It's the night of the ball, 7 pm. An hour till show time. Stacey, Penelope and I are upstairs in our dormitory, along with Tallulah Reed and Rose Watier. We were all getting ready.
Tallulah emerges from the shower, after a full 45 minutes, shouting, "Somebody has touched my honey melon Organza body wash! Almost a quarter of it is missing! How many times have I told you guys not to touch my stuff? Do you have any idea how expensive that body wash is?" She screams.
Rose rolls her eyes dramatically, and makes a face behind Tallulah's back. Penelope and I stifle giggles for fear of enraging Tallulah even more.
Stacey sighs, "no one's touched your precious soap, Reed. Shut up, would you?"
"It's not just soap, Edwards!" Tallulah spits. I rush into the bathroom to avoid the crossfire and begin washing my hair as fast as I can. I'm last to shower and running short on time.
I'm out and drying my hair in ten minutes (a new record for me). I cast two charms on it, one to dry it, and one to straighten it. Next I carefully wind the ends around my want to curl them.
"Penelope, a little help here" I ask. Penelope, who's nearly ready, takes my wand and curls the hair at the back of my head, which I can't reach. Finally, I charm it so that my hair will stays in place all night. Stacey once tried to get me use this muggle stuff called "hair spray". I'd gotten it in my eyes and spent an hour trying to wash it out to relieve the stinging. It was a nightmare, and from then on, I've stuck to magic when it comes to styling my hair.
The hardest part over, I relax a bit as I start applying my make up; dark, black rimmed eyes, very soft silver eye shadow, and a neutral peach for my lips. With fifteen minutes to go, I pull on my dress. Penelope ties the ribbons on my back as I pull on my shoes. Finally done.
As usual, Stacey is still getting ready, panicking now that we've only got five minutes left. "Where are my shoes?" She mutters to herself.
When Stacey has found her shoes, the three of us don our masks and head downstairs to the Great Hall. It's been transformed into a ballroom with small, four seat tables around the edges of the dance floor. I must admit, it looks quite good. On each wall hangs different coloured drapery, reaching all the way from the impossibly high ceiling to the floor.
Penelope, Stacey and I take a table at the far end of the room. Near the opposite wall, a stage has been set up, and a band of five, dressed in white and red robes are playing soft classical music. The three of us begin to chat as we await everyone else's arrival and the start of dinner. I look past Penelope's shoulder at the entrance, and at the students dressed in their finest, eyeing one another, critiquing their friends' choices of outfits and dates. I roll my eyes. I have to be honest, I did sort of enjoy dressing up, it's been a while since I've taken such care with my appearance; but still, such events are so shallow, and the stupidity of the evening is just starting to dawn on me as I look at the rest of the student body filtering in. I'm still staring at the entrance when Hestia Jones enters the hall, made recognizable despite the mask that covers her face by her perfectly done auburn hair, the haughty way she walks and the ridiculous plunging neckline of her dress. I see her puff out her cleavage slightly as a bloke, who could only be Jacob, puts his arm around her waist.
I look away quickly and try to focus on the story Penelope is telling about a unicorn she'd seen in the Amazon rainforest, where her and her parents had vacationed over the summer. But I can't get the image out of my head: Hestia's smug smile, Jacob's hand around her waist.
The hall becomes quiet and the music stops. McGonagall stands up and asks that everyone be seated. A few whispers and much chair scraping later, the hall is quiet again.
McGonagall begins to speak, her voice magically amplified, "I want to welcome you all the sixth annual Memorial Ball. We celebrate now in order to remember the great feat that took place here years ago- the fall of Lord Voldemort." Even though the name is now used freely, without fear, it still casts an ominous air among the students in the hall. "We also must be sure to remember all those who gave their lives at the Battle of Hogwarts in order for us to live free and happy lives, without fear or oppression. Now, let the festivities begin." With a wave of her arm, McGonagall conjures menus that appear in front of every student and staff member present. As usual, each students calls out the dish of their choice and it appears magically in front of them.
I look over the menu. Dutch Oven Barbecued Steak. Just the name has my mouth watering. I look over at Stacey, with her impossibly thin, toned biceps. She's already ordered, and is eating a small piece of salmon with a garden salad. I sigh, and order the same thing.
One by one, the students begin finishing their dinners and drifting on to the dance floor. The band is now playing a fast-paced Spanish number. Some couples are actually salsa-ing along to the beat, while the less gifted dancers are just swaying unenthusiastically, making bedroom eyes at each other. Stacey's dancing with Arnold; Penelope and I are still sitting at the table, trying to pretend we don't mind that we haven't been asked to dance. Just then, Tyler Walks, a seventh year Ravenclaw comes up to our table and asks Penelope for a dance. She doesn't reply, only nods her head. I see her eyes turn bring pink as she takes Tyler's waiting hand and they join the swaying couples on the floor. She gives me an apologetic look over Tyler's shoulder, which I reply to with a thumbs up and a brilliantly faked smile.
Great. Now I'm alone. I try not to let it bother me, however my sour mood turns worse when I catch sight of Hestia and Jacob dancing. She has her hands locked behind his neck like a vice, and he's whispering something in her ear. Staring at the two of them, trying to make Hestia's head catch fire with my mind, caused me to miss the tall bloke walking over to me.
"Hello" he smiles.
Dumbfounded, I respond automatically, "hi". He stretches out his hand and I place mine in his. Then… he kisses it. Yes, kissed it. The way people did about two centuries ago, the way the guys in the novels I read do. I feel my heart swell.
"Would you like to dance?" he asks politely.
"Sure" I breathe.
I follow him out to the floor and we begin swaying, rotating in circles. By now the band has returned to soft classical pieces. I look up and notice his beautiful eyes an perfectly shaped lips.
"I'm Jonathon, by the way" he whispers.
I smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Irene."
I know it's cliché, but I could physically feel my heart trying to escape from my chest. Jonathon and I continued to dance as the next song came on.
Just as I was beginning to think that this ball was a wonderful idea, and that I adore Stacey for dragging me here, I feel something shift.
It's Jonathon's hand on my back. He subtly slides it from its position at the middle of my back, lower. To the small of my back, continuing, lower. Right before he reaches my rear end, I push him in the chest, away from me.
"Pig!" I spit, and slam my high-heeled foot down on his. I see him scowl deeply as I turn away and walk out of the Great Hall. I'm trying to hold in all the overwhelming emotions; the rage, the hurt. I was about to go upstairs to my dormitory when I notice that the front doors are standing wide open. After further inspection I realize that part of the front lawn has been transformed into and elaborate garden. Maybe a bit of fresh air will do me good…
AN:
I know, not a very exciting chapter. But the night is not over yet, and there's still much more to come before it ends. Stay tuned! And leave a review...pretty please?