Broken Wings / tom riddle

Chapter 12 - Halloween Ball

It was the night of the ball. Excitement was brewing amongst the students. The ball was only for students in year four and up. The whole day Briar was unable to focus on her schoolwork as all she would hear would be girls giggling about the events that may occur later tonight.

After she had finished all her classes she returned to the common room to begin getting ready. It was still early in the afternoon, but she was wafted with scents of strong cologne and perfume already. Aleks was sitting near the chess boards as she entered.

"Are people already getting ready?" Briar asked.

"Of course, us Slytherins wouldn't dare be late or underprepared for a ball," he said throwing his head back sarcastically as he wrapped an arm around the girl.

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Briar got changed into the elegant green gown that Aleks had bought her. Genevieve wore a flowing blue dress that was made of pure silk.

"You look beautiful Briar," she complimented the girl as she smoothed down the fabric of her own dress.

"Thanks Genevieve, so do you," Briar returned the compliment. Genevieve smiled lightly as she sat down at the mirror next to the faerie. They both started to apply their makeup.

"Greens or neutral tones?" Briar asked the witch as she pointed to her eyelids. "At first I thought greens but now i'm unsure, they're probably too extravagant on top of the green dress and everything."

"You can never be too extravagant Briar," Genevieve said with a smirk as she blended out her own eyeshadows.

"I suppose you're right," she said as she began to apply the green shadow to her lids.

"I'm sorry about how I treated you when I first met you Briar," she placed down her brush and looked at the faerie in the mirror. "It's just when you're in a house like Slytherin, you're so used to be villainised that you feel like you have no other choice than to be one," she said.

"I suppose I know how it feels in a way," Briar replied. "But it's okay, I forgive you," she placed her hand on top of the witch's.

"But when I found out you were one of us, I knew I must be nicer to you, we take care of our own." She stood up and placed her hand on Briar's shoulder as she leant forward into the mirror again, "I think a nude for your lips," she handed over a neutral lipstick to the girl. "That way after you have some alone time with Avery, there won't be too much of a mess to clean up." she giggled to herself as she walked away put on her shoes. Briar's cheeks flushed red. 

"What about you and that Ravenclaw boy? huh?" Briar joked. "Trying to show him you look good in blue for when you exchange robes later?" Genevieve's eyes widened just a little little bit before she let out a laugh.

The pair made their way down the steps towards the common room. The group of boys were waiting at the bottom staring up at the girls. Aleks wore an expensive looking black suit, his hair was tidy and his smile was brighter than ever when he saw her. Everything about her looked so perfect, the way the dress flowed from her body, the way her red curls fell over her face and down her back, the elegant makeup which matched the jewel tones of her dress.

"Briar, the are not many times I am speechless in my life but, wow, you look," he shook his head as he took in her beauty.

"It's all because of you, thank you for the dress," she said once more as if she hadn't been thanking him for the past week.

Tom was standing near the common room door, always there but never really there. He was always so disconnected from the group but Briar gathered he liked it that way, 'Tom Riddle doesn't have friends, he has followers' Avery's words rang in her ear. Briar approached him.