Denial is First Step to Acceptance

19. Getting Ready

After that quite eventful day, the rest of the few days were... uneventful. And finally, the day every girl, exceptions to me, I would avoid dresses at all costs, had waited for in Hogwarts. The Ball.

I was talking randomly with James, Sirius and Remus when Lily grabbed me from behind and said, “You're late!”

“For what?” I said.

“We need to get ready for the Ball!” Lily said frustrated, still tugging on my stable body.

“It’s not until four more hours! C’mon! I only need 5 minutes to put on the dress! Gosh!” I said, not noticing James, Sirius and Remus rolling their eyes.

“She really hates that kind of stuff doesn’t she?” Sirius said to James. He nodded and rolled his eyes once more.

“Well!” I declared. “I'm. Not. Going.” And I crossed my arms and put my chin up. Then I turned to her. “And anyway, I don’t wanna go without a partner.” I added sadly. I didn’t notice Sirius suddenly sitting up straighter.

Behind me James and Remus were nudging Sirius (he was sitting in the middle) hard and muttering things like, “C’mon! It’s open!” and “Don’t be a sissy!”

Sirius shot them a silencing glare, but all the same said in his seductive voice, “How about you come with me gorgeous?”

I leaned in next to his ear and said in my own seductive voice, “Would I say no to such a handsome boy?” I cooed, I felt a shiver up my spine. Ohhhh, was I good. I felt him shiver slightly. I grinned smugly.

He leaned back and pushed my face back and made his nose half a centimetre away. “Handsome am i?”

I sighed so my warm breath hit is face. Thank goodness I brushed my teeth properly today. Sirius’s breath hitched. Oh god, she’s got me good! Sirius thought desperately. I smiled victoriously.

“Sooo, instead of this seductiveness, how bout you give Sirius an answer and LETS GO!” Lily shouted.

We both jumped in surprise. We were both too busy, I admit, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Yeah sure, I’ll go with you Padfoot!” I shouted as Lily dragged me to the 6th year girl’s dorm. The moment the click of the door was heard, we heard a muffled scream of delight. Odd.

It looked as though Alice, Fiona and Mary were done with the hair and makeup, and Lily half done. Lily sat in the large chair placed in the centre of the room, which the chair was surrounded with several, as I call it, torture tools.

Two extremely uneventful hours, of which I was dreaming about... stuff, Lily gave me a few thumps on my back and ushered me into the chair of doom. It which I subconsciously did. And did not realise they were now tying me to the chair and made me let go of my wand. And that was when I snapped awake.

“ARRRGGHHH! GET THIS OFFAH ME!” I said. Or screamed.

“No can do.” Fiona said, making her finger hover over the several torture tools as though scanning them.

“Oh, forgot to mention! Remus wants to go with you to the Ball, do you wanna go with him?” I said, my brain ticking with alibis.

Fiona blushed, “Well, if he wants to...”

“Great! I’ll tell him if you get these straps off me.” I said.

“Maybe, just loosen the straps...” Fiona said a bit quickly.

“I’ll go just hook Remus up with one of Sirius’s whores then... He doesn’t want to go partnerless, he told me he would be that desperate...” I lied. Remus isn’t that desperate, and I'm not that cruel.

“Okay! Let her go!” Fiona shouted frustratedly and desperately.

“Fiona! You know her! She wouldn’t be that cruel!” Lily said soothingly. Took the words right out of my mouth.

“Drat. Why’d you ruin your-” but was cut short when a torture tool pulled on my hair. “What the fuck is that?”

“its called a hair straightener. Its to sttrrraaaiiiggghhhttteeeennn haaaaaiiiirrrrr.” Alice said to me like I was a five year old. Although several may agree I act like one.

“Hey, can you remove those streaks, they won’t do.” Fiona said, frowning at the streaks.

“Their natural, so don’t worry about putting the torture tool on my hair.” I said lazily. It was taking quite a while.

By the time I was done I had totally straight hair with a bun at the back, a bit of hair hanging loosely at the back and for the bangs. They insisted on bright red lipstick, to go with the streaks, but I put a stop to that, and stuck with a lighter pinkier red. I had barely any energy to stop them. Seriously, my butt was aching. They also added blackish grey eyeshadow and blush, but finally, It was all done. Now for the dress.

“Umm... My dress... it’s in the boys dorm...” I said. “I need to go...” and surprisingly, they let me go. I trotted down the stairs to receive several stares, gasps and “wow, whoever gets her is the luckiest guy in the world!” in which, although I didn’t see, Sirius beamed.

I felt myself blush, which didn’t show, obviously, and I walked quickly up the boys dorm. I looked everywhere for the dress. Then I found it. Under Sirius’s bed. Probably for a prank. I ran back down and back up the girls dorm to avoid more... stuff.

I put on the dress just as everyone finished putting on theirs. Still fits, thank goodness I haven’t been gaining, all those trips to the kitchens, seriously.

And, just like before, when the girls turned around all they could do was just stare. I mean, do I have a carrot in my ear? Someone, just tell me!

“You...” Lily said.

“...Look.” Fiona followed.

“...Absolutely.” Mary said, catching on.

“Stunning!” Alice screamed, jumping up and hugging me as I put on my choker. Which, didn’t work.  “ouch! Your elbow!”

After apologising, I walked to the mirror, only to gasp slightly.

“Gorgeous ain’t she?” a handsome voice said at the door. If voices can be handsome.

“How’d you get up Potter?” Lily said sternly.

“We found the counter curse.” James said promptly, as though expecting that question. He was wearing a nice set of dressrobes.

“So we can visit aaannyyy time, Morning, day or Night.” Sirius said, giving me a roguish wink, which I blushed. He seemed to be looking at me only. He too was wearing a rather dashing (go shoot me if I'm old fashioned) set of dressrobes.

“Well, that’s an extremely comforting thought.” Lily muttered.

“Did I tell you that you look beautiful Lily?”James said, who received several eager nods from me.

“Several times, but it is nice to hear.” Lily admitted. “Why are you here?”

“To pick up out dates.” Remus said suddenly appearing, his slightly long hair tied in a low ponytail and looking royal and prince like in his tailcoat robes, winking at me and bowing his head at Fiona.

“C’mon!” I said, grabbing Lily and Fiona by the elbows and pushing them towards their dates. Both the couples looked awkward. “You four worry me.” I said, shaking my head.

“Alice! Mary! Got dates?” I said.

“Frank!” Alice said, running at the door. Frank had just arrived.

“Mary?” I said worried. She smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry your silly bottom!” Mary said. “I was asked by a Ravenclaw guy, Quidditch captain think! Must go! See you at the Ball!” and she pushed politely through.

Everyone left down the stairs but Sirius grinned wolfishly and stuck his elbow out. “Would you-”

“Gladly.” I grinned widely for some reason and entwined my arm through his.

And so the four couples left to the Hogwarts Ball.