The First Signs of a Storm - Prisoner of Azkaban - Book 1

Chapter 5: Dinner with the Foreigner

Storm

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Cried the slurring, worried cry of Lexi as soon as Storm stepped foot in the living room at quarter to three later that afternoon - mind still on the green eyed stranger, Evan.
Storm dropped her shopping on the table, kicking off her converse by the door.
"Weev got dibner with the Weezlibs in twenty minutes. Get dressss." Lexi stumbled over from the sofa and Storm snapped out of her thoughts, the putrid smell of spilled Firewhiskey hitting her nostrils.
Lexi was shitfaced. And, more to the point - trying to dress herself (to no avail) in a pair of - hideous - lime green trousers and orange puffer jacket.
     Storm let out a laugh and then stopped herself, noticing a stack of albums on the table, some flicked open and others, clamped tightly shut, bound with thick string. Storm stole a glance at the open page and was met with a momentary flash of Lexi's school days.
"It's 3 o'clock, Lexi. Dinner isn't until 7." Started Storm softly, placing a hand on Lexi's shoulder. "Come on, I think you should get some rest." Guiding her to the first bedroom, Storm opened the door for Lexi, who stumbled into the room.
'She's struggling more than I am.' Thought Storm as she grabbed a vial of Sleeping Potion from the bedside drawer in her room. 'There's no need to bother her with your problems. She has her own.'
"Here." Said Storm when she entered Lexi's bedroom, unstoppering the cork of the glass. "This'll help you relax." Lexi didn't hesitate gulping down the entire container full and Storm let out a sigh of relief.

In that moment, Storm came to the realisation that she would need to be the strong one now. It was her turn to return the favour to Lexi, who had protected her at their darkest moments. It frightened Storm a little, that she should now be the impartial one in the situation. It had always been the other way around. Lexi had always been the stable force between the two of them.
But now, as Storm headed back into the living room, closing the doors behind her, she knew she could handle it. After all, hadn't Lexi taught her that giving up, was never an option? She just had to take it, one day at a time.
That being said, Storm's first day was far from over. Knowing that Lexi was 'Out of Action' until the following morning, Storm decided there and then, that she would still meet the Weasley family for dinner. Considering it was a prior engagement - the show must go on. She could not be rude and not attend.
But Storm would not allow herself to fret over the coming evening, choosing to busy herself with packing her school trunk and making a start on some brushing up of knowledge, ready for the new school year. A year which, would be unlike any other. Or at least - that's how it felt.

So, as the afternoon wore on, Storm folded and arranged her robes, laying them into her trunk with precision, piling copious amounts of stationary into a charmed wooden box that sat beside her textbooks. Since the trunk itself was charmed, Storm could easily fit at least thirty full outfits and footwear that she handpicked for interchangeability.
As she lay her broomstick over the top of the suitcase, Storm straightened up, scanning her list she had scribbled on a scrap bit of parchment.
"Robes - tick."
"Books - tick."
"Clothes - tick."
"Stationary - tick."
"Potions and Ingredients - tick."
"Quidditch stuff - tick."
"Secret stash - tick."
"Music, games and goodies - tick."

Storm read it aloud, verbally checking off each item, making a mental note that if she left anything out, to add it later, before checking the clock on the wall.
It was 6:15. Enough time for her to change into something more appropriate for dinner with a bunch of people she'd only met, once. But what was appropriate?
     Heading across her room - as quietly as she could - Storm opened the newly filled wardrobe, nervous about what to choose for the evening. She couldn't wear jeans. They were too casual. But, as her eyes brushed over a sleek dress, she decided that that was too formal.
     She didn't understand why she cared. It's wasn't like she often worried about what she wore. But she supposed that she just wanted to make a good impression, considering all the attention would be on her, in the absence of Lexi. Storm shuddered, still concentrating all her energy on not freaking out. No, it would be okay. She was optimistic.
     But what to wear?