glow. // cedric diggory

17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

It felt like hours since Ellie and Cedric's day out in Hogsmeade, when, in reality, it had been a week. Even though it was only noon, Flora and Frankie were in Ellie's room with curling irons, hairbrushes, makeup bags, and dress bags. Per Flora's request, the girls were getting ready "Muggle-style." Essentially using no magic if they could help it. Fleur and Gabrielle had already left to go out with some of the other Beauxbatons students before getting ready with their friend Marie later, so the girls had every square inch of that room filled with makeup, hair, and skin products.

"Why are we here so early?" Frankie yawned. "It's literally 12:25 on a Christmas Eve Saturday morning. I could be asleep. I should be asleep." She glared at Ellie sideways."

"Flo wanted to have a real get-ready-get-together," Ellie replied, whacking Frankie (who had begun to nod off already) on the shoulder with a pillow as she walked by. "You need to be nice. You know how much she misses her Muggle traditions, so when she gets back from the kitchens, you're going to at least act like you're enjoying being here early. Okay?"

"Of course I'm enjoying being here," Frankie argued. "I just don't see why it's so early."

"I brought cookies!" Flora called out happily as she nudged the door open with her foot. "The house elves were very generous today and gave us so many different types. I have snickerdoodle for me, peanut butter and chocolate for Ellie, and oatmeal chocolate chip for Frankie." She held out a huge tray with three plates, each topped with a mound of cookies.

That brought out a big smile from both of the girls. Flora sat the tray down on the dresser and conjured up a few glasses of sodas that would refill themselves on command.

"So," Frankie started. "Where do we start, Flo?"

"Hair," Flora replied, walking over and grabbing the curling iron. "Did you plug it in?"

"Where?" Frankie asked, tilting her head in confusion. Ellie snickered. Francesca Hill had clearly been raised in an all-wizard household if she didn't know where to plug a curling iron in. 

"The outlet, Frankie," Flora sighed, grabbing the end of the cord and showing Frankie where to plug it in before clicking a few buttons on the handle. "There. Now we just wait for it to heat up. Ellie, is your's already plugged in at least?" She reached for the heat protectant spray and began putting it in Frankie's hair.

"Yeah, it is," Ellie replied. "What kind of dresses did you guys get?"

Frankie turned around in the vanity chair and nodded at the dress bag draped over the bed. "It's a super pretty green one. You know, for Slytherin and all that."

"You and your Slytherin pride." Ellie rolled her eyes as she went to check on her curling iron. "Flo, do you want me to start on mine? I can do yours whenever you're ready." Flora nodded and told Ellie she'd start with Frankie's.

It was a comforting scene. A record was spinning on a record player, music playing quietly in the background of what they were doing. While Ellie was doing her hair in the bathroom mirror, she couldn't help but think about what the night would be like. 

The doors to the Great Hall were shut with magic and nobody was allowed to go in. This let the staff decorate it without the students interfering or getting in the way.

"Can you believe Christmas has already come?" Flora sighed happily as she wrapped Frankie's hair around a curling wand.

"Not really," Ellie admitted. "It feels like the year just started."