Off the Pitch

Chapter 14: The Yule Ball

I got into my dorm, took a shower, wrapped myself into my bathrobe and started getting ready. I opted for a silvery glitter eyeshadow and some red lipstick, dried my hair with a spell and gathered it to a casual up-do at the back of my head. I finished the look with a ruby hairpiece and a matching necklace. I held the necklace in my palm and sighed. It was a gift from my father; he had given it to me for my 15th birthday and said it was for 'special occasions only'. This was my second time wearing it; the first time had been at my parents' funeral. 

I wiped a tear off my cheek and walked to my bed. I kneeled down and reached for the white box that I had stored under my bed. I put the box on my bed and then checked the time: half past seven. I lifted the dress from the box and walked to the mirror in the corner of the room. 

I took a deep breath and slipped into the dress. It fit me perfectly; I couldn't help but let out a laugh. I put on a pair of clear heels and headed out the door. 

Wood was standing at the bottom of the staircase in the main hallway with the twins. George was the first one to notice me. He bumped Fred with his elbow. Fred lifted his gaze to me and smiled. He then whispered something to Oliver. He shifted his gaze to me, scanning me from head to toe with a wide smile on his face. I felt my cheeks turn red as they all stared at me while I walked down the stairs. 

Oliver walked up to me and leaned in closer to whisper: "You look beautiful." My face turned to a big grin. 

"Thank you", I whispered back. "Now, don't get me wrong – you look great in your Quidditch uniform – but this...", I shifted my gaze from his eyes to his toes and then back to his eyes, "– wow." He laughed and offered me his arm, leading me to the twins. 

"Hey", I greeted them. 

"Evening", George smiled. "You look great." 

"Yeah, nice one, Oliver", Fred winked at him. 

I let out a laugh and looked around. "Are we waiting for Alicia and Katie?" 

Fred nodded. "They should be here any minute now." 

We waited for a couple of minutes until the twins' dates arrived. Fred and George's faces lit up when the girls came up to us; Alicia was wearing a beautiful navy gown, Katie's dress was green and shimmery. Their gazes stopped at me and Oliver. Alicia lifted her brows and gave me a puzzled smile. I smiled back at her and bit my lip, trying not to look too happy.  

We made our way through the wooden doors of the Great Hall. 

I stopped walking to soak in the glory of the space. I had never seen anything so beautiful: There were multiple Christmas trees around the edges of the room. The ceiling showed a clear night sky filled with sparkling stars, but faux snow was falling down from above. Beautiful twinkling lights had been hung all over, and the usual tables had been replaced with round ones and moved to one side of the room, leaving plenty of space for the dance floor. 

Most of the students and staff were already in there, having lighthearted conversations and eating the festive nibbles the house elves had prepared. 

Music started playing shortly after we had arrived. The bravest started flowing onto the dance floor with their partners. I looked around to see where the music came from and noticed a band playing on a stand in the middle of the room. 

"Want to dance?" Wood asked me as more people headed to the parquet. 

"Sure", I smiled and grabbed the hand he was holding up. He led me to the middle of the crowd, guided my hand to his shoulder and put his hand on the small of my back.