Chapter 3

In December of Pragya's fourth year at Hogwarts, there was a Yule Ball.

It was sponsored by the first group of students to ever study for the NEWT in Wizarding Culture, a new course spearheaded by Professor Evans. The unconventional professor's official role at the school was Head of Muggle Studies, but she had a wide-ranging extracurricular agenda of fostering Muggleborn-integration and promoting intercultural understanding. The clever instructor was able to convince the headmistress that a Yule Ball would give the whole school a chance to experience an important tradition of British wizarding culture, while also letting students enjoy holiday excitement with their friends before going home to spend winter break with their families.

Pragya knew all about how Professor Evans had pitched the headmistress, because Meethu would not stop talking about it. Meethu idolised Professor Evans and was taking both her classes, which didn't make sense to Pragya. Why would a Muggleborn waste time taking Muggle Studies when she could take Arithmancy instead? Meethu's answer was that numbers were never her thing, which made even less sense to Pragya.

In the weeks leading up to the ball, every student from first to seventh year could be heard talking about it. Only fourth years and above were permitted to attend, but even for the younger years, there would be supervised parties in the Common Room of each house. The most popular topic was fashion, with much debate about whether Muggle wear or traditional wizarding dress robes were preferable. Both were allowed, and for Pragya and her friends, there was the added complication of deciding whether to dress desi or western.

Pragya, Meethu, Raghav and Purab had all agreed to attend the ball together as a group. Neither Purab nor Raghav would admit to wanting to ask anyone as a date, so both boys were relieved when the girls agreed to go with them as friends. Meethu was asked by no less than four of their yearmates - one in each house - but she turned them all down because she thought it would be more fun to spend the night with their own gang of four. For her part, Pragya was very deliberately not thinking about who she wished would invite her to the ball. Better to consider it as a night for fun with her friends than to indulge romantic dreams that would never be.

The gang of four ultimately decided to dress desi, with co-ordinating outfits in their respective house colours. Raghav's mother sent matching sherwanis for the boys, in cobalt blue for Raghav and deep scarlet for Purab. Meethu had a simple maroon and gold churidar suit, and with Pragya's help she was able to charm on some extra trimming and beadwork to make it more glamorous.

The colour code posed a problem for Pragya. On the one hand, she had a deep blue anarkali that would offset Raghav's sherwani nicely, and it would only take a few spells to add trim and beading similar to Meethu's. But on the other hand, after Pragya had mentioned the upcoming ball in a letter, Abhi's daadi had sent her a gorgeous green and silver lehenga to wear for the occasion. Daadi had also written that she hoped Abhi and Pragya would take pictures together to show everyone when they came home for the break.

Since early childhood, Pragya had always had an affectionate bond with Abhi's daadi. She knew Daadi would understand if she just explained that she couldn't wear the lehenga because it arrived after she had already agreed to the colour-scheme suggested by her friends. But Pragya also knew that Daadi would be a little disappointed if it seemed like she was rejecting the thoughtful gift.

Pragya considered trying to discuss the issue with Abhi. After all, if Daadi wanted pictures, he would have to cooperate. But before she could seek him out or send him a letter, she happened to show Meethu the green lehenga, and the other girl's reaction clarified Pragya's dilemma.

"This is the gift?" Meethu gasped. She trailed her fingers slowly over the emerald-coloured net of the outer skirt. "Prags, I've never seen a lehenga this posh! Is that blouse pure silk? Gosh, how rich is your Daadi!"

"Uh, well, she's more of a family friend," Pragya faltered, not sure how to explain that Daadi wasn't her own grandmother.

"Some friend!" Meethu said. She was examining the outfit laid out on Pragya's bed, looking over every inch with wide eyes. "She must be rich."

"They are...pretty well off," Pragya answered. She didn't want to get into detail about Abhi's family's wealth.

Meethu finally looked up from the lehenga. "Prags...this is too gorgeous not to wear."

Pragya bit her lip. "Really? But what about -"

Suddenly, Meethu burst into tears. She grabbed Pragya in a hug and cried against her shoulder. "Y-you c-can't wear that!" she said between sobs. "I will look like your house elf standing next to you!"

"Ok!" Pragya said quickly. She patted Meethu's back reassuringly, speaking in a soothing tone to calm the other girl down. "Of course I won't wear it. I'll wear the suit, like we planned. And neither of us will look like house eleves!"

Meethu pulled herself together and stepped out of Pragya's hug. She wiped her tears and gave a tentative smile. "I'm sorry I flipped like that...it's just such a beautiful lehenga, you'd look amazing in it. You should wear it. Colour changing charm, maybe?"

Although she appreciated her friend's gesture to compromise, Pragya wouldn't even consider what Meethu had suggested. Using magic to change the appearance of Daadi's gift just felt ruder than simply choosing not to wear it. "No, no," Pragya answered calmly. "Don't even worry about it. I'll take it home over the break, there might be some party to wear it to," she added.

Meethu cast another look at the extravagant outfit. "I'm sorry Prags..."

Pragya laughed. "Enough, Meethu! The only thing you should be sorry about is that your mascara is running. Why don't you use that makeup-setting spell we looked up?"

Meethu wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Some things are just better the Muggle way, ok! Magicking makeup gives it that weird plastic effect."

Pragya merely rolled her eyes. Meethu flounced off to Pragya's mirror to clean off her face, and Pragya took the chance to pack up the lehenga and put it back in her trunk.

"Prags, don't you have any cosmetics?" Meethu suddenly demanded.

"It's not really my thing," Pragya said. She shrugged as she joined Meethu by the mirror. "I'm fine without it, honestly."

"Not for the ball you're not!" Meethu insisted. "Ok, since you fixed my suit, the least I can do is help with your makeup. We have to make an effort Prags! Just because we're not going with dates doesn't mean we should look like boring behenjis."

"Meethu!" Pragya protested, half outraged and half laughing. "You can't just say things like that."

Instead of arguing back, Meethu merely grinned and started pulling Pragya out of the dorm. "Let's go to my room to practice the make up, ok?"

Pragya cast a password-enabled variant of Colloportus to lock her trunk. The protection wasn't really necessary as she trusted her dormmates not to go snooping through her things, but  Daadi's gift was valuable enough to her to deserve that level of respect.

She joined Meethu by the door. "Ok, fine," she said in amusement. "You can show me how to un-behenji-fy myself!"

***

Mindful of Daadi's request for photographs, Pragya had planned to find Abhi well before the Yule Ball to set a time for Purab to snap some pictures of them together. However, between the crush of end-of-term assignments and all of the "practice" makeup sessions Meethu insisted on, she hadn't managed to get a hold of him. Thus she had no choice but to seek him during the ball itself, and she decided that the best time to do that would be just after dinner.

By then, the dance floor had been opened and her friends were keen to head there. Purab offered to go with Pragya to find Abhi, but she told him that they'd find him when it was time for the pictures.

Some students were still sitting at the cozy round tables that had been set up for dinner. Others stood in small groups, chatting and gossiping. Among the older students, a few couples had slipped away to the garden courtyard, which was considered the ideal spot for clandestine romance. For her part, Pragya couldn't see how it was ideal when everyone knew about it and the teachers were making a point of patrolling to break up kissing couples.

Pragya carefully went all around the Great Hall, but she didn't see Abhi anywhere. She did come across his roommate Nikhil, who was looking sulky and irritable. But he was perfectly polite when he told her that he'd seen Abhi headed out of the hall not too long ago and so she could probably find him nearby.

Assuming that Abhi would return to the ball soon, Pragya decided she would go up to her dorm and change into Daadi's lehenga after all. Since she'd already made her grand entrance with her friends, they wouldn't care if she switched outfits now, and it was only for their sake that she'd worn the blue anarkali to begin with.

It took her a bit longer than expected to get the lehenga on properly - first the hooks on the blouse didn't respond to her fastening spell, and then she couldn't decide how to drape the dupatta. The fine-meshed silver stole was so sheer, it barely covered anything. If anyone but Daadi had chosen the outfit for her, Pragya would probably have found a way to avoid wearing it. But there was no disappointing Daadi, and instead of fretting about whether she could carry off the somewhat provocative design, she decided just to trust Daadi's judgment.

She was pleased to see that the make up Meethu had put on her to match the blue outfit also worked just fine for the green one. It was nothing much, really, just a touch of kohl to bring out her eyes, some sparkly eyeshadow and a rich pink lip colour. But it was more than Pragya usually wore, so between the subtle makeup and the daring lehenga, she thought she looked very grown up indeed.

As she passed through the common room, several of the younger students broke away from their party just to admire her outfit. Her little cousin Puneet, now in his first year at Hogwarts, looked completely awestruck.

"Wow, Di!" he exclaimed, tentatively touching one fingertip to her arm, as if to verify that she was still his flesh-and-blood cousin-sister. "It's like you're a Veela! No one can look away from you."

Pragya laughed, finding the comparison both ridiculous and adorable. The almost-human creatures were known to enchant men with their mere presence, and while it was sweet to be told she was as beautiful as them, she wasn't about to let it get to her head. "And it's like you're an imp!" Pragya retorted. "So much chocolate on your face, don't tell me they gave you cake?"

Puneet quickly wiped the tell-tale crumbs from his mouth, and meanwhile his friends laughed good-naturedly to see him being scolded.

The whole episode just made Pragya's smile brighter, and as she left Ravenclaw Tower, her heart felt light and carefree. All she wanted was to get back to the ball and see Abhi, and then her night would be complete.

Unfortunately, the castle didn't cooperate with her. As she was making her way back to the Great Hall, the staircase she was on suddenly decided to move, and she ended up on the third floor instead of the main level.

Eager to return to the ball, she decided to take a shortcut through one of the classroom corridors. Technically, it was out of bounds for the evening, but Pragya was sure no one was patrolling it just then. She took off her heels and picked up her skirts so that she could walk faster, moving quickly and quietly through the shadows.

She was almost back at the Great Hall, when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Not here, ok? Just not here, not right now." Abhi sounded hassled and impatient, and with a pulse of alarm, Pragya wondered what he could be upset about.

She turned around expecting to see him behind her, but the hall was completely empty.

She could still hear whispers, however, so she listened closely to figure out where they were coming from.

"Come on, now is the perfect time. The dorm will be empty for hours, let's go back and -"

"No, Tanu. We need to get back to the ball, I'm not going to -"

Pragya realized that Abhi and his girlfriend were behind the statue at the corner of the corridor. Since she couldn't see them, they must have cast a Disillusionment spell. She wondered vaguely why they hadn't thought to cast some spell to prevent being overheard, too.

She knew she should leave right now, just continue walking to rejoin her friends at the ball. It wasn't right to keep listening to what was clearly a private moment. But her feet seemed to be stuck in place, and her heart grew heavy as she heard more of their conversation.

"I promise you'll like it, Ellie and her boyfriend did it, and she told me he really really liked it. It doesn't even count, really, it's not like we'd be going all the way -"

With growing dread, Pragya recalled all the gossip she'd heard about what older girls sometimes did to please their boyfriends. Some girls did things because they genuinely wanted to, but others only went ahead because they wanted to keep their boyfriends loyal and attached.

Was that what Tanu was doing now, trying to seduce Abhi so that he wouldn't want to ditch her? Didn't she know that Abhi was already spoken for, and the only one with those rights on him was Pragya herself? Well if she didn't know, maybe it was time to tell her. As the spark of indignation turned into a riot of anger, Pragya found herself actually approaching the statue, intent on setting Abhi's girlfriend straight once and for all.

"Just not tonight, ok?" Abhi said clearly, and Pragya froze. "I'll think about it, but not tonight. I have to get back to the ball, there are people waiting for me."

"Your little friends from home?" Tanu sneered dismissively. "You can see them anytime, baby, let's just keep doing what we were doing."

There wasn't much for Pragya to hear after that. Their mouths were evidently busy, but not with talking.

Somehow, Pragya managed to put one foot in front of the other. Soon she was back among the bright lights and noisy hubbub of the ball. Several people came up to her as she made her way forward, complimenting her lehenga and saying she looked amazing. She acknowledged them all with grateful smiles, but her voice seemed to be locked in her throat.

Finally she came across her friends.

"Prags!!!" Meethu squealed. "Oh my god it looks even better on you!" She grabbed Pragya's shoulders and twirled her around, excitedly watching how the delicately embroidered petticoats flared out.

"I don't even care if I look like your house elf," she declared.

"It is really nice," Purab agreed, nodding his approval.

Raghav didn't say anything. His gaze swept over her from head to toe, but then he met her eyes. In reaction to whatever he saw there, he simply extended his hand.

"Come on, Phataka," he said with a soft smile. "It's time to dance."

Normally Pragya would have refused, knowing that she had always been a terrible dancer. But her mind was still stuck on the dismal knowledge that Abhi hadn't fully declined whatever Tanu was offering. She didn't pay attention as Raghav led her onto the dance floor, and it was only when his hand landed lightly on her bare waist that she realized where she was.

By then it was too late to get out of the dance, so Pragya mechanically followed Raghav's lead through the first song. It felt a little strange to have his hand on her bare skin, but she couldn't concentrate on that. She kept thinking of how Abhi had said, "I'll think about it, but not tonight." Did that mean that some other night, he was going to agree to what Tanu was trying to coax him into, bring her back to his room and -

"Phataka, this is not done," Raghav's stern voice interrupted her bleak thoughts.

Startled by his tone, her gaze flew to his. But then she saw he was only teasing, a small smile turning up the corner of his mouth.

"You're making me look bad," he chided. "Can't hold a girl's attention even when she's in my arms."

Pragya blushed at that, and even managed to laugh a little. Then Raghav drew her into a light conversation, joking about some of the other couples around them in his usual snarky but kind way.

Bit by bit, Pragya regained control of herself. She relaxed as they danced through first one song and then another, firmly stuffing her depressing new knowledge into a distant corner of her mind. By the third song she was back to normal, which meant that she absolutely did not want to be dancing any longer than she had to.

She stepped away from Raghav, throwing her hands up in protest when he tried to bring her back onto the dance floor. "No way, I'm done," she told him with a cheeky smile. "Go make your moves on someone else. I'm getting a drink, ok?"

Raghav rolled his eyes, but then he nodded and melted back into the dancing crowds. Pragya made her way to the punch table, genuinely eager to have something to drink after so much dancing.

There were Yule drinks like mulled cider and spiced egg nog at the punch table, but Pragya chose a simple citrus punch. The light drink was tangy and refreshing, and Pragya sipped her cup slowly to enjoy it. She could see Purab and Meethu by the dinner tables, talking to some of their yearmates. She thought that it would be best to join that group next, in case Raghav decided to try to get her dancing again.

"There you are Chashmish, I've been looking all over for you!"

Suddenly Abhi was in front of her and Pragya stared up at him in surprise. "Y-you - I -" she stuttered, not even sure what she was trying to stay.

"Daadi wants pictures, remember?" Abhi said. He swept a quick glance over the room. "Where is Purab? Let's get him and pose in the Entrance Hall."

"You - you know about that? About the pictures?" Pragya asked, confused.

"What do you mean know? It was my idea. And it's good that  you're finally wearing my lehenga Chashmish, it's way better than whatever old blue thing you were wearing before. Why didn't you come down in this to begin with?"

"You noticed me before?" Pragya thought about what he'd said and added, "What do you mean, your lehenga?"

"Who do you think chose it?" Abhi asked flippantly, as if the answer should be the most obvious thing in the world. "And where is that Purab?"

Pragya seized his arm and made him look at her. "You chose this lehenga?"

Abhi ran a hand through his hair. "Well, Aalu chose a couple of designs, and asked me to choose the final one, and I liked this one. What's the big deal?"

Pragya had no idea how to reply to this. Abhi choosing clothes for her was almost too strange to believe. He'd certainly never done so before.

But Pragya didn't have to reply just then, as Abhi finally made eye contact with Purab. He gestured towards the doors, and Purab nodded and headed there. Abhi took Pragya's hand and led her out, and Pragya obligingly followed.

They posed at the foot of the staircase in the Entrance Hall, their backs to the grand banister. Abhi slid his arm around her and jerked her close to him, his palm spreading out flat against her waist. All of a sudden Pragya felt her heart beating in triple time. The heat of his touch made her dizzy, and to steady herself, she reached out to set a hand on his chest.

"Good idea, Chashmish," he said, looking down at her with a grin. "Daadi will love that."

Purab started to countdown on his raised fingers so they would smile for the picture, but suddenly Abhi called out to him to wait another minute.

He let go of Pragya and reached inside his forest green dress robes. "How did I forget?" he muttered as he drew a thin box from his pocket.

Pragya watched with wide eyes as he opened the box. Inside, there was an emerald pendant on a delicate white gold chain. Pragya recognized it from the collection Daadi had shown her a few times, part of the estate jewelry that would be hers to use after she married Abhi.

"This - this is an heirloom," she said slowly.

"As if I didn't know that?" Abhi leaned forward as he spoke, efficiently fastening the necklace around her neck. His thumb happened to brush against her throat, and a shiver of something she couldn't quite name shot through Pragya.

"There," Abhi said, surveying her in satisfaction. "I knew it'd match this lehenga. You can't wear the ring yet, but you can wear this from now on, right?"

"Every day?" Pragya said, shocked. She carefully lifted the pendant, amazed that it was actually in her hand. "Abhishek, this is Goblin-wrought, it's been in your family I don't know how many generations -"

"Yes, for brides," he agreed. "Which means you. So wear it, no fuss. Now let's just take the picture ok? Purab doesn't have all night."

And so Pragya smiled for the camera, letting Abhi hold her close as they posed. Her mind whirled with confusion and doubt as she thought over all the strange turns the evening had taken. Now she had a physical symbol of Abhi's commitment to their betrothal, and he'd told her not to take it off. But at the same time she knew that he was still involved with Tanu, maybe more involved than she could bear to know.

What mattered more? That he planned to have a future with her, or that he was sharing his present with Tanu? That night of the Yule Ball, Pragya couldn't decide one way or another. But she thought, maybe, since Abhi intended to come back to her...maybe it wasn't so bad to be apart from him for now.