A Sliver of Change | S. Black

Part 2: Chapter 30

Part 2:

Chapter 30 –

February 14th, 1977

Lia watched as Marlene added the finishing touches of the makeup to her face, awed at the reflection in the mirror. The blonde had done a Smokey eye, accentuating the brightness of her eyes and colliding perfectly with the darkness of her hair. She had added a light peach tint to her lips, using the same colour on her cheek bones, making them sharper than she thought possible.

Lia felt beautiful, and she owed it all to the girl in front of her. "Thank you, Marlene. I love it," she whispered out.

Marlene nodded at her gratitude before she moved on to Alice, adding the finishing touches to her makeup. Looking at herself one more time, Lia walked over to her bed where her dress was placed, still in the box.

She had wanted it to be a surprise for the night, waiting until she got dressed to see what her mother had sent her. They still had a few moments before they had to get dressed and ready for the rest of the night, so Lia sat beside Lily on her own bed, amazed at the makeup she had done to herself.

The subtle blue tones, matched perfectly with her red hair and the red lip stain she had on, made her lips look fuller and her face leaner.

"You look beautiful," Lia commented, lightly hitting her shoulder against her best friends.

Lily smiled at her, "right back at ya."

The two had decided to attend the ball together, seeing as Alice and Marlene already had their boyfriends to go with as dates. James had asked Lily which wasn't surprising, but what did surprise Lia was the way in which he did it. He didn't make it a huge spectacle, or even beg her to go with him, but instead casually asked her when the three of them were walking out of class yesterday.

Lily had surprised Lia as well when all she did was give James a simple no, the two moving on from the situation and continuing their walk. Lia had to stand still for a moment and process the interaction, her head trying to wrap around how different they were acting towards each other.

"So, what are you going to do when you see Sirius tonight?" Lily asked, shaking Lia out of her thoughts.

Lia shrugged, her head running with different scenarios. Sirius could either still be upset with her and ignore her all night, or he could forgive her, and Lia could proceed with the night as they had planned.

"I don't know," she admitted despite them already talking about it, "I'm nervous to see him."

Lily nodded her head in understanding, her arm wrapping around her shoulder, "that boy is obsessed with you, anyone can see it. It will all turn out alright," she explained.

Lia knew where she was coming from, but Sirius had never out right admitted that he had feelings for her. Sure, he promised that one day they would be together, and she knew that he desired her physically, but he had never told her what he fully felt emotionally.

Their conversation was cut off by Marlene and Alice waltzing into the room, both of them spinning to show off their dresses.

Marlene was adorned in a red dress, the colour making her blonde hair stand out. The dress had a high cut neckline with no sleeves and was covered in lace. Alice was wearing a yellow one, the colour illuminating her innocent features. It puffed out like a ball gown and had a sweetheart neckline.

"I love them!" Lia gushed, clapping her hands excitably towards the two.

Lily wolf whistled, her eyes scanning the bodies of their friends, "you guys look perfect! The boys won't know what hit them," she said.