In the Life of a Slytherin

Elaina woke up early, as was her custom, and looked around at the other girls in her dorm. Everyone was still asleep. She got out of bed and walked downstairs, noticing a new flier on the billboard in the common room.

HOGWARTS' YULE BALL IS COMING UP!!! it read. She raised her eyebrow at the excessive use of exclamation points. Underneath the heading it said,

This Wednesday a special dance class will be held by Prof. McGonagall in the Great Hall. This will take place at 4.00 in the afternoon, and the entire school will be attending.

Elaina sighed. She hated dancing. And a school dance would require her to get a date, which she knew would never happen.

A couple of 'pitter-patter' could be heard down the steps of the dorms and into the common room. A yawn was heard after the grumpy girl from yesterday before a yawn erupted from the sleepy girl's mouth.

It was Piper and she was in her Slytherin robes, slightly different from yesterday's attire. "Oh...it's you." The ginger hummed in an amusing manner under her breath before stepping near her, looking over the younger girl's shoulder. "Dance class?" Piper asked her, "A ball is going to come soon."

"Looks like it," Elaina said blandly, turning and sitting herself down on an armchair.

Piper had her bag slung over her shoulder and she looked back at the young girl. "Are you always so...boring?" She asked her, quite straight-forward and blunt. Piper wasn't an eloquent person. In fact, when she got in trouble it was always because she had her foot in her mouth.

"Anyway." She didn't even gave the poor girl a chance to answer and started heading towards the common exit painting. "Gonna get me some breakfast."

Elaina gave her a strange look.

"What are you going to do, steal it from the kitchens? I'm pretty sure they don't serve breakfast until everybody's there."

Piper glanced back at her and let out a sigh. She hated waking up hungry and she looked back at the girl, raising an eyebrow. She only just forgotten that it was still early. "What if I do?" Piper asked her, setting her bag on the common room table. "Are you going to tell on me?"

Her eyes set on the flier and Piper furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "Wait, the Yule Ball isn't the one set on special occasions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"

Elaina shrugged.

"I think it is. I'm sure McGonagall will explain more during transfiguration today, since she's the one giving dance lessons." She looked over at the older girl. "And I couldn't care less if you went down to the kitchens, as long as you don't lose us house points by getting caught. Also, you'd have to find them first."

Alex stretched his arm into the air, the other one bent to help pop a kink out of his shoulder as he came down the staircase of the boys dormitory. Blinking slightly, he realized not many of the Slytherins were awake yet, even though he'd been one of the last ones to head to sleep. He supposed he was always too much of an early riser...

Spotting the two girls from last night, he walked towards where Piper was standing near a paper pinned to their announcement board. He walked over only to catch the last snippet of conversation from the rude girl last night.

"Students are free to roam the halls so long as they are not violating curfew hours. Curfew would have ended hours about an hour ago, so she's fine to look for the kitchens. Do read up on the rules sometime, darling," he said casually, not at all as icy as he had done so last night. He glanced over at the board and hidden blue eyes peered at the words. A Yule Ball?

Piper did not even bother to answer to the rude girl. She didn't even know her name. Her hand pushed back a wild set of ginger curls, her eyes setting on Alex, the younger boy she talked to yesterday. His response to the girl made her snort in anusement and she couldn't wait to hear the other girl's response.

"So?" Piper asked the girl, "What's your response to that?"

Elaina shrugged and changed the subject. She knew she was wrong and she hated it.

"So, James, what do you think about this 'Yule Ball'?" she asked.

Oh look. A semi-civil response. He gave a noncommittal hum as he surveyed the poster once more, eyes studying the words. He supposed he should answer her, since she was kind enough to ask this time. Perhaps last night she'd just been in an odd enough mood? He didn't know.

"The whole school to attend this?" he repeated. "I suppose this means every year is suggested to go to this ball. If I must go, I wouldn't dance in such an...appalling place as one surrounded with stumbling students who cannot dance. And you?" He turned to look at the two, wondering their thoughts.

Elaina raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose that's why they're giving dance lessons. I, for one, will probably go just to watch the 'stumbling students who cannot dance'," she said with a smirk. "It should be entertaining."

Piper just let out a non-caring shrug. She really didn't minded this and she loved balls, it was interesting and just dressing up for it made her a little bit exciting. Her eyes met the boy's for a moment and her lips curled into a knowing smirk.

"I can always learn to dance, it might me quite enjoyable. Especially seeing cute guys dress up, that is a treat."

Elaina rolled her eyes at the other girl, but in good-natured sort of way.

"You'd also have to get one of those 'cute guys' to ask you to dance," she said, unable to completely mask her bitter tone.

Piper's eyebrows rose at the younger girl for a moment and she glanced over at her. My, she was bitter. She was cute though, maybe she lacked self-confidence? It happens to everyone, the carrot-top assumed.

"Maybe...you need to be more social and less...uh." Piper really didn't have a nice way to put it so she decided to be blunt about things and hoped she didn't felt bad about it afterwards.

"Closed-off?"

Elaina sighed. That was the problem. She was closed-off for a reason. Ever since her mother died, she had tried not to get attached to people. She'd been reminded that people left, or died, and if you loved them, then it hurt. I guess getting a date isn't all that important when you compare it to that, she thought, and decided then and there that she wouldn't worry about it, and that it didn't matter.

Alex watched the exchange between the two females. He supposed he was grateful Basil was his childhood friend, otherwise he'd no doubt be just as quiet and snarky as he assumed the other Slytherin was. His eyes continued to roam the words written on the notice before he shrugged and headed for the portrait.

"As wonderful as this conversation has been," he said dryly. "I'm afraid I must at least head towards the Great Hall, least my stomach roar in Defense class today. Are either of you caring to join me?" He asked them, not entirely caring if they did or not. It sure did beat walking alone until he found Basil at least, that was for sure.

Elaina glanced up at the clock on the common room wall. Everybody else should be waking up soon. May as well go down for breakfast. She shrugged,

"Why not?"

Getting up to follow him out of the portrait hole, she realized something.

"Elaina, by the way," she said holding out her hand for him to shake.