Chapter 36: Blood On the Dance Floor
When the two purebloods returned to the ballroom a short while later, Violet excitedly ran over to Scabior, who was now working his way through a large plate of cheese cubes.
"Scabior, Lucius gave me an owl for Christmas," she told him. "Isn't that great? My very own owl."
"Tha's lovely, pet," said Scabior around a mouthful of cheese. He swallowed and put his arm around her. "'Ave you given it a name yet?"
"Yes, I named him Kirby." Violet paused and looked down at the plate of cheese in Scabior's hand. "Are you going to eat all of that?"
"Yes, I am," Scabior replied. "I love cheese. Rich people food is wha I call it, because it costs so much. Normally I can never afford anything like this. But the Malfoys..." He glanced back at the selection of assorted cheeses on the buffet table.
"Can I have some?" Violet asked, now reaching towards Scabior's plate of cheese.
"Sure, pet," he said. "'Elp yourself."
Scabior and Violet then proceeded to eat and drink their way through the many delicious foods and beverage available on the buffet table, with Ranca coming over to join them.
Violet passed on the alcoholic beverages, drinking only warm, spiced apple punch instead. Scabior, on the other hand, drank almost a quart of brandy, along with half a plate of cheese, a small loaf of bread (which he smothered in honey and clotted cream), and two helpings of roast beef with gravy.
After he had filled his belly with enough food and alcohol to keep him satisfied for a while, Scabior took Violet by the hand and led her over to the corner of the room, towards the band that had been playing music throughout the evening.
"Come on, pet," Scabior crooned sweetly. "Let's dance."
"I don't dance very well, Scabior," said Violet, feeling somewhat hesitant to follow him out onto the dance floor. But Scabior was in a very good mood due to all the food and alcohol he'd consumed, and he wasn't about to let her say no.
He gave her hand a gentle tug, pulling her towards the dance floor. "No worries, love," he said, smiling at her as the band began to play another song. "I'll lead. All you 'ave to do is follow me."
Unbeknownst to Scabior and Violet, a dark figure was watching them from across the room. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. She had spied Violet from down the hall near Lucius' bird watching room, and she knew that wherever Violet was, Scabior wasn't far behind. So she followed Violet back to the ballroom, intent upon ambushing the young couple and ruining their pleasant evening.
"Any of you know the song When Daylight Falls?" Scabior asked the members of the band.
The band leader nodded, and moments later the band began to play the song Scabior requested.
"An let me sing this one," Scabior added, and the band leader nodded again in response to his request.
Violet's nervousness began to fade, instantly replaced by curiosity as she made it out onto the center of the dance floor. She had never heard Scabior sing before, and she wondered if he was any good at it.
Scabior held Violet's hands, leading her with smooth, fluid motions as they began to dance. She easily followed his lead as he moved her across the floor, occasionally spinning her around as they went.
"This is my Christmas gift to you, pet," said Scabior. He then began to sing, "Wha 'ave I got? Before an not will cause me pain. I long to be more than I see, not live in vain. When passion burns, our 'opes are turned, an dreams are made. When twilight cross, old feelings lost, and peace will stay."
Violet closed her eyes, letting the sound of Scabior's voice and the movement of the dance sweep her away into an enchanted world of pure bliss suspended in time.
As she let him spin her around, Violet felt as though she could have lived in this moment forever. The sound of Scabior's singing was like the most beautiful music she'd ever heard. She didn't want this moment to end. She wanted to keep on dancing and listening to him sing for the rest of the night. But her happiness was short lived, and before Scabior could even finish his song, they were attacked by Bellatrix.
A scream escaped Violet's lips, her eyes snapping open suddenly as she felt herself flying through the air. Bellatrix had sprung out from behind a curtain and fired a hex at Scabior. The shock caused him to accidently let go of Violet's hand just as he was spinning her across the room, causing her to go crashing into the buffet table, her head and upper body colliding with the punch bowl as the delicate glass shattered beneath her weight.
Bellatrix was now angrily shouting at Scabior, furious because he had managed to dodge her surprise attack. A pained moan from across the room drew her attention away from Scabior and over to where Violet lay bleeding on the floor.
Bellatrix grinned wickedly as she looked back at Scabior. "Oh, look at the poor pwetty widdle thing," she cooed in her mocking baby voice. "Did widdle Scabior fail to pwotect his woved ones again?" She batted her eyelashes innocently at him and pursed her lips, looking very much like a young child asking a question of her parents.
His rage provoked by Bellatrix's taunting remarks, Scabior flew at her, and the two of them began an all out battle right there in the ballroom. The members of the band fled the room as the intensity of the fighting quickly rose to a fever pitch, with Scabior giving it his all, never backing down or faltering in his relentless attack.
Bellatrix's shrill laughter rang out and echoed off the walls. She had succeeded in ruining Scabior's evening, and this delighted her to no end. She then hurled another hex at him, which ricocheted off Scabior's shield charm, struck the chandelier and exploded. Lucius, who had run to Violet's side when he saw her hit the table, was forced to conjure a shield to protect himself and Violet from the myriad of shattered crystal that rained down in them from above.
Scabior turned, glancing back at Violet to make sure she was alright. That was it all took to give Bellatrix the opening that she needed, and she slashed him across the chest with a bright streak of purple light.
Falling back a step, Scabior clutched his chest as his shirt was torn open, his blood spattering the floor and pouring out through his fingers. But the wicked witch wasn't finished with him yet, and she hit him with another hex, this time cutting him deeply across his right cheek.
Bellatrix laughed, watching as his blood dripped onto the floor, forming a puddle around his feet. Scabior staggered backwards, his eyes blazing as he glared at her. He would not be defeated this way. Especially not by her.
Ignoring the pain in his chest, he focused his strength into one powerful blow, and struck Bellatrix full on with a massive flare of white light that lifted the demented witch clean off her feet, and slammed her against one of the ballroom windows. The glass broke on impact, sending Bellatrix crashing through the window where she landed on Lucius' neatly manicured lawn.
Both Ranca and Lucius stared, wide eyed and opened mouthed at the shattered window, the heavy velevet curtains billowing on the cold night air. Scabior was also looking out the broken window, watching and waiting to see if Bellatrix would return.
Several long seconds passed in silence. It was clear that Bellatrix wasn't coming back. Lucius looked over at Ranca. "Stay her with her," he said. "I'm going to get Narcissa."
Ranca looked from Scabior to Violet and back, his expression one of confusion and concern. Both his master and Violet were hurt, and he didn't know what to do or who he should try to help first.
"Sir, are you - " he began before Scabior cut him off in mid-sentence.
"I'm fine," Scabior ground out from between his clenched teeth. He winced and made a brief motion with his wand across his chest. Almost at once the blood ceased to flow from his wound, although the cut still looked raw and painful. He then walked over to Violet and knelt down beside her.
"Scabior..." she murmured softly, looking up at him. It hurt too much to move, and there was blood spilling from her open wounds down her neck and back.
Scabior wanted to help her, but she had shards of broken glass embedded in her wounds. He knew some spells to heal small wounds and injuries, but this was beyond his ability to fix.
"Violet," Scabior whispered, holding her hand as his fingers intertwined with hers. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, letting his forehead touch her brow. "I'm so sorry, sweet'eart... This is all my fault."