By Halloween, rumors had spread like wildfire about the pair of them. Just that they were together of course, seeing as she was known too well as a good girl for any other whispers.
Although, the day before Oliver Tray had been given a lovely bat bogey hex for spreading something around that was less innocent.
And Ellie Claybourne was just getting out of the detention for doing it, as the rest of the school was finishing dinner.
The great hall's many candles that typically lit the sky were Jack-O-Lanterns, and live bats flew in swarms above the students. The ceiling which was enchanted to show the true sky outside was a murky and deep blue, just after sunset, and a full moon hung wrapped in the clouds like a crystal ball in the hands of a seer.
Even the teachers looked a little festive, though Professor Dumbledore had left early, and Professor Slughorn hadn't bothered to show up, presumably to set up for the night's event.
She sat down at the table and served herself, just as the rest of the meal before them vanished, leaving her with a plate full of chicken and pasta, as desserts filled the rest of the table, all fall themed, and immediately filling the room with the smell of baked pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
She was thrilled that she could finally eat without being forced to hold the mandrake root in her cheek, as they had taken it out two or three days earlier, but could hardly touch her food because she was so nervous for the masquerade.
Remus had left the day before, claiming sickness again, and not having returned yet, his absence leaving the table somewhat quiet.
Ellie hurried through her dinner and ignored the delicacies, finishing before Rose was even halfway through her pumpkin roll.
"I'm almost done, just hold on," Rose called, pulling Ellie back into her seat as she nearly left without her.
The pair left the boys back at their table and rushed up to their dormitory to get ready.
"Ellie, you need to calm down. You're going to faint if you keep forgetting to breathe," Rose reminded as they closed their door and locked it behind them. The other girls had already sworn to get ready with their friends in other years and dorms, so it was perfectly private.
"I just love this sort of thing," Ellie gushed, anxious and excited. "I want everything to go right."
"As if I didn't know that. But look, everything will be fine. Just because James didn't ask you to go with him doesn't mean he won't want to dance. And listen, I've heard it from Sirius time and again, he will ask you," Rose assured, changing out her earrings.
She had been understandably annoyed when James hadn't bothered to ask Ellie, although he clearly should have. Ellie didn't mind though. She wasn't even sure that she wanted so much as that dance.
"I am just so excited," Ellie squealed, using a spell she knew to straighten her hair by wrapping the thick curls it around her wand, then letting them fall without their signature corkscrew.
"Can you get the back for me?" She asked Rose, who was brushing her own and pulling it up in several swirls, using black diamond tipped pins.
"Yeah. Stand still," Rose demanded, using the same spell to do the part of Ellie's hair that she couldn't reach.
"I don't know if I can," Ellie apologized, bouncing up and down in place.
"Then I'll just have to petrify you. Stand. Still," Rose replied, nearly burning the hem of her bathrobe with the wand straightening iron spell.
"There," Ellie replied, finishing with the front of her former curls, golden locks that now looked sleek and shiny as she moved and the light glinted off of them.
"Oh, Rose, will you let me do your makeup? Please?"
"Well, considering I have no idea what I'm doing, fine. But keep it simple. And make sure it matches the dress," Rose requested, referring to the now practically famous dress that half of the school was waiting to see.
It was hanging in her wardrobe now, looking lonely without its accompanying male counterpart, which had been given discretely to Sirius that morning.
"I was going to make it match the dress anyway," Ellie rolled her eyes, taking her favorite brushes out of her trunk and placing them on the shelf near the chair that Rose was waiting patiently on.
Ellie worked her magic, quite literally, as she used her wand to do some parts of the makeup. Rose was already wearing her mask, and by the time the subtle yet elegant work was done, it looked like it was made for her (which it coincidentally was; she had made that part of their costumes too).
Ellie used the large mirror in the dorm to do her own makeup, dark to compliment her blonde hair, thick black eyeliner to make her look dangerous and to match her dress and mask, which were the familiar Gryffindor scarlet.
It was a thin dress, something that only a girl like Ellie could pull off, black with side stripes made of leather, the red used to highlight the differences in fabric. The top part of the dress was tight fitting, with no straps, the inside also the red shade. The fabric stayed beautifully tight fitting until just above where the skirt touched the floor, where it spread out, forming a slight pool around her feet that followed her as she walked. She also wore dragon hide leather gloves with the fingers cut out, red lipstick, and tall, black heels. The whole ensemble made her look mysterious, almost wicked, and was definitely not something that a good girl would have worn.
She knew that most girls (Rose included) would be wearing dresses with large, puffy, medieval style skirts, but she had seen this one in Diagon Alley, and fallen in love with it. She didn't really care about what everyone else was wearing when it came to the dances. With a final move to pull back her hair and apply her mask, (which was made of black with a red leather underside), Ellie was finished, and she noticed that Rose was done too, and had been for some time. Rose was waiting patiently in a chair by the door, but when she noticed Ellie had concluded, she stood and twirled to show off the way her dress moved as she spun.
"Well? How do I look?" The dress was just as extraordinary as everyone was hoping it would be, and Ellie said so.
"Really, truly amazing."
"Well, still not as gorgeous as you. Cripes, if James Potter hadn't noticed you enough before, this will be like a slap in the face for him," she responded.
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
"Well, I think that Sirius will be in for a treat. Are you ready to meet him?" Ellie asked, opening the door to the hallway.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Rose replied, grinning and leading the way down to the common room to meet her datemand the many students waiting to see her infamous dress design.
Xx
The effect was immediate. The room waiting below silenced itself better than any charm could have, and every Gryffindor in the room looked up as though spell struck. Ellie had been forced to go down first, naturally, and there were more than a few whistles from the crowd ad she made her descent, trying desperately not to trip. James was at the front of the group that was going stag, and Ellie involuntarily made eye contact with him while taking the last few stairs. His hair was fluffed up to its finest, and his crimson and black dress robes almost perfectly complimented her dress, somehow. When he first saw her, his jaw didn't drop as she had hoped it might, but the small twitch of a surprised smile that he gave from under his mask was more than enough of a reaction.
She was followed by what was easily the most gorgeous dress of the evening, worn perfectly by her best friend. It was in a ballerina style, the top a corset like piece and the bottom a toile skirt, the two blending with perfect tact. The top part of the dress was patterned by a twinkling mass of stars and sky, a perfect capture of the all hallows eve that was moving above them outside.
Just like the ceiling of the great hall, it was enchanted to show the real time view of the sky outside, now a nest of stars, still with the full moon shining through interwoven clouds. The dress fit her lithe form perfectly, making her look like some sort of cloud nymph or sprite, the pins twinkling darkly in her hair, and the mask showing the eastern sky perfectly to suit the lines of her eyes and the curve of her face. She wore red lipstick, a bright contrast to the rest of the dress, and tall, black heels, with ribbons going up the rest of her leg to follow the ballerina style of the ensemble.
As she practically floated down the stairs, the crowd parted to let Sirius through. His hair was combed nicely, and cut a bit more neatly. His dress robes were black, with the hems and cuffs along with the inside of the robes matching the sky of the dress. Not much, just enough to remind everyone that they were together, that he was hers for the evening.
He reached out a hand, and she accepted, as he kissed it like a proper gentlemen, then put his hand around her waist, leading the line to begin the Gryffindor escort to the ball.
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This story is so much more than I thought it was going to be, but I really like how far its going! I'm still just writing it for a friend, but putting it on here makes it easier to share. Let me know if you like what you read by reviewing! Thanks for reading, and don't let the muggles get you down!
post edit: this chapter was excellent fun to write, and i didnt even mind editing it much. Progress. Thanks anyway for reading and reviewing!