Mariah twisted around to try to get a glimpse of herself from the back through the mirror. As a loose and comfortable robes type of girl, she felt very awkward and more than a little silly in the stiff, heavy ballgown she now wore. She'd chosen an old style Empire waist gown in an attempt to camouflage some of her figure flaws, but now she wondered if it didn't just emphasize others. Turning back to stand facing the mirror, Mariah tried to tug the daring neckline up just a bit. She felt like she would fall out of the thing any minute. She glanced over at Darby in frustration.
"Why did I let you talk me into this dress? If you've got it, flaunt it, you said. What was I thinking?"
Darby laughed as she fastened the buttons on her own slim white gown. "You look wonderful, Mariah, I'd kiss old Kettleburn if I could get enough up top to fill a gown like that."
"That can be arranged," laughed Mariah, "I'm sure Professor McGonagall knows a spell for that we could use, and she might use it just to see the look on Kettleburn's face."
"Don't you dare!" Darby threatened. "That would be SO embarrassing! Besides, I couldn't really do it. Changing my center of balance might throw off my Quidditch game. Not that it would matter." Hufflepuff's team had continued to steadily in the standings.
The two girls laughed as they continued preparing, though Mariah couldn't help herself from continually trying to cover herself.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Mariah, stop!" Darby retrieved her wand and aiming it at Mariah's chest, muttered an unfamiliar charm. When Mariah looked down, the neckline of her gown had risen about a half inch. "There. You are in no danger of 'falling out' now, so please stop fiddling and help me with my hair."
Erin and Bronwyn bounded in just as they were finishing. Although all the girls had dates, they wanted to go to the ball together. Only Darby was accompanying a Hufflepuff, so she could meet her date over in the Common Room. The others would have to meet their dates outside anyway.
After spending several minutes gushing over each others finery as young girls are often wont to do on occasions such as this, they departed. Gareth, the Hufflepuff Keeper and Darby's date joined them in the Common Room, accompanied by several of his friends and their dates. By the time they emerged from Hufflepuff Hall, they were a group of ten.
"Ah, there you are, Erin! I was beginning to think you'd gone on without me!" Mariah was amused at the sight of Hogwart's Head Boy, Gryffindor Alexander Marston, pacing back and forth and acting so flustered over her friend. Erin just had that effect on people.
"Of course not, darling," she cooed, taking his arm. "We women always take a long time to put on our beautiful faces, you know."
Mariah looked around, trying to find her date. Ah, there he was. He stood casually leaning against the wall, as if the ensuing Yule Ball were an everyday occurrence and that he was accustomed to wearing the Regency era finery now adorning him. His dress cape, the only wizarding garment he wore, hung behind him, revealing a crimson waistcoat atop gold pantaloons. Mariah stifled a giggle, for the image Silas displayed was that of court buffoon, dressed to the nines for an evening at Almack's. She knew him to well, and though she thought he would make an adequate court jester, buffoon was a bit beyond him.
At the sight of her he smiled and approached, holding up a small corsage. "This is for you," he said as he moved to pin it gently above her left breast.
"Thank you," she replied as she looked down to survey it. He'd selected a simple posy of pimpernels, surrounded by delicate baby's breath. "It's lovely."
"You're looking rather pretty yourself, 'Riah. Not at all like the little urchin who used to play in my paddling pool."
Mariah laughed at the memory. "I could say the same about you, Si… you clean up very nicely."
"I don't know about that," he retorted. "I must admit I feel rather silly in this getup. But a little bird told me that you would be dressing period so I thought it best to dress accordingly. I wish I could say it suits me, but honestly I hope never to have to wear pantaloons again. Next time perhaps we should try Ancient Greek…I'd wager togas are more comfortable."
"Oh, stop complaining, you! You look quite the gentleman, only I'll know you for the knave that you are." Mariah grinned and took his arm in hers, leading him toward the Great Hall. "But I won't tell, because it was awfully generous of you to agree to escort me."
"Generous? Hardly," he snorted and gave her a funny glance before smiling again. "You're forgetting I've seen you dance, 'Riah. I'm far safer with you than any of the Gryffindor gals, they'd trample my poor toes to pieces."
They walked arm in arm toward the Great Hall, lagging slightly behind the rest of the group as they chatted.
"Our Head Boy seems quite taken with your friend, 'Riah. He's spent the last week reminding everyone he could find that he was taking her to the Ball."
Mariah sighed, "It'll probably last about a week then, unfortunately. She's a sweet girl but she tends to lose interest once they become too doting. I really don't understand it."
"Some people are like that," shrugged Silas. "Always wanting what they don't or can't have. I can't understand it myself. I'm more interested in the person involved than the act of conquest."
The image of Severus popped into Mariah's head and was quickly banished. "Agreed."
They entered the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff had spared no efforts in transforming the Hall from a grand dining hall into a spectacular ballroom. The ceiling, charmed to appear as the starry night sky, was also strung with spectacular strings of light. Silver candelabras hung throughout the room below and between the reams of velvet curtaining the walls. The left side wall was lined with tables bearing all sorts of refreshments; cakes, pies, biscuits, and several different flavors of punch and the ubiquitous butterbeer. Small round tables dotted the right side of the room, and several groups of students were already congregated there. A small group of musicians gathered up on the dias where the head table usually stood, playing the latest in wizarding pop music. And in front of the musicians, the whole center of the hall had been lined with a softly glowing dance floor.
Few students were dancing yet, for the ball had just begun. Mariah recognized some of the older students with 'well established' relationships already dancing, as well as some very awkward looking students from her own year, but the majority of the students were standing along the edge of the dance floor or sitting at the tables.
"Shall we?" asked Silas, holding out his other hand to her.
Of course he's not nervous, thought Mariah. He's been to a ball before and besides, Mariah had never known him to be nervous about anything in his life. And it wasn't as if they were on a real date, were they? She accepted his hand. "I'd be delighted, sir."
Mariah mentally thanked her Aunt Rosalind for all the dance lessons she'd bought her as a child as the band started playing a lively tune. Silas wasn't a fabulous dancer, but he was so tall he only needed to take small steps and rotate a bit to give Mariah room to do her moves. He was actually quite good to dance with, she thought. A boy of slighter build would have made her feel large and ungainly, but next to Silas she appeared almost petite.
They danced and chatted easily for several dances before Silas suggested they stop for a drink. Mariah seated herself at one of the empty tables while Silas went off to fetch their beverages. She took the opportunity to look about the room to see who all was there and who with. Amos Diggory had come with Ravenclaw Cecilia Lynch rather than Hufflepuff Mariah thought he'd been dating. She'd have to ask Darby if she knew anything about it, but right now Darby was laughing as she danced with her date. Off in a corner sat a gaggle of Slytherins, not one person from another House among them. Typical, she thought as she tried not to notice that Severus was not with them.
She turned to look in the other direction and her eyes met those of Sirius Black. He was staring at her intently, ignoring the chatter of his dance partner. Mariah casually looked away, but couldn't help but look a few moments later to see if he was still watching her. He was.
"Here you go, one gourmet tropical punch for Miss Grougher." Mariah accepted her drink wordlessly, causing Silas to follow her gaze. "Ah. The irrepressible Mr. Black."
Silas sat down beside her. "You know, Mariah…"
"What?"
"You're going to have to deal with him eventually."
Mariah groaned in frustration. "I have dealt with him, Si, more times than I can count. But he just won't give up."
"I can't believe I'm going to suggest this, but maybe you should give up."
"What do you mean," asked Mariah.
Silas shrugged and sipped his drink before answering. "Remember what we were talking about before, about people who want what they can't have?" Mariah nodded. "Well, I think Black might be one of those people. I mean, before he set his sights on you he was strictly a one-date kind of guy, in the same way that your friend Erin seems to get bored with her boyfriends. Maybe, just maybe, if you give in and go out with him once he'll lose interest in you as well."
"Wow, Silas, you have such faith in my ability to keep a guy interested," Mariah quipped sarcastically. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. If I thought Black had the brains to appreciate you for the great girl you are, I wouldn't suggest this. I just think he would lose interest in any girl once he thinks they've fallen under his charms."
Mariah shook her head skeptically, "I don't know, Si, I'm not sure I like the suggestion that I go out with him to avoid going out with him! It seems a little contrarian to me."
"Think of it this way," urged Silas. "one of three things could happen. Scenario one: you go on one date, and he realizes that you really aren't suited. Problem solved. Scenario two: you go on one date, and he is still interested. You point out to him that you gave him a chance but you still aren't interested. Then you tell him if he doesn't leave you alone, your guardian angel is going to hex him in his sleep. That's me, by the way."
Mariah laughed, "I figured. So what is scenario three?"
"Scenario Three: You go on one date, he is still interested in you, and you suddenly discover that he's the man of your dreams. Then you both live happily ever after."
Mariah choked on her drink. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Yeah, I am," he joked. "But you never know…crazier things have happened."
"Not to me, they haven't." She looked back toward Sirius, who was now sitting with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and their dates. He was still watching her with that creepy stare of his. She sighed in defeat. "Well, I give up. I still think you're nutters for suggesting it, but I haven't got any better ideas. I'll agree next time he asks, but you'd better be ready to back me up on the 'hex him in his sleep' part of the deal because I think we're going to need it."
"Well, now that that's settled, what do you say we forget about Sirius Black and get back to the important business of dancing?"