The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

The Hideous Orange Frock

Dumbledore announced in the second week of December that there would be a special Hogsmeade trip the Saturday before Christmas, as there was to be a holiday festival in the village. This, he reasoned, meant that the Yule Ball should be held earlier than expected, the following Saturday, 17 December.  

The result was a jostling hustle-bustle all about the castle as preparations were made. Flitwick could be seen charming baubles and evergreens all over the banisters and Hagrid dragged a gigantic tree through the Entrance Hall on Wednesday, which was erected in the front of the Great Hall and decorated with faerie lights and twinkling silver and gold ornaments that reflected the flickering of the floating candles that filled the curve of the enchanted ceiling.

There was a general jostling of students in all the corridors and in the Great Hall over the next week as they tried at pairing off for the ball. Regulus Black had been very thankful to simply ask Maryrose because it allowed him to avoid the kerfluffle of nervous boys and clusters of giggling, anxious girls that hung around all about the castle, waiting to be asked but never leaving their packs long enough to be asked.

On Friday evening, during dinner, the students were dusted with a lightly falling snow that wasn't cold, and melted on contact, magical and beautiful, though several students (like Severus Snape) seemed quite annoyed by the effect.

"Probably doesn't know what to do, poor chap," Sirius commented, watching Severus Snape brush the snow from his hair, "His hair's never been wetted before."

Peter laughed, "Good one, Padfoot."

The night of the Yule Ball came and Regulus Black was standing in the corridor outside of Hufflepuff common room, leaning against the wall and waiting for Maryrose to come out. He nodded to the other Hufflepuffs that passed by, headed to the Ball or else into the Common Room to get ready. He nodded in greeting when Wendy come out of the Common Room on the arm of one of the Hufflepuff Quiddich players. 

Honestly, Regulus couldn't blame her for having broken up with Peter, according to Maryrose, Peter was always making up excuses why he couldn't spend time with Wendy, or else just not showing up when they'd made plans. And besides that, Desmond Misces was a sight better of a catch than Peter Pettigrew. A prefect and a chaser on the team, Desmond was a good guy, and Regulus thought he looked much more the part for Wendy than Peter did, especially since Peter was nearly three inches shorter than Wendy and nearly three times as wide. Maryrose had told him that it seemed that everyone knew about the break up except for Peter and the other Marauders. "I don't think Peter's told them," Maryrose had said, "I don't know what he does when they think he's with Wendy, but they've been broken up since the start of October."

"Curious," Regulus had said.

Now, the door opened and Maryrose came out into the hall and any thoughts that had previously entertained Regulus's mind were washed off with a second as his breath caught in his throat and his mouth wen quite dry.

Maryrose Jenkins was positively gorgeous.

She'd turned her hair pearly-white and her eyes the darkest evergreen. She wore a green velvet dress that came to her thighs and white lacy tights that showed a bit of her skin beneath a lovely snowflake pattern. She wore a red sash about her waist, and a poinsettia in her hair. Even dressed in his nicest dress robes, new ones that his Mother had just sent him, Regulus still felt under dressed and hardly good enough for someone as perfectly beautiful as Maryrose looked.

"Wow, you look like a present!" he exclaimed, breathless.

Maryrose laughed and took his hands in her own, pulling him into her and giving him a kiss on his nose. "You don't look half bad yourself, Mr. Black."