The Order of Mischief I

2.19

WARNING: mention of death and suicide.

♠

Fireworks were sent off into the night sky as soon as the clocks struck midnight. The colourful display of magic and science concluded half an hour later, when everyone started to enter the house. Since then, music hypnotised familiar faces and lured them to the dance floor. Music played loudly throughout the house as the celebrations continued. The dark grew dark with certainty as the lights in the house dimmed to hide the faces of those that danced to the slow tunes that hummed through the ears of those present.

James Potter fled the dance floor as he crept up to a corner of the room. He was pleased to have found the tables that were laden with plates of food that kept refilling themselves. He reached out for the chocolate brownies that were on display when a familiar figure approached him and leaned their heads on his shoulder. James looked over and found Anya staring up at him through tired eyes.

"Tired, already?" he asked her.

She nodded, "I feel like I have been dancing for hours."

"You have," he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her and held her close to himself. Anya looked up with a wide-stretched grin on her face. He looked over his shoulder and saw the way that the room was a blur of colours and shadows that refused to stop moving and bending to the music that played. The youthfulness in the room felt familiar and welcoming to him; it reminded him of the celebratory parties that Gryffindors would host in their common room. He could not help but miss it, especially as he was surrounded by young teenagers, most of whom he did not know. He was glad that the adults separated themselves from their children, but he could not help but wish his best friends were there, or that he could talk to his mother about it.

He turned to Anya and was about to ask her to join him on the dance floor when she suddenly stood straight and scanned the room like a meerkat. He watched her slowly turn her head towards him. James guessed that she needed to be somewhere else by the expression on her face, so, without waiting for her to excuse herself, he nodded his head and said, "Go on."

Anya smiled as she snuck away from the party, leaving James to enjoy the night on his own. She rushed to slip through the narrow opening of the door that was blocked by a stranger she was expected to recognise as her cousin. Anya's ears focused on the melody she could hear, a dull and slow pulling of violin strings could be heard ringing in her ears. It contrasted the playful beats of the drums that she danced to earlier. She had heard the song before - earlier during the night - but she ignored it. In no time did the music fade into silence when she refused to listen to it. But it returned now.

Anya was certain that she was the only person who could hear it because no one else seemed curious by the tune. The dark harmony slowly increased in volume as she moved away from the party. She could hear it come from upstairs and decided to investigate it. She needed to find its source. She needed to know why she was the only person who could hear it. She needed to know who was playing such a sad tune when everyone was enjoying the party all over the house.

Who did she not account for earlier?

Anya stepped off the stairway when she heard the song grow louder on the third floor. Inhaling deeply, she took a cautious step towards the corridor where the melody came from. She could barely hear the music and the chatter from downstairs as the violin grew louder and louder. Each step felt heavy and slow, as if she was dragging herself through the corridor. She kept her eyes focused on the door furthest from her, it was slightly opened and revealed nothing of the contents or habitant within.