Chapter Nineteen
Simply Perfect
"So... would you mind telling me as to why we need to come home early?" I asked Dominic. He was sitting across me at the library. He asked if he could sit there with me and I agreed, I wanted some answers and his timing as impeccable as always.
Dominic sighed as he rubbed both of his temples with his fingers. "Let me guess," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Laura must've slipped?" I nodded and he sighed once more. "Mum told us not to tell you anything." He set his hand down and opened his eyes. They were ocean blue and were staring right at me. My brother looked exhausted.
"And I think it would be better off that way," he said. He messily ran a hand through his already tussled hair. The bags under his eyes looked larger than usual. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Whatever was up back at home was adding to his tension, it worried me.
"It would be best not to bother you with your schoolwork," he went on, "Not with your N.E.W.T.s coming up. You'd want to get decent grades on those blighters, trust me."
I stared at him for a moment as he went on and about with his work. I felt sorry for my brother. He was Head Boy, Captain of his house's Quidditch Team, and a seventh year. He had to work on the Ball and manage the prefects and all that, formulate Quidditch strategies and hold trainings, do his homework, and then there's this issue about our family which he doesn't want me to know about.
How does he manage to get by all that, even I didn't know.
"You know Dominic....," I said a bit tentatively, "you could tell me anything." He looked up from his stack of books and sighed once more. It was in that moment that I got a clearer view of his face. Dominic really was under too much stress. He looked... very much unlike himself.
He gave a wry smile and held onto my hand which he squeezed tightly. "There's nothing to worry about," he told me. "Just don't think about it alright?"
I just nodded in reply and he gave a tired smile once more. What he asked of me was a tall order but I decided to put the thoughts of it to the back of my mind. I would find out eventually. I was positive that what they were hiding wasn't great, but I knew they were hiding it from me because they knew what was best. And I accepted that. I didn't have much of a choice.
Dominic sat there with me for a good whole hour. It was when he checked his watch for the first time when he bolted out of his seat. "I gotta, go Charlie," he said hastily as he packed up. "I have a meeting in five minutes and a Quidditch practice to hold afterwards."
"Oh yeah, sure have fun," I said lamely. Dominic looked up at me and ruffled my hair a bit like he used to when we were kids.
"I'll see you around, alright?" I nodded and he gave me a smile. "Love you."
"Love you too." And he was gone.
Sitting there all alone felt quite good, but I immediately regretted letting Dominic leave when I saw how difficult our Transfiguration homework was. But even if I did ask him to stay, he wouldn't have had because like he said, he had things to do.
I groaned as I started writing down what I thought would be good enough answers for McGonagall, although I was quite certain that she would burn my paper in front of me if she were given the chance.
"Hullo, Indigo."
Remus slid into the seat in front of me, right where Dominic sat not long ago. I gave a grunt in reply, ignoring the fact that he had started the name calling. It was something I was sure I would never be able to prevent. He opened one of the thick books he had along with him and started skimming. "I'm guessing that you're doing that Transfiguration paper?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, you look like you're in pain, so I'm guessing that you are."
I gave him a forced smile and said, "You know me so well."
* * *
Three papers and numerous books later, I still sat in the library with Remus, surprisingly already through with my work while Remus was still on his second paper. I blew a stray strand of my hair out of my face. I had my chin propped up on a thick book while I watched Remus work.
"I'm bored," I finally said. If given the circumstances that I did not have a friend, I would have most likely been up in my dorm sleeping or breaking up a fight between Dorcas and Mary. Not quite fun, to be honest.
"Yes well, this is what you get for slowing me down with my work and for making me help finish yours," Remus said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him and he just chuckled. "Well, hmmm, everyone is busy fussing over the ball. Why aren't you?"
It was when he said that statement when I realized something.
"What time is it?"
Remus checked his wristwatch and said, "Fifteen minutes to one, why –"
I swore under my breath and started grabbing all my things hastily. "I need to go," I said. Remus's eyebrows knit together in confusion and asked, "Why?"
"Because," I said heavily, "Everyone leaves for Hogsmeade at one and I'm supposed to meet Laura as in right now." Realizing that he too had a trip to catch, Remus bolted up from his seat and started gathering everything he needed too. It surprised me that he actually had forgotten something important, but it was understandable. Everyone was under a lot of pressure.
Once we both had everything, we ran out the library which was already a ghost town. The librarian – I honestly forgot her name because of my lateness – glared at us when we passed her but I ignored her. The sound of our bustling filled the halls, with one of my arms supporting my bag, I pulled onto my robe with my other arm and started putting it on while we sprinted.
The entrance hall was already filled with everyone from fourth to seventh years. Remus and I both came to a halt just by the stairs, my hair was a mess and if Laura saw me at this state, she would give me a public berating. The very thought of it made me shudder, so I started patting my hair down.
"So I guess this is where we split up," said Remus, as I went on with actually trying to make myself look decent. "Is Laura going to take you dress shopping?"
"Yes," I replied with a sigh. I eyed Remus. "How'd you know that?" Remus smirked and cocked his head over to his right.
"Because she's coming over her already," he said simply. And he wasn't lying. He looked over at Laura once more and then back at me, "Well, have fun. Choose something with some indigo."
I crossed my arms. "You know that isn't my color!" I whined, but Remus just laughed.
"It is, honestly," he told me, but I could tell he was joking. "Anyways, I need to go before James, Sirius, and Peter does something idiotic." That wasn't new news. "Bye, Indigo."
"I would tell you to stop calling me that, but I have a feeling there's not stopping you," I called out to him with a sigh as Remus started walking away. He grinned.
"You know me so well," he replied, echoing my words from a few minutes ago. He faded quickly into the sea of bodies and before I knew it, Laura was there, standing in front of me and berating me as per usual.
Her golden hair was tied up in a high and neat ponytail, her lovely blue eyes looked icy in rage and she had both hands on her hips. "I specifically remember telling you to meet me by the courtyard at precisely twelve forty five pm," she snapped, "And what did I say about clothing?"
I gaped at her, which only made her frown even more. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Laura gave me an appalled look, like she always does when I do something unladylike. She took two steps toward me, pulled my robe off and started straightening my school jumper from underneath and my tie. In short, she basically started priming me the way a mother would do to her seven year old daughter who was about to go to school for the first time.
"You have no idea how unnecessary this is," I muttered, turning fifty shades of red.
Laura gave a huff as she started adjusting my robe to fit me properly. She pushed a stray lock of her hair out of her eyes and said, "It is! You have no idea how much it is!"
"I do not see your point."
Now, having existed for a good sixteen and a half years, I should have already mastered how my sister is especially because I have known her for all those sixteen and a half years. Point being, I shouldn't have said what I had said just there because it only lead to even more blabbing.
It's actually quite ironic how Laura tells me off all the time for being unladylike. In a way, she isn't ladylike herself. A proper lady never rages in public. That was something I learned from Laura.
Oh the irony
"Do you know how hard it'll be to get your measurements?" Laura sniped, "If you wear loose clothes, it'll give the seamstress a difficult time and that is just rude –"
"....but isn't it their job to –"
"I am still speaking, Charlie," Laura snapped and I hushed, discreetly rolling my eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, the bulkier your clothes, the more the seamstress may make mistakes on your measurements, and if your dress doesn't fit you properly you'll look like a whale."
"You're over-exaggerating," I said.
"No, I'm not!" Laura looked at me just as we neared the gates; they were letting students out already. It was only during the first few trips where they made everyone line up with their housemates, for the rest, one could go with anyone they wished.
And to be honest, Laura wasn't exactly someone you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with when the ball was nearing.
"Do you honestly want to look like a whale, Charlie?" She went on. "You should feel happy that you have me to look out for you. I most certainly do not want you to look like a whale on the ball!"
"Yes, but that's you," I muttered, "I on the other hand wouldn't mind to look like a whale. The Giant Squid had asked me out to the ball and it would be nice if we matched."
"Well, send my apologies to the Giant Squid then," Laura huffed just as we entered the now snow lined village that was Hogsmeade. "Because I am not going to let my sister look like a sea creature."
To say that things went on badly would be an understatement. They went terribly. But that didn't sadden or annoy me in any way or form, because that was normal. Dress shopping could never go on happily, only a miracle of some sort could do that. Even with liquid luck, I highly doubt things would go without a hitch.
Of course, this was my side of things. Sure, Laura was frustrated over the simplest of things, but she was every bit of feminine down to the last tiny piece of her. She loved dress shopping with all her womanly and girly heart.
It was already half past three pm and we had just entered what seemed like the hundredth shop to me, though it may have been only the third or fourth in reality. Laura weaved her way through the cashier and to the seamstress, past all the bustling girls while I sat on a nearby stool.
Here and there you could hear the chatters and murmurs of everyone, a few feet over to my right, just where Laura stood with the seamstress, a couple of fourth years were snickering and laughing quite loudly. I could tell how much Laura wanted to scold them.
"I am saying this in the kindest way I can muster," I heard a familiar voice say not too far off. I squinted my eyes as I searched the room. I sat up and started walking around, sure enough; just two aisles away were Evans, Riddle, Chapman, and McKinnon.
The one who was speaking was McKinnon. She was obviously talking to a surly faced Alice Chapman, who stood on a stool, wearing a bright purple dress.
"You look like an eggplant, darling," McKinnon finally said. She was completely straight faced. Her other comrades on the other hand, Riddle and Evans, were giggling here and there. I would have rather stayed there and watched everything instead of going and trying on robes myself, but of course I was with Laura.
"There you are, Charlie!" I planted a smile on my face before I turned around to face Laura and the seamstress who was smiling too, hers was genuine though. "I think we've found the perfect fit for you!"
Laura and the seamstress then walked me over to a stool right in front of a full length mirror with three faces, just right next to McKinnon, Evans, Riddle, and Chapman. "Oh hi, Charlene!" They all happily greeted at the sight of me. I reciprocated the gesture and with a sigh, turned back to the task at hand.
"This one is something I just finished last night," the seamstress told us – okay, maybe more like Laura – as she produced her wand. She flicked it over the nearby closet which opened and out came a wonderful dress. "The way your sister wants you to look, I think this is the perfect fit."
Both Laura and I stared at it. And even I had to admit, it really was simple, but wonderful. The skirt popped out in a balloon like form, over to its middle was a wide ribbon which worked its way around the waist area; it had no sleeves of any sort. Its top was like a tube, so my hair would have to be kept down.
"It's perfect," Laura breathed, and the seamstress smiled. Laura had a smile on her lips which were slightly parted, maybe because she finally saw something that would actually look good on me. On a normal day, I would have laughed at her expression, but I couldn't.
Maybe because I knew that I might've had the same look on myself.
"What about you, dear?" The seamstress asked me, "What do you think?"
Laura turned to look at me, still with a smile on her face. I merely shrugged as I adjusted the headband Laura bought me a few stores earlier. "Does it come in Indigo?"
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HEEEEEY GUYS :)))))
Sorry for the wait, I got back together with this old friend of mine named "Procrastination". Hahahaaha. Anywaaaay, watcha guys think? I'm still going to edit this chapter because I wrote some parts in the midst of hunger so I may have put in things I wasn't satisfied with.
Oh and could you guys do me a tinsy weensy favor?
Please please try and check out my original story, it's called The Words I Never Said.:) It's sort of cliche but give it a chance? Oh and a lot of people have been asking...
YES, there will be a third TMS book and it'll be about James. It'll be the final one, and my final FF here on Wattpad. ALSO, this book won't be as long as the Sirius Black one.