When the day of the ball had finally arrived Mariella found herself a nervous wreck. And not the pretty kind where one stands in front of a long mirror and adjusts their clothing and says to themselves "its just one night you will be okay".
No.
Mariella was the kind of nervous wreck that could be found sitting sadly on the corner of her bed wondering why in Merlin's sake she couldn't get her hair to do what she wanted while she stared deep into the floor in her sweatpants.
So when her mother knocked on her door at a quarter to six, she was quite surprised to see that her daughter had her knees tucked to her chest and that not only had she not moved, that her hair looked more of a mess than it had two hours ago when she came to tell her to get ready.
Mariella
As the swung open with a soft creak I deeply wished my blankets would consume me and welcome me as one of their own.
I glanced at the clock and quickly decided that I wished the bed would consume me and I would deal with my situation whether the blankets accepted me or not.
Two hours.
It had been two hours since her mother had told her to start getting ready and call if she needed anything.
She in fact had tried to get ready, and failed miserably. She had started with her, something she thought she would be able to tackle reasonably well, and had found herself sorely mistaken.
"Dear? oh whats happened? Is something the matter?" the question from her mother was, of course, rehtorical. Something was very clearly the matter.
"I couldn't.....I couldn't get my hair to go like I wanted it. I um....I couldnt get the spell to work. But then I though I could just do it the muggle way and it just wont......go the way I want it." saying the works out loud I felt so childish. Like a toddler who cant get the cap back on their marker.
I mentally prepared myself for a disipointed sigh... I was a grown woman for merlin's sake. I shouldnt be so fussy. I should get over myself. I should-
"Oh dear that okay. Lets see what we can do, how did you want it done?"
The words came out soft and kind. Not rushed. In fact if I was not aware that people were going to be here in twenty minutes or so i would think that we had all of the time in the world.
"I was going to braid the sides, and pull it into a bun?" i said testing the waters.
"That sounds beautiful." She quickly swished her wand and my hair began to float into place, then after that she summoned a few pins from some the bathroom and then used them to pin my hair into a bun.
"There." she said softly patting my shoulder.
I felt my pulse calming down.
"Do you need my help with the dress?" she said kindly.
"No. I think Ill be fine."
She smiled with a nod, "I put your shoes on your bathroom counter earlier, guests will be here soon. But take your time. People can wait if they need to." She gently touched the top of my head and then she left the room quietly.
And though I was alone that small interaction had convinced me that I was going to be okay.
I pulled on my dress. The dark fabric gently slipped onto my skin and i used my wand to zip up the back of it. The skirt flowed and i swear it could have been made of the night sky, the way there was small embedded sparkles in the fabric. That reflected the lights as i moved, as if they were real stars.
I slipped on my black heels and with a few waves of my wand had applied my makeup, I was ready to head down stairs.
I had some time...... a few minutes.
And though i could stare into the abyss of my own consciousness for awhile and get super introspective and sad....
Or i could read "The Sun Also Rises" for a little bit.
So i decided to do that, allowing myself to get sucked farther and farther into the pages. As the characters lived their lives, complicatedly entangled, unable to separate themselves from each other. Learning that they cant run away from their problems. And that no matter how far you try to get away, if you don't deal with something (especially emotionally) it will follow you around eating at your heart until your chest is an empty hollow shell of who you are.
knock. knock. knock.
"Mariella? Can i come in? Its Charlie."
"Yes. Of course!" I placed my book down on my desk and stood up straightening my dress.
The door swung open and Charlie walked in. His new dress robes were perfectly pressed and i was surprised and his hair was combined neatly to the side.
"You look-"
"Thanks." i cut him off slightly, but he only chuckled.
"Nervous?" he asked as i took the time to once again check my hair in the mirror by my closet door.
"Maybe a little bit, but not too much. Besides shouldn't you be worried?"
Charlie raised his eyebrow, "Why would i be worried? Its you're ball."
I turned around to face him, "Yes, however, I'll know people here. You're trying to impress them."
I was defelecting, trying to get the attention off of myself.
"Well, aren't you trying to do that as well?" he said trying to be sly.
I hesitated. Waiting.......
"I don't have anything to prove to anyone. " The room was suddenly very quiet.
"Shall we go?" he said with a cough trying to keep the awkward wall that was building between us from getting any higher.
I just nodded and took his arm as we walked out of my room and toward the top of the staircase.
Astoria and Blaise were already there, laughing in whispered tones.
As i approached Astoria left Blaise's side and pulled me away from Charlie.
"I um...." she had never been one to stumble with her words before. She spoke in certainties. In absolutes. But not, she seemed to unsure of how to express what she was thinking.
We had never really argued in school, rather we had operated in parallel circles. The same, but never crossing.
"I wanted to say i'm sorry. For the any time i made you feel badly. I'm not saying this because.... its not because i found out who you're related to.... i just think that. Well. I would have said sorry anyways. We all did things we're not proud of.... and i want you to know that i did what i did because i never realized i had another choice. And by the time i realized i had one....it was too late to change. I hope you can forgive me for the way i treated you. And if not....well I'm still sorry even if you don't forgive me."
I looked at her. I wondered if i had changed as much as she did.
Not just physically, but there's something in her eyes that got me. Something dark and deep, as if no matter how hard she tried she might never be able to overcome the horrors that she had seem. But it seemed evident now that she was going to keep trying to overcome them no matter how hard it was.
"I forgive you. And im sorry too. This-" now i was the one who was at a loss for words, "we went through horrors, and im just glad that hopefully we can grow closer and not distance each other because of it."
She smiled slightly, "What would you prefer to be called?"
"I think....well Mari has been growing on me." I said with a laugh, perfect.
We walked back to where Charlie and Blaise, at the top of the stairs.
"Everything thing alright?" Charlie asked as Blaise smirked, seeing that Astoria and I both seemed to have resolved things.
"Oh nothing, Astoria had a question about someone we both used to know." I said coolly.
Blaise smiled proudly, im guessing at how easily i lied directly to Charlie's face.
"I swear if they don't play the bloody music soon I'm going to die." Astoria said with a groan.
"Oh come on Ast its not that bad." Blaise laughed.
"Oh not its bad, im starving. I think my body is digesting itself." Blaise only rolled his eyes, and as if on cue the somewhere below us, an orchestra began to play.
Theo
I shifted as i looked around the room, next to me Draco stood almost stoically, the only thing shifting was his wrists as he messed with the watch on his right one.
"I saw the Weasley's earlier." Draco said as he continued to fiddle with his watch.
"All of them?"
"No," he responded finally leaving his watch alone, "One of the twins, Weasel-bee, and......" he struggled to find the name, "Ginny? The girl."
I noticed the effort he put in, and though Mari wasn't here to appreciate it, i knew that she would have.
"Can't believe they chose Charlie." Draco said when i didn't respond to his Weasely comment.
"I can." he turned tome, one eyebrow raised.
"Really? I understand why the didn't choose me. No matte how bad ive felt, or what has happened. There's too much bad blood between us. And William is literally a box of rocks, poor lad. Bu you?" I turned to him, my gaze scrutinizing his face, trying to understand what made me any different from him.
"Draco we are in the same boat mate." He smirked before responding.
"No because you.... you stuck with Blaise all summer." Suddenly his eyes were dark, "You're the kind of friend that i would trust to protect my sister." He stopped suddenly.
"If i had one that is, which i dont...i dont think.... god do you think there is gonna be more of this secret sibling nonsense going around because i dont think i could handle it." He said with a chuckle.
Looking around the room i could smell the superiority complexes. People believing they were better than each other for whatever arbitrary reason they had concocted in their heads.
It was truly disgusting... but also funny in some weird twisted way. Because as much as they wanted to believe that they were better. After everything....no one was better than anyone else anymore. And i dont think anyone had every been.
The orchestra started playing and all heads turned to the staircase.
This is where a normal author would describe how she was stunning, how men gaped and women stood shocked at her appearance. But the way she was is not as important as the way that people viewed her, my reader. And they viewed her the same way that people look at the expanse of the sky. Amazed and bitter that the beauty is not something they can ever physcially hold.