Almost

Chapter 18: Pushing

For the next forty-five minutes, dresses flew on and off of the dress form to let Katherine see them. Some were too puffy, some were too tight, some had too much glitter. She ruled out anything with feathers very quickly—they left too much room for "bird brain" jokes from Crawley and Picquery.

Finally, though, Madam Malkin directed a final dress to the mannequin. She waived her wand and the seams let out, adjusting perfectly to her size.

The dress was simple, with an ivory silk skirt that flowed gently away from the waist, but not so much that she thought she'd trip over it. It had a scooped neckline that seemed to fall just beneath where her collar bones would be, held up by thick halter straps. What Katherine loved most were the tiny buttons that crawled up the back.

"Now," Madam Malkin said, "if you like this shape, I have some ideas for sleeves. I don't see you with these straps, but I just might have the perfect fabric."

With a flourish of her wand, a champagne-colored bolt came off the wall and into the dressmaker's hands, and she carried it over to Katherine.

"It's organza, which is a lovely fabric for summer. You'll still get the look of a sleeve, but not the heat. And I think you'll like the embroidery"

She was right—Katherine loved it. The fabric was covered in delicate, winding vines that you wouldn't even be able to make out if you weren't up close to it. She could tell it wasn't a muggle design—the small leaves ruffled slightly as if a gentle wind blew through them. There was something shimmery in the thread, giving it a beautiful twinkling effect in the movement.

Madam Malkin began pinning the dress and ridding it of the straps. With a flick of her wrist, the organza came out of Katherine's hands and began fashioning itself around the other fabric, resting just over the top of the existing neckline. It then started winding around in sleeves that began off the dress form's pseudo-shoulders. Soon, the bolt was empty and the dress stood staring them down.

"Darling, it's perfect," Molly said, her cheeks red and full with her smile.

Katherine had to agree. It was simple, but the small touches felt personal.

"You'll have to try it on," Madam Malkin said, pointing her wand up to the ceiling and beginning to change the color of the light bulbs. "Is this close to the light you were describing?"

"I'd say so," Katherine responded, watching the fabric take on a golden hue. "Can I try it on like this?"

"Absolutely. I'll pop back in a moment to help you."

It took a few tries to get situated in the dress, but Madam Malkin was very patient with Katherine's overly cautious movements. She expertly fastened all of the buttons and shortened the dress so the girl wouldn't trip. Before they went back out, she pulled Katherine's hair in front of her shoulders and fluffed out the waves to frame her face.

Katherine held her breath, hoping she could do the dress justice. But she walked carefully out from the dressing room and toward her grandmother.

"Oh, darling," Molly said, her voice faint and cracking.

"Do you like it?" Katherine asked, looking down. "You think it looks okay? Not too much?"

Madam Malkin gave her a gentle push towards the platform next to the dress form, where a floor length mirror stood. "Go see if you like it."

Katherine tried to stare at her feet, not wanting to catch a glimpse until she could really see it like she had with Hogwarts. Once she was safely up the step, she picked her head up and opened her eyes slowly.