C. M. Black: Skin of a Dragon
Chapter XIV: It's a ball, have fun
Snow had begun to fall thickly across the Scottish highlands in the days leading up to Christmas. The sky was a permanent bright white and the landscape was plastered in inches of thick snow and ice that the Beauxbatons students complained about at every meal everyday since the winter weather had begun. The hall was the busiest Cassy had ever seen it at Christmas, not only from the extra two schools, but because there was not a single student in forth-year or above who she knew had put their name down to return home for the holidays. Some of the younger children gazed on with sad eyes as the train filled up and they struggled to drag their luggage down the stone steps, emitting jealous mumbles that they too should be allowed to enjoy the ball.
On Christmas morning, Cassy had awoke to the unfamiliar sound of squealing as Lavender and Pavarti exchanged presents. They were both still in their pyjamas with their hair wild and their faces looking unusually fresh from not having had the time to coat on their usual make-up in the excitement of the holiday. They both greeted her brightly as she sat up, lazily flattening her own hair. She mumbled something that may or may not have been a happy holiday wish before looking over to Hermione's bed. She was still fast asleep.
'When I got up in the night she was still awake reading a book. I dread to think when she actually got to sleep,' said Pavarti.
The tiny clock beside Hermione's bed read eight o'clock. Cassy squinted and rubbed her eyes, not having gone to sleep until the early hours of the morning herself, simply talking and flicking over her own Christmas present from Hermione. The two had agreed that they would exchange presents at midnight instead, neither having been tired and having nearly passed the time anyway with their jovial conversation about the ball the next day. Standing, Cassy pulled the present she had given Hermione off the other's bed, shut the book and slipped it onto the bedside table. She bundled herself up in the bathroom, pulling on her skinny jeans and knitted jumper, although she was sure to get another from Mrs Weasley. Her hair was put in in a loose bun and she could hear the giggles from the others through the door while she brushed her teeth.
She had until ten to open her gifts, write her well-wishing letters, and attend breakfast. Then, she was to see Alphard in hospital with permission from Professor Dumbledore, despite Alphard warning her not to. She would come back after a quick visit in time for lunch at one and undoubtedly bring cake with her that Plum and Kitsy will have made that would be passed around as people waited for the late dinner during the ball.
Satisfied with her plan, Cassy exited the bathroom. She lent over to nudge Hermione as she passed back to her own bed and began to work on the pile of brightly wrapped parcels at the foot of it. The cards, including one from Tonks, were lined next to the carved dog Sirius had given her for her birthday on her bedside table. She looped a pair of new earrings through her ears, while laughing at Hermione's efforts to shift Crookshanks from the paper nest be had made himself on the end of her bed.
By nine o'clock Cassy and Hermione descended for breakfast, collecting Harry, Neville, and Ginny in the common room. Luna was all ready at their table and had saved spaces for them. She had almost worked her way through an entire tankard of eggnog by their arrival.
Music played faintly in the hall at the request of the students; many sung along, even the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students did so in their own native tongues. Snow fell from the ceiling in a gentle flurry and the air was thick with excitement. The teachers were smiling more than usual too. Professor Dumbledore was wearing red and white robes at the high table and appeared to be telling a joke to Professor McGonagall, who tried her best to be disapproving and smacked him on the arm as her other hand rose to hide her smile. Beside them sat Hagrid and Madam Maxine. Cassy winked when she caught Hagrid's eye. He beamed back.
Her visit to Alphard took no longer than forty-minutes at his own insistence that she go and enjoy himself. She sent him a pointed look when he called her back in to enquire if Narcissa had sent her a Christmas present. She left without saying whether she had or not. Once back, she found everyone on the grounds near the Quidditch pitch. There were an array of large snowmen and various trenches that Cassy threatened to cave in if another snowball was to fly anywhere near her as she strode by to sit with Hermione and Luna on a thick blanket some distance away.
'You'd make a great Chaser, Ginny!' said Fred quickly, ducking out the way of an oncoming snowball.
Ginny popped up from behind a snow mound and flung straight for Harry, who ducked at the last second, grinning. When Ginny growled, Harry called, 'Seeker reflexes!' which only made her throw another twice as hard.
Cassy watched as Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny faced off against Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus until lunch. Afterwards, they were all back on the grounds until five o'clock, when Hermione tugged on Cassy's coat sleeve.
'Ready?' she asked.
Cassy rose to stand with her and waved Ginny over from where she was fruitlessly trying to roll another giant ball of snow for the base of yet another snowman.
'Where are you three off to?' called Ron, dusting off his gloves.
'To get ready, nosey,' replied Ginny.
'You have three hours. How could it possibly take you that long?' protested Ron. 'Are you sure it isn't because Cassy has a fear of snowmen?'
'Oy,' interjected Cassy sharply. 'I am not afraid of them, thank-you very much. Need I put a spider in your trunk?'
'No,' said Ron weakly.
Cassy smirked.
Luna remained on the blanket with the boys. She insisted that she did not need that much time to get ready, but wished them luck. Hermione's cheeks flush and she pulled her hat farther down on her head; the boys had taken no notice though. The common room was full with chatting Gryffindors, but the forth-year girls' dormitory was empty. Laughter could be heard through the ceiling and the thudding of feet.
'Everyone is so excited for tonight it is ridiculous,' said Cassy. She took the pink bottle Hermione handed to her and Ginny had the other. Reading the label, Cassy's eyes flicked up to Ginny's red-hair.
'I know,' moaned Ginny. 'It has some interesting results for redheads. Ron used it once when we visited Aunt Muriel and... and it was certainly interesting...'
'What happened?' asked Hermione, snatching back the bottle. She scanned the label for side-effects once more.
'He'll kill me. Let's just say I might let you know if he ever upsets anyone,' said Ginny with a wink.
The bottles contained a product called 'Sleekeasy's Hair Potion' that Hermione had brought in bulk over the summer holidays. While Cassy would not normally consider needing three hours to get ready, when sat behind Hermione she could see why the other had requested they help her so early in the evening. Her hair was truly an untameable bush of brown curls and suddenly Cassy was reminded to be thankful of her own fortunately naturally straight locks. The potion hardly weighed down Hermione's hair at all and when Cassy and Ginny had both completely emptied their bottles they glanced at one another with wary eyes.
'I think you need to wash this off before we put any more on,' said Cassy. The hair was slick beneath her fingers, thickly covered from root to tip and only half as curly as it had been.
'It needs more than two bottles?' asked Hermione, turning to them somewhat aghast, but amused. 'It's a good thing I brought so many then!'
The third bottle seemed to have a better effect affect after Hermione's hair was all ready partially straightened. In a collective effort, Hermione's hair had been straightened and dried. Ginny let out a relieved sigh before dismissing herself to get ready in her own dormitory. Cassy made a throaty noise of acknowledgement, pins held between her lips as she twisted Hermione's hair up into a twisted knot on the back of her head having had the most experience with elegant hairstyles. She secured it, then pulled strands out to fall around Hermione's face, carefully placed and strategically pinned. Admiring her work, Cassy turned Hermione's head from side to side, nodding to herself. Hermione had quite a pretty face when her mad hair was not hiding it.
Cassy began to get herself ready. She worked in a easy, flowing routine that had developed through years of attending refined events. Although Hermione was struggling along at her own pace, Cassy hinted and complimented her. Inwardly, she beamed as Hermione began to smile at her own reflection, looking less embarrassed and unsure and more pleased at what was beginning to take form in the mirror.
Lavender and Pavarti popped in and out of the room. They giggled and fussed, talking loudly before running back upstairs to an older girl's dormitory where they seemed to have taken refuge. Pavarti clapped her hands together, taking Cassy's earthy make-up pallet from her hands and inspected the brand name. Bubbly, she leant in close to Cassy's face, taking in the darkened crease of her eyelid and the thin black line that rimmed the upper lashline. She managed to slip into the bathroom just before Lavender spotted her too. They may have been housemates for three and a half years, but Cassy still did not want either girl in that close proximity ever again.
'You get used to it,' said Cassy, threading a different pair of earring in. She was sat on her bed, almost completely ready, and watched Hermione fuss over having smudged her mascara across her cheek.
'Really? My face feels ridiculously heavy,' sighed Hermione. 'I don't know whether to say you're lucky for having practised this since you were a child, or to feel sympathetic.'
'You just learn not to touch your face,' said Cassy simply. She did not frequently wear make-up, having been blessed with fortunately smooth, porcelain skin, and thick, long lashes, but she was more than a little skilled with a pallet and brush. While watching Hermione anxiously inspect her face for the fourth time that hour, Cassy slipped on her heels. 'Grand events can be entertaining, although in recent years I have to admit I have gone more to keep up appearances and to keep in the good graces of a few key interests of my uncles. Family plays a massive part in an individual's reputation, you see. I do quite enjoy them, until something strange occurs and I end up with two shadows in the form of Shandy and Greengrass. If I had avoided that one ball then perhaps I would not be being stalked...' Her voice dropped low and flat. Hermione giggled.
'Where are you meeting Goodridge?' asked Hermione.
'In the entrance hall. I assume you are meeting Krum there too,' said Cassy. She fluffed her dress over her shoes and stood. 'I would not want to cramp your style, so I shall leave you and see you later, I suppose.'
Hermione stood quickly and hugged her tightly. 'Thank-you,' she gushed.
'Hermione, really, do not be so nervous. I hardly helped at all. You look fantastic on your own accord,' said Cassy awkwardly, trying to pull herself out of the embrace, but Hermione was having none of it.
'You look lovely, by the way.'
Cassy crinkled her nose. 'Oh, do stop being so sentimental. I will be able to speak to you in an hour at most.'
Hermione grinned at her again, a ball of nervous excitement. Cassy detached herself swiftly and descended, leaving her friend to fiddle with the silver jewellery she had brought especially. Carefully, Cassy kicked out her dress on every step. The heels of her shoes clicked noisily, but it could not be heard in the common room below. Voices flooded up the staircase, echoing the cheers and laughter of the waiting students. The common room was alive with colour. The boys were largely in dark shades, but the girls were to be seen in every colour; dresses were long and bright, some covered in glittering gems and others blooming from the net beneath their gown.
More than a few eyes turned to Cassy when she emerged from the staircase. Each inspected her closely, many keenly noting the faintest movement as an invitation to admire and compare. Ignoring them, Cassy scanned the room. She saw many familiar faces, including Fred and George with their dates, Lavender with Seamus, and a rather sulky looking Ron next Dean. Beside them though were Harry and Neville. Neville was dressed in deep blue with a wonky red bow-tie. His blond hair was flattened to one side; his hand ran over it as he spoke, slicking it even closer to his head. Harry nodded back at him and Cassy's eyes flicked up to his hair.
She crept over to them, darting between the crowd gracefully. Quickly, her hands tangled in Harry's hair and she ruffled it madly, before steeping out of his gangly reach as he spun round.
'Cassy?' he asked in shock. A hand was on his hair and Cassy was pleased to see that the tatty watch he always wore was no longer on his wrist. She beamed up at him and pulled his hand away.
'You look far better with messy hair. It looks peculiar flat,' she said.
Harry smiled, but there was a loud snort from beside them.
'Only because he never bloody brushes it,' interjected Ron. 'You should have seen him trying to flatten it earlier. It was a nightmare.'
It sounded a lot like Hermione had been, but Cassy could not bring herself to say that. She was too focused on Ron's tattered dress robes to find the words. The colour was nice enough, although faded and patchy from light exposure, but there were odd white strings that hung from the cuffs and collar, as if he had severed something. Most likely, there had been frilly fringing on the robes, it had been a popular choice fifty years ago; it made Cassy wince. Her eyes quickly drifted back up to his face and normally no one would have noticed her analysis, but Ron was all ready pulling at the sleeves and brushing down the velvet around the discoloured spots. She cast him a weak smile, but he quickly avoided her eyes.
'Er, you look great, Cassy,' said Harry quickly. His eyes drifted from the top of her head all the way to her toes. Cassy was wearing a dress shades darker than Ron's maroon robes, a grand red with layers upon layers of lace that was longer than the last, creating four sections of the skirt, the last being the longest, brushing the floor and hiding her black shoes. It was tight and formfitting at the top and even the bottom did not flare out too far, giving her the appearance of a great height and regal grandeur that Harry had long since forgotten others saw her with. She looked different, somehow confident, although she always appeared to be, and brighter, as if she was in her element. Her hair was threaded through itself seamlessly, crossing into a waterfall plait across the back of her head and the rest was left loose for a change. She always wore her hair tied back and her face looked different for it.
'Thank-you,' she said simply, pretending not to notice that Harry had entered an oddly deep thought. 'You do not look so bad yourself. I like the colour.' She pulled at the bottle-green lapel.
'You should wear blue more often,' said Cassy to Neville, unable to only compliment one of her friends. 'When are you meeting Luna?'
'Down in the entrance hall whenever Ginny decides to show up to meet Harry,' said Neville.
Cassy smiled and made her rounds with the other Gryffindor fourth-years, greeting them each in turn, although Dean did not seem as jovial as usual when they spoke. Brushing it aside, Cassy slipped out of the portrait hole. There were a group of students waiting outside and more all along the stairs and down towards the entrance hall, lingering and chatting to people they would never normally look at twice. The icicles on the staircases seemed to glow and glitter, a dim light having been structured to cast the old stone walls in a warm, golden glow, as if casting a beautiful sunset throughout the castle. There was a noticeable lack of Durmstrang awe and Beauxbatons students' complaints, who must have been in their respective accommodations together still.
Keeping her head held high, Cassy subtly scanned the waiting bodies for Stephen. Meticulously, she scanned for tall, dark-haired boys and when she had finally spotted him, he was all ready making his way towards the staircase. She met him at the bottom.
'Merry Christmas,' he said with a soft grin.
'Merry Christmas to you too,' she said. 'I see we match.'
He grinned wider and fiddled with his dark red tie. His jacket was shorter than Harry's had been, his grey suit tailored and undoubtedly expensive. There was a lingering thought about his wealth that once more reared from when she had first met him at the Quidditch World Cup, but she brushed it aside, taking his offered arm. He guided them through the throng of students and over to a free space beside a wall not too far from the Great Hall's giant, locked doors. A chain of fairy lights flashed above their heads.
Cassy and Stephen spoke lightly of how their days had gone. Cassy mentioned about Alphard's condition and was surprised by Stephen's genuine curiosity towards him and the incident at the World Cup. Carefully, the conjuring of the Dark Mark was excluded from her story, although he seemed quite pleased to ramble about what he knew of the later events by himself. He mentioned his mother and how he would normally return for Christmas to be with her. It was his first Christmas from home.
As they spoke, more students had begun to fill the entrance hall. The doors to the dungeons opened silently and a flow of haughty Slytherin's emerged, sifting through the crowds mostly in packs, seemingly having opted to go with their own house-mates rather than a student of any other. Cassy spotted Draco quickly. Pansy Parkinson had wound herself tightly around his arm, wearing a pink dress and looking oddly pleasant now that she was not snarling like a pug, appearing to be genuinely enjoying herself for once. Briefly, Cassy wondered if Astoria had seen the pair together at all.
'You know,' she said, leaning close to Stephen, 'if you keep staring so intensely at the doorway when she does appear she will probably combust.'
Stephen ducked his head, his cheeks a faint pink. 'Shut up,' he demanded, before going back to watching the dungeon entrance keenly for any sign of Natalia Faulks. Cassy muffled a scoff when his face lit up at the sight of Faulks in a her green dress. He nudged her, almost tipping her over in her poorly balanced heels.
Cassy waved to Harry as he ginned through the crowd at her. He indicated to Ginny, who stood beside him, and she waved back madly. Beside them were Neville and Luna, who appeared to be wearing a pale pink dress with her hair tied up in a bun. She had just looked eyes with Luna – in what Cassy thought might be a silent greeting – when the outer doors of the castle opened. Cold air billowed in, bringing swirling snow flakes and an icy wind. Behind the Durmstrang, were strings of bright lights and live fairies fluttering above decorative statues of snowmen and reindeer that had not been their earlier. Yet, at the front of the group stood Krum with Hermione by his side, smiling nervously. She must have slipped past when Cassy and Stephen were talking and waited by the entrance for her date, concluded Cassy when Hermione and Krum burst into hushed, quick chatter that suggested they had not been standing together long.
Cassy muffled a giggle when she caught the gaping faces of Harry and Neville through the crowd.
'Champions, over here, please!' called Professor McGonagall from in front of the doors to the Great Hall. She looked strange in her tartan dress at holly lined hat when paired with her usual stern expression.
'We can sit with your friends, if you like,' offered Cassy.
'That's impossible,' said Stephen shortly.
Cassy rose and eyebrow and was torn between feeling as if she should be slightly offended, or pity for Stephen. As if sensing her debate, Stephen pushed on, 'It's not that I don't have any friends. It's just that we don't gather very often as a group. Given the choice, I am sure half of them would never see each other again.'
Cassy's eyebrow remained high, but she said nothing else. She and Stephen shifted away from the wall and forward, although kept at the edge of the crowd. When the doors opened, the Champions having been withheld to the side, the pair found it easy to slip past and into the Great Hall quickly, eyeing and discussing tactical table choices in a matter of seconds. Not too central to the dance floor, requested Stephen, and Cassy demanded one that was not too close to any wall in their short exchange before spotting one near the front and a good space away from anywhere. They sat quickly and Cassy smiled to herself for having got a date with someone who valued tactical placement as much as she did. They were not alone, of course, with many students having flapped at trying to secure the best tables for them and their friends as no one wanted to be near the back and away from the music.
At the very head of the hall was a stage, with a heavy red curtain covering it tightly. In front of that was a single table that all ready sat the judges, although Crouch was missing and in his place was Percy Weasley, his chest puffed out and his glasses pushed high on his nose. The table had many other spare seats, housing more than the other hundred smaller tables, which say about a dozen each. They were lit by a tiny lantern in the centre, its light making the polished golden crockery shimmer and the frosted stone walls glitter brightly in a more surreal light than the entrance hall could ever have hoped to achieve. Red flowers were in tiny bunches on each and every table, the petals with white edges that bled in like the branches of a snowflake down to the centre, kept in crystal vases; the table had confetti spread across it, tiny and shining like sprinkled diamonds. The ceiling was black, illustrating a clear night sky spattered with stars, the brightest at the head of the hall.
'Can we join you?' asked a voice from behind them.
'Of course, Neville,' said Cassy, still inspecting the sky above her.
Neville slipped into the seat beside her and Luna took the one next to him. They were quickly joined by Dean and his date, a blonde, curly haired Hufflepuff from the year below, Seamus and Lavender, and Ron. Spotting the table of her house-mates, Pavarti quickly grabbed a seat, pulling along a dark haired boy Cassy recognised as Michael Conner, and her twin sister, Padma, filling the table.
Ron snorted, but Dean elbowed him, frowning. He muttered,'You're dateless too, remember.'
Ron sobered up immediately and did not look at Padma again.
When everyone was seated, the champions filed in in their pairs behind Professor McGonagall. Harry walked stiffly beside Ginny, who, despite her head held high, still managed to look tense as she strode by in her turquoise dress. Most of Cassy's attention was fixated on how firmly Ginny's hand was tucked into the crook of Harry's elbow. She clapped slowly with the rest of the students.
The Hall did not fall back into silence once the champions were seated, instead, it burst into chatter as everyone reached for the menus on their plates. Cassy unfolded hers and scanned over each item, raising the menu to hide her smile as Luna was quick to order dessert first. Goodridge did not even appear remotely surprised or perturbed by it and Cassy supposed word had long since got around the Ravenclaw house of Luna's bad habits.
Lavender and Pavarti had made the boys reshuffle so they could sit beside one another. They spoke feverishly as if time was short and Padma looked like she was withering away beside them. Michael Conner was quickly pushed to the side. He sat next to Stephen, stared openly for a moment before frowning at Cassy. He looked back to Stephen, who then had his eyes angled towards him as he drank from the golden goblet.
'Yes?' prompted Stephen.
'I didn't know you actually had friends,' said Conner, squinting. 'Why are you even here?'
While Stephen looked completely unabashed, Cassy frowned lightly.
'I am surprised your date still chose to take you when you appeared looking like that. I mean, as if your terrible attitude wasn't enough, you chose to dress like you act,' said Stephen calmly. A pleasant smile was on his face as his eyes raked from Conner's hair downwards. He then turned away and continued eating.
Cassy forced herself to press her goblet to her lips; she caught Stephen's gaze and her eyes blazed with amusement. He smirked at her for an instant and then it was gone, his attention back on his meal.
Cassy spent much of the meal talking her way around the table. When the conversation drifted beyond her interests, she resorted to attempting to coax another sharp-tongued response from Stephen, or any sign of that devious smirk, but he responded kindly and easily brushed her tries aside. She was fairly certain he knew what she was trying to do as she began to smile wider and wider.
Professor Dumbledore rose and hush fell over the Hall. The plates vanished first, then everything that had covered the tables disappeared once object at a time. They then swung to the sides of the room, the chairs glided after them and stacked themselves up neatly, leaving a large, open space in the middle of the Hall. The curtains began to hoist up behind him. Drums, guitars, a lute, a cello and what appeared to be bagpipes were placed upon the stage, although there was not a single soul on it.
'Oh please, please be the Weird Sisters!' begged Seamus. He and Dean nudged one another excitedly.
The room was suddenly alive with screams. Thunderous applause erupted and shrieks emitted from not only the girls as a large group of stepped onto stage. They waved, their smiles barely visible underneath the bushy beards and wild hair. Each member wore black, ripped clothing. When the tallest man with gangly arms and curly ginger hair picked up the bagpipes, Seamus nudged Ron and mouthed something to him that made him smile for the first time that night.
Harry watched them pick up their instruments with such interest that he had not noticed that the students had moved to the edges of the room and the staff had cleared the way for the champions and their dates to occupy the centre of the floor. Ginny pulled on his sleeve, hissing for him to hurry up.
Quickly, Harry peered around at the crowd. He spotted Cassy at the front and widened his eyes. She smiled softly, nodding her head encouragingly, but he only grimaced in return. The music began. A slow, mournful tune echoed up to the high ceilings and Cassy mouth a single clear, pointed word: 'Move'.
With a start, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and waist, pulled her backwards into the first step. His eyes remained above everyone's heads and his mouth was moving almost unnoticeable with each step he recounted. The four champions danced for a while by themselves, not exactly uniform in their steps, but no one was particularly paying attention. Couples were edging closer tot he centre, waiting for a signal that they too could dance. Krum, despite having two left feet, was doing well not to squash Hermione's feet, Diggory and Chang were smiling sweetly at one another, and Delacour danced with what would have been an elegant grace, had she not needed to drag her date across the floor; his feet appeared to have stopped functioning, but his eyes remained keenly fixated on her face.
Professor Dumbledore led Madam Maxine to the floor. Students began to slowly bleed into the space, obscuring the view of the champions. Stephen held out his hand to Cassy. She took it and they were soon swallowed by the oncoming students. Close by, Neville and Luna were dancing slowly, although Neville had spent most of the time staring closely at his feet in a valiant attempt not to step on Luna's feet. She was smiling at him the entire time and Cassy was slightly irritated that Neville was missing that. Soon, the music began to taper off and the pairs drew to a halt to clap, before the cello was placed down and the guitar picked up, a quicker, deeper song ringing out.
Cassy gazed around at the surrounding students as they began to whoop and scream. She pursed her lips and looked up at Stephen.
'I do not know how to dance to this sort of music,' she admitted, shouting over the noise.
'Don't think about it,' he shouted back. 'Just relax and move your arms.'
Stephen took hold of her wrists, moving them with his hands in some sort of bizarre rumba-like dance. Cassy felt ridiculous. She had no idea what she was doing and she was certain that whatever Stephen was making her arms do was nothing at all like dancing. Her cheeks turned pink and she peered around at those surrounding her, before relaxing slightly in the realisation that limbs were flying all over the place, particularly from Fred and George. No one appeared to be good at dancing.
'No one cares what you dance like,' shouted Stephen, leaning in close to her ear.
She wrangled her hands from his and awkwardly tried to imitate what he was doing. He grinned.
The ball was nothing like the ones she had envisioned. She certainly had not imagined the Weird Sisters there, whom she was not well acquainted with, and it was less elegant despite the dress code and more jovial shouting. A quick look around the room highlighted who the practising ancient Purebloods were, characterised by either poor, awkward dancing, or flat stares at the corners of the room. A circle quickly formed around Fred and Angelina, who only seemed to throw their limbs out more violently as the song progressed.
The song began to draw to an end and as it did, Cassy cast her gaze over the floor for any sign of her friends. Her small height had its disadvantages, but through a slither of a gap between two bodies, Cassy caught a glimpse of black, messy hair sat at one of the tables at the edge of the room. Beside him was Ginny, who appeared to be conversing with Michael Conner, while Harry was watching Ron mumble sulkily. Cassy looked back at Stephen, who nodded, indicating he wanted a drink. Before they could move away, Cassy's hand was seized and she was pulled backwards into someone.
'Mind if I take her away for a bit?' asked a familiar voice. The tone was smooth and low, teasing almost and right next to her ear. Immediately, Cassy swung her elbow back, but Shandy took hold of her other wrist quickly and halted the motion.
Cassy opened her mouth to decline firmly, though the words became muddled with the sound of bagpipes picking up again and the increased chatter as students looked to one another in excitement at the recognition of the opening chords. She tried to jerk her wrist back. Shandy's hold was too tight and it took little effort to drag her from one side of the dancefloor to the other, and Cassy was all too aware that she knew no one here. She could not see a single familial face and they could not see her. She cursed inwardly, but panic did not rise. Shandy was just words, his reputation was bloated and misguided, false even, Cassy might have said. He had done nothing besides instigate a few irritating conversations. His 'interest' had gathered nothing else for the past year and a half.
'Well, what is it?' she said, rearranging the skirt of her dress.
'What, no "Hello, Benjamin, how has your day been?" or "Merry Christmas", even?' he said, placing his hands on his hips. His clothing was dark and unsurprisingly well-tailored.
Cassy looked at him flatly and said, 'I keep that sort of conversation for good company.'
'Oh, am I not good company?'
'I don't know. Are you?' she retorted, her eyebrows high and mirroring his own falsely surprised expression. She watched him carefully. He had less amusement in his face than before, although he still managed to look as irritatingly jovial as always.
'Well, I was going to ask you all about your day and how you like the ball, particularly this music choice, but I will save those pleasantries for another day and get straight to the point then, shall I?' he said.
Oh please do, thought Cassy. It would be pleasant to have at least one conversation with the older boy where they did not have to run rings around each other for a time before getting to the heart of it all – which frustratingly usually lasted only a matter of minutes and not at all worth the time wasted getting to it. Her face remained bored.
'Well, I have been informed that you can speak Russian,' he said.
Cassy stared. 'And from whom did you hear that?'
'None of your concern,' he replied.
Cassy flicked through the limited number of people who would know that. Hermione knew from recently, but she would have told her if she had spoke to Shandy; Draco knew, as well as a small selection of Purebloods whom Cassy had known as a child, and possibly those who were children of Narcissa's friends. It was not impossible that he could find out fairly easily if he knew where to look.
'What of it, then?' she asked. She placed her hands on her hips.
'I need you to translate something for me,' he said simply. 'More specifically a conversation.'
'If it is anything to do with the Durmstrang students then we will have a problem, seeing as they come from many of the Slavic nations, not simply Russia,' she said with a slight frown.
Shandy stared for a moment and then rolled his eyes. 'Oh, please. The Durmstrang students are primarily taught in Russian because it is a root language and it is easier for most of them to learn. You know that, stop trying to wheedle your way out of it. Either way, you have to help me and if they are not speaking Russian directly, then you will still grasp it better than I.'
'I do not have to do anything,' scoffed Cassy. 'You have nothing to wager with.'
'Do I not?' he asked, his eyebrows high once again.
'No,' she said coolly. 'You have nothing.'
Shandy had shown no power and no influence at all to her. She remembered Draco's words to her the summer before third-year and how he warned her to stay away with slight panic across his pale features. Yet, Cassy had seen no reason for it. Other students avoided him. Stephen was playful at best and wary at worst with him, so there had to be something that held Shandy in slight regard with other students, but she could not see what it was. He was cheerful and clever, too clever for having figured out her part in the Chamber of Secrets when no one else, not even the teachers had known of it, but that did not mean he was more capable and dangerous than she was. Cassy did not simply sit on the sidelines and let things happen, she sought out answers and planned; she observed and she learnt and a thought bubbled that perhaps that is what Shandy had been doing too. Perhaps he had been buying his time until she had been of use to him. She had certainly not been last year with the constant attention from staff and students, and he had come around more this year.
Cassy tilted her head to the side and stared him dead in the eye, thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity to see just what made Shandy such a threat in everyone's eyes. Then, she turned on her heel, catching only a glimpse of the wide grin that had begun to spread across his face. Pushing her way through the crowd, Cassy retreated towards the table she had spotted before Shandy's interruption. Stephen was not there, nor had had she seen him on the way to it. Ron was not their either, nor Ginny and Conner. Neville and Luna had joined Harry, both with drinks in their hands, faces pink and smiling.
'Hello,' called Cassy, pulling a chair round so she could see them all once she had grabbed a drink from the table.
'We were wondering where you had gone,' said Neville with a grin. 'Even Hermione's been back to have a drink with us.'
'I had not realised I was so vital to your lives,' said Cassy. 'Where has Ginny gone?'
'Somewhere with that Ravenclaw guy,' said Harry offhandedly. 'I think they went to dance. Where's Goodridge?'
'I lost him a little while ago,' admitted Cassy, sipping her drink. 'I got caught up talking to someone else.' She turned on Harry, who appeared not to have moved at all since she had first seen him. He looked back at her, his eyes creasing more with each second she stared unblinkingly.
'What?' he asked.
'Dance with me,' she demanded.
'What?' he repeated with slightly more alarm.
'Dance with me. I have not spent the last month teaching you for you to sit here all night,' said Cassy. She stood up and watched him expectantly as he fumbled for a reason not to leave his chair.
'Dancing really isn't my thing,' he said weakly.
'I have heard that sixteen times in the last month,' she said. 'Get up.'
'You've counted?' he paused to ask, squinting.
'Get up.'
Cassy eventually hauled Harry from his seat and waved for Luna and Neville to join her. She dragged him to the edge of the dancing crowd and the four spent their time dancing and laughing, particularly as the songs continued late into the night. With each new song, they had begun to relax more and more, with their dancing becoming looser and Luna's became more extravagant, looping around Neville as if he was a Maypole, before pulling him in circles with her.
'Are they...?' Harry asked loudly over the music having leant in towards Cassy's ear.
'I have no idea,' she replied.
'He should just ask her out,' said Harry. 'I might suggest it.'
'I though I was the one who was being nosey about it,' called Cassy.
Harry shrugged, the action looking odd as he danced. 'I'm not being nosey I am...'
'Meddling?' suggested Cassy with a broad grin.
'Supportive,' said Harry finally after casting her a mock reproachful look.
They laughed.
Cassy cast her eyes beyond her friends, they lingered on the refreshments table, its liquids bright and glistening from the lights strung above it. Stephen stood beside it with a drink in one hand. He was looking down at a small blonde girl, smiling, and for once, Faulks was smiling back at him. He glanced up, catching Cassy's eye. She smirked and winked. He must have caught the gesture, because his smile widened a fraction into a grin and he looked back down at her.
Satisfied that she had not left her date by himself, Cassy continued to spend the night with her friends. They were joined by Hermione and Krum soon after, who stuck close together the entire time, with Hermione's face permanently flushed pink from laughter. When the last song drew to an end, there was a tremendous thunderous applause and cheers of more, but the curtain soon drew closed and the students and staff slowly began to make their way towards their dormitories.
The group lingered behind to wait for Hermione to say goodbye to Krum. She looked slightly nervous, as if very aware of the presence of her friends behind her. Had she not been, Cassy was fairly certain Hermione might have kissed him goodnight.
'Harry!'
Everyone turned to see Cedric Diggory hurrying towards them. He slowed to a stop a few steps beneath them, glancing at them all in turn.
'Harry,' he repeated, 'can I have a word with you?'
Harry's expression was utterly flat. His eyes flicked down to Cho Chang at the foot of the stairs, her hands were intertwined with one another and she gazed at her surroundings patiently, waiting for Diggory to return to her. Harry agreed coldly and let Diggory guide him back down the stairs. Cedric spoke very close to Harry's ear. A hand was raised to obscure the view of this mouth and Cassy frowned, unable to read his lips any longer. She noted though, that whatever had been said had bypassed Harry's annoyance at him and it was overruled by confusion. By the time he had trekked back the them, the confusion had given way to irritation.
'I told him outright what the first task was,' muttered Harry as they began to climb the staircases again.
'The second task?' asked Cassy quickly. 'He has all ready figured it out?'
'Apparently,' said Harry gloomily.
'Well, we need to get a move on then! I did tell you,' added Hermione.
'Guys, it's Christmas. We've had a good day, let's not get involved about the tournament now,' said Neville levelly.
Harry agreed too quickly and Hermione relented reluctantly. Wanting to ask what Diggory had said, Cassy kept quiet and waved goodbye to Luna as she departed for her own common room. By the time the Gryffindors had arrived back in their own, there was still no sign of Ginny. The common room was filled with straggling students, some too tired to get to bed and others too keen to continue the party late into the night to want to return to theirs. There was not a single sign of Ginny's flaming red hair and Cassy could not help but feel slightly pleased for her disappearance so early in the night.
I decided to update twice to get this out of the way.
I found the ball quite cheesy to write. This was easily one of the most difficult chapters. I couldn't get the writing to start flowing like I normally would and really had to push myself to get it done.
Cassy is a little bitter, but then she should have asked Harry herself, really rather than dismiss the chance of it. I read that this was the time Ginny met her first boyfriend, so while Harry is being introverted, she took the opportunity to mingle and go and life her life as she wanted. Even going to the ball with Harry Potter will not stop Ginny enjoying herself and leaving him at the sidelines, in my opinion.
Thanks!