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yuletide
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When they return from hols, they arrive to the news that Hogwarts is restarting the tradition of the Yule Ball- after a fashion. It's open to everyone (they claim for inclusiveness, but a headcount of the older students suggests a more practical reason) and the professors seem to be treating it as a sort of Hogwarts wide bonding event. At least, they keep stressing how it's about "school unity" and suggesting that students branch outside their normal friend groups. Even the Heads of Houses are reluctantly suggesting their students should interact more with the other Houses. Alli ignores the whole spiel for the important things: there's a party! Dates and dancing and food and merriment! She is so in.

The next time she meets up with her friends, she's grinning maniacally. "Sooo? We're going, right? Oh man, I need to find a date, don't I? And an outfit! Merlin's apples this is going to be great."
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"Merlin's apples?"

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"She finally got tired of detention."

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"Is there where you've been at night? Detention for swearing? Alliii!" Jenny laughs.

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"I can only scrub so many things," Alli grumbles. "But seriously. Party! We're going, right?"

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"I can't dance. At all. I might show up for feasting but I will not dance."

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"I'm going. I'll even dance."

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"I've got outfits!" Emma volunteers. "If anyone wants to borrow something." Then she adds, with a worried look at Alli, "...if they fit."

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Alli snorts. "If you have something that's short enough, you mean? Not bloody likely, but thank you."

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"I have nice dress robes already for - reasons. I might have a spare set too if anybody's closer to my size, or the size I was a year ago anyway."

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"I own no formal wear whatsoever," Miranda says, "keeps just not coming up and till I stop growing there's no reason to have it just to have it. Emma, we could hem something, if you didn't mind us fussing with your clothes?"

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"Oooh, me, I can help!" Jenny volunteers. "Five siblings. I can sew all the things. Got anything that's not floor length I could try...?"

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"You want something shorter?" Vivian asks, confused. "But you're taller than Emma?"

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"It's, um," distracted by picturing her wardrobe, Emma's brain takes a second to catch up with the question, "no, she's right. Long gowns will be, uh, really obvious if they're too short. Shorter ones will be a little less weird. I can bring some things to dinner."

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"You're the best," Alli beams. "Now I just need to get a date!" She rests her face in her hands contemplatively. "What do you think? Gryffindor? I think I'd like a Gryffindor."

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"What is this, a tasting menu?"

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"I know you're joking but that sounds wicked and now I want one."

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"Please do not taste the Gryffindors."

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"Okay but none of us are Gryffindors! I'm branching out!" She grins. "What about their Beater?"

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"Uh, isn't he a sixth year?"

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Jenny giggles. "That's the older one, silly! He's a sixth year and toootally snogging the blonde girl in chess club. The other Beater's- I think a fourth year? And totally cute, see?" She swaps her face out.

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Alli covers her eyes. "Aaah! Weird, no, stop, too bloody strange!"

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"That's really weird!" agrees Karen.

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Vivian sighs jealously. "I know it's odd, but it must be nice to be able to just... change," she says. "It's so much harder if I want to change something."

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"Sorry, sorry!" Jenny laughs apologetically as her face turns back. "I'm back," she says, nudging Alli, who still has her eyes covered. "Change something like what, Viv?"

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Vivian shrugs shyly. "I've been thinking about dyeing my hair." She pulls at a strand of it. "It's so... bland," she says, sounding displeased.

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"Well, you could mix up a dye with student ingredients, if you got a recipe," Karen points out. "...You couldn't necessarily use any possible dye if you have to go among Muggles like that but you could do blue or something."

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Vivian abruptly looks very interested. "What kinds of recipes are there?" she asks. "I just thought, colors, but- Muggle dye lasts for months, are potions faster? I could try so many things!"

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"The only potions for hair I actually know about are the ones that straighten mine out enough to drag a comb through, but there's lots of colors and I think you can make them not last for months if you want to make lots of potions?"

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"My mum's given me a couple books on hair potions and stuff like that. She, um, has weird ideas about presents sometimes. I'll bring them to dinner too."

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"Thanks!"

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"Am I the only one who wants to take a date?" Alli asks. "Really? C'mon!"

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"I would!" Jenny chirps. "If I can find someone, I mean, but it's just a dance, it'll be fun."

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"I feel like it would be weird to take a date to a dance I'm not going to dance at."

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Shrug.
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Emma likes her classmates just fine, but there's no one she'd call Particularly Special and just the idea of asking someone herself makes her insides clench up in terror. "If someone asked me, maybe," she says doubtfully.

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Jenny sizes up Emma's expression and immediately begins plotting.

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Alli shrugs. "Good enough. 'sides, I'll probably mostly be hanging out with you lot anyway." She scoots next to Miranda and Karen and makes innocent eyes at them. "So! Any cute Ravenclaws I should meet?"

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"I thought you wanted a Gryffindor."

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"The more cute boys the better! I started with Gryffindor."

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"I'm not sure I'm qualified to evaluate boys. Is it only boys or do you stir both ways?"

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"Boys," Alli says, then grins. "Bonus points for Quidditch players."

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"There's a Chaser a year ahead of us who's symmetrical and whatnot," says Miranda. "Pip Avis. Broom nerd."

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Jenny starts giggling helplessly at "symmetrical".

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"Wicked, thanks," Alli says happily. "I mostly just like to watch Quidditch, I'm not much for brooms, but I can smile and nod just fine."

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"He'll nerd at you if he anythings at you. If you don't want to be nerded at continue contemplating Gryffindors."

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Alli goes back to contemplating Gryffindors. Her face gets slightly dopey. Pay her no mind.

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"Why do they even call it a Yule Ball?" Jenny asks. "It's not like it's even Christmas any more, we were home for hols."

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"Maybe they were going to have it earlier but the planning didn't come together in time so they're just calling it that anyhow."

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"It used to be on Christmas?" Emma shrugs. "No clue why it changed, Karen's probably right."

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"Weird!" Jenny proclaims. "But it would be reeeeally odd not to spend Christmas with my family, so, yay?"

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"Yeah, I can't see going to a dance over going home even if I could dance."

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"I'd offer to teach you the steps, but, uh. Not exactly the problem."

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"So not the problem! Why don't they make magic shoes for this?"

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"They make broomsticks! You could float in a circle."

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"I wonder if there is such a thing as broomstick dancing. Like ice dancing. It should be a thing."

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"You could start a club! It's really not that hard," Vivian suggests. (She would know; her QSA meetings are not massively attended, but they limp along all right.)

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"I'd have to invent it first, if it doesn't already exist."

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"You'll come up with something, Silverlight," Alli teases.

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"I think you overapply your estimate of my brilliance."

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"Never! But probably your interest in broom dancing, yeah."

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"I'm not sure when Miranda could even find time to invent broom dancing."

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"Besides, there are more important concerns. Like dates!"

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"And outfits!"

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As promised, Emma arrives at dinner that night with her arms full. The two books on top go to Vivian, and the rest sorts into four dress robes of varying amounts of fanciness. They're not as ruffly or lacy as they could be, but they're rather uptight and pastel.

"I'm thinking about wearing this one," Emma says, tapping the pale green robe closest to her, "but I can wear any of them." She eyes the one that's a shade somewhere between pink and orange. "Most of them."
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"I think Miranda could pull off the salmon."

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"Maybe, but I'd rather not, you know?"

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"Anyway, I found my spare," Karen says, producing a royal blue dress robe. "There's a splodge on it that will not come out, but I know what made it so if you wanted to mix up more of the same potion and turn it into a pattern you could. Or just hack it off and wear it daringly short, I don't care what happens to this robe." The splodge is a sort of periwinkle near the hem.

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"I'll take the pink one! It's pretty," Jenny says rather defensively. She touches the robe, which turns into outright petting it. "Oooooh, and it's so soft."

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Alli snags the royal blue from Karen and holds it up, trying to eyeball where the stain would be cut off. "It wouldn't even be that short on me, I think?" she guesses. "What do you think, guys? Too short even for me?"

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Vivian quietly gets permission from Emma to collect the simpler of the two extra robes. It's a pale purple she's not convinced will look good on her but it's at least edged in a darker purple she likes better, and the other one she's pretty sure will make her skin look green. Purple it is!

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Jenny sizes up Alli. "I think it'll turn out all right? You won't make the Headmistress faint, at least."

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"Just don't twirl too energetically," Miranda says. She takes the last spare Emma robe, a sky blue. "This looks like it'll probably fit me."

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Jenny spots Alli's contemplative expression. "You'll get thrown out sooooo fast," she points out. "Doesn't that sorta ruin the fun?"

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Alli pouts. "Fine, mum."

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"Do you want help hemming it or do you know how?"

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Alli stares at the dress in mild terror. "...please?"

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"Okay, if anybody thinks they're better at a Stitching Spell than me speak now..."

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"I am very sure I'm not better at a Stitching Spell, but I am very very good at hemming!"

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"...Did you bring your sewing kit to school?"

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"Yes? Sewing's relaxing, I like it."

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"Doesn't it take ages?"

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"Er. It coooould be, I don't make clothes or anything? But hemming is easy, I don't even really have to think about it much."

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"Okay." Karen tosses her the robe.

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Jenny holds the robe up against Alli and makes considering noises at the stained patch. Finally she carefully folds the edge over and then refolds the robe around it. "All right. You-" she pokes Alli, "come by tomorrow so I can double check the length, okay?"

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Alli suffers the sizing up in reasonably good grace. "Yes mum, thank you mum," she says with a roll of her eyes, but the thank you sounds sincere enough.

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"So that's everyone all set?" Emma asks, relieved.

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"I think so."

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Alli spends the rest of her evening contemplating faces at other tables. Decisions, decisions.

The next afternoon, she goes down to the Quidditch pitch while the Slytherins are practicing. And if she happens to stay put until they leave and the Gryffindors show up, well, shame on her for losing track of time.
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The Slytherins leave. The Gryffindors appear.

The current Gryffindor Quidditch team has one female Beater, a female Keeper, and two female Chasers, but the Seeker, one Chaser, and other Beater are boys. Fourth year, third, and sixth, respectively.
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Alli eyes the Seeker she'd been gossiping about. Apparently he's not a Beater after all, but she fails to see any problem with this. Even better, actually, because he spends more time waiting on the sides while the others discuss strategies. She waits for an opportune moment to catch him, then scoots over to a seat near where he's waiting for his teammates to start practice.

"Hey there."
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"...Uh, I don't think other houses are supposed to watch our practices," he says.

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"That's okay," Alli says unconcernedly, turning backwards in her seat so she can't see the pitch. "I just knew you'd be here." She smiles, to try and cover the fact that it's suddenly hard to swallow. Her brain is going cute boy! cute boy! and it makes it difficult to concentrate. Stupid brain. "It's Matthew, right?"

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"Yeah," he says, blinking but supposing she probably can't see the pitch turned around like that. "Um, you're one of Silverlight's friends? Alli?"

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Alli grins. "You remembered my name! Ten points to you, wow. Mostly I just get the short friend." Feeling better, she scoots on the bench towards him slightly. "Soooo." (Oy, she's turning into Jenny.) "Looking forward to the ball?"

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"Oh, good, my second guess was completely wrong then - uh, yeah?"

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"Oh, what was your second guess?" Alli asks with interest, briefly distracted, then shakes her head. "Wait, not the point." She hesitates, but reminds herself that this is a good idea, there is a cute boy at stake. "Got a date yet?"

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"No..."

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Alli is starting to think she should have brought a sign. Maybe a flying one. Is she not being obvious enough? Perhaps she should be hitting him over the head with something in bright colors...

On the bright side, amusement makes her less nervous. "Want to go with me?"
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"Um." Blink. "Sure, okay."

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Alli beams. That was way easier than she was afraid it would be. Cute boy: success! "Wicked!" She jumps down to give him an impulsive brief but enthusiastic hug. "Okay, you've got practice, I know, I'll get lost. Thanks Matt! See you soon!"

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"See you!" he calls after her with a bemused wave.

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Alli bounces straight back to Slytherin in search of Vivian. Sure enough, Vivian's on her bed reading a book Alli doesn't recognize but suspects is for Magical Runes. "Viv, Viv, Viv! Stop doing homework, this is better. I have a date!" she announces, bouncing on the end of Vivian's bed.

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"Congrats!" Vivian says, managing a smile. It's adorable how excited Alli is, she's pleased for her friend, but it's hard not to think of how much she wants a date. And has very poor odds at getting one. "The- what was his name? Pip?"

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"No, the other one, Matthew," Alli corrects her, returning to flop on her own bed with a blissful smile. "I think I cornered him into it but whatever, so cute don't care."

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Vivian actually laughs at that. She turns to face Alli but her eye catches on Emma's books next to her bed. "Oh! Before I forget. You're good at Potions, right? Can you help me with my hair?"

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"My one skill," Alli jokes, reaching over to snag one of the books. "Sure." She skims over a few chapters. "Oh, wow, this is some book. What color?"

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"Well, I wanted red at first, but with the ball and Emma's robe I thought- maybe purple?"

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Alli flips through the book a few more times, scrunches her face at a couple options, but finally nods. "Yeah, I can do this. Shall we?"

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"Yes!"









The next day, Vivian comes to breakfast with purple streaks in her hair and gloves on both hands.
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"Your hair looks nice!" says Karen.

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"Thanks!" Vivian says. She knows she shouldn't be this delighted but she can't help it, okay, Karen likes her hair.

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"Very nice," Emma agrees. Internally she pictures her mother's face if she learns what her fancy hair potions book was used for, and suppresses a hysterical giggle.

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"I love the purple!" Jenny adds, then stops as she's reaching for toast. "Er, Vivian? Are you cold, or... being weirdly fashionable, orrrrr something?"

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Vivian turns a dark red. "I.. Apparently you're supposed to use gloves?" She tugs her right glove off partway; her palm is mottled the same purple as her hair.

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"You're always supposed to have gloves when you handle potions. I can try to fix it if you want?"

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"I knew while I was brewing, but then we were done and I thought the dyeing part would be okay?" She sighs. "I know, lesson learned. If you know how to fix it, yes please? I was just going to go to Madam Pomfrey later today if it didn't start to wear off."

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"That's what everyone with potion damage does, so I've seen it a couple times and I have a good guess what she'll try first," explains Miranda, pulling out her wand. "But it might not work and then I'll find out what she'll try second, I guess." Tap. "Nonvenenum."

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The purple lightens a little, and Vivian brightens, but it's still very much visible. When she realizes it's not going to lighten further, Vivian shrugs ruefully. "Thanks, but I guess I'll be in gloves a bit longer."

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"Sorry. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will have a second go-to."

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"Not your fault. You helped more than I did, anyway."

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"That's what the internship's for."

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"There's a joke about dyeing in here somewhere," Alli says as she sits down next to Jenny, "but I'm way too excited about my date to come up with it. Pass the sausage?"

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Emma groans. "It's too early for puns. Bad puns."

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"Waaaaaaait, date! You got a date!" Jenny exclaims. "What? Come on, tell us!"

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Karen passes the sausages.

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"I stopped him right before Quidditch practice! I hinted about the Yule Ball and he totally missed it. So then I laughed at him in my head and just asked him and he said yes and I have a hot date!"

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"I got an unsigned owl asking me to the ball," Miranda says. "But I sent back a polite refusal. Even if I were going to take a date I wouldn't want to take one who I didn't know who they were."

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"I'm actually surprised it's only one," Emma mentions. "I mean, you're famous."

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"...Two other people also asked me the usual way but it didn't seem as remarkable."

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"Oooh, so popular," Jenny laughs. "No one interesting yet?"

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Vivian flicks a quick, worried glance Karen's way.

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"It wouldn't matter, I'm not going to dance and I'm not going to bring a date. It'd just maybe affect how I phrased that if someone interesting asked."

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Karen's oblivious.

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Vivian is disinclined to be too obvious. She can check in with Karen later.

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"Is there someone interesting?" Alli asks curiously. "Are we, hah, going to to wind up fighting over Quidditch players? Cause you're wicked famous and I need warning, if we're doing that."

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"I do not anticipate overlap in our interests. Nobody's particularly caught my eye. Maybe I'm a late bloomer."

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One could almost ignore the wist in Karen's eyes.

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Can she reach-? Yes. Vivian carefully pats Karen's hand under the table.

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"Me neither," Emma chimes in, "and, uh, we're only third years? I think that makes us kinda normal bloomers."

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Karen smiles a little at Vivian.

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"I suppose."

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Gossiping about boys is not Vivian's thing, and everyone knows it, so she's perfectly comfortable sitting out of the rest of Alli and Jenny's chattering about cute boys. But once the meal is over, she follows Karen until she can catch her separately.

"Hey. You all right?"
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"Yeah, I guess. She's not going with somebody else, at least."

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"She-" Vivian almost says "is kind of going with you, isn't she, just as friends?" but that seems way too much like salt in the wound and she stops herself. "-wouldn't do that to you," she settles on instead. "She's not that mean. She's not like Alli with her weird need for a cute date."

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"I don't mean for her to just be alone forever, or anything," Karen murmurs.

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"I didn't think you did," Vivian hastens to assure her. "She's just a good friend." She pats Karen's shoulder. "As long as you don't pine forever, or anything."

She tries to make it sound like a gentle joke. But she's a tiny bit (a lot) invested in the answer, so she hopes she actually managed.
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"I, well, forever's a long time." Snort. "She probably doesn't want me alone forever either."

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"Like I said. Good friend." Then, feeling like the 'friend' thing is maybe rubbing it in more, she changes tack. Karen looks so sad. Vivian misses her smile. "Is there anything I can do? A hug or something?"

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"Can't hurt."

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She can have a hug. (Yes please.) Vivian ignores the part of her brain sighing blissfully over the hug and lets Karen go after a perfectly reasonable amount of time. "I'm sorry people are silly and not widdershins," she says. "Widdershins is totally better."

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Snort. "It'd probably be simplest if everybody stirred both ways, and then nobody would ever want somebody who couldn't ever like them back."

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Vivian giggles. "Stirred both ways? I like it." More seriously, she adds, "You're right, though. The QSA meetings are so small, compared to... well, all the students."

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"Yeah. There's that one couple and that's it. Although I think Agamemnon ought to stop just staring at Clarence and ask him already."

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Well, that hits a bit close to home. Except that as far as she knows Clarence doesn't have an unrequited crush on a straight housemate that Agamemnon is helping him with. (Siiiigh.)

"I know! They would be so adorable." stop just staring "It's been what, two months now?"
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"Something like that."

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"Maybe he'll get his nerve up in time for the ball...?" she says, not sounding optimistic. ought to stop "It looks like it should be fun."

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"I've never been to a proper ball before, maybe it will be."

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"Me neither. Hope so!"

ought to stop just staring

"...Hey Karen?"
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"Yeah?"

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stop just staring

"I-" her brain attempts to panic, but she buries it under Karen's quote again. "I know we were all going to go as a group, but. Would you maybe... want to gowithme?"

The last part is a bit of a rush but look at her. Not just staring.

(Why is her brain still panicking? Oh no, this was a terrible idea, aaaah-)
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(-aaaaaaaaaaaaah-)

"I know I'm not Miranda or anything. It's okay. I just thought. Maybe?"

(-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah)
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"Um, I, um, I'm just surprised sorry -"

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(-aaaaah)

"It's okay! Really! It's my fault!"

She considers repeating Karen's quote, to try and explain, but that reveals a bit more than she wants to admit in the face of that face Karen's making.

"Sorry to surprise you. I didn't mean- I just-"

She's so bad at this, she screwed it up so much, how did Alli do it?
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"I kind of, um, I don't know if that's totally - fair? To you."

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Vivian melts a little. "That's really sweet, actually," she says. "But, I already know? I did when I asked. It's okay." Then her face blanks. "But if that was supposed to be a polite no, or something, that's also okay and I'm really sorry!"

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"You don't have to be sorry it's okay I mean I kind of want to it's just the thing and I know you know the thing but the thing - and -"

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Vivian suppresses the wildly inappropriate urge to burst into (probably hysterical) laughter. The phrase the thing may never be the same in her head again. It is now permanently shocked Karen face.

Her brain latches onto I kind of want to. Maybe, maybe maybe maybe? At any rate, it gives her enough hope to offer "Maybe think about it?"
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"I mean I don't want to leave you hanging..."

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Aww. Awwww. Her favorite Karen is still smiling Karen, but thoughtful Karen is fast competing for second. "I don't want you to decide just because I'm standing here, though?"

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"I mean I'll decide at some point, probably, it would be pretty mean to just not, anyway, and you shouldn't have to - not know if you have a date or not."

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Vivian laughs at that. "I'm guessing we'd be with the group either way." She shuffles awkwardly. "So. Let me know, I guess, but no rush or anything."

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"Um, okay."

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"I... actually need to go to class." (She really does; breakfast is only so long. But mostly FLEEEEE.) "I'll see you at lunch?"

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"See you!"

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Vivian hurries off to class. She's not panicking as much as she could be- she didn't say no, she said maybe, she's thinking about it, she likes her hair!- but she's still visibly frazzled when she slips into her seat.

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Alli sits next to Vivian anyway, but she gets a good look and scoots closer. "You okay, Viv? You look like you got gobsmacked by a pixie."

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Vivian stares at her. "I'm fine, and I refuse to believe that is an actual expression," she says.

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"Doesn't matter, totally is, and don't believe you. Spill, Streaky."

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Vivian doesn't bother responding to the nickname, just looks thoughtfully at Alli. Finally she blurts out, "ImaybeaskedKarentotheball."

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"...wha?"

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"I asked Karen to the ball," Vivian hisses again. Their professor looks about ready to start class, and Vivian eyes him nervously.

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"I heard you! Just. Had to process." Alli takes a second to think, then says approvingly. "Go you! Karen's great."

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"She is," Vivian agrees, then sighs. "And now I have to wait till she decides, and-"

The sharp "Attention please, students!" is not directed at them. Not entirely at them. Okay, a lot at them.

She says in a rush, "Don't say anything to her, please?"
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Alli narrows her eyes. "Fine. But story later, Streaky. I didn't even know you liked her!"

"Five points from Slytherin, Miss Kowalski."

Despite the temptation to sabotage Slytherin Alli does shut up, but spends the rest of class nudging Vivian periodically and beaming.
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Vivian ignores her and pays attention to class. And won't let Alli interrogate her between their next classes, either.

When they get to lunch, she reminds Alli, "You promised," before going to grab food.
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Alli is good for her promise. But she does spend a lot of time unnecessarily beaming. She can claim it's about her date if she has to, she can beam if she wants to.

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Karen sits with Vivian. "Uh, hi."

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"Hey." Vivian can be normal. Really. Look at how normal she's being. "How was class?"

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"It was fine, um, got my essay back, did well - uh, so I thought about it and yeah I'll go to the ball with you."

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"Oh. Oh! Awesome!" Vivian can't seem to stop smiling. Is that a problem? It's probably fine. Karen KarenKarenKaren. She should get flowers. Can she get flowers? It's a school for magic, she can find flowers.

"I-" She stops. Colors are supposed to match, right? Or go together at least a little? "I don't remember what color your dress robes are? Sorry."
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"Purple. Mostly. Why?"

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"Checking we don't look strange next to each other. Isn't that a thing? With outfits?" Well, that too. She smiles. "You'll match my hair."

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"I will!"

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Vivian squirms happily in her chair. KarenKarenKaren. "We'll still go with the group and everything, just." She smiles even wider, possibly defying some laws of physics in the process. "I'm excited!"

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"Hmmm?" Jenny perks up, only half listening. "Wait, you weren't going to come with us? Whaaaa?"

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Vivian- looks to Karen for permission. She can make something up if Karen wants to wait to talk about it.

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"We're going with you," Karen assures Jenny. "Just, uh, together."

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"...reeeeeeally?!"

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"Aw."

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"Why would we make that up? Yes really!"

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"I'm just happy! Finally!"

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"What?"
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"You and the little shiny Karen-shaped hearts in your eyes? Ring aaaaaany bells?"

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"I wasn't that bad!"

(Was she?)
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"I didn't know," Emma offers honestly. "But I think it's cute."

She eyes Jenny's slightly manic eye gleam and pities the remaining dateless male students. "...Miranda, we may be the ones without dates." Unspoken is please don't make me be the only one, but Miranda's already been pretty firm about her disinterest in dates, so Emma doesn't feel compelled to say it aloud.
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"We might. I can live with that."

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"We can start a club. Steal cauldron cakes from Vivian's."

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"Hands off my cauldron cakes!"

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"Have fun," Alli says with a smirk, "my club has cute boys in it."

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"Believe us, we know."

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"I hope you and your cute boy have a good time."

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"I hope so, but whatever." Alli shrugs philosophically. "Either it's awesome, and then it's awesome, or he's a git and I ditch him for you guys and it's awesome. So, awesome."

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"Awesome."

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"Exactly!"

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"It must be nice to be so secure."

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"Part of what makes me awesome."

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"And predictable," Vivian laughs. "There's more important things to think about than boys, you know!"

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"For example, in your case, girls?"

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She knows Miranda's joking but she gets a little defensive anyway. "Well, there wasn't anywhere for queer wizards to go! And it's important they have a place for themselves, and know there's someone to talk to, and there's reasons." She manages to cut off before she gets too far down her usual soapbox road, and glances apologetically at Miranda. "Besides, obviously, girls being cute too."

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"...That. Wasn't what I meant."

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"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I hear 'stop mentioning the QSA all the time already' even when it's really, really obvious that's not what's happening." She ducks her head. "You are an awesome ally and I didn't mean to rant."

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Miranda shrugs. "I haven't done any special allying and you don't have to backpedal all the way into praise."

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Well, now Vivian is indignant on Miranda's behalf, but she tries to keep that within reasonable bounds, since Miranda's right. She was backpedaling.

"You, an actual celebrity, came to the first meeting," Vivian reminds her. "Maybe you don't realize how much easier that made everything for me? But. It did. You can do nothing, ever again, and still have done more than most people." She tries to smile. "So I get to praise you. Least I can do."
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"Well, okay, I'm not going to stop you at wandpoint or anything."

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"Good, imagine how awkward that would be."

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"Thank you for that," Vivian laughs. "Your wands are scary wands."

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"One of them is normal! And I'm not a duelist."

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"One of them is less scary?" Vivian bargains, grinning.

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Snort. "I will not hex you."

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"And I appreciate that!"

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The ball arrives, with no one except Vivian and Karen and Alli from their little posse having acquired a date. Alli's boy sticks out like a sore thumb in the gaggle of girls. Everyone looks very fetching in their dress robes.

Karen wants to dance.
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Alli's newly altered robe is retrieved without problems from Jenny, and turns out entirely without its periwinkle stain. Alli is delighted and her date seems to approve, so Jenny proclaims the robe a success. Alli's date is somewhat less on board with being surrounded by quite this many younger girls for the whole evening, however, so he and Alli walk in negotiating if they can spend part of the ball with his friends.

(The answer will be yes; Alli has less than no objection to hanging out with cute Gryffindor Quidditch players. But she also likes hanging out with her friends, so she's going for both.)
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Jenny considers just morphing her face to her intended form, but discards the idea quickly; she doesn't want to have to worry about keeping the morph all evening. So she settles for pink highlights in her hair, which she won't mind if they vanish, and does her makeup the old fashioned way.

And then Emma's makeup. And then her jewelry. And then fusses over her hair, arguing that it's going to fall out if Emma doesn't pin it down with something, no, why would it have to be a pin, of course magic is fine, but it's going to fall down.

By the time they get to the ball room, it's become a running joke. Emma's been dubbed 'Wispyhead' and Jenny has been jokingly banned from touching Emma's head again for at least the next six months.
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Vivian appears to pick up Karen all dressed up. She's not wearing makeup, because she tried to put on eyeliner three different times and finally gave up, but she has her hair streaks and her nice dress and, most importantly, she got an older student to magic her up a small bouquet of flowers. As soon as she spots Karen, she offers the flowers.

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Karen has her hair up in a heap of curls spilling over the back of her head, and she's gone for bold eyeshadow in the same purple as her dress robes. "Aw, thanks!" she says, accepting the flowers. "...I'm not sure where to put them!"

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Vivian looks blankly at the flowers. "I don't know. Steal one for your hair and leave the rest here?" She grins sheepishly. "I didn't think it through, I guess. I just wanted to bring you flowers."

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"They're beautiful," says Karen, and she takes the purplest one and puts it in her hair.

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Vivian beams. "Thank you." She looks around. "Are we waiting for Miranda?"

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"She went on ahead."

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"Okay, let's go meet everyone then!"

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And so they do!

The Hall is beautifully decorated, Miranda has found a place to sit out of the way, and there is plenty of space to dance. Karen wants to dance.
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Vivian has no idea how to dance, but she's perfectly willing to try imitating everyone else. Shall they?

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They shall! It's mostly just sway-y hugging.

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Jenny takes a break from teasing Emma to sigh happily at the sight of Vivian and Karen dancing. "Oh goodness, they're soooooo cute!"

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"They are."

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"I'm glad Vivian finally said something!"

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"I hadn't honestly noticed that she had a crush on Karen."

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"I wasn't sure sure, but. Heart eyes. Soooo many heart eyes."

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"She didn't say anything to me about it," Emma adds, nudging Jenny. "She probably really wasn't sure. Otherwise, uh... She would not have shut up about it."

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"Noooooooo."

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"I know it didn't even occur to Karen."

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"Well, I think she's figured it out."

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"For certain values of figuring."

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"I would worry about her Ravenclaw Intelligence if Vivian had asked her to the ball and she'd still not known..."

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"Could've been a platonic date."

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"Pffft, we're all already here together."

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"Yeah, yeah."

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Meanwhile, Vivian is enjoying dancing quite a lot, even if she still has no idea what she's doing. She can't stop smiling; she suspects that' more her partner than the dancing, but it's probably a little of both. "This is fun! Even if I've never danced before and have no idea what I'm doing."

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"You're doing okay. You aren't stepping on my feet."

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"I'm mostly just stepping back and forth in place! It is thankfully very hard for me to mess that up."

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"I know a couple actual dances if you want to learn sometime."

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"Sure! That sounds like fun."

More for Karen's presence than the actual dancing, but this gets her both of those things.