When Benji got back to the common room, she saw new papers on the bulletin board. They were sign up sheets for committees for the Carnival. She put her name on every single list; from decorations, to planning the entertainment, to deciding what flavor punch was to be served, she wanted to do it all. It would keep her mind off of everything that was going on with Harry. And man did she need that. He was starting to affect her sleeping patterns. Never had she been so upset with someone. She also saw the list of who had made the Quidditch team. She wasn't surprised to see Joel's name on the list, but what really caught her off guard was her own name on the list. The two of them were the new beaters. Ron's younger sister, Ginny, was a chaser.
She walked up to the dorm room and was working on an essay for Professor Binns when Hermione came in.
"Hey Benji," she said noticeably upset, "I know you and Harry are on the outs, but Ron and I are still your friends. And I, for one, am sick of being ignored."
Benji stared sheepishly at her feet, digging one toe into the carpet, "Sorry," she mumbled.
"Apology accepted. Now, I saw that we were both signed up for all the committees,"
This launched Benji and Hermione into a long discussion of how to arrange their time between classes, homework, and committee work. They decided that they would simply work harder than ever at everything. They also decided that schoolwork would definitely come first.
Then, their conversation turned to the ball. It was going to be a costume/ masquerade ball, everyone had to wear a charmed mask and on the last stroke of midnight, their masks would disappear and reveal your partner.
Hermione decided to go as a pirate and wear a tattered black skirt, a white billowy shirt, and a red scarf in her hair. Benji finally decided to go as an Egyptian Queen; she'd wear huge gold hoops in her ears and around her wrists and bare ankles. Her outfit would be made of a tight purple top and a gold toga type thing as well as a magnificent headdress.
You weren't allowed to tell anyone of the opposite sex what you were wearing though, and masks would come by owl post sometime before the dance. That night, both Benji and Hermione caught up on their homework.
The next afternoon during lunch, the committee for entertainment met in Professor Flitwick's room. They decided to book the Weird Sister's, seeing how everyone had loved them at the Yule Ball.
That night at a decorations meeting, they decided on different areas with different themes. Lover's Lane would have faeries as light, Carnival Court would contain the rides; there would be a womping willow tilt-a-whirl, a giant faerie wheel, and a large roller coaster that would encompass the entire field. They would also have an area with games like: Balloon zap, water squirt, banish, summon, and flamethrower. Here you used spells to pop balloons, conjure prizes, toss balls, and send little pixies climbing up a pole. It was going to be a great celebration.
Good, maybe this will open her eyes to the way things should be.
A/N This is the one and only time I am going to apologize for the unnatural amount of odd details, it's a habit of mine that I happen to be quite fond of.