[img align=left]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b174/theatticbox/Persnickety_1.png[/img]Professor Appoline Persnickety stood at the front of the Great Hall, and the benches and tables were pushed against the side walls. There were large objects in front of them covered by gray tarps. She waved her arms, signaling the students to gather around her.

"Good morning, students! The First Term Ball is next week, and I know we sprung this on you rather quickly. Some of you have been able to get your dress robes or had the foresight to pack them when coming to school this term. I know, however, that some of you may be scratching your heads, wondering what to do about your attire!" she smiled as she spoke, as if this wouldn't have been a worry to her. "To help with this dilemma, we have spoken to the owners at Gladrags Wizardwear and have worked out a little deal. You will be able to borrow a set of dress robes from their stock, so long as you try to keep them as neat as possible."

Professor Persnickety pulled out her wand and flicked it. The gray tarps rose a few feet, and with a twist of her wrist, they turned on the spot and vanished. What was left were racks of dress robes and a few shelves of dress shoes.

"Please only take what you need! I suspect there will be a fair bit of students that will need something to wear, so please be considerate. There are dressing rooms set in the room behind me," she said as she turned slightly to point at the door that lay beyond the Staff Table. "Take your time in choosing; there is no rush."

And with that, she walked past the students and out of the Great Hall.

If there was one thing Amanda loved, it was clothing. Luckily she had already brought a beautiful dress from home, but she did need some nicer shoes. She walked slowly to the shoe racks, to begin looking around. On her way there she was surprised to see so many beautiful dresses:

She thought about her gown and thought it would fit nicely with these. It was just fancy enough. Excited to see what everyone else would be wearing she started looking for the perfect pair of shoes.

"I can't believe my custom dress robes are ready in time!" Poppy murmured excitedly. She was grateful and giddy at the thought of them since she'd never had anything made just for her before.

Poppy wanted a simple pair of shoes that would be comfortable to attempt to dance in since her feet wouldn't be showing at all. She stood near Amanda () as they both looked at the many lovely choices made available by the Headmistress's thoughtfulness. "Have you any idea how you want your hair and makeup to be?"

"Oh wow! I can't wait to see what your dress looks like? Custom? That sounds so fancy! And yes, I do have plans for my hair! I found some cool beauty spells, and I'm going to use them to make my hair longer and curlier. I hope it works out! I tried the spells on my cat Luna, with much success. Although, I did have to spend the next hour getting her hair back to normal." Amanda was laughing again at the funny memory.

"What about you? Any big plans for your look? I'm so excited to see what everyone is wearing!"

"I scrimped and saved and pinched for so long to be able to afford them! The dress robes are cultural and the dressmaker is wonderful. I can't wait to see your hair! Does Luna get along with other animals? She should have a playdate with my bunny Biscuit if she does." Poppy giggled at the idea of a cat who was neither curly nor long-haired sporting a beautiful hairdo.

"I really don't know what kind of beauty spells or potions I want to use. is quite gifted with them; I know she was helping Harper () in the Great Hall. The promise of new clothes always makes me eager to wear them for the first time though."

"Wow! I can't wait to see your robes. I bet they will be beautiful! I brought from home and luckily it fits perfect with the theme! I can't wait to wear it! I hope my hair turns out, otherwise I might have to stay home from the ball!" Laughing, she added, "Yes, Luna is extra friendly. She would love to have a playdate. Although, she would probably just flop on her back and lay there like a cute lump."

Rox walked towards the racks with the dresses and shoes, she couldn't believe the sight of all those gorgeous clothes in front of her. She loved clothing and couldn't wait to put on the dress she had ordered earlier on. She did have to find shoes to go along with that though, so after staring at all the gorgeous dresses, she continued her walk over to the shoes. She picked some up, placed them back on the rack and eventually decided on a pair that would fit with her dress perfectly.