Chapter 82: 5-1

The day of the inescapable Yule Ball had arrived. Sirius had sent me a barrage of letters resembling a Howler, roaring, “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t have a dress! Let’s go buy one right now!” Ron and Hermione were bickering as usual, Dobby nearly gave me a heart attack with a surprise wake-up call, and the girls in my dormitory had been in a frantic state of preparation since last night. It was a completely chaotic Christmas morning.

Swept up in the surrounding commotion, time flew by like an arrow, bringing us to the present. I had been dragged into the girls’ dormitory by Hermione. What on earth required three hours of preparation? Girls’ grooming rituals were a profound mystery.

"Stand up straight. Yes, you look beautiful. —Truly beautiful. Green suits you so well."

Hermione, wanting to finish dressing me before starting on her own preparations, held that particular dress up to me in front of the mirror and sighed in admiration.

"Just what I'd expect from Malfoy. Since your hair and eyes are so bright, I always had a strong impression you suited warm colors—but green looks incredible on you."

Since Hermione was praising me so sincerely, I simply nodded. The green eyes I inherited from my mother were a symbol of me and my pride. And now—they were the eyes of my precious little brother.

"…Hmm? Did I ever mention I got this from Draco?"

"I’ve been dragged into your messes enough to know without being told."

Hermione tilted her chin up haughtily. Her eyes held a knowing smirk. …Please don't tease me, especially at a time like this.

"Now, the earrings—and what truly gorgeous earrings they are! What a waste to keep them locked away all this time!—I suppose I'll leave the necklace to Malfoy. The hair, too."

After tickling my face with a makeup brush and drawing something on my eyelids, Hermione patted my shoulder. Taking that as the cue she was finished, I stood up from the vanity, the luxurious drapes of the dress swaying and flowing around me. She guided me to stand in front of the full-length mirror.

"—Beautiful."

"Truly."

Just a touch of makeup and scattered accents of green. My mother, modestly yet fully dressed up, smiled back at me from the mirror. In my eyes, there was my father.

"—You know,"

Hermione stepped up beside me in the mirror. I was taken aback. Had she always looked this grown-up?

"I'm going with Krum. Knowing you, Maria, you probably already knew."

"…Yeah. I knew."

I met Hermione's eyes in the mirror. Both the boys and the girls had, before I even realized it, started making expressions like adults.

"…You're not going to say anything?"

"Do you want me to?"

Hermione gently shook her head.

"I understand. …Saying nothing is your way of being kind."

She hugged me softly from behind. Her warmth was incredibly gentle. Now go on, let Malfoy make you look even prettier. With a face that closely resembled my Hermione, she sent me off with an affectionate gaze, just like an older sister. It made my heart feel a bit ticklish.

Ginny was already waiting in the Common Room. She wore a pale blue dress that complemented her orange-tinged red hair. The silhouette, puffed out gently with a pannier, looked so beautifully girlish that she resembled a fairy.

"Ah! Ginny, you look absolutely adorable."

Forgetting that I was also in a dress, I ran up to her, caught her in my momentum, and lifted her up to spin her around. A so-called lift. It was a move only possible because this Ginny was so light and petite. The bigger Ginny… well, I'd better leave it at that.

"Maria! You are the one who looks... stunning. You're sparkling."

Ginny, who had fluttered about with such loveliness that I half-expected to see Cupid's wings sprouting from her back, gave a bright smile. Goodness me. Her cuteness knew no bounds.

"You win, Ginny. You're the absolute cutest girl here tonight. No question about it."

"…Really? Do I look pretty? Truly?"

Ginny twirled a lock of hair around her finger and fidgeted nervously with her dress.

"Of course! Why do you ask?"

"Do… do you think Harry… will think so too? …Oh, it's no use. I'm so nervous I feel like I'm losing my mind. I mean, I'm dancing with Harry! The Harry! What if I'm actually hideously ugly? Like, surprisingly so up close? If that's true—oh, what should I do?"

"Not a chance!"

I cut off Ginny's insecurities with a loud exclamation and hugged her tightly.

"Harry will absolutely love it. Because even I'm completely captivated by you!"

Because I love you... so much.

"I'm Harry's older sister, remember? I know everything there is to know about him. …Harry is going to be stunned by how pretty you are."

When I added that jokingly, the tension finally seemed to leave Ginny's shoulders.

"You're right, I am pretty. And so are you, Maria, and Hermione—all the girls! Girls in dresses are the prettiest in the world."

"Exactly. That's the spirit."

We exchanged a crisp high-five. Regaining her confidence, Ginny puffed out her chest with a beaming smile.

"I'm going to wait for Harry here. I want to surprise him! Are you meeting up with your Slytherin boy, Maria?"

"Er… yeah, well, something like that."

No matter who I ran into—the girls in my dorm being the worst culprits—my friends all assumed I was going to the Yule Ball with Draco. I gave a bitter smile at the thought. I just hoped the rumors hadn't reached Astoria's ears.

When I descended from Gryffindor Tower, the highly anticipated boy was waiting in his formal wear. Accurately incorporating the trends of this era, Draco was dressed in gray and black. As frustrating as it was to admit, his fashion sense was impeccable. Since I had also spent plenty of time agonizing over clothes as a man, I could tell at a glance that he was dressed flawlessly. It was much easier for me to appreciate than evaluating women's dresses.

When Draco spotted me, his cool eyes widened to their absolute limits.

"—You look beautiful, Maria."

"I know. I've got my mother's face, after all."

Feeling embarrassed, I replied with forced nonchalance.

"Let's get moving. I don't want to be a sideshow attraction just yet."

"Right. I'd like to keep you all to myself for at least a little while, too."

He held out his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and I accepted his escort. Thanks to those hellish dance lessons, I felt a slight sense of disappointment at how completely accustomed I had become to taking the follower's role.

"Thoughts on your first time wearing a skirt?"

"What exactly is this flimsy thing supposed to protect?"

"Well, that's blunt."

Draco laughed cynically and opened the door to an empty classroom. Inside, there was a simple desk, a chair, and a mirror.

"Hogwarts has so many random rooms. Most of them with no obvious purpose."

"Because it's Hogwarts."

"Like Astoria's salon. I had no idea a place like that existed back in Harry's time."

"That's… a Slytherin thing. She was probably shown it by older Slytherin students. Passing down your favored hidden room to a junior you like—it's a bit of a tradition."

"Ugh… Sounds perfectly aristocratic."

Listening to him explain that Slytherins had their own Slytherin secrets, I handed Draco the hair ornament, necklace, and earrings, leaving myself in his hands. With magical dexterity, my hair was swiftly pinned up.

"What did you do about your scars?"

"Madam Pomfrey looked out for me. She gave me stockings that make scars less noticeable. As for my back and arms, just a quick flick of magic. I don't really mind them, though."

"Harry would mind."

"Exactly."

The braided updo, which took advantage of my naturally wavy hair, looked more intricate than any style I'd worn before. A smooth satin ribbon ornament was placed at the crown. My shoulders trembled; the touch on my ear as he fastened the earrings tickled. Finally, he clasped the faintly warm necklace around my throat—creating a flawless lady by anyone's standards.

"You are beautiful, Maria."

"I know. And you… well, I suppose you're not awful to look at. ……Yeah, you look quite handsome."

We stared at each other like idiots until both of us burst out laughing. This was just like some cheesy teenage romance, wasn't it?

"Green suits you. I considered matching your eye color, Maria—but still, to me, 'you' are jade."

Touching the emerald hair ornament, Draco narrowed his eyes as if looking at something dazzling.

"…Thank you."

For not forgetting the color of my—Harry's—eyes. —Only you know the green that belongs to 'me.'

Escorted by Draco once again, I stood up. The corridors were already overflowing with glittering dresses and dress robes. We parted ways in front of the Great Hall, and I began searching for Anthony.

"Maria! Over here."

"Anthony!"

I found him surprisingly quickly. His dress robes, featuring a blue pattern befitting a Ravenclaw, were striking.

"Wow… you look beautiful, Maria. Shouldn't you dress up like this more often?"

"Do you really think I would do that?"

"That's a completely unfair response. You've left me with no option but 'no'."

We chuckled together at the lighthearted banter. Taking Anthony's offered arm, I noticed his gaze was fixed on my hair clip.

"Matching with your brother Potter's eyes?"

"Something like that."

I felt a sense of pride in the green that asserted its presence without being buried in my red hair. It irked me a little that my entire look, from head to toe, was entirely Draco's calculated design, but I had to admit he did a good job with the ribbon.

For tonight only, we took our seats without regard for Houses or schools, waiting for the Champions to enter. First was Fleur's pair, then Krum and Hermione, Cedric and Cho, and finally, Harry and Ginny, making their way down the line looking shy.

Ginny, the youngest, practically glowed like a fairy. Warm gazes were poured upon Harry and Ginny as people admired what an adorable pair they made. …And to think it wasn't so long ago that these same people were jeering at Harry, calling him a cheat. How fickle.

The feast began, and once everyone had indulged just enough so as not to make their dresses uncomfortably tight, a single wave of Dumbledore's wand made the tables and chairs vanish, transforming the space into a dance floor. The Champions began to dance to the music of The Weird Sisters. My eyes were entirely stolen by Harry and Ginny, and my heart was full watching the two of them looking awkward yet completely happy.

"Maria."

An open palm offered right in front of me pulled my consciousness back to the present. Before I knew it, our surroundings were filled with an array of colorful, spinning dresses.

"May I have your hand, Princess of Gryffindor? …You will forgive me if I step on your toes, won't you?"

Offering a formal, playful bow and a cheeky wink, Anthony extended the invitation. Smiling, I took a large step forward.