Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When the day of the Yule Ball had arrived, Juniper had almost completely forgotten about the otherwise impending doom of the triwizard tournament. There was still a small voice constantly nagging her from the back of her mind to spend all her time preparing, but she chose to ignore it.
Being in a house that was under the lake meant that Slytherin students knew about the creatures living in it, including the mermaids. Which is why Juniper had deciphered the clue in the egg soon after leaving the hospital wing.
Now, as she walked toward her dorm to get ready for the ball, she smiled to herself. She was temporarily free from the weight of worry on her shoulders.
She said the password for her dorm and as she entered the room, her smile fell.
"Mom?" Juniper asked, causing the woman to turn around. "What are you doing here?"
Esme had always been the type of woman who radiated kindness wherever she went. Her blonde hair shrouded her face in frizzy curls that despite being messy, somehow managed to be a beloved feature by the people she met.
For a woman whose face so often dawned a glowing smile, it was startling to see her eyebrows creased and her lips curled into a frown.
Esme let out a sigh as she crossed the room and hugged her daughter. "I needed to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine." Juniper wrapped her arms around her mother and held her tight. She hadn't realized how much she had truly missed her until she was with her again. "You didn't have to come all the way here to check on me, though. Is there something else going on?"
"It's not important right now." Esme smiled, pulling away from Juniper as she shook her head, though the look in her eyes contradicted her words. "We can talk about it later, you have a ball to get ready for."
Juniper returned her smile and walked over to her bed, plopping down on it. "I've been so preoccupied with the tournament, I didn't have time to get a dress. All I have is a few old ones that hardly fit the occasion."
The corners of Esme's lips turned up, causing Juniper to raise her eyebrows. Esme nodded her head in the direction of the closet and clasped her hands behind her back.
Juniper walked to the dark oak wardrobe on the other side of the room and opened it, revealing a beautiful navy coloured dress with gold stars cascading over it hanging on the inside of the door.
Her mouth fell open in awe as she examined it, running her hands over the fabric. "You got this for me?"
Esme nodded and took the dress from the hook, laying it over her forearm. "Sirius mentioned that you hadn't gotten one yet, so I thought I'd get one for you."
"Thank you." Juniper looked up at her mother and a tear slipped from her eye. "I've missed you so much."
Esme wiped away the stray tear with her thumb. "Hush now, you need to start getting ready. Put this on."
