17 September: Up And Up: Helena

[Greta Catchlove]

gladrags wizardwear --> ...?

▶︎ and you can say what is, or fight for it
close your mind or take a risk
you can say it's mine and clench your fist
or see each sunrise as a gift

"Goldie! What do you think?" Greta tugged the sleeves of the heartily embellished jacket up just a touch before presenting her newest ensemble to her friend with as many flourishes as it deserved, which was a fair few. It was a bit more than what she'd usually wear, but that was the fun of the masquerade, wasn't it? To delight in the disguise? Ponytail still swinging, the seventh year grinned and stepped in front of one of the long mirrors in the busy shop, turning about to see herself from as many angles as possible. She wished she could say she was surprised at herself for being this wishy washy in determining a costume for the masquerade - the ball was in a month's time, and if it wasn't their last year, she would've just crafted a mask in the dorm and thrown on an old dress - but really, Greta wasn't. She was having difficulty focusing, much more on her mind than just the ball, and wouldn't it be nice if all it was was Quidditch?

In fairness - a lot of her concerns surrounded the sport, or concerned concerns surrounding the sport.

The Quidditch schedule was posted, and her House's first match was against Slytherin. And while they'd beaten Slytherin last year, there were no guarantees. And that had been a hell of a match, besides. And Regulus caught the Snitch to close the brutal seven hours of flying. She'd be damned if she allowed that to happen again, bested by her direct competitor, so the pitch had become an even closer friend than usual as of late, in contrast to a friend who had broken tradition this summer. Not that they had an official agreement of any kind to spend part of their summer holiday together, but one would think that after years of visits extending on either end that it was a given that they wouldn't miss their final one before graduation, right? But Alex had spent much of the summer in Italy, visiting family - and that was great! Lovely for them. She was sure. But it had bothered her more than she wanted to think about, especially as her sisters had been entirely unrelenting about the whole affair, and that their usual exchange of letters over the summer months hadn't been picked up either. Was theirs a friendship that had a time limit on it? She hadn't thought so, happily able to envision picking apart Falmouth-Wimbourne matches with him when they'd gone gray, but if he didn't see them like that, if he'd up and gone to France without bothering to tell her...

Give it a rest, Greta!

Quidditch, N.E.W.T. levels, holding positions in clubs and the school paper, and maintaining a productive social life? Something had to give, this final year was no joke, but Greta was grateful for the ease she'd felt in stepping away from the castle and grounds with Helena for the Hogsmeade trip. The lovely girl had been a kind and steady companion for so long, and Greta was glad to have her delightful company to herself today. How fun would it be if they could coordinate their costumes somehow? Pouring through the eclectic mix at Gladrags was a blast with Helena at her side - the mix of vintage and loud would give them a great base for costumes, she was sure of it - and she turned to her friend with a laugh. "Honestly, I've no idea who I'd be with this on," Greta admitted, "but the color is screaming at me insistently enough that I may have to run with it anyway. Finding anything to inspire you?"

[Helena Goldstein]

Peaking over the rack of clothes she was browsing through, Helena gave a bright smile. “You look smashing!” she said, abandoning her search and coming around to stand next to her friend to properly look upon her reflection. As they stood together in the mirror she admired Greta’s flare and the way the eccentric jacket seemed to suit her, running her fingers lightly along the beading overlaying the plaid. “But is it perfect?” she asked, already knowing from her thoughts that her roommate wasn’t over the moon about it, though it was her favorite thing so far and it would be acceptable if they were unable to find something else. Helena made a mental promise that they would find clothes they loved, and would settle for nothing less. In this, their last year, they deserved to have everything they had worked so hard for. And that included top-notch fashion!

They needed this day, together, shopping, menial cares and worries put aside. Two friends preparing for their girl date to the masquerade, having a blast while doing it. Or at least she was trying to make it that way. Greta’s thoughts were still on the daily struggles of her life, school, Quidditch, Alex. Internally the blonde was screaming. Alex was...being Alex and Greta was doing what she did best, analyze and it never worked out as it should between the two when they were being this way. But what was she to do about it? All she could do was try and take Greta’s mind off of it all. Her own  as well, as she was also consumed with seventh year stresses, though none of them concerned a man-boy. She held up a dress she had plucked from the rack and draped over her arm some time ago, it was short and light and embroidered in delicate flowers and also contained more beading than her entire wardrobe put together. “Let’s find out!” she said excitedly, disappearing behind a curtain and reappearing a minute later in the funky dress.... that had an opening too large to be modest right in the center of her sternum... Well I didn’t see that there. She thought, glancing down at the exposed bit of skin as she exited her stall.

Helena decided she would at least see how it looked, so she floated her arms out and gave herself a serious stare down in the mirror but it took only seconds for her to begin laughing uncomfortably. One hand flew to her mouth, the other to try covering as much of her exposed chest as possible. “Oh lord no.” she said through the fit of giggles that overtook her, tearing her eyes away to set laughing ones on her friend. “I can’t wear this. I’ll get thrown out of the ball!” I’ll never even make it to the ball. “Honestly Greta, I don’t even know what I’m looking for. Or who I would be in this.” She said, echoing the dark-haired girls earlier words. “I guess we’ll have to figure it out together.” she added, taking up Greta’s hand. “Come on, let’s keep looking. Maybe we should come up with a concept, that might help?”

[Greta Catchlove]

Greta leaned into her friend affectionately as they stood in the mirror, grin widening as Helena spoke up. While no one could forget her fellow Ravenclaw's innate abilities, the darling girl did her best to ask instead of tell, even when she already knew the answer. "It's not. But I am feeling this color palette, so we're heading...somewhere." Helena shortly disappeared behind a curtain to try something on herself, and Greta returned the jacket to its hanger, willing herself to get into the moment for the benefit of them both, and returned to playing with the scarves as she waited. Her friend deserved her full attention, and to be picked up by their togetherness too. Her friend who was here, not the one who maybe hadn't even received her letters yet - letters she should have tucked away in her journal instead of sending away on no-turning-back flights to Beauxbatons -

"Excuse you, gorgeous." Greta turned to see her friend as she emerged, looking as beautiful as she'd ever seen her, despite the heightened color in her cheeks. Her contagious laughter got Greta grinning herself, and she giggled as her companion threw her words right back at her. "First off, you could totally pull this off if you wanted to. But if you don't - " She made quick work of retrieving the jacket, putting it around Helena's shoulders before she continued, returning the squeeze to her hand when it was taken. "We could do a little alteration back at the castle, if you like the rest of it. This embroidery is to die for. But I think you're right, we need a concept - we need masks. That's where the character should start, right? And then we can build the rest of the outfits to fit? I'm feeling something...bold." Her eyes lit up at the thought, and her excited shoulders gave a shimmy. Putting costumes together for their final Halloween masquerade was something special to share with her Helena, and she was confident that they'd have the rest of the castle fooled. They just needed a promising start, and she knew they could figure it out. "How about you? Did you want to change?"

Before long, the duo had danced to the wall of masks, and Greta had levitated a fair handful down. Woodsy, birdlike, classics, insects, abstract...she wanted to be inspired, and the options were there, something just needed to click. With her back to Helena, she let her long hair down and tried on a mask with the colors she wanted - and it was a loud one, floral bits sticking up and out with personality of its own. She tried out a few looks with her reflection and, beaming, called out. "Goldie! Show me what you've got in five...four..."

[Helena Goldstein]

Helena supposed heading somewhere was better than heading nowhere, but where was still uncertain. She was enjoying the journey however and truly believed that by the end of it all they would be happy and look smashing. Even if that wasn’t going to happen in this dress. She and her roommate shared a good giggle over it and Helena felt lighter for it. She sent Greta a smile as the other girl chattered on, making her feel comfortable as she provided more modesty in the form of the jacket she had tried on. Helena appreciated it and let her know with a firm squeeze of hands and a quiet “Thanks Gret’s.” and at her question Helena gave it a moment of thought, glancing down at the mix match of fine dress and funky jacket she was currently sporting. “Yes, but not now, let’s go!” So she trailed along behind the darker girl as she searched the racks and shelves for something inspiring. “Bold seems just your style and exactly what we need.” she agreed coming abreast to the rows of masks on display.

In Greta’s mind, she could feel the excitement of the prospect of a plan, an idea, a reason for this Ball and it was infectious. Helena let it seep into her conscious, amping up her own joy for the upcoming party. But when her roommate laid out an array of masks and suggested they choose in secret Helena’s mental barriers slammed up so quickly it made her smile. Not so long ago she struggled with her shields, blocking out the thoughts of others, now it was second nature and she barely had to think about it. “Alright.” Helena said, the excitement clear in her voice as she turned away and began looking over potential masks. Her natural instinct would have been to choose a simple mask, maybe all of one color, and definitely nothing too fussy, probably delicate and floral, and nothing to remember. She fought that instinct and looked only at the most loud, as Greta had put it, mask, the ones too extravagant for her face, or a color she would typically never wear. She also took into consideration their want of a concept and to appear cohesive and her hand was drawn to a mask she thought would fit the bill nicely. She was affixing it to her face as her roommate began her countdown, spinning around on one with a flourish.

“Oh Greta!” she exclaimed upon sight of her dear friend. “That mask is so you.” Helena reached out and ran her fingers along the brightly colored foliage. “And we sort of match! What do you think? Perhaps we have a theme developing?” They had been drawn to reds and golds it seemed and Helena had to admit that though she and Greta were painted in different hues, the rich red and lush golds suited them both very very well. The blonde tugged them back over to the mirror to admire their reflections. “With these, I think we’ll require much finer dress, don’t you agree?”

[Greta Catchlove]

Bold. That's what this final year should be about - bold moves before they scattered, making impacts and memories together that would last a lifetime. That's what really sucked about Alex being away, wasn't it? Finding out too late that last year had been their last time for these sorts of shenanigans? No. It's that you didn't know it was ending early. So Greta was bolstered by her roommate's bravery in stepping out of her comfort zone, taking her energy to heart as they looked over their options. The reds still pulled her in, and she hoped that her pick wouldn't be too far-flung from Helena's that they wouldn't be able to tie them together. She wasn't interested in finding anyone else as a date, feeling that now was the time to keep it simple rather than get tied down - although she supposed she should confirm that that's where Helena's mind was too...

When they turned for their grand reveal, however, Greta couldn't have been more pleased. Trusting that Helena had blocked her out so she'd be surprised too just made the reveal all the more enjoyable. She let out a wordless exclamation at the sight of her friend - the coordinating colors! the absolute vision of a fairy tale! - and settled slightly to preen under Helena's eye, happily trotting along to share a mirror. "Not that we aren't fantastic in blue, but Gryffindors can't be the only ones in red and gold. It's just not right when we look this good - we're onto our theme, love," she declared, letting her eyes run over the details of her friend's mask. It was an exquisite piece, giving them so much room to play, and she felt her mind racing already. 

"You're right - we need to do it up, we need gowns. Pop in, see what I'm seeing," Greta invited, shutting her eyes as she let her imagination play. "I'm feeling gold for you, but redirect me if you've got inspiration already. Could go full-on classic princess, play off the roses and the jewels in the mask. But you could absolutely pull off a ball gown too, poofy poofy skirts and everything. Or more sleek - still bold, still shimmery, but elegant." She came back to the moment, smiling at their reflections, and leaned her head against Helena's shoulder. "What do you think? And let me officially ask - will you go to the dance with me?"

[Helena Goldstein]

Greta’s inner workings were always an exciting, interesting place to be. Her thoughts were quick like her speaking, her intelligence was clear in her line of thinking but never distracted from her warm personality. She had a gorgeous mind that produced vivid images, like now, picturing herself in a dress she looked incredible in but had probably never actually seen herself in. “You look great.” She told her, thinking that not everyone was capable of imagining things they had never seen, Greta could make a picture out of any description- but it was more than all that that drew her in. Helena chalked it up to something specific to Greta, it was just her, it was just the Greta-ness about her that always kept the blonde on her toes and entertained.

She had fun with her roommate, she was able to be completely herself as the raven haired beauty had always been adoring of her talent and accepting of the intrusion, it allowed her to not worry so much about finding out something she shouldn’t and enjoy life more. They had grown so used to it over the years that sometimes they didn’t need much speaking to have a conversation and in times of strife she often sought the other girl out as a sort of balm to her taxed emotions. This day was turning out to be the strongest sort of medicine for her soul and she found herself unable to stop smiling or giggling like a little girl. It was helping distract Greta from her turmoil about Alex as well, she hadn’t thought about him since they found their mask!

    That was two minutes ago.

                                    It’s a start.

“Oh wow.” Helena said as she turned to her friend, invited and drawn into Greta’s thoughts as she was until they were all she could see. There went her friend's amazing mind again, drawing up images of herself that had never existed but looked so real they could have. She blindly found the others hands, smiling as she saw herself through Greta’s eyes and she had to admit she looked quite pretty there. Blinking a few times she came back to the present with a deep breath, she wasn’t there but a short minute but going into someone's mind completely always felt like it took longer than it did. Greta rested her head on her plaid clade shoulder and the blonde laid her own head on her friends, nearly tearing up at her question. “I would love nothing more.” She said in answer, dropping a kiss on her roommates dark hair. “We’re going to have so much fun, and look amazing. I really like the first one by the way.” she said with a nod, meeting her friend's eyes. “The second one was...not me.” Helena laughed, trying to image herself trapped in such a dress for a whole evening. “The last one was also very nice. I’m not sure...I think one is for me. I don’t think we’ll get gowns like that here. Where should we go next?”

[Greta Catchlove]

"Why thank you - doesn't hurt to dream, eh?" Greta grinned, glad that they were long past the time when Helena seeing the gussied up vision of herself would've embarrassed her. Her friend's gift was a part of her, just as natural as breathing, and over time Greta found that she loved having someone see exactly what she saw. Her imagination could take her to the most beautiful places, and try as she might to verbalize it or put it to the written word, knowing that Helena could join her where she was, even when words failed - it was a beautiful thing. The blonde joined her now, stepping inside her mind politely as ever at the invitation, and the girls stood together, eyes closed to the world, hands finding each other's to stay grounded. When she'd shown her top ideas and opened her eyes, snuggling closer to ask her question, Greta was rewarded by a yes and a sweet kiss to her hair. She beamed at their reflections, glad to have that settled.

"Splendid. And I promise to not get too jealous if you ask anyone else to dance," Greta teased lightly. She was hopeful that her friend's loving, careful heart would find safekeeping with someone worthy of her. Maybe it wouldn't happen before they left school, permanently at least - Merlin knew that all of her own schoolyard romances had been doomed - but it was a good place to try, and the masquerade had the benefit of anonymity... For now, they would find their ensembles, prepare their best for a night out with each other. And later, she could work on the other Ravenclaw's confidence when it came to such things. So she was buoyed up to find that one of her mental images had struck a chord with the girl, that their day could continue on with greater clarity. "No ball gowns, noted," she laughed. "I think we may have to do some charm-work to touch things up, not sure if we'll find what we want exactly, but I believe in us. Here, I'll hold this - " She moved about to untie the other's mask. " - and poke around a bit while you get changed? Unless you plan on walking out in this dress - which I am not opposed to, by the by, I'll just have to prepare to have more competition to be your date."

Shortly after, masks paid for and boxed up, Greta walked out of the shop arm-in-arm with her friend. "Are you ready for your post-masquerade in-tray?" she asked in an undertone, knowing the influx of letters to Hogwarts's very own advice columnist was about to hit a high. "I danced all night with the most charming knight, but when I asked him to take off his mask, he ran away! I was distraught, I just couldn't believe it! Do I try to forget him, or try to find him?"

[Helena Goldstein]

“Never stop dreaming.” Helena told her friend. Because though the world was sometimes bleak and dreary, what made it all worth it in the end, was the strength that came with hopes and dreams. Greta had the most lovely optimism and the blonde never wanted her to forget that about herself, the world needed more Greta’s. She was special, and Helena got to be the lucky lady to take her to the upcoming Halloween Ball. The two seventh years shared a sweet moment and inside she felt the warmth of it, the way it made her soul feel loved. She giggled at her roommates last. “Same here. No jealousy.”

With anticipated enthusiasm, Greta picked back up on their quest, now armed with an idea, and more information. They needed gowns, they had a color scheme, they had masks, and her friend seemed to be forming a plan. Helena nodded along, “We can make it work, together,” bending slightly for Greta to undo her mask when asked. “We just need a good start.” She gave a surprised laugh at her roommate’s cheeky remark as she straightened up again. “There is no competition love,” she called back as she re-entered the dressing room. As the masks were being taken care of, Helena removed the jacket, letting it fall to the ground, and took a moment to run her fingers over the intricate embroidery on the dress. She gave a sigh, pulling the garment over her head in one sweep. It was a gorgeous dress, but it was not for her, so she placed it carefully back on the hanger, along with the jacket, and got dressed in her own clothes.

Once everything was situated with the shop, Helena weaved her way through the racks to link arms with her date and they set out on their next adventure. She turned to Greta, giving her a secret smile at the other’s words as they made their way down the cobbled street. She glanced around at the students milling about, experiencing that feeling she always got when her column came up like she wasn’t even herself. She was someone else altogether. “Dear Indecisive,” she said, matching her companion’s pitch, already giggling. “Find him you fool!” she met Greta’s eyes, laughing outright. “You know more or less.” Another giggle, because how else was she to mentally cope with all of everyone else’s issues? “No, I don’t think I am ready, these things always stir up, well, drama. And they’ll be writing in, wanting to know what to do about it. Then I’ll have to try figuring out how to help them not make a bigger mess of things. It’ll be therapeutic.” That was the purpose of her ghostwriting the advice column in the first place, to express some of the things she never allowed herself to say to her peers. To use everything she knew through her gift to help people. Greta was one of the few who knew her secret, and sometimes it was nice to talk about, but at the moment... “I’ll worry about that after the Ball though. Right now, we’re shopping!”

[Greta Catchlove]

"I never will." The promise was an easy one for the girl to make, because who even would she be without her dreams? Even if today her dreams were straying from their usual vein and swirling into images of fantastical ball gowns, hair and makeup done up far beyond her current capabilities - Greta had never been able to wrangle in her imagination, and why would she want to? If she allowed her own mind, her own self, to put limitations onto her, that would give the world free rein to do so too, and she'd never know what she was capable of. It was better to dream and to try rather than striving for mediocrity - and if today that meant not settling for underwhelming ensembles for their final masquerade, that's what it meant. That Helena was on board to go together and go big made her heart swell, even if she had already been fairly certain her darling friend was of a similar mind. Agreeing to no jealousy should either of them ask someone or be asked to dance by another was just icing on the fairy cake. Their plan was coming together, they'd work with what they could find in Hogsmeade, and they had weeks to finish their final products. She smiled to herself as Helena went off to change, glad for the feeling of ease that was lightening her spirits. It really was amazing what some devoted time with a friend could do.

Arm-in-arm out of the shop, masks carefully boxed and secured in the bag hanging from the crook of her elbow, Greta laughed as Hogwarts's best and most secret columnist whispered back. She understood why her fellow wanted the mystery kept, but sometimes wished her friend would allow herself some time in the sun. Helena deserved credit for all the help she gave, and the rumor mill was always churning up new ideas on who the ghost writer was - some even advocating that it really was a ghost behind the words. She was often inspired by her friend - Helena was sincere in her wish to do good for others, and truly was one of the best among them. Greta wanted to see her own name in lights too badly to be so selfless, and hoped that she still was helpful, and thankfully her friend didn't hold that against her. "You're a marvel at it, you know," Greta encouraged, giving her arm a squeeze. "People write in because they trust you. You haven't let them down, and you won't. Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about."

Taking a look around them for familiar faces, she suggested, "Let's keep an eye out for Em and Elliott." Greta was sure that their housemates were around the village somewhere. Neither of them were seeing anyone, to her knowledge...and if she remembered properly, they'd gone to a dance as friends at least once before. "If they don't have plans yet, we should rope them in. They've got to come, it's our last Halloween!"

[Helena Goldstein]

She watched the sun glinting off of shop windows, the passersby’s who paid them no mind, but what she really saw was the theatrical mind of her friend as they traveled. If they looked half as good the night of the ball as they did in Greta’s musings, the rest of Hogwarts might as well take a seat. They would be royalty. Talk took a turn from the Ball to the aftermath of the Ball, something she was both looking forward to, and dreading. More excited than the latter but there was always that feeling that she wasn’t helping anyone at all and the possibility that she would make things worse. Helena was grateful for Gret’s faith in her abilities, she drew on some of that, reminding herself that she had seen some great outcomes when her advice was followed. And to date, no major disasters…that she knew of.

“I do try to help.” she sighed, patting Greta’s arm where they were linked together. "And you do deserve to see your name in lights. I would rather not, but you, you Greta’s are going to do something noteworthy, something special.” Helena had complete belief in that statement; her best friend was a flower among weeds and she was destined for greatness, the world just needed to see her and they would love her just as much. She preferred a quieter approach, less fame…maybe just as much fortune. She chuckled at her own internal joke, and in a rare moment, wished that Greta had been able to hear it. That her link went two ways instead of one. If she was to have that with anyone, she trusted it to be Greta.

Helena’s face lit up at her friend’s suggestion, she firmly believed in the more the merrier when it came to her friends. “That is brilliant Gret’s! We’ll ask them as soon as we see them, Em will look great in gold.” She wanted to mention Leon, her favorite and most dear cousin, but she knew that he would be otherwise occupied that night. She was happy for him, for all of her classmates who were finding their partners this year. It seemed to be an awful lot of them. “Oh look!” Helena exclaimed, distracted from their conversation as they passed by by the antique shop. She brought them to a stop in front of the door. “I’m not sure if they have dresses but we can always look for embellishments.” Helena waved her fingers and flipped her hair to punctuate her words, giggling at the excitement of it all, picturing herself with an outrageous necklace over her décolletage.

[Greta Catchlove]

"Merlin, Goldie, you're making me blush," Greta said with a delighted laugh, heart warm with such praise, and went on in earnest. "Promise to keep me grounded, even when I'm a household name?" She may not have had a fully cooked plan, not yet - but the girl had ambition in spades, and once she found a path worth taking, or forged her own, she knew she'd get there. She knew she could create something that was hers, something filled with her words and her ideas and her stories, something that was fun and helpful all in one. If she could start at The Prophet after graduation, get some experience writing for a living, be surrounded by the industry and start figuring out how it worked...it would be a solid first step towards publishing something that was just her, hmm?

Their party of Ravenclaw's most eligible seventh years grew, or at least it would as soon as they saw any more of their single friends, and Greta gave a resounding nod. Her co-captain would be stunning in gold, or maybe she'd want the drama of red... "She'll be just beautiful, no doubt about it. And maybe we can get Elliott into a color? I don't think I've ever seen him at one of these in anything other than plain dress robes. If we're very lucky, perhaps we can coerce him into...burgundy? Something fairly subtle, but a change-up anyway." The anonymity of the masquerade afforded certain freedoms which, admittedly, some of her fellow students took too much advantage of. But it was a time to have fun, and that could mean letting yourself embody a new character for a few hours - and for someone who always seemed to be stretched taut by nerves of his own design, could it be a relief to take an evening away from being himself? She cringed internally at the less-than-gracious thought, but did wonder what could happen for him if he leaned in. Could he see that there really was nothing dire, nothing life-or-death, about letting go of control?

She paused in step as Helena stopped them at the door to the antique shop, and her smile was shortly reflected in the door the same as her roommate's was. "We need embellishments," she agreed easily, giving the door a push. It was chilled inside, with a smell of potpourri and polished metallic, and the bustle of the street muted as the doors closed behind them. "What are you thinking to look for? Jewelry, shoes?"

[Helena Goldstein]

Helena looked down at Greta with fondness, giggling at her comment. The praise and faith she bestowed on her friend were so deserved and she deserved to know it, that at least one person was rooting her on. Though she knew Greta had many people in her corner. “Promise. I will never let you forget where you came from, even when the world knows your name.” She doubted she would have to work very hard to achieve that, her friend just didn’t seem like the type to let the fame get to her head. And she would be famous, Helena was confident in that.

Greta drew her into her mind again with images of their roommate in a couple of gowns for their big night as the conversation turned back to the Ball. “Oh nevermind, not gold. Red.” she said quietly. Em looked stunning in both options to be sure but Emmaline Vance in red, it was breathtaking. Red was definitely her color. Her friend’s mind moved onto another of their group, Elliot and Helena went with her, smiling at the image she conjured up. “What a good idea.” she complimented. “Burgundy. Not too colorful or bright but not black. He looked very sophisticated. I don’t think I’ve ever pictured him like that. Have I mentioned how amazing your mind is?” Helena was sure she had, because how could she not? Greta had a flare for fashion it seemed and if cooking didn’t pan out she could have a career as a designer. She was doing a bang-up job of making them all look incredible, if they took her advice, they would be the best dressed there. She really hoped Elliot did, it would be nice to see him in something that wasn’t robes doing something…traditionally fun with them.

They came upon a new shop and Greta shared in her excitement of the possibilities within. “At the risk of sounding snobbish.” Helena glanced around the shop and pitched her voice to a whisper. “Second-hand shoes sort of gross me out.” She linked her fingers with her roommates and pulled them past the crystal lamps and large wooden frames portraits to a glinting display case along the far wall. “I was thinking something more like this.”

[Greta Catchlove]

"Fantastic - you must write the about the author in my first book, and I'll read it every morning to remind myself, and stay perfectly humble." Greta laughed back, only half-joking, and was split between conjuring up beautiful attire for their mates and looking for them on the crowded street. She was rather kicking herself for not coming up with this plan earlier, so they could have all been together from the start of the trip to the village, a power group of Ravenclaw seventh years preparing to turn a dance into an event - but with any luck, whenever they found the others, they wouldn't far enough along in their own masquerade plans to say no to joining in on hers and Helena's. She kept an eye out for others in their year, maybe Leon and Viola would be game too...

"You have," Greta said with a grin, "but I appreciate it all the same. Right back at you, my love." Her darling friend was doing a bang up job at making her feel like herself, and she was grateful. And, with the plethora of minds that Helena had experienced in her day, a statement that hers was amazing was a compliment that Greta truly took to heart. It was great fun to concoct the living pictures of her mates at their best, trying to fit in the little details here and there that were ornate enough to help each look special, but natural enough to still feel like any of them. Those were the little pieces she tried to pay attention to too, to fit into her stories, to help them come to life. When she took up her journal tonight to write about their day, she already knew that she'd spend far too long trying to find just the right words to describe her friend's look in that first dress, the trading of visions for the masquerade, warmth of simply spending a day together. Who knew what reality would bring, but the daydreams had minds of their own and showed no signs of stopping. For as much difficulty as her overactive imagination could give her when things were going awry, hopefully today she could help them stay inspired.

Into the new - well, ancient - shop they went, and Greta turned a burst of a laugh into a cough expertly hidden in her elbow as they caught the attention of the witch behind the till. While she could absolutely see her friend's point, their skills coupled with the amount of everything she and her sisters had always shared - voluntarily or no - and the thought hadn't crossed her mind. But she was keen to know what was on her friend's, and was happily pulled along by the hand to a display case, following Helena's footsteps closely to avoid knocking into any of the precariously placed items along the way. Her eyes hungrily took in the illuminated rows of sparkling jewelry, the spidery handwriting on notes about this charmed piece or that, as she surveyed the case that had drawn her friend's attention. They already had spectacular masks - if they found jewelry to compliment, maybe they could even wear simpler dresses already in their trunks, or easier ones to find or modify than what she'd imagined - but no less fantastic. "I see you...the pearls, I could charm them to match the berries on my mask! What are you feeling?"

[Helena Goldstein]

“I’ll be sure to write something absolutely fantastic.” There were so many admiral quality in her friend that she could already feel the words coming to her. She may even have a few lines to jot down by the time the made their way back to the castle for the night. If she was able to give it much though, which currently, she wasn’t. She was having far too much fun shopping with Greta and enjoying the beautiful fashions she conjured for them all in her minds eye. How would they ever live up to such excellence?

That path was still unclear but they were working on it and she thought they were doing a pretty fine job of it. With her friends clear inspiration, it wasn’t hard to make a plan for what she was hoping would truly be a night to remember. “And I will keep telling you because without you, were would be now. I’d have us in orange and green. Can you imagine trying to get Elliot into orange? Or Em into green?” Helena chuckled at her own joke. Of course, she would never! But she would also have never been able to come up with such style as her best friend had. It was much better that Greta handled this bit.

Their next stop helped them along in their journey. It was nearly bursting with antique odds and ends and seems to have a very nice selection of jewelry that with a little help could fit their needs. “Exactly! So beautiful, you could do so much with this.” Helena exclaimed, crouching down to better view the wears in the display case. “You’re so good at charms, it will be a snap. Maybe a ring too, if we can find a sturdy one; I find metals a little difficult to work with.” She pulled a face, probably best to let Greta handle that bit as well. “As for me? What about…a tiara? You're thinking extravagant right? With some cleaning up, this might not be too bad, what do you think?”

[Elliott Thomas]

A spark of laughter from the front of the store drew his attention, and Elliott looked through the overstuffed room, smiling to himself as two of his Housemates came in-and-out of view. He weighed the items in his hands, still dissatisfied, and checked his watch. It was getting close to the time he and Taryn were to meet, and indecision still had him in its grip. He wanted to get it right, this gift for her upcoming birthday, and figured it would be less stressful to secure it now then to wait for next month's outing. That would be cutting it too close, and then he wouldn't have even the option to write his brothers for help, to send something in from London if Hogsmeade didn't have what he was looking for. The problem, however, was that Elliott didn't know exactly what he was looking for. He and his longtime friend had been seeing each other in a different way since the summer began, and she deserved something...thoughtful, thoughtful and right, something she would appreciate, not just because it came from him.

But the folder of sheet music from days gone by, well - it was crumbling in his hands, and he was being careful, but the pages were already yellowed, and was it even in the right key for her or her frog for choir, and were the songs any good? And how could he trust that the heavy muggle camera still worked? She'd get a kick out of it either way, he hoped, but something that Taryn could actually use would certainly be more preferable than what amounted to a pricey knickknack. The camera, at least, they could problem-solve, and it could be a fun puzzle to work out... He set the folder back, listening in on the conversation between Helena and Greta not for nosy purposes, but as they were the only shoppers chatting, it was inevitable. Following their chipper chatter to the case of jewelry and more, he nodded in greeting as he approached the pair. "If you disregard what the alchemists kept trying and failing with, metalwork gets easier," he shrugged, looking through the glass at the hodgepodge of rings. "What is it you're trying to do?"