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The morning of December 24th couldn't have come any sooner. Following Asteria's confrontation with her parents, the girl had remained locked in her room. Queenie was tasked with bringing her three meals a day, and there was an ensuite bathroom attached to her bedroom; other than that, Asteria was completely isolated. Her siblings were prohibited from visiting her, Althea and Perseus claiming that she needed to "sit with her actions and reflect." How being sorted into Gryffindor was her own fault, Asteria didn't know. Over the course of the week, however, Asteria could hear her brother continuously fighting with her parents; he argued that this was wrong, that locking their daughter up in her room simply because of her sorting was unethical. His efforts were fruitless, however, as they would not budge that this was Asteria's punishment.
Eventually, the arguments had died down, and Asteria resigned to suffer her fate. She wondered whether her friends had noticed her absence, or if they had forgotten all about her. Being back home brought the familiar feelings of lonesomeness and hopelessness. Asteria was right back to believing nobody cared about her.
That was until Queenie Apparated into her bedroom, staggering under the weight of at least five ball gowns. And although Asteria had been dreading the Fawley Gala, at least it was a chance for her to leave her wretched bedroom.
"Mistress Grey wanted me to inform you that you must start preparing for the gala," Queenie squeaked, "Mistress Grey picked out a few dresses for you to wear."
"She won't help me get ready?" Asteria frowned, flipping between the silk material of the gowns. Queenie, saddened, shook her head. Preparing for parties was the one activity Asteria shared with her mother, but even that was gone now.
"No, Mistress Grey is busy getting ready herself," Queenie replied, attempting to salvage the situation. "There is a lot of work to be done! The gala is soon, so soon, and you must be ready by precisely 5:08!"
Sighing, Asteria nodded. This was not her first formal event, albeit it was her first gala. Thus, her appearance had to be immaculate for her first true appearance in pureblood society. Although every nerve in Asteria's body was screaming for the crimson dress in the pile, the girl knew she had to wear a dress which would appease her parents. Her Gryffindor traits had gotten her into this mess in the first place, and there was no way she would risk infuriating her parents even more.
Appearances were everything, Asteria was no stranger to that fact. How one looked, how one presented themselves, how one spoke - everything mattered. At least, that was the common thinking of purebloods all around England. Everyone had to be perfect, all the time, and there was no opportunity for messing up. Any mistake could have unimaginable consequences, a fact that was drilled into Asteria's head since birth. One mistake, and everything that the Greys had worked for would go down the drain. The reputation that they cared about ever so much would cease to exist, and the blame would be placed on Asteria. Thus, although Asteria did not care so much about 'appearances' at the gala as much as her parents, the blonde made sure to do whatever her parents asked.
