❛And do you know what's the stupidest thing about this?❜ said Draco and made an aggressive step towards me. ❛That after all this,❜ he grasped my forearm violently and made me backstep in fear. ❛After all this trouble,❜ he said and pushed me against...
I placed the silver leaf on my hair and looked at myself in the mirror, trying to think if there was anything I had forgotten. Most of the girls in Ravenclaw had spent all day getting ready; fixing each other's hair, putting spells on each other to make it the curls look thick and shiny, trying to find a way to make their shoes more comfortable.
Meanwhile, Luna and I had spent our morning in the library and threw ourselves in the difficult task of completing Snape's essay on Varitaserum - one of our many assignments for Christmas holidays. Neither Luna nor I could think of caring for hairstyles when there was so much to study. We got back to the Common Room at 6 o'clock and without the help of Cho's well-versed beautification spells, we wouldn't have been ready on time for the Ball.
It felt strange to have been dressed so formally. My life depended on those messy buns, plain and comfortable clothes, jumpers and sweaters, no make up and no fancy shoes. I felt grown up yet still so young, so small.
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I remembered Dumbledore saying that I looked so much like my mother. I was trying to picture her as I was trying to make the silver leaf sit on my hair at a good angle. Imagine how she would look like. I didn't have a photo of her, of course, and I wasn't planning on asking for one, I was just wondering. I always thought that I looked like my adoptive mother.
"Merlin's beard, Anne..." said Luna coming out of the toilet, all dressed up herself, in a silver gown that shimmered in the dim light of the dorm. "You've never looked more beautiful," she said and I smiled at her.
"Thank you, Luna," I answered and walked to the bed. I sat down and wore my heels and when I stood again, I felt taller and I wondered if I would be able to stand in these shoes all night. At least I would have Draco to pick me up.
"And you look ravishing, Luna Lovegood," I said after she was zipped into her lavender purple dress. She giggled cheerfully and hopped back into the bathroom for the last touches.
"You're still not telling me who your date is, are you?" she said. I tried to avoid answering. "Two days ago you said that if you hear one more girl obsessing about the Ball you would close yourself in the library and not come out until Christmas. Now you're getting ready and look quite nervous. Who is the lucky guy? Is it Harry?"
"Harry? No," I answered at once.
If I was nervous about anything it would be that I had to face Harry's reaction tonight when he would see me entering the Ball with his most hated enemy in the school. How would I explain my lie to him? How would I confront him? It was truly egoistic what we were doing with Draco. This decision to make an appearance suddenly seemed to be heavier than I originally thought.
"Then who is it?" insisted Luna but with the same dreamy look on her face as before.
"It's a surprise," I said walking to her. "Just promise me you're not going to react strangely when you realise who it is," I said looking her right in the eyes.
