Kim Shimmers and the Diviner’s Curse
A Harry Potter Fanfic by me (and sequel to Kim Shimmers and the Screech Owl)
(Art not mine, couldn’t find credits. Let me know if you know them!)
This Harry Potter fanfic will be posted, if all goes well, every weekend.
Chapter 14
Yule Ball
Christmas morning, Kim opened up the few presents her parents had sent her. Her mother got her a dainty necklace to go with her dress with a gold chain and a small golden feather. It was probably one of the best Christmas presents she’d ever gotten, actually. It was quite perfect for her. Then she went down to breakfast and saw George along the way, walking alone.
“Where’s Fred?” she asked, thinking it was very odd to see one without the other.
“On his way,” George said plainly, slowing to a stop. “Told him I’d wait up for him here.” There were almost to the Great Hall, but Kim stopped as well, thinking she would just wait with George.
“So… you don’t seem very excited about the ball tonight,” Kim commented.
“It’s like you said. It’s not really my cup of tea,” George said with a bit of a sigh. Kim’s expression faltered, realizing that she had told George she didn’t care much to go to the ball, mostly as a cover up so she wouldn’t look stupid when she showed up without a date, and now had been acting all giddy to be going with Fred. Quite the hypocrite she must seem to him.
“Right, yeah…” Kim said. “Well, it’ll still be fun. Who’re you going with?”
George shrugged. “This girl from our year.”
Kim supposed that meant she didn’t know her. She was relieved when Fred sauntered up because she wasn’t sure what to say next. He was wearing a deep purple-burgundy sweater that was soft looking and hand made with a golden W on the breast.
“Aw,” Kim said with a smile, reaching out to touch the sleeve of the sweater. The thick hand knitted cords felt nostalgic somehow. “You’re mom gave this to you? It’s nice.”
“You want it?” Fred asked out of the blue. Kim didn’t respond right away from surprise. “You’re always complaining about being cold, and I’ve got a million of them. Here.” He put his arms over his head and grabbed the back of his sweater before Kim could refuse and tugged it over his head. His undershirt road up with the sweater, revealing hip bones and a flat stomach pocked with the occasional tan freckle. Kim smiled shyly as she took the sweater, fluffing it in her hands and then pulling it on over the T-shirt she’d been wearing. The sleeves were too long, and it was baggy on her, but it was perfect for all these reasons.
“Maybe I’ll wear this to the ball then,” she said with laughter in her voice, holding up her hands that had floppy sleeves handing over them.
“Wear whatever you like,” Fred said easily, placing a hand on Kim’s shoulder as he walked around to her other side. “You’ll look stunning in whatever you choose to wear. Or choose not to,” he added with a mischievous wink. “C’mon, let’s get breakfast,” he said to both her and George and headed off down the hall. Kim followed, cheeks emblazoned and a smile on her face that she couldn’t wipe off. This was what it must feel like, she was certain, to have a boyfriend.
Later in the day there was a long snowball war between the Weasley’s, Kim, and Harry. Hermione watched, though she did bewitch the occasional snowball to help out Kim in her times of need, which the boys called cheating and Kim called creative strategizing. When there was only a few hours before the ball remaining, Hermione suggested she and Kim go and get ready, to which Kim hastily agreed.
“What, you need three hours?” said Ron, looking incredulous just before a large snowball lobed at him by George smacked him in the side of his head, nocking his winter hat sideways. Kim snickered at him as she joined Hermione, away from the danger of snowballs. Her face and hands were numb from throwing and being hit by ice, even though she was well geared for snow this time.
“Who’re you going with?” Ron yelled to Hermione, who was doing a wonderful job of ignoring him. Kim and Hermione simply smiled as Hermione waved and they headed up the stone steps into the castle. Kim’s nerves were really going now, and she could tell Hermione was feeling just about the same. She couldn’t help thinking that everything was about to change, for better or for worse.
“Hermione, what if things with Fred and me go south, and we end up ruining our friendship?” Kim asked. She didn’t know if she could handle that. What would she do with herself on the weekends? Study all day with Hermione or Clemon? Talk about weird creatures with Luna? She liked doing both of those things but not all the time.
“I don’t think that’ll happen,” Hermione reassured. They were approaching the place where they should go spate ways. “Fred obviously likes you, and he’s your best friend. If you don’t work out… you can get past it.”
“You sound so sure…” Kim said, because she wasn’t at all. Didn’t these things inevitably get messy? She valued Fred and George’s friendship over any grudge she might hold, certainly. But didn’t everyone warn that these things could never stay that simple? What if those warnings were right?
“Because I am sure. People who care about you stay in your life, Kim. One way or another. Anyway, I better go get ready. Good luck,” she said with a smile.
“You too. I’m excited to see you in your dress. From what you told me, you’re going to look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she said with a nervous smile, and then headed off to the Gryffindor common room. Kim went her own way to prepare herself as well, not looking forward at all to having to deal with Victoria’s mocking the whole time. It was hard enough to prepare for her first ever school dance to which she was going with her best friend as her date. But she would also have to do so in front of her mortal enemy.
Luckily however, Victoria was too preoccupied pestering the other Ravenclaws about whether or not they thought Miles would appreciate her efforts to look nice, or whether she should tie this piece of fabric like that, or do her hair like this to bother with Kim. Kim was thankful for that at least. When she was finally finished getting ready, or as ready as she would ever be, she gave herself one last look over in the mirror.
The dress she and her mother had picked out was black and floor length. It had a high neckline made of black lace that was see through, and a largely open back. The collar behind Kim’s neck and at the front around her waist had little golden buttons that now matched the gilded feather hanging around her neck. She smiled at it, because it reminded her of Strix, who she would have to coax to stay in the dormitory. Kim hoped she wouldn’t put up a fit about it.
“You look nice,” Clemon said. “Black. I kind of expected canary yellow from you or something.” Clemon was wearing a very dark greed that looked surprisingly nice against her tan skin. She didn’t think Kim herself could pull of that color.
“What? Why?” Kim asked, laughing.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s your blond hair. I kind of just imagined you with something more… chipper. But I like it. Better than what I had in my head.”
“Thanks?” Kim said, and they both laughed. They made their way downstairs to greet Luna who was dressed in a very odd poufy dress made of pale tool and puffs of pastel around it that were probably supposed to look like flowers. Kim took a labored breath.
“Ready?” she asked the girls. They nodded and made their way down to the Entrance Hall where all the other students were congregating, waiting for the Great Hall’s giant wooden doors to open and the ball to begin. Kim’s heart was thundering. What would Fred think of her dress? Would he find it too dull? Had he expected canary yellow like Clemon? Looking around Kim also feared she hadn’t done enough with her hair. She’d merely brushed it a bit more and taken care that it was all in the right spot, leaving its wavy shape to fall down her back like it always did when it wasn’t pulled into a frazzled bun or pony tail.
She bid Clemon and Luna farewell, wading through the crowed with all her thoughts bumping against her skull. She considered just staying there, letting herself be lost in the throng of students, hiding among them and hoping to never be found or noticed. But too late. There was Fred, and his eyes were landing on hers and then sweeping down her body.
He approached with a composed smile, eyebrows raised just slightly. Kim swallowed hard, because he looked rather smart in crisp black dress robes. He seemed taller than he normal did, and though there was nothing else unusual about him, his hair still slightly mussed, the sight of him dressed up made her stomach tie in knots.
