Masquerade
First Dance
"Seriously, Mione, why do we have to get ready this early?", Ron complained while pulling his grey school sweater vest over his shirt. Huffing Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently against the floor.
"Because I´m sick and tired of always being late because of you two."
"Then why don´t you leave first and we will meet up there?" Sometimes she really could not believe Ron meant everything he said. Annoyed she put her palm over her face.
"Haven´t you listened, Ron? Miss Fedorova explained that we will enter the area from random directions no matter where we originally came from so if we don´t go there together I highly doubt that I will be able to find you. After all we will look like complete strangers by then." Ron had just opened his mouth to voice yet another complaint when Harry said: "I think she is right, Ron. The chances are not too good in a room full of strangers." Surrendering to his friends Ron put his shoes on while Hermione tried to tame Harry´s hair.
"Okay, I´m done. Let´s go." They were about to exit through the portrait hole when Harry looked carefully at Ron.
"Aren´t you forgetting something, Ron?" Being dumbstruck as so often he looked at him a little questioningly until Harry waved his mask in front of his face.
"My mask!" Running back Ron tossed things around in the common room in search of his mask.
"You have his mask, right, Hermione?" In response she giggled and revealed Ron´s mask.
"Should we tell him?", she asked while watching her panicking friend.
"I guess we should. But first we can let him search some more." When Ron started to even look into the fire place their laughter grew so loud that he turned around angrily.
"Stop laughing and help m-" Finally he had noticed his mask in Hermione´s hand. His head as red as his hair he stormed towards them and ripped it out of her hand.
The whole way down to the area entrance they kept on laughing and told Ron: "Oh, come on. Stop sulking, Ron. It was just a joke." Right in front of the entrance Ron decided that he forgave his friends and turned around.
"Haha! It was a very funny joke." Putting a fake sorry look on his face they both approached him.
"So how are we doing this so we won´t loose each other?" Her thinking face in place Hermione looked at the door which would lead them into the enchanted area.
"A fixing spell won´t work after all Dumbledore helped setting this spell up. I guess we have to hold hands and hope we will make it." Both boys shrugged and put their masks on. It really was strange to see her friends with those expressionless blank masks on.
Holding tight onto each other´s hands they stepped over the border. They blundered into a swirl and were ripped apart. The next thing Hermione remembered was that she came through a door she had never seen in her life into a great ball room. Still under the impact of the swirling through space she swayed and stumbled over her own feet. She collided with something hard.
"Careful there.", a male voice said near to her ear. The boy had caught her. She wanted to thank him but looking into a blank masked face she got frightened. For a second she had really forgotten about the whole mask thing. It seemed that he recognized that but he did not say anything and simply walked away. Following him with her eyes she recognized the other masked people.
Those masks really did not help her courage to start talking with everything. Although there were a lot of people around her she felt alone and lost. What she did not realize was that she could not even say which hair color each person had or if one stood out more than the other. It was an aspect of the spell. Making her way to the punchbowl she took a glass and watched the others. Many just stood there and looked around the room while some had already been brave enough to talk to someone.
She was just about to get her second glass filled when someone reached for the ladle first. Instead of just leaving after his glass was filled the boy took her glass and poured punch into it.
This time she found her voice and spoke: "Thank you." A brief nod was all she got for an answer. Still the boy seemed to want to stay with her so she just said what came into her mind.
"It´s scary, isn´t it?" He seemed to consider what she had said and let his eyes roam over the room.
"Indeed." The following silence was uncomfortable but Hermione did not know what to do next.
"Have you already had a look into one of the mirrors?" Had he not mentioned the mirrors she would not have cared about them. Her real faced glanced back at her while the person next to her had a mask on. Doubting her eyes she felt her face and really did not feel the mask.
"I think it is part of the spell.", he stated. After having studied herself in the mirror for long enough her view wandered back to him. Something was different about him. It took her a couple of seconds to find out what it was.
"Why aren´t you wearing your school uniform?" Humming he took a sip from his glass.
"But I am wearing my uniform. It seems that is another feature of this enchantment after all you are not wearing your school uniform either." Doubting his words she looked down on herself. The uniform was still in place. For her he was wearing a simple white shirt and a plain grey suit west with black trousers. It was very tempting to try and touch it but mere inches away from him she stopped her hand because it would certainly rude to touch him – a stranger.
Understanding her behavior he chuckled and said: "Go right ahead. I don´t mind being touched." For one second she hesitated and looked into his eyes for reassurance then she softly touched his suit vest. It was real and silky. Soft and cold.
While caressing the material absentmindedly some more she asked: "What is it you see me wearing?"
"A dress.", his deep manly voice spoke.
"What kind of dress?" She moved her finger in circular movements over his chest. The fabric really was smooth and nice to touch. His shrug ended her trance and she realized that she had overdone the whole feeling the vest thing.
"I know very little about dresses. It´s grey with a hint of pink I would say." Only then did Hermione the low tune of the music. A couple of students were already dancing.
"Would you like to dance?" Although she did not know the boy very well yet she thought that she would enjoy dancing with him. He followed her gaze and watched the pairs swaying to the music.
"No, I do not like dancing but we could explore the other rooms in the area if you would like to." A little disappointed she still thought it to be a good idea and joined him.
When the time of the evening came that she felt a certain pull to the exit – a effect of the spell she guessed – they walked towards an exit together.
"How big is the chance that we will get out of the same door?" Humming musingly he turned to look at every door.
"I don´t think there is any chance."
"Yes, probably not." Next to the door they came to a halt and faced each other.
"This was really nice. Maybe we can talk some more the next time." Now that she had a better look at his mask again it even seemed to smile slightly and the vest had some black embroidery on it. This spell was really magnificent.
"I don´t think it in the purpose of this event that you talk to the same person every night." Although she knew he did not mean to offend her she felt rejected.
"Oh, that´s true."
Seeing that she felt bad about him not wanting to talk to him he added: "But I am sure we will talk more frequently when this is over and I know who you are." His words sure made hope blossom in her heart but she also knew that when the event was over the prejudices would be back and maybe he would change his mind then.
Being very tired she agreed with Harry and Ron to tell them all about her night the next morning at breakfast. Shortly before she went to bet she sat down at her desk and wrote down what she had found out about the spell yet.
The more you know about a person, the more his/her clothes and mask change.
You cannot see the hair color of a person.
It is impossible to tell someone your name.
You forget all the names of your friends.
At the entrance you are separated from your friends no matter what.
During the last minutes of the ball you feel a pull towards the doors.
You can see your face in the mirror but not the one of others.
/ here is the first "dance", well they this time Hermione did not get the chance to dance but well...
So who are the two strangers?
Review, please?
