Ginny woke up that day, happy, content, and mysteriously energetic. She
followed her gut feeling out the portrait hole and into the Great Hall
where gossip about who would be dancing with whom the next night rang
through in annoying, familiar, and high voices. Girls of all sorts flocked
to groups of guys, hoping they would be asked out to the dance if they
hadn't already.
"Gins!" Alexis called from the opposite end. In a flurry of excitement and happiness, Alexis made her way to Ginny. As she passed a group of scattered chairs, she tripped over one of the legs and began to stumble forward towards the floor. As she came a few feet away from falling on her face, she regained her balance and stood there like a deer in headlights. She smiled meekly as she waved the staring audience to their groups. As conversations began again, Alexis walked slowly and cautiously over to the waiting Ginny. "Oops." She said as she arrived.
"Smooth." Ginny smiled as she restrained a flow of laughter, yet failed horribly.
"I never said I was Cinderella." Alexis huffed as they started off towards an empty section at the end of Gryffindors table. (Obviously this is early in the morning or there wouldn't be any empty seats.)
"You never said you were Dumbo either."
"Are you calling me an elephant?"
"Just the clumsy part when Dumbo tripped over his ears."
"How do we know it was a he?"
"How do you know it was a she?"
"Damn you, Gins, you always win."
"So, what do you want, Cinderella?"
"Tristen asked me to the dance."
"Finally."
"We only met two weeks ago."
"Only?"
"Okay, so I was slow with him. He's special, remember?"
"Yeah. Like Draco."
"Yeah, to you."
"To me."
"So, what ARE we going to wear?"
"Clothes, I hope."
"Me too."
Astella stepped out of her room with a sad look on her face. As she opened her bloodshot eyes, she found Ron sitting in the Common Room, alone. He looked up when he heard the door slam shut. Astella blushed the slightest, and she seemed to be unable to control her blinking eyes. She smiled a bit and began to head into her room, until that is, Ron called her over.
"Astella, come sit down." He motioned to a seat across from his. He put down the Quidditch magazine he was reading as she sat down. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing you could help with. It's nothing really. It's just that---" She stammered and than threw her face into her hands in a flourish of tears and sobs.
"Astella? What is it?"
"Oh, Ron, I could never amount to anything! I could never beat my brother at anything! He was always better! Mom and Dad liked him best!" As she hid herself in her robe, Ron covered her hunched shoulders with his, slightly muscular arm.
"What are you talking about? You have a brother?"
"Yeah. He graduated two years ago. He's always been better at everything. And ever since I got to Hogwarts, I've been compared to him constantly and I just got an owl that he was excepted into the N.W.W.A.A.D."
"The what?"
"The National Wizards and Witched Association and Appreciation of Dragons."
"Oh."
"And now I'll never amount to anything with my parents!"
"Astella you will always amount to something!"
"What? In your eyes, what?"
"A great person, a great friend, a great dresser, great…" (Okay, I had to make Ron sweet, I had to!)
"Great? You really think so?" Astella connected with his eyes with hers.
"Really." Ron stared at her for a minute before continuing.
"Ron, I-" Ron held up his hand. As he brought it down they began to lean into each other, closing their eyes. As they neared each other's lips, Harry walked in followed by Hermione and Valerie.
"Holy.."
"Oh, my god!"
"Ron!"
The two were snapped awake. As Ron looked over to Astella, trying to get her to stay, she stood up and ran away in embarrassed.
"Guys!" Ron yelled as he ran after her.
Valerie said, "Uh, does anyone know what just happened here?"
"Nuh-uh." Hermione and Harry chorused.
"Okay, I got my dress, do you have yours?" Alexis asked as Astella, Ginny, Valerie, and Alexis looked out of their changing rooms at 'Ches Paris Fleur Clothing', the new clothes store.
"I got mine!" Ginny smiled as she ducked back through the curtain.
"Mine too!" Astella added, a little more cheered up than she used to be.
"Me too!" Valerie smiled mischeviously.
"Boys, here we come!" Alexis smiled.
The next day went smoother than anyone had thought it would. It was the morning before the party and thanks to Ginny, Hermione, and Valerie; Astella was in a better mood than she had been the other day about herself. The four had decided to go shopping, but Hermione had retrieved her dress earlier and was 'boosting her ego' in front of the mirror in the girls bathroom.
"Shall we?" Alexis added. The group looped their arms as the joyfully walked down the streets of Hogsmeade, laughing, talking, and having fun.
"I'm having the best time of my life." Astella smiled as she laughed at a joke Alexis was telling.
"No, you're having one of them." Ginny smiled
"I am?"
"Yeah, wait till you go to the dance in your new dress. Now THAT'S going to be the favorite part of your life!" Alexis commented.
"I hope so!" Astella smiled back at the group.
"Me too!" Valerie put in.
The tension in the school rose as the students began to show happiness at the upcoming dance. Everyone everywhere was ecstatic. People were screaming for joy and girls were prepping themselves as the guys bragged about how many dances they would get in. There was a constant uproar; however, about a mystery man who would arrive with the love of his life to claim. And only one person in the whole school knew who that mystery man was, himself.
"Ginny!" Alexis called from their room. Ginny looked up from her chair in the Common Room.
"What?"
"Come here!"
"Why?"
"I need your help!"
"For what?"
"Come here, already!"
"Fine!" Ginny got up from her seat. She walked in and found Alexis running around the room, groaning in frustration. "What, are you doing?" Ginny asked with a pause in between the 'what' and 'are'.
"Looking." Alexis ran to the other side of the room and opened the top drawer to their dresser.
"Looking for what?"
"Me."
"Alexis,"
"What?" She looked up from her search.
"Hold your hand out in front of your face." Ginny commanded. Alexis did as she was told with a sigh.
"And?"
"There, you've found yourself. Lets go!"
"I meant," Alexis' hand dropped to her side. "Me." She continued looking through her things.
"So it's really, who, your looking for."
"Yeah. You understand."
"Alexis, what haven't you found?"
"My ring."
"It's in the bathroom."
"You know where it is?" Alexis ran to the bathroom and screamed with happiness as she jumped up and down with joy. "Thank you, Ginny! I love you!" Alexis hugged her friend and then turned to the mirror. All of a sudden she stopped and turned to Ginny. "As a sister."
"I know." Ginny smiled as they walked down the steps to the Common Room.
"Gins!" Alexis called from the opposite end. In a flurry of excitement and happiness, Alexis made her way to Ginny. As she passed a group of scattered chairs, she tripped over one of the legs and began to stumble forward towards the floor. As she came a few feet away from falling on her face, she regained her balance and stood there like a deer in headlights. She smiled meekly as she waved the staring audience to their groups. As conversations began again, Alexis walked slowly and cautiously over to the waiting Ginny. "Oops." She said as she arrived.
"Smooth." Ginny smiled as she restrained a flow of laughter, yet failed horribly.
"I never said I was Cinderella." Alexis huffed as they started off towards an empty section at the end of Gryffindors table. (Obviously this is early in the morning or there wouldn't be any empty seats.)
"You never said you were Dumbo either."
"Are you calling me an elephant?"
"Just the clumsy part when Dumbo tripped over his ears."
"How do we know it was a he?"
"How do you know it was a she?"
"Damn you, Gins, you always win."
"So, what do you want, Cinderella?"
"Tristen asked me to the dance."
"Finally."
"We only met two weeks ago."
"Only?"
"Okay, so I was slow with him. He's special, remember?"
"Yeah. Like Draco."
"Yeah, to you."
"To me."
"So, what ARE we going to wear?"
"Clothes, I hope."
"Me too."
Astella stepped out of her room with a sad look on her face. As she opened her bloodshot eyes, she found Ron sitting in the Common Room, alone. He looked up when he heard the door slam shut. Astella blushed the slightest, and she seemed to be unable to control her blinking eyes. She smiled a bit and began to head into her room, until that is, Ron called her over.
"Astella, come sit down." He motioned to a seat across from his. He put down the Quidditch magazine he was reading as she sat down. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing you could help with. It's nothing really. It's just that---" She stammered and than threw her face into her hands in a flourish of tears and sobs.
"Astella? What is it?"
"Oh, Ron, I could never amount to anything! I could never beat my brother at anything! He was always better! Mom and Dad liked him best!" As she hid herself in her robe, Ron covered her hunched shoulders with his, slightly muscular arm.
"What are you talking about? You have a brother?"
"Yeah. He graduated two years ago. He's always been better at everything. And ever since I got to Hogwarts, I've been compared to him constantly and I just got an owl that he was excepted into the N.W.W.A.A.D."
"The what?"
"The National Wizards and Witched Association and Appreciation of Dragons."
"Oh."
"And now I'll never amount to anything with my parents!"
"Astella you will always amount to something!"
"What? In your eyes, what?"
"A great person, a great friend, a great dresser, great…" (Okay, I had to make Ron sweet, I had to!)
"Great? You really think so?" Astella connected with his eyes with hers.
"Really." Ron stared at her for a minute before continuing.
"Ron, I-" Ron held up his hand. As he brought it down they began to lean into each other, closing their eyes. As they neared each other's lips, Harry walked in followed by Hermione and Valerie.
"Holy.."
"Oh, my god!"
"Ron!"
The two were snapped awake. As Ron looked over to Astella, trying to get her to stay, she stood up and ran away in embarrassed.
"Guys!" Ron yelled as he ran after her.
Valerie said, "Uh, does anyone know what just happened here?"
"Nuh-uh." Hermione and Harry chorused.
"Okay, I got my dress, do you have yours?" Alexis asked as Astella, Ginny, Valerie, and Alexis looked out of their changing rooms at 'Ches Paris Fleur Clothing', the new clothes store.
"I got mine!" Ginny smiled as she ducked back through the curtain.
"Mine too!" Astella added, a little more cheered up than she used to be.
"Me too!" Valerie smiled mischeviously.
"Boys, here we come!" Alexis smiled.
The next day went smoother than anyone had thought it would. It was the morning before the party and thanks to Ginny, Hermione, and Valerie; Astella was in a better mood than she had been the other day about herself. The four had decided to go shopping, but Hermione had retrieved her dress earlier and was 'boosting her ego' in front of the mirror in the girls bathroom.
"Shall we?" Alexis added. The group looped their arms as the joyfully walked down the streets of Hogsmeade, laughing, talking, and having fun.
"I'm having the best time of my life." Astella smiled as she laughed at a joke Alexis was telling.
"No, you're having one of them." Ginny smiled
"I am?"
"Yeah, wait till you go to the dance in your new dress. Now THAT'S going to be the favorite part of your life!" Alexis commented.
"I hope so!" Astella smiled back at the group.
"Me too!" Valerie put in.
The tension in the school rose as the students began to show happiness at the upcoming dance. Everyone everywhere was ecstatic. People were screaming for joy and girls were prepping themselves as the guys bragged about how many dances they would get in. There was a constant uproar; however, about a mystery man who would arrive with the love of his life to claim. And only one person in the whole school knew who that mystery man was, himself.
"Ginny!" Alexis called from their room. Ginny looked up from her chair in the Common Room.
"What?"
"Come here!"
"Why?"
"I need your help!"
"For what?"
"Come here, already!"
"Fine!" Ginny got up from her seat. She walked in and found Alexis running around the room, groaning in frustration. "What, are you doing?" Ginny asked with a pause in between the 'what' and 'are'.
"Looking." Alexis ran to the other side of the room and opened the top drawer to their dresser.
"Looking for what?"
"Me."
"Alexis,"
"What?" She looked up from her search.
"Hold your hand out in front of your face." Ginny commanded. Alexis did as she was told with a sigh.
"And?"
"There, you've found yourself. Lets go!"
"I meant," Alexis' hand dropped to her side. "Me." She continued looking through her things.
"So it's really, who, your looking for."
"Yeah. You understand."
"Alexis, what haven't you found?"
"My ring."
"It's in the bathroom."
"You know where it is?" Alexis ran to the bathroom and screamed with happiness as she jumped up and down with joy. "Thank you, Ginny! I love you!" Alexis hugged her friend and then turned to the mirror. All of a sudden she stopped and turned to Ginny. "As a sister."
"I know." Ginny smiled as they walked down the steps to the Common Room.