A Girl Needs to Play Dressup Sometimes (OPEN)

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina was in need of some new dress robes. Her fathers friend from his Quidditch playing days was getting married and had invited the entire family along for the celebrations back in Bulgaria. She supposed she could have just gotten new robes when they were back in her home country, but Rina had a soft spot for Madame Malkins'. The seamstress who had inherited the shop from her grandmother was young and fresh full of ideas, and always seemed to pull the right color, style and length for her.

She pushed through the shop doors and heard the tinkling bell go off. Immediately after, the seamstress came out and greeted her warmly. Irina explained to her where they were going, what type of theme and colors the wedding had so she wouldn't clash, and off she went. Irina stepped up onto a pedestal while she waited for the seamstress to come back; she wasn't disappointed when she brought back several dress robes in beautiful jewel tones. “May I?” she asked, feeling the different types of fabric with her hands. She selected a deep purplerobe to try on first, and felt the silky light robe slip over her head. She turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror, and held still while the seamstress pinned her. The bells tinkled again and she looked over to see who had entered. “Hello, what are you here for today?” she asked the newcomer with a smile.

OPEN

[Deleted]

Xan was having an absolutely wonderful day in Diagon Alley. She had managed to coerce her father into buying her some new books, though coerce was probably a bit strong of a word. All she really had to do was bat her eyelashes and her father was putty in her hands, not that anyone would admit it. To top it all off, she was going to get her first set of dress robes! She didn’t really have an occasion for which she needed them, but it had been a part of her father’s birthday present to her, and Xan loved to dress up in pretty things. They weren’t a part of her day-to-day style, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t love them, right?

Upon walking into Madame Malkin’s, Xan saw that there was already someone being served, wearing the most gorgeous violet dress robes she had ever seen. “Oh, you look so beautiful!” She gushed. Never mind that Xan didn’t know the girl – she was radiant. “I’m here getting new dress robes, too.” The Ravenclaw chirped happily. “If mine look half as good on me as those do on you, I’ll be happy.” Xanthippe said, smiling brightly. The stranger looked like a princess, and Xan thought she ought to know. It felt nice to look nice, but it was even nicer when others noticed.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

A flicker of recognition crossed Irina's face as the petite blonde stepped more into view. It wasn't the girl in her house that she saw often, but her sister. Oh what was her name again – it was quite unique.. Xan-something? She'd seen her a bit at the end of the year hanging around Hugo Weasley; perhaps that was the reason she needed some new dress robes. “Thank you!” she said, beaming as she twirled around, watching the skirt float around her ankles. Perhaps it was shocking, but Irina loved dressing up in elegant dress robes, just as much as she loved climbing trees. It was so nice of someone to take notice of finer clothing – both of her sisters had no interest in pretty dresses and her brother would have openly laughed at her had she asked.

She looked over at Xan, ideas blossoming in front of her eyes. If the girl wanted some help finding new dress robes, she'd be happy to give it. “With your hair and eyes, I'd go for a royal blue color,” she told her, stepping daintily off the pedestal once the seamstress was done. She offered her hand out to the younger girl and gestured towards the rack of blue robes behind her. “Come, I'll help you find the right one,” she offered.

@xanthippe

[Deleted]

When the other girl twirled around, a spark of recognition passed through Xan. She had seen the girl before, during one of her many forays to the Gryffindor tower. She didn’t know a name, but that didn’t stop her from taking the girl’s hand when it was offered. Variety was the spice of life, and Xan needed spice! Besides, it was always more fun to shop with someone else, and since her father wasn’t one for dress robe shopping, she needed someone to tell her how she looked in her dress robes. Royal blue was a good idea, she thought. “Oh, thank you.” Xan exclaimed, excited at the idea of getting to spend time with this kind stranger. “My name is Xan Meagle, by the way.” She said, introducing herself perhaps a bit belatedly. “You’re a Gryffindor, right?” Xan paused for a moment. “Sorry, that sounds weird. All of my friends are Gryffindors.” She admitted sheepishly.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina laughed at Xan's comment about being friends with only Gryffindors. “If it makes you feel any better, one of my best friends is a Ravenclaw,” she told her, thinking fondly of Mori. She was glad Mori had returned safely from the kidnappings, but also knew her best friend had killed someone during the attack, and it was stuck with her for life. “You're friends with Hugo right? He was with me during the attacks; a good person to have around,” she said, thinking back to that day. She shook her head as to escape from the thoughts. “It must seem silly to be buying new dress robes when we're really at war, but sometimes a girl just has to play dressup, you know?” she said, hoping she didn't sound too vapid and vain.

She nodded at the tailor that she would take this one, and then looked over at Xan. “Well? Let's see you try on those blue robes. I think they'd definitely impress...whoever it is you're trying to impress,” she told her, placing her hands on her hips expectantly.

@xanthippe

[Deleted]

Xan smiled when Irina said that one of her best friends was a Ravenclaw. It honestly did make her feel a little better; sometimes Xan worried she was the only person who had more friends in other houses than in her own. The fact that other people had cross-house relationships was heartening. At the mention of Hugo, though, Xan’s mouth went dry. She didn’t know what to say about Hugo. Technically they were friends, yes, but there was a lot more specific language that could be used there. She settled for a nod, hoping that it was less like a lie than simply saying yes would have been. “War doesn’t stop normal life from happening.” Xan said with a shrug. “It just changes the way we see it.” Like nearly every child, Xan had heard stories of the war her godmother had fought in. That war hadn’t stopped people from going to Hogwarts. It hadn’t stopped the fact that people laughed and cried and loved. It just made all of those things a little more precious.

Putting on the robes was interesting for Xan, not because they changed the way she looked, but because they changed the way she felt. She felt like a princess. “I just want to impress myself.” Xan replied stubbornly to Irina’s comment. “If they impress Hugo, too, that’s just a bonus.” The Ravenclaw girl tried her best not to blush at her comment about Hugo, but she failed miserably. Of course she did. Her cheeks were always pink when it came to Hugo.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina nodded in agreement. "Too right you are," she said seriously.  She didn't like the idea of the Wizarding World being at war but there you had it; the deaths, the kidnappings, the explosions on Platform 9 3/4.  These were performed by wizards, wizards who wanted to cause them all harm.  To stop them, they had to go to war.  "The trouble is, we don't even really know who we're fighting, besides wizards in masks?" she questioned out loud, partly to herself.

She shrugged out of the purple robes, and asked for the emerald green ones that had caught her eye earlier.  She looked at Xan with an appraising look.  "You should always dress to impress yourself first and foremost.  Confidence is what people notice first, not necessarily the clothes," she told the younger girl.  She stood still as the seamstress threw the green dress over her head and began making adjustments to match Rina's frame.  At least this years Hogwarts letter had suggested bringing dress robes; two pairs wouldn't hurt to have on her depending on what they needed to be used for.  "Any idea on why we'll be needing dress robes this year?" she asked Xan casually.  She knew Xan's mother was a professor up at the school; her own mother had mentioned something 'big' coming to Hogwarts this fall, but refused to give out more details.  She had tried to wheedle it out of her father, who normally would relent, but surprisingly he had agreed.  It vill be vairy exciting, he had assured her.  Well, that didn't help her curiosity out at all.

@xanthippe

[Deleted]

Xan nodded along when Irina said that they didn’t know who they were fighting against. “I don’t think the who matters so much as the what.” Xan said, watching in earnest as the hem of the dress robes were brought up to match her less-than-average height. “We’re fighting against people who think that hurting students is a valid way to fight their battles. We’re fighting against people who don’t understand the value of a human life.” She swallowed, unsure why she was making such broad proclamations when she barely knew anything about what was happening. “We’re fighting against people who don’t seem to understand love, and if there’s one thing that my mother has taught me, it’s that love will always win.” Good always triumphed over evil; light always beat away the dark; love always erased hate.

“Isn’t the point of loving someone that you’re impressed by who they are, not what they wear?” Xan asked Irina, watching as the other girl slid on a green dress that also looked quite lovely on her. “Honestly, I think I’d be a little upset if Hugo liked me an y better just because I was wearing something pretty.” Sure, she could understand wanting to see the person you liked in something nicer – imagining Hugo in a tuxedo nearly made her heart stop – but that wasn’t supposed to impress them or change the way they thought about you. Thoughts of Hugo almost made her heart stop on a daily basis, not just thoughts of him when he was dolled up. “No idea.” Xan replied. “My godmother said the last time students were required to bring dress robes to school it was for the Yule Ball in the Triwizard Tournament, but I’m not sure if that’s what’s going to happen.”

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina didn't answer Xan immediately, she was thinking on what she had just said.  The Triwizard Tournament?  The idea that it could be happening again hadn't even crossed her mind.  Her father of course had competed almost thirty years ago now for Durmstrang coming in third behind Harry Potter and the boy who had died, Cedric Diggory. A ripple of excitement went through her; she'd love to get a shot to compete in dangerously daring tasks.  "Who is your godmother?" she asked curiously.  Briefly, she wondered if it was Hugos' mother Hermione; wouldn't that be a laugh?

"And yes people should always like you for YOU and not your clothes, but it doesn't hurt to make them stare flatteringly at you," she told the younger girl with a chuckle.  Deciding that she didn't like the green as much as the purple, she asked to change back into the first dress.  She smiled and twirled around.  "I think I'll take this one," she declared, and turned to Xanthippe.  "You should absolutely get those blue robes, they suit you so well," she told her.

@xanthippe

[Deleted]

It took Xan a moment to remember that Irina had a personal history with the Triwizard Tournament – her father had competed back when Harry Potter had. That was the year that somebody had died, despite all the precautions that had been taken to prevent that. "My godmother is Hermione Granger!” Xan replied enthusiastically. “She’s the greatest ever. She’s so smart and so supportive and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to be my godmother!” And, if Hugo’s vision was anything to go by, her future mother-in-law. Irina didn’t need to know that, though – it would add a lot of awkward explaining to a rather light-hearted conversation.

“Trust me, I can make Hugo stare flatteringly at me no matter what I do.” Xan teased, sticking her tongue out at Irina. Everybody needed somebody like that in their lives, somebody that would stare flatteringly even if they were in rags. “I’m glad, that one looks so well on you.” Xan said when Irina chose the original purple dress robes, the ones that had made Xan exclaim at their beauty and had started this entire conversation. “And I think I will buy these. I’ll have to grab my dad from outside first, though.” He’d be so happy to see her in such beautiful robes.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina laughed when Xanthippe mentioned that Hermione was her godmother; of course she was, that would make sense as to why she had been so close to Hugo to begin with. “She went to the Yule Ball with my father, Viktor Krum. He's always had perfectly lovely things to say about her, so that doesn't surprise me that you love her so much,” she said, giving the younger girl a warm smile. She had not had much interaction with the famous Ms. Granger, but from what limited conversations they'd had, she had been lovely. She always heard her apologizing to Viktor for her husbands' demeanor; even after all these years there was still tension between Mr. Weasley and her father. 

“I'll set your robes aside at the checkout for you,” Rina called after Xan. She brought the robes up to the seamstress and asked her to set the blue ones aside for Xan, who would be back in a moment, and paid for her own. As she went outside with her new purchase, she passed Xan and her father and gave them both a polite smile. “I'll see you at school Xanthippe, it was nice to finally meet you!” she called, setting off down the Alley towards the Leaky Cauldron.



END THREAD

[Deleted]

Xan hadn’t known that her godmother went to the Yule Ball with Irina’s father – either that, or she had forgotten that tiny fact in the midst of all the other amazing stories that she had been told. It didn’t surprise, her, though, that Viktor Krum only had good things to say about her godmother. Xan would be hard-pressed to find someone who disliked Hermione for any reason other than her blood status or the fact that she was more successful than they were. Xan nodded to Irina before exiting the seamstress’s shop to speak with her father about the robes – what they looked like and their cost were the two most important subjects, though since they were technically a birthday gift the latter was only an obstacle if it was an extravagant amount of money. Xan had been careful to make that a nonissue, though, so her father agreed readily enough. Xan waved to Irina as she left, hoping that the two actually would see each other at school after hitting it off so spectacularly in the shop. The Ravenclaw girl followed her father inside the shop to pay for the robes, humming a little diddy of happy days.

Irina Rose Krum