i know the yule ball only happens during a triwizard tournament but we’re going to pretend it happens every christmas okay?
piper wasn’t exactly sure if she had picked the right dress.
lacey seemed apprehensive about the color when they went shopping. “green?” she had raised an eyebrow. “that’s a bold choice, pipes.” still, though, there had been something drawing piper to the piece. “i think it’s pretty.” the younger girl shrugged. though her sister continued to doubt, piper was granted an opportunity to try on the dress. it was there, in that moment alone in the dressing room, where she had fallen in love with it. she couldn’t stop staring at herself, at the way the pale, jade colored fabric fell at her feet, how it hugged her torso, how it wrapped over one shoulder to create an asymmetrical neckline. the dark haired girl couldn’t help but smile. for the first time in a long time, she actually felt beautiful.
but now, here she was, on the night of the yule ball, her stomach in knots over the article of clothing she had begged her sister to buy. the other hufflepuff girls had left the dorms over an hour ago. something was keeping her there, sitting on her bed, sliding that light green fabric between her fingers instead of heading downstairs to join the festivities. should she touch up her makeup one more time, or her hair? how many times could she do that before she missed the entire event? surely, her friends were waiting for her, and by her friends, she meant jeremy and his friends. piper wasn’t exactly the most popular among her peers. however, there was one person she’d count as a friend - although she wasn’t entirely sure she’d see that person tonight.
finn hadn’t mentioned anything about the yule ball in any of their recent sessions. piper could only be left to assume that the pink haired girl was too cool for functions like this, that she thought they were too stupid or too heteronormative to attend. but maybe that was for the best. finn and jeremy together wasn’t the best mix, she’d come to find out. they got under each others’ skin much too easily, though finn seemed to have a way of doing that, getting under your skin. she had definitely gotten under piper’s (albeit in a different way), that much was clear. the hufflepuff constantly found herself thinking of finn, and the thoughts were hard to get away from. piper would incessantly overanalyze every look, every compliment, every lingering touch she got from her friend. what does it mean for her? what does it mean for me?
if jeremy knew that she was having these continual, entirely too sapphic thoughts, he’d surely lose it. perhaps that’s why she was nervous, she realized, because she was about to spend the night dancing with a boy she cared very little for and missing the girl she wanted so badly. but maybe some people just weren’t meant to end up with the person they really liked. her parents never seemed to be too fond of each other; there was no doubt in piper’s mind it was an arrangement. the thing that scared her was that she was already heading down an identical path. she could very easily end up the same way. this wasn’t to say she had no power in shaping her future. she knew she could voice her opinion on the matter, but at what cost? her parents disowned their firstborn and only son for doing the same thing. would the risk be worth the reward?
these were things she needed to think through, but not today, not now. for now, all she had to focus on was getting downstairs to meet her boyfriend, who was probably already five firewhiskies deep into a drunken state. compared to the other struggles she’d one day face, this didn’t seem too intimidating anymore. so, following a long, deep sigh, piper rose from her spot on the bed, heading out of her room and up the stairs to the great hall. into the belly of the beast.
as per usual, she heard jeremy before she saw him. he was, of course, drunk and belligerent, yelling at his half-brained group of friends. “…doesn’t get her ass down here in thirty seconds, i’m gonna fuckin’ lose it.” piper slowly turned the corner, watching as jeremy paced back and forth. “adriana bryce offered to give me a blowjob, and i turned her down to wait for my lazy girlfriend. but i’ll change my mind if piper can’t get her shit toge- piper! jesus christ, it took you long enough!” she’d been spotted. “sorry.” tone flat, eyes blank, she made no effort to move towards him, but jeremy was already on his way over, grabbing her wrist and tugging her into the ballroom.
it wasn’t the most fun event she’d ever attended. for the next couple hours, her time was spent listening to bad music, to teachers making painful small talk, and to jeremy complaining about how he should’ve taken the blowjob from adriana bryce. “that could’ve been a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know. i’ve heard she’s good. and it’s not like you’re going to give me one.” inhaling deeply, piper slowly shut her eyes and opened them again. “no, i’m not.” without waiting for a response, piper rose and walked across the room, heading straight for the exit.
she went to the only place she could think of that would be completely empty - the library. nobody would be there on a saturday night, not when the yule ball was going on. piper made her way to her favorite spot, a small table in the back underneath a window. to her surprise, upon her arrival she found that the window was open and someone was sitting on the table. and of course, it was none other than the girl she sat here with every day to study ancient runes, the girl who she couldn’t seem to get out of her mind. “finn.” the pink haired witch turned as she heard her name, a smirk creeping across her lips as she regarded her visitor. “well don’t you look nice.” piper’s cheeks burned as she realized that she was the only one dressed for the ball. “i just came from the yule ball, i didn’t really think about changing-“
“relax, pip, i’m messing with you.”
“oh.”
“although i do think you look nice, for the record.”
“…oh.”
“well? are you gonna just stand there all night?” finn patted the space next to her on the table. “c’mere.”
a soft smile formed on piper’s face as she came around, sitting down next to finn and smoothing the fabric of her dress across her lap. “so,” finn began, leaning back on her hands and shooting piper an inquisitive look. “why are you sitting in the library instead of dancing the night away?” piper couldn’t help but chuckle at her companion’s words. “there wasn’t much dancing on my part,” she explained, “jeremy’s very wasted and very angry at me. apparently me being late caused him to miss the blowjob of his life from some gryffindor girl.” she shrugged, averting her gaze to the floor. “he’ll be fine tomorrow.” there was a long pause before either of them spoke again, but it was finn who broke the silence.
“why are you with him?” the question caused piper’s heart rate to pick up. “what?” she didn’t want to answer it. she didn’t have an answer for it. “look at me. why are you with him?” piper’s eyes slowly rose to meet finn’s. this was the question she’d been asking herself for months. “i mean, we- that’s just how it’s always been. i don’t know.” finn didn’t seem to be satisfied with this answer. “well i think that’s bullshit.” the dark haired girl didn’t bother to respond. finn was right. “i mean, do you even like him?” piper stared at the moon through the open window in front of them. “do you have to like the person you’re with?” she met finn’s question with one of her own. her parents were never happy together, and neither were jeremy’s. why would her life end up differently?
“you deserve that much, at the very least. to be with someone who you like. someone who likes you.” piper’s fingers lifted from her dress to gingerly take finn’s hand. she heard the other girl take a breath, but piper was just as surprised by her actions as finn was. its hadn’t been something she thought about; it was instinctual. feeling the self-conscious embarrassment beginning to creep in, piper turned her head to face finn, and it was then that her lips were met with those of the other girl’s. it was a soft, gentle moment between them, and when finn pulled away piper found herself longing for more. but yet…
“i’m not sure i can do this- i mean, not yet…”
piper held finn’s gaze, an apologetic look in her eyes, but the other girl didn’t look angry. instead, finn shot piper a smile, genuine but small.
“that’s okay. you take your time, pip. i’ll be here.”
