The Boy Who Lied

The Ball

Previously:

"What do you--Hades. Wow...you are gorgeous." Sev carefully picks me up, making sure that nothing gets too wrinkled, and gives me a quick peck on the lips. We talk about some mundane things until Dray comes to pick me up and bring me to the dungeon's entrance to meet Pansy.

As soon as I see Pansy, I give her a hug and compliment her. Dray walks with us to the Great Hall and leaves us at the entrance as the champions, and their dates will walk in together and start the dancing. Pansy and I get into line, and I take a deep breath, preparing to put on a show that I know I'm ready for.

Now:

"Welcome to the Yule Ball, a longstanding tradition in the history of the Triwizard Tournament. The dance floor will open with the champions and their respective dates performing a traditional waltz," Dumbledore loudly proclaims, no doubt using a sonorous to amplify his voice. Professor McGonagall walks out of the Great Hall as we get into line, and we hear the crowd in the Great Hall go silent. McGonagall gestures to Viktor and his date, who were the first in line, to start walking down the aisle. I start to shake a little bit as we approach the doors, and Pansy gives me a quick squeeze on the arm, reassuring me that everything would be fine and that nothing would happen. 

We step out onto the dance floor, each of us taking one corner. There is a slight pause while we get set up in the proper dancing positions, and then the music starts. I honestly was on autopilot, doing the various steps and twirling Pansy at the times where we were supposed to. I didn't remove my eyes from Pansy's, and she didn't look away from me once, giving me the soft smile that made me feel so warm and cozy on the inside. When the song was done, another one started almost immediately. I gave Pansy a look, silently asking her if she wanted to have another dance with me or if she wanted to go to the table where my family would be. She shook her head slightly, letting me know that we could go to the table for a little bit.

We walked through the small crowd that had formed on the dance floor, her holding my hand and leading me as she was tall enough to see exactly where we were going. As soon as we reached the table, I felt a silencing bubble surround us so that no one may eavesdrop on our conversations while we could make sure to stay aware of everything around us. I see that Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor, as well as their dates, have joined us, so I give everyone a quick hug, lingering a bit in my hug to Draco. We sit and talk about various things for a while, and Cedric mentions that he knows how to get the clue for the next task out of the golden egg. Just so that it isn't super suspicious that the three champions are talking with each other secretly, we decide to meet up after the ball in my mate's room to discuss all of this. The silencing bubble was removed, as again, we don't want it to be thought that we champions are cheating or conspiring with each other, and we all discuss various other things. Pansy and I got up and go danced a couple more times, as I didn't want to be a rude date and ignore her.

I was starting to feel a bit warm, so I told Draco and Pansy that I'd be heading out for a bit, maybe take a ride on one of the thestral carriages that were outside of Hogwarts. Draco offered to come with me to keep me company, but I told him that I would be fine and that I'd be back soon, so he let me go alone. As soon as I stepped out of the school, it felt like the world's weight was lifted off my shoulders. I immediately relaxed and felt so very calm. I saw that many of the carriages were being used as meet-up spots for couples to do their couple things, but there was one that was free. I got in there, and before I could close the door and signal to the thestrals that they should start moving, a figure quickly entered and shut the door behind them. Before I could scream for help, the figure grabbed me and gave me a giant hug, and I immediately relaxed again. It was my mate; I could tell by his scent. Sev gave me a quick, chaste kiss as soon as we separated and settled me on his lap as the carriage started to move, and I felt my Harry Potter glamor dissolve.

"Hades, you were so beautiful and graceful out there. I just wish you could've danced with me instead of Pansy, as I would've loved to twirl you until you couldn't stand up straight." Sev whispered in my ear, rubbing my cat ears softly, making me purr in pleasure. 

"Maybe we can have a private dance session tonight in your rooms before it's time for bed?" I ask shyly, afraid that he would shoot down my idea.

"Mmmm--yes, that sounds amazing. So what were you, your friends, and fellow champions discussing between your dances?" I remember what we decided to do after the ball began to wind down, and mentioned it to him, asking whether it was ok that I did this without asking him first. He gave me another chaste kiss and reassured me that his rooms and belongings were now my rooms and belongings as well and that I had the freedom to invite my friends over whenever I wanted to. At that, I gave him a kiss, surprising both of us as I had never initiated much of our affectionate exchanges. After all of that, we just sat together and enjoyed the rest of the ride, talking about various things and just getting more comfortable with each other in what little time we could spend alone together.