With thoughts of revenge the Slytherins were sure to take upon me gone, I happily made my way up to the common room. The game had only lasted just over an hour, so there was time for a bit of a celebration party before the girls would start fleeing to their dorms to get ready for the ball that night. I was actually excited. When I went with other guys I always would feel self conscious, but with Oliver I was comfortable. And, tonight was the night that Oliver and I had decided to let everyone in on the fact we were seeing each other. I suspected the Quidditch team thought the truth, that we were seeing each other and keeping it a secret, but they hadn't said anything so I didn't know.
Everyone began talking and laughing in the common room. The party had begun. We were just waiting on Fred and George who somehow always had the party refreshments and a magical radio. Soon they arrived with butterbeer and the radio. I made sure I didn't drink any butterbeer. I stuck to the pumpkin juice instead. Some people raised there eyebrows at this, since normally I matched my boys, Oliver, Braeden, Fred, and George drink for drink of anything we were drinking long after Katie, Alicia, and Angelina had given up.
An hour went by quickly. During that time I had laughed and joked with my boys. When the right songs came on the radio, I danced with Oliver, and everyone was watching their backs as Fred and George were in a very…giving mood. Once the hour was up several magical alarms went off and as expected the girls made their way upstairs.
"This is ridiculous," I complained to Katie. There were simply too many girls trying to get ready.
"Why don't I go ask Fred? He might know somewhere we can go," Angelina suggested and she made her way down the stairs
We waited impatiently for Angelina to come back, hopefully with a solution.
"C'mon guys, bring anything you need, including you're dresses, with you. Fred's going to show us somewhere we can get ready," Angelina, ordered.
I, along with Katie, Angelina, and Alicia grabbed our things and walked from the dormitory.
"Come ladies, I'll take you to the lovely room of requirement," Fred said cheekily. I laughed but followed him to a room not far from the Gryffindor common room.
"Fred, it's a bloody bathroom," George disagreed. Fred rolled his eyes but continued
"Ladies, just think of the bathroom and a door will appear," Fred began. "Katie, I'll tell Braeden to pick you up here, the same goes for you and Oliver, and Alicia and Fred. Angelina, darling, you know I'll be here to pick you up," Fred said in a sickly sweet voice with a hint of sarcasm.
"Fred, darling," Angelina began, copying his tone, "don't act like an idiot." And with that smacked him lightly upside the head. He laughed and walked back to the Gryffindor common room, leaving us there.
We entered the room and found ourselves in what looked like an actors dressing room…so much for it being a bathroom. We hung our dresses on a rack. Mine was still in the garment bag. I hadn't showed it to anyone yet. The bag made a rustle as I hung it on the rack, which drew everyone's attention to it, reminding them they hadn't seen it yet.
"Fallon, when are you going to show us that dress?" Katie asked, exasperated.
"When I'm wearing it," I laughed. They groaned but proceeded to put anything else they brought, like make up, on the counter in front of the long lighted mirror. There was enough room for everyone.
Each of us stood in front of a section of the mirror. In my case, I only used I bit of mascara, some eyeliner, and clear lip-gloss. It was all I really needed. Then, I stood looking at my hair, wondering what I was going to do with it.
"Guys, what do you think I should do with my hair?" I asked. Maybe they'd have an idea.
"We might be able to tell you if you'd let us see you're dress," Alicia answered with a laugh. Angelina agreed with evil grins and a shake of their heads.
"Fine, I'll go put it on. It'll be easier that way anyway," I replied with a grin. I grabbed my dress from the rack and took it to one of the changing rooms. I pulled it on and walked out to an expectant group of friends. My dress was mostly white. It was a strapless halter. It was floor length, and at the top it was black with some crystal in the middle of the chest. Below the black, embroidered on the white was a black design involving black vines and black roses. It wasn't the dress I'd bought in Hogsmeade. Something told me that dress wasn't right for right now. It was meant for later.
"Holy cow!" Angelina cried in shock.
"Fallon, where did you find that dress?" Alicia asked with a grin.
"Hun, Oliver isn't going to be able to control himself when he sees you in this," Katie added with a grin.
"So, my hair?" I asked with a grin. The three sat me down with my back to the mirror and began messing with my hair. After about thirty minutes they had my hair just how they wanted it. I turned to look in mirror and happily wrapped my friends in a hug. What they'd done was beautiful. They'd put my hair into a bun, neither neat nor messy, somewhere in between. They'd left a few strands down and hanging, curly, gently by my face.
"You guys are amazing," I thanked them.
"We know," Alicia replied with a grin. I helped them with their hair after they pulled their dresses on. We were just putting the finishing touches on when out of no where an alarm went off alerting us to the fact that it was already time for the boys to pick us up. And, not to anyone's surprise, someone began rapping on the door.
"Shit, we're gonna be late!" Angelina muttered as she slid a few more bobby pins into place. The knocking continued….
"Hold on a sec!" I yelled to the boys.
"Not too late," I answered as I ran between my three friends helping them finish their hair. The rapping continued.
"Wait a bloody minute!" I yelled again.
"Can someone get this zipper?" Katie asked.
"Yeah just a-" the knocking continued. "IF YOU DON'T WAIT A BLOODY FUCKING MINUTE I SWEAR I WILL FIND OUT WHOSE KNOCKING AND COME OUT THERE AND KICK YOUR ASS!"
I yelled violently. I'd put down money it was Fred knocking. I zipped Katie quickly, did a spell for Angelina to hold her hair in place and helped Alicia find her other shoe.
"Everyone ready now?" I asked everyone. They nodded and I opened the door, allowing them to leave first. I heard from inside the guys complimenting their respective dates. I came out last to see Oliver in shock and everyone else grinning like a bunch of Cheshire cats.
"Fallon why is it exactly we had to wait and be threatened to have our asses kicked?" Fred asked with a grin
"Because three of us were not ready and you were being a bloody prick about waiting," I replied evilly.
Finally regaining the use of his mouth Oliver spoke up. "Fallon, you look amazing," He managed to spurt out.
"So you can speak," I teased him a bit. "Thank you."
"Well, if we are done with this meet and greet, how about we head down to the ball?" Braeden suggested with a grin. Everyone agreed and we headed down stairs. We didn't run into anyone due to the fact that we were in fact late.
I walked in on Oliver's arm, causing several whistles and catcalls. I suddenly noticed Oliver and I were on our own. Our friends must have wandered off.
"Do you want to dance?" Oliver asked with a smile.
"Yeah," I replied. We danced for a solid thirty minutes. Then the song changed to a slow one.
"You really do look…I don't even know how to describe how you look to its fullest extent. Nothing I could say could describe how seeing you tonight made me feel," Oliver whispered into my ear.
"Thank you. And, you know, I promised you could tell everyone tonight, and I meant it. Tell everyone however you want," I whispered back. He wanted to hear that so badly.
"Good. That means I can finally do this and not care whose watching," Oliver replied. Then, his lips crashed down on to mine. Good lord, I thought our first kiss on the Quidditch pitch was amazing, but this was mind-blowing. Passion, longing, relief, and possession pored into this kiss. I knew people were watching now. That was his intention after all.
"So, what's going on you two?" Fred made his way over to us with Angelina at his side.
I laughed happily and replied, "We've been dating for a few weeks now, since that night at the pitch. Oliver wanted to tell everyone, but I wanted to wait for a while. I knew everyone would be watching and talking about us once it got out, but I kind of wanted Oliver without all that for a little while," I explained while Oliver wrapped an arm gently around my waist.
"Well congratulations mates," Fred finished before weaving through the crowd again, Angelina with him. She gave me a look with clearly stated 'we're going to talk about this later.'
"Do you want to get a drink?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, that'd be great." We walked over to the refreshment area. I chose the pumpkin juice while Oliver opted for Butterbeer. He didn't ask about the pumpkin juice. Everyone noticed I'd been laying off the alcohol but decided not to ask. We finished our drinks and went back to the dance floor. A muggle song I recognized came on. I was surprised. I didn't understand it, how could it be playing? I didn't really care how though; the song was a good one. I'm Gonna Love You, by… someone, couldn't remember who. Oliver and I swayed slowly.
"Fallon?" Oliver whispered quietly into my ear.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I love you," He said, so…decisively. As if, his senses caught up with him for the first time in years. How long had I wanted to hear that? How long had I wondered if I ever would?
"Oliver, do you really mean that?" I asked seriously.
"I do. I think I've loved you for a long time, I just didn't realize, but after what happened this summer with us after the Quidditch Cup, and then when I thought you were going to start seeing Roger, some thoughts began hitting me. When I got so mad at you on the path, I was just mad at the thought of you with Roger. And I was so thankful it was me you woke up next to. I don't know what I'd have done if it were someone other than me. I think I was beginning to notice before, but I thank my lucky stars that bloody bird did whatever it did. I don't know what it did, but it did something. God Fallon, I just, I love you so much that I wonder why I never realized I had the capacity to feel this strongly about anything, even Quidditch, before now." Those words moved me. He cared, he cared so much, he loved me. Maybe it was time to tell him…
"Oliver?" I started, much in the way he had with me.
"Yeah?" He replied, in a tone identical to mine.
"I love you," I told him.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"There's more. There's something I've got to tell you-" I was just prepping myself to tell him that we needed to talk and then take him somewhere else to talk when of course one of the bloody fucking twins come up to interrupt with their 'oh so perfect timing.'
"Guys! We're all going to head back up to the common room! Its getting late!" George yelled over the music. "Are you coming with us?" I didn't realize how much time had flown by. Nearly two and a half hours had passed by. I looked to Oliver for approval. He agreed so I yelled back over the music:
"Yeah George! We're right behind you!" We followed them out, and two feelings completely flooded me: relief and frustration. I was relieved I didn't have to tell Oliver right then, but I was so frustrated at the same time! I'd nearly told him, I'd nearly gotten rid of this stress, but something had to interrupt me, and now that it had, I'd not get the nerve back up tonight.
Once out of the hall, Oliver and I distanced ourselves a little from the group and Oliver turned his attention back to me.
"Fallon, what were you trying to tell me in there?" Oliver asked, concerned.
"Nothing, it wasn't important. Nothing at all," I managed to convince him.