The Unexpected Task [H.P.]

Chapter 18 - The Yule Ball

~third person pov~

When Christmas Eve finally arrived at Hogwarts, the faint hum of anticipation and anxiety filled the halls, and every girl's dormitory across the castle was filled with the smell of hairspray and perfume. The fourth year Gryffindor's dorm room was no exception, as Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown made it very clear to anyone passing by on the stairs that preparations for that evening's event were well underway. Throughout the day, more ladies trickled into the dorm, beginning to prepare themselves for the ball.

At 5:00pm, Hermione Granger retired from the grounds after a long snowball fight, still flushed from the cold and from the stairs she had rushed up. Out of her trunk, she pulled a large white box, and unwrapped her dress from the white paper it was wrapped in. Her dress was silky, a periwinkle blue, and the light in the dorm made it shine as she ran a hand over it, feeling the soft fabric ripple in her fingers. Almost an hour later, long after Hermione had locked herself in a bathroom to tackle her hair, Emorie Barnes softly opened the door, her face flushed from the cold as well.

Emorie walked past the drawn curtains of Lavender's bed, where she sat and giggled with Parvati, talking about makeup. When Emorie reached her trunk, she too pulled out a white box, and along with it, a pair of sparkling silver heels. For the past few days, at any chance she got, her and Hermione would practice walking, spinning and dancing in their heels, proving they could move just as well as they did in their usual loafers. Emorie was proudly certain of her abilities, and tried to wave away the knot of uncertainty in her chest as she ran a hand over the heels, admiring the way they shone in the light. Soon, Emorie was in a bathroom as well, taming her own hair, which she had washed that morning. In no time, she had transformed it the way her mother taught her long ago, using her wand to heat up each curl as she twirled it, leaving them in tight, waving ringlets. She had gone back and forth for a while about how she'd do her hair, eventually deciding to curl it and leave it hanging down her back, which was something she was growing more and more used to doing.

When she had pinned a few stray strands of hair out of her face to her satisfaction, she admired her handiwork, spraying some of the hairspray Lavender lent her to ensure it would stay put throughout the night. Emorie had never been to a ball before. Once, long ago, she'd went to a wedding while visiting her Grandmother in England, but since then, she'd not had the chance to dress up for any reason. As Emorie finished applying a final swipe of a mauvey lipstick to her lips, careful not to over-do it, a knock sounded, breaking her out of her thoughts. Emorie called them in, and looked up to find an absolute vision at the door. She almost didn't recognize Hermione as she slipped in, holding her dress in her hands. Hermione's hair had been tamed to just a few curls, and hung high on her head in a beautifully twisted knot. A few tendrils grazed her pink cheeks, and she smiled when she saw Emorie, whom she thought looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hermione!" Emorie gasped, putting her lipstick in her bag immediately. "Spin!"

Hermione obliged, blushing as she spun around once for Emorie, feeling a little silly.

"You look incredible, Hermione." Emorie promises, smiling at her friend.

Hermione hung the dress on the back of the door, next to where Emorie's sparkled. The two had promised they'd get dressed together, and walk through the Common Room together as well.

"You do too, Emorie. I love your hair like that." Hermione replied, reaching out to hold a curl in her fingers, and smiling at her friend.

The two looked at each other through the mirrors, and together, they finished getting ready, laughing, giggling, and feeling just like any two teenage girls the night of a big dance should.