"Well, you could mix up a dye with student ingredients, if you got a recipe," Karen points out. "...You couldn't necessarily use any possible dye if you have to go among Muggles like that but you could do blue or something."

Vivian abruptly looks very interested. "What kinds of recipes are there?" she asks. "I just thought, colors, but- Muggle dye lasts for months, are potions faster? I could try so many things!"

"The only potions for hair I actually know about are the ones that straighten mine out enough to drag a comb through, but there's lots of colors and I think you can make them not last for months if you want to make lots of potions?"

"My mum's given me a couple books on hair potions and stuff like that. She, um, has weird ideas about presents sometimes. I'll bring them to dinner too."

"Thanks!"

"Am I the only one who wants to take a date?" Alli asks. "Really? C'mon!"

"I would!" Jenny chirps. "If I can find someone, I mean, but it's just a dance, it'll be fun."

"I feel like it would be weird to take a date to a dance I'm not going to dance at."

Emma likes her classmates just fine, but there's no one she'd call Particularly Special and just the idea of asking someone herself makes her insides clench up in terror. "If someone asked me, maybe," she says doubtfully.

Jenny sizes up Emma's expression and immediately begins plotting.

Alli shrugs. "Good enough. 'sides, I'll probably mostly be hanging out with you lot anyway." She scoots next to Miranda and Karen and makes innocent eyes at them. "So! Any cute Ravenclaws I should meet?"

"I thought you wanted a Gryffindor."

"The more cute boys the better! I started with Gryffindor."

"I'm not sure I'm qualified to evaluate boys. Is it only boys or do you stir both ways?"

"Boys," Alli says, then grins. "Bonus points for Quidditch players."

"There's a Chaser a year ahead of us who's symmetrical and whatnot," says Miranda. "Pip Avis. Broom nerd."

Jenny starts giggling helplessly at "symmetrical".

"Wicked, thanks," Alli says happily. "I mostly just like to watch Quidditch, I'm not much for brooms, but I can smile and nod just fine."

"He'll nerd at you if he anythings at you. If you don't want to be nerded at continue contemplating Gryffindors."

Alli goes back to contemplating Gryffindors. Her face gets slightly dopey. Pay her no mind.

"Why do they even call it a Yule Ball?" Jenny asks. "It's not like it's even Christmas any more, we were home for hols."

"Maybe they were going to have it earlier but the planning didn't come together in time so they're just calling it that anyhow."

"It used to be on Christmas?" Emma shrugs. "No clue why it changed, Karen's probably right."