Her arm looped through, Nia looked up at the mask. She was intrigued how it was held on. Magic, obviously. But what sort of sticking charm? It seemed to be holding on well, with the facial movement. "I think it was a mixture of it all. Not knowing what to expect. The mask, the outfit, the hair." Hmm. Would it be wrong of her to touch the hair? You know, to check whether or not it was real? She reached out to touch it. "And the lack of introduction," she added with a wry smile.

If she hadn't offended him, she must have done still something bad, Nia concluded mentally. And, she didn't really know how to take his next words. She looked at him almost shyly as her arm got squeezed with his. She was honoured that perhaps he did think she was too close. Because that meant a lot about their friendship. But at the same time, it was a bit of a downer that he thought she'd overly exaggerate things. And...what was wrong with making someone feel better. That was what friends were for, right? A quote stood out in her mind.

Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings forget how to fly.

Heh. Angel.

"I just try and be a good friend," Nia answered after some thought. "There for the best times. And there for the worse." She wanted tonight to come under the 'best' category. They were leaving soon. With only really NEWTs to go. They had to go off in style. Had to. Because, quite frankly, this year had been the most boring of her seven. And she couldn't remember Hogwarts like that.

She needed to shift this doubtful melancholy that had appeared from seemingly nowhere.

His whispered words didn't help much. "It's a costume ball," Nia muttered back. "Be who YOU want to be." Had it been wrong to think this was a good idea? Possibly. "Me? I wanna celebrate. Dance. Have a laugh and some fun. With a good friend." She leant her head on his arm/shoulder. "You."