Mass Collision

16. Slughorn Christmas Party

Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees for the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Pansy forcing Draco and Natalia to get a picture kissing under one.

Natalia was trying to get Blaise to just ask out Pansy already, but he had a plan for the Christmas party.

The Demi-god laid on Draco's bed as he was plotting something at the desk in his dorm room. "What's your next plan since the cabinet isn't working?"

"Poisoned mead. I've already done it," Draco explained. "I replaced the bottle that Slughorn was going to give Dumbledore with the one that I bought. So... before Christmas break, we're going to have some fun," he smirked and Natalia laughed as she did her homework.

"You know the likelihood of that working?" Natalia asked him, not even glancing up.

"About 20%," he answered before adding, "maybe less." Natalia nodded. There was nothing she could do to stop him from doing it. He was a determined arsehole, but so was she. She had been, almost nonstop some days, trying to get the cabinet back up and working.

~

The next night was the Christmas party and Natalia had waited in the common room with Blaise and Pansy for about 20 minutes for Draco with no show. She had dressed up for the Christmas party and was wearing one of the dresses that Camilla had picked for her. It was a velvet green dress and she put her hair in a half-up/half-down style. Daphne even helped her do a little bit of makeup.

Natalia scoffed and walked up the stairs, "I'm ready to get drunk." Pansy and Blaise gave each other a look and just followed her to the party.

Natalia had to say her name to Filch and he let her in after finding her name on the list.

When she walked in she was amazed, whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

Natalia dodged Slughorn and he went straight for Blaise and Pansy who came in directly after her.

She looked for one of the waiters and stopped him and grabbed a drink, downing it. She looked at him closer and drew her eyebrows together in confusion, "Neville."

"Hey," he greeted awkwardly.

"Aren't you in the slug club?"

He shook his head, "he didn't think I was interesting enough so after the first meeting, I was never invited back, but hey, I'm getting paid."

Natalia felt bad for him, "Well, my date ditched me so why don't you save me a dance for later." Neville nodded with a large smile.

"That would be amazing. Speaking of, who's your date?"

"My boyfriend, Draco," Natalia answered and Neville looked shocked.

"But–the ministry," he choked out and Natalia had forgotten about that.