Amelia Merlin and the Game for Okamila

Part 86: Slughorn's Christmas Party

To say Professor Slugorn had been interested in Amelia was a bit of an understatement. He adored her, every chance he saw her he was filled with a very strange joy. Only Harry rivaled her in affection and strangely, Amelia quite enjoyed Slughorn. She found him amusing, his shallowness was so honest and obvious she somehow respected him more for it.

"My dear Amelia!" Professor Slughorn swooped over her cauldron during one potions class. "This is incredible. I have never before seen such elegance." Amelia smiled and turned her face towards Harry's pot, Slughorn's eyes followed and he exclaimed, "But Harry, my boy! This is something entirely different! The ingenuity! You're just like your mother, brilliant" Amelia beamed at Harry who looked pleased with himself. "Both of you should attend my Christmas Party! I beg of you, you as well, Miss Granger!"

The three of them looked at each other and awkwardly nodded. "Can we bring guests, professor?" Amelia asked.

"Of course!" he boomed.

"Can they be people who don't go to this school?"

"My dear, do you have some secret romance we are unaware of?" Slughorn seemed much more interested.

Amelia laughed and the professor seemed even more pleased with himself. "I wouldn't call it secret."

"She's dating that Weasley boy." Draco spoke up and she hadn't realized he'd been listening. Amelia turned and glared at him, but stopped herself when she was how horrible he looked. She hadn't noticed until now but Draco Malfoy had lost his swagger entirely. He looked awful, lavender bags under his eyes and his skin was more grey than the usual alabaster.

"Yes," she said. "I'm dating that Weasley boy."

"Really?" Slughorn looked like he had smelled something rather awful.

"Not Ron!" Amelia laughed and the old professor let out a large breath. "His older brother, Fred. He doesn't go to this school anymore."

"He dropped out last year," Draco added sullenly.

"Yes, and now he runs a very successful independent business with his brother. He's ingenious, probably the smartest person I know." It was hard not to brag about him and the impressed look on Slughorn's face only made her want to keep talking but she held her tongue.

"Well of course he can come!" he beamed, Amelia glowed, and Draco Malfoy looked more sullen than usual.

...........

At the night of the Christmas Party, Parvati was doing Amelia's hair while Lavender lay on the bed with her head resting in her hands and Ginny was doing her makeup in the mirror. Amelia was wearing a short dark blue dress with silver heels, she couldn't help staring at her reflection and admiring herself.

"Amelia?" Lavender didn't even wait for her to respond before continuing. "Is Fred actually coming tonight?"

"Of course he is. Why do you even ask?" she laughed, Parvati tugged at her hair but Amelia didn't flinch.

"Because I want to go instead!" she groaned. "It's so glamorous! Me and Parv are just going to spend all night waiting for you to come back so you can tell me how romantic Fred was, and how he danced with you and-"

"Gross!" Ginny called out. "That's my gross older brother."

"That's your hot, sexy older brother." Amelia grinned and Ginny glared at her. "Okay, sorry."

"Yeah, don't be weird, that's Ginny's brother." Lavender pointed out.

"You are the one who is always snogging Won-won!" she  shrieked in laughter and the rest of the room burst into a fit of giggles while Lavender turned bright red.