Slytherins, Kisses and Other Disasters
Copyright© 2026 by Caroline Stanton
Chapter 7: The Mirror
Victoria was standing in front of the dormitory mirror, wearing the fitted dark-blue top she’d found at the bottom of her drawer, when the door opened. Two Slytherin girls from her year entered, talking about something that had happened in class. They stopped when they saw her. Victoria turned.
“What?”
One of the girls looked at her, then at the clothes scattered across her bed.
“Nothing. That’s a nice top, Crabbe.”
Victoria glanced down.
“Thanks.”
“It really suits you.”
The other girl nodded.
“She’s right. You should wear things like that more often.”
Victoria shrugged.
“Don’t have many.”
The first girl looked at the bed again. There were three oversized jumpers, two loose shirts, and a pair of trousers lying across the blanket. Victoria’s wardrobe stood open, revealing several more jumpers and her school robes. The girl frowned.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Victoria followed her gaze.
“Well, yeah. Mostly.”
“Seriously?”
“What?”
“Crabbe, you’ve got about six jumpers, three shirts, and your school uniform.”
“I’ve got trousers.”
“Congratulations.”
Victoria gave her a sharp look. The girl smiled.
“I’m just saying, your wardrobe’s a bit limited.”
Victoria looked at the clothes.
She hadn’t really thought about it before. She’d always bought things that were comfortable and practical. She liked loose jumpers, and she spent enough time in Quidditch gear that she’d never seen much point in having a large collection of ordinary clothes.
“Never needed much else,” she muttered.
The second girl studied her for a moment. She was pretty, with a figure rather similar to Victoria’s, although she was several inches shorter and less broad across the shoulders. Then her expression brightened.
“Wait here.”
Victoria frowned.
“What?”
“Just wait.”
Before Victoria could ask anything else, the girl hurried out. Victoria looked at the remaining girl.
“What’s she doing?”
The girl grinned.
“You’ll see.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“This one won’t hurt.”
Victoria folded her arms.
“Better not.”
A few minutes later, the door opened again. The girl returned carrying an enormous armful of clothes. Victoria stared.
“What the bloody hell is all that?”
“Clothes.”
“I can see that!”
“Well, you said you didn’t have much.”
She dumped everything onto Victoria’s bed. There were dresses, jumpers, skirts, and several tops in different colours. Victoria looked at the pile.
“Where did you get all this?”
“My wardrobe, obviously.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re about the same size.”
Victoria looked her up and down.
“You’re shorter.”
“Yes, Crabbe. I noticed.”
The other girl laughed.
“She’s got a point, though. You’re built pretty similarly.”
The girl who’d brought the clothes nodded.
“Exactly. Most of these should fit you. They’ll just be shorter.”
Victoria picked up a light-blue sundress. It was made from soft cotton, with a fitted waist and a skirt that would ordinarily fall a little above the knee. On Victoria, it would be shorter. She held it against herself.
“You’re joking.”
“What?”
“I can’t wear this.”
“Why not?”
“Look at it!”
“It’s a dress, Crabbe.”
“I know it’s a bloody dress!”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Victoria looked down at the skirt.
“It’s tiny.”
The girl laughed.
“It’s not tiny. You’re just tall.”
The other girl approached.
“Actually, I think that would look lovely on you.”
Victoria stared at them both. They were serious. She looked at the dress again. It was pretty. She couldn’t deny that. She’d never owned anything like it.
“Go on,” the girl said.
Victoria hesitated. Then she sighed.
“Oh, all right.”
She took the dress and went behind the bed curtains to change. When she emerged, both girls stopped talking. Victoria stiffened.
“What?”
The first girl smiled broadly.
“Oh, that’s gorgeous.”
The second nodded.
“See? Told you.”
Victoria turned towards the mirror. And stopped. The dress fitted. Rather well, actually. The waist sat comfortably, and the bodice followed her figure without being tight. The skirt fell to mid-thigh, higher than it would have on its owner, leaving much more of Victoria’s long legs visible than she was accustomed to showing. She turned sideways. Then back again.
“Bloody hell.”
The girl who owned the dress laughed.
“Good bloody hell or bad bloody hell?”
Victoria studied her reflection.
“Not sure.”
She looked good. Not merely pretty. She looked like a girl who might actually be going somewhere nice, rather than preparing to knock someone off a broomstick. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, framing her face. The pale blue fabric contrasted beautifully with her green eyes. She looked down at her legs.
“Shows a lot, doesn’t it?”
“You’re tall. Everything’s going to look shorter on you.”
Victoria frowned.
“I’d freeze.”
“It’s a sundress, Crabbe. You’re supposed to wear it when it’s warm.”
“Oh.”
Both girls laughed. Victoria found herself smiling. She turned towards the mirror again. She really did look good.
“Try the green one,” the first girl suggested.
Victoria looked at the bed. There was another sundress, this one dark green with a slightly different neckline and a fuller skirt. She picked it up.
“All right.”
Twenty minutes later, Victoria’s bed looked as though someone had emptied an entire clothing shop onto it. She’d tried both sundresses, three jumpers, two skirts, and several tops. The jumpers were particularly surprising. Unlike her own oversized collection, these fitted closely enough to show her waist and the shape of her shoulders. Victoria had always assumed that fitted jumpers would be uncomfortable. They weren’t. One dark-red jumper was especially flattering. She stood in front of the mirror, turning slightly.
“That one’s definitely yours,” the girl who’d brought it declared.
Victoria looked over her shoulder.
“What?”
“That jumper. It looks better on you than it does on me.”
“Rubbish.”
“I’m serious.”
Victoria examined herself again. The jumper fitted snugly without restricting her movement. It made her look less bulky than her usual clothes, despite showing more of her figure. She smiled.
“Yeah. I like this one.”
“Good. Keep it.”
Victoria turned.
“What?”
“Keep it. I’ve hardly worn it.”
Victoria stared.
“You’re giving it to me?”
“Why not?”
Victoria didn’t know what to say. She was accustomed to people doing things for Draconia. Draconia was a Malfoy, after all. People were always trying to impress her. Victoria wasn’t accustomed to anyone outside her two closest friends offering her something simply to be nice.
“Er ... thanks.”
The girl smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
A knock sounded at the door. Before anyone could answer, another Slytherin girl poked her head inside.
“What’s going on in here?”
The first girl grinned.
“We’re sorting out Crabbe’s wardrobe.”
The newcomer looked at Victoria. Then at the clothes. Then back at Victoria.
“Oh!”
Victoria scowled.
“What?”
“Nothing. You look really nice.”
Victoria glanced down at the red jumper.
“Thanks.”
The newcomer stepped inside.
“Wait. I’ve got a skirt that would look brilliant with that.”
Victoria stared.
“Another one?”
But the girl had already disappeared. The two original girls burst out laughing. Victoria looked at the growing pile of clothes.
“This is getting out of hand.”
“Probably,” one replied cheerfully.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.