Name Game (completed)

Chapter Fourteen

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Right... um, sorry it too forever to update. And yes, this is cr*p. Complete and utter cr*p. The closest to chick lit I've ever written actually. Still, enjoy.

~C

Rose yawned widely, and turned the 1000th wafer-thin page of Muggle-Borns in Medieval World: a complete history of Muggle-Borns, spanning the Middle Ages. The tiny print was starting to make her eyes ache.

"Rose!" Her younger cousin's voice, high-pitched with excitment, interupted her quiet reading. "Rose, this dress would really suit you!"

Rose sighed, and inspected the proffered garment. How Lily had convinced her, Roxanne and Lucy to go shopping for the S.P.E.W ball, she had no idea. No-one, aside from Lily, was absorbed in the process of dress shopping. She and Roxanne were curled up, side by side, on the chaise lounge, Rose reading, Roxanne fidgeting and annoying the shop assistant by leaving scuff marks on the cream covering, with her filthy trainers (she had insisted upon trekkin across the muddy Quidditch field that morning, to polish her Golden Arrow - sadly her shoes had not recieved the snae treatment). Lucy was standing quietly by the entrance to the shop, humming her under her breath and allowing the pleasantly warm breeze to caress her face.

The dress was hot pink, very short at the front, but long at the back, cascading to the floor in numerous ruffles and frills.

"No." Rose said firmy. She was considering giving up on the whole dress shopping idea - yes, she wanted to look good at the ball, but at this price it was hardly worth it. She's better choose a dress soon... "It looks like your style though..."

Lily looked down at the gown, which Rose thought held an uncanny resemblance to a flamingo.

"Do you honestly think so?"

Rose nodded.

"It would suit you. I doubt anyone else good pull it off, though."

"Well..." Lily hesitated for a moment. "Fine, I'll try it on."

She disappeared intto the changing room, only for her head to appear around the shimmering curtain a few seconds later.

"You three look for your own dresses while I'm changing."

"Thank God she's finally gone!" Roxanne sighed, brushing her unruly dark curls aside.

"Don't be mean." Lucy chided, "She's only trying to help."

"Really?" Roxanne raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "I was under the impression that she was taking us dress shopping - my idea if torture. Does anyone know why we allow ourselves to be bullied by our youngest cousin?"

Rose shrugged.

"She honestly thinks she's being helpful." She got up, and started flicking through the dresses. "Though really, that shade of pink would have looked awful with my hair."

"What are you doing?" Roxanne asked, coming over to join her.

"Looking at dresses. Think about it this way - the sooner we choose dresses, the sooner we can get out of here."

Roxanne considered it for a moment.

"Your right, I suppose." She glanced at the rail. "Though i still don't understand why we have to dress up."

"It's part of the fun of it." Lucy explained gently, her kind, Hufflepuff spirit soothing any rough feelings, as usual.

"Ta da." Lily emerged from the changing room, clad from head to toe in pink frills. She twirled around, looking like a flamenco dancer with the ruffled train. "What do you think?"

"It's certainly... eye-catching." Rose tried. The dress did suit Lily surprisingly well, complimenting her toned figure, but Rose still couldn't get over the eye-watering brightness.

"I think you should get it." Roxanne added. Rose smiled to herself. That was the first time Roxanne had made any kind of oral contribution to the outfit choosing experience. Clearly it was only to get ut of the shop sooner.

"You know, I think I might." Lily rechecked her reflection in the full length mirror. "I was looking for a sweetheart neckline, and this is one shouldered, but..."

"I like it on you." Lucy spoke up from her corner. "it suits you surprisingly well. I'm sure whoever you're going with would be proud to take you like that."

"Well... when you put it that way." Lily was getting closer to a decision.

"Who are you going with anyway?" Rose asked. Lily had been surprisingly quiet about her partner.

"Well..." Lily blushed, Weasley style, to the roots of her strawberry blond hair. Suddenly she seemed   a lot less bubbly and confident. 'It's... complicated, I suppose." She ducked her head, and Rose could have sworn that her cinnamon eyes were swimming with tears.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just... It doesn't matter."

"What's the matter Lily? You tell us, we are family afterall. And you'll feel better for having told someone."

"I suppose..." Once again Lily trailed off.

Lucy came over, and laid a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Honestly, darling. You trust us. We won't breathe a word - not unless it's something that desperately needs to be told."

Lily glanced up.

"You promise?"

"Of course."

"Well, it's just... several boys have asked me. And I haven't exactly said no to any of them... but I haven't said yes either."

Rose was confused. This wasn't like Lily. Normally she chose the nearest, half way decent-looking boy, and began snogging his face off. This definitely wasn't typical Lily behaviour, unless...

"Is there someone you want to ask you? Someone your waiting for?"

Lily nodded shyly.

"Yes... Liam. Liam Finnigan."

Rose suppressed a grin. It was like Lily to get a crush on a boy like Liam - infinitely good-looking, with mussed sandy hair, and adorable Irish accent, and a smile that could break a girl's heart. Perhaps she wasn't behaving quite so out of character as first expected.

"Has he asked anyone else?" Lily was gossip queen of Hogwarts, she knew the movements if every couple within the grounds.

"No... not that I'm aware of."

"But what I don't understand, is why you didn't just refuse the other boys? I mean, if you want a guy, you'll get him." Roxanne interjected.

"That's the other thing. Some of the girls in my year have started calling me a slut, but the truth is I just hate the look on their faces when I reject them."

"I see your problem..." Rose pondered Lily's predicament. "Around how many guys have you left on the hook?"

"Um..." Lily quickly calculated. "Four... Eric McLaggen, Darren Wright, Jake Hall and Anthony Clarkson."

"Well, what about your friends? Do they have partners?"

Once again Lily thought for a while before answering.

"I... I don't think so. Not all of them."

"Couldn't you try pairing some of the boys up with them? As for Liam, if you desperately want to go with him, ask him yourself. I doubt he'd turn you down."

A slow smile lit up Lily's face.

"Your right..." She beamed at her cousins. "So, Roxanne, what are you going to wear to impress Dave?"

Roxanne groaned.

"How many times do I have to tell you, WE'RE JUST GOING AS FRIENDS."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Lily turned back to the rail and began to sort through the dresses again, a look of serene happiness on her face. Apparently clothes-shopping was her haven.