Emma rushed to breakfast the next morning to eat her breakfast of eggs and bacon. She looked around the dining hall to try to catch a glimpse of Tom Riddle and finally found him seated at his usual place at the end of the Slytherin table. She examined his face and tried to find the flaw in her sketch, but she could just not put a finger on it! Frustrated, Emma pulled her book bag from where it was hidden under the table (so as not to be stolen again,) took out her case binder, and removed the sketch from its pages. As soon as she did though Elizabeth, who was seated across from her, upon seeing the drawing snatched it from her hands.
"O…M…G!", Elizabeth exclaimed, "Is this who I think it is?" She peered over her shoulder to look at the Slytherin table behind her. Giggling, she compared Tom's likeness to the one on the page.
"This is like, so accurate!" She declared. Elizabeth wasn't a bad friend. Sure, she ranted all of her boy problems to Emma, gave her way to many hair tips, and teased her sometimes but she was kind and loyal, at least most of the time.
"Are you going to ask him to the Merlin Ball?" Elizabeth asked in her soft voice, "I would not mind doing your hair or helping you pick out a dress to match your eyes." She touched Emma's red, curly hair absentmindedly. She was, in fact, being sincere for once. Elizabeth really did have talent when it came to making Emma look presentable. She had a knack for finding the perfect dress color and style to match Emma's most prized features: her long, silky, red hair and her dark green eyes.
"No! I…I couldn't!" Emma objected, her eyes downcast, "Besides, even if I did no one wants to go out with 'The Cursed Girl' to the Merlin Ball!" Elizabeth bit her lip, she did not know how to respond to this.
"Uhmm… Well, how do you know that?" She ventured. Emma looked up from her plate.
"What?" She questioned, "What do you mean by that?" Elizabeth awkwardly shifted to a different position in her chair.
"Well… Have you even asked someone yet?" She asked, feeling more sure of her question. Now it was Emma's turn to bite her lip. She hadn't ever thought about actually asking someone she had just assumed they would say no immediately.
"No not… not really. I just thought if I asked someone they would automatically say no."
Elizabeth looked scandalized as if she could not imagine Emma not being desired by every boy in the whole school.
"Why would you ever think that!" She asked, astonished. Emma looked at her as if she was joking and asked so.
"Are you kidding me? You honestly think people would want to go to the dance with me." Elizabeth nodded
"Of course! Why would they not? You are a girl, you are witty, polite, and best of all you are beautiful!" She exclaimed. Emma shook her head as Elizabeth. Emma pushed her plate away, she felt done with her breakfast. She stood up and started walking out the dining hall.
"Emma! Emma! I didn't mean- Just come back! Emma!" Elizabeth called behind her but Emma ignored her and wove through the House Tables towards the door. As she walked past the Slytherin table she saw Tom's head look up and felt his eyes on her back when she pushed open the large doors to the hallway and walked out.
