Chilled Legacy

Chilled Legacy XV: The Ball Part 1

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update!  (hi Joey)It's been like 26 days. Lots of things happened: I wrote this chapter from the end to the beginning (because my mind works strangely) and procrastinated with a oneshot.
The chapter I was originally going to post was twice as long, but it actually got too long, so I'll post the other sometime this week when that half is edited (probably). So basically, the next update wont take me a month.
Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews, they means so much, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

-Laura

Chilled Legacy XV

"Ron, close your mouth. You'll catch flies."

Hermione's dress was an eggshell white, reaching just above her knees, embroidered with a black forest pattern on the side and a black sash tied around the middle. Her mask covered only the single eye and matched the pattern on the dress. She reminded Harry of some extravagant porcelain doll from the dark winter forest collection, especially with the white rose entwined in her purposefully messy hair.

While she looked beautiful, Hermione didn't particularly stand out. This ball was comprised of colorful gowns, each like something out of old, forgettable Victorian film. Even the men dressed in colorful dress robes, Harry's a dark silver, matching his last minute mask. Ron's were completely white, coordinating perfectly with his date. It made his red hair stand out like a bright orange flame.

Hermione ruffled it, and Harry noticed she wore a sort of glove with the same black forest pattern, covering everything but her fingers. It was almost like a fancy shield of silk armor.
She closed Ron's gaping mouth by kissing him slowly.

Harry coughed. "Shall we go then?"

It was times like these that he missed Ginny the most. He wasn't a fan of balls, but if she were here, maybe the whole thing wouldn't seem so ridiculous. Harry never did have the chance to dance with her in any of Hogwarts balls—not that either of them were good at dancing, but if he was going to look like an idiot, he may as well do it with Ginny.

The only word to describe the Great Hall was wow.
The starry night celling was cloudless without a snowflake in sight, the moonlight glow more powerful than ever, reflecting on the sparkling streamers which gradually changed color ever other minute. Light danced off the walls and on the faces of the shimmering ball gowns and masks.
Everything felt alive, as if the walls themselves were radiating gold. Somehow all this light wasn't too much, but just perfect. It made Harry want to dance—that is if his common sense suddenly left him and if the music wasn't so torturously slow.

All the dances started off this way. It wasn't until an hour into the party that the actual band arrived and everyone—including Ron and Harry—joined people on the dance floor. For now it was couples only while the staff played some old instruments and the majority lounged around the snack tables.

Harry spotted Luna and Neville slow dancing near the middle of the floor and grinned. Hannah Abbott was glaring daggers at the couple, something quite unlike her. Neville truly was clueless. Everyone knew she'd had a thing for him since the D.A had started training.

Next, he saw Astoria. To his embarrassment, his jaw dropped slightly. Given his infatuation with Ginny, the fact that he'd mainly encountered her in the worst of occasions while she wore plain black robes with her hair tied tightly back, Harry had never taken notice of how beautiful the younger slytherin was.

Her dark, wine purple dress and matching lips brought out her fair skin and honey brown hair. Maybe she wasn't traffic stopping like her sister, her short stature hardly aided by the hidden heels under her ridiculously long dress, but she had caught the eye of more than one lone dancer in the room.
Still, no one approached her.
Though she made them look twice, Astoria had never looked worse.
Her eyes weren't wide, curious, or twinkling like usual. They danced around the room in search of something more, partially dead, and partially on the verge of tears that Harry knew she wouldn't let fall. Not here anyway. While Harry was sure her lips looked tempting to any number of boys in the room, no one wanted to kiss a frowning face.