to stare. Polly looked the same, wearing a pair of dark blue casual robes that showed nothing. Her mother's robes, like Andromeda's, were more form-fitting and showed off a waist that was not as small as Dora's mother, but certainly as small as Dora's. Maybe smaller. So, her friend had grown up with a mum who had trained her waist. That was a bit reassuring...

"Dora!" Polly beamed, her blond curls bouncing along with her. "It's so good to see you!"

Suddenly, Dora felt her friend hug her, and before she could worry about her friend finding out, she was certain that she was also wearing a corset!

The two grinned as they discovered each other's secret, and Dora was certain that the day-and coming school year-would be a lot easier.

Of course, it would be improper to talk about this in public.

They went to the bank first, where Andromeda made a withdrawal from their vault. Dora was relieved to see that there were still lots of gold, silver, and bronze coins remaining. Andromeda's uncle had given them a large sum of money when she and Ted had married, and the goblins invested it for them, but he'd continue to give them money over the years.

Polly and her mother politely looked aside while Andromeda withdrew the money, and they did the same when it was her turn. Dora caught a glimpse of the vault, though, and there was at least as much money there as in her parents' vault. Not that she was very surprised.

They weren't as rich as her parents had been, based on the tales of the Black manors, but they had more than enough.

"What do you say about picking out robes next?" Polly's mother asked, putting away her money bag. "They need dress robes, and Polly's outgrown her school ones. Her winter cloak as well, although I certainly hope she won't be needing a new one for a few more months!"

"So has Dora," Andromeda laughed. "We purchased those earlier this summer, though we didn't know she would need dress robes. Goodness, I hadn't even thought of a winter cloak! Yes, let's go there next."

There were a few younger witches and wizards in front of them when they arrived, looking a bit scared.

"First years?" Ted asked them, and they nodded.

"Going to start at Hogwarts?" Andromeda asked, kindly, and there were more nods. "Don't be afraid. It's a lovely school, and the teachers are very good."

Except Snape, Dora thought, but didn't voice this out loud.

Polly did it for her. "Except for Professor Snape. Oh, he doesn't mind Slytherins, but he hates everyone else."

Andromeda, Dora could tell, was trying not to laugh, and Polly's mother was outright smiling.

"Yes, he's one to watch out for. The others are quite good, though," she allowed.

They smiled back, a little uncertain, and then a few adults wearing robes emerged, which led to a conversation amongst the five of them.

Polly pulled Dora aside. "How have your holidays been?"

"Great! We got back from the beach a week ago," Dora said, easily. "How was your trip to Scotland?"

"A bit colder than here," Polly admitted, "but more like the fall here than the winter. I enjoyed seeing Fred and Emma."

"They're your muggle cousins on your dad's side?" she asked.

Polly, like Dora, had a father who was muggle-born. He worked at the Ministry, though, as an Unspeakable, and that often meant Saturday hours.

"Yes, we see them at least one holiday a year. They love hearing about Hogwarts," Polly added, after taking a breath, "although they can't say anything about me to their friends."

Dora nodded. Direct family could know, but no one else. It was simply too risky.

"Do you think they ever get a bit...jealous?" she asked, carefully.

Polly considered. "Sometimes. But they don't have to study nearly as hard as we do. Especially during the Easter holidays! They often don't have any schoolwork to do as well. But," she added, glancing around in case anyone was listening (no one was), "I think they reckon my mum and I and every witch is plain mad after they saw me this time."

"Why now?" Dora wondered. With a light nudge, she added, "I've known it for two years, and they've known you far longer than that."

Polly snorted. "You know, Dora." She gestured towards her stomach, then put a hand on her hip, holding the fabric so that Dora could see it go farther in than any regular, uncorseted waist. "We're both wearing them, aren't we?"

Dora nodded. "Yes."

It was a relief to say that one word, and even more so that Polly would not just be on her side, but would be wearing them as well come the fall term.

Polly smiled. "I was afraid of being the only one, but Mum said that all decent girls from pure-blood families would be starting."

"Mine gave me a choice of corsets or bras when she saw that I was starting to...grow," Dora explained. "I was sure I would prefer bras, but they were positively dreadful. One even gave me a rash."

"Oh yes, my cousins wear them," Polly agreed, with a slight shudder. "They admit they're not comfortable, but still can't believe I can breathe properly. Muggles, you know," she added, with a light laugh.

It was then Dora's turn to be fitted, so they had to stop talking.

"Good morning," Andromeda greeted, once they were in a small fittings room. "Dora needs dress robes this term, as well as two winter cloaks, so we've returned."

The witches laughed warmly. "Oh yes, the new requirement for dress robes has rather come as a surprise to everyone. How many sets were you thinking of purchasing?"

Her mum was caught off guard by this. "Sets?"

"Oh, the school only requires one, but some families are purchasing more than that," Madam Malkins explained.

Andromeda turned to Dora. "Would you like to have a second set, honey?"

Dora shrugged. "Do you think I'll need them? And if I outgrow them before I do..."

"I can include extra material so they can be let out," Madam Malkins offered. "They would last a few more years that way."

Dora shrugged again, leaving the decision to her mother. Her mother gave her a small smile, then nodded.

"Very well. I expect two different colors will be best, at any rate," she agreed. "Now, regarding the waist size..."

Madam Malkins had Dora remove her robes, and inspected her in her corset and her chemise. She had Dora take several deep breaths, and gently prodded her with her wand a few times.

"She's nearly at eighteen and a quarter now," the witch noted. "How small would you like the waist?"

"We've discussed this," Andromeda answered, handing Dora back her robes. "I believe that Dora can comfortably manage an eighteen inch waist and attend any dances that require exertion within a few months. If her waist gets any smaller than that, the house elves can make the adjustments. However," she added, "for the purpose of being cautious, I believe there should be enough fabric in the seams to allow for a nineteen inch waist."

"Yes, that seems wise," Madam Malkins agreed. "Without severe measures, many girls who train tend to loosen their schedules once they're away from home, much to the chagrin of their mothers."

Andromeda smiled kindly at Dora. "She's quite self-motivated, but I would still prefer the extra material."

Madam Malkins proceeded to show them robe styles that were, in her words, appropriate for young ladies. Dora's school robes and casual robes had been made out of the same soft cotton material for as long as she could remember. Her cousins had said that they looked more like gowns than robes, but they were thinking of the sorts of capes that muggles wore at graduation ceremonies. She had seen muggle movies about King Arthur, and thought that what witches and wizards wore were similar to that. A bit more full past the waist, though.

These robes, or robe models, were made up of varying types of fabric, from warm wool that didn't scratch to silk. But silk was too fine for a school dance, according to both Madam Malkins and her mother, and Dora had a feeling that she would tear the fabric by tripping before the dance had even started. She was more graceful in her corset, sure, but that was like saying a tiger was less ferocious than a lion. She couldn't wear something that couldn't handle a bit of roughness.

Then, there were the styles. Some of the robes contained enough lace and ribbons to make her mother's corsets look plain. Dora would feel like a complete nincompoop wearing something like that! But there were others that still had some decorations without being swarmed by it.

"I rather like this one," she said, softly.

It was green, but not the Slytherin bold green. It was lighter, a mix of blue and perhaps beige and green, depending on the light. The fabric had wide sleeves, not the huge puffs Dora had seen in family photographs, but larger than the ones of her regular robes. There were folds throughout, coming together at the waist, no doubt to emphasize it. And if Dora could get her waist down to eighteen inches (perhaps even seventeen and a half?), they would certainly emphasize it. Along the folds were beautiful embroidered flowers, also in the same color, as well as the bottom part of the skirt-starting around the knees. Not to mention that was full all around, fuller than her usual robes, which had quite a lot of material. The best part was the texture. She knew it was linen, because that's what her mum always wore, but Dora thought that once she put these robes on, she'd never want to take them off.

Of course, the chemise would cover up a good part of her body, but she would still feel the fabric along her arms and below her knees.

"Oh, that is lovely!" her mother agreed, taking the garment and holding it again Dora. "It goes well with your coloring, too."

"It's a rather mature look, but nothing too grown up for a thirteen year old. Your daughter will look a couple of years older in it, and lovely," Madam Malkins put in. "It's a style doesn't work for everyone, although certainly it would for you, dear. Let me find your size."

She disappeared and, before Dora could say anything, returned with one, which she helped Dora into. Of course, the waist was far too large, but everything else seemed to fit well enough.

Madam Malkins waved her wand to cinch in the extra fabric, and then beckoned for Dora to look at herself in the full-length mirror. She stared, and a very pretty-maybe even beautiful-young woman stared back.

"Wow," she murmured.

Her mum put her hands on her shoulders. "I do believe it was made for you."

Her second dress robe had the same embroidery she loved, no tapered sleeves, and the same large sleeves. It was rich blue, and received similar comments from her mum and the older witch.

Purchasing cloaks for colder weather was less complicated. The current fashion was wool on the outside, and linen on the inside. "To prevent itching," the older witch had explained. They chose one pair in navy, and another in brown with blue embroidery to make it look more pretty. Dora hoped that she wouldn't need to wear them for quite some time, but was happy to have them all the same.

They were very happy indeed when Andromeda paid for the dress robes (now altered to have an eighteen inch waist, and an extra foot of material at the bottom in a "grow as you grow" charm), and the two cloaks, and they returned to wait for Polly and her mother to take their turn.

There was no one else waiting, so Andromeda and her mother could speak freely. (Her father had gone ahead to the bookshop. He could easily spend hours perusing the shelves, and wouldn't mind waiting for them.)

"That went well," Andromeda said, smiling and looking at Dora. "I thought the selections you made were lovely."

Dora grinned. "I didn't expect to have so many choices. D'you think that many girls will choose the style with all that lace? And ribbons?"

"Well, they were quite stylish back in my day," she answered, her eyes showing amusement even if her tone did not, "and many women choose to remain with a style that suits them. We also live much longer than muggles, so you may eventually come across witches and wizards who still wear styles that were popular over a century ago."

"But girls my age?" Dora pressed.

She laughed. "Perhaps not many of them."

"Mum," Dora added, after a moment, "Polly's wearing a corset as well. So that will be at least two of us."

"I rather thought she might be. Not because it showed under her robes, but how she was standing." She glanced around, then at Dora. "She appears to be less at ease than you."

"You think she finds it uncomfortable?" she asked, frowning.

"I can't be sure just from looking at her!" Andromeda answered, with a bit of a laugh. "It could be that she's laced tighter than her comfort level. It could also be that she's less used to the posture they impose," Andromeda explained. "Did she look paler or need to pause to take breaths more than usual?"

Dora thought for a minute. "I don't think so..."

"Hmm," Andromeda mused. "Would you like to have her spend the night?"

"If her parents will let her," Dora answered.

"We'll ask," she promised, putting an arm around her shoulders.

A few minutes later, Polly and Mrs. Roberts emerged, looking happy. They spent the next few minutes showing their new dress robes. Polly had also chosen two, of the same style. One was a lovely periwinkle blue, which would bring out her eyes, and the other was rose. There was a bit more lace than Dora would have chosen for herself, but the old fashioned style seemed to suit her friend.

"We just need to get her measurements down a bit more," Mrs. Roberts put in, her voice lowering a bit.

"I'm trying as hard as I can, Mother!" Polly protested, putting her hands to her waist.

She immediately went silent, and Andromeda filled the silence.

"Dora's begun as well," she said, as they began to walk.

"It's difficult, isn't it?" Mrs. Roberts asked, giving Dora a sympathetic look.

Dora wasn't sure what to say about this. The hardest part had been sleeping in a corset, and the second hardest seasoning. The first felt like a distant memory, and the second was almost finished.

After a pause, she said as much, and her friend's mother agreed.

"It took me nearly a week to be able to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to unlace," Mrs. Roberts recalled.

"It's difficult for nearly everyone, I expect," Andromeda said, with a sigh. "It certainly took me that long to adjust, and Dora struggled at the beginning, although her day training was going beautifully."

Polly walked a bit ahead, clearly not wanting to hear about her or her mother's issues with corsets, and Dora picked up the pace.

"Is it very uncomfortable, right now?" she couldn't help but ask.

Polly sighed. "I can speak all right, and I know I won't faint, but I miss being able to take deep breaths and just relax. Except during the evenings, before I go to bed, when Mum lets me loosen to two inches below whatever measurement she has me at. I expect she knows I won't lace as hard at school, and is pushing me as much as she can right now." Then, she glanced at Dora. "What about you?"

Dora shrugged. "Like I told your mum, it was hard getting used to sleeping in them, although using the underbust model has worked really well. Now, it's just the seasoning, but that's for sleeping. I wear my mum's old ones during the day, and they fit me beautifully."

"Breaking them in is hard. My mum ordered me new ones, and the one I have on closes at twenty. That's assuming I ever make it to that," Polly added, with a small sigh. "It's my rotten luck that I take after my father's side of the family. They're all rather large."

"Did you start once you got home?" Dora asked, curiously.

Her friend nodded, looking sour. "Mother took me to get measured on my first day back. Said she should have started when I began my bleeding last fall. I had a week of freedom before I began," Polly added, "and another week before she thought I should start sleeping in them." Then, she laughed. "I was rather surprised to find that you're laced up. Would have bet you'd want a bra, instead."

"I did, at first," Dora admitted, "and Mum called my dad's older sister--my Aunt Susan--because she didn't know the first thing about bras and neither did Dad." She made a face. "It was awful. We must have gone to at least five shops, and I had to dress like a muggle, and there was a lot of pinching and prodding as these muggle women measured me. I came home with at least fifteen different bras, all of which were dreadful, and one even gave me a rash! So, Mum got out her largest corset from when she was my age, and it was loads more comfortable."

"How much did she take you in?" Polly wanted to know.

"Just an inch until I became used to it. After a few days, that was too loose, and I went down to two inches. I reckoned it was around then that she asked if I wanted to train instead of just use it as an alternative to a bra. And I did," Dora concluded, with a bit of a grin.

"I reckon I would have liked to be able to try out a bra, but the way you describe it, they sound even worse," Polly murmured.

"They are. The worst are the ones with wires. But the straps! If they don't dig into you, they keep moving around. Oh, it was awful," Dora said, shuddering. "Mum wanted me to keep the least horrible one, and I did, but it's with all my mismatched socks. And that's still too nice a place for it!"

Polly giggled. "Poor things, having to share a drawer with that!"

"Not for long, if Mum fixes them. Then, the rotten bra will have a drawer all to herself," Dora determined, with a grin. "Come on, let's get our new schoolbooks!"

Author's note:

I didn't want to be repetitive by making every one of Dora's friends and classmates have the same story with wearing a corset or waist training. Especially in a traditional world, I expect that some will have experiences a BIT closer to Andromeda's than Dora's...but to a much, much smaller degree. More of that development later, as I obviously don't want to write this as a "corsets are torture devices" fic. We have enough of those, don't you think?

While I did begin on the next chapter, it hasn't saved, so I technically don't have anything written. Which gives me space to improvise, I suppose!

Thanks for all the kind feedback so far!