The Cupboard Series 4: The Fourth School

Chapter 28

"Susan! What about this one?" Hannah called across the store.

And like a mob of meerkats, six heads bobbed up over racks or peered around the side of aisles to see the dress that Hannah was holding up. It was shimmering pale pink, off the shoulder satin and silk number that tapered in at the waist before flaring out into a full length affair.

Said girl cocked her head to the side, studying the effect that the dress had against Hannah's figure.

"Do they have it in lavender or maybe violet?"

"I'll ask," Hannah replied before whirling about to go find someone to ask.

That question decided, the other six heads disappeared back amongst the racks, looking for their own perfect dress for the upcoming Yule Ball.

"You and Hannah are so lucky," Lil sighed, as she and Hermione flicked through the dresses in front of them.

Hermione couldn't resist the smile that lit her face. "I know. Although I do feel sorry for the rest of you."

Lil waved it off as she plucked a deep burgundy dress from the rack and held it up in front of her. Hermione regarded the effect critically before scrunching up her nose.

"Not quite," she said. "The top's too small and with your ... assets, you're likely to end up falling out of it."

"Not a bad way to get one of the dateless boys from the other school to notice me," Lil countered half-seriously.

"Here, try this one instead," Hermione suggested, pulling out a dress that was almost identical, apart from the fact that this one had a strap over one shoulder instead of being strapless like the one that Lil had originally pulled.

"Ooh, that's gorgeous! Thanks, Hermione," Lil exclaimed before grabbing the dress and rushing off towards the changing room.

"You know, Lil may have a point," Tracey said as she rounded the aisle. "It wouldn't hurt to do something to attract some of the other boys."

"Really, Trace? If we need to do that, then I don't think that they're the type of boys that we want hanging off of us for the evening," Daphne replied.

"You heard Harry and Neville, they'll make sure that they dance with all of you, not just Hannah and I," Hermione said, pulling out a periwinkle blue dress that had caught her eye.

"I still don't think that it's a good idea for Harry to go," Susan stated, "especially when we don't know if Crouch was working with anyone when he put Harry's name into that Goblet."

Holding the dress close in front of her, Hermione couldn't help spinning with it, imagining dancing with Harry in her arms. She looked up as she came to a halt, seeing the smiles on the faces of her friends around her.

"Yes, I think this is the one," Hermione decided. "Oh, and don't worry about Harry. He's got a plan."

Daphne shorted in a very unladylike way. "Harry Potter has a plan? Everyone run for the hills!"

The sound of her friends giggling followed Hermione as she headed towards the change rom to try on the dress.

-oOoOo-

Albus Dumbledore stood serenely in the centre of the antichamber to the Great Hall of Hogwarts. His hands were folded in front of him and his head was slightly bowed, as if in deep thought.

Traditionally, this room was used for the staff, a place for them to collect themselves or to have private conversations that didn't need to be aired in front of the entire school. Occasionally, it was pressed into additional uses, for example, the evening of the Choosing of the TriWizard Champions when the Champions met in here to receive their instructions for the First Task.