Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

27

She would have to find a vase for them when she got back to her dorm.

They're all sat in the great hall at lunch and Eliza ate her strawberries distractedly.

"Has anyone seen Tom today?" Eliza asked and frowned when her court shook their heads. Knowing what Tom was up to was never necessarily a good thing but not knowing what he was up too was ever worse.

He hadn't asked Eliza to the ball since the flower incident a few days ago and Eliza honestly had no idea what he was going to do next but she was smart enough to know it was going to be dramatic. With Tom it always was.

"Talking about me Little Star?"

"Sadly"

"Ah I'm sure you won't remain sad for long" Tom replied with a smile slipping into the seat beside her.

"Oh what have you done?" Eliza asked, twisting around to face him feeling nervous. The flowers had admittedly been a nice touch but Tom's romantic overtures could range anywhere from chocolate to a revenge killing.

"Eliza Lily Potter" he proclaimed dramatically "will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" he asked, dark eyes flashing in unmasked glee as he slid a velvet box across the table.

Sending Tom a dubious glance Eliza hesitantly opened the box.
Slytherin's locket lay innocently amongst the plush velvet.

"Oh Eliza what a treasure you are"
"I take it you've never swing danced before?"
"There's a whole world out there Eliza, and it's simply waiting for you to take it"

"Yes" Eliza breathed, gently running her fingers over the diamond encrusted locket "yes I'll go to the ball with you"

The smile Tom sent her is near blinding.

The day of the Yule Ball Eliza was content to spend the day with her court until the ball actually begins. She wondered if she and Blaise could convince the others to have a snowball fight with them; Eliza had never had one before. Eliza doesn't get to enact any of those plans however as right after lunch she was abducted by Daphne.

"Do we really need to spend three hours getting ready?" Eliza had complained as Daphne dragged her back to the slytherin common room.

"What with your hair we'll probably need more"

Pansy pulled out her wireless when Daphne and Eliza entered the room and they spent the hours getting ready together, singing (in some cases rather badly) along to the radio.

It was shockingly, bizarrely, normal and Eliza loved every minute of it.

They had wrangled Eliza's hair into a bun atop her head, although some strands of hair had escaped and instead framed her face. Daphne had taken over doing Eliza's make-up although Eliza insisted she didn't want that much. Pansy had hesitantly suggested a glamour spell that would hide Eliza's scar but Eliza shot the idea down instantly. Her scar was a part of her and she refused to feel ashamed of it. She didn't have to look traditionally pretty – none of that mattered to her.

After that they had returned to getting ready. Unlike Eliza, Daphne had gone for a more traditional dress, an icy glittering blue with long flowing sleeves, her blonde hair pinned up in an intricate up-do.

"Your beau is going to have a heart attack" Daphne said when Eliza finally stepped out of the bathroom.

The deep emerald dress was just as breath taking as Eliza remembered and Eliza honestly couldn't believe it was she who was wearing it. The sleeveless dress cinched in at the waist and flared out around her, the intricate beading glimmering softly whenever she moved and Tom's necklace rested against her chest. She had tried to wear the locket but Daphne had almost had a conniption when she saw the clunky gold thing 'clashing with the silver embroidery' so Eliza left it behind.