Disclaimer: Jkrowling
Andra POV:
I opened the Great Hall double doors. The Hall was decorated for the dance and it was so pretty! I even felt "pretty" myself! I absolutely love this dress! It is red with spaghetti-straps and flows down to my knees with a little bit of black lace under the skirt of the dress. My hair was nice too- plain, but nice. My thick brown hair was down and a bit wavy since I braided it yesterday. It is held back with a diamond headband from my mother. I smiled at everybody having a good time, then I looked at my handsome date. His hair is still as messy as always, but I love it like that. He is wearing a tux with a red tie to match my dress. His bright blue eyes were sparkling and smile grew on his face as he looked down at me. I could feel myself blush as we made our way to a table where all our friends were sitting.
"Hi Andra! Hey Riley!" Hermione said happily. She came with Ron.
"Sup!" Ron said with a nod.
"Hi Hermione! Hi Ron."
"Yeah. Hi." Riley said going back to his reserved mood.
I elbowed his side lightly and said, "Lighten up. For me?" I finished with a smile.
He shrugged and sat down patting the seat next to him.
A little while later we got up and started dancing. They changed the song to a waltz. I knew the waltz like the back of my hand. I learned it when I was 10, so really easy stuff. But I don't know how well Riley knows it. The music started and I placed my hand in his and felt a chill through my spine. He placed his hand on my waist as I placed my other hand on his shoulder. His touch was so gentle and his smile was so warming. I couldn't help but smile myself.
He started moving his foot as I moved mine. Surprisingly he was leading. Leading perfectly! He looked into my eyes and as if reading my mind he said, "Years of practice." And he winked. I silently laughed to myself as I rolled my eyes.
The song ended and Riley removed his grasp and lead me back to the table then left to go get some drinks. As I waited I looked around and found Hermione arguing with Malfoy. She is so funny when she's mad. They started moving really close to each other and Draco was practically towering over her. Tears started running down her face. I began to get up when Ron beat me there and pulled Hermione into a hug and told Draco off. 'He's a good boyfriend' I thought.
"I got you some punch. They were out of water. Don't ask me how." He said laughing.
"Wasn't planning on asking." I said smiling. We watched the others dance to more songs. It had to be about 11 o'clock when everybody started leaving. Riley lead me back up to the common room. I went to the dormitory to change out of my dress quickly and put on my pajamas and then I went back down and found Riley sitting on the couch staring into the fire.
"What's up?" I said sitting next to him.
"Not much. I was just thinking about the dance." He said with an emotionless face.
I shifted in my seat. "Did I do something wrong? Because there's nothing that I can think of."
"No, no you didn't do anything. It's something that I didn't do." He said now looking at me.
"What do you mean?" I said a little nervously.
"This." He leaned closer and I closed my eyes. I felt his soft lips on mine and I wrapped my hands around his neck and weaved my fingers through his hair. He put his hands on the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him. I smiled in the kiss and he pulled away. I kept my eyes closed and he started laughing.
"What?" I said now opening my eyes.
"You. Your face looked funny." I playfully punched his shoulder.
"Well. Kiss me again and I'll try not to make a funny face." I said with a smile. We leaned in close and then-
Ah! Light? It can't be morning! I opened my eyes and found myself in the Hospital Wing. I started to sit up but a nurse held me down. "Oh, deary! You are awake! We were all so worried that you wouldn't make it! I'll have to inform McGonagall right away. Take it easy honey and stay in bed." The nurse gave me a quick smile and then she ran off. In just a few minutes the professor and Hermione came through the doors.
"Andra!" Hermione cried and she ran towards me and embraced me in a hug.
"Hi Hermione! It's so good to see you!"
Her eyebrows knitted together. "How can you remember anything? You nearly died from hitting your head, should you have memory loss?" She said directing that last question to the nurse.
"Honey, we gave her a medicine that prevents that. So lucky little girl here should be fine."
Hermione smiled from ear to ear.
"Oh! There's somebody who would probably want to see you." McGonagall said smiling. She looked back at the door and Riley came through them looking directly at me. His eyes automatically lit up just like in my dream. He ran to my bed and hugged me really tight and really long. I smiled and cried the whole time. I was so happy to see my friends! Their excitement is so warming.
"We thought that you would have died." Riley said still not letting go of me.
"But we did hope for the best! And we got it!" Hermione said crying tears of joy.
"I'm so glad to see you guys! It feels like it's been forever!" I said. "How long have I been out?"
"About 5 days." McGonagall said gravely. "The good thing is that you have recovered."
"What day is today?"
"Wednesday. Why do you need to know, darling?" The nurse said.
"Will I be able to go to the dance this Saturday?"
"I don't see why not. But you'll need to stay here for about two more days before you're ready to go back out to your normal life-styles." the nurse said with a laugh.
I smiled and after about an hour of talking everybody left except for Riley. I had asked him to stay because I had to ask him something.
"Hey Riley?"
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me?"
"You don't have a date yet?" Riley said shocked.
"Well Harry Potter asked me, but my obvious response was 'no'. And being unconscious for 5 days doesn't really help either. So, will you?"
Riley smiled and said, "Of course!" He hugged me again and then the nurse shoo-ed him out of the room to let me rest.
XXXXX
It was Friday, the night before the dance, and I had just walked into the common room for the first time in a week. I was greeted with many hugs from just about everybody. Hermione told me just after the hugging fest was over, "Everybody finally went back to their normal selves Wednesday when I told them that you were ok. We were all so devastated!"
"Aw! Really?" I said laughing.
"Yeah. We we're really scared that you could have... well... yeah." Somebody said who was in the group of people around.
"That's sweet of you guys." I smiled.
"Well, Andra, I am going to go get ready for the dance. Are you coming?" She said walking towards the dormitories.
"Uh... I don't have a dress ready."
"Me neither! That's why I'm going to grab my jacket and head to Hogsmeade with you."
"Well, since you put it that way."
We grabbed our jackets and ran out to get our dresses. There weren't that many people there, so it was easy to look around. Hermione and I tried on loads of dresses.
"What do you think about this one?" she said coming out of the changing room. Her dress was a long purple dress with spaghetti straps.
"Eh, purple isn't that much your color."
She sighed and looked back into the mirror. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She made a face and shrugged her shoulders. "Let me go try on another dress. Wait right here."
"Were else could I go?"
She threw her head back and laughed. I got up and went to look at some more of the dresses. My mind was hooked on the red dress in my dream. I was so pretty and I felt amazing in it! I found many of red dresses, but none of them look like what I wanted them to.
"Andra! I think that this is the one! What do you think?"
I made my way back to the dressing rooms and Hermione looked beautiful! She was wearing a green, halter top, knee length dress with a dark green ribbon tied in an 'x' in the middle, and white lace underneath the skirt part.
"I love that one! It look great on you Hermione! You should get it." I said clapping my hands while jumping up and down.
"I wish I could, but I forgot to look at the tag before I tried it on. I can't afford it." Hermione looked sad and looked at the dress on more time before going back in the room to take it off.
Note to self: buy Hermione green dress.
After looking at many more stores with dresses, we came up short. Nothing screamed our names. Though for Hermione, it was that one dress that she tried on earlier. So many stores, so many dresses, yet nothing for us. So here we sit at a café drinking tea.
"I guess we'll just have to wear something that we already have. Oh well." Hermione said, setting her cup back down on the table.
"It's such a shame that we couldn't find anything."
"I know." we both sighed and finished our tea. The waitress then came by with the bill, we paid, then left to go back to Hogwarts.
"Oh! I forgot something!"
"What? You didn't buy anything."
"While you were trying on dresses I went out and got myself a quill, I desperately need one. I think that I might have left it in the store. You go head back to school, I'll meet you there."
"Okay. I'm exhausted anyway." She turned and left, going in the opposite direction that I was going. I really did buy a quill, but that's not the reason that I turned around. No, it was to turn around and get the dress. Or at least put it on hold. Hermione would get suspicious if I walked into the common room with a huge bag and had to come up with an excuse for it.
I took a turn and entered the shop. "Um, excuse me, but I could I put this dress on hold?" I asked the cashier.
"Sure thing, miss. Hey! You're the Andra Adams aren't you?"
"Yup."
"Why not buy the dress now? You're filthy rich!" She said with her mouth set ajar.
"It's for a friend." I handed her the dress, hoping that she would shut up (she got the message), and made my way out of the store.
XXXXX
"Andra. Hey, Andra! Wake up!" I guess I must have fallen asleep on the couch, because that's where I found myself when I woke up. "Finally! Class for all 3rd years have been canceled today!" Riley said, jumping up and down.
"Oh Riley! How can you be excited about that? It's so depressing." Hermione said with a sigh.
"At least we have time to get ready for the dance! I have to take a shower and go back down to Hogsmeade, so having no class is really helpful!" I said jumping of the couch. Man! my back is sore!
"Why do you need to go to Hogsmeade? We were just there yesterday."
"Uh... I have to go get some makeup." I lied.
"Maybe I should go with you." Hermione started.
"Nah! I'll be fine. Besides, I know the best place to get makeup. I'll be there and back in no more than 30 minutes. Surely you can wait that long till I get back here."
"Well, of course I can, but Riley...."
"Hey! I'll be fine, Andra. You go get whatever you need and I'll do homework. No need to worry about me!" He said with a cute smile.
"Whew! That takes a load off my shoulders." I said sarcastically. "I'm going to go freshen up. I'll see you guys at breakfast." I went up to the dormitory and got my robe on to take the shower. Once in the bathroom my reflection nearly scared myself! "I need a shower really badly." I thought to myself.
The hot water felt so good over my skin. Rinsing all the grease out of my hair felt really good to. I love taking showers! It makes me feel very cleansed and relaxed. "I think that I'll take a long shower... just for the heck of it."
After about an hour I was down in the Great Hall eating and laughing with my friends. The big talk of the day was about the dance. Since all the other years had already gone off to class, there were only a few people left in the Hall. Most were probably sleeping in... which I wish that I could be doing.
"I'm really glad that we're going to the dance together." Riley said, after Hermione went to talk to Ron and Harry.
"Me too! You're a great friend." He sighed and looked down at his food.
"Just a friend?" He said, but then took it back right away.
"What?"
"Nothing... nevermind. I'm going to go back to sleep. Don't want to be tired for tonight! Be safe on your way down to Hogsmeade." Riley said suddenly standing up, leaving his plate behind, and running off somewhere. I blinked a few times taking in what had just happened. I tried shaking it off, but that one sentence kept going through my mind. "Just a friend?" He said it with such disappointment in his voice. I had no idea of where I was going, just kinda let my feet do the walking for me.
I ended up at the same little dress shop that Hermione and I went to the other day. I sighed and pushed open the door and then made my way over to the counter.
"Uh... excuse me. Is anybody here?" I said leaning over the counter. And really hott boy came up, looking about my age, nearly bumping into my head. He had dark red hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a very slim figure.
"Sorry. Rearranging the stock down here. What can I do for you, Miss Adams?" He said with an amazing smile.
"Uh..." I started blushing, "I'm here to pick up a dress. It is green and..." He left before I could finish the sentence.
"I'll be right back!" He yelled from the other room. I shrugged and placed my elbow on the glass counter to rest.
"Oh my god! He has awesome hair! I wonder what it feel like. He looks really strong too." I kept thinking about him and after about 3 minutes he came back carrying the dress.
"I'm sure that it would look lovely on you!" He said with a wink.
I giggled and said, "It's actually for a friend of mine. We have a dance at the school and it's a surprise for her."
"Oh. Well I'm sure that it would look great on you anyway." I smiled and thanked him then turned around.
"No way!"
"Excuse me?"
"That's... that's the dress in my dream!" The red knee length dress with black lance under the skirt and spaghetti straps was hanging on a hook right in front of me. Only one. I walked over to it, praying that it would be my size. My lucky day! I cried out in joy. "Oh may I please try this on!"
"Be my guest!"
I practically ran over to the changing rooms and stripped down and slid the silk over my head. A perfect fit. I flipped my hair and opened the door to find the guy standing right there.
He whistled and said, "If you want my opinion on that dress it would go something like: on the hook that looked like a very plain and ordinary dress, but on you it looks anything but!"
"Thanks... uh... what was your name again?"
"Jace. Jace is the name." He said proudly.
"Well then, thank you, Jace."
"You are very welcome, Miss Adams."
"Andra, please."
"Andra." When he said my name I think that I probably nearly melted. His voice when he said my name was like sweet honey.
"I really should be getting back, so could I go ahead and pay for this?"
"Of course." I followed him to the counter and I paid. Just as I was about to head out the door, with Jace in my mind the whole time, he called me back in. I thought that maybe I forgot something but instead he said, "Hey, I know that you probably have a date already... but... I might as well ask. Could I go to the dance with you?" He asked, looking down at his shoes.
"Uh- sure! Yeah! I'd love to go to the dance with you. Meet me in the Great Hall at around 8-ish." I smiled.
"But... uh... can't you wait for me outside? I don't know the inside of the school all that much."
"I won't wait outside, but I'll be right on the other side of the door. You'll do fine." I kissed his cheek and hurried out, not wanting to think about what he might think about the kiss. "I'm going to the dance with Jace! He seems really sweet! Oh I'm so excited!" I kept thinking those words through my head.
I got in the common room and ran upstairs to the dormitory and found Hermione going through her wardrobe, probably thinking about what to wear.
"Hi Hermione!"
"Can't talk right now... unless you want to help me find something."
"I'll help you!" I looked around on the bed covered in clothing and said, "Oh! How about this nice green dress?" I said, with a smile.
"But I don't-" I pulled out the dress and she gasped. "You didn't! Oh Andra! You shouldn't have!"
"It's for you! Think of it as a really early birthday present!"
"You'll get me a birthday present anyway."
"I was planning on getting you three presents... now I only have to get you two more!"
"Andra..." She started but I cut her off saying,
"Go ahead and put it on! I need to do your makeup still. Hurry up!"
She got the dress on and started prancing around the room in it. "It's feels lovely, Andra! I love it! Thank you so so so so so much!"
"Yes, we all know that you feel like a princess in the dress, but come here so I can finish you up!"
"Oh all right."
Once done with the make up she really did look like a princess. I gave her light eye-liner, golden eye-shadow, soft pink lipstick, and a little bit of blush. Natural looks best on her.
"You look great! Ron will be so excited to see you!"
"Thanks a lot Andra!"
"You've pretty much mentioned that, but your welcome anyway! Now let me get ready! I'm going with this one guy that I met down at that dress shop! His name is Jace! And he is really cute!"
"But I thought that you were going with-"
"Go! I only have an hour!"
"But-"
"Good bye!" And I finally got the door slammed in her face. I walked over to the bed and unzipped the red dress. I took off my clothes and slipped the silk over my head once more. I still couldn't get over that fact that I found the one dress that was perfect for me! I finished my makeup in no more than 10-20 minutes tops. Hair was the issue though. I tried a loose bun, but having thick hair, that didn't work. Then I tried an elegant pony-tail... but it didn't look best with the dress. After many hair-do's I decided to just let my hair down.
I finished just in time to go down and meet Jace. Running as fast as I could in my high heels I made it down just as the huge double doors opened to reveal my date.
"Jace! I knew that you would be alright!" I gave him a hug.
"Hi Andra! You look even lovelier than you did earlier today. Absolutely divine!"
"You're so sweet!"
I lead him over to the Great Hall, getting many whistles from boys, and Jace got many giggles from the girls. "You seriously have school here?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?"
"Well, it just looks a whole lot nicer than any regular school."
"Oh! Well thank you. I think." I heard him laugh a little and then we finally entered the Great Hall. Many people were in there already dancing. The room was decorated for the occasion and it looked more elegant than usual. I felt relaxed here, yet really tense at the same time because I will probably end up embarrassing myself in front of Jace. That's just the was these things go.
Somebody bumped into me and the turned while saying, "Oh! I'm so sorry. I... Andra?"
"Hi Riley! And no problem." I said smiling while I put my arm through Jace's. "This is Jace. Jace, this is Riley, my all time best friend!"
"Uh... hi... uh... Jace."
"Riley." Jace said with a nod of his head.
"Andra, could I talk to you?"
The music started playing. "After this one dance, ok?"
"Alright."
I pulled on Jace's arm to the floor and he put his hand on my waist and I put my hand on his shoulder. Our other hands entwined together to the side. We started waltzing around the room. Jace was a really good dancer!
"You're really good at this. How did you get so good?"
"Practice." He said shrugging, not that into the conversation. I frowned. Something was missing. I just couldn't figure it out. That feeling quickly went away when he smiled at me. I found myself smiling back at him. "You look beautiful."
I blushed madly. "Thanks." The song ended and I told him to get me a drink. Once he left I went to find Riley, who was sitting alone in a chair.
"Hi!"
"Hi." He said plainly.
"Why the long face?" I said pouting.
"What the long face! You promised me to be my date! Then you ditch me for some 'pretty boy'!" He said jumping out of his chair yelling at me.
I dropped my jaw. "Oh my god! Riley... I... I... I completely forgot." I said crying.
"Yeah! Tell that to my feelings! Listen, Andra! I. Love. You! I had ever since I first became friends with you! But now..."
"Riley, please." I whispered through my tears.
"No! I will not think, talk, worry about you anymore!" His tone sent chills, bad chills, down my back. He stormed off. To where? I have no idea. He left me there to bawl my eyes out. I guess that I deserve it. I can't believe that I forgot about Riley! My best friend! He even told me that he loved me! My Riley, told me, that he, loved me! That made me cry even more.
"Andra! Andra, what's wrong, dear?"
"It's Riley." I managed.
"Shh. Shh. Calm down." He said pulling me into his embrace. I must have stained his shirt with my tears because once I pulled away there was a huge wet spot where my face had been.
"Thank you, Jace. I think that I'm going to go to bed. I'm awfully tired." I said with a yawn.
"Alright. I'll see you next time that I see you, I guess."
"I'll be sure to visit." I kisses his cheek and said, "Good night."
"Good night." he said back.
XXXXX
I woke up a month later with the same dream that I've been having for weeks (ever since the dance). I had dried tears on my face. I must have been crying in my sleep. Last night I had a dream about Riley leaving me forever and he resorted to Lord Voldemort's army. Riley was convinced that the reason for his misery was because of me, so he returned to Hogwarts and once I saw him I screamed tat I loved him. He didn't believe me so he argued with me and his voice rose, then came a green light. After that I woke up.
"I'll go break up with Jace then go tell Riley the truth!" I thought to myself.
I climbed into my school clothes and ran to the Great Hall to eat breakfast, most likely without Riley again. I finished and went to tell Jace that we needed to break up. I thought about it all the way down to Hogsmeade. "Jace likes me and I kinda like him, but only because he's nice and cute. Riley likes me because I helped him when there was no one else was. He makes me laugh and gives me something to wake up for every morning. Yes, this is the right thing to do."
The store's doors were open and I walked inside. "Jace? Hey Jace? I have to tell you something." I walked around, but no sign of him. I made my way to the back room where we usually hung out. Just as I was about to open the door I I felt a sharp pain in my head and then everything blanked.