How Exciting!

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Hogwarts was such a magical place, and not just because they were taught spells during their classes. Where else would an eleven year old be able to attend a real life ball? Amber felt so lucky as she entered the Great Hall, this was like something from a storybook.

Her mouth dropped open slightly as she took in the sight of everyone inside the hall. It was beautifully decorated, giving the entire room an incredible atmosphere, but what stood out most to her was how beautiful everyone looked. Everyone was wearing their best clothes and it made for a gorgeous sight. Amber loved fashion and felt herself itching to ask some of the girls where they had bought their dresses.

She herself was wearing tradidional Japanese clothing, and she wondered briefly if anyone would think it weird. It did stand out a little, but she really loved her kimono and couldn't imagine wearing anything else to the ball. It was like a piece of home, of her parents, and that gave her all the confidence she needed. She had worked very hard to look nice, and she couldn't wait to send a picture to her parents. She was sure they would be proud.

Amber looked sideways at her best friend, Ainsley. She was wearing something a lot more simple than Amber, but she looked very pretty all the same. "This is so wonderful." She whispered, almost feeling like it was a dream that could end of she spoke too loudly.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley's heart had positively soared at the prospect of a ball. It sounded like something out of a fairytale, and though it was plainer than she would like, Ainsley wore the most fairytale-looking dress she had with her, and brushed her hair out neatly for once, visions of dances from fairytales swirling through her head. She was thrilled to be going with her roommate and best friend, feeling plain by comparison to the layers and intricacy of Amber's kimono as they walked down to the great hall together.

As they stepped into the hall, Ainsley inhaled a breath sharply, looking around. The great hall still held a degree of wonder for her, the floating candles and endless ceiling alone enough to have Ainsley staring through every meal, but decorated for the ball and filled with people in beautiful dresses, chatting and dancing, it was a whole new level of magical. Ainsley instinctively looped her hand into Amber's elbow as they entered the room, looking around with wide eyes. She was a little disappointed that nobody seemed to be dressed like the fairytales she had imagined, but other than that it was better than anything Ainsley could have dreamed.

Ainsley laughed softly and nodded, turning back to Amber as she spoke. "It's so beautiful!" She whispered back, beaming delightedly. "Did you think it would be this beautiful?"

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was glad Ainsley shared her excitement. Not everyone around them looked as awed, and she couldn't imagine not seeing the ball as something extraordinarily magical and wonderful. It probably wouldn't be quite as special next year to her either, so she vowed to make tonight the best night ever.

When Ainsley put her hand on her elbow she smiled. It was nice to have a friend, someone to experience this with. Maybe in the future she would have a handsome date on her arm, but for now she wouldn't want anyone else but her new best friend.

"I didn't think it could be this beautiful." She replied to Ainsley's question. "It's really quite wonderful... everyone is dressed so nicely!" She hesitated, glancing down at her own elaborate outfit. She was proud of it, and knew it looked nice, but she also didn't want to stand out too much. "Do I look alright, you think? For the occasion? I really like your dress. It's elegant in it's simplicity."

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley tore her eyes away from the beautiful ballroom at her friend's question, gasping a little. "Alright? You look amazing, you're like a princess, with all the jewels and colours and layers, you're so stunning! I like your dress best out of everyone's here." Ainsley giggled a little, looking down at her own plain outfit. "I wish I had something more elegant, this dress is so dull... I feel like I'm Cinderella before the ball, and you're her at the ball in her beautiful gown and jewellery..." Ainsley looked over her friend again, eyes lingering on her face longer than Ainsley usually looked at people. Ainsley knew there were a lot of pretty people at this school, but her gaze kept coming back to Amber, something about the kindness and gentleness Ainsley knew was in her just shone through her face, and Ainsley couldn't help but stare sometimes.

Not wanting to linger on the subject too much, Ainsley looked away quickly. "There's music! Do you want to dance? Or would it be hard in that outfit? We could get some food first, maybe? Or look at the decorations more?" Ainsley smiled, face a little pink. "There's so much to do, this is amazing!"

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber felt a slight blush creep into her face and she grinned at her friend. The compliments were so nice and genuine, that they made her feel a little embarrassed. "Thank you." She said, averting her gaze to look at the rest of the hall again. "You look pretty as well. If you ever want to borrow jewelry or anything though, you can ask. I have some things that would look cute." In all honestly, she was certain that Ainsley looked better in her simple dress than she would in something elaborate. It suited her very well and if either of them were to be in a fairy tale, she was sure it would be Ainsley.

"Dancing sounds fun, though I think we shouldn't dance too wildly." She smiled shyly. "Or at least, I shouldn't. This outfit wasn't made for jumping around. If you'd rather eat first we can do that as well."

Amber wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to dance, but she also didn't want to be the only one that wasn't dancing. Maybe they could do some other things first to get more of a feel for the party. She was also hoping to run into someone else they recognized.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley giggled happily, but shook her head at the offer. "No thank you... I like making all my own jewellery. I made this bracelet with mum!" She held up her wrist to show Amber her bracelet, a mix of brightly coloured plastic and glass beads, and clay ones Ainsley had made herself. "It's easy, you just need some thread and some beads, I've got loads!"

Ainsley nodded. "Maybe we should work our way up to dancing... we can wander around a little first, or get something to eat. You should be careful not to eat anything messy though, it'd be such a shame if anything got on your dress..." She looked around, eyes scanning the tables for something that would be safe to nibble on before they hit the dancefloor.