Chapter 3 (Smile and Wave)
Somebody save me, please! I was only an hour into the party, and already I wished fervently to escape. My mind drifted as my feet mindlessly moved through the steps of the waltz. The guy that was spinning me around the floor during this dance was exceedingly dull. He rambled on about some rare something-or-other found in some remote location that I really didn't give a darn about, and I was sure that no one else would either. I found myself recollecting a night much like this three years ago.
I was moving in a daze, waltzing with some guy that I never met again and would never care to, when, suddenly, someone tapped my partner on the shoulder. Not really caring who it was, I gracefully slipped into the intruder's arms. When the dance allowed me to finally get a look at my new partner, I had to suppress a laugh. Grinning goofily down at me was my best friend, his grey eyes sparkling with mischief. "How would you like to blow this joint?" he murmured in my ear.
I nodded my head enthusiastically, and he led me out the back door, dancing all the way. Once we were out of hearing range, I broke out in a fit of giggles which Sirius immediately joined in on. Catching my breath, I gasped out my thanks. Sirius didn't reply, but instead grabbed my hand and drug me off to the nearby muggle town where we spent most of the night laughing and eating ice cream.
How I wished that Sirius would swoop in and save me tonight, but there was no chance; he wasn't invited and probably didn't even know what was going on. You're probably wondering how in the world my best friend wasn't invited. Well, the thing is: though this was supposed to be my party, my parents made up the guest list, and my mother strongly disapproved of Sirius ever since he was disowned. I believe her words were: "I always knew that boy was bad news. I only tolerated him because my little Marlene needed a playmate and seemed to like him." What a phony! Only the week before, I overheard her discussing a possible marriage arrangement between our families with my father. Of course, she only considered that because the Blacks are even richer than us.
I was brought back to reality as the song ended. My partner bowed, and I followed with the customary curtsy and an unladylike sigh.
Hoping to avoid my parents' attempts at matchmaking for a little while longer, I ambled over to the punch bowl on the far side of the ballroom. I grabbed one of the crystal goblets and carefully filled it with the sparkling, berry-colored drink. Drink in hand, I slipped out the French doors and into our garden.
I had just seated myself on a bench, when a deep voice floated to my ears. "What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone?"
My headed snapped up quickly, causing me to almost spill my drink. Warm hazel eyes laughed down at me from their perch behind a pair of glasses. "What happened to your infatuation with Lily Evans?" I joked. We both knew that he had been jesting, and had eyes only for the red-headed beauty.
"Seriously, why aren't you inside? It is your party, isn't?" he replied.
I didn't know James Potter very well, but he was a nice enough guy from my experience, not to mention that he was Sirius' friend, so I decided to explain my woes to him. "My party? More like my mother's way of ensuring that everyone still knows and respects her, and my father's chance to introduce me to 'acceptable gentlemen.' It's just so dull. Hey, how'd you end up here anyway?"
He grimaced, but not in an I-absolutely-hate-this way, more like an I-kind-of-would-rather-not-be-here-but-I'll-tolerate-it way. "My mother insists that we go to all the parties we're invited to. She says it's just good manners. Oh well. Occasionally, I have fun." He winked mischievously at me. Uh oh! He's planned a prank. I guess I'd better watch my back, or maybe my front, a little closer.
I rolled my eyes, as he dramatically joined me on the bench. "You're going to prank my party? Even without your comrades in crime? Gasp!" I brought my hands to cover my mouth as if I was outraged.
His grin widened, and the sparkle in his eyes glittered like the stars that were beginning to emerge in the darkening sky. "Whoever said that I was alone?" I could have sworn that I glimpsed the form of a shaggy dog just beyond the evergreen bushes that lined the pathway. I blinked twice and the shape was gone. Wow! I must be really suffering from the mixture of boring-beyond-all-belief dudes and Sirius-withdrawal!
James chuckled, noticing my momentary space-out. "Come on, let's go back inside." He held out his hand for mine.
I lightly took his proffered hand. "Let's," I breathed, and he led me back onto the dance floor.
As we danced, we talked a little more about our families and Hogwarts. Just before the song ended, he whispered in my ear, "Be under the chandelier when the clock strikes eleven." After parting from him, I glanced at the clock. It was only 8:40. I had two hours and twenty minutes to suffer through before whatever that boy was planning took place.
Break
It was nearly eleven. I had spent the night mingling among crowds to hide from my parents, and dancing with extraordinarily dull or annoying pureblooded prats. Now I was slowly making my way toward the crystal chandelier that hung in the middle of the ballroom. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. The grandfather clock called out the hour. I was positioned squarely beneath the mammoth crystals of the elaborate light fixture. Dong. The final chime rang out… and sparkling red and gold confetti fell from the ceiling to cover all the party-goers. "Good Luck, Marley!" was spelled out above my head in multicolored fireworks. The best part? The lights all pointed toward the door, which burst open to reveal a smirking Sirius Black. "Having fun yet, Marls?" he yelled. I was shocked, elated, and slightly worried, all at the same time. It was all that I could manage to not double over in laughter. He jog-skipped toward me, his black mop of hair swaying back and forth with his motion, and engulfed me in a bear-hug, spinning me around.
"Siri… can't breathe well, Siri," I gasped. Laughing heartily, he placed me back on solid ground.
"Couldn't very well miss my best friend's party now, could I?" he murmured to me. "Smile and wave, honey. Smile and wave." And he wondered why his mates joked about him being gay. But I followed his lead anyway, though my cheeks were most definitely tinted a deep pink. He raised his voice to call out, "Newest decorations courtesy of the Maruaders!" The guests broke out in applause, and I noticed three male figures wave at me from the doorway. I smiled wider and waved to let them know that I appreciated their surprise.
"Now, how does a dance with the most dashing young man in England sound?" Music began playing, and he suavely bowed. I shook my head indulgently before curtsying and placing myself in his arms.
"I see you've deflated your ego a bit."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, you only said 'the most dashing young man in England' instead of the whole world as usual."
He let loose a hearty laugh and spun me around before replying, "You know it's true though."
"Sure, sure," I sarcastically countered.
I caught my father's eye, and though his countenance was stern, his blue orbs twinkled with mirth. Then I turned my gaze onto my mother. Oops! It felt like the temperature had dropped fifty degrees before Sirius turned me away from her. Judging by her glare, I was in deep doo-doo.
Siri must have read my mind or something, because he whispered. "Just blame it all on me. She already hates me."
"It's not that easy. She won't listen."
"I know," he sighed. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No. That would just make matters worse, unfortunately."
"Okay, then." I felt his eyes follow me as I trod toward my parents at the conclusion of the song.
Dad already had his hand on Mum's shoulder, and was speaking to her gently. "It was only a dance and some sparkles. There's nothing wrong with that. She didn't even seem to know about it, and she was so happy to see him. Don't you want her to be happy?" He spotted me. "Now, Maria, don't make a scene please, darling."
"Hey," I spoke up shyly. Oh boy! Was I nervous!
"That was unacceptable, Marlene." She took a deep breath as if to hold in her rage. "We will talk about this later. Now go."
I didn't need to be told twice. Shooting a grateful glance at my father, I sped off to my waiting Sirius. Hold on. Did I just call him "my Sirius"? Wow. I need to take a chill pill.
"How'd it go?" he asked, barely-hidden concern coloring his voice.
"I don't really know yet. She said that we'd 'talk about this later.'"
"Oh, scary."
"Yeah," I agreed.
"We have to scoot. So I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course." He scooped me up into a hug once more before vanishing with his friends. Sigh.
Through the sparkling chaos that was the ballroom, I glimpsed Kirk walking to meet me. His touch was gentle as he guided me to the corner of the room. "Mum and Dad give you a hard time? That Sirius kid being good?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes. "Of course, Sirius was a perfect gentleman." I resisted the urge to break into a huge smile. "And I think Mum has it in for me later. Dad convinced her to keep quiet until after everyone leaves."
The lights reflected off his smiling chocolate eyes. "Well, I think that I can convince her to hold off until morning. You look beat."
I attempted to protest, but had to stifle a yawn in the middle of my speech. "Caught you. Come on, just say goodnight to the gang and I'll take you up to bed," he laughed.
"I don't need to be tucked in like a baby," I replied indignantly, but still climbed onto the stage. Butterflies grew in my stomach, even though I had done this a million times. The blinding lights which blocked my view of the many faces calmed me. Preparing my most formal tone, I amplified my voice, took a deep breath, and began. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for gracing us with your presence tonight, and I regret to inform you that I must depart this wonderful scene. In my absence, please continue enjoying the music and refreshments graciously provided by my parents. Thank you."
I stepped off the platform, and latched my arm onto my brother's. Once out of the formal stiffness of the ballroom, I sagged into him, so tired that I would have slept right in the hallway if I could have. Without asking, Kirk lifted me into his arms and carried me up the stairs to my bedroom as if I was four again. "Thanks," I whispered tiredly, as he deposited me on my bed.
"Anything for my Mini Marls." I smiled at his usage of my old nickname. "G'night."
"G'night." Lazily, I waved my wand, turning out the lights and changing my dress into a nightgown. Within five minutes, I was asleep.
A/N: So how do y'all like this? I haven't gotten a single review on this story yet. It'd be very helpful if you could just take a minute of your time to give me some feedback (constructive criticism, favorite parts, least favorite parts, ideas, anything). I'm kind of stuck on the next chapter so ideas for incidents on the train or at the feast would be much appreciated.