Squib 22 Yule / Christmas 1974

For Yule this year there would be a Snow Ball for all students fourth year and up. This was traditional, and would be held in the Rose Gardens behind the greenhouses the night before the trip home. Older students could invite younger ones, and Betrothed could be invited even if they were not at Hogwarts. There would be a fine Feast for all, and entertainment for the younger students in the Great Hall, so everyone had a reason to dress up and have a lot of fun. Many small gifts would be exchanged, and the Nargles in the Mistletoe would be busy distracting all the couples.

Minerva made a point to the older students about inviting their Betrothed to the Ball. Albus was going to be taking notes on who the couples were. There were some, like Lily Evans and Severus Snape, that he knew were Betrothed but he had no control over. He needed to find out who they were Betrothed to! He needed to find out who the Blacks were interested in, before they slipped out of his grasp. He had plans for those lines!

He wasn't going to find out, because the study group decided to attend as a group instead of as couples, and rotated dance partners all night. The boys in the group pooled their money and bought all of the girls (even the firsties) identical corsages: a spray of lavender orchids tied with a glass snowflake the girl could wear as a necklace later. Each boy wore a lavender carnation, even the firsties. The fact that Ted danced with Andi meant nothing to Albus, because they were just part of the group, easily identified by the flowers. Alice danced with Frank, but she also danced with the others, and Frank solemnly danced with all the tiny girls. Lily wore a soft white velvet dress, floor length with full sleeves, and tiny golden boots. Her hair was pinned up, with curls tumbling down her shoulders. School robes hid a lot, and they had concealed the fact that Lily was growing into a beautiful, shapely woman. Severus nearly stopped breathing when he looked at her. He managed to get his voice back when it was his turn to dance with her, and they discussed the gifts they had prepared for their families. Albus was already annoyed by the fact there were babies at all, and he certainly didn't want to hear about stuffed balls with bells! He tuned out of that conversation and went on to the others.

The Marauders also came as a group. Marlene arranged a date for Peter; Hufflepuff Susan Rudbeck, who had huge brown eyes and blond curls of her own. Remus was 'on duty' as a Prefect, so his official date was his Prefect partner, Nanci Reed. He treated her properly, with flowers and a small gift (a book of poetry by Leonard Nimoy.)

James and Miriam turned out to be fantastic dancers who drew all eyes every time they took to the floor. Part of this was probably the outfits they wore under their outer robes. When the music turned to a Spanish Guitar, they shed the robes, revealing Miriam was wearing a heavily embroidered green Flamenco dress with silver boots. James wore loose red satin pants, a white poet shirt with plenty of gold embroidery, a gold sash and gold boots. The crowd pulled back to allow them to dance in the spotlights. It was quite a show!

Sirius and Marlene were the only other real couple Albus could identify, and he already knew about them! As far as he was concerned it wasn't an ideal match, but Marlene's family was Light. She wasn't the Heir in her family, because she had three older brothers, but it would do.

He needed to start finding a Match for Peter. He had been one of the possible matches for a girl who had been matched to someone else when his mother refused to sign a MG, pointing out she was a Witch and they didn't need one! Still, they shouldn't leave any loose ends around, and the boy was a pure blood who didn't know he was a rich Heir. Albus hadn't cared enough to tell his mother her husband had been killed in a raid, nor that she needed to go to the Goblins. He had forgotten her, and the child, completely. Now he needed to gather them back in, which wasn't going to be easy. A bribe seemed to be a good idea, a plum marriage a possibility? Maybe the Evans chit, once they broke that Betrothal, though the Potters might not want her close? Peter was becoming powerful, and had powerful friends who would probably take him into their family businesses. Potter and Black had to be counted as half-and-half now, rather than Dark or Light, so he had to sweeten the pot for them all.

Minerva had Minnie again, so she was monitoring the entertainment for the younger students in the Great Hall. Minnie was wearing a rose velvet dress with cream stockings, with green slippers, and had been gifted one of the orchid corsages (as had all the female teachers. The men wore Carnations.) The entertainment was a Magic show, by Siegfried and Roy, with amazing performing animals. They said they were Wizards, and honestly, no one could tell which parts of their act were Magic, or illusion, or even reality. It was wonderful! Those who knew where Las Vegas was determined they would attend another show!

The next day, munching Miriam's Yule Logs in the train compartment, Alice asked Lily, "Sorry you didn't take the Betrothal to James? That could have been you out there!"

That was a no-brain question! "Not in the least! They make a lovely couple and look very happy together. Just because he can dance doesn't make him a good match for me."

Christmas at home with the babies had been fun! Lily and Sevi did warn their families that someone seemed very interested in Betrothals. Petunia needed to be extra cautious.

The train ride back to school was almost a disappointment. The beautiful train puffed through fairy-tale woods and mountains covered in deep snow under a sky so blue it didn't seem real, and few looked. They crossed Hadrian's Wall at tea time. Lily stirred a moment to ask, "Wasn't Severus a Roman General here?" Assured that he was, she sipped a cocoa mug and went back to sleep.

In the train many conversations turned to Betrothals. The holidays were a traditional time for Family Dinners for the Betrothed. Families with older children often held Balls, as a way of introducing the couple into Society.

Severus was waylaid in the Slytherin compartment. Mulciber was the questioner this time, though Avery and Malfoy were right there. "Did you really get Betrothed? Who is the girl? Is she pretty? Did you have a dinner party? Is she older or younger, muggle born or a Squib?"

"One at a time! Yes, we had a Dinner with her family, at my Grandparent's home. She's younger than I am, so it's going to be a long time before we can marry. She's a pure blood, but I'm NOT allowed to say who she is. Her family wants it kept quiet for now because they turned down another offer for her. Yes, she's a real cutie! I really hope we can be friends."

Alice would not leave Lily alone. "Spill it! Two years and all I know is that he's a pure blood! You haven't described him. Have you met his family? I told you all about my Betrothal Dinner when Frank and I became Betrothed. Have you had one?"

"All right! He's older than I am. Yes, he's a pure blood Wizard, and quite powerful. Yes, we've had a dinner every Holiday at his family home and I've met all his family now. Truly, I thought this wasn't a real Betrothal, that he was just offering to protect me from James and others like him, and that we would go our separate ways after I graduated. I was wrong. It's a real Betrothal and he really wants me. He is just waiting for me to grow up! It's so romantic! He's so sweet! I think he gave me flowers every day I was home! We'll see if we still feel this way after I graduate."

"You forgot to tell me who he is!"

"No, I didn't. I can't."