Title: Paint the Great Hall Red
Prompt:Eloise Midgen bought something at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for Terry Boot
Rating: PG
Pairings: Onesided!Terry/Eloise
Summary: Eloise isn't what you would call a 'looker' and she's willing to do anything to attract the attention of one Terry Boot, including braving something off the shelves of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
Something tells me I was looking rather shifty, as I walked up to the owlery, intending to order something from Weasley’ Wizard Wheezes. I’m finally 17 so I can put my scheme -ahem- I mean ’idea’ into action.
I’ve noticed Terry for some time now. Not that he’d ever notice me. . . I’ve gotten the distinct feeling that if Terry ever really looked at me, he might break out into cries of “My eyes, they burn!”
I know what you are all thinking, oh Eloise is sooooo insecure, well, I have good reason. My acne is horrible, simply and utterly horrible. It looks like my face is a bloody pepperoni pizza. Well, this would be my final year in Hogwarts, it was time for me to make a change.
I ordered the acne cream Fred and George had developed. I still am rather shocked that they’ve became so successful, no offence to them or anything. They’re decent guys and all, but they aren’t the type to apply themselves and shoulder the responsibility of owning a business. . . Anyway, back on subject, I’d like to think that I’m spending all these gallons on Terry, not myself.
I watched the owl fly off, feeling horrible about spending a lot of my savings on these cosmetics. I know it’s horrible but I also got a love potion- yes you can all think I’m a complete freak for it. It’s just that I’m really desperate for him to notice me.
I know what my friends say, how the right guy will care more about my personalities than my looks and how I’m a really nice person and any guy would be lucky to have me. If that’s true, then why are the guys chasing after the pretty and rather superficial girls. I mean, think about it, back in 4th year when Fleur came to our school, guys were practically frolicking to her, and trust me it wasn’t because of her personality.
Oh no, I’m being bitter again, I really need to work on that. Anyway, I’ve anticipating the day it would come. I hope it’ll arrive before Valentines day.
Well when it finally came, the day before Valentine’s day and I couldn’t be happier to see that package arrive. I’d just spent hours sitting in behind Terry in Charms. He’s so smart and funny. Okay, focus Eloise, don’t get lost in thought about him, do something about it.
I slathered- yes, that’s right slathered- the cream on, praying for some sort of effect by tomorrow. I’m not a big morning person, in fact usually you can’t get any coherent sentences until an hour after I’m woken up. Valentine’s day though, was different, I got up early- well for me at least- at about six o’clock in the morning, which must be some sign of the apocalypse. All of my dorm-mates were woken unceremoniously as I scream, well it wasn’t a scream exactly, it was more of a squeal of delight. I’d just looked in the mirror. If I knew where Fred and George were right now, I swear I’d kiss them. My complexion was clear, yes that’s right, clear!!! The other girls looked at me wide eyed.
“Oh my god,” was all they could mouth.
“So what do you think?” I asked smiling, though feeling a bit shy under their stares.
“I think you’ll seduce Terry with no problem,” Alyssa Mensal, one of my roommates, said with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows.
“What??” I gasped, flushing what was probably a lovely shade of scarlet. I hadn’t told anyone I liked him.
“It was rather obvious,” Susan Bones interjected. Noticing the mortified look on my face, she continued.
“I am not obvious about it!” I said, though I don’t think I even believed myself. I mean, a girl can only stare at a guy for so long before people start asking questions.
“Denial’s not just a river in Egypt,” my friend Laura said dryly, grinning.
“You know what this means don’t you?” Gaby said, smiling like mad. She’s a nice enough girl, but she is rather ditzy at times. “Makeup!” She then preceded to squeal, while the rest of us mentally groaned, not that we’d ever complain to her about it, that’d be terribly rude.
Have you ever tried putting on eyeliner before? Gaby had to seriously ‘petrificus totalus’ me to get me to keep still. I came out feeling oddly confident. I’m one of those people who’d tend to hide in the background, and now I felt like standing out.
I had considered this a present for Terry, but suddenly it’s started feeling more and more for me.
My friends and I walked down the corridor, giggling all the while. I could feel eyes staring at me, wondering who this girl was with the Hufflepuffs.
I’m not saying that I look beautiful now, because trust me, I don’t, I’m just as plain looking as ever, but compared to how I looked before, the change was insane.
“Hi Eloise,” I heard a guys voice say to me. Ohmigod!! It was Terry. I tried to smile at him and seem completely calm, but I was blushing, probably a color reminiscent of the Weasleys. I took a Valentines card I had written a few weeks before and handed it to him, before I practically fled to the Hufflepuff table.
I watched as he read it- over at the Ravenclaw table- mortified beyond belief. After he finished reading he slipped it into his robes. I don’t know what that meant, was it a good thing, or was it bad? Is he embarrassed about getting a card from me, or did he like it? I could spend hours analyzing all of this, but Hannah started talking to me, disrupting my thoughts. Breakfast and my next class passed by in a blur. It really was bad planning. Having classes on Valentine’s day, I mean, everyone was far too distracted to actually learn anything.
“Eloise, wait up!” I heard someone yell from behind me, I turned to see Terry practically sprinting to catch up with me. The girls I had been walking with, exchanged glances before they hurried ahead to give us privacy.
Us I like the sound of that. . .
No doubt they would be waiting for me at the next corner, waiting to hear every detail about what happened.
“Your card was really nice,” he said, giving me a smile. It really was a nice card, it was a light blue color, not pink- which is way to feminine a color for a guy to receive, in my opinion- and read the quote:
As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.
Please be my Valentine
Eloise
I liked it, it didn’t come on to strong, but it gave a subtle hint about how I felt about him.
“Y- your welcome,” I managed out. He smiled kindly, far to kindly.
“Look,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. “I don’t really like you that way, but you seem like a decent person to me. Maybe we could study together sometime or something.”
I nodded and we agreed to study together in a couple of weeks- what can I say Terry’s a true Ravenclaw at heart- and I left grinning like a complete prat.
True he turned me down, but honestly he really didn’t know me that well at all. I just have to wait how the future takes me.
THE END