Finally, the night was here; the night of the Yule Ball! And if that wasn't exciting enough, it was Christmas! The Great Hall was beautifully decorated with lights of silver and blue, crystallising the entire room. Thousands and thousands of specks of white danced in the air impersonating the falling of snow and the dance floor was a sleek sheet of milky ice, however not slippery enough for those who gracefully danced could slip over. The room held dozens of small glass tables with all sorts of treats and at the back of the hall were three huge and festive Christmas trees, decorated with gold baubles and lights and topped off with layers of snowy frost.
Students approached the mesmerising room in all sorts of different attires; smart suits, funky suits, big dresses, short dresses, scruffy hair, slicked back hair, hair worn up and hair worn down.
Harry and Ron were busy in the common room getting ready. Ron was fixing his unattractive bonnet in the mirror when he noticed Harry walk in behind him.
"What are those?", Ron asked, as a slight crack of embarrassment in his voice slipped out.
"My dress robes", Harry pointed out obviously.
The suit was black, sharp-looking and well-fitted. Exactly the sort of thing any woman would pick out for her man to wear to a formal event like this. It fit well, it made Harry look very handsome, and when he smiled, it was a little bit magical.
"Well they're alright! No lace, no dodgy little collar", Ron cried, looking back at himself in the mirror, wearing the frilly thing.
Harry approached Ron whilst he continued to fix his bonnet and collar in the mirror.
"Well I spect yours are more traditional-", Harry reassured.
"Traditional? They're ancient!", Ron exclaimed, humiliated.
"I look like my great aunt Tessie!", he said, looking at his horrendous attire.
"Smell like my great aunt Tessie", Ron finished, raising his arm up and sniffing the armpit of his out-of-fashion dress robe.
They both turned and looked in the mirror, Ron's face expressing complete and utter discomfort.
"Murder me, Harry", Ron pleaded, before leaving the common room and heading downstairs to meet their dates.
Meanwhile, Hazel and Hermione were in the girls' bathroom, fixing their hair and dresses. Hermione wore a captivating and gorgeous long, flowy pink dress that trailed down to her ankles. The silky Queen Anne neckline complimented her fair skin tone, the sleeve delicately rested on her relaxed shoulder. Her dress ruffled and was all shades of pink and white, and all was tied together at the waist with a magenta bow. Her hair was loosely pinned back up, with a couple strands framing her natural face and the end just sitting by her neck. She hardly wore any makeup too, and why did she need to? She was utterly beautiful without it. A pair of baby pink flowers clipped onto her ears and she layered a light tint of rose on her lips and eyelids, accolading her enchanting dress.
"Show me your dress Hazel, hurry!", Hermione called out, excited to see how Hazel looked.
Hazel, nervously, stepped out of the cubicle and revealed her appearance.
Hazel wore an alluring scarlet ball gown dazzled with little sequins at the top of the hips. The gown didn't stick out too much, but enough to flaunt her hourglass figure. The material was shiny and smooth, just like silk and it felt loose as she twirled and danced in it. It was pulled in at the waist and went into an off-shoulder neckline, revealing her glowing skin. Paired with her ruby red dress, she wore a pair of small gold hoops and a thin gold chain with a charm of a lion she got given as a present after completing the first task of the tournament by Harry. And hidden beneath the dress was a short pair of gold-ish heels that were light and fitted. Hazel wore her hair straight down, just passing her chest, where the ends were loosely curled. Like Hermione, her makeup was natural too, she wore a nude colour on her lips and added a touch of gold around the inner corners of her eyes, then finished off with a small wing of eyeliner. Hazel's skin shimmered and her entire look was glamorous. But the prettiest part of Hazel's look was her smile; her genuine smile. For the first time in her entire life, she felt enough.
She thought back to her time in her "real" reality, she reminisced how grey of a world it was, how it was colourless and how it had turned emotionless. It contrasted with the charming reality she was now a part of, she knew she could never go back to her old reality. Hogwarts was where she truly belonged.
"Hazel, you look incredible, more than incredible!", Hermione yelled, looking at Hazel in awe and bringing her in for a warming hug.
"So do you, Hermione! Ron will be amazed!", she slipped.
"Ron?", Hermione asked with perplexity.
Hazel had a slight idea that Ron liked Hermione, but she wasn't certain, not for sure. She could defiantly imagine the two together, but she accidentally slipped up.
"Krum, Viktor Krum, sorry I must've gotten my words in a twist", she responded, giving Hermione a reassuring smile before the two headed out the bathroom and made their way to the dance.
They reached the top of the staircase but, before heading down, Hermione told Hazel to wait. Hazel wasn't entirely sure as to why she had to wait but she she listened to Hermione and did as she was told. Hermione gave her a wink and walked down the stairs before her, trying to find Harry, who she assumed to be with Ron. As she walked down the stairs, she noticed Padma Patil, stood by Ron, point at her, as everyone around them turned to see Hermione in her elegant dress. She felt slightly timid when walking down the steps, but this moment wasn't for her. Harry smiled as Hermione approached him and Ron, who was just beside him.
"You look great!", Harry admitted.
Hermione smiled and thanked Harry. Ron looked at Hermione in disbelief, he didn't quite know what to say. He admired her dress and looked at her from head to toe in wonder. He looked into her chocolate eyes that melted in the light lit in the hallway, he watched her mouth curve into a smile and watched her cheeks match the colour of her dress. He was utterly hypnotised by her beauty, and it was something he did not expect.
Hermione turned her head round to the top of the stairs where Hazel was, who was ever so slightly peeking out from a stone-cold pillar. Hazel took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, following in Hermione's footsteps. Without making a klutz of herself, she carefully treaded down the steps and slightly pinched the sides of her dress so she wouldn't trip over. Hazel locked eyes with Harry, who seemed completely mesmerised by her beguiling presence. It was something out of a film, Hazel felt like it was just her and Harry in the room, she felt like a princess in a fairy tale and, to her, it sort of was. This was her moment. She felt all the grey that had travelled with her from her old reality from within evaporate and it was replaced with all the bright colours of the rainbow. She was at her happiest. Hazel felt invincible, like nothing could hurt her. They shared smiles as Hazel reached the bottom of the steps. Hermione swiftly left as she noticed Viktor just opposite them, who had his arm extended ready for Hermione to take. Ron's smile quickly vanished when he noticed that Viktor was with Hermione, and therefore his expression grew to disappointment and regret.
"Wow-", Harry stuttered.
He was nervous and a sense of shyness grew over him. Hazel blushed, her cheeks now rosier than before. Before they could say another word, McGonagall appeared and seemed in a bit of a rush.
"There you are, Potter. Are you and Miss Jones ready?", she asked, looking at the two beside each other.
"Ready, professor?", Harry asked, glancing over at Hazel who seemed just as confused as he was.
"To dance", she replied, expecting Harry to know.
"It's traditional that the three champions- well, in this case five, are the first to dance", she finished, looking at them both.
McGonagall glanced over to Ron, strangely admiring his dress robe.
"Oh, as for you Mr Weasley, you may proceed to the Great Hall with Miss Patil", she added, dusting off a speck of dust on the shoulder of his robe.
Whilst waiting to be called in, Harry caught Cho out the corner of his eye. Cho was dressed in a beautifully detailed silver gown and her hair was put back in a bun. She smiled at Harry, and Harry smiled back. Hazel, staying silent, noticed the two but didn't say anything, this was a night to let loose and have fun, not to overthink situations and create mixed signals, right? Cedric was stood beside Cho talking to McGonagall, he wore a flattering noir suit with a matching bow tie, and his hair was neatly combed back.
In a sudden moment, McGonagall rounded up all the champions in a line, and when the Great Hall doors opened, they were guided inside the winter wonderland.
YOU ARE READING
Shifted: Book One
Hayran Kurgu"The Goblet of Fire speaks, she must compete too." - Everyone's dream is to attend Hogwarts, right? It was certainly Hazel's dream and, soon to be, reality. When Hazel creates her own script to shift into a Hogwarts reality with the famous Harry Po...
