When Dioleh came into the common room it was to find Imani sitting alone in the book nook. "Hey," Dioleh said. "Guess what?"
"What?" Imani asked.
"I got asked to the ball," Dioleh said cheerfully.
With a gasp, Imani asked, "By who?"
"Harry," Dioleh said.
Confused, Imani repeated, "Harry? But I thought-"
Before she could finish, Draco approached them and said, "Dioleh, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure," she replied, glancing back at Imani who looked as though she was dreading what was about to happen.
Once they were out of earshot of everyone, Draco asked, "So, er, I was wondering if you would go to the ball with me."
"Oh," she said, her eyes wide. "Oh, Merlin. Dray, I'm so sorry, I-"
"You're going with someone else," he said in a defeated-sounding tone.
"Dray-" Dioleh began, reaching out to his elbow. He backed away, skillfully avoiding the touch. When the awkward silence became deafening, Dioleh said, "I really am sorry, Dray." He nodded before heading to his dorm. Dioleh sighed, rubbing her eyes wearily as she went back to her seat with Imani.
"He asked you, didn't he?" Imani said sadly.
"Yeah," Dioleh said with a sigh. "I feel terrible."
"Dioleh, if you could choose, like, if they had both asked you at the same time, who would you choose?" Imani asked.
"I don't know," Dioleh said. "I care about both of them. They're my friends. I hate that I hurt one of them."
"I know you do," Imani said. "Because you care quite a lot."
"Don't make it sound like such a bad thing," Dioleh said woefully.
Smiling, Imani said, "It's not a bad thing. That's why you made Andre ask me instead of you, wasn't it?" Dioleh shrugged.
Getting up, she said, "I should get some sleep. Goodnight, Imani."
"Goodnight, Dio," she replied.
⥖✦✧⦽✧✦⥗
Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Dioleh was awoken by the sounds of the other girls opening their presents. Sitting up, she turned to her own pile and began opening her gifts. Oscar and Jean had given her several books while Hermione, Ron, and Harry had all given her candy and, in Harry's case, a small notebook. To her surprise, she had also gotten a gift from Draco.
(Black-gold instead of gold)
It was a simple emerald pendant with a black-gold snake coiled over the top, hanging from a chain. "Who gave you that?" Imani asked with a small gasp, looking at it in shock.
"Draco," Dioleh said, a hint of sadness in her tone. "He must have forgotten he's mad at me. Or just, gotten it already and couldn't change it."
"Dioleh," Imani sighed, sitting down next to her.
"Sorry, I just hate it when my friends are mad at me," Dioleh said.
Grabbing her hand, Imani said, "But Dio, you didn't do anything wrong. You just said no. That's your right."
"I know. I just...didn't want to say no," Dioleh sighed. "So, what did you get?"
"Oh, just some stuff from my parents," she replied. "Thanks for your gift, by the way."
"No problem," Dioleh replied. "Help me?" Imani took the necklace from her and clasped it. It hung just a few inches below her collarbone. However, with the sweatshirt she had on, it was out of sight.
⥖✦✧⦽✧✦⥗
After lunch, Imani and Dioleh went back to the Common Room, but just as they were heading up the stairs, Dioleh spotted Draco. "I'll be right up," she said quickly. Imani nodded in understanding and disappeared up the stairs. Approaching him, she said cautiously, "Dray?"
He looked up. "Oh, hi, Dioleh," he said awkwardly.
"Thank you for your gift," she said. He nodded. When he didn't say anything, she asked, "Dray, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he replied.
Holding out her right hand to show the black-gold snake ring she had been given last year, she asked, "Did you give me this last year? It just...looks a lot like the necklace you gave me."
He stared at it for a moment before remarking, "I suppose that explains why you never mentioned it. The note must have been lost."
"I suppose so," Dioleh replied.
Gently, he held her hand steady to look at the ring another moment before glancing up at her and saying, "I'm surprised you still wear it."
"What do you mean?" Dioleh said with a small laugh, taking back her hand and admiring the ring. "You forget my father was a jeweller. I have a great appreciation for the beauty of such pieces as these."
"Well, I'm glad," he said. "Thanks for the books, by the way. I've already started a few of them." She smiled.
"Well, thank you," Dioleh said. Without thinking about it, she quickly kissed his cheek and rushed to her dorm, leaving her unable to see Draco's reaction. Once in her dorm, she found Imani and the other girls getting ready. Dioleh quickly did a little bit of makeup, nothing more than eyeliner, mascara, and a little bit of concealer. Next, she changed into her snow-white dress.
Next, she went to her hair and quickly curled it, leaving it to hang in little ringlets around her waist. Expertly, she tied her hair up in a bun, leaving more of the purple than the blue showing, and slipped in her earrings.
Once Dioleh had finished, she faced herself in the mirror and put on a light pink lipstick. "You ready, Dioleh?" Imani asked. Imani was dressed in a soft pink floor-length gown with her hair in an elegant braided bun.
"Imani, you look so beautiful," Dioleh said, smiling when she caught sight of her friend.
"So do you," she replied.
"So, you ready?" Dioleh asked.
Frowning suddenly, Imani grabbed one of her makeup palettes, muttering, "One moment." She quickly spread a very thin layer of blush over Dioleh's cheeks. "Okay, now we're both ready." Linking arms, the two headed down to the Common Room.