Les Sylphides: Chapter Three: Les Sylphides

by flax, June 2003.

JK Rowling owns the characters. They're only in this daydream for a profitless romp. :)

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Hermione and the boys met in the corner of an out of the way classroom, waiting for curfew to come and go. They hid behind the cloak of invisibility and were unnoticed even by a professor who looked in the room. Once the guests began to arrive, the professors' patrols seemed to abate, and the trio felt comfortable to start working on their spells.

"Are you really going to go with the random costume?" asked Harry.

"Sure," said Hermione. "I must admit, I'm curious how it will turn out, more then I am curious about the other options." Hermione looked over her short list of back up charms.

"You first," said Ron to Harry, while he still tried to settle on a costume.

"Magister ignotus" said Harry, and he stood there, suddenly, an old man in a simple grey robe. His hair was long and white. And he stared in confusions at his hands, one of which had a lantern, and the other a cane.

"Do you feel old?" asked Ron.

"No," said Harry, stretching a bit. "But what am I?"

"Hermit," guessed Ron.

"Is that a star in your lantern?" asked Hermione.

They examined it, and yes, it appeared to be a faint star in his lantern, twinkling and odd looking up close like this.

"Your turn," said Harry to Ron.

Ron concentrated a few moments and then said "Imperceptius, no." And was suddenly in extremely preppy clothes. Formal wear for the yacht. He wore a blazer with the traditional pocket embroidery, the neck scarf, and the obligatory sockless dockers. His now golden hair contrasted with his now well-tanned skin.

"Holy smokes," he said to the mirror. "I wonder if I can get a sun burn through this."

"Not in the next three hours tonight for which it will last," said Harry, poking at the blazer. "That is odd."

"Odder to be wearing it," he said, windmilling his arms.

"What were you aiming for?" asked Hermione.

"A pirate," answered Ron.

Harry sniggered. Ron glared. And on this face, it registered as insufferable ennui. "At least I'm unrecognizable," said Ron. "You're turn," he then said to Hermione.

She took on last look at her spell before casting it on herself. "Incognitus."

The boys blinked. Hermione looked in the mirror. It was unexpected.

"I was expecting to be a famous wizard or something," said Hermione.

"I'm glad I didn't do that spell," said Harry. Ron blinked again.

"I don't get it," he said.

"I think I'm going to the ball as a sylph," said Hermione.

"I hope no one gets offended," said Harry, his hermit face beginning to frown.

"At one of these things?" said Ron with asperity. "You've got to be kidding. Everyone is going to be completely loony. Let's go!"

And so the trio snuck out of the classroom, down the corridor, and into the mass of adults milling about outside the great hall. At first they tried to act like adults, but it quickly became clear that this was setting them apart from the adults. So they just went with the flow and acted giddy and goofy.

They entered via one of the side chambers, avoiding the official receiving line, and the magical announcement of names. Something they thought better to sidestep under the circumstances.

The boys headed right in, making Hermione promise to follow as soon as she was done admiring the view. And to the tables of food they went. Hermione though paused and just took it all in.

It outshown her expectations of grand. And also surprisingly wild. The decorations were ornate, beyond measure, beyond experience, even the experiences with the Headmaster's sense of festivity. Greenery curled about every column and flowers filled every bower. And every fixture. Some seemed simply to grow out of the flat walls. The candles gleamed golden while silver will o'wisps danced, casting between them a rainbow of shadows and gleams. The gentle lights only increased the sense that this was a dream, outside regular amazements, even Hogwarts amazements. Hermione found herself thinking this was a lovely night, but she wouldn't want to live this way.

Once her impression of the decor faded, she took in her impression of the guests. The partygoers appeared as all manner of beings, and in all style of charm. There was a Jonah figure, his head emerging from a fish body. Maybe he was a merman, Hermione could not tell, but he floated with ease in this sea of chaos.

There was also what had to be a Merlin with Nimue upon his arm. Hermione gasped at the oddity but also enjoyed it. She thought she saw the Parvil sisters below when she spotted the "Rainbow's Daughter" and the Ash-tree dryad. Hermione looked forward to comparing notes later, but in the mean time she just kept looking and storing the completely oddity of it all.

There was a swan mai, a woman in a long feather tunic. Until she transformed into the swan. And also a Valkyrie. And there chatting with Hercules had to be a Roman general of some sort, both chinking in their buckles and shields.

Hermione giggled to spot a pirate from the Pirates of Penzance. She was pretty sure of that as she could faintly make out his singing the chorus from the end of the second act. Hermione continued to amuse herself, trying to match costume to character, slowly getting ready to wander into the masque, identities unknown.

On her way down the stairs, she bumped Cupid, mid aim, and he shot a shepherdess. "So sorry," said Hermione. The shepherdess meanwhile traced the source of the magical arrow sticking out of her arm, and then proceeded to kiss the lion to whom she had been speaking. Who proceeded to posture himself not at all like a lion.

"Good shot!" said Cupid to Hermione happily. She smiled and kept going.

At the tables of food she choose not to spend much time with Harry and Ron who were mostly trying to fake out adults and chat with them. While she looked for the Parvils, a Green-Man asked Hermione to dance.

Mid waltz he asked her if her flock ever watched Quiddich games and if she had a favorite team.

Soon after Hermione retreated up to a balcony from which she could see, but out of the glare of aggressive flirting and din of cheery chatter. She leaned against a pillar and relaxed into watching without pretending to belong.

A few minutes later, bunting pulled apart above and a stained glass window was revealed. Light dawned behind it and it glowed brilliant. The window was a kaleidoscope of colors, bathing the room in shimmering glows shifting and pulsing, turning the light of the room into an image of the window. The crowd gathered murmured in appreciation, and then the sylphs arrived.

They stood, without costumes, at the entrance and proceeded in with slow grace. The sound of the announcer was like music as the strange sight filled everyone's eyes. There was a wildness to the sylphs which seemed out of sorts with the careless tenor of the party. And before Hermione could figure out she meant by that, one name distracted her.

"Lady Melusina Snape."

The names flowed on, but Hermione stopped attending and instead reconsidered the insane theories she, Padma and Parvati had imagined not two nights before.

tbc...

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a/n: thanks for the reviews, Nightcrawler & TheCheeseman. Go for it, Nightcrawler: Rowling's crowd of characters makes a nice ensemble.