XXI. PARTY FAVOR

Sirene had to admit, she looked hot, I mean with her black sequiny dress, and black pumps, she looked better than she does on a normal day and she's going to definitely going to take it as a good thing.

Marlene on the other hand was fretting with her dress, and her hair, and her nails, and even her heels, switching between a red one and a black one every two seconds, her usual confidence was nowhere to be found.

Lily was in between, it was almost like she was debating with herself whether she should care this much, to wear heals or to not? To wear something uncomfortable but pretty or something not that pretty but comfortable, because in her mind it was just James and he wouldn't care that much about what she wears.

Alice was having the time of her life, taking everything slowly, she was wearing a pretty pale pink dress with ballet flats and a small flower crown that she made herself, she looked adorable!

"Oh my goodness, Alice!" Sirene said with a huge smile on her face, "You look adorable!"

"Thank you!" Alice said returning the smile, "You look gorgeous too!"

"Psh, I know" Sirene joked sitting on the bed as she stared at the rest of her two best friends fussing over the smallest of the things.

"Should I keep my hair up like this?" Lily said holding half of her hair back with a hairpin that matched her lilac dress, "Or should I just leave it down?"

"Keep it up" Sirene said to Lily who nodded before putting the hairpin on her hair and getting rid of any crinkles on her dress, "Hold on" Sirene said getting up and taking a few pieces of Lily's hair and letting them frame her face, "There, perfect."

"Ok, thank you!" Lily said chuckling, and then staring at the heels and the flats that lay on the ground, "Which one?"

"Lily, why are you fussing so much? It's only James" Sirene said with a small smile, "He doesn't care about all that, he'll be excited just to go with you"

"I know" Lily sighed, "But he's been asking me out for so long, and if it means something to him, I want to make it memorable."

"See, you say stuff like that and then expect us to believe you when you say you don't like him" Alice chuckled, "You two would be adorable, and I do believe you can change him for the better"

"I do not like him, Alice!" Lily said frustrated, "I just don't want to look like a slob"

Sirene was then helping Marlene with her hair that she'd made sleek with Sleekeazy's hair potion, it now laid in neat curls around her face and a crown plait.

"Hey" Sirene said, "You look beautiful, Marls, Lyra is a lucky girl"

"It's nothing like that" Marlene said hurriedly, "We're just friends, that's all!"

"Mhm"

🥀

"James, stop!" Sirius exclaimed at James who'd been trying to do something with his hair for the past hour, occasionally fumbling with his tie and vest, "You look fine, Mate"

"Ok, but do I look fiiiine or do I look meh fine?" James asked Sirius with a frown on his face, Sirius just glared at him, "Don't tell me, I see how it is, you don't love me!"

"James!" Sirius exclaimed exasperatedly at the boy in front of him who just poured childishly, "Ok, fine, you look fiiiiiiine, happy?"

"Very"

"Hey, guys!" Remus said walking into the dorm room and taking a look the boys who were both dressed up in suits and ties, "Oh, the Slughorn party, right!"

"I wish you could come, Moony" Sirius said, "It's going to be odd without you there"

"Yeah, someone has to be the sensible one" James said with a chuckle, "But it's alright, get your rest, mate"

"I still can't believe you got Lily to go out with you" Remus said shaking his head and removing the clothes on his bed before laying down, "I have a feeling you blackmailed her into going out with you"

"Me too" Sirius said sitting down next to Remus, "But apparently she lost a bet about some homework"

"Nice to know you guys have faith in me" James said sarcastically and then fumbling with his tie again.

"Come on, let's get downstairs before you start messing with your hair again" Sirius patted his shoulders and then walked downstairs with James following behind.

The boys stood in front of the girls' dormitory staircase and because they couldn't go up they just stood outside and waited.

"Go on or I'll push you out!" Sirene said giving a firm push on the back to Marlene who tripped a bit on her heels before glaring at Sirene.

"Si!" Alice and Lily exclaimed together, holding on to Marlene so she doesn't fall down the stairs.

"What?" Sirene rolled her eyes, "She's getting nervous I'm only encouraging her!"

"More like trying to murder me" Marlene muttered under her breath before walking down the stairs and giving a friendly smile to the boys.

"You look beautiful, Mar" Sirius said with a small smile, after the breakup the two had decided to stay friends and would even consider each other one of their best friends.

"You clean up nice, Sirius!" Marlene said jokingly, taking a seat on the couch.

"No! Lily! Don't turn around!" Sirene exclaimed, "You look fine!"

Lily walked downstairs with a small pout on her face after Sirene gave her a glare, she looked up to find James there in black robes and a matching tie with his hair as proper as it could be.

It was almost like one of those scenes in rom-coms, the one where the air blows around the girl's hair and the boys stares at her with his breath hitched.

"Evans" James said, his voice a bit shaky, "You look extremely beautiful today! I mean not that you always don't look beautiful, you're always very beautiful it's just that today you did your makeup very well and your dress is really beautiful I'm not saying that your hair isn't always nice-"

"James" Lily said with a smile, "Thank you."

James nodded before holding out his hand, "Too much?"

"Too much." Lily said with a nod, and with that the two stared at each other for a moment.

"Ugh, teenagers!" Sirene rolled her eyes, and then made her way downstairs.

"Oh look" Sirius said, "The rat cleaned up"

"How many times do I have to tell you this, Siri" Sirene said with a bored expression on her face, "You shouldn't talk about yourself in third person"

🥀

"He's literally such a drama queen" Sirene said crossing her arms, "He should be the one waiting for me, not me who should be waiting for him!"

"He's just running late, Si" Marlene said rolling her eyes as she waited for Lyra outside of the Ravenclaw common room, "How do you think the dumb ones get in? The ones who can't solve the riddle?"

"They probably wait outside for someone to get here" Sirene snorted, "Should we be waiting inside or something?"

"Nah, I'd feel like I'm intruding or something" Marlene shrugged, "Besides I don't want to use my brain right now"

"Come on, I'll use mine" Sirene chuckled, "Oi, eagle, ask away"

"I may be quite dreadful
but I can be of great help
especially if wands cant help much
but I can gift u a hard time!
Sometimes u can't help but try me
and after a while I can make u glad
What am I?" The eagle asked with its wings spread out.

"Oh, wait that's easy" Sirene said with a relieved expression on her face, "Skele-gro"

The eagle folded its wings again before the door turned around and the girls came face to face with the Ravenclaw common room, despite being at Hogwarts for five years, they'd never been to the other house's common rooms, excluding Hufflepuff because the people there love to party and socialize, and to be honest they're the best at it. No one can throw a better party than a Hufflepuff.

Ravenclaws, well they are a bit reserved but once they get to know you they are willing to go above and beyond for your happiness, as long as you're not a psychopath who kills for joy.

The Ravenclaw common room had bookshelves scattered all around the room, there were desks with chess sets on them, and a main couch with a huge table in front that had many textbooks open as the students studied.

"Oh" Lyra halted in her steps surprised at seeing Marlene in the common room, she was wearing a navy blue dress and matching pumps with her hair pin straight and a few hairpins holding it back.

Sirene chuckled, moving away from the two of them to give them some privacy, she couldn't watch another teenage almost-couple give each other the goo-goo eyes.

"I always thought you'd be too dumb to solve the riddles" Sirene heard someone say, she turned around to find Andrew in his dress robes and his hair slicked back, "Guess I was wrong"

"You're always wrong" Sirene said with a roll of her eyes, "And I'd like to remind you Annie, I get better grades then you"

"Grades don't matter, sometimes you're as thick as a doorknob" Andrew said turning to look at Sirene who had a clenched jaw, and was probably restricting herself from punching him.

"How am I thick?" Sirene asked with an offended expression, "Literally how?"

"Because you thought I wouldn't be rubbing it in your face if I had started that rumor" Andrew said simply, "Which I didn't by the way"

"Hey, Si?" Marlene said, from the door, "Come on, we're leaving!"

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE, TURN IT UPPPPP

This is Sirene's dress, but it's a bit longer because ya know it's like 1970s there.

This one is Marlene's, again, imagine it a bit longer than it is.

Lily's dress, longer with longer sleeves too.

This is what Alice is wearing, and she also has a small flower crown ofc.

Lyra's dress.

Tbh I just added these bc I wanted to look at pretty dresses on Pinterest and fantasize abt them even tho I'm literally never going to wear something like that. So yeah, that's all. Bye.