Chapter 11 - The Halloween Ball
The next week passed along gradually, with nothing of much interest happening. Unless you count the steady increase of girlish squeals along the corridors due to the upcoming Halloween Ball. Apparently only fourth year and above would be able to attend, something which many of the girls were rubbing in to the disappointed third years.
Katie didn't join in with them, in her opinion, a ball was more like an exotic bird display in a zoo. The female birds spending hours preening their feathers in the hope of attracting a male. Most of them without much luck. That's not to say they didn't try though. Everywhere Katie went girls were hunting down boys in packs, in the hopes of terrifying one so much they'd agree just to escape. At least, that's how it seemed to Katie.
Katie hadn't bothered with all this, seeing as she was already going with Sirius, a fact the other girls now seemed to despise her for. But, as much as Katie tried to avoid it, the time soon came for Katie to find some dress robes. She hadn't thought of bringing one with her, nor any other fancy clothes for that matter. She was at a school not a palace, she thought as she knocked on Professor McGonagall's door.
"Come in." Katie entered. Professor McGonagall looked up and frowned slightly.
"I hope you're not in more trouble Miss Ashford?" More trouble? She thought. I've only been in trouble once, honestly.
"Um...no. I was actually going to ask if I could go to Hogsmeade-"
"I really don't think-"
"Please Professor? There's only one more trip before the ball and I really need to find some dress robes, I'll come back straight away, I promise." Katie waited nervously while McGonagall thought about this.
"Only to find a dress robe?"
"Only that." McGonagall sighed.
"I suppose, if it's for the ball, you may go. And needless to say, Miss Ashford, no dentention that night."
"Thanks professor." said Katie, as she headed out the door. She probably should have been pleased, well, she was about no detention. But now came the task of actually getting a dress robe. She had always through them pointless herself, why bother spending loads of money on something you'll only wear about once. But it wasn't as though she had much choice.
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Two days, one set of dress robes and a considerably lighter purse later, Katie sat frowning at her new dress robes. They were almost exactly like her school ones, except were a light, silvery blue, and slightly more fancy. She had also bought a simple silver necklace to go with it, but that was about it.
There were two hours left until the ball, and the girl's dormitory was full of so much squealing and screaming that Katie was forced to go down to the common room before she lost her sanity. About half an hour before it was due to start, Katie finally went back upstairs to get dressed, emerging twenty minutes later with the rest of the girls.
They all walked down towards the entrance hall, where everyone would be meeting their friends and dates from other houses (all the boys had been forced to wait in the entrance hall, and in relief, had stayed there).
Katie spotted Sirius waiting with James, Remus and Peter and waved. He spotted her and stood up as she walked over. Katie gave a little twirl.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Fantastic." He grinned, and offered her his hand. "Are you ready to go m'lady?"
"Well of course." she said, putting on a posh english accent. As she turned around to wave back at the others she found James with Lily, much to her surprise, and Remus and Peter each meeting up with their dates. Katie grinned at the look she had just received from a Slytherin girl, and turned back in time to walk into the great hall.
It had been beautifully decorated with orange and black silk banners hanging from the ceiling. Huge pumpkins the size of horses were randomly placed around the hall. Katie felt something on her face and looked up. Leaf shaped confetti was falling from the ceiling. After nearly swallowing some of it, Katie quickly faced forward again, and carried on.
There was a band playing on a newly constructed stage, and the four house tables and been replaced by a large amount of smaller ones, each containing empty plates, and goblets. Sirius and Katie headed over to the nearest one as Dumbledore stood up, about to say a speech before the ball officially began. Eventually everyone else had entered, the band had finished their song, and Dumbledore spoke.
"Welcome to the first annual Halloween Ball!" everyone clapped. "I hope you will all enjoy yourselves immensely, please help yourselves to refreshments" the plates filled themselves with food, "and have a great time!" everyone clapped again and stood up to walk over to the dance floor. Sirius stood up.
"Care to dance?" he asked, bowing and extending a hand.
"Well..." she began, pretending to think about it, but Sirius had already grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat.
"Whoa, okay I'm coming!" they walked over to the dance floor and started dancing, enjoying the music the band were playing. Suddenly Katie caught the eye of the same Slytherin girl who had given her an evil look before, and grinned mischievously.
"Hey Sirius."
"Yeah?"
"Follow my lead, you have an admirer." She put her arms around his waist and settled her head on his shoulder. Doing as he was told, he put his arms around her waist, and turned around to face the Slytherin girl. He gave her a small wave and turned back around, grinning. Katie could now see the girl and waved as well, laughing as she stomped off in the other direction.
Katie raised her head and laughed again.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"You're just a playboy aren't you?" He laughed.
"You bet, you know you like it."
"You wish!" she shoved him playfully a few feet.
"Hey!"
"'You know you like it!'" she mocked.
"I know what I do like." he stepped forwards again and put his arms back around her.
"Really? And what's that?" she asked, mistaking his move for messing around again.
"This." Before Katie could react he had brushed his lips gently against hers, and pulled away again. Katie stood shocked for a moment.
"Where'd that come from?" she asked, voice slightly higher than it would have been. She was panicking slightly, why would he do that? This didn't seem to be the reaction he had been expecting. Before he could stop her she had pulled away and was out through the doors, leaving him standing there alone.
Katie couldn't think straight as she walked through the empty corridors. What had that been about? Had he just been messing with her like they had done before because of the Slytherin girl? Yeah, she thought, relieved, that must be it. Why else would he do it, they were just friends after all. He was just messing around. She was suddenly stopped by a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to come face to face with Sirius.
"Katie?" he asked, obviously wanting an explanation for why she had left. He pulled her over to an empty classroom and they sat down. They sat in silence for a moment.
"Sirius, you were just messing around before right? I mean, just to show off to that Slytherin girl or whoever. Right?" He looked up at her. She looked like she was on the verge of panic. He sighed mentally.
"Yeah, I was just messing around, to show off. Like you said." he said this as though it were obvious, and she relaxed considerably.
"Oh." she sighed in relief. "Good, because it would have been so weird! We're best friends!" she laughed now that she knew he had just been messing around, and was now starting feeling pretty stupid for walking out. He laughed too, but to anyone else it would have sounded hollow. Katie stood up happily and extended her hand.
"Well? What are you waiting for? I didn't buy this daft thing for nothing!" she indicated her dress robes as they left the classroom and returned to the ball.
Nobody seemed to have noticed that they had left, and they quickly returned to the dance floor. This time just messing around, nothing else. Katie didn't notice, but Sirius had a much more depressed face when she wasn't looking.
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Muahahahaha! You didn't think I'd make it that easy did you? I bet you all hate Katie now, poor girl!
The next week passed along gradually, with nothing of much interest happening. Unless you count the steady increase of girlish squeals along the corridors due to the upcoming Halloween Ball. Apparently only fourth year and above would be able to attend, something which many of the girls were rubbing in to the disappointed third years.
Katie didn't join in with them, in her opinion, a ball was more like an exotic bird display in a zoo. The female birds spending hours preening their feathers in the hope of attracting a male. Most of them without much luck. That's not to say they didn't try though. Everywhere Katie went girls were hunting down boys in packs, in the hopes of terrifying one so much they'd agree just to escape. At least, that's how it seemed to Katie.
Katie hadn't bothered with all this, seeing as she was already going with Sirius, a fact the other girls now seemed to despise her for. But, as much as Katie tried to avoid it, the time soon came for Katie to find some dress robes. She hadn't thought of bringing one with her, nor any other fancy clothes for that matter. She was at a school not a palace, she thought as she knocked on Professor McGonagall's door.
"Come in." Katie entered. Professor McGonagall looked up and frowned slightly.
"I hope you're not in more trouble Miss Ashford?" More trouble? She thought. I've only been in trouble once, honestly.
"Um...no. I was actually going to ask if I could go to Hogsmeade-"
"I really don't think-"
"Please Professor? There's only one more trip before the ball and I really need to find some dress robes, I'll come back straight away, I promise." Katie waited nervously while McGonagall thought about this.
"Only to find a dress robe?"
"Only that." McGonagall sighed.
"I suppose, if it's for the ball, you may go. And needless to say, Miss Ashford, no dentention that night."
"Thanks professor." said Katie, as she headed out the door. She probably should have been pleased, well, she was about no detention. But now came the task of actually getting a dress robe. She had always through them pointless herself, why bother spending loads of money on something you'll only wear about once. But it wasn't as though she had much choice.
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Two days, one set of dress robes and a considerably lighter purse later, Katie sat frowning at her new dress robes. They were almost exactly like her school ones, except were a light, silvery blue, and slightly more fancy. She had also bought a simple silver necklace to go with it, but that was about it.
There were two hours left until the ball, and the girl's dormitory was full of so much squealing and screaming that Katie was forced to go down to the common room before she lost her sanity. About half an hour before it was due to start, Katie finally went back upstairs to get dressed, emerging twenty minutes later with the rest of the girls.
They all walked down towards the entrance hall, where everyone would be meeting their friends and dates from other houses (all the boys had been forced to wait in the entrance hall, and in relief, had stayed there).
Katie spotted Sirius waiting with James, Remus and Peter and waved. He spotted her and stood up as she walked over. Katie gave a little twirl.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Fantastic." He grinned, and offered her his hand. "Are you ready to go m'lady?"
"Well of course." she said, putting on a posh english accent. As she turned around to wave back at the others she found James with Lily, much to her surprise, and Remus and Peter each meeting up with their dates. Katie grinned at the look she had just received from a Slytherin girl, and turned back in time to walk into the great hall.
It had been beautifully decorated with orange and black silk banners hanging from the ceiling. Huge pumpkins the size of horses were randomly placed around the hall. Katie felt something on her face and looked up. Leaf shaped confetti was falling from the ceiling. After nearly swallowing some of it, Katie quickly faced forward again, and carried on.
There was a band playing on a newly constructed stage, and the four house tables and been replaced by a large amount of smaller ones, each containing empty plates, and goblets. Sirius and Katie headed over to the nearest one as Dumbledore stood up, about to say a speech before the ball officially began. Eventually everyone else had entered, the band had finished their song, and Dumbledore spoke.
"Welcome to the first annual Halloween Ball!" everyone clapped. "I hope you will all enjoy yourselves immensely, please help yourselves to refreshments" the plates filled themselves with food, "and have a great time!" everyone clapped again and stood up to walk over to the dance floor. Sirius stood up.
"Care to dance?" he asked, bowing and extending a hand.
"Well..." she began, pretending to think about it, but Sirius had already grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat.
"Whoa, okay I'm coming!" they walked over to the dance floor and started dancing, enjoying the music the band were playing. Suddenly Katie caught the eye of the same Slytherin girl who had given her an evil look before, and grinned mischievously.
"Hey Sirius."
"Yeah?"
"Follow my lead, you have an admirer." She put her arms around his waist and settled her head on his shoulder. Doing as he was told, he put his arms around her waist, and turned around to face the Slytherin girl. He gave her a small wave and turned back around, grinning. Katie could now see the girl and waved as well, laughing as she stomped off in the other direction.
Katie raised her head and laughed again.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"You're just a playboy aren't you?" He laughed.
"You bet, you know you like it."
"You wish!" she shoved him playfully a few feet.
"Hey!"
"'You know you like it!'" she mocked.
"I know what I do like." he stepped forwards again and put his arms back around her.
"Really? And what's that?" she asked, mistaking his move for messing around again.
"This." Before Katie could react he had brushed his lips gently against hers, and pulled away again. Katie stood shocked for a moment.
"Where'd that come from?" she asked, voice slightly higher than it would have been. She was panicking slightly, why would he do that? This didn't seem to be the reaction he had been expecting. Before he could stop her she had pulled away and was out through the doors, leaving him standing there alone.
Katie couldn't think straight as she walked through the empty corridors. What had that been about? Had he just been messing with her like they had done before because of the Slytherin girl? Yeah, she thought, relieved, that must be it. Why else would he do it, they were just friends after all. He was just messing around. She was suddenly stopped by a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to come face to face with Sirius.
"Katie?" he asked, obviously wanting an explanation for why she had left. He pulled her over to an empty classroom and they sat down. They sat in silence for a moment.
"Sirius, you were just messing around before right? I mean, just to show off to that Slytherin girl or whoever. Right?" He looked up at her. She looked like she was on the verge of panic. He sighed mentally.
"Yeah, I was just messing around, to show off. Like you said." he said this as though it were obvious, and she relaxed considerably.
"Oh." she sighed in relief. "Good, because it would have been so weird! We're best friends!" she laughed now that she knew he had just been messing around, and was now starting feeling pretty stupid for walking out. He laughed too, but to anyone else it would have sounded hollow. Katie stood up happily and extended her hand.
"Well? What are you waiting for? I didn't buy this daft thing for nothing!" she indicated her dress robes as they left the classroom and returned to the ball.
Nobody seemed to have noticed that they had left, and they quickly returned to the dance floor. This time just messing around, nothing else. Katie didn't notice, but Sirius had a much more depressed face when she wasn't looking.
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Muahahahaha! You didn't think I'd make it that easy did you? I bet you all hate Katie now, poor girl!