ᴅɪsᴘᴇʟ ᴍʏ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅᴏᴍ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴅᴇᴜʀs' ᴇʀᴀ

Chapter 14: The Christmas Ball p.2

A week before Christmas ball, Hogwarts seemed to have gone mad. On Saturday, girls rushed to Hogsmeade, at once buying up all possible perfumes, lipsticks, mascaras, hair balms, skin creams and other cosmetic goods. Their cavaliers looked at that madness with perplexity and slight apprehension, and those who haven't asked the girl to the ball exhaled with relief.

Marauders spent days at rehearsals, almost completely ignoring lessons and visiting only Transfiguration so as not to irritate McGonagall even more.

Sirius continued to concoct his revenge plan, still not sure whether he chose the right path. Since that day, they haven't spoken with Narcissa, not experiencing any need for it.

James after Lily's refusal was ruffled and nervous, although he tried to pretend that everything was fine. What he had in mind, Black imagined vaguely, but didn't try to find out, for he himself was busy reflecting on the impending ball.

However, all that was pale in comparison with recent performance with participation of Serena and Beata Sprinkles. Students kept whispering about this event, following the Slytherin prefect with curious glances. She completely ignored the gossip, not paying attention to her own mother, who looked thoughtfully after her but didn't intend to impose herself. Malfoy was now seen much more often in Beata's company, which was maddening for Sirius, Parker and all Lucius's admirers.

Finally came the long-awaited moment of the opening of the ball.

The Great Hall once again amazed students: filled with sparkling snowflakes, silver candles, hovering in the air, located under the ceiling and folding into a florid "H", icy statues decorated with patterned drapery - all at once made forget about those weeks of student bondage, about which they complained. Girls shone in their stunning outfits of all possible colors and styles, and it was flashing in the eyes because of sparkling necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets.

Despite the holiday, Emily didn't betray herself, preferring an elegant floor-length black dress and a minimum of jewelry. As her roommate told her, lending her shoes: "The floor-length dress will hide your crooked legs." She didn't find it necessary to say that walking on heels and not clinging to the hem of the dress is a much more complicated art than Parker originally expected.

Remus met the girl with a joyful smile, bowing and kissing her hand. Admiration was frozen in his eyes, which made Emily embarrassed and forced to step back. They uncertainly shifted their feet for a while, then almost simultaneously concluded that they urgently needed a drink. Because this was the only way, as James put it, "to untie their legs" and make them dance.

The advice turned out to be handy, and after half an hour they both danced briskly in the middle of the dance floor, absolutely not feeling the rhythm and steeping on feet of people around them. But neither Remus nor Emily cared.

Next to them Lily and Severus circled. Against traditions the girl was wearing a bright green lace dress with a pleated skirt. Some teachers glanced disapprovingly, because already short - just above the knee - skirt with each turn revealed tanned legs of the Gryffindor.

Severus was somewhat shackled, feeling mocking glances of Slytherins. He wasn't so graceful in dancing as his well-educated fellow students, and the dress robe left much to be desired. Together they looked like notorious "Beauty and the Beast". But a smile played on Lily's face and that was enough for Severus.

The appearance of Beata before celebrating crowd could be called almost triumphal. Lucius, who had been waiting for the Slytherin in the Great Hall for an hour, turned to the roar of voices and froze with a twitching eye. Sprinkles busily passed by students and professors, coming straight to Malfoy, and with a half-smile tilted her head.