marauders

*The night of the annual Yule Ball. A hurricane of ball gowns, jewelry, combs, ribbons, flurries, and glitter. So much glitter."

• At least, that's what the common room in Gryffindor Tower looked like, where Mary, Marlene, Lily, and you lived. *

• There were at least four dresses on each bed, ranging from simple and elegant to puffy, layered, and intricate, in almost every color imaginable. *

• A variety of shoes were scattered across the floor: mismatched, broken, heels, bejeweled, some even looked new. *

• But despite the chaos in the room, its occupants were quite calm, although you could feel them nervously and anticipating what would happen in the next few hours. *

• Mary was sitting on her bed, her dresses pushed down to her feet. She was painting her nails and looked the calmest of them all, although she had been preparing for the last few weeks with great enthusiasm for ball. *

• Marlene and Lily had gathered in a tight circle on the floor, sorting through the tangled mess of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings in the center of their little circle. *

• Marlene broke the silence in the room as she slipped all the silver rings she'd found onto her fingers. Her excitement completely dispelled the air of slight nervousness that seemed to hang in the air. *

"So...* "she began in a singsong voice, looking around at the other three. "Who does everyone want to dance with tonight? Anyone in particular...?"