Winter Valentine: Winter Princess/Mermaid Fashion Show

A fashion show at Hogwarts! There was no way Lyra was going to miss that. So, after doing her share of talking and gossiping with her friends, skating, grabbing a glass of punch and a couple snacks, and even getting asked to dance a few times, she decided to head to what she'd really been waiting for. The fashion show.

She'd made her own dress for it and everything, and couldn't be prouder of herself. Well, she didn't make it exactly, but the design was all her own. She'd even drawn up her own pattern for it. She'd just had to send it to her mom, along with a description of her perfect tiara and silver flats, and her mom had sent the dress, flats, and tiara back with her dress for the dance. It had only taken a moment to go change into the dress perfect for the runway, her movements while changing careful so she wouldn't ruin her hair or makeup.

The next thing she knows she's on the runway, music starting up in her ears. A deep breath in and she's starting down the ice, her usual moves working perfectly. Swinging, fluid walk, dazzling smiles, and plenty of crowd pleasing poses. A jutted hip here, a blown kiss there, and she was back off the stage in no time. Hard to think she'd designed this whole dress for what felt like a two second showing. But it didn't make it any less satisfying to know that her first ever dress had been shown off. And the proud, slightly teary look on her mom’s face had been icing on the cake.

Mariah wasn't really one for competition herself, but she enjoyed supporting her friends in their endeavors, so as she and Nikolai made their way back to the main party, the crowd forming at the fashion competition drew her interest. She knew very little about fashion, and she didn't necessarily think it was the best idea to compare people based on how pretty they were, but in her mind it was at least better than reindeer racing, and she could appreciate the hard work the competitors put in. So she looked on with some fascination as the two of them drew closer.

The first person to appear on the stage was Lyra, someone Mariah actually knew and considered a friend. Mariah smiled at her from the crowd, applauding along with the rest of the students. Lyra took to the runway like a natural, and Mariah wondered if she'd done this before. She of course looked stunning in her gown, but Mariah mostly admired her charisma and how comfortable she looked on the stage. She hadn't seen any of the other competitors yet, but she thought her dorm mate had a real chance. Even if she didn't, Mariah would have probably rooted for her anyway.

As Lyra finished her walk, Mariah turned back to Nikolai, resuming their conversation from earlier. After a few moments, the next contestant was announced, and she glanced back up to see an older girl take the stage. She was absolutely breathtaking, and Mariah didn't hide the fact that she thought so, clapping just as hard as she had for Lyra. It was obvious these girls put a lot of effort into how they looked. They deserved to be appreciated.

She glanced at Nikolai, giggling a little at his wide-eyed expression.

"Do you know her?" Mariah asked. She knew she must have seen the older witch around at some point, but she couldn't pinpoint where.

Before he could answer, the next name was announced, and Nikolai's expression changed to one of confusion. Mariah looked up at the stage. She didn't really know Bushrah, but the name rang a bell. Wasn't that the Muslim girl who hung out with Nikolai's group? It took a long moment for her to recognize the girl's face. She looked...different somehow. Oh! Mariah's eyes widened as she realized what was missing. She took off her hijab.

It was then that the rest of the picture registered. Not only had the girl removed her head scarf, she had styled her hair in two lopsided buns, and her outfit was a cheap and ill-fitting Princess Leia costume. She looked hopelessly out of her element as she navigated the runway, and Mariah's hands flew reflexively to her mouth as she gasped, eyes wide with concern as she stood transfixed by the scene. Oh, no, she thought as a chitter passed through the crowd. A sharp pang of secondhand embarrassment flashed through her, causing her cheeks to flush.

As the jeers rang out from the crowd, Mariah looked around in horror, trying to find at least one sympathetic face. Why was nobody putting a stop to this? The poor girl didn't deserve to be subjected to ridicule from her peers. Where were the teachers? Wasn't someone supposed to be supervising? A surge of protectiveness shot through her as she looked back at Bushrah's face. The girl was still walking steadfastly forward despite the reaction of the crowd. Underneath her mortification and her anger at her peers, Mariah felt a swell of admiration for the girl's bravery. If Mariah had been in her place, she would have bailed immediately, but Bushrah pushed on.

That is, until she reached the end of the runway and tried to turn, tripping over her robe and falling hard. Mariah inhaled sharply, wincing at the sight and reflexively moving forward as if to run up and help the girl to her feet. She stopped herself after one step. She wasn't that brave. She looked around again for an adult, either a teacher or a chaperone, but she couldn't see anything through the mass of students.

One laugh stood out from the rest, originating from right beside her. Aghast, Mariah turned her indignant gaze toward Nikolai as the boy guffawed along with the crowd. She shook her head in disbelief as she found herself at a loss for words. She couldn't believe him! He was better than this, wasn't he? She'd always thought he was better than this.

"What's the matter with you?" she blurted furiously, shoving past him. She needed to find an adult. Surely someone must be nearby? She sent a final pitying glance toward Bushrah as the girl struggled to her feet, then ripped her gaze away. She couldn't take it anymore. She ducked and weaved through the crowd until she emerged on the outskirts, searching for anyone who might know what to do.

Merlin, modeling was so much fun! And she of course, with her years of experience, had been perfect out on the runway, shoulders back confidently as she slipped backstage once more. She only felt a flicker of doubt at the sight of Apollonia who looked absolutely stunning! Of course she had to go on before that!

She gave the older girl a wide grin and a thumbs up. "Warmed them up for you! You're gonna knock em dead, you look fab!" She encouraged the Slytherin before moving to change back into her other gown that she would wear for the rest of the night. She heard the clapping of the crowd and knew Loni was doing amazing, as she always seemed to do. She was just effortless gorgeous it seemed.

She had only just finished changing and was looking around for her mom when Bushrah's name was announced. She took a minute to congratulate Apollonia before going to peek out and watch Bushrah's walk. The... robe? pillow case? sheet? whatever the girl was wearing was enough to draw an immediate frown from Lyra as she took in the added silver disks around her waist, white boots that she seemed clumsy in to say the least, and lopsided buns that the girl sported. Yikes.

Laughter was already starting to trickle through the audience as the girl walked down the runway, but it increased at some comment that Lyra could only hear enough to recognize someone was talking. It only deepened her frown, but she sent her silent support to the girl as she watched. And then the girl hit the floor.

Lyra let out a small gasp despite herself and glanced over her shoulder, calling for her mother only to see she was busy helping another student get ready. So without another second's thought she rushed out from backstage to give the girl a hand, helping her pick up the length of her skirt so she wasn't tripping on it as she wrapped the other arm around her and hurried her backstage, sending glares at the still laughing audience. "Ignore them, they're just assholes," she murmured to her as they walked as fast as the poor girl's feet could take them without stumbling.

Mariah made it away from the crowd, but couldn't find a chaperone anywhere. She looked back up at the stage to see Lyra leading Bushrah away from the jeering audience and felt a rush of gratitude and appreciation for her housemate. At least one person had some compassion.

And then a familiar voice called out from the crowd.

"Look! It's the stupid American girl come to save her."

Mariah's skin felt hot as she scanned the crowd for Nikolai, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. But there he was, in the middle of a group of boys, singing and laughing and mocking the girls on stage. Mariah simply stood dumbfounded, alone at the edge of the audience, lips parted slightly in shock as something inside her crumbled. She felt numb. She didn't know what to do.

She wanted to get out of here.

Her feet started moving of their own accord, carrying her away from the excitement. It was all so wrong. She couldn't believe everyone could be so horrible.

She couldn't believe Nikolai could be so horrible.

The commotion continued, but she tried to block it out as she skirted around the crowd, finally realizing she would find no sympathy there. All of them were clearly enjoying themselves, and the thought made her face burn with anger instead of embarrassment. How could they be so...cruel? Not just to Bushrah, but to Lyra as well. Her frown deepened as Nikolai's comment ran through her head.

If Lyra was a "stupid American girl," what did that make her?

Lyra. Lyra understood. Lyra was the only one who'd actually shown some decency - more than Mariah had, in fact. She'd actually been brave enough to do something.

And now she's paying for it.

Mariah quickened her pace as she came to a decision. She may not have been brave enough to run onstage like Lyra had, but she could still do something to help. Leaving the audience behind, she made her way around to the backstage area, quietly slipping inside.

She needed to find Lyra and Bushrah and let them know somebody was on their side. Humiliation was terrible, but it was even worse having to deal with it alone.

After Squid Boy and Mimosa started dancing, Mercy retreated some distance away and found herself on the edge of the ice rink. Having nothing better to do, she pulled on some skates and glided out onto the ice, trying to get her mind off of...whatever this was. She couldn't even pinpoint what it was she was feeling, just that she didn't like it and she wanted it to stop. She moved across the ice in slow circles, winding lazily around some other skaters. So many people were skating in pairs. Every giggling, hand-holding couple she passed made the bad feeling intensify for some reason, so she made a game of pretending she didn't notice when she glided in between them, forcing them to break apart for a few seconds to get out of the way. It cheered her up a little bit.

Just as she was growing bored of skating, however, she heard the soft scrape of someone else approaching, and turned just in time to see Mimosa, catching her effortlessly as the smaller girl spun around and closed the distance between them. Mercy's mood instantly brightened, the contact alone bringing a grin to her lips. Her heart pounded furiously as Mimosa brought her face even closer, and she stood stock still as they brushed noses, hardly daring to breathe lest she ruin the moment.

"I've been right here the whole time," she responded to Mimosa's question, but she trailed off as she processed the Slytherin's next comment. She blinked. "You wanted to dance with me?"

If she'd known that, she would have asked. Mentally berating herself for the missed opportunity, she tried to recover some of her composure, taking Mimosa's hand. "If you still want to dance later, we can," she offered, trying to tamp down her eagerness at the idea. If she danced with Mimosa, that would mean Squid Boy had nothing over her. She didn't really know how to dance, but she was sure Mimosa did. And if they were dancing to one of those slow songs, there wasn't much to it as far as she could tell. Most people just held each other and swayed to the music. She could manage that.

Now that Mimosa was here, the world was right again, and Mercy forgot all about her earlier mood. Mimosa's hand fit comfortably in hers as they made their way off the rink, the promise of a sleigh ride - just the two of them - making Mercy feel warm and happy despite the surrounding ice and snow. It seemed it would have to wait, however, as Mimosa remembered she was supposed to compete in the fashion show.

Normally, the idea of a fashion show would be incredibly boring and unappealing to Mercy's interests, but since Mimosa was competing, she followed without complaint. She was confident Mimosa would blow the rest of the girls out of the water, even if she turned up in what she was already wearing. She couldn't imagine anything prettier than the girl at her side right now.

They arrived to see Lyra on stage. Mercy really hadn't the first clue about what was considered fashionable to most girls, but she had to admit Lyra looked really nice in her dress. She nodded emphatically at Mimosa's comment, figuring she probably knew what she was talking about.

"You probably have nothing to worry about," she maintained as Mimosa wondered about her own dress. "You'd look good in anything."

Next up was an older Slytherin, and even Mercy could tell she was stunning. Still, it did nothing to shake her confidence that Mimosa would win. She might just need to try a little harder.

She turned to look at Mimosa as the older girl left the stage, and she was about to say something when she heard the next name. Wait. Bushrah?

She returned her gaze to the stage incredulously as the girl stepped out, and her confusion was quickly replaced by a snort of shocked amusement. She looked awful! Mercy was a fan of Star Wars, but Bushrah made a terrible Princess Leia. The younger girl was always trying to pretend she was cooler than she actually was. Mercy had always found it annoying the way she hung out with Mimosa's group simply because she wanted to be a part of something. It was kind of sad, really.

A shout from the audience brought a peal a laughter from her lips as she watched Bushrah slip about on the ice in her bedsheet. Serves her right for thinking people actually like her. Mercy didn't know of anyone who actually liked Bushrah. They all just tolerated her because she didn't do anything.

As the rest of the crowd joined in, Mercy couldn't help but enjoy the show. She cackled as Bushrah fell over, cracking up at the girl's pink shorts. Glancing at Mimosa, she saw that the other girl was laughing as well, which only made her laugh harder. Maybe the fashion show didn't have to be boring after all.

As she wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye, she looked back up at the stage to see Lyra had come back on, helping Bushrah to her feet. She guessed it was nice of Lyra to do that, but for some reason that just made it even funnier because Bushrah couldn't get up by herself. A song started up from somewhere in the audience and Mercy recognized it as the Imperial March. As the song grew louder, she gleefully joined in, ushering the failed Princess Leia off the stage.

She turned to Mimosa as she finally calmed down, a stray giggle bubbling up every now and then as she replayed the image of Bushrah falling over in her head.

"Well, you're definitely going to win now!" she told the Slytherin, confidence completely restored and then some.