Dresses
~Arden Diggory~
Once I calmed down, Hermione led me back to the hall. I had left the letter and small bag I received on the table next to Harry. When I returned, I heard Harry mention Draco's name when talking to Ron.
"Hey guys, we're back." Hermione said, giving the two boys a say-anything-and-I'll-kick-your-butt expression. Ron and Harry greeted us and I sat down. I picked up the letter and opened it. The letter was from my father.
Dearest Arden
I'm very excited that Hogwarts will be having the Yule Ball! Your mother and I hope you found a lovely date to escort you. We went to your vault and took a small amount from it to spend on your dress robes. We trust you will spend it wisely, and won't pick something risqué.
Cedric is a TriWizard Champion! Isn't that exciting? He came 1st in the first task! Oh how splendid it is! He's beaten Harry Potter! Your mother and I are proud we have someone in the family doing great things!
We love you Arden! Best wishes for your school year
Love, Mum and Dad
I scrunched up my nose, reading the paragraph about Cedric. My father always did get carried away about one of us doing great things, now I guess he's got the chance to brag about it... I put the letter aside and opened the bag. It was bewitched, so it looked small but had a large interior. I couldn't even count how many galleons were in there, but it was definitely a hundred or so.
"Blimey, Arden! I can see that gold from here!" Seamus called from afar. People at the table gathered around to look into my bag, and I quickly closed it to prevent them. "Come on, what's it for?"
"My Yule Ball dress..." I said. Boys at the table started listening in, wondering who I was going with.
"Who asked you?"
"You actually said yes to someone?"
"Why did you say no to me?" They all asked.
"What's all this nonsense?" A voice asked. I turned around and saw my brother, Cedric, standing behind me.
"Hey Cedric!" I greeted chirpily. Cedric smiled, and squeezed himself in between Harry and I.
"Why was everyone yelling?" He asked. Harry looked uncomfortable, and almost annoyed at Cedric interfering.
"Just about the ball..." I said. Cedric eyed the boys at the table who all shouted questions at me, asking why I wasn't their date.
"Leave my baby sister alone. She's allowed to have her own choices. You all better not harass her about this again." The boys looked almost un-phased, since my brother wasn't typically the most threatening. The boys laughed slightly, until I grabbed my wand and pointed it at them.
"Do what he says or I'll make sure you never laugh again." I threatened. The boys nodded and looked away from my direction.
"Uhh, thanks. So, who are you going with to the ball? I see father sent you a little loan for your attire." Cedric pointed to the bag of money. He looked around the hall and tried to guess which boy I was going with. "Is it that Blaise Zabini guy?" He teased. I nudged Cedric jokingly.
"No way! We may be friends, but I'm not into him that way. Besides, he asked Astoria." I said. Cedric kept looking over at the table mostly occupied by Slytherins. His eyes stopped on Draco, but he quickly shook whatever thought from his head. His eyes stopped somewhere, and a devilish grin spread across his face. "I know, it's Vincent Crabbe." He teased.
"No way! Ew! Grooossss!" I groaned. Cedric laughed, seeing my disgust at Crabbe. He looked at the table again and sighed.
"I give up, there's no one else worth your time in that house. Who is it?"
"It's me." Harry said. Cedric turned around to Harry and beamed.
"Harry! Oh, nice to know my sister is in good hands. I'm going to warn you though, don't do anything stupid."
"Come on Ced, Harry isn't a bad guy." I sighed. Cedric nodded and got up from the table, almost tripping while he did.
"Well, I wish you two the best." Cedric winked. Cedric walked away, leaving Harry and I confused.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. Harry hid a smirk from his face by sipping pumpkin juice then shrugged his shoulders. I looked over at Hermione, who looked concerned. "What's up 'Mione?" I asked. She leaned forward to whisper something, but noticed Harry and Ron trying to listen in.
"Uhm, say Arden... I think we should go dress shopping! Wouldn't that sound great?" She said, slightly shaking as she faked her excitement. Hermione quickly shifted her eyes to Harry and Ron, who looked like they couldn't understand what Hermione was saying. Hermione wanted to tell me something without them present, which could have worked if she just pulled me away.
Hermione wasn't the best at lying. She would visibly shake, she'd blush like crazy or her tone of voice would sound so overly acted even a troll could know she was fibbing.
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" Ron asked. Clearly Ron was just as worse as a troll. Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded her head in direction of the exit. We both left the clueless boys and left the hall.
"You know Harry plans to ask you to be his girlfriend at the ball, right Arden?" She asked. I froze. Harry was seriously going to do this? Oh Merlin, murder me please! I had suspicions, but never really thought about it... Harry is a great guy, just not for me. I sighed and hid my face behind my hands.
"Hermione, you're brilliant enough to kill me and get away with it aren't you?" Hermione scoffed and quickly hugged me.
"I can't tell Harry to not ask you, he'll know I told you and he'll be heartbroken... You're probably just gonna have to say no yourself..." She sighed.
"Couldn't you figure out a plan? To distract him from asking me somehow?" Hermione looked down at her shoes, thinking about what she could do.
"Maybe we could double? Or maybe you could find openings to sneak away when things start getting awkward?" Hermione suggested. "These aren't very great ideas, but it's a ball, Harry will want to be on your side 24/7." I sighed, I really wish I never said yes to Harry...
"I'll probably end up tagging along with you and your date, which is...?" I asked. Hermione blushed and turned away from me.
"It's no one." She said sternly, trying to get me to drop the topic.
"No 'Mione, tell me! Do you seriously have a date and you didn't tell me?" Hermione whipped around, looking slightly angry.
"Oh come on, I actually got a date that isn't bloody Ronald Weasley! Someone actually asked me for me! Not as a last resort!" Hermione said, half excited and half annoyed. "It's a surprise, okay? I really want you to be wowed when you see." She smiled. I smiled too, understanding what Hermione wanted. "Now, did you want to go dress shopping?" She offered.
"You wanted to do that for real?" I asked. "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" I mocked Ron. Hermione laughed and nudged my shoulder.
"Well, I already have my things picked out, my mum sent them a while ago. It's you that needs something. You need something that won't get Harry too excited..." Being the horrific minded person I am, I immediately gagged at what Hermione said. Hermione smacked my arm and rolled her eyes. "I don't mean it that way! You're so filthy sometimes, Arden!"
"Right, well, continue..." I said. Hermione and I walked out of the castle and towards Hogsmeade. She kept talking about how I should get something modest and something to match my eyes. She went on about her periwinkle blue dress her mother got for her as well.
"Maybe Draco will make a move on you at the ball." Hermione smiled. I shook my head, laughing at her comment.
"I doubt it, I don't think he'd want to talk to me if Harry were around." I sighed. Hermione shrugged her shoulders as we entered the dress shop. Hermione wasn't the type of girl to run up to a dress she fancied and giggle about the colour or fabric. Instead, she inspected everything carefully, studying the dresses like a book, to see which best suited me.
I however, found the dress I was looking at before I met with Draco. It was the lavender dress in the front window. Slim fitting, strapless, flowing with a sparkling belt of crystal along the waistline. I felt the material and sighed. It was silky, and made me feel like I was touching nothing. Hermione walked over, furrowing her brows at the dress.
"I'm not sure, it's in the front window so everyone would want it..." She said. She had a puzzled expression as she walked around it, getting better angles of it. She walked over to the checkout counter. "Excuse me, has anyone shown interest in that dress in the window?" She asked. The woman at the counter nodded.
"Almost every girl that's come in here as drooled over it. A few other girls went crazy over the mint green one next to it, but they all walk out when they hear the price."
"How much is it?" Hermione asked.
"Approximately 103 Galleons and 8 sickles." The woman replied. Hermione's jaw dropped and she returned to me.
"No way you're getting that." Hermione said. "Every girl is going to envy you, not to mention it's way too expensive and-"
"Who cares if they envied me, I'll be wearing the dress they all wanted and probably wouldn't look good in. Not to mention, I can afford it." I said, opening up my bag and showing the galleons in there.
"I've never seen this side of you Arden.... If you really want to get it, try it on first." I nodded and returned to the woman at the counter.
"May I try the lavender dress in the front window?" I asked. The woman scoffed.
"Sure, doubt you can afford it." She laughed. The woman retrieved the dress and put it in my arms. I walked into the back rooms and found a cubicle and changed.
"Come on, let's see!" Hermione said. I turned away from the mirror while I got changed. I wanted Hermione's opinion before my own, since I could trust her with everything. I opened the cubicle door and looked down.
"Well, how do I look?" I asked shyly. Hermione smiled.
"You look gorgeous, Arden." She said softly. She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around to face the mirror. I saw her beaming face over my shoulder, then I saw the dress. My waist and hips looked fantastic, and it fitted me almost perfectly. The dress was a little long, but I could just wear some heeled shoes to fix the problem. Hermione closed the cubicle door so I could get changed into my clothes from before, and we exited the back room.
"Please return the dress to me, I'll put it back in the front." The woman said unkindly.
"Actually." I started. I put the bag on the desk, making it slam against the table from all the gold. "I'm buying it." I smiled. The woman raised her eyebrows, but smiled anyway, since she was getting money.
"That'll be 103 Galleons and 8 Sickles." She said. Hermione uttered a spell which took out exactly that number of coins. The woman smiled and stored away the money. With a wave of her wand, she packaged it in a small box, so it wasn't a nuisance to carry around. "Pleasure doing business." She bowed. Hermione and I thanked her as we left the store, and I pocketed the remaining money.
Hermione and I linked arms together as we cheerfully walked back to the castle, talking about the ball, the dress, and Draco Malfoy.
"I totally know what's going to happen. It's so obvious, he'll probably end up ditching his date for you." Hermione said.
"I'm not so sure Hermione... Plus, how can you be so sure as to what he'll do?" I questioned. Hermione smirked for the first time ever, then straightened her posture and looked away from me. "What?" Hermione kept looking away from me, then chuckled.
"I have my ways."