Ch 13 – Completely Alone

            The two weeks from the announcing of the Yule Ball to the day it was to be held went by in a hurried frenzy. Surprisingly, despite the O.W.L.s Fred and I were both taking and studying for, our relationship was prospering. We'd been on one date to Hogsmeade and it was very sweet and romantic. I found myself not evening thinking about George's confession of what he thought Fred and Angelina had talked about, and told myself it was him turning her down and nothing more. Of course, I hadn't been able to hold a regular conversation with George since that night and Angelina being around was always a bit awkward, especially since we shared a room.

            It was a couple hours before the Yule Ball, and the girls in my room were going crazy. I kind of sat on bed and waited to be spoken to, because they were, of course, running around in their underwear trying to decide which color their dress should be. Katie stood in the middle of the room in her tube-top, red and gold glittering gown. It was gorgeous. She was gorgeous. First the dress had been navy and silver, but Alicia was having fun playing with her wand and watching Katie's dress turn different colors was rather amusing, after all.

            "Why are you already dressed? We have two hours!" Alicia sang as she sat on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest watching Katie with amusement.

            That's when we noticed Angelina was already dressed and slipping out the door at that moment.

            "Where are you going?" Alicia called. Angelina never turned around. We shrugged it off and continued to laugh at Katie.

            "I am going with the man of my dreams, 'Licia! You have no idea… I've waited forever for this to be me… and him." I sighed and shook my head. Oliver didn't know what he was getting in to.

            "You all have been dating for about a month already, though, what's the big deal? It's just a dance." I smiled teasingly at Katie who grinned sarcastically in response.

            "Yes, but this is Oliver Wood, the Oliver Wood!" She exclaimed and jumped on the bed with Alicia. Her dress puffing up as she landed with a thud.

            "Alicia, you never did tell us who you were going with…" Katie asked, nudging our friend in the ribs. Alicia's face turned pink.

            "Wait, let me guess… Lee!" I giggled and threw a pillow at the blushing girl.

            Alicia just nodded her head, confirming my guess. Katie laughed so hard and fell backward on the bed.

            "That's too cute!" Katie managed to say between gasps for breath.

            "Yeah… too cute," I agreed, smiling. I couldn't help it, but I was nervous. I had butterflies. I could imagine tonight being perfect. I knew what I wanted every detail to be and as the time grew nearer, I was more anxious.

            "Well, you know, Alicia, I'm pretty good with hair charms… I could help you." Katie sat up after catching her breath. "Do you even know what you're wearing?"

            Alicia just sat there.

            "NO!?" Katie and I exclaimed at the same time. Immediately we had Alicia standing in the middle of the room, using any dress charm we knew. We ended up leaving her in a very flattering spaghetti strapped red dress with silver beads all the way down.

            "We still have awhile before it starts," Alicia complained, not wanting to get her hair and make up done any time soon. So, the four of us sat around and talked about nothing in particular.

            "So what about you and Oliver, Katie? How far?" Alicia asked curiously, eying Katie up and down in a suggestive manner. Katie only giggled.

            "None of that!" Her cheeks turned as red as her dress and we all laughed.

            "Right, Like I believe that," I replied.

            "We've kissed, so what?" Her cheeks were still flushed.

            "OOo, Ollie Wollie is such a big boy, now!" Alicia taunted Katie and I laughed hysterically. Before I knew it, they were turning on me.

            "And how about Mrs. Fred Weasley over there?" Katie asked mockingly.

            "Hey, I never said anything… I don't kiss and tell!" I giggled still, my cheeks were as pink as my hello kitty pillow.

            "So there's a kiss she's not supposed to tell about!" Alicia laughed with Katie and myself. Luckily, the conversation didn't continue. Not that there would have been much to talk about. A couple of snogging sessions, but that was it. Fred was never any more forward than any other guy would be. I was actually quite impressed with the way acted when it was just the two of us.

            "Well, girls… we have thirty minutes, say it's about time to get hair and dresses finalized?" Katie said anxiously, jumping from the bed.

            "Elyse, you're the only one not dressed. Hurry up!," Alicia said.

            "Yes ma'am," I grinned and got up to stand in the middle of the room. For some odd reason, I felt like a human sacrifice. Hopefully they wouldn't make me look too hideous, even though I told myself I could change whatever they did.

            First they put me in pink. A pink on shouldered plain dress that I hated.

            "I can't wear pink at Christmas time. No way. And plus, my shoulders are too burly to have one covered and the other shown. It's a fact," I complained. After a few more disasters, Alicia and Katie's jaw dropped and I looked down to find myself in a beautiful dark emerald green dress, tube top with corset back and a huge green ball gown skirt. It had gold shimmers that were more consistent on the bottom and I had a matching green material to drape around my shoulders. I was definitely pleased.

            "Wow, Elyse, that's amazing," Katie said as she nodded her head in approval, along with Alicia.

            "Thanks," I blushed again, but not as hard as the first time.

            Katie did all three of our hair-dos. Alicia's ended up being a tight bun with curled tendrils around her face, with red flowers in the bun. She decided to leave my hair halfway down in long waves and half up with some hair in my face. For her own, she put it up and straight with some hair escaping the original bun she'd made. I was very pleased. I did my own make up with matching emerald eye-shadow and gold glitter, and luscious red lipstick. I was ready to face the boys who were now waiting in the common room. After the other two were done, we all stood in the middle of the room.

            "Ready?" I asked.

            "Ready," they both replied.

            "Let's go," I smiled and opened the door, allowing those two to exit first. Oliver was standing in the common room at the end of the stairs in a very nice black dress robe. Lee stood next to Oliver. Of course Lee was no comparison to Oliver, but he also wore a nice maroon dress robe that surprisingly, did not clash horribly with our dress for Alicia. I watched as Oliver took Katie's hand and kissed her on the cheek and Lee escorted Alicia across the room. I had never seen Oliver act like anything but… well, Oliver, Quidditch team obsessed captain. He was being a gentlemen. Speaking of gentlemen, where was mine?

            I looked around the room for Fred but there was not sign of him anywhere until I heard someone moving around in the boys rooms. I waited for a few minutes until I decided to go up there myself. Big mistake.

            I knocked on the door and the shuffling stopped. Fred opened the door and then I saw Angelina in the background, standing in the middle of the room. I was shocked. Why would they do that when he knew he was taking me to the Yule Ball? Then to my horror, Fred and Angelina… laughed. They laughed as I stood there… shaking. Before I knew it, I was running. Running out of the tower, running through the corridors… running out of the castle, with no one chasing me… completely alone.