Chapter Six: The Danse Macabre
Heading back to the Common Room after practice that day, Laurie felt as if nothing in the world could upset her in the least. Shortly after asking her to the dance, Erick had left the field to join a few other people from Wave in a game of Exploding Snap. Laurie, on the other hand, began flying faster and better than ever with a happy lightness in her heart. She caught the Snitch more times than either she or Corey could count, and even managed to accidentally score a goal. By the time practice was over, Laurie decided that she had never been so happy in her life. She burst into the Common Room to find Scott and Sarah engaged in a riveting game of Wizard's Chess. They looked up as she entered.
"How was practice?" Sarah asked, moving her knight so that it took out one of Scott's bishops. The knight's horse kicked the bishop over, breaking it into several pieces.
"Amazing! You wouldn't believe it!" Laurie cried. "I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life."
"Well, if Quidditch does that for you," Scott teased. Laurie laughed and shook her head.
"Not Quidditch, Scott. Erick asked me to go to the Danse Macabre with him!" Laurie cried, spreading her arms wide and twirling in a little circle. "Can you believe it?"
Neither Scott nor Sarah reacted the way Laurie expected. Sarah got a funny smile on her face. "Is that a big deal? It's just Erick," she pointed out sardonically.
"Well, maybe I find 'just Erick' attractive," Laurie said, quietly. Sarah's smile became genuine.
"I hoped so, that you weren't going with him just to spite someone else or because everyone else wanted to go with him," she told Laurie. "Now I just have to find a date!"
Scott's reaction, on the other hand, was not nearly as nice as Sarah's. He'd remained quiet while Sarah and Laurie discussed the entire affair, then looked at Laurie oddly, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't dare. Finally, he spoke up. "You'll have fun, Laurie. I'm sure of it." Without another word, Scott picked up the unfinished game of chess and walked back up to the boys' bedroom. Sarah and Laurie looked at each other, quite confused by Scott's reaction.
In a small school like Salem, word travels fast. So, by the next morning, everyone knew about Laurie and Erick going to the Danse Macabre together. Julia, as to be expected, was furious, and kept commenting to Laurie that the only reason Erick was going with her was out of pity. He obviously knew that no one else would ask her and therefore was going to take her to the dance so that she wouldn't be embarrassed. Sarah, upon hearing this, dismissed it as unlikely, since, as she said to Julia, Laurie was much prettier than most girls at the school and more genuine as well.
"Besides, Julia's been after Erick since she met him at the Quidditch World Series two years ago. She's just jealous that you have something she can't have," Sarah pointed out as she and Laurie walked to the library to start a research paper for Transfiguration. "Keep up the good work. I know I'm not the only one who's glad Julia can't have something she wants for once."
They sat down at a table near a bunch of First Years from Quake. Mary Beth McNabb was among them, and she was glaring poisonously at Laurie. She and Sarah ignored the crowd and kept talking about the dance.
"What about Ross Logan? He's a lot of fun," Laurie suggested.
"No, he's going with Kristie. She asked him last night," Sarah replied, opening The Little Big Encyclopedia of Beginners' Transfiguration. "And believe it or not, Brandon Lyons is going with that girl Selena. You know, the quiet one?"
"Wow," Laurie breathed. "Everyone's on the ball about this dance. Hey, I know! I'll ask Derek for you!"
Sarah snorted. "You mean your cousin? That'd be weird. I'll find a date, don't worry about me," she stated. Jolene, on the other hand, who'd just come in, seemed very interested in the prospect of going to the dance with Derek.
"What about. . .would you ask him for me, Laurie?" Jolene asked in her sweet Southern drawl.
"Well. . .sure, I guess. Why not?" Laurie answered, smiling at Jolene. Sarah was grinning, too. Her grin froze, however, as Scott entered.
"Uh oh. Here comes trouble," she commented.
"Why do you say that?" Laurie asked. Jolene looked at Sarah quizzically.
"Scott's been upset ever since you told him you were going with Erick to the Danse. He hasn't been talking to Erick and he keeps telling me that he can't believe they ever became friends at all," Sarah explained.
"Why? What on earth did Erick do to Scott?" Laurie dropped her voice to a whisper as Scott walked by, intent on a table in the back.
"Laurie. . .Scott's liked you from the moment we first met you on the train. Erick has too. And they both knew it. It was a race to see who would ask you to the Danse first," Sarah explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Haven't you noticed how Scott's always falling over himself to impress you and Erick's always talking to you about everything?"
"How do you know this?" Laurie was flattered, if a bit shocked as well.
"They talk to me. Scott's my twin. I've known Erick almost as long. They tell me these things. And believe me, it's a pain being caught between them and not being able to tell you any of it." Sarah leaned back in her chair and looked where Scott was sitting. "Scott's jealous. He'll get over it, though."
It didn't seem like Scott would be "getting over it" anytime soon. An hour later at lunch, Laurie and Sarah felt their jaws drop open as Scott sauntered into the banquet hall with Julia Serpentine on his arm. They stared silently as he gave Julia a smile and squeezed her arm then sauntered over to the Wave Table while Julia sashayed over to Fire Table. Erick didn't say a word as Scott sat down. He simply stood and left the banquet hall. Laurie and Sarah weren't sure where to look, whether at each other or at Scott. Finally, Sarah spoke up.
"Scott, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Having lunch. You?" Scott was clearly still in his bad mood, judging by the sarcastic tone of his voice.
"Don't play with me!" Sarah shouted, standing suddenly. "Are you taking that. . .that snake to the ball?"
"What, Julia? Why yes, ma'am, I am," Scott answered, a smug grin on his face.
"Why? She hates you!" Sarah managed.
"She doesn't hate me, she's just misunderstood," Scott corrected. "Is there a problem with that, ladies?"
Laurie didn't answer, and Sarah seemed too angry to care. She also stood, left her empty plate and swooped out of the banquet hall like an angry owl. Scott looked slightly abashed, but still didn't look at Laurie. She wasn't sure what to think of him. Finally, she managed to ask him, "Why?"
"Laurie. . .I know you and Julia don't get along, but. . ." Scott seemed at a loss for words to explain what he'd done. Laurie, unwilling and unable to listen to any excuse he could give, shook her head and started to leave the room, when a sudden flapping sound alerted her that the mail had arrived. A handsome tawny owl soared above her and dropped a package right in Laurie's hands.
"It came!" she exclaimed. For a moment Scott seemed to forget that he was angry and simply watched her rip the brown paper off of the package.
"What is it?" he asked.
"My new gown for the Danse!" Laurie pulled it out of the package. Silvery blue and shimmering, it was a work of art to say the least. From sparkling rhinestone clasps and inch wide straps it fell. The bodice was fitted to a princess waist, from which fell the pouf of a skirt. The skirt had a layer of chiffon as filmy as gossamer and as pale blue as a predawn sky over the warmer white layer. Tucked neatly underneath the gown was a pair of the daintiest silver dancing slippers Laurie had ever seen. A rapturous grin lit up her face, and for a moment, Scott forgot he'd ever been mad at her to begin with.
It was then that Julia Serpentine ruined the moment by coming up behind Scott and tickling him in the ribs. He jumped around in surprise, and the smile that had crossed his face upon seeing Laurie's gown faded. Laurie's smile faded as well. She slowly put the gown back into its packaging, preparing to leave.
"Hello, Laurie!" Julia purred. "Did Scott tell you? He asked me to the Danse Macabre!"
Laurie pretended she hadn't heard and, sweeping up her belongings, left the room. She still couldn't believe the afternoon's turn of events. Granted, it was understandable why Scott was mad, but did he have to be so hurtful? She reached the Wave Common Room, where Sarah was sitting listlessly making a card house out of Exploding Snap cards. She looked up when Laurie came in.
"I'm sorry for what Scott said," were the first words out of Sarah's mouth. "He tends to not think."
"Sarah, you didn't do anything to me. Scott did," Laurie pointed out, sitting next to Sarah on the couch. "Besides, I doubt being upset with Scott will help anything. I say we just forget the whole thing and have a good time at the ball, no matter whose dates we are."
"If I ever find a date," Sarah complained. "Seriously, Laurie, I should have taken you up on that offer for your cousin. There is nobody left. Did you already ask Derek for Jolene?"
"Yeah. He agreed, but only on the condition that they sit at the same table as me and Erick." Sarah groaned. "Oh, come on. I'm sure there's someone who isn't taken. What about Kyle?"
"Kyle Houston?" Sarah asked as if she'd never considered it. "No. He's going with Ella. They've known each other for a while now." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "But that gives me a great idea! Thanks, Laurie."
Without explanation, Sarah jumped up and left the Common Room. Laurie couldn't help but wonder what she was doing.
Classes continued much as they had the last month and a half. Professor Gromoor, clumsy as always, had pulled out a baby mandrake without putting on her earmuffs. She would be in the hospital wing for three weeks; the report was, so the entire Salem population celebrated the fact that, for the next three weeks, there would be no Herbology. Professor Dragona was back in full blast, teaching the students summoning and banishing charms with cushions. It was a pillow fight like Laurie had never seen before. Moments into the class, she and Sarah were laughing and pelting each other with cushions. One of Laurie's cushions missed Sarah and hit Erick in the back of the head, and he joined in the foray. Before long, the entire class, Professor Dragona included, were banishing and summoning cushions, laughing hysterically.
Professor Tournaline was an excellent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So far, they'd covered everything from poltergeists to redcaps. After Halloween, they would be starting a unit on the dark creatures that existed in North America, a unit that Laurie was much looking forward to learning. Then, after Christmas break, they would be studying hexes and curses, and finishing the year with a review. Needless to say, it was quickly becoming Laurie's favorite class. Potions was also an amusing class. Professor Cornelius was teaching them how to brew some basic antidotes for poisons. The best part about that class, however, was that it was at the end of the week, at the end of the day. When he was in a good mood, which was often, Professor Cornelius would let class out early.
Halloween day was no exception. Not more than half the class period had gone by when Professor Cornelius clapped his hands twice. "Alright, class. You've done an excellent job today. Have fun at the Danse tonight!" There were scattered cheers, Laurie and Sarah among them, as the students hurried off to get ready for the Danse. Kristie had managed to convince Professor Cornelius to find her some hair potions, which included curlers, straighteners and de-frizzers. Laurie was more than a little eager to see how her hair would look with curls and Sarah, whose hair tended to frizz up on a moment's notice, had made Kristie promise that she could have a whole bottle of de-frizzer to herself.
Up in the Wave girls' bedroom, chaos had erupted. Jolene was moaning loudly about how her dress was bright pink, which she had just realized clashed horribly with her hair. As she complained, Ella was trying to calm her down and change the color of the dress at the same time. The result was a strange shade of purple, which on anyone else would have looked horrible but on Jolene looked cute. Kristie was glaring at Grindylow, who had left a trail of orange cat hairs on her simple white dress. Gruffles, thankfully, had stayed far away from Laurie's new gown. Heather's new dress robes were just that: a combination of gray and purple making them heather. While the rest of the girls squealed about their hair, dresses, robes and shoes, Selena Raven simply perched on the end of her bed, dressed in a long black gown.
Thankfully, by seven-thirty everyone's hair was done, dresses or robes put on correctly and shoes on the right feet. Laurie was quite pleased with the way her hair had turned out. It seemed that her dollop of curler had been just enough. Her hair now curled gently around her shoulders, making her look at least three years older. One of the older girls, a friend of Reagan Waters', had decided that the First Years needed to have their make up done. So she and Reagan had spent an hour working on the girls' makeup with fantastic results. On Laurie she had applied white mascara that made her look ethereal and sweet. Before heading down to the Common Room with the rest of the girls, Laurie looked at herself in the mirror and twirled around, her pale blue skirt swirling around her legs. This would undoubtedly be a night to remember.
Erick was waiting for Laurie at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in black dress robes with a deep navy blue lining. His long black hair was pulled back from his face and he was smiling broadly as Laurie approached him. He reached behind his back and produced a small nosegay of sparkling silvery blue roses. "For you," he greeted Laurie.
Laurie felt blood rushing to her cheeks as she accepted the flowers. "Thank you," she whispered and took Erick's arm. It was almost like a dream as they walked from the Wave Common Room to the Banquet Hall, and upon reaching it, things became completely surreal. Though it had begun to rain outside, the ceiling was full of twinkling diamond stars that chimed like tiny bells. The entire hall was decorated in black and silver, with at least a hundred small, round tables placed throughout. Each table seated eight and the table number floated above it in the form of a black ribbon. "There's our table. Number seventeen," Laurie announced, pointing across the room. She had to speak in a very loud voice to be heard over the sounds of a band that was warming up. From what she'd heard, the White Wizards were very popular in the wizarding world, and Headmistress Frankincense had somehow managed to book them for the Danse Macabre. A few fourth years had already gone hounding the White Wizards for autographs, Laurie noted.
She and Erick weren't the first ones to arrive at the table. Derek and Jolene were already there, drinking pumpkin juice and butterbeer respectively and talking about Quidditch. "You really made it to the Quidditch World Cup the last time it was in the States? How did you get tickets?" Jolene exclaimed.
"I have connections," Derek answered, winking at Laurie as Erick pulled out her seat for her. Moments later, Sarah arrived in her flowing lavender robes. The de-frizzer had been miraculous for her hair, which now shone straight and soft. Laurie was amazed, however, to see Sarah's date. It was none other than Corey Oxford, their house's team captain.
"Hey, Derek, Erick, Laurie," Corey greeted them all. Sarah was positively beaming as she sat down next to Laurie.
"Well, if that wasn't your best idea so far this year, I don't know what is!" Laurie whispered and Sarah laughed.
"It's because of you, Laurie. You suggested I invite Kyle to the dance and I remembered that Corey didn't have a date yet. He was mentioning it to some people over lunch. So I decided, why not be bold? And I invited him!" Sarah giggled with her hands over her mouth. "He was going to go with Reagan Waters, but she already had a date with the Head Boy. So he agreed to go with me."
Suddenly, Sarah's smile froze and faded. All conversation at the table ceased, and Laurie turned around to see Scott and Julia standing behind the last two empty chairs. Scott was wearing typical black dress robes with a deep blue lining while Julia was in a strapless red gown that, had she been a few years older, would have made her look like a hooker. Her black hair was piled in a mass of curls on top of her head and she looked like she had just smelled something disgusting.
"Are you two sitting here?" Laurie finally managed. Scott simply nodded, but Julia went into a long tirade.
"It wasn't my idea, naturally, but Scott seemed to want to sit here. Of course, it could be fun. I see you got your dress from some second-hand clothing store, Laurie?" she purred.
"Not at all. Gladrags Ladies, in fact," Laurie replied. "Though some of us don't need to buy our beauty."
Julia flushed bright pink and was unable to come up with a response. Instead, she turned to Scott, glaring. "Aren't you going to pull out my chair?" she snapped.
"No," Scott answered and sat down himself, looking rather unhappy. Julia snorted in a most unladylike manner and proceeded to sit down herself. She smiled a gooey smile at Erick, who looked away as if she bored him. Everyone else looked around the table uncomfortably. The dream night had just turned irreversibly awkward. As Laurie was about to speak up and try to start a conversation that might ease the awkwardness, a sudden chiming of the clocks announced that it was now eight o'clock and the Danse had begun. Headmistress Frankincense approached the platform where the teachers usually sat (where now the White Wizards were preparing to sing) and clapped her hands loudly.
"Happy Halloween and welcome to the Danse Macabre!" she exclaimed. The entire student body burst into wild applause. "Now, a few instructions before the meal begins. To order your meal, simply tap your plate with your fork once and order whatever food you feel like. Dinner will conclude at nine o'clock at which point, the White Wizards will begin the Danse. Then at midnight, we will conclude the Danse with the announcement of the House Teams. I hope you all enjoy this night!"
With that, Headmistress Frankincense sat down at the long table up front with the rest of the professors. Everyone seemed at a loss as far as what to do with his or her plates, but the headmistress cleared things up quickly. She tapped her plate once and said loudly, "Filet mignon!" Almost immediately a sumptuous steak dinner appeared on her plate. At that moment, everyone seemed to understand and began tapping their plates and ordering food. Laurie, longing for a taste of home, tapped her plate and ordered spaghetti and meatballs. As if it could read her mind, her plate filled with spaghetti and meatballs, doused with a dollop of marinara sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, just the way her mother made it. Digging in, she looked around the table to see that Scott and Sarah had ordered the same dish (a good, old fashioned pot roast) while Erick had settled for some sort of beef stew. Jolene, meanwhile, had the strangest dish by far.
"What is that stuff, Jolene?" Laurie asked, looking at the white goo that had appeared in a bowl on top of Jolene's plate. It seemed to be topped with syrup or brown sugar. On the side were some deliciously flaky looking biscuits and scrambled eggs, and a cup of tea had just filled next to her mug of butterbeer.
"Grits!" she exclaimed, taking a spoonful. "My mom used to make them every morning for breakfast, but I haven't had them since I came here."
Laurie laughed aloud, and noted that Julia was trying to eat light, picking at some sort of pasta concoction. She began to say something when Sarah pulled out her wand, but decided that it was for the better to keep quiet. Sarah muttered something under her breath and Julia's pasta glowed for a minute then settled down before Julia could see. When she poked it with her fork, however, she let out a shriek. The pasta had begun to wiggle like little worms. Laurie immediately began choking a cough into a laugh, as did practically everyone else at the table. Julia, however, did not seem to think that Sarah's joke was funny.
"Who did that?" she snapped, and everyone tried to look innocent. "Answer me!"
"Maybe it just comes like that," Sarah shrugged. "Here. I'll fix it for you." Another swish and flick of her wand and the pasta stopped wiggling. Julia didn't look the least bit grateful and refused to eat another bite. The rest of the table finished their meals, and then divided up Julia's pasta between them. When they'd at last finished, their plates disappeared and were replaced with delicious banana splits and ice cream sundaes. Laurie decided that it was the best meal she'd ever eaten, and the rest of the table seemed to agree.
Then, with a clap of Headmistress Frankincense's hands, everyone stood and the tables were whisked to the sides of the room, opening a wide dance floor. For a moment, the floor was completely devoid of any movement, but then the lights dimmed and a crooning voice on stage began to sing. Several girls squealed and pulled their dates to the middle of the floor, Jolene being one of them. For an awkward moment, Laurie, Scott, Sarah and Erick stared at each other shyly, until Corey asked Sarah if she wanted to dance. With that, all three couples swept out onto the dance floor happily.
"I've never heard of the White Wizards before," Laurie shouted over the music as she and Erick danced to a fast song. "They remind me of the Backstreet Boys!"
"Who?" Erick shouted back, and Laurie laughed and tried to explain to him all about Muggle entertainment. He kept interrupting her with questions about the radio and television.
". . .so you can see colored pictures moving and talking to you," Laurie finished explaining the idea of video imaging to Erick.
"It's like our photographs, only with sound?" he asked. They were dancing to a slow number called something like "I Saw You in the Stars". It was very romantic.
"Yes, like our photographs, only with sound. It's almost like watching a play, you know, onstage, except it's in a box," Laurie continued her explanation. She spotted Reagan Waters and the Head Boy Bartholomew O'Malley swaying by in a lip lock.
"Are the actors actually in the box?" Erick looked confused. "They must be awfully small."
"No. We put their images on a form of tape," Laurie answered.
"How would tape be able to capture images? Do the images stick to the tape?"
Laurie laughed helplessly. "I don't know! Maybe you can come visit me during a vacation and I'll show you," she offered, suddenly blushing. Had she just invited Erick to her house?
"Maybe I will," he answered and pulled her a bit closer. The song ended, and Laurie realized with a start that the clocks had just chimed midnight. Headmistress Frankincense approached the platform and clapped her hands twice.
"May I ask that the House Quidditch Teams please come up on the platform?" she called. Laurie smiled at Erick and went to join the rest of her team on the platform. Corey was already up there, and Kyle was not far behind Laurie in arriving. Nearby, Derek had to leave Jolene's perky side to ascend the steps of the stage. Soon, the platform was crowded with about thirty students, varying in age from eleven to seventeen, all smiling as their houses cheered for them.
"As is tradition, we will announce the team in the order of their ranks from last year, regarding Quidditch matches. In first place last year was Flame House. Team Captain, Matt Marcus!" Headmistress Frankincense called. A tall, burly boy stepped forward, bobbing his head curtly. "For chasers this year, we have sixth year Lena Sampson, fifth year Allan Burke and fifth year Harrison Larkin." More applause followed. "Our beaters are team captain, seventh year Matt Marcus and fourth year Kylie Grant. The keeper is third year Jonathan Marcus and the Seeker is sixth year Joanna Rivers. Let's hear it for the Flame Team!"
Applause resounded throughout the Hall, particularly from a group clad in red on the far right hand side. Headmistress Frankincense went through the teams one by one, listing off the members and their positions. When she announced Derek as one of the chasers for Wind, Laurie burst into applause, ignoring the looks of her teammates. Finally, it was the Wave Team's turn, at the very end.
"Wave House has not won the Quidditch House Cup in twelve years," Headmistress Frankincense announced. "Let's see if we can break that record this year, shall we?" A quiet chuckle ruffled through the group. "Our captain is fifth year Corey Oxford!" Applause sounded from the Wave students. "He is also one of our chasers, along with fourth year Ariel Jameson and first year Kyle Houston!" Laurie joined in the loud and wild applause for Kyle. "Our beaters this year are sixth year Jessica Leroy and second year Malcolm Black. The keeper is seventh year Karl White and the Seeker is first year. . ." she paused, ". . .Laurie Lacewing! Let's hear it for our Wave Team!"
Thunderous applause echoed through the hall. Laurie felt a burst of pride that she was a part of something so exciting. When the applause finally died down, Headmistress Frankincense spoke up again. "Tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock will be the first Quidditch match of the season: Wave versus Flame! Good luck to both teams and thank you for coming to this year's Danse Macabre!"
More applause followed and the teams slowly left the stage. Erick offered Laurie his arm as they started to leave. "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow," he pointed out. "You'd better get some sleep."
Laurie smiled. "Sounds perfect." Together, they walked back to the Wave Common Room. Before she went up to her room, Erick stopped Laurie by placing his hands on her head.
"May you fly on the breath of eagles with the grace of the most delicate of swans. May the wind be at your back and may the sun shine on your face. May you be safe from all harm," he murmured. Laurie looked at him questioningly. "It's an old Iroquois blessing my grandmother taught me. I hope you do well tomorrow, Laurie. I'll be in the front row!"
Laurie smiled at him and headed up to bed, more than a little excited about the big game the next day.
A/N: How do y'all like it so far? It's so much harder to write something completely different from Harry Potter.Laurie's a difficult character to create and the others are hard to characterize as well. Please! Leave me reviews and let me know how I'm doing! :-)
Heading back to the Common Room after practice that day, Laurie felt as if nothing in the world could upset her in the least. Shortly after asking her to the dance, Erick had left the field to join a few other people from Wave in a game of Exploding Snap. Laurie, on the other hand, began flying faster and better than ever with a happy lightness in her heart. She caught the Snitch more times than either she or Corey could count, and even managed to accidentally score a goal. By the time practice was over, Laurie decided that she had never been so happy in her life. She burst into the Common Room to find Scott and Sarah engaged in a riveting game of Wizard's Chess. They looked up as she entered.
"How was practice?" Sarah asked, moving her knight so that it took out one of Scott's bishops. The knight's horse kicked the bishop over, breaking it into several pieces.
"Amazing! You wouldn't believe it!" Laurie cried. "I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life."
"Well, if Quidditch does that for you," Scott teased. Laurie laughed and shook her head.
"Not Quidditch, Scott. Erick asked me to go to the Danse Macabre with him!" Laurie cried, spreading her arms wide and twirling in a little circle. "Can you believe it?"
Neither Scott nor Sarah reacted the way Laurie expected. Sarah got a funny smile on her face. "Is that a big deal? It's just Erick," she pointed out sardonically.
"Well, maybe I find 'just Erick' attractive," Laurie said, quietly. Sarah's smile became genuine.
"I hoped so, that you weren't going with him just to spite someone else or because everyone else wanted to go with him," she told Laurie. "Now I just have to find a date!"
Scott's reaction, on the other hand, was not nearly as nice as Sarah's. He'd remained quiet while Sarah and Laurie discussed the entire affair, then looked at Laurie oddly, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't dare. Finally, he spoke up. "You'll have fun, Laurie. I'm sure of it." Without another word, Scott picked up the unfinished game of chess and walked back up to the boys' bedroom. Sarah and Laurie looked at each other, quite confused by Scott's reaction.
In a small school like Salem, word travels fast. So, by the next morning, everyone knew about Laurie and Erick going to the Danse Macabre together. Julia, as to be expected, was furious, and kept commenting to Laurie that the only reason Erick was going with her was out of pity. He obviously knew that no one else would ask her and therefore was going to take her to the dance so that she wouldn't be embarrassed. Sarah, upon hearing this, dismissed it as unlikely, since, as she said to Julia, Laurie was much prettier than most girls at the school and more genuine as well.
"Besides, Julia's been after Erick since she met him at the Quidditch World Series two years ago. She's just jealous that you have something she can't have," Sarah pointed out as she and Laurie walked to the library to start a research paper for Transfiguration. "Keep up the good work. I know I'm not the only one who's glad Julia can't have something she wants for once."
They sat down at a table near a bunch of First Years from Quake. Mary Beth McNabb was among them, and she was glaring poisonously at Laurie. She and Sarah ignored the crowd and kept talking about the dance.
"What about Ross Logan? He's a lot of fun," Laurie suggested.
"No, he's going with Kristie. She asked him last night," Sarah replied, opening The Little Big Encyclopedia of Beginners' Transfiguration. "And believe it or not, Brandon Lyons is going with that girl Selena. You know, the quiet one?"
"Wow," Laurie breathed. "Everyone's on the ball about this dance. Hey, I know! I'll ask Derek for you!"
Sarah snorted. "You mean your cousin? That'd be weird. I'll find a date, don't worry about me," she stated. Jolene, on the other hand, who'd just come in, seemed very interested in the prospect of going to the dance with Derek.
"What about. . .would you ask him for me, Laurie?" Jolene asked in her sweet Southern drawl.
"Well. . .sure, I guess. Why not?" Laurie answered, smiling at Jolene. Sarah was grinning, too. Her grin froze, however, as Scott entered.
"Uh oh. Here comes trouble," she commented.
"Why do you say that?" Laurie asked. Jolene looked at Sarah quizzically.
"Scott's been upset ever since you told him you were going with Erick to the Danse. He hasn't been talking to Erick and he keeps telling me that he can't believe they ever became friends at all," Sarah explained.
"Why? What on earth did Erick do to Scott?" Laurie dropped her voice to a whisper as Scott walked by, intent on a table in the back.
"Laurie. . .Scott's liked you from the moment we first met you on the train. Erick has too. And they both knew it. It was a race to see who would ask you to the Danse first," Sarah explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Haven't you noticed how Scott's always falling over himself to impress you and Erick's always talking to you about everything?"
"How do you know this?" Laurie was flattered, if a bit shocked as well.
"They talk to me. Scott's my twin. I've known Erick almost as long. They tell me these things. And believe me, it's a pain being caught between them and not being able to tell you any of it." Sarah leaned back in her chair and looked where Scott was sitting. "Scott's jealous. He'll get over it, though."
It didn't seem like Scott would be "getting over it" anytime soon. An hour later at lunch, Laurie and Sarah felt their jaws drop open as Scott sauntered into the banquet hall with Julia Serpentine on his arm. They stared silently as he gave Julia a smile and squeezed her arm then sauntered over to the Wave Table while Julia sashayed over to Fire Table. Erick didn't say a word as Scott sat down. He simply stood and left the banquet hall. Laurie and Sarah weren't sure where to look, whether at each other or at Scott. Finally, Sarah spoke up.
"Scott, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Having lunch. You?" Scott was clearly still in his bad mood, judging by the sarcastic tone of his voice.
"Don't play with me!" Sarah shouted, standing suddenly. "Are you taking that. . .that snake to the ball?"
"What, Julia? Why yes, ma'am, I am," Scott answered, a smug grin on his face.
"Why? She hates you!" Sarah managed.
"She doesn't hate me, she's just misunderstood," Scott corrected. "Is there a problem with that, ladies?"
Laurie didn't answer, and Sarah seemed too angry to care. She also stood, left her empty plate and swooped out of the banquet hall like an angry owl. Scott looked slightly abashed, but still didn't look at Laurie. She wasn't sure what to think of him. Finally, she managed to ask him, "Why?"
"Laurie. . .I know you and Julia don't get along, but. . ." Scott seemed at a loss for words to explain what he'd done. Laurie, unwilling and unable to listen to any excuse he could give, shook her head and started to leave the room, when a sudden flapping sound alerted her that the mail had arrived. A handsome tawny owl soared above her and dropped a package right in Laurie's hands.
"It came!" she exclaimed. For a moment Scott seemed to forget that he was angry and simply watched her rip the brown paper off of the package.
"What is it?" he asked.
"My new gown for the Danse!" Laurie pulled it out of the package. Silvery blue and shimmering, it was a work of art to say the least. From sparkling rhinestone clasps and inch wide straps it fell. The bodice was fitted to a princess waist, from which fell the pouf of a skirt. The skirt had a layer of chiffon as filmy as gossamer and as pale blue as a predawn sky over the warmer white layer. Tucked neatly underneath the gown was a pair of the daintiest silver dancing slippers Laurie had ever seen. A rapturous grin lit up her face, and for a moment, Scott forgot he'd ever been mad at her to begin with.
It was then that Julia Serpentine ruined the moment by coming up behind Scott and tickling him in the ribs. He jumped around in surprise, and the smile that had crossed his face upon seeing Laurie's gown faded. Laurie's smile faded as well. She slowly put the gown back into its packaging, preparing to leave.
"Hello, Laurie!" Julia purred. "Did Scott tell you? He asked me to the Danse Macabre!"
Laurie pretended she hadn't heard and, sweeping up her belongings, left the room. She still couldn't believe the afternoon's turn of events. Granted, it was understandable why Scott was mad, but did he have to be so hurtful? She reached the Wave Common Room, where Sarah was sitting listlessly making a card house out of Exploding Snap cards. She looked up when Laurie came in.
"I'm sorry for what Scott said," were the first words out of Sarah's mouth. "He tends to not think."
"Sarah, you didn't do anything to me. Scott did," Laurie pointed out, sitting next to Sarah on the couch. "Besides, I doubt being upset with Scott will help anything. I say we just forget the whole thing and have a good time at the ball, no matter whose dates we are."
"If I ever find a date," Sarah complained. "Seriously, Laurie, I should have taken you up on that offer for your cousin. There is nobody left. Did you already ask Derek for Jolene?"
"Yeah. He agreed, but only on the condition that they sit at the same table as me and Erick." Sarah groaned. "Oh, come on. I'm sure there's someone who isn't taken. What about Kyle?"
"Kyle Houston?" Sarah asked as if she'd never considered it. "No. He's going with Ella. They've known each other for a while now." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "But that gives me a great idea! Thanks, Laurie."
Without explanation, Sarah jumped up and left the Common Room. Laurie couldn't help but wonder what she was doing.
Classes continued much as they had the last month and a half. Professor Gromoor, clumsy as always, had pulled out a baby mandrake without putting on her earmuffs. She would be in the hospital wing for three weeks; the report was, so the entire Salem population celebrated the fact that, for the next three weeks, there would be no Herbology. Professor Dragona was back in full blast, teaching the students summoning and banishing charms with cushions. It was a pillow fight like Laurie had never seen before. Moments into the class, she and Sarah were laughing and pelting each other with cushions. One of Laurie's cushions missed Sarah and hit Erick in the back of the head, and he joined in the foray. Before long, the entire class, Professor Dragona included, were banishing and summoning cushions, laughing hysterically.
Professor Tournaline was an excellent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So far, they'd covered everything from poltergeists to redcaps. After Halloween, they would be starting a unit on the dark creatures that existed in North America, a unit that Laurie was much looking forward to learning. Then, after Christmas break, they would be studying hexes and curses, and finishing the year with a review. Needless to say, it was quickly becoming Laurie's favorite class. Potions was also an amusing class. Professor Cornelius was teaching them how to brew some basic antidotes for poisons. The best part about that class, however, was that it was at the end of the week, at the end of the day. When he was in a good mood, which was often, Professor Cornelius would let class out early.
Halloween day was no exception. Not more than half the class period had gone by when Professor Cornelius clapped his hands twice. "Alright, class. You've done an excellent job today. Have fun at the Danse tonight!" There were scattered cheers, Laurie and Sarah among them, as the students hurried off to get ready for the Danse. Kristie had managed to convince Professor Cornelius to find her some hair potions, which included curlers, straighteners and de-frizzers. Laurie was more than a little eager to see how her hair would look with curls and Sarah, whose hair tended to frizz up on a moment's notice, had made Kristie promise that she could have a whole bottle of de-frizzer to herself.
Up in the Wave girls' bedroom, chaos had erupted. Jolene was moaning loudly about how her dress was bright pink, which she had just realized clashed horribly with her hair. As she complained, Ella was trying to calm her down and change the color of the dress at the same time. The result was a strange shade of purple, which on anyone else would have looked horrible but on Jolene looked cute. Kristie was glaring at Grindylow, who had left a trail of orange cat hairs on her simple white dress. Gruffles, thankfully, had stayed far away from Laurie's new gown. Heather's new dress robes were just that: a combination of gray and purple making them heather. While the rest of the girls squealed about their hair, dresses, robes and shoes, Selena Raven simply perched on the end of her bed, dressed in a long black gown.
Thankfully, by seven-thirty everyone's hair was done, dresses or robes put on correctly and shoes on the right feet. Laurie was quite pleased with the way her hair had turned out. It seemed that her dollop of curler had been just enough. Her hair now curled gently around her shoulders, making her look at least three years older. One of the older girls, a friend of Reagan Waters', had decided that the First Years needed to have their make up done. So she and Reagan had spent an hour working on the girls' makeup with fantastic results. On Laurie she had applied white mascara that made her look ethereal and sweet. Before heading down to the Common Room with the rest of the girls, Laurie looked at herself in the mirror and twirled around, her pale blue skirt swirling around her legs. This would undoubtedly be a night to remember.
Erick was waiting for Laurie at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in black dress robes with a deep navy blue lining. His long black hair was pulled back from his face and he was smiling broadly as Laurie approached him. He reached behind his back and produced a small nosegay of sparkling silvery blue roses. "For you," he greeted Laurie.
Laurie felt blood rushing to her cheeks as she accepted the flowers. "Thank you," she whispered and took Erick's arm. It was almost like a dream as they walked from the Wave Common Room to the Banquet Hall, and upon reaching it, things became completely surreal. Though it had begun to rain outside, the ceiling was full of twinkling diamond stars that chimed like tiny bells. The entire hall was decorated in black and silver, with at least a hundred small, round tables placed throughout. Each table seated eight and the table number floated above it in the form of a black ribbon. "There's our table. Number seventeen," Laurie announced, pointing across the room. She had to speak in a very loud voice to be heard over the sounds of a band that was warming up. From what she'd heard, the White Wizards were very popular in the wizarding world, and Headmistress Frankincense had somehow managed to book them for the Danse Macabre. A few fourth years had already gone hounding the White Wizards for autographs, Laurie noted.
She and Erick weren't the first ones to arrive at the table. Derek and Jolene were already there, drinking pumpkin juice and butterbeer respectively and talking about Quidditch. "You really made it to the Quidditch World Cup the last time it was in the States? How did you get tickets?" Jolene exclaimed.
"I have connections," Derek answered, winking at Laurie as Erick pulled out her seat for her. Moments later, Sarah arrived in her flowing lavender robes. The de-frizzer had been miraculous for her hair, which now shone straight and soft. Laurie was amazed, however, to see Sarah's date. It was none other than Corey Oxford, their house's team captain.
"Hey, Derek, Erick, Laurie," Corey greeted them all. Sarah was positively beaming as she sat down next to Laurie.
"Well, if that wasn't your best idea so far this year, I don't know what is!" Laurie whispered and Sarah laughed.
"It's because of you, Laurie. You suggested I invite Kyle to the dance and I remembered that Corey didn't have a date yet. He was mentioning it to some people over lunch. So I decided, why not be bold? And I invited him!" Sarah giggled with her hands over her mouth. "He was going to go with Reagan Waters, but she already had a date with the Head Boy. So he agreed to go with me."
Suddenly, Sarah's smile froze and faded. All conversation at the table ceased, and Laurie turned around to see Scott and Julia standing behind the last two empty chairs. Scott was wearing typical black dress robes with a deep blue lining while Julia was in a strapless red gown that, had she been a few years older, would have made her look like a hooker. Her black hair was piled in a mass of curls on top of her head and she looked like she had just smelled something disgusting.
"Are you two sitting here?" Laurie finally managed. Scott simply nodded, but Julia went into a long tirade.
"It wasn't my idea, naturally, but Scott seemed to want to sit here. Of course, it could be fun. I see you got your dress from some second-hand clothing store, Laurie?" she purred.
"Not at all. Gladrags Ladies, in fact," Laurie replied. "Though some of us don't need to buy our beauty."
Julia flushed bright pink and was unable to come up with a response. Instead, she turned to Scott, glaring. "Aren't you going to pull out my chair?" she snapped.
"No," Scott answered and sat down himself, looking rather unhappy. Julia snorted in a most unladylike manner and proceeded to sit down herself. She smiled a gooey smile at Erick, who looked away as if she bored him. Everyone else looked around the table uncomfortably. The dream night had just turned irreversibly awkward. As Laurie was about to speak up and try to start a conversation that might ease the awkwardness, a sudden chiming of the clocks announced that it was now eight o'clock and the Danse had begun. Headmistress Frankincense approached the platform where the teachers usually sat (where now the White Wizards were preparing to sing) and clapped her hands loudly.
"Happy Halloween and welcome to the Danse Macabre!" she exclaimed. The entire student body burst into wild applause. "Now, a few instructions before the meal begins. To order your meal, simply tap your plate with your fork once and order whatever food you feel like. Dinner will conclude at nine o'clock at which point, the White Wizards will begin the Danse. Then at midnight, we will conclude the Danse with the announcement of the House Teams. I hope you all enjoy this night!"
With that, Headmistress Frankincense sat down at the long table up front with the rest of the professors. Everyone seemed at a loss as far as what to do with his or her plates, but the headmistress cleared things up quickly. She tapped her plate once and said loudly, "Filet mignon!" Almost immediately a sumptuous steak dinner appeared on her plate. At that moment, everyone seemed to understand and began tapping their plates and ordering food. Laurie, longing for a taste of home, tapped her plate and ordered spaghetti and meatballs. As if it could read her mind, her plate filled with spaghetti and meatballs, doused with a dollop of marinara sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, just the way her mother made it. Digging in, she looked around the table to see that Scott and Sarah had ordered the same dish (a good, old fashioned pot roast) while Erick had settled for some sort of beef stew. Jolene, meanwhile, had the strangest dish by far.
"What is that stuff, Jolene?" Laurie asked, looking at the white goo that had appeared in a bowl on top of Jolene's plate. It seemed to be topped with syrup or brown sugar. On the side were some deliciously flaky looking biscuits and scrambled eggs, and a cup of tea had just filled next to her mug of butterbeer.
"Grits!" she exclaimed, taking a spoonful. "My mom used to make them every morning for breakfast, but I haven't had them since I came here."
Laurie laughed aloud, and noted that Julia was trying to eat light, picking at some sort of pasta concoction. She began to say something when Sarah pulled out her wand, but decided that it was for the better to keep quiet. Sarah muttered something under her breath and Julia's pasta glowed for a minute then settled down before Julia could see. When she poked it with her fork, however, she let out a shriek. The pasta had begun to wiggle like little worms. Laurie immediately began choking a cough into a laugh, as did practically everyone else at the table. Julia, however, did not seem to think that Sarah's joke was funny.
"Who did that?" she snapped, and everyone tried to look innocent. "Answer me!"
"Maybe it just comes like that," Sarah shrugged. "Here. I'll fix it for you." Another swish and flick of her wand and the pasta stopped wiggling. Julia didn't look the least bit grateful and refused to eat another bite. The rest of the table finished their meals, and then divided up Julia's pasta between them. When they'd at last finished, their plates disappeared and were replaced with delicious banana splits and ice cream sundaes. Laurie decided that it was the best meal she'd ever eaten, and the rest of the table seemed to agree.
Then, with a clap of Headmistress Frankincense's hands, everyone stood and the tables were whisked to the sides of the room, opening a wide dance floor. For a moment, the floor was completely devoid of any movement, but then the lights dimmed and a crooning voice on stage began to sing. Several girls squealed and pulled their dates to the middle of the floor, Jolene being one of them. For an awkward moment, Laurie, Scott, Sarah and Erick stared at each other shyly, until Corey asked Sarah if she wanted to dance. With that, all three couples swept out onto the dance floor happily.
"I've never heard of the White Wizards before," Laurie shouted over the music as she and Erick danced to a fast song. "They remind me of the Backstreet Boys!"
"Who?" Erick shouted back, and Laurie laughed and tried to explain to him all about Muggle entertainment. He kept interrupting her with questions about the radio and television.
". . .so you can see colored pictures moving and talking to you," Laurie finished explaining the idea of video imaging to Erick.
"It's like our photographs, only with sound?" he asked. They were dancing to a slow number called something like "I Saw You in the Stars". It was very romantic.
"Yes, like our photographs, only with sound. It's almost like watching a play, you know, onstage, except it's in a box," Laurie continued her explanation. She spotted Reagan Waters and the Head Boy Bartholomew O'Malley swaying by in a lip lock.
"Are the actors actually in the box?" Erick looked confused. "They must be awfully small."
"No. We put their images on a form of tape," Laurie answered.
"How would tape be able to capture images? Do the images stick to the tape?"
Laurie laughed helplessly. "I don't know! Maybe you can come visit me during a vacation and I'll show you," she offered, suddenly blushing. Had she just invited Erick to her house?
"Maybe I will," he answered and pulled her a bit closer. The song ended, and Laurie realized with a start that the clocks had just chimed midnight. Headmistress Frankincense approached the platform and clapped her hands twice.
"May I ask that the House Quidditch Teams please come up on the platform?" she called. Laurie smiled at Erick and went to join the rest of her team on the platform. Corey was already up there, and Kyle was not far behind Laurie in arriving. Nearby, Derek had to leave Jolene's perky side to ascend the steps of the stage. Soon, the platform was crowded with about thirty students, varying in age from eleven to seventeen, all smiling as their houses cheered for them.
"As is tradition, we will announce the team in the order of their ranks from last year, regarding Quidditch matches. In first place last year was Flame House. Team Captain, Matt Marcus!" Headmistress Frankincense called. A tall, burly boy stepped forward, bobbing his head curtly. "For chasers this year, we have sixth year Lena Sampson, fifth year Allan Burke and fifth year Harrison Larkin." More applause followed. "Our beaters are team captain, seventh year Matt Marcus and fourth year Kylie Grant. The keeper is third year Jonathan Marcus and the Seeker is sixth year Joanna Rivers. Let's hear it for the Flame Team!"
Applause resounded throughout the Hall, particularly from a group clad in red on the far right hand side. Headmistress Frankincense went through the teams one by one, listing off the members and their positions. When she announced Derek as one of the chasers for Wind, Laurie burst into applause, ignoring the looks of her teammates. Finally, it was the Wave Team's turn, at the very end.
"Wave House has not won the Quidditch House Cup in twelve years," Headmistress Frankincense announced. "Let's see if we can break that record this year, shall we?" A quiet chuckle ruffled through the group. "Our captain is fifth year Corey Oxford!" Applause sounded from the Wave students. "He is also one of our chasers, along with fourth year Ariel Jameson and first year Kyle Houston!" Laurie joined in the loud and wild applause for Kyle. "Our beaters this year are sixth year Jessica Leroy and second year Malcolm Black. The keeper is seventh year Karl White and the Seeker is first year. . ." she paused, ". . .Laurie Lacewing! Let's hear it for our Wave Team!"
Thunderous applause echoed through the hall. Laurie felt a burst of pride that she was a part of something so exciting. When the applause finally died down, Headmistress Frankincense spoke up again. "Tomorrow afternoon at one o'clock will be the first Quidditch match of the season: Wave versus Flame! Good luck to both teams and thank you for coming to this year's Danse Macabre!"
More applause followed and the teams slowly left the stage. Erick offered Laurie his arm as they started to leave. "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow," he pointed out. "You'd better get some sleep."
Laurie smiled. "Sounds perfect." Together, they walked back to the Wave Common Room. Before she went up to her room, Erick stopped Laurie by placing his hands on her head.
"May you fly on the breath of eagles with the grace of the most delicate of swans. May the wind be at your back and may the sun shine on your face. May you be safe from all harm," he murmured. Laurie looked at him questioningly. "It's an old Iroquois blessing my grandmother taught me. I hope you do well tomorrow, Laurie. I'll be in the front row!"
Laurie smiled at him and headed up to bed, more than a little excited about the big game the next day.
A/N: How do y'all like it so far? It's so much harder to write something completely different from Harry Potter.Laurie's a difficult character to create and the others are hard to characterize as well. Please! Leave me reviews and let me know how I'm doing! :-)