Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Hogwarts is, of course, the work belonging to J. K. Rowling, however all OC's in this story belong to me. All Shakespeare references belong to Shakespeare, and the title Unlaced is from the Emilie Autumn song of the same name.
Chapter One:
Propriety
"And, girls, one, two, three and curtsy, very good...hold for a moment...and rise slowly...Penelope Prewett, that needs work! All of you, your debuts are in a matter of weeks now! And again, girls, curtsy..."
Vela Black, a tall blonde girl of sixteen, rolled her sapphire blue eyes and bowed low for the 25th time that hour, her black skirts swirling around her. She tried her best not to loose her balance as Professor Smythe, the dance tutor, glided around the class approvingly.
"And, hold it, girls, and rise..."
The girls all straightened, keeping their heads held high and breathing even.
"Vela Black! Stand up straight! Are you even wearing your corset?" Professor Smythe demanded, causing Vela to jump.
"I...uh..."
"Well, Miss Black?"
Vela smirked. "No, Miss, I'm not wearing my corset," she said. "I rather like being able to breathe."
"Detention, Miss Black," Professor Smythe sighed, irritation showing in her lined face. "Now, kindly go to your room and get your corset on. You will make up for the lost minutes once class has ended."
Vela strode out of the hall, not the slightest bit ashamed. Her classmates were whispering to each other and her sister looked scandalised.
"Much love, sister, dear," Vela muttered with a smirk as she walked past.
Her twin sister, Cassiopeia, refused to acknowledge the greeting and flicked her head away pointedly, her dark curls bouncing. Vela swore she heard Cassiopeia's neck crack, and stifled a giggle.
Once in her room, Vela flicked her wand to lace her corset. Oh, how she loathed the tightness of it. One day, I will burn you, she promised the corset.
Breathing considerable shallower, Vela went back to the dance hall, where Lucille Malfoy was being praised for her elegant curtsey. The petite blonde at the front of the class had an arrogant smirk on her pointed face.
"Simply perfect, my dear. You have the grace becoming of a very fine lady," Professor Smythe was saying proudly to her.
"Thank you, miss," Lucille replied sweetly, evidently loving attention she was receiving.
Your brother is far more perfect, Vela thought longingly as Lucille gave Professor Smythe a winning smile.
"You're welcome, Miss Malfoy. You may sit with the rest of your classmates while Miss Black, here, will attempt to curtsy in her corset this time," Professor Smythe said pointedly, staring at Vela.
"I'm sorry?" Vela asked, raising a pale eye brow and trying not to laugh at the bit of grey hair that had escaped from Professor Smythes' hairnet.
"You heard, Miss Black," Smythe said impatiently.
"Very well," Vela said sweetly and sunk into a rather decent curtsey, her long, curly blonde hair tumbling out of it's bun and falling over her shoulders as she bowed her head. She held the curtsy for the appropriate amount of time, ignoring the bit of hair in her eye, and rose, keeping her shoulders back and looking straight ahead. Professor Smythe seemed to approve, however grudgingly.
"Satisfactory, miss?" Vela asked innocently.
"Yes, yes, that was fine, Miss Black. You still have detention, though. 7:30, my office, if you please."
Vela smiled curtly to show she understood and tried to fix her hair with a few pins.
"Well, that's today's class over, dears. Remember, grace, power and beauty!" Professor Smythe trilled.
"Grace, power and beauty," the students chanted back and started filing out of the room, talking quietly.
"And magic," Vela muttered under her breath, "why do they never mention 'magic'?"
"That was wicked of you to show up to class without a corset, Vela," Cassiopeia clicked disapprovingly once they were in the corridor. As the older of the two by several minutes, she decided it long ago her duty to reprimand Vela for the trouble she had a habit of causing.
Vela sighed. "I'm sure you'll get over it, Cassie," she said lightly, giving up on her hair and letting it fall freely down her back.
"Urgh, you are the most impossible sister," Cassiopeia said, exasperated, and went to join her group of friends, who were all shooting disapproving looks over their shoulders. "And tie your hair up!" she ordered, before disappearing down the next corridor.
Vela heard laughing behind her. "I'm amazed you only got a detention, Vel," Raquel Lestrange mused, resting her pale chin on Vela's shoulder.
"So am I, actually," Vela laughed into Raquel's deep red hair, and the two Slytherin friends linked arms tightly as they slowly made their way through the crowd of girls.
"Did you see how smug Lucille looked?" Raquel smirked at the look of irritation on Vela's features.
"Oh, she is going to be talking about how perfect she is all night," she sighed. "I wonder when we can actually rehearse dance class with the boys."
"I do hope it's soon," Raquel said and the two smirked wickedly, remembering what had happened three months ago, the last time the dance classes were mixed...
"And, girls, curtsey to your partner, and boys, bow..." Professor Smythe instructed.
Vela gave a stiff smile to her dance partner, Stephan Prewett; a boy who she had had quite a few fights with over the years. Nevertheless, they were friends who continually taunt each other at any opportunity. Vela sunk into a deep curtsey while he gave a small bow. She was shocked to realise he was at the perfect angle to stare at her dẽcolletage
"Do you mind, Prewett?" she hissed as she straightened. As much as she liked Stephan for being more of a rebellious gentleman, she already had her sights set on another.
"Not at all," Stephan assured her, pulling her to him to waltz. "So, how are you intending to disrupt the class today, Miss Black?"
Vela raised her eyebrows. "How do you know about my disrupting antics, Mr. Prewett?" she asked as he spun her. She purposely stuck out her leg to trip a Ravenclaw girl who had insulted Raquel several days earlier. "Woopsie," she said innocently as Stephan raised his fair eyebrows.
Stephan shook his head in disbelief and smirked. "Well, Miss Black, my charming sister, Felicity, has let it slip on a few occasions about your hatred of this class. Cousin Penny has said so as well, come to think of it. And, also, you are well known for the drama," he added lightly.
"Back straight, Vela!" Smythe yelled from the back of the room, before swishing her skirts and proceeded to assist one of the other couples. "Honestly, why can't you be as good as your sister?" she continued, "I am tired of you not applying yourself to this class!"
Vela snorted, ignoring the comparison. As far as she was concerned, dance was one of the few classes strictly for girls that she could do rather well in, despite her hatred of it. "Shall we tango, Mr. Prewett?" she asked loudly, getting quite a few glares from the dancing partners around her.
"I am afraid I have never been taught the tango, Vela," he said heavily, sounding genuinely disappointed.
"Mr. Prewett," Smythe snapped, "kindly do not use the first name of your dance partner. It is not proper and far too familiar-" a bit of grey hair had escaped from her hairnet, as what always happened when the older woman was irritated.
Stephan scoffed and placed his hand lower down Vela's back, smirking. "How do you put up with that miserable old cow?" he asked lightly as the Professor stormed off to assist another dancing couple.
"By causing scandal to make class more enjoyable," Vela answered sweetly, "scandal like this-" she smiled seductively and kissed him in full view of everyone. She heard Raquel snickering loudly and subsequent shushing.
Deciding that Stephan was enjoying this far too much, she quickly broke away, eyebrow raised.
"Vela Black and Stephan Prewett!" Smythe screeched, halting the music, her gravelly voice echoing around the hall.
"I hate you, Vela," Stephan told her lightly, his head to one side.
"I hate you too, Prewett," she simpered. "And that is how you cause dance class to be slightly more enjoyable."
"Class has been rather dull since you kissed Stephan," Raquel continued sombrely as they made their way to the girls Slytherin table.
"I'm sure Smythe will do all she can to keep the boys away," Vela sighed dramatically as a house-elf handed them their plate of dinner. Vela was please to see it was roast beef, a much appreciated improvement from the chicken they had eaten the day before.
After supper, Vela bade Raquel farewell and trudged slowly through the cold, stone corridors of Hogwarts to Professor Smythes' office. She wished her cotton blouse was thicker. Fiddling with the loose thread coming from her emerald green Slytherin sash, she sighed heavily when she came to Smythe's office door.
"Enter," Smythe called before Vela even had a chance to knock on the dark pine.
Vela went into the room, noticing that, like the last detention she had several weeks ago, the room was still much too dark with only two small candles for light. She debated whether to ignite the tip of her wand, but Smythe's dry voice jolted her back to the present.
"Well, Miss Black, you know why you are here. Sit, please." Professor Smythe pointed to a wooden chair in front of a small desk. Vela sat obediently, but not with out pouting slightly.
"Your punishment is to write out all 177 school rules for females three times," Professor Smythe said sternly. "Pay particular attention to numbers 36-104, as they are about the interaction allowed between those of the lesser sex and their male counterparts. You may begin."
Vela rolled her eyes as parchment, quill and ink were placed on the desk. She started without a word, feeling as though each rule was another bar of a cage, holding her captive. Do we have no freedom? Vela thought miserably. Her corset felt ridiculously uncomfortable, and it was hurting to breath.
Another bar, she thought miserably.
"Professor? Can I ask you a question?" Vela asked an hour later when she had almost finished writing the rules for the third time. Her pale hand had become slightly ink-stained, much to her horror. If Smythe were not watching her like a hawk, she would get her wand and magic the ink away as if her life depended on it.
"Yes, Miss Black?" Professor Smythe surveyed Vela through her spectacles curtly.
Vela took a deep breath and ad-libbed a story. "I'm interested in taking a potions class," she ventured. "I would like to get into healing once I've left here and I assume potions play a large part of that field," Vela continued, keeping a tone of utmost sincerity.
Professor Smythe looked at her student as though she were mad, then laughed, tears coming to her grey eyes. "Oh, my dear, what an absurd thought," she managed to say finally. "A lady? To be a healer? Oh, that is such an amusing idea, Miss Black. You are a very funny girl." She laughed again, and Vela was getting more infuriated by the minute.
"What is so funny about a lady wanting to enter the workforce?" she asked innocently, although her voice shook slightly.
"It's not the done thing, Miss Black," Professor Smythe said seriously. "And any sort of 'service' work is certainly not done by a Black family member. Anyway, be off with you. This little amusing thought has just made my day. Goodnight, Miss Black."
"Goodnight," Vela returned curtly, walking coolly from the office. Her face had gone slightly flushed, however, and she stopped for a moment to calm herself. Sighing, she glanced at her time piece, wanting to distract her mind.
Oh good, she thought, I'll be just on time.
She ran down a flight of stairs and through a few corridors until she was near the 'male' side of the castle, where girls were never allowed to be found.
"Cyrus," she called softly, tip-toeing around the corner. She felt someone come up behind her.
"Yes?" a voice murmured into her hair.
Vela smiled as Cyrus wrapped his hands around her waist.
"I'm glad you're here," she whispered. She spun around to look at him, taking in his blonde hair, glittering grey eyes and light dusting of stubble over his strong jaw. "I've had the most horrid day," she pouted.
"Really?" he asked, tucking one of her wayward blonde curls behind her ear.
"Lumos," Vela muttered, drawing out her wand, and the two were bathed in a yellow light. She rested her head against Cyrus' chest, listening to his steady heart-beat. "Yes, I managed to get sent out of class, infuriate my twin sister and get a detention all in the space of 50 seconds."
Cyrus snorted, and shook his head in disbelief. "50 seconds? I think that must be a new record for you, Vel," he chuckled. "Why did you get sent out of class?"
"I didn't have a corset on," she answered, unashamedly.
He laughed loudly, and Vela shushed him.
"Sorry," he said, smirking, and donning an even posher accent than his natural one, "but it is most improper for a lady to discuss undergarments in the presence of a male."
"What can I say?" Vela asked airily, "I've never been one for propriety."
"And that is why I like you so much, Miss Black," Cyrus said. He leaned in to kiss her, and she retaliated with just as much passion.
A loud crash broke them apart.
"I must get going," Vela said sadly. "They will wonder where I am and probably report me. By 'they' I mean your ghastly sister and her equally ghastly friends," she added pointedly.
Cyrus rolled his eyes at the mention of Lucille. "Damn them. Same time in two days?" he asked, toying with Vela's blonde hair, which had fallen out yet again.
"Not even death could keep me away," Vela teased, pecking his cheek.
"Even death? Now, how would you manage that?" Cyrus asked, laughing.
"Oh, I'll haunt you, Mr. Malfoy, mark my words." Vela smirked as she turned to go, but Cyrus pulled her back, causing her to crash into him.
"Goodnight, Vel," he murmured, kissing her again. It killed her to break away, but she did.
"Goodnight, Cyrus," Vela said sadly, dousing her wand light, and hurried back to the female Slytherin common room, keeping to the shadows. It would be just her luck to be found out of bounds after lights out.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I do hope you enjoyed this, even though Hogwarts is different to the one we all know and love.
I'd love to know what you think thus far, and even give your thoughts on women's rights in the Wizarding world if you would like to divulge. ^_^ It would be fantastic to hear other peoples' opinions on the subject!
