"Greasy hair!"

Severus glared at his stringy hair in the mirror. The state of his hair was not due to lack of showering as his "peers" liked to sneer at him. It was caused by the hours he spent in the potions lab and leaning over the cauldron. The fumes of the mixtures were not particularly kind to his hair. The fact that the group of hairy mongrels that enjoyed teasing him kept tampering his shampoo didn't help fix his problem. Severus's judgemental eyes lowered with his fingers as they moved from his poorly cared for hair to his large nose.

"Big nose!" the voices sneered once more.

Much like his hair there nothing he could do to fix the size of his nose. His eyes wandered away from the mirror to his wand, resting on the restroom sink before returning to his reflection with a sneer. Using a vanity spell on his nose would only increase the torture.

"You really are git sometimes Severus."

Severus quickly dropped his hand twirled away from the mirror to face the owner of the voice that for once did not only exist in his head. Regina stood a few feet away with a slight frown on her face.

"This is the boy's laboratory, Regina." Severus tried to regain his ground with his trademark sneer. "I know reading doesn't come easy to you, but I'd hoped you could still understand the symbols etched upon the stone."

Regina ignored his barb. "Severus you've been ignoring me ever since they announced the Harvestmoon ball. Now tell me what the matter is."

When he refused to answer Regina made an educated guess. "Are you angry that Lily is going with James?"

Severus frowned and cast his eyes away to hide the disgust he felt at the statement. The slight slump in shoulders softened Regina's anger toward her friend.

"There's something else isn't there," she stated knowingly. "Is it your hair?"

He lifted his hand to his hair, but halfway there he caught he curved the movement and adjusted his tie instead.

"It's foolish," Severus murmured.

Regina wished she could crush all the fools that bullied her friend, but since she could not ethically hurt them, she would settle for do something she could control.

"Let's go to the ball together," Regina stated breathlessly.

Severus's head snapped up in disbelief. Could Regina be asking him out? It's not that he didn't find her pretty, he'd be a fool not to, but they were friends above all things. "Regina I'm fla-"

Regina interrupted him with a raised finger. "Before you say something I'll have to punch you in the gut for, let me rephrase my statement." Regina cleared her throat and began once more. "Severus Snape, will you go stag with me to the Harvest ball?"

Snape frowned. "You want us to go together but not as a date?"

"Exactly! Other schools are invited so there will be other girls if you catch my drift. I can be your wingman!"

Severus tried to glare, but the look of unriddled joy in her eyes stopped him. Since the announcement of the ball, he'd been in a foul mood, and instead of leaving him she'd been persistent and kind.

"That is not an unacceptable idea."

Regina rolled her eyes at his stiff-lipped response. "Brilliant. Meet me in the prefect's bathroom at five thirty on the dot tomorrow."

Before Severus could refuse, Regina ran from the bathroom. He raised his hand to the bridge of his nose; he felt a headache coming.

"Regina I don't feel comfortable with this," Severus stated as attempted to fight down a blush as skilled fingers rubbed her "special concoction" in his hair.

"Oh, hush Severus! I let you keep your underpants on now, didn't I?"

Severus grumbled as she lathered each strand. The sensation of her nails running over his scalp stirred something within him that had at first startled him. Once he'd gotten over his shock, he worked hard to shove it down and not give a second more of his attention.

"When will I be able to rinse?" Severus asked impatiently. "At this rate, we will miss the ball completely."

Regina tugged at his hair. "Nonsense we will arrive at the perfect moment. Now shut up and rinse your hair."

Severus rolled his eyes and submerged himself under the water of the large pool. When he emerged, he faced the Regina and moaning my Myrtle's grinning faces.

"Regina hand me the towel, please."

"Of course Severus." Regina smiled innocently as she handed him his towel and turned to face the wall. Severus glared at Moaning Myrtle, but the ghost refused to turn.

"Regina tell your friend to turn around."

Moaning Myrtle giggled. "My my Severus I don't believe I've seen this side of you or quite so much."

"Regina," Severus growled, "I will remain in this pool until she turns."

Regina giggled. "Myrtle dear would you mind dreadfully turning around for a minute. Our dear Severus is shy."

Severus glared at their backs as he quickly toweled off and summoned his robe.

Ten minutes later his glare stayed firmly in place as Regina brushed, dried and styled his no longer greasy hair. Rather than talk with him, the two girls fretted over his hair and giggled amongst themselves.

Satisfied with the outcome, Regina summoned a black clothing bag and passed it to him. "Alright go into the stall and put these on and I'll change into my gown as well."

Once in the stall, Severus was tempted to touch his hair, but he refrained from fear of ruining Regina's work. With nervous fingers, he slipped the new robes Regina had gotten him from the garment bag. The dark black silk felt cold beneath his fingers, and they fit his body like a second skin. The robe hung dramatically down his shoulders just the way he liked it.

From a few stalls down, he heard Myrtle gushing over Regina's dress, and he was glad the ghost had not visited him as he changed.

Once he was ready, he stepped out and slowly approached the large mirror on the wall across from him. The boy staring at him had to be someone else. He looked nothing like the greasy haired big nose he'd come to know so well.

No, the wizard staring at him looked more like a dark prince. His hair gleamed in the low lights of the prefect's restroom and fell in soft ways rather than stringy ropes. The way it framed his face gave the illusion that his nose was not quite as large as before.

The sound of Regina's stall opening drew his attention away from his startling reflection.

In a stunning gown of flowing smokey blue and silver, she approached him with a shy smile. "How do I look?"

The off the shoulder dress left her shoulders and collar bones bare. The almost sheer material had intricate designs that resembled flowers that spread from her ample chest to her the bottom of her gown. The metallic belt that resembled leaves sinched the dress at her waist, and it allowed the silky material to fall gently down her legs.

Much like his robes, the gown had a cape of its own, hanging delicately from the short sleeves hugging her upper arms. If he was a dark prince, Regina Mills was a Queen.

Severus cleared his throat, "You look beautiful." Moaning Myrtle scoffed at him. "She looks like royalty."

Regina smiled at them both, "So do you, Severus. Now, what do you say we go make a stunning entrance?"

Severus offered his arm. "Shall we?"

Regina smiled as she took his arm. She hoped this night would at least in part help Severus see that he was far from the names they called him daily.

"Lets."

I do apologize for the long wait. If yall are still there, I hope this makes up for it.