Scarlet roses appeared as virgin blood rose to the cheeks of a very particular blonde, her hair was blowing in the wind and the cashmere coat she had pulled over her shoulders didn't seem to keep her warm enough, yet she kept standing there on her balcony; gazing at the rising sun.
She had barely gotten out of bed when something had pulled her out there in her nightgown, only kept warm by the grey cashmere. The light was yet dull, though the tiniest golden stripes was reaching out in the horizon, a beautiful mixture of pale white, burning gold and faded yellow.
She wanted to describe what she saw, paint it a million times and write about it; yet she knew that she would just stand there – gazing at the beauty, just appreciating the finer things in life. Oh, to hell with pretty dresses and marble floor, nothing could beat a proper rising sun.
She wished that she wasn't so alone there she stood; it would've been nice to appreciate it with someone. Mina remembered when she had watched the sunset with her boys, though it was mostly her that enjoyed it. As she stood there and browsed her mental memory pin she came to think of New Years Eve.
It had never been anything special to her, just another night where she watched the clock; waiting for another year to come. It was almost 1972, another year closer to adulthood. She was almost eighteen years, soon a seventh grader – yet she kept thinking that all of this would soon end. With eyes filled with an almost old heart's mourning she lowered her gaze and looked down at the swan pond in the garden. It was so close to her balcony, yet so far away. The swans had flown away for the winter, something she accepted – though she missed the beautiful couple.
They had always reminded her of something, someone dancing – memories. She kept staring at the swan pond, looking at the ice covered water that was pitch-black.
The swans in the black pond, keeping their feathers white.
She just shook her head, rather amazed over how ridiculous she could be sometimes. She thought of so many things, she brought forth a sorrow in her heart she didn't always understand. She turned on her toes and walked into her room again. As she closed the balcony door she was relieved by the pleasant warmth from the fireplace. She found herself to be a ridiculous character – a character that somehow was painted in black and white. She felt like this black swan, this little girl that kept looking so pure and decent, but on the inside she was growing darker and darker due to sorrow and helplessness.
Oh, for Merlin's sake, Mina. Pull yourself together!
As the day went on she focused on not focusing too much. Mina kept her mind in things that seemed decent for a girl like her – she was drawing and reading.
Her suddenly airy behavior didn't go unnoticed by a certain Roman who kept lurking around in the mansion, constantly noticing what was happening around here. He had for once left his office, his mind had spun around and around for a while, thinking about the certain matters. He had realized that he couldn't keep everything; it would look bad – and he couldn't avoid society as much as he did.
He wasn't too pleased with his idea, it was the 29th of December and he had made plans for New Years Eve. The children didn't know, but it had been planned for a while; for once in a lifetime Roman Lestrange was actually hosting a New Years Eve ball. He was rather surprised of himself, especially since he hadn't done this since his parents had lived.
Oh, he was reaching out on deep water now.
He was still unsure why he bothered; he knew he couldn't be so antisocial – yet... Screw society, screw everyone. He pulled his upper lip in despise, but knew he had to do it since he had sent out the invitations. As he reached the female library he knocked three times to make sure that Mina noticed that he was approaching. She didn't need to answer, he had all rights to walk straight in there; he was just raised with common courtesy. Mina barely looked up from her book as he opened the door; she just nodded to make him know that she acknowledged his presence.
"Uncle Roman." She said with her delicate voice, the way she spoke and moved had always reminded him of a swan. He cleared his throat for a second, feeling the determination that always filled him when he was close to one of the young ones,
"We will host a New Years Eve Ball, I expect you to be at your best behaviour and dress perfectly." She didn't get to answer him before he turned at his heel and walked out of the library, Mina sunk slowly into to the chaise longue while her book rested in her hand and the other one the used to rub herself in the forehead. It was unlike Roman to come up with a plan just like that; inviting others to his home and making sure a ball was organized in such short time.
The only thing that comforted her was that he hadn't expected her to organize the whole thing – that would've been quite like him. With a thousand thoughts spinning in her head; what was she going to wear? Who had he invited? Would it all go according to the plan? Was Lucius going to be there? The last question that swirled in her head made her almost annoyed; she shouldn't sit there and think... That? Something inside her seemed to grow confused, but she knew for a fact that it would be lovely to dance with Lucius Malfoy again; maybe she'd feel the tingling sensation of being alive once more. She drew a deep breath down into the deepest pits of her lungs, feeling exhausted already. It was merely two days until New Years Eve, and not even that! Oh, how on earth would her uncle pull this off without bursting a blood vessel and choking Rodolphus?
Two days passed ridiculously fast and the day had come – The last day of 1971, the night she would, as uncle Roman had said, be the crowning jewel of the ball. Oh, that man had obviously made his plans. Mina was almost a little annoyed, yet she knew that she would have to suck it up and do as he told her to do. Once again she sat in front of her vanity mirror, looking at her pale red lips and neatly done hair. It wasn't put up this time, just slightly pulled away from her face and let to dance down her back like a waterfall. It reached her right below the midst of her back and had been curled a little more for the occasion. She bent her neck for a moment, looking down at the dress she'd had in her closet for so many years; yet not been able to use. It reached her to her ankles and was a layer of silk fabric close to her body, and a sheer fabric with laces slightly looser on top of it. It was the palest vintage brown colour; that colour that reminded you of pink, yet it wasn't. Around her waist was a silk band in the same colour; making her figure pop a little. Her pale complexion suited it well, and she knew it. It had been her mother's dress, a dress that she had always dreamed about wearing. It was striking, yet it was so relaxed. To the dress she wore a pair of nude pumps, yet they were not too tall. She felt perfectly fine, just dandy and pretty enough.
She didn't wear a necklace, instead she wore pearls in her ears. She wasn't going to make herself look too much tonight, she was – as Roman had said – going to be a classic beauty.
Oh, it was always so charming when her uncle decided how she was going to look, yet he had been quite right this time. This was better than any big dress and heavy necklace; this was her mother's dress and earrings. With some melancholy in her chest she got up from the chair in front of her vanity and got ready to make her entrance.
It seemed like uncle Roman had taken his time to plan this all out; where he was going with it was beyond her though. There was an alternative entrance to the ballroom, she just had to go to the northern wing in the second floor, find the right door and then make her entrance.
You see; in the ballroom there were a massive stairway in the middle of the northern wall, from there Mina would make her entrance and be the main attraction; the focusing point of everyone.
It had obviously not been her idea, but she had agreed on it. As she stood outside the door that led to the top of the stairway she took a deep breath; rather nervous actually. As the door automatically opened for her she stepped forward – suddenly standing on top of the staircase.
She didn't look at anyone down there, though she knew that they were all looking at her. The conversations had stopped and Roman had made his way to the stairway, waiting for his niece at the bottom.
She took soundless steps down, not leaning her hands on anything, just walking down with her chin raised and her eyes fixed at something that wasn't there.
She envisioned how her mother would make her entrance; maybe she even had done the same here? Oh, the thought made something in her chest grow and the grace in her grew ever so much. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she took the arm her uncle offered and followed him out to the floor, not waiting to see how anyone reacted.
Lucius had stood in the middle of the chatting groups as the door way up there had opened itself and revealed something taken out of a fairytale. He scarcely noticed how the conversations stopped and everyone beheld the gracious woman walking down the stairs.
He had heard slight sighs from elderly women who seemed to have seen a ghost. What Lucius didn't know was that those women saw a young woman who looked awfully a lot like a dead woman. They weren't speaking, but little Mina had started to look like a certain Astra.
Lucius on the other hand didn't compare Mina to a dead woman; he only saw an angelic creature that was dressed so simply; yet so breathtakingly beautiful.
He had seen Mina dressed up, yet he hadn't seen her like this. Her hair was flowing behind her and her eyes were painted ever so slightly. As she reached the bottom of the staircase he wanted to walk up to her – but he saw her take the arm of her uncle.
She was his opposite being there she walked, blonde and bright as a star where he was just utter darkness. There was something about Lestrange men being tall and dark, while she shun like the sun.
His father, Abraxas, was standing right behind him, laying a hand on Lucius' shoulder.
"Well, isn't she something." He muttered, beholding the same thing that his son was, yet he was seeing something he thought was an upgrade of Astra Lestrange.
Lucius turned his head to look at his father; they had reached the same height – finally, but yet more aged than young Lucius.
"That is to put it mildly." He said – his tone gravely, yet Abraxas grinned ever so slightly at his son. Lucius saw something in his father's eyes, yet he wasn't quite sure what was in those grey eyes. What Lucius didn't know was that Abraxas had his plan, and he was a man that wouldn't take no for an answer.
Mina recognized most of the guests to be of her uncles' normal social group. In her mind she was categorizing most of them as something dark and cruel, yet she wasn't saying anything. Her eyes was searching for Lucius, she needed to see someone which she knew where she had. Yet she knew that he probably was one of them now... Why didn't that scare her away though? She shouldn't befriend someone who was marked and ready for evil; yet she had the feeling that she couldn't abandon him.
Oh dear, little Mina who had told herself so many times that Lucius wasn't a guy to befriend, had now decided not to leave him... Ahh, the irony.
Roman didn't speak to her, which were for the best. None of them were particularly good at conversing with each other, so he merely took her from group to group, making conversation and watching person from person greeting his precious one.
He did not like the look in the eyes of some men, yet he knew that the coal black eyes of his scared off many enough.
As they made their way over to the Malfoys and a rather old Cantankerous Nott, it seemed like Roman held onto her even harder. Roman had seen the look in the young boys' eyes when he looked at Mina, and he had seen the greed in Abraxas eyes, and none of that made him any more comfortable.
"Ah, Roman – I see you dared to let others see her once again!" Abraxas was slightly mocking, yet his eyes shined of comrade spirit. It was no secret that Abraxas liked to mock Roman, especially since the man was so awfully dry; and now he had another thing to push him around about.
"I've come to realize that I should show off what beauty that lives inside my Mansion, a beauty they can't have." It seemed like Roman were up to whipping back, showing that he wasn't so awfully dry. Abraxas laughed and shook his head; instead he now turned towards Mina and bowed deeply for her; still with a smile on his lips.
"I'm awfully sorry; I can't imagine how it would be to live with such a dry git. Yet he has a point, you are beautiful." He was flattering her, but she didn't blush; she just sent him a small smile and kept her chin raised.
"I guess I'll survive this until I get married off." Her comment made the elder man laugh even more, the even older one seemed to just stand in the background and observe. She saw a small opportunity and looked over at Lucius and smiled, as if saying hello. He smiled back at her, glad that she acknowledged his presence.
"It surprises me that you haven't married her off, Roman." Came from the man in the background, he had to at least be around ninety years old. This made everyone's eyes move to Roman again, everyone's except Lucius' who were casually glued at Mina. It seemed like Roman was struggling a little with the question, and a storm was brewing inside him. Everyone saw that it upset him, yet they didn't care at all.
"She hasn't wanted to get married." He plainly said, laying the fault on her. Abraxas eyes, sly, yet soft as the eyes of a wolf were fixed at her, tilting his head slightly.
"You do not want to get married?" He didn't believe Roman for a second, something everyone knew. Mina shrugged ever so slightly, smiling like the perfect little aristocrat she was. She played her card a little more than usual, something that everyone knew; just to annoy Roman a little.
"If my uncle found me a husband I'd be more than happy to marry that man to please Uncle Roman." She looked up at Roman, who'd gotten more and more irritated. He couldn't be too angry at Mina; it was rather the others he was mad at now.
"As I thought; Roman, you don't want your niece to be an old spinster? Ah, let's have a stroll." He nodded to Cantankerous Nott who happily followed as Abraxas made Roman let go of his nieces' arm and follow him.
Mina looked at Lucius who just grinned, somehow seeing why his father had that glint in his eyes earlier.
"It seems like Roman is stuck now." He said rather cheerily, yet not so loudly that many could hear what he said. Mina just smiled at him and shrugged again; she didn't want to get married, but she didn't want to stay here either.
"It's his own fault, I guess." She took Lucius' arm as he offered it to her and followed him out into dance.
They danced for quite a while; once again to be beheld by everyone else. They were certainly something, a duo that none could deny that looked rather dashing together.
After their feet had gotten tired, Lucius had asked her to get some fresh air with him. They had walked to the large veranda at the eastern end of the ballroom.
There were none else out there beside them and the cold air. Mina leaned against the railing, holding her arms around her body to prevent the cold from being too much. Lucius saw quickly that she was dressed too thinly and took off his jacket and laid it around her shoulders, she smiled ever so slightly up at him and watched as he leaned into the railway too, right beside her.
"What do you think the new year will be like?" She spoke into the open air and didn't look at him anymore, but he knew very well that there was none else she could speak to out here. He thought on it for a moment, frowning ever so slightly.
"It will be different, I know that. But I don't know if it will be all bad or if things may be... Just fine?" His frown stayed between his eyebrows and he didn't even notice that she turned her head to look at him.
"Severus told me." She said, quite plainly, yet he knew exactly what she meant. He had expected Severus to do something like that; he was rather weak. He just nodded, turning his head towards her. Their eyes locked for a moment and he waited for her to judge him or demand him to roll up his sleeve, but she just looked at him with her emerald green eyes. He wanted her to judge him; to run away and find a place far away. "And I will not leave you either." She whispered, not afraid of anyone hearing, but rather afraid that he would admit her little defeat loudly. He smiled at her, yet his smile held no emotions. He pitied her a little, not because she was so kind; but because she had to stay in this hell now.
"Your future husband will get jealous." He said in a matter-of-factly way and she lowered her gaze and smiled ever so slightly.
"It will be interesting seeing a husband in a loveless marriage get jealous of his wife's affections." She laughed a little and looked up at Lucius again, he was still looking at her, now with some worry in his eyes. She hadn't seen this look in him before; maybe she was finding the real Lucius?
"It saddens me to hear that you expect so little." He tilted his head and she just shrugged with a smile.
"Love is for the fortunate ones." She said as the countdown to a new year started inside the ballroom, Lucius smiled at her ever so slightly and laid his arm around her shoulder.
"You never know, maybe you'll be fortunate?" He looked down at her and her doe-like eyes. She smiled at him, as if he was being ridiculous right now.
"I never knew you were such a dreamer, Lucius Malfoy." He kissed her on her forehead, something that sent her into slight shock.
"If I can believe in some happiness as a Death Eater, then you should believe too." He took a deep breath and looked in through the windows to see those who were toasting with each other, greeting and wishing for a happy New Year.
"Happy New Year, Lucy."
"Happy New Year, Princess."
