Chapter 16
The rest of the week went by in a flash. Before they knew it, part one of the delegation was over and it was already Friday. The standings were currently Venice School of Magic in first place, Hogwarts in second, and Beauxbatons in third. Part two, which was all about magical talent, would happen next week, but as tomorrow was the weekend, the hotel staff prepared something very wonderful for them.
..------..
They had retreated to Rachel and Ryan's suite after having a swim at the hotel pool, and now Ryan and James were having a conversation about Quidditch, and Rachel and Lily were talking about their friends. Suddenly, a letter appeared out of thin air, bearing the Ventresca Hotel insignia. Curious, Lily, being the first to see it, took it and called the other's attention.
"Hey guys, look. A letter. I wonder what it's about," Lily said as she opened the envelope and began to read out loud.
Dear Ms. Evans, Ms. Hathaway, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Stanley
This Saturday, is the 150th Anniversary of the Ventresca Hotel, and to celebrate this honor, as well as to celebrate the triumph of getting through with the first part of the delegation, a grand ball is to be held. Muggle formal wear is to be worn, but this time, you may take anyone you wish, even from other schools or outside the hotel. The ball is to be held at the Grand Hall, at seven o'clock. Your presence is greatly appreciated.
Ms. Vallarie
Hotel manager
"A ball!" Lily said, her eyes shining with excitement. "Brilliant! I'm going to invite Jake; that way, you guys will get to meet him! I'm going to call him this every instant!" he got up.
Rachel got up as well, just as excited as Lily was. "And I've got to figure out what to wear!"
"What?" James looked at her incredulously, "The ball is just this Saturday!"
"Which is only four days away! There isn't much time! Lils, I'll meet you in your suite later to discuss what we'll wear, okay?" Rachel said.
Lily nodded enthusiastically and bolted out the door just as Rachel pranced into her own room, leaving the two boys alone. James sighed. "Now who am I supposed to take? Lily's going with Jake, who I'm sure, will agree to come here, and I know for a fact that you will ask Rachel to this dance. But what about me?" he whined like a child.
"Well, come on. Think about a girl that you like".
"Lily".
"Okay, let me rephrase that. Think about a suitable girl you can take, aside from Lily," Ryan said.
"Well, uh………..ugh! I can't think of anyone!" James said, frustrated. "I can't show up alone, and I sort of want to make Lily jealous, so…….." Suddenly, a thought entered his mind. A smirk began to creep slowly into his face. "I've got an idea. Excuse me while I write to someone," and with that, he left the room as well, leaving behind a very confused Ryan.
"What the hell is James thinking?" he wondered as he shook his head, glancing around at the empty living room.
..------..
The rest of the days seemed to tick by without much fanfare. Finally, it was Saturday, and even early in the morning, the whole hotel was awake and alive with a buzz, getting everything ready.
Lily and Rachel were also getting prepared. Even though it was still around 3, they already met up in Lily's suite (the guys would change in Ryan's suite) to begin getting ready. As the time passed, they talked as they carefully decided how to make themselves stunning for tonight.
Finally, Rachel took a deep breath and entered the elaborate double-doors of the Grand Hall. Upon entrance, she found Ryan, and, Jake, on the foot of the stairs. She descended slowly, smiling.
When they finally arrived down on the stairs, Ryan smiled up at Rachel and said, "You look awesome," And she was, for she was wearing a pretty cerulean off-shoulder dress, with her hair in braids and wearing pearls to accessorize her look perfectly. She smiled and turned to Jake. "Hi, you must be Jake Thomas, right? Lily's boyfriend?"
Jake smiled. "Yeah. Rachel, right? Listen, do you know when Lily will come down?" he asked her.
"Hmm, I'm not sure, she said that she'll be here in----" Rachel paused as her head, as did Ryan and Jake's and the entire room's, turned and saw the double-doors open.
And in came Lily.
She looked beautiful, wearing a stunningly silver dress that had only one strap, her hair this time arranged in an elegant design, with a few curls laid at the left side of her face (think Hermione's hair-do in Goblet of Fire movie). Diamonds glistened at her wrist and throat, and she was smiling wonderfully.
When
she finally went down, she smiled radiantly at Jake, who was also
grinning. "You look beautiful, Lily," he said appreciatively as
he kissed her cheek.
"Thanks, Jake" Lily replied as they
made their way to a table, along with Rachel and Ryan. "Any sign of
James and his mystery girl yet?" she asked them. They shook their
heads. As they waited for James, they got some light snacks and
talked. Jake easily got along with Ryan and Rachel, for which Lily
was glad, as she wanted her friends to like her boyfriend as well.
Suddenly, just as the orchestra began to strike up a new tune, the double-doors opened once again and everyone turned to stare. It was James and his date.
James was looking pretty good, wearing an expertly tailored suit and smiling his usual lopsided grin. But that wasn't what made his friends stare. It was the girl beside him.
The girl was beautiful, unmistakably beautiful, with caramel hair tinted with gold and a few hints of red as well, piled into a very stylish and expertly done chignon bun, a diamond clip holding it in place. Her dress was excellent, a rose-colored halter gown, made from shimmering satin, the bodice covered in chiffon just a shade darker. You could easily tell that the dress was designer, and very expensive. A simple silver chain was at her neck, which held an exquisite amethyst pendant, and a diamond bracelet was at her wrist. Her make-up was just right too; not too much and not too little. She looked perfect.
Lily, Jake, and Rachel were all shocked that that was James's date, but none looked as shocked as Ryan, whose mouth was hanging open in a most undignified manner, then closing and opening again, making him look like a fish.
"Hey guys," James greeted, smiling at their shocked expressions. "Meet my date for tonight, Kaitlin Robertson. Kate, this is Lily Evans, Jake Thomas, Rachel Hathaway, and of course, as you know, Ryan. Kaitlin's an old friend of mine".
"Oh please James, I'm not that old yet," Kaitlin laughed, a sweet, tinkling laugh that sounded like a melody. "I'm pleased to meet all of you, especially you Lily. James has told me a lot about you".
Lily was looking shocked, and, a little….it was undeniable. She was jealous. Why, she had no idea. But being spoken to, however, she simply smiled and said, "Really? Hopefully, all of them are good. Or at least true".
Dinner was announced, and they all headed to the buffet table to have their fill of sumptuous filet mignon, pasta, fish, salad, dessert and other foods. They all sat down to eat, and as they did so, they began talking.
Kaitlin was a very easy person to talk to, as they came to find. Despite her delicate appearance, she had a wonderful sense of humor, and an amusing, almost biting, wit that could match even Lily's. And no matter how jealous Lily felt about this, though she couldn't explain why, she found that Kaitlin was a good friend.
Suddenly, Ryan stood up and said, "Um, James, can I talk to you? Outside? In private?" he looked pointedly at James.
"Fine, fine. I'll see you guys late,r" James said, traces of laughter still in his eyes as he followed Ryan out of the Grand Hall and into the garden. There weren't much people there, so the risk of being overheard was minimal.
Once Ryan had made sure that no one else was listening, he turned to face James.
"James Michael Stanley Potter I cannot believe you just did that!" Ryan exclaimed to James. He was staring at his cousin as he did so, his look one of incredulity and utter disbelief.
"What's wrong about bringing her? I asked her, I was honest about my intentions, and she said yes, what's the matter with that?" James asked exasperatedly.
"James, listen. It's one thing to bring a girl here to make Lily jealous, but to bring our cousin as a date…that's just……"
"Ryan, please, don't tell anyone. At least not now. I don't want everyone thinking I'm desperate".
"You are desperate," Ryan pointed out.
"Yeah, well, don't remind me about that just yet. Kaitlin doesn't mind, she actually thinks it's sweet". James informed him.
"Yeah, well, Kaitlin also has a twisted mind. Remember what she did to you during New Year's Day last year?" Ryan asked him exasperatedly.
James cringed, not wanting to remember how Kaitlin had pranked him with embarrassing baby photos during his family's annual New Year's Eve Party.
But he regained his resolve, however, and said, "Ryan, this'll be fine. I've briefed her with the situation, she's smart, and she won't slip up. That I'm sure of," a strange glint appeared in his eye.
"And how can you be too sure about that? Look, I just don't want you, or Kaitlin, to be embarrassed, because I'm sure Lily will kick your ass if she finds out that this is just a ploy to get her jealous".
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be careful" James said, the same glint in his eye still. "Because I threatened to tell Aunt Clarisse a little something about her and Andrew Mallory's five month relationship. Specifically about how she's been sneaking off to meet him all the time".
"James, you are evil," Ryan remarked as they walked back to the Grand Hall.
"What do you expect? I'm James Potter," he said arrogantly as they went back to their friends table and sat down and jumped back into the conversation as if nothing had happened.
Hey! Hope you like this chappie! Thanks for the people who read and reviewed, by the way! Okay, I would just like to explain this. Ryan's father, James's mother, and Kaitlin's mother are all siblings, so James and Kaitlin's middle name is Stanley. Just in case you might be wondering how they're related. Until the next chapter!
