'We're cousins', I shout out loud while storming through the empty hallway.
'Oh, stop saying that, Nessa', he mocks me from behind.
With clenched fists and ready for a fight, I turn around but he is way faster than I will ever be. My hands end up in...
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My mom gave me the name Nessa in honor of a fictional character created by the wizard author J. R. R. Tolkien. The Silmarillion was released in the UK several years before I was born, and as my mother was so impressed by the stories in that book, she decided to name me after one of the female characters.
She chose the Valar* Nessa - 'The Dancer'.
(*The Valar are "angelic powers" or sometimes described as "gods" for better understanding in Tolkien's legendarium who were subordinate to the main God - Eru Iluvatar.)
Nessa was noted for her speed, able to outrun the deer who followed her in the wild, and also for her dancing ability, as she danced on the ever-green lawns of Valinor**.
(**Valinor or the Blessed Realms is a fictional location, the home of the immortal Valar.)
My name was the biggest inspiration for my costume for the annual Halloween party at Hogwarts. I wanted to recreate the image and presence of the Valar Nessa to the tiniest detail.
'If I was a boy, I would fall in love with you, for real', Bella giggles as she finishes my make-up look. For the first time, we're preparing for a party without Pansy. I haven't visited the Hospital Wing since the last attempt, but I learned from Bella that she was going to be discharged this Sunday, which is in two days.
'Stop it!', I try not to move my face while Bella is doing my make-up but to be honest she isn't contributing.
'Ta-da!', Bella claps with her hands in excitement. 'Open your eyes!', she commands and as I do so, she grabs my wrist and takes me in front of the mirror in our dorm.
I take my time observing our reflections.
Bella's costume is inspired by the American actress Marilyn Monroe (she happens to have Veela ancestry by the way). I couldn't think of any other figure that would suit her better. She wears the iconic white dress, silver high-heel sandals, and a cute shiny purse. Her hair is styled in a typical 50s hairdo. The red lipstick makes her lips look bigger and juicier. Bella even added a fake mole for a perfect finish to the look.
I am wearing a baby pink off-shoulder sleeves dress. The sleeves are puffed and made of a transparent sheer cloth. The upper part of the dress is a corset, which accentuates my breasts and waist. The lower part of the dress falls freely in several layers of sheer veils. Underneath I am wearing a pair of flat golden Roman-style sandals with straps going up to my knee. On my head, I have a golden crown with pink floral motifs. My long brown hair is falling freely over my back in prominent but soft waves.
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