A/N: minna-sama, forgive me for not updating sooner! My computer crashed, and I'm not sure if I can get the files off the old hard drive yet or not, so I've got to retype everything again. cries in corner Aside from all of that, it took forever to round up a few of the characters in this to get their costume descriptions! That, and I had a major block, only allowed to use the computer on weekends, this one being broken, and a few other factors like me having a semi-life.
Maggie: How could you take so much time! I wanna screw Harry!
Serenity: Maggie, we are quite aware of this. Please, keep your pants on.
Maggie: death glares Just get on with it…
Serenity: gulp Uh…on with the story!
The Other Half
The Halloween Ball
After arriving back at Hogwarts, Artimis ran into Maggie. Literally. "Oh, sorry, Mags."
"'S'alright, Artimis. Hay, I'll see you at the ball, right?"
"Of course! That is, if Draco will let me out of his site. I doubt it after he sees my costume…"
"…Artimis, what are you planning?" Maggie looked at her sister with an arched eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing, just that my costume kicks some serious ass. See ya!"
Waving to her sister, she headed off with her fellow Slytherins to the common room. Maggie caught up with Sri as they entered the Gryffindor tower, racing up to the girl's dorms, throwing their bags on the floor and collapsing onto their beds.
"Ugh, I don't think I can move another bloody inch!"
"Sri, come on, we're going to a ball! It'll be fun!"
"Easy for you to say; you've got a date that totally adores you."
Maggie rolled off her bed and headed to the bathroom to get changed, leaving Sri to throw a pillow at the door as she muttered something about thirty-seven cats.
In the Slytherin common room, Artimis and her friends entered the common room, laughing about something the whole way. As they were getting ready to head up into their dorm, a voice came from behind them. "So, milady, when exactly are we going to the Great Hall?"
"She'll be down whenever she wants to, Draco!"
"So bugger off, Your Majesty; have you nothing better to do than bother us?"
"We certainly have better things to do than listen to you wine about the beds not being soft enough for your royal arse."
"You guys, I can defend myself, you know, but you're doing such a fabulous job, I'm just going to go upstairs now. And as for you," Artimis hollered over the railing to where Draco was standing in the common room, "you better not even think about standing me up, or you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
The five girls stumbled up the stairs into their dorm, leaving a smirking Draco to roll his eyes at their randomness.
Tossing their bags onto the bed, Artimis called dibs on the bathroom first and ran in before her friends could tie her down and get her changed. Bolting the door, she sighed, turning to face the mirror. Leaning closer over the green marble countertop, Artimis sighed again, noting the black roots showing. Picking up her wand, she muttered something, the brown color filling in again. Pulling out her contacts, she blinked a few times before looking back at herself with bottle-green eyes.
'Man I hate wearing these things, but if anyone even suspected that we were siblings yet... it's just too soon,' she thought to herself. Cleaning them off and putting them back in, she jumped into the shower, cleaning up before the ball. The hell with her friends needing to use the bathroom; they could wait for twenty minutes. Finally coming out of the bathroom, Artimis was greeted by people she didn't recognize for a moment.
Àine had temporarily darkened her skin tone to a bronze color, given herself hair extensions and dyed it white. Her ears were, well, pointy, with reddish-gold eyes looking at her friend. A pair of black leather boots reached up to her knees, and the heels were pretty spiky and tall, too. The top was, again, black leather, sleeveless, and stopped just below her bust line with a large topaz in the middle. Oh yah, did I mention that she was wearing black leather hot pants? Yah, it was defiantly a change from the Àine Artimis was used to, though she knew who she was going as: Eternity, her dark elf character she always drew.
Her sister, Moriko, was dressed as a water faerie. Her dress was a long shimmering turquoise color with a slit up the left side to the knee, revealing translucent high heels that had pale blue ribbon tied in criss-crosses up to her knee. Her black hair was tied up elegantly into a serpentine bun, blue ribbon and gems throughout. A pair of silver earrings dangled from her lobes, sparkling in the lamplight. Her arms and face were covered with a gauzy look, making her glow. The wings, though, were the most impressive part. The same color as the dress, they were large, tattered, butterfly-like wings that seemed to be sprouting from her back. Amazing what Transfiguration can do, isn't it?
Of course, Anila had to try to outdo them all. The graveyard faerie had black wings similar to Moriko's, with a black corset top showing off her slim figure along with a tattered black skirt that was just the legal length. Black fishnet tights were covered halfway up her shins by black combat boots, her hair dyed black with red tips and excessive makeup, even for her.
Gwen, their resident albino, was decked out in a white low-rise skirt that went down to the floor with pale gold floral designs on it. The top matched the skirt, but was a bit of a bikini-style, stopping just below her chest while the neck was a bit off-the-shoulder. Most of her hair was down, but she had some of it pulled up into a messy bun near the top of her head with two large jeweled, fan-like things on either side of her head with trails of jewels across her forehead. (Think Satine's headpiece at the end of "Moulin Rouge" if you've seen it) Gwen had decided upon quite a bit of jewelry for the evening, since her costume was supposed to be a fortune teller from India.
All four girls turned their heads towards the bathroom door as Artimis emerged, Anila and Àine racing to grab her before she could run back into the bathroom. "Oh no, you don't," Anila said dragging her back to the bed. "The last thing you need is to have that bloody Malfoy talking about you tomorrow and how you chickened out because you aren't worthy of his presence."
"Who's side are you on, Anila!"
"Yours, Hun, but I'm just making a point that he'll say something like that. Now, hold still while we get this corset on you without damaging our wings!"
"Corset? I don't remember a cor-" Artimis was cut off as her friends tackled her, removing her of her T-shirt and jeans while placing the corset around her waist, pulling it tight around her.
"Ow! I can't breathe!"
"Then we're doing it right; come on now, hold onto the bedpost."
"Moriko, that's easy for you to say since you're not the one whose lungs are being smushed together!"
It went on like that until they finally had the American dressed and almost ready to leave the dormitory to meet the dragon's fiery onslaught.
In the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, Harry was messing with the black ascot around his neck.
"Ugh, I just can't get this!"
"Here, Harry, I think you need some help."
Ron walked over to his best friend, helping him tie the fabric around his neck. Already dressed, Ron wore a blue velvet robe with white tiger print around the sleeves and edges. Underneath that was a pair of black dress slacks and navy blue boots along with a deep blue dress shirt. Quite a few gold medallions hung around his neck, not to mention the blue sunglasses halfway down his nose. Oh, and the hat; you just can't forget the hat. It was a blue pimp hat with a white tiger band around it and a big black feather tucked into it. To put it simply, he was going as a pimp.
"Hay, Harry?"
"Yah, Ron?"
"What's up with you hanging around that American Slytherin? 'Mione and I've been wondering about it for a while now."
Harry grew a bit pale. Artimis didn't seem to want anyone to know that they were related, so... "Ron, she's Maggie's sister, and just because she's a Slytherin doesn't mean that she's automatically evil."
"One, she's hanging around with bloody Malfoy, and two, when did you bloody change your opinion on Slytherins, mate?"
"Ron, this is not the time; we should just go down and have some fun, alright?"
"Alright, mate; whatever you say."
There was a knock on the door as Ron picked up his cane. "Are you two coming out or do I need to come in there and drag you out!"
"We're coming, 'Mione! Sheesh, calm down!"
Exiting the room, Harry averted his eyes while Ron drooled. Hermione had her hair up in a high ponytail with crazy-colored makeup, and her top was basically a bunch of Mardi Gras beads held in place with a charm so as to keep her decency. A pair of really short and tattered denim shorts, white sandals and a sky blue feathered boa completed it.
"...Wow, 'Mione..."
"Ron, quit acting like a moron and hurry up."
"Seriously, the saying that women take longer to get ready than men is so not applied here."
Turning around to glance at the girls' dorm door, the Golden Trio noticed Sri leaning against the frame with Maggie next to her. Sri wore a skin tight black cat costume, her hair temporarily dyed black with black cat ears sticking out of the top of her head. A golden collar was around her neck with a little gold bell. Black gloves too, and some totally awesome gold cat-eye contacts instead of her glasses.
Maggie was dressed in her totally awesome Playboy bunny outfit, taking Harry's arm while 'Mione took Ron's and they all headed down to the ballroom. Producing a pink rose from his pocket, Harry held it in front of Maggie's nose as her eyes widened for a split second before taking it.
"Thank you, Harry; it's beautiful."
"Not nearly as beautiful as you are, love."
A slight pink tinge coming to her face, Maggie flicked a few strands of hair over her shoulder, brushing her pink rose earrings and causing the charms to ring against each other. Walking down the main staircase, the group chatted about their costumes until they reached the main entrance to the Great Hall.
Stepping inside, they noticed that pumpkins were floating along with the candles, the tables had been replaced by smaller ones along the walls, and a great many people were already dancing across the floor. Taking it all in, the group entered into a completely different environment.
"Alright, who's got the Fire Whiskey!"
"Maggie, are you already drunk?"
"Of course not..."
"...That just scares me. Harry, I suggest you keep her away from the Butterbeer!"
Draco stood at the bottom of the dorm staircase, and was beginning to get worried from all the shrieking coming from the girls' area. If it was possible, he paled his skin even more, put a bit if jell in his hair to make the ends a bit pointy, and there was a slight hint of red near his lips. He wore black leather boots and pants, along with a loose white shirt left unbuttoned down to just above his pants, showing off just how muscular he was from Quidditch. The black cape swished around him, revealing the red sink lining, as he waited impatiently for the giggling and swearing to cease so that they could go down to the ball.
No sooner had he thought this than the door opened, Àine stepping out first. Draco noticed that all the ladies had dominos with them. (Not the game dominos; a domino is a mask with a stick on the side to hold it, just so you know.) Her mask was black with small topazes around the border, covering her eyes and the top of her nose. Following her was Moriko with a gauzy blue one on a silver stick, Gwen, who had her white mask trimmed in gold ribbon and pearls on a golden stick, and then Anila with a tattered-looking black one on a blood red stick.
Once all of the young women were down the stairs came the figure that made Draco's jaw drop. Artimis was dressed in a pure, snow-white ball gown that looked like it cost a fortune. The bodice of the gown itself was covered in tiny crystals that were constantly glittering and seemed to have a very slight blue tint to them. The neckline was a bit off-the-shoulder, while the sleeves were skin tight down to her wrists, where the fabric stopped except for a triangular piece covered in the same crystals extended to her middle fingers. The skirt showed off the curve of her hips while the white fabric hung straight down to the floor, but it looked like there was a lot of the show white material.
Her naturally tan skin had been lightened to almost the same shade as Draco's, her hair lightened and laden with ice crystals. A pair of long, crystalline earrings dangled from her lobes while icy makeup had been placed on her face. In her hand was a silver domino with translucent blue ice crystals protruding from the sides. Slowly walking down the stairs, you could hear the soft clicking sound of her glass high heels as she stood in front of Draco.
"Why so quiet, my lord," Artimis asked with a slight smile tugging at her lips.
"...Just wondering what happened to the Artimis I've become accustomed to seeing; that's all. By the by, this," he said, producing a white rose getting ready to bloom, "is for you, milady." Handing her the flower, he took her free hand and placed a gentle kiss on it.
"Quite a lady killer, isn't he, Àine?"
"Yes, I agree sister dear. Let's just hope she can stay in character until after the ball."
Artimis rolled her eyes. "You know, I can hear you guys." Taking the rose, she placed it to her nose, her eyes closing while she in took its sweet sent.
"Thanks, Dragon."
"Anything for a lady, Snowflake."
The four other girls sniggered for a moment while Anila gave a soft slow clap.
"Snowflake; are you serious?"
"It seems to fit you, that's all. Do you mind terribly?"
"No, I don't mind. Besides, even if it did and I told you, you'd just keep calling me that anyway."
Giving her his signature smirk, he extended his arm which she then took, the six of them heading to the Halloween Ball. After entering the room, Anila waved at a figure Artimis couldn't quite see, and then she saw that it was Valdás. Dressed in a tattered black medieval dress with a blood red corset on the outside, black boots and pale skin, she couldn't help but know that she was a bloodlust vamp; the red contacts and blood red lips helped a bit, too.
"Hay, Val! Lovin the costume, girl!"
"Thanks, Artimis! You don't look to bad yourself."
All the girls laughed for a while, Sri, Hermione and Maggie coming over and joining in the conversation as well, leaving their dates behind to wait for their return. After a few minutes, Draco grew tired of standing on the wall and watching his date shake her ass with a Mudblood and some Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw. Walking over, he tapped her on the shoulder, causing her skirt to spin with her.
"May I have this dance, milady?"
"Of course, milord; see you guys later!"
Taking the Prefect's hand, Artimis was led to the center of the dance floor, glancing to Potter as he also took the hint and pulled Maggie away from the group.
"Hay Harry, do you want to dance?"
"Uh, I can't really dance, babe, I'm sorry."
"What? Everyone can dance! Come on, I'll show you."
Before he could protest, Maggie had pulled Harry out onto the dance floor, the crystals in her skirt catching the light. After showing him a few basic steps, the perfect song came on to test out his new-found skills.
"Shall we, sweetie?"
"Eh, why not."
Draco pulled Artimis in a bit closer as the music changed over to a song that was all too familiar to the American.
"You dance wonderfully, Mister Malfoy."
"Likewise, Miss Crawford; shall we?"
"Of course; I love this song!"
Smirking again, the two Slytherins began to move in step to the music.
Baby's black balloon makes her fly
I almost fell into that hole in your life
And you're not thinking about tomorrow
Cause you are the same as me
But on your knees
Harry kept looking into her beautiful blue eyes and never at his feet. As long as they were dancing, no one else mattered, because the young woman in his arms was his world.
"Maggie, have I told you yet this evening that you look absolutely breathtaking?"
"You did now, love."
He leaned down and playfully nipped at her ear while still keeping in pace with the music.
A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the one
I saw the world spin beneath you
And scatter like ice from the spoon
That was your womb
Draco twirled the ice queen in front of him, her skirt spinning out wide like a blanket of snow in the air.
Coming down, the world turned over
Angels fall without you there
I'll go on as you get older
Or are you someone's prayer?
Pulling her back in, Draco spun the two of them across the floor, a slight giggle escaping his partner's lips.
You know the lies they always told you
And the love you never knew
What's the things they never showed you
That swallowed the light from the sun
Inside your room
Maggie threw her head back and laughed as Harry dipped her, throwing her arms around his neck when he pulled her up. She was having the time of her life with the man of it, and she wasn't about to let that get away from her just yet. Even though they had only known each other for about two months, she felt like they had been together forever. Cliché, yes, but that was about all she could think of at the moment.
Coming down, the world turned over
Angels fall without you there
I'll go on as you get older
Or are you someone's prayer?
Artimis was thoroughly enjoying herself, and she had to admit that Draco looked kind of sexy in those leather pants and unbuttoned shirt... 'I did not just think that! But he does have a nice six-pack... oh my gods; does he have an eight pack? Ugh! I need to stop thinking like this!' she mentally smacked herself to just concentrate on staying on her feet with the Dragon; last thing Artimis needed was to give him some ammunition to taunt her with later.
Draco spun her around again, and as he pulled her back in, he forgot to stop her, so she came in contact with his body, glancing up into his eyes. 'Merlin, she's incredible! Did I just think that? No, of course not; she's an incredibly incorrigible American! Must stop thinking about her like that! But, she just looks so..."
Of course, these lines of thoughts didn't work, seeing as how they were standing still for a few moments, just looking directly into each other's eyes as the music hit a point without any sound. "Beautiful..." he muttered.
'I did not just say that out loud!'
Artimis' eyes grew wide for a moment. She was about the say something when the music started back up again, snapping both of them out of the 'moment' as Draco dipped her very low.
And there's no time left for loosing
When you stand they fall
Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I'll go on to bring you home
All because I'm
All because I'm
And I'll become
What you became to me
Harry pulled Maggie close as the music ended, a small smile on his lips as he looked at the goddess in front of him. 'What did I do to deserve someone as incredible as her?'
"Hay, Maggie?"
"Hm?"
"Do you want to step outside for a moment?"
"Sure, why not; you'll be there, right?"
He laughed a bit, leading the blonde beauty outside into the temporary garden Hagrid had created. Sitting on a bench, Maggie leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, closing her eyes, missing the slight blush on his cheeks.
"Thanks for taking me to this, Harry; I've had a great time so far this evening."
Placing an arm around her shoulder, Harry smiled. "Maggie, I'm glad you let me take you; in case I didn't mention it before, you look incredible."
Lifting her head up, she looked right into Harry's eyes with a slightly amused expression.
"Not that don't always look incredible!" he quickly added.
She laughed before leaning in and kissing him, wrapping her arms around his neck in the process. Harry smiled against her lips, thoroughly enjoying every minute of this.
Back inside the Great Hall, Artimis was sitting at a table while Draco had gone to get some Butterbeer for the two if them. While waiting, her fellow Slytherin friends came over, pulling up chairs and sitting around her.
"So?"
"So what?"
"How does it feel to dance with the Prince of Slytherin?"
"Yah, I mean, it looked like you two were having sex with clothes on out there!"
"And you say you don't like him!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What in the seven Hells are you talking about! One, ew, two, he may have one of the hottest bods I've seen, but ew, and three, why would I waste my time on someone who basically despises me?"
"Who doesn't!"
Artimis rolled her eyes at her friends. Just then, Draco waked back over, handing her a Butterbeer. "Ladies," he nodded to her friends.
"Your Highness," they all answered in unison, sniggering coming from them. Artimis rolled her eyes, sipping the golden liquid in the glass while watching them run off to chat with Valdás.
"What was that all about," he asked sitting down next to her.
"Oh, nothing; girl stuff."
"Right; why do I have a feeling it involves me, then?"
"Boy your ego needs to be popped," she scoffed. "The world doesn't turn just because you're in it, you know."
Draco narrowed his eyes. What did he do this time for her to become the Ice Queen? Ok, bad pun. Sighing, he finished his Butterbeer, asking her for another dance. Downing the glass, Artimis took his hand, letting him lead her back to the floor for another dance. On the way, she saw Harry and Maggie in the garden, but turned away so she wouldn't be sick from the sight of the two snogging.
After two more songs, Dumbledore stood up in his stereotypical wizard robe and announced the last dance of the evening before everyone needed to go back to their common rooms. The song switched to a slow song. She recognized it, though it wasn't one of her absolute favorite songs; Take My Breath Away.
She moved back towards the table when Draco caught her arm, pulling her back in for the dance. Artimis wouldn't look him in the eye, her cheeks gaining a slight pink tinge, instead listening to the music.
Watching every motion
In my foolish lover's game
On this endless ocean
Finally lovers know no shame
Turning and returning
To some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion
As you turn around and say
"Artimis?"
Draco's voice almost made her jump. Looking up into his eyes, she almost regretted it. His ice blue orbs against her warm brown ones made her feel a bit lightheaded.
Maybe it was just the Butterbeer, though.
Resting her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes, listening to the dragon's heartbeat.
Take my breath away
Take my breath away
Out in the garden, Harry and Maggie had gotten up, swaying back and forth to the music under the light of the stars, content to be in each other's company.
Take my breath away
Watching I keep waiting
Still anticipating love
Never hesitating
To become the fated ones
Turning and returning
To some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion
As you turn around and say
Take my breath away
Draco was a little shocked by what Artimis had done, and wasn't entirely sure she was all there. However, it did feel kind of nice... 'No it doesn't! I do not like this American! How many times do I need to keep telling myself that!'
Take my breath away
Through the hourglass I saw you
In time you slipped away
When the mirror crashed I called you
And turned to hear you say
If only for today
I am unafraid
Take my breath away
Maggie listened to Harry's heartbeat, noting that they were beating in sync with each other. If she wasn't so tired, she would have taken that as a sign.
Take my breath away
Watching every motion
In this foolish lovers game
Haunted by the notion
Somewhere there's a love in flames
Turning and returning
To some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion
As you turn around and say
Take my breath away
As the song ended, the students slowly began to head back to their common rooms, Harry having to carry Maggie bride-style back to the Gryffindor tower, Leaving Draco and Artimis still standing there for a few moments. Gently shaking her shoulder, Artimis opened her eyes as Anila glided over.
"Sorry to interrupt you two, but there's an after party going on in the common room, and we're wondering if you'll be joining us? We're also going to be giving awards for costumes, so are you coming?"
Artimis blinked a couple times before telling her friend that they'd be right there. Giving her a nudge and a wink, Anila flew off back to the common room, the jewels on her wings catching the light.
"Well then, shall we, Lady Artimis?" Draco extended his arm to his date, some of his hair falling in front of his eyes.
"Of course, Lord Draco." Taking his arm, they walked down to the Slytherin common room, their heels clicking in perfect rhythm on the stone floors, completely unaware as to what they were going to find upon entering the room.
OMFG! I finally finished it! WOOO! Go me! Ok, the first song I had listed is Black Balloon by the Goo Goo Dolls, and the second was Take my Breath Away by Jessica Simpson; note, that song was recommended by a friend for the last song, not my idea!
Maggie: What! WHERE'S THE LEMON?
Serenity: ...Maggie, in and out.
Maggie: death glares a thousand times over
Serenity: Anyhoo, sorry again for the seven month delay, and I am starting on chapter 11 right now, so FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S FAN RELAED, REVIEW! Ehem.
Bishies for all!
Serenity
Goddess of the Moon