MAGIANIMA // Hermione Granger

Kiss And (Please) Wake Up

The Yule Ball was upon Hogwarts and its occupants made sure the entire residency of Hogsmeade knew. Premature fireworks were shooting into the sky, raucous music echoing through the halls while sixth and seventh years got their pregame on out in the courtyard. Atlas was adjusting the last few chains she had on her dress robes, gazing out of Ginny's window as she fiddled idly with a golden string of metal connecting her belt to her pocket. Ginny was putting the dress Zasha had gotten her on in her bathroom, leaving the champion to her wandering and brooding thoughts.

Light snow had begun falling again, coating the packed snow in a sheet of thin powder-like frosted crystals. Atlas pushed away from the window sill and moved over to a lengthy mirror Ginny's absent roommate had sat in the corner of the room, she sighed running a hand through her hair and taking the clip her dad had given her from her wrist, bunching up the top layer of her hair to tie it up.

A click came from behind her and she turned to see Ginny tentatively exiting her bathroom, her hands self-consciously coming up to brush herself down as her skirt fluttered at her ankles. It was a rich purple, deep in colour and made of satin, falling just off of Ginny's shoulders and bowing into a v-neck. It was simple but gorgeous and Atlas found herself grinning, her hands tucked into her dark trouser pockets. The heels at the Weasley's feet made her just that bit taller but not nearly as tall as Atlas.

The girl looked up, hoping to see a pleasant reaction from the star-chaser but as soon as she did, that anxiety she wore vanished from her features, shock and pride flooding her face as her eyes landed on the girl across from her. Ginny wasn't the only one dressed to the nines that night as Atlas hadn't cleaned up so bad herself. The redhead grinned, walking over and making a show out of judging the girl's appearance, flicking her robes at certain instances, tugging them high to see the underside and then finally backing away with a dramatic nod.

"You look hot."

"Not so bad yourself, Ginny," Atlas smiled and then glanced to herself in the mirror. Zasha had really come through.

Dress robes and presentation are two of the most vital things to a good performance and really, Atlas knew she had those boxes ticked. Her lengthy overcoat was black stooping to her calves with gold, lining the hems of each edge while the underside continued to mirrored its golden theme; her tie was of the same colour cloth and her buttons shone, polished, just the same. Her waistcoat was red, the type of red found in Gryffindor Commons, as was her formal shirt beneath, though just a shade lighter to discern between the clothing. She'd opted to not wear the jacket, knowing she was going to be shedding some layers tonight anyway. The dancing was bound to be tiring.

"Should we go then?" Ginny asked and Atlas nodded, opening the door and holding it for the lady before her. She bowed comically and Ginny exited in kind, head held high and hands propped in front of her like royalty, Atlas chuckled at the sight and followed her out. The glance she sent to the door of her own dorm was purely subconscious but she found her gaze lingering just a second too long before Ginny pulled her along with a small smile. "You should ask her to dance tonight."

"Yeah, right," Atlas huffed, smiling feebly and descending the stairs with her eyes downcast. When she looked up, she was met with the strangest of sights. 

The common room looked odd, full of people wearing different colours instead of the usual mass of black, it was jarring, to say the least, and she found her feet moving over to where she had spotted Harry and Ron, talking to a pretty looking Parvati Patil. Ginny followed, nodding and muttering 'thank you' ' s to compliments while Atlas simply ignored hers, mind too preoccupied to accept them so Ginny did so for her.

"Atlas!" Harry beamed and Atlas smiled as he looked her over. "You look..."

"Stunning!" Parvati shrieked, running a hand down the golden broaches lining her lapel. "I didn't know you had such a fashion sense! Lavender is going to gush all about it later!"