Ch Three: All Because of the Ball
At first sight, Platform Nine and Three Quarters is amazingly mystifying and the Hogwarts Express is equally entrancing. However, after six years of watching the beautiful, scarlet steam engine appear at the magical platform, it becomes… ordinary. And you would hate the unbelievable lengthy ride from King's Cross to Hogwarts too if you had made the trip twenty-four times in counting, as many students at Hogwarts have. (A/n: To Hogwarts for the start of term, home after the term ends, home for the Winter break, and back to Hogwarts after Winter break.) Some students, on the other hand, enjoyed the relaxing journey through the country side, but Maliegha Malfoy was not one of those people. She couldn't stand the limitations that came with traveling in a train for most of the day. Avoiding the tedious trip on the Hogwarts Express, as Leniera Granger did, was one the few circumstances which caused Maliegha Malfoy to envy her enemy. Having her mother as Headmistress had proven itself to be useful in many situations, though Leniera Granger had a name to live up to. She was expected to excel nearly effortlessly, but with the intelligence she had inherited from her parents, that wasn't really a problem.
Hours and hours later, once the students had been sorted (first years), fed and watered, and reminded of the rules they already knew, The Headmistress surprised them with some interesting news. "This year I leave you with something to think about. You're Professors and I have decided to throw a ball, but we have failed to choose between a Winter Ball held on a given day in December, or a Spring Ball on a given day in April. We leave it up to you to choose which ever you would prefer. Write your choice on a piece of parchment and place it in the box in the Entrance Hall. I am sure you'll all notice it," she added with a smile. "Now off to bed, all of you. Prefects, would you please lead our weary First Years off to your respective common rooms. Have a wonderful first night back."
As the hundreds of students trudged through the corridors, the only subject being discussed was the prospect of the ball. Murmurs of "The sooner the better", "Who would even consider having it near Christmas?", "Tomorrow we tell them all to vote winter", and "A Spring Ball! This idea is absolutely divine" filled the hallways. The enthusiasm had been driven by the sight of the ballot box - a square, white container, about a foot in a half in length, which had Winter Ball? and Spring Ball? flashing in succession.
The Professors had followed the students out of the hall. In hearing the excitement that had swept over the students, Hermione Granger smiled, mentally praised herself on having come up with such a brilliant idea.
A week later an announcement was placed on the notice boards of all four houses.
Dear Al l Students,
Thank you to all of the students who took the time to consider which ball they would prefer, write it out on a slip of parchment and place it in the ballot box outside the Great Hall. We have tallied the votes and are pleased to inform you that this year we shall be holding a Winter Ball. This Ball will be open to every student in all years. Hope you are enjoying the term thus far.
Respectfully Yours, Hermione Jane Granger, Headmistress to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Dear All Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Year Students:
If you are interested in assisting our Head Boy, Mister Evans Riley, and our Head Girl, Miss Maliegha Malfoy in planning the Winter Ball, please inform you're the Head of your respective house no later than October the First. You will be informed shortly after that to know if you have been chosen to be part of the Committee.
Respectfully Yours, Hermione Jane Granger, Headmistress to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Leniera Granger made a face when she read the bottom notice. Her own mother had considered it assisting the Head Boy and Girl, which meant in order to be on the Decorating Committee, she had to work with her worst enemy. Lenie sighed, but quickly got over it, making a note to tell Professor Malbelli, who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts and was Head of The Slytherin House, that she wished to assist in planning.
It was mid-afternoon on Saturday; around two months after the Headmistress had announced Hogwarts was to hold a Winter Ball. The Committee which consisted of twenty reliable students had just broken down into several smaller committees -Entertainment, Food, Set-up of the Room, and Decorations- to start planning out specific details. They already had the basics worked out. The Ball was to be held on December the Seventeenth, the last day of the term; it would commence at Seven o'clock and end roughly at midnight; the theme was to be your typical winter wonderland and all aspect pertaining to the ball must be related to that theme in some manner.
"Cara's head of the Entertainment Committee, Damien's Head of the Food Committee, Maddie's Head of the Set-up Committee, and Lenie's head of the Decoration Committee," Evans Riley informed the members before the end of the meeting.
"Yes, so make sure you guys meet tomorrow or during the week and work out a basic plan of what you come up with. The six of us will have a meeting next Sunday and -" "Sunday? Why not Saturday?" "Because Evans, it's the first Quiditch match of the Season." Maliegha, who just so happened to be the captain of the Slytherin House Quiditch team, played the position of seeker. "As I was saying the six of us will have a meeting in which Evans and I will hear what you've come up with and basically decide if its good or not. Meeting adjourned." The members of the Committee gathered their things and left the room.
"Hey Lenie," Evans Riley called after her as she walked down the hallway. Leniera stopped, allowing Evans to catch up to her. "Hey, thanks by the way, for putting me in charge of the committee."
"Well I had to choose the best which was clearly you." Lenie blushed slightly, as Evans continued. "You are responsible but stern; you can get the job done. I overheard The Headmistress telling Professor McGonagall about you having been so okay with not having received Head Girl. That must have been a near impossible decision on their part since, well, Mal is doing a terrific job, but you, clearly, would have done just as well." Lenie felt her face her face go pinker as she replied, "Why thank you. And as you surely know, you're a magnificent Head Boy. Mum said they chose you in an instant, there was no one to even consider in place of you. Though, she did also mention that the Professors bickered a bit over me or Maliegha for Head Girl."
Maliegha, who had of course been listening in on the conversation, hastily walked past Lenie and Evans. 'I'm Head Girl and Quiditch Captain. It would be surreal if Mr. Perfect was my boyfriend too,' thought Mal. 'Who am I kidding, guys aren't interested in me. They only want one thing from girls and ugly, genius tomboys, like me, don't do such things. And Evans Riley isn't worth it.'
The Decoration Committee had decided to begin planning after dinner that very day. It consisted of Leniera Granger, Margariet Witherbee (Seventh Year Ravenclaw), Delia Marsh (Lenie's best friend and fellow Seventh Year Slytherin) Carma Evangiliest, (Sixth Year Gryffindor) and Ash Kambrige (Seventh Year Gryffindor and major supporter of Lenie in the Ribbon War). So once Leniera and Delia had finished eating, they rose from their seats and headed to the Entrance Hall. Coincidently enough, Maliegha Malfoy had decided to exit the Great Hall at the same moment as Leniera Granger, with her best friend, Leah, at tow. Mal and Lenie bumped into one another as they exited, but neither did nothing more than glare at the other. In fact, Maliegha and Leniera had been civil towards one another thus far, and had yet to pull an elaborate prank to make a spectacle of the other.
"Oi! Perfecto. Just the two I wanted to see." To the left of the doors to the Great Hall stood Margariet Witherbee, a Ravenclaw who was very connected in the school; she always had a way of knowing what was going on. All the same, Margariet Witherbee was one of the nicest girls in school, and refused to take sides in the Ribbon War, which was what the Malfoy-Granger feud had come to be called. "I have been standing out her for ten minuets and it seems as though every person to either walk in or out of that door has asked me about you two. They want to know what's up with the Ribbon War but that's when I realized, I didn't know. In fact, no one does. So girls, have you finally come to your senses and called a truce?"
"Margie, there's barely enough time to eat, sleep and breathe with all the work we've had with school and planning the ball, " Mal supplied.
"And I refuse to waste any free moment on..." Lenie paused, looking Mal over. "Her."
"Not to mention, Margie, I am Head Girl. And it would be a shameful day if I were to loose my position on such an… unworthy cause." Leniera Granger glared at Maliegha Malfoy and got the same expression back. Suddenly, the Great Hall doors banged open and out stepped Carma Evangiliest who was closely followed by Ash Kambrige.
"Let's go. We need to get to work." Lenie insisted and with that said the five committee members left Mal and Leah alone in the entrance hall.
"For a color scheme we're thinking like powder blues, silvers, whites…" Leniera began, talking in a quick but confident voice. She went on for about seven minuets straight, mentioning multiple options to choose from. "...That's basically an overview of what we have come up with. Here's a picture of the way we imagined it, or at least the style." Lenie said, handing a highly detailed picture that she had created. It was Sunday afternoon and she was sitting in the Head's common room, informing Maliegha and Evans of what the Decoration committee had come up with.
"Genius," Maliegha muttered. Lenie was a bit taken aback by a compliment coming form her enemy's mouth. "Err, thanks. We wanted it to look perfect because this is the only ball we have the luxury of attending."
"Yes well tell them good job. Anything you wish to add, Evans?" Mal said.
"No, I think everyone's' ideas will work magnificently. I believe we are all done, so if you'll excuse me I've got to go to the Library for a bit of homework." Evans Riley said, grabbing his school bag and heading towards the portrait hole.
"I'll walk with you," Lenie offered. "I wanted to go to the Library too."
"Alright then," The two left, and Cara, Damien, and Maddie followed behind them, leaving Mal alone in the common room.
"Hey Lenie, I know it's still far off, but I was wondering..." Evans began. He stopped walking and faced Lenie, so she stopped and faced him too. "I was wondering if you would like to go to the ball with me. I wanted to ask ahead because I am sure so many others will ask you and I wanted to be the one you go with."
Lenie smiled. "I'd love to go with you." He took her hand and they continued on their way to the Library.
The days leading up to the ball quickly crept by, as did the days till the end of the term. Leniera Granger had been asked to the ball by no less than twenty-one boys, and at first she let them down gently, "Oh I would love to, but you see I've already made plans to go with someone. I'm terrible sorry." After a while, however, Lenie began getting very short with them. "Why won't you people stop asking me? I already have a date." In fact, for the twenty-first asker, Lenie had simply laughed and walked away. By then, people had finally come aware that she was going with Head Boy Evans Riley, and had come to leave her alone.
Maliegha Malfoy, who had expected no one to ask her, was greatly shocked when a close friend of hers, a boy referred to as Deven, asked her. Marckovitz De Ventesone, which was a rather long name for a boy whose only 5'4", had unofficially shortened his name to Marc Deven (Marckovitz De Ventesone), though everyone just calls him Deven. Maliegha graciously accepted, relieved that someone had asked her at all. She was nonetheless pleased that it was Deven, because he was fairly good looking with his stunning green eyes and rich brown hair that always looked like it had just been cut. 'Maybe, just maybe,' Maliegha thought, 'I'll end up enjoying a night at a ball.'
(A/n: Remember Mal is a tomboy, which I mentioned earlier, so she's not the spend-an-hour getting ready every morning type of girl. That isn't to say she's ugly she just doesn't do make-up and accessories. Maliegha's more the tomboy/rebel remember she died her hair black while Lenie is the full on girly-girl.)