Chapter six
Holly recognized she was awake before she opened her eyes. She was suddenly aware of the sheets tangled around her feet, the feeling of her hair plastered to her face, and the vague sensation that she was forgetting something. She was also aware that someone- or someones- were watching her.
“You know,” She said, not opening her eyes, “there’s a joke to be made about watching me while I sleep.”
She heard a bit of scrambling and when she opened her eyes her dorm mates were gathered around her bed.
“Holly, don’t start. A series of very very weird events happened yesterday and then you didn’t even come back to tell us about them! Why in Merlin’s name would the marauders sit with you at dinner? And why were you out past curfew?”
Holly groaned and rolled back over. Good God she did not want to deal with this right now.
“Mia I quite literally just woke up.”
“So what? We deserve answers.” Her other dorm mate, Tilly, chimed in. Both girls had long hair but that was the end of their similarities. Tilly’s hair was a strange blonde almost white color, and more frizzy than anything else creating something of a halo around her. She had large, owlish eyes that were an unusual brown shade catching the light to seem almost yellow. Mia was almost her polar opposite. Where Tilly’s hair was frizzy, Mia's was like silk. Where Tilly’s eyes were round and wide, Mia’s were slitted, her gaze always icy. Despite their differences from one another, they got on incredibly well. The three of them had met on the train in their first year, and had been inseparable ever since.
Now Holly couldn’t wish for anything but some separation. As she buried her face further in her pillow she decided she had really not wanted to have this conversation and certainly not so early in the morning.
“Girls,” She said her voice muffled by fabric, “I will explain everything I swear, but for fuck’s sake, can it wait? Until I put pants on at least.”
In response her blankets were ripped from her body and cold air covered her bare legs. She didn’t move from her position face down in her pillow, but she groaned again.
“You’ve got ten minutes to be ready for breakfast, where you will tell us everything Elwood. Come on Til.” Then Mia and Tilly turned and left her alone.
Holly loved her friends. She loved her friends, but god they could be persistent. Mia especially. She had no idea where her friend got the confidence, but she had always walked around like she owned the school. Tilly was just happy to follow her around. Holly, now basking in her silent dorm room, finally rolled out of bed.
Her hair was a tangled mess, the ashy brown strands sticking to her face. Merlin, she must have been drooling. As she picked up her outfit for the day (her uniform, though she took pride in her interesting sock choices) she studied herself in the mirror that hung on the back of their bathroom door. Her hair was short, falling a bit below her chin, and shockingly straight. She had bangs, framing thick eyebrows. Her eyes were close-set, and a dark brown shade catching an almost red tint in the light. She had full lips, and buck front teeth that squared off. Some freckles decorated her skin, but more obviously was the small patches of acne that could be seen on her forehead and chin. Wizard skin care was more advanced than the muggle stuff, but Holly could never maintain a clear complexion for more than a few months.
Overall, she thought she was pretty. Cute, more accurately. Mia was hot, smoking if you asked the boys in their year, and Tilly was a strange kind of ethereal. She was just cute. Frowning, she turned from her analysis and began to get changed.
It only took her a few minutes to get ready, her makeup consisting of some blush and mascara for now. If she had more than her allotted ten minutes she might do more, but for now this would suffice. Clipping some of her hair out of her face she sighed and took another look in the mirror. Good enough. Trying to gather her courage she made her way down the stairs to face her friends.