city of stars [a retell of the celestial ball]

the recruitment

Charms class seemed to go on forever after the announcement of the ball--and speaking of 'ball', it was all I ever heard about all lesson. Despite Professor Flitwick's best attempts to keep the chatter to a minimum, the quiet murmur of the students talking about it never died away. By the time everyone got dismissed, I honestly had never felt more unfocused. What did Penny want to talk to me about? Maybe the Celestial Ball decorating committee? Or dates?

Eventually, I reached the Artefact Room, only to find a very disheveled and distressed Penny waiting for me.

"Thanks for coming, Clara," she greeted me sadly.

I normally wasn't one to see Penny so sad unless it was about her sister, so to see her so down about something she cared about so much didn't really surprise me. Still, though, I knew something was up.

"What's wrong, Penny? You were so happy earlier," I noted, raising an eyebrow.

"I was going to ask you if you would like to help on the decorating committee if I was elected to lead it," Penny explained, a long sigh rushing out. "But from the way things are going now, I might not be elected to lead it at all!"

It wasn't hard to sympathize with Penny, especially since she's been going through so much. To be fair, everyone was, but anyone would help out the ones who have been so friendly and open to them rather than the ones who condescend so often.

"I see." I nodded thoughtfully and scratched my head. "You're a really popular person in our year, Penny--and so kind and thoughtful. I'm sure you'll be elected to lead the committee."

"Not if Emily Tyler has her way, though," Penny warned me, her tone still bitter. "She'll do anything to beat me and get the spot for herself."

Ah, here we went again. There was no way that Emily Tyler, now infamously known as Pink Posh Poo to me, would ruin something for the people I care about. I clenched my fists at the mere thought of her butting her prude nose into our business--after she deliberately broke Bill's heart, she was automatically written in my ever-growing list of people I hate.

"Emily Tyler? Not her again," I growled. "How could she have an interest in partaking in an election for an event that means so much to us?"

"I don't really understand it, either, but from what I heard, it doesn't sound good," Penny responded, shaking her head. "Apparently, rumour had it that she's running a negative campaign against me. She loves running student committees, and she's unafraid to speak trash about me just to get the votes in her favour."