Chapter Nine
A/N: Thank you all for reviewing! You made my day! :') Hehe, okay the next two chapters (including this one) is before the Ball, okey dokey? Back to the story!
Thalia's POV
I shovelled some cereal into my mouth before resuming my nervous state.
Why was I nervous? Well, A) the Yule Ball is in a week and I have NOTHING whatsoever to wear. Well, what do you expect from me, a tomboyish Quidditch fanatic? And B) Scorpius and Albus haven't asked us yet. I mean, yeah, lots of guys have asked me and Rose already, but we both turned them all down. I tried to drop hints for Scorpius to ask Rose, but all he did was act clueless. Rose said that's what happened to her with her cousin. And no, I can't ask Al; it's against the tradition of the Yule Ball. It's the unspoken rule: boys ask girls, not the other way around.
Okay, back to Al and Scorp. They'd been acting strangely around us ever since the first Quidditch game ended. Whenever we brought up the Yule Ball, they would change the subject. I mean, strange, much?
"Should we go to classes now?" Rose asked me. Al and Scorpius had already finished breakfast and apparently Al was finishing up some homework and Scorpius was helping him, as Herbology was his toughest subject and right after Defense Against the Dark Arts.
I nodded. I lost my appetite a long time ago, my arm just moving robotically to guide food into my mouth, for Rose's sake, so she wouldn't have to worry about me on top of everything else.
Walking to the Great Hall's doors, we spotted Lily, Rose's cousin, crying. We changed course and headed for her.
To put it nicely, she looked like a wreck. Her mascara was smeared down her face, there were deep bags under her eyes, and her hair was tangled.
"Lil, what happened?" asked Rose, sitting on her right, and rubbing her back. I sat down on her left and helped soothe the Fourth Year.
"S-Samuel b-broke up w-with m-me!" She sobbed, hiccupping.
"He what?" I asked. "Why?"
"H-he was ch-cheating on me w-with a s-slutty Hufflepuff! F-for t-three w-weeks!"
Rose and I looked at each other, shocked. Three weeks? Now that was low.
"Hey, what about we get you cleaned up and go talk to Lorcan and Lysander? I hear Lysander has a crush on you." Said Rose, the comforting cousin she was.
"H-he does?" Lily looked hopeful.
"Yup. Just go talk to him for a while, and maybe he'll ask you to the Ball. Don't worry, Lil. You'll get revenge on Samuel later. Just focus on getting out of the dumps and forgetting about the pain. Now, we'll clean you up. Now, sit still."
Rose and I plucked out our wands and began cleaning up her mascara with some muttered Tergeos and moved onto her hair, detangling it and then Summoning her make-up and hair products. When we were done with her, she looked way better.
"Oh my gosh! Thank you, Rose, Thalia! You know," She said, a flirtatious smile on her face, "Lysander is kind of cute." She then flounced over to the Ravenclaw table, sitting in between the Scamander twins, Lysander looking surprised but pleased as she flirted with him, and Samuel looking jealous.
Rose smiled. "You're welcome, little cousin."
"Let's go to Defense against the Dark Arts. We wouldn't want Professor Goldstein to catch us late." I said, and we walked together out of the Great Hall, our worries temporarily forgotten.
. . .
That Saturday, there was a Hogsmeade trip.
Lily, who was totally over Samuel, had been asked to the Ball by Lysander, just as Rose had predicted. Now that she was totally in love (her words, not mine), her euphoria for the Ball was renewed and she was totally ecstatic when we agreed to go shopping in Hogsmeade. Since Al and Scorpius didn't want to come dress shopping with us, they said they'd go to Honeydukes and Zonko's then meet us at the Three Broomsticks.
There was a thick blanket of snow set all over the castle, its grounds, and as far as Hogsmeade went. There were snowflakes falling to the earth, softly and slowly. I caught one on my tongue and I smiled. There was nothing better than losing yourself in winter. I brushed off the snowflakes that gathered on my Gryffindor scarf and navy blue jacket. As Lily, Rose and I entered Hogsmeade, there were Christmas lights and decorations set up for the Holiday that was roughly two weeks from now. Honeydukes was lit up by the traditional green and red lights and the sign was being surrounded by miniature angels that were Charmed to blow tiny trumpets and fly around the entrance. Zonko's Joke Shop had a jack-in-the-box on its roof, the clown popping out once in a while wearing a Father Christmas hat and shouting, "Merry Christmas!". And Madam Puddifoot's (shudder) was decked with Holly Berries and Mistletoe.
"So, Lily," Said Rose, shivering and wrapping her scarlet and gold scarf tighter around herself, "Where's this dress shop you were speaking of?"
"Well, we're almost there. Follow me!" She said, seemingly unfazed by the cold.
We then came to a shop that was labelled Daniela's Delightful Dress Shop. It was decorated with holly berry and golden trimming. As we entered, there was a light tinkling from a bell that came from above.
It was a rather classy-looking store, with a cash register and desk, modern paintings hanging on the walls, and a waiting room complete with cream couches. There were two signs that said, Men and Women. We followed the second sign and came to a large room with many racks with different colors of dresses.
As we attacked the racks, a middle-aged witch came into the room. She had blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail and brown eyes. She was wearing a grey dress and a black cardigan, which looked rather good on her.
"My name is Daniela Rowan. May I help you?" She asked.
"Yes," I said. "We're looking for dresses for each of us."
"Well, you've come to the right place. Who would like to go first?"
"Rose!" Lily said, shoving her cousin forward. Daniela looked her over, taking in her skin complexion, her curly auburn hair, her height, and her blue eyes.
"Ah, I have the perfect dress for you. Come with me. You two may sit on the chairs over here." She conjured up two chairs and told Rose to follow the sign that said change rooms. Daniela then went over to a rack at the back of the room. After a few moments, she picked out a dress that was covered in a plastic covering, hiding it. She disappeared to the change rooms.
After a few minutes, Rose walked back into the room, and she was definitely unrecognizable. She was wearing a strapless white dress that came to a few inches above her knee. It poofed out from her waist, where there was a silver belt, giving it a classy look. It defined her curves in all the right places and made her legs look longer. She was wearing silver pumps that completed the look perfectly. Somehow, she managed walking in them.
"Rose! You look gorgeous!" I said, standing up and giving her a hug.
"You look stunning, darling! All of the girls will be jelling and all of the boys will be drooling!" Lily squealed.
Rose blushed. "Thanks, guys. Now," She said, pushing her cousin forward, "It's Lily's turn!"
Lily smiled and followed Daniela out of the room after she got scrutinized. After a few minutes, Lily stepped back out again and she was wearing a black gown that flowed down to her calves, which made her dark red hair stand out. It had only one strap and had white lily patterns all over it. She was wearing white heels.
"Lily! Lysander is the luckiest guy on earth!" Rose exclaimed.
"Fabulous, darling, fabulous!" I said, blowing kisses, making Rose and Lily laugh.
"Thank you, ladies. It's your turn, Thalia!" Lily squealed.
I rolled my eyes. Daniela looked me over and told me to go to the change rooms. There were mahogany stalls and more paintings, and a scarlet carpet. As I was admiring the décor, Daniela came back, holding a dress.
"Here you go. Now, don't take long!" She smiled, and I smiled back. I stepped into a stall and took the plastic cover off. I gasped in amazement.
It was a midnight blue gown with spaghetti straps. It had ruffles from the waist down, with a sweetheart neckline. I quickly undressed and put it on. It flowed out from where the ruffles started, and it showed off my curves more than any outfit I had ever worn. It brought out my grey-blue eyes, making them seem bluer than they actually were. I took out the matching strappy heels and looked at myself in the mirror. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I looked stunning.
I stepped out and went back to the room. Lily and Rose gasped.
"Oh my gosh, Thalia! You look amazing!" Lily squealed.
"Thalia! Is that you?" Rose said jokingly.
I laughed and said, "Didn't recognize me without my jeans and Quidditch gear, did you?"
The three of us laughed. "Thanks, Daniela. We're going to be taking these today."
She nodded. "Alright. You might want to change out of those dresses. I hear it's cold outside." She said, smiling.
The three of us headed back to the change rooms and slipped back into our winter gear. We took the dresses to the cash register and paid our galleons. We stepped out of the warm store and the cold December air hit us like a slap in the face. Shivering and clutching our purchases, we ran to the Three Broomsticks and exhaled in relief as the warmth hit us once again. We each ordered a Butterbeer and settled down. Just then, Al and Scorpius walked in and grinned when they spotted us.
"Hey, guys. Finished your shopping?" Scorpius asked, pulling up a chair.
Rose nodded. "Yup, but you're not allowed to see them until the Yule Ball."
"Aww." Albus mock-pouted. I laughed and he smiled at me, his green eyes alight. I got lost in them for a moment, but shook myself back into reality. I was not going to look like a drooling idiot in front of my friends.
"What about you? Do you guys have your dress robes?" Lily asked.
Scorpius nodded. "My dad bought me and Al them about a week ago."
Rose nodded. "Cool."
"So, Lily," Said Albus, "I hear Lysander asked you to the Ball. What happened to Samuel?"
Lily shrugged. "He was cheating on me, we broke up, I got over him, and then Lysander asked me out." She said smoothly. She could always make even the most heart wrenching break up no big deal at all. I admire her for that.
"Do you want me to go beat him up?"
"Nah, his punishment is to watch me dance with Lysander, and when he begs for me back, I'll turn him down. Simple as that. Although," She got a mischievous glint in her eye, "You two can join in with the pummelling once I tell all our male cousins and James."
We all laughed, but Albus looked like he was seriously going to.
We all walked back to the castle and sighed as the warmth of Hogwarts hit us. As we made our way up the stairs, Al fell into step with me.
"How are you today?"
I smiled at him. "I'm great, how are you?"
"I'm magnificent." I looked into those green eyes and instantly melted. Of course, as a Quidditch player, I learned to coordinate my feet and never trip or fall, even if you felt like it. So, I managed not to show how much those emerald eyes dazzled me.
I shivered involuntarily. He looked concerned. "Are you cold?"
"Um, a little bit."
"Here," He said, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close; I could feel the warmth his body was radiating and was instantly warmed (don't faint, don't faint, don't faint!), "Is that better?"
I nodded, trying to avoid looking at his lips as to not impulsively kiss him, "Thanks, Albus." I wrapped my arm around his waist and put my head on his shoulder. Damn hormones! We stayed that way, walking to the portrait and let go so that we could step in, as Lily had already said the password.
Lily went upstairs to the dorms, offering that she would drop our dresses off on our beds. We thanked her, exhausted and cold, and collapsed onto the couch. Scorpius and Al sat beside us, and we just enjoyed the warmth of the fire. When it was almost dinnertime, Rose and I headed to our dorm. I took off my jacket, hat and scarf, casting a Drying Charm on it as well as a Folding Charm, and stuffed them away into my trunk. I straightened my purple hoodie, brushed some wet snow off of my skinny jeans, and waited for Rose to be done.
When she was finished, I asked her something.
"Rose? Do you think we should ask them to dance in the middle of the Ball if they don't ask us in a week?"
She thought hard before answering. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, we should at least tell them how we feel. The Yule Ball is a perfect opportunity. We shouldn't wait until our last moments at Hogwarts to."
"Yeah, I guess so. Even if they don't return our feelings, we'll still all be friends. I doubt they would throw a whole friendship away just because we fancy them." I was trying to convince myself that. How could I be sure?
Rose nodded. "Let's go down to dinner."
As we headed down, we saw Argus Filch, the caretaker, putting up decorations at the entrance of the Great Hall. They were probably getting a head start on decorating the Yule Ball.
As we sat down at the Gryffindor table, everyone was already digging in. We sat in our usual places; across from Al and Scorpius. As I ate Shepherd's pie and vegetables, someone came up behind me.
It was Frank Longbottom, a fellow Sixth Year Gryffindor. "Hello, Thalia."
I smiled at him. "Hi, Frank. What's up?"
"Um, do you want to go to the Ball with me?"
I sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Frank, but I was planning to dance with someone else." I caught Rose's eye. When his face fell, I felt immediately guilty. "But, I think I know someone who'd like to go with you."
It brightened just as much as it had fallen. "Really? Who?"
"Rita Myers." She had fancied the Herbology teacher's son for who knows how long. "I bet if you ask her, she would say yes."
He smiled. "Thanks, Thalia!" I watched him go down the Gryffindor table and stop at a raven-haired, brown-eyed Sixth Year. As he asked her, her face was filled with shock and then joy. She nodded her head fervently and when he went back to his spot, she squealed so loud she attracted some strange looks.
I sighed inwardly. If only things were that easy.
A/N: Reviewwww!