The Other Side: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter XXIII

"You do know that he's twenty-three, right?"

            Lana looked over at Kendra. "Really? I would've guessed maybe twenty or twenty-one..."

            "And you still want to go out with him?" Kendra's eyebrow rose with disbelief.

            "Of course," Lana responded, "Age is just a number. My dad is eight years older than my mom. Who cares if Cedric is six years older than me?"

            "Honestly, Ken," Lexi said, "Stop acting so jealous."

            "Me?" Kendra asked, "Jealous? Ha!"

            "We all know you've been into Cedric since the day you arrived here," another refugee, Brianna, said.

            Lana was sitting on the only bed in the bedroom, everyone else either sitting on their own sleeping bags on the floor or standing.

            "I am not into Cedric," Kendra growled, leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed, "He's too goody-goody."

            "He's sweet," Lana said.

            "Never mind him," Lexi said, "What're you going to wear?"

            Lana shrugged. "I guess I'm stuck with this."

            "No you're not!" Callie, a fifteen year-old refugee with wavy red hair, said, "I've got a dress that might fit you."

            "You don't have to lend me your-"

            "I insist," Callie said, reaching into a backpack that she used as her pillow. She pulled out a teal bundle and threw it at her. Lana caught it and held it up.

            "This could work," she said, "Looks about my size. Sort of fancy, though, don't you think?"

            "It was my mother's," Callie explained, "She wore it at my aunt's wedding when she was the maid of honor. Before the Dark Lord took over, of course. She passed it on to me when she gave me away to the Weasley safe house when I was three."

            "Was it much different there?" Lana asked as she pulled off her gray shirt to try on the dress. 

            "The Weasleys have a quainter lifestyle," Callie replied, "They live in a sort of farmhouse out in the country. Just like this place, it's hidden so the Death Eaters can't find it."

            "Only you can go outside there," Kendra added, "They have barriers that go around all of their land so the refugees can run around in the open air and not have to worry so much. I miss it there."

            "You stayed there too?" Lana asked.

            "When I was twelve," she replied, "Molly was sort of like my mum. Molly Weasley... brilliant woman. Takes care of all of those kids, a husband, forty refugees... don't know how she could possibly manage it."

            "Sounds like she's got her hands full," Lana murmured as she pulled the dress over her head.

            "Everybody who runs a safe house has their hands full," Jesse said, "Just look at Andromeda."

            "True," Lana said, standing up and pulling her jeans off from under her skirt. Then she turned to looked at herself in the mirror.

            The dress was pure teal, strapless, with a skirt that was longer in the back than the front. The color seemed to make her blue eyes pop. It complimented the curves of her body perfectly, and it even made her look somewhat taller.

            "Wow," Lexi breathed, "You're gorgeous."

            "Absolutely stunning," Callie agreed.

            "Cedric's eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you in that," Brianna added.

            "It does look pretty good," Lana admitted, grinning.

            "Okay, you're definitely wearing that tomorrow," Lexi said, "Now to decide what to do with your hair..."

            "Honestly, I don't care how I look," Lana insisted.

            "Nonsense!" Callie exclaimed, "You need to look your best."

            "I have some old nail polish my mom left me when she brought me here," Lexi said, "Its black, so it'll match your hair, like your dress matches your eyes."

            "And I have a pair of black heels," Brianna said.

            "Trust me, Lana," Lexi said, "When we're through with you, you'll be absolutely perfect for Cedric."

            "But... my date isn't until tomorrow," Lana reminded them.

            "Well, we need to know what we're going to do with you before hand!" Jesse said as they all crowded around her, excepting Kendra.

            "Ken, get over here and help us fix her hair," Lexi ordered, taking a brush out of the backpack.

            With a groan, Kendra pushed off the wall and joined them.