Status: Week-long hiatus :'( Will update this Friday 1/14/10

I Can't Stop Digging the Way You Make Me Feel

Hogsmeade Time!

"I cannot wait until break. I don't think I've worked my brain this hard since the O.W.L's last year." Emilie complained

"At least you manage to get a couple hours of sleep. Having prefect duties until midnight means I don't get done until four or five and then what's the point of sleeping?" Alyssa retaliated irritably, making Emilie look up and scowl.

"Stop snipping at each other! If we turn against each other, we'll never get anything done. Besides, you're making me lose whatever shred of ambition I have left to do all this homework. Just think, tomorrow we're going to Hogsmeade, then five days until we're done with classes and then one week until the Yule Ball which means one week until Christmas." Katie said, attempting to keep her cool

Emilie, Katie, and Alyssa sat stressed at a library table on an unusually sunny and bright Friday winter afternoon. The amount of homework that they started receiving again was almost too much to handle. In fact, it nearly surpassed it. Alyssa was indeed losing sleep and ditched class for the first time ever and went to the hospital wing and slept. Katie and Emilie, who were lucky to get a couple more hours' worth of sleep than Alyssa, were still drowsy and irritable.

"Bloody hell, I still have to buy Christmas presents!! I am always on top of presents! My life officially sucks!"

Emilie slammed her head down on the table and groaned tiredly.

"Don't you think you're being a little over-dramatic?"

Emilie heard the chair beside her slide across the floor and then felt the closeness of the person sitting in it. She lifted herself off the table with her dark hair hanging in her face and looked at the person the recognizable voice came from.

"No."

"What's up with you? I haven't seen you this uptight since...gah, I don't even know if you were ever uptight. You're like Granger." George said with a serious tone, looking at the weary face of the girl sitting next to him

"That's because I've never been this stressed! The teachers are off their rockers giving us this much homework that's all due before break starts, and I just realized that I haven't gotten any Christmas shopping done. How are you and Fred so chipper and care-free right now?"

"Simple: we either don't do the homework or do it with very little care. I don't think writing an essay about Inferi are going to help Fred and I out with our joke shop."

"Touché."

"So, I wanted to ask you something."

Katie's eyes suddenly widened and she looked up, but Emilie didn't seem to notice.

"There's this Yule Ball coming up next weekend---"

"Really, now? I had no idea. Thank you, George." Emilie said sarcastically, smiling sweetly. George returned it.

"You're quite welcome. Anyway, I was wondering if you would want to go with me."

Emilie looked taken aback, but in a surprised, happy kind of a way. Across the table, Katie's smiling jaw dropped slightly and she shared a look with Alyssa, who was seated next to Alyssa.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It sure as hell would be a lot less awkward than going with somebody you really don't even like."

"Well when you put it that way, then sure. I'd love to."

George smiled widely and stood up.

"Cool. I'll let you get back to being Granger. Have fun!"

Emilie smiled as he walked away and then looked back at her friends, who were smirking widely.

"Shut up. You already harassed me about him earlier this week."

"Okay, we'll stay quiet, but I'll tell you, I've never seen George's face that lit up." Alyssa said

"I agree. He likes you. We, meaning Fred, Lissie, and I, all know it." Katie added

Emilie rolled her eyes and looked back down at her homework, a small smile playing on her lips. And then a thought flashed across her mind as she allowed her mind to wander to the Yule Ball.

The only downer about going with George is that now I actually have to look pretty...one more thing to worry about.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Emilie Rose Arden, hurry your arse up! The last carriage is about to leave!"

"Hold on a second!"

Emilie turned her back to her impatient friends and was once again face-to-face with Fred and George.

"Here's the list and money. Spend wisely and if you decide not to, which I know you will, you better get me something good." Emilie said, handing a piece of parchment to George and a sack of coins to Fred

"There's too much stuff we need, so we probably won't spend too much on other things." Fred said

"And if we do, we'll get you a Licorice Wand." George smiled

"Thanks. I'll see you two later."

Emilie turned and ran to the carriages. Katie opened the door and Emilie rushed in, waving at Fred and George as the carriage started moving.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. I needed to explain a couple of things to Fred and George. You know they don't always listen."

"That's true." Alyssa stated

"How're you keeping them away while we shop for dresses?" Angelina asked

"I gave them a list of supplies we need from Zonkos and my share of the spending money. I think I guaranteed us an hour to an hour and a half before they come looking for us."

"Good thing I know what I'm looking for, then." Katie said

"I'm going to have to send you lot away too so I can buy gifts for you."

All of a sudden, Katie and Alyssa started sharing about things that they want for Christmas. Lucky for Emilie, the carriages arrived at the small village of Hogsmeade only about a minute later. The four girls walked through the snow-covered path and went into a store called the Golden Diadem.

"Welcome, my dears. How may I help you?" The shopkeeper asked

While Alyssa explained why they were there, Emilie leaned over to Angelina.

"She reminds me of Trelawny." She whispered

"At least there's no giant glasses and gaudy robes." Angelina whispered back

"Ah, I've heard of the Yule Ball taking place next week. All of the dresses are in the back and the fitting rooms are back there as well. Let me know if you have any questions."

The girls thanked the shopkeeper and started searching through some of the racks in the back of the store. Emilie found a couple of dresses that she liked and went back to the fitting rooms. There were only three rooms and Katie, Alyssa, and Angelina were in them, so Emilie found one of the comfortable, squishy seats and waited. Katie was the first one to come out and Emilie's jaw dropped.

"I swear, it didn't look this short on the rack." Katie defended

The curtain of the room on the other end opened and Angelina gasped at the sight of Katie.

"Oh my god!"

"Katie, it looks like you raided a Slytherin girls' closet." Emilie laughed

Katie scowled, flipped her the bird, and went back into her fitting room. Angelina walked towards Emilie with her black dress on.

"Well?" She asked apprehensively

"I like it. Black looks good on you. I think Fred would like it, too."

"Thanks. Okay, I'll go change and then you can have my room."

Angelina went back into her fitting room and then Alyssa came out wearing a purple dress.

"Alyssa, who are you going with? I don't think you ever told me." Emilie asked as Alyssa admired herself in the mirror

"Oh, I'm going with Alex Harrison. I could've sworn I told you."

"You might have during the last week when I snapped at anyone who interrupted homework time. I tried not to pay attention to anything else but my classes. This has been the worst week of my life."

Angelina came out and while she commented on Alyssa's dress, Emilie went into the vacant room. The first dress she tried on was bright green and long, which Emilie didn't find all that flattering. The second dress she tried on was a sapphire blue that went to the floor. Emilie came out of the room for that dress and Katie, Alyssa, and Angelina's jaws fell.

"Wow." Angelina said in awe

"That dress is incredible." Alyssa commented

"George is definitely going to faint." Katie said

Emilie looked at herself in the mirror and turned in a circle, looking at the dress that she was wearing.

"So, do you think I should get it?" Emilie joked, already knowing the answer

"Absolutely." All three girls said

Emilie nodded and went back into her fitting room. She changed out of the dress and walked out of the back with the other three girls. They each paid for their dresses and left the store, mindlessly wandering the street.

"So, where to next?" Angelina asked

Emilie suddenly heard her name being called and turned and saw Fred and George walking towards them.

"Found the answer." She said as they stopped walking

"Hello ladies." George said

"Successful shopping?" Fred asked

"Yeah, surprisingly. I thought it was going to take longer." Katie answered

"I thought you two were going to take awhile. We haven't been to Zonkos in months. Did you get everything?" Emilie asked

"Everything and then some, love. The three of us will certainly be busy for awhile." Fred said

"So, let's see what you got."

George reached out for Emilie's bag and Emilie slapped his hand away.

"Absolutely not." She said

George pretended to pout and Emilie just rolled her eyes.

"Well, I have to finish Christmas shopping, so do you guys want to meet up at The Three Broomsticks later on?"

"I'm actually meeting some other friends. I told them I'd find them when I was done shopping, so I should actually get going. This was fun though, thanks." Angelina said

"No problem. We'll see you later!"

"You're going to love her dress, Fred. Trust me." Alyssa said as soon as Angelina was out of hearing distance

"Well okay, Emilie's going shopping, I want to get out of the cold...how about we go to The Three Broomsticks and Em, you can just meet us there when you're done?" Katie suggested

"Sounds good. It'll take me twenty minutes, tops. I already know what I'm getting all of you." Emilie said

Katie, Alyssa, and Fred started walking in the direction of The Three Broomsticks and Emilie was about to start walking in the opposite direction but stopped when she saw George standing still.

"George, you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go with you. I still have to get Ron and Ginny something."

Emilie smiled, secretly over-joyed, and nodded. The two of them headed towards Honeydukes and Emilie went straight towards the stack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and picked up some for her two girlfriends.

"Hey, look what I found."

George held a box of Shock-o-Chocs in front of Emilie's face and she groaned in disappointment.

"They've already been invented? Damn! Well, so much for our own shocking candy."

"And I also picked up some of these." George said, taking out a bag of Licorice Wands and Acid Pops from behind his back

"We are never getting out of here, are we?"

"That's why you use the Maurader's Map and Harry's cloak to come back some other time. And because I've given you such a brilliant alternative, we can waste the rest of the afternoon in here."

"Okay fine. You go search the back and I'll take the front of the store."

George smiled and headed towards the back of Honeydukes. Emilie went to the front, smiling to herself. After what George had said, she no longer had any intentions to shop for twenty minutes so they could get back to their friends.
♠ ♠ ♠
It's more of a filler chapter, but that's okay! I decided to add the dress links down here instead including hair and shoes!

Emilie's dress
Katie's dress
Alyssa's dress
Angelina's dress

Thanks for the comments, guys! Please keep commenting!

-Kaitlin Xx