Extra Ordinary (Riddle Era)

Chapter 54

Lucy Steele looked rather good in green. Better, certainly, than Tom had expected her to look. The dress was nothing particularly stunning and, frankly, neither was she, but she cleaned up well enough. Her hair, usually left to frizz in half-formed curls, had been neatly pressed into smooth waves, and her lips were stained a bright red that, against her dress, gave the impression of distinct holiday spirit.

And yes, Tom knew she wasn't going to be the best dressed in the room. Of course she wasn't. She wouldn't be the prettiest girl there either. Or the smartest or the wittiest or the funniest or any such thing. But Tom had thought plenty about this in the last few weeks and he was convinced that above all else, Steele would be the most surprising girl in the room. The trick would be making sure the surprise was a well received one.

"You look beautiful," Tom said as Steele closed the door to the Hufflepuff common room behind her, blocking out the chatter - and a few whistles and giggles he didn't miss.

Steele smiled, a blush coloring her cheeks. "Don't get used to it," she chuckled. "This took far too much work."

Tom raised a brow. "You say that like you're not beautiful the rest of the time," he chided. And it wasn't a lie, really. Because it wasn't a statement of his opinion. It was a statement of fact. And he suspected that saved him.

Certainly, she saw no lie. She just huffed and rolled her eyes, but even in the dim, warm light, Tom could see her cheeks redden further. "Oh please," she murmured, but she was pleased. Tom smiled.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering her an arm in a gesture that was likely a complete waste of time, at least until they reached the dungeon halls on the other side of the castle, where eyes would be watching. But she took his arm nonetheless and he ignored the stutter of his heart at the press of her fingers on his arm.

"You know," Steele said as they began to walk towards the stairs to the Entrance Hall. "You look rather dapper yourself."

"Thank you," Tom smiled, feeling something pleased curl in his chest at the words. Of course, he hadn't needed her to tell him this. He knew it. He did look dapper. Looked positively handsome in the crisply pressed black and white dress robes with the emerald green tie that, in a stroke of pure luck, matched Steele's dress near perfectly.

The robes themselves had been a stroke of luck themselves. A miracle, almost, and one he wasn't inclined to question. He'd been to Slughorn's parties before, of course - every year since his second year - but it was different when he was younger, and this year... well. It had been time to update his wardrobe and he'd known it. He also hadn't had the funds for it. But the robes had been sitting in a second hand store in the back and few quick charms had made them look more worn than they were and brought down the price. A few other charms had fixed them to better than they'd ever been and the first time Tom had put them on properly it had been like looking at someone else in the mirror. Someone he should have been instead of someone he quite was.

In short, they were perfect. Made miraculously better by the jewel tone of Steele's top.

"Is there anything in particular I should expect tonight?" Steele asked after a beat, and the words pulled Tom from imaginings of how this night would go politically, practically, personally, to thoughts of how this could go. Perfectly... or painfully.

"Expect?" he repeated, playing for time more than anything. And for the image of ignorance.

Steele smiled, seeing through the facade in a heartbeat, as ever. "I'm the daughter of a politician, Tom," she said softly. "And no matter what kind of man he was, he was a very good politician. I never walk in blind."

Tom sniffed and didn't comment, knowing his questions would do little to serve any purpose now, when the next hours would be spent in crowds, among the kind of people who would notice Steele's silences and pointed words. Her stares that held more meaning than paragraphs.