THIRTEEN | SPIN ME LIKE YOUR RECORDS

THERE WAS NO TIME TO RELISH IN THE CHRISTMAS DAY FESTIVITIES FOR LONG, THERE WAS A DANCE TO PREPARE FOR. Seline could not afford to spend the day stuffing her face and losing her waistline amongst the Christmas feast. She couldn't so much as look at the sugar-filled Christmas Cake without the fear of her skin suddenly breaking out. The brunette scrubbed her teeth at least four times after breakfast, not letting any evidence she had ever eaten remain on her smile. She needed to look positively pristine.

The dorm room was even more of a mess by the time the ball rolled around. Stray wrapping paper had since been buried by the various necessities to get ready. Numerous articles of clothing were strewn across the furniture, abandoned in the wake of a better option. Makeup wipes, hair pins, perfume bottles, fake tanning mitts—you name it—were dumped at the foot of the mirror that all the girls had been fighting for space in front of. They were the picture of stereotypical teenage girls and Seline relished in the warm feeling it produced inside her chest—the normalcy she'd finally been gifted. Using her new disposable camera, the transformation was documented. Pansy, with her rollers still in her hair, insisted on posing for numerous photos until she deemed the angle perfect.

"Why can't you see the photos now?" Millicent had asked, inspecting the small yellow box. It looked tiny in her large hands as she kept looking through the lens, confused.

Seline grabbed it from her before she broke it. "You have to get the film developed at a special store," she explained, trying to count how many photos were left on it.

Getting her hair right was what took Seline the longest, no amount of rollers and hair spray ever made her hair yield into the place she wanted. It wasn't until Pansy insisted—after thirty minutes of watching the girl struggle—on putting a hair spell on her to hold her artificial curls in place. Her dark locks were pulled into a meticulously sculpted 'messy' bun. The height of it alone made her appear a few inches taller. Strands of hair were weaved in and out to form the most beautiful knot she'd ever worn while tight curls fell around the sides and front of her head to frame her round face. Each strand was put in place with a purpose. There was about fifty bobby pins stuck in her head that she was not excited to fish out later.

Beating her face with makeup was the easy part. She could do her makeup in her sleep, she's convinced—thanks to half-asleep early mornings. She may have gone a little hard on the full coverage foundation, she pondered, staring at her reflection. Not a blemish could be seen on her dewy looking skin; she liked to think she resembled one of her grandmothers porcelain dolls. Luckily she wasn't as fragile as glass, she'd been metaphorically dropped enough times to know that for sure.

Her eyes wondered to where Nicolette and Astoria huddled in the corner, quietly helping each other get ready. They both wore dresses of similar cuts: champagne and silver respectively. If they weren't traitorous bitches she might just pay them a compliment. Now, that would be a Christmas Miracle.

Her own dress was a deep indigo hue that complimented her fair skin immensely (and no, she didn't bother fake tanning like Daphne suggested—not everyone wanted to look like an oompa loompa). The dress-shape itself was fairly simple, resembling that of the regency era. The bodice and under layer were crafted from the smoothest silk she had ever encountered. It was tight fitting around her chest, allowing for her minimal cleavage to be elevated (her mother would be fuming) while the bottom half of the dress hung loosely around her figure, leaving the rest up to her boyfriends imagination. There was a slit up the front of the dress crafted with tule that resembled an ajar curtain. She'd run her hands through the rough material at least a hundred times since she'd bought the material, taking comfort in how satisfying it felt against her skin. The added layer gave the illusion of an hour glass figure without being overly dramatised. Additionally, all the edges of the fabric were adorned with sparkly embroidered flowers that caught the light in just the right ways. As cliche as it sounds, Seline truly did feel like a princess all done up.

She observed herself one last time before slipping her wedged heels on. School dances were a thing of movies and tv shows, she was so excited to be experiencing a real one. "I think I'm ready," Seline gushed, looking to her friends who were doing their finishing touches. She absently played with the necklace she'd gotten as a present, deciding they went with her outfit perfectly—as did the pearls her grandmother got her.

"Me too," Pansy exclaimed, hinging her arm with Selines. A small wash of relief washed through Seline, the cold distance the girl had put between them had finally melted.

Daphne looked the brunette up and down, her sharp features not displaying utter disdain for once. "I actually like that dress, Seline," she said smoothly before turning to grab her sparkly clutch off her bed.

"Y—you too," Seline beamed at her, flashing her white teeth at the pureblood witch. Daphne did not smile back but progress was progress in Seline's book. In the corner, Astoria made a gagging noise behind her sisters back and the corners of Seline's mouth almost turned up but she refused to give in.

"Oh, merlin," Millicent chortled, glancing up at the clock, "the boys must be wondering where we are!" That's right, folks: Millicent Bullstrode had a date to the Yule Ball. It'd been quite sweet when Crabbe asked her, a bouquet of wildflowers he'd picked by the great lake in hand. Well, Seline had thought it was sweet except Millicent hadn't shut up about it for the last two weeks. Now all Seline cared about was how troll-like their future babies would turn out.

Daphne made Pansy spray her one last time with perfume before they filed out of thr dorm, leaving behind a huge mess and the echoes of giggles. If this were a movie they'd all line up on the stairs with their dates while the parents took hundreds of photos but this was Hogwarts. They'd be lucky if a representative from The Daily Prophet was there to take some establishing shots to accompany whatever slanderous article they were gonna publish about the Tournament come Monday morning. No matter as long as it's Potters name they're dragging through the mud (the articles alluding to him and Granger were good fun to do a dramatic read of in the common room).

Seline held the hem of her dress up, worrying she'd trip over it in her sparkly heels. She'd worn heels before but not ones this height. As she descended the stairs, she saw the boys all waiting down the bottom looking put together for once. Wayne's pupils dilated when his gaze landed on her, rapidly looking her up and down. She'd made a point of not letting him see her dress no matter how many times he'd asked for a peak. I just need to know what colour corsage to buy, he'd said to her but she'd insisted she'd accept any colour except red. Seline looked down at his hands and sure enough, a pale white rose corsage was waiting for her. She tried not to be annoyed at how much white washed her out (he should know that!) and focus on the fact that he'd bought her one at all. Beside him was Theo, who'd asked Daphne and on the other side was Crabbe. Draco sat lazily on the armchair behind them, seeming bored already. He looked up long enough to meet Seline's eyes before glaring down at the corsage in his lap.

"Seline. . ." Wayne started, gripping her hand and helping her down the last step. She beamed at his starstruck expression. "You look beautiful," he muttered, looking her up and down once again.

She giggled. "Is that for me?" She pointed to the corsage and he immediately sprung into action. She cringed as he messily tore the box open, his hands shaking as he tied it around her wrist. Seline lifted it to her nose, not letting go of his hand and took in the beautiful smell of roses.

"Seline, did you bring your camera?" asked Daphne, looking over her shoulder at the couple. "Doug said he'll take our photo," she added, pointing to a scrawny first year who eagerly stood in front of Daphne.

The brunette produced the item from her purse as everyone got into formation; the girls at the front and boys in the back. Everyone plastered on their fakest smiles as the click of the camera went off, forever immortalising this night. Seline couldn't wait to get them developed for her scrapbook.

"Who's ready to par-tay," Blaise, who's decided to go stag, cheered as he materialised from the boys dorm. Seline's eyes widened as he produced a flask from his dress robes, offering it around the group. As quickly as possible, everyone took swigs of what tasted like fire whiskey (not that Selines ever participated in underage drinking, she swears). "Stole it from me mums study, it's enchanted to never be empty," he boasted, tightening the cap.

The walk up to the entrance hall was filled with giggles and stolen sips of Blaise's flask. Pansy and Draco had lead the pack, with the former clinging onto his arm for dear life. Seline stared at the back of Draco's head, frowning at his meticulously combed over and gelled blonde hair. He wore black velvet robes that seemed to be tailored precisely to his measurements—none of the other boys seemed to have put as much care into their robes as he did. Seline would like to say that she doesn't think Pansy's dress particularly suited him and they looked a bit mismatched standing together (though she'd never say that aloud, she valued her front teeth remaining in her mouth too much).

It has taken double what it usually would for them to reach the entrance hall as they'd had to stop for Blaise to quickly run to the bathroom and throw up. By the time they reached the crowd, Seline felt a bit lightheaded. "Oh, my god. . ." she cackled, pointing to Ron Weasley who looked as though he'd crafted his robes with her Nans curtains.

Pansy, also feeling lightheaded, clamped a hand over her mouth while she used her other hand to grab onto Seline to stable her balance. The sudden movement made Selines balance falter and she reached out for the nearest person. Draco groaned indignantly as she bumped into him, clamping her hands around his shoulder. "Do you mind? I don't want my robes creased before we're even in there," he huffed, grabbing her hand off him and stabilising her. Seline looked down at his hand which was holding onto his and then back up at his face. "Are you going to fall if I let go?" He asked.

Seline shook her head and he let go. "That might be enough for you for now," Wayne muttered, appearing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

As they waited for the doors to open, the group continued to mock and make jokes about Weasleys tragic attire. Seline was shocked that someone could go out in public like that. "It'll probably give him fleas, it's that old," Daphne commented, scratching her neck at the thought.

Still in Wayne's grasp, she scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Somehow, as tragic as they looked, Weasley and Potter had managed to get dates with two actually pretty girls; Parvati and Padma Patil. She pitied Padma, who looked as though she wanted to die being seen next to the ginger freak and Seline could hardly blame her. Lavender Brown (god, her dress was unflattering) had gone with Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom had take Ginny Weasley (she couldn't think of a worse combination). Amongst the group stood Dean Thomas with Denika, of all people, on his arm. She had not mentioned she'd be going to this when that'd spoke that morning. Her dress was simple and girlish; floor length silver with black trim. Seline wondered if they should've gotten a photo together for their parents but then decided it'd be too embarrassing to walk over and ask.

As she'd been lost in thought, the doors to the great hall flew open and Selines jaw dropped. Gone we're the manky house banners and long tables. The hall now was reminiscent of a winter wonderland. The tall Christmas trees at either end were now covered in the fake snow that fell in the air (though, miraculously didn't cause any sort of mess on the floor). The ceiling itself looked like a perfect night sky, bright stars illuminating the hall. Sparkling drapes hung from the roof and on the walls, completely changing the atmosphere that the great hall usually gave off. Silver grazing tables were scattered throughout—Selines group stood around one close to the stage that had been set up in the back corner. The head table remained, though now it was silver to match the rest of the theme.

The chatter that had filled the air died down as grand music began playing and the doors to the hall opened once again. Professor McGonagall, looking ridiculous in her red robes and excessively decorated hat, lead the Triwizard Champions and their dates down the aisle. Fleur Delacour, wearing a sparkly blue dress, followed closely behind with her partner, Roger Davis. Seline hadn't really spoken to him before but she knew him to be the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. As Seline got a better look at him when they passed, she could understand why Fleur had gone for him—he was a very fit lad. After them was Potter and Parvati, who'd beamed and waved so much at the crowd you'd think she was the celebrity. Then was Cedric Diggory, wearing Cho Chang on his arm. Seline couldn't help but sigh at the sight of Cedric, why couldn't he not be her boyfriend instead. As soon as she thought it, guilt immediately erupted inside her and she looked to Wayne who was frowning at something.

Seline almost choked on her own tongue when she looked back to see Hermione fucking Granger walking down the aisle, arm and arm with Viktor bloody Krum. What sick and twisted parallel universe had they entered? Granger looked completely different to how she normally did. For starters, her smile was lacking the usual rabbit teeth she'd become synonymous with—Seline wanted the name of her miracle working dentist immediately. Her hair was another thing. Seline had talked a lot of shit about Hermione's ratty hair and finally, her prayers had been answered. Rather then the usual bush that grew out of her head, tonight she had silky smooth locks flowing down her back. Seline almost wanted to get her camera out, this was a sight she was never to see again.

"No way that's Granger," Pansy whispered, her jaw equally as dropped as Seline's.

Daphne scoffed. "I don't like her dress." And neither did Seline, even if it did flatter her figure. It was too similar a colour to Selines own dress and there could only be one person who pulled off blue and it was Seline.

"How's she pulled Viktor Krum?" Asked one of the boys, sounding as though she'd murdered their owl. With the way these boys had excitedly talked about Krum when he'd shown up at the school, Seline thought they'd be less upset if Granger did murder their owls.

Theo asked, "do we think she's capable of brewing Amortentia?"

"Wouldn't put it past her," Blaise grumbled, taking another swig from his flask. Draco snatched it off him and had a sip of his own before passing it to Goyle.

Seline felt out of the loop but she was too tipsy to feel dumb for asking, "what's Amortentia. . . ?"

Wayne have her a strange look before answering. "It's a love potion." 

SELINE COULDN'T REMEMBER THE MEAL, THOUGH, SHE'S SURE IT HAD BEEN GOOD. She'd managed to convince Blaise that she was alright to have more fire whiskey when Wayne had conveniently gone to the bathroom. Pansy cheered giddily as she downed what would've most likely been an entire glass full. It burned her throat but she held back the gag, focusing instead of the warmth that exploded inside her stomach. She couldn't help but giggle at the feeling which made all the girls giggle. Seline felt light enough to jump from the clouds in the night sky that was projected on the roof.

Soon enough, they'd all found themselves on the dance floor as the Weird Sisters sang about love and loss behind them. At some point, she'd even participated in helping Fred and George Weasley crowd surf (if she'd been in a clear state of mind, she'd have never put a hand on them). With the music pulsating through her, Seline felt positively free as she threw her limbs about; the dance lessons flying out the window.

Draco Malfoy had been watching her a lot that night, which was really weird if you ask Seline. Every time she'd looked his way, he'd already been looking at her. Even during the slow song, they'd looked over their respective partners shoulders at each other. It made Selines stomach feel funky (though, that could've also been the fire whiskey). Luckily, both Wayne and Pansy had both been too far gone to notice the excessive eye contact.

If this were a film, this would be the dramatic part where they'd leave their partners for each other and confess their undying love. Except, no. This was Draco Malfoy, that was a ridiculous thought to even have. While they weren't mortal enemies anymore, they were hardly friends. They consisted of awkward and hard to interpret interactions that always left Seline feeling annoyed. Love wasn't like that. And while yes, she thought he was by far one of the fittest lads in her entire year, it didn't mean anything. She thought Theo was quite attractive, too but she'd rather gauge her eyeballs out then date him. It's definitely the alcohol, her father always said ridiculous things when he was drunk and she was his daughter after all. Draco was drunk, too. That's why he was staring. They were in an altered state of mind and that was all to it.

The slow song finally came to an end and Draco finally looked down at Pansy, who was saying something that he actually smiled at. Seline could probably count on one hand the amount of genuine smiles he'd given Pansy. She quickly looked away.

"How you feeling?" Wayne asked, shouting over the music as he pulled back enough to look down at her. His face had gotten redder as the night had gone on either from dancing or from drinking (or a mix of both).

That's right, Wayne was her boyfriend. He was a good boyfriend, too. Her first real boyfriend, how crazy was that? He wasn't as fit or as rich as Draco but he still fell under both categories. What more could she want in a boyfriend, really?

Seline looked up at him, her eyes not able to properly focus on his face. "Brilliant," she replied, grinning at him in a way she'd never done.

Another fast song started and their group bunched together to create a circle of loud, stumbling teenagers. Daphne had somehow ended up in the centre of them, throwing her hands up and cheering as she sang the lyrics as loud as she possibly could. As the flask got passed around again, the order of their circle got jumbled up due to every pouncing for it. When the cap had finally been put back on, Seline found herself between Crabbe and Draco. She felt a hand rest on the small of her back as they danced wildly but she didn't bother to remove it. She couldn't even see Wayne as Daphne was in the way.

She cheered as Daphne pulled Pansy into the middle as well and they danced quite provocatively at each other. Theo whispered something to Draco as his eyes stayed focused on Daphne (Seline didn't want to know why Daphne hadn't turned into the dorm room until three in the morning).

Draco didn't seem to be paying much attention to Pansy, not that the drunk girl seemed to care. "Come get some air with me?" He looked down at Seline, eyes wide and innocent. With a face like that she couldn't say no.

His timing was perfect (or not perfect, in hindsight) as a bunch of people who'd been seated poured into the dancefloor—apparently the Weird Sisters biggest hit had just started. No one noticed as Draco grabbed ahold of her hand and pulled them through the crowd. He didn't let go as he lead them out a side door and into the garden, which had been decorated with fairy lights. There were about half a dozen couples spread across the lawn.

They stood in silence for a few moments, staring at the fairy lights and the clear sky. They could still hear the music but it was more of a distant hum then the deafening vibrations it was before. Seline was so enthralled by the view she didn't realise their hands were still interlocked until she felt him pull away.

"I like your dress," he said quietly, dusting some of the fake snow off his sleeves.

It was the last thing she'd expected to break the silence. "Thanks," she replied, turning her full body to face him. They stood once again in silence, just looking at each other before Seline asked, "why didn't you bring Pansy out here?"

Draco sighed and looked down at his leather shoes. "I probably should've, hey."

"Well, she is your date. . ." Seline mumbled, leaning against the brick wall beside him. Their shoulders were touching, though the fabric of their fancy dress acted like a protective shield.

Draco looked at her once again, this time with an intensity that sobered her up a little. "How come you came with me?"

"I'm not sure." Which was true. She's not really thought much at all when he'd asked her to accompany him.

Their eyes remained locked in a heavy silence. She can't say she's ever examined someone's eyes as closely as she had his tonight. "Seline?" She didn't move as he leant down to match her height.

"Yes?" Her voice was barely even a whisper.

"You look really beautiful tonight." She didn't flinch as he tucked some of her dark locks behind her ear, his fingers lingering on the diamond necklace she wore alongside her pearls. His hot breath warmed her face, which had been starting to go numb from the wind. Not that she'd noticed.

She inhaled deeply. "I know. . ." Draco smiled at her self assurance. "Though, I'm not sure you you should be saying those kind of things to me."

Draco leant in more so that their faces were less then an inch apart. If anyone they knew were to walk out— "What if I said I've really wanted to kiss you all night?"

Her eyes went wide and she blurted out her response with not a single second thought. "You have? What about Pansy?"

Draco pulled away, going back to leaning against the wall lazily. "What about her? She's not my girlfriend."

Seline wrung her hands out in front of her, feeling the effects of the cold once again. "I know."

"Your boyfriend's probably wondering where you've gone off to, better run along back to him." Draco didn't look at her as he spoke.

Seline nodded slowly. "I suppose, I should."

"Goodnight, Seline."

Seline turned to go back in, expecting him to be following. She looked back at him, confused. "You're not coming back in?"

Draco shrugged, still not looking at her. "This is the second last song, I'm going to beat the crowds."

"I see."

🌸 KARLA RAMBLES 🌸

i didn't mean for this to take an entire month to write but i got distracted publishing all my drafts (shameless plug). i'm determined to finish goblet of fire by the end of the month so i'm going to try to crank out as many updates as possible (key word: try). all my harry potter fics are stuck in goblet of fire and i'm sick of it lol.

a big big thanks to pauldanoIvr for writing the most hilarious & brilliant one shot about draco & seline hunting ghosts. definitely motivated me to get this chapter out. && a big thanks to superpink24 for nagging me for updates (jk i love & appreciate you).

this chapter was on its way to be double the length it is but i decided to cut a lot of unnecessary stuff out. how're we feeling after that last scene?? the descriptions intentionally got less detailed as the chapter went on because girly was not aware enough of the world to be having deep thoughts.

anyways, unedited so go easy on me. as soon as i publish this i know i'm gonna want to go back in & rewrite it but i must resist.

lmk what u thought <33

@QUICKSILVRS | 2024