Cast yourself (you are the spell)

Chapter 52

Here she is now:

In the perfect dress, wearing the perfect make-up to match, with the wrong escort waiting for her downstairs. Hope sighs and wonders how she's ever going to get through the evening.

The pureblood looks in her bathroom mirror one last time before hiding her wand in the slit of her dress and leaving her room. The ball started half an hour ago, and she needs to get a move on. Her friends all already left to go find their own dates, leaving Hope alone.

She knows that Landon is waiting for her outside. When she finally leaves the common room, she finds him a few feet away from the door, where they had agreed to meet up. His dress robes are clean and simple, and for once, Hope can't see any stains or wrinkles on them.

"You look beautiful," Landon tells her, when the two of them are close enough to hear each other.

And Hope does.

Her hair is up in an elaborate bun, a few strands falling in front of her face to frame her cheekbones. Her dress is the same color as Landon's tie, a dark-maroon red that matches her lipstick. It's tight around her waist and flows out from her thighs, all the way down to her feet.

"Thanks," Hope says, taking the time to check him out. "You're...okay."

She tries to smile at the boy, but the smile falls within seconds. She can't help but imagine Josie telling her that she looks beautiful instead of him, but she hates herself for thinking it. Josie isn't her date. She could have been, of course, but Hope fucked up any chance of that happening. If anything, she personally made sure of it that she would have a miserable night alone by herself.

The pureblood looks away from Landon and swallows hard. Regret makes her stomach clench.

"Ready?" she asks.

Landon nods and holds out his arm, but Hope doesn't take it. No one will see them until they get to the great hall, where the ball is taking place, so they don't need to put on a show until then.

"Listen, Landon," she speaks up, a few minutes into their walk. She instantly curses herself in her head for calling him by his first name. Whatever. It just slipped out. "When you meet my family, there are some things you should know."

"Yeah?"

"After I introduce you to them," she says, "do not speak unless spoken to, especially to my father, unless there is no other choice and it makes sense. He will think that you're challenging him. Do you understand?"

Landon freezes up a little, but he doesn't stop walking. He rolls his shoulders back and glances around the corridor nervously. "Er, okay."

He rubs the back of his neck but doesn't add anything. It's a couple of moments later, when he says, "Uh, Hope?"

She looks over at him, hesitates for just a second, and then nods for him to continue.

"Your family know that I'm your date, right?" he asks. "Like, they're aware that—"

"They know," Hope cuts him off, and they leave it at that.

The great hall is crowded when they arrive at the entrance. Couples are waiting in a line to pass through the door, with McGonagall and Flitwick checking the blood status of students together. The Transfiguration professor is wearing a pretty green dress with a purple, pointed hat, while the Charms professor is wearing solid black dress robes. Hope doesn't think they look half-bad.

She shoves her way to the front with Landon, too impatient to wait her turn. It's not that she means to be rude, it's just that the long is line and she's above standing in it.