The Good Fight

Does it comfort you to know you fought the good fight?
Basking in your victory,
hollow and alone
to boast your bitter bragging rights to anyone who'll listen.
While you're left with nothing tangible to gain.

"Eep, ow, ow," Vala whined; it'd definitely been too long since she'd worn earrings. Her ear was a flaming red. "Damn, I hope that cools down before seven," she whispered to herself. She smudged light blue eye shadow on her eyelids, and lined them in black; it'd been awhile since she'd worn makeup too, but a woman never forgets how to wear her face.

She hadn't asked if she could borrow the makeup, but she doubted her roommate would care, or notice for that matter. Critically, she examined the hem of her sleeve. Luckily, she'd lent the robe to a friend the year before. Not so luckily, the girl had stretched the chest and broken the seams in the cuffs.

Vala fingered the corsage; it wasn't a real flower, but it was still pretty. It was heat activated, and whenever the dress robe was worn the flower unfolded in a mass of deep blues and sparkling silver. She sighed, and ripped the corsage off. She tossed the flower on the bed, where it immediately budded in defeat.

I used to think it was pretty, now I just think it's tacky… she thought weakly.

She lifted the hair off her shoulders, and dropped it again. "That won't do…" she whispered. She glanced around, and grabbed a box of bobby pins from her roommate's trunk. Spotting a hair clip, she grabbed that as well. Bending in half, she clipped her hair up, and standing upright, she pulled the loose strands back with bobby pins.

For once, she actually asked another roommate if she could borrow a pair of heels. The girl had asked the occasion, and then insisted she wear a pair of midnight blue, three-inch high heels. Vala was reluctant, but took what she could get. Now she eyed the heels, what was she thinking? I'll kill myself in these.

Regardless, she grabbed the heels and hurried down the dorm steps.

While leaving the common room, "Hey, Vala!" Geneva hurried alongside her. "Ooh, where are you going all dressed up to the nines?"

"Dinner party," she replied coldly, looking forward.

"Oh, doesn't that sound fun! I once went to a dinner party, and there was this boy, and oh my goodness wasn't he handsome! And so I asked him to dance, but he said he had a girlfriend, and that made me real upset, but I didn't let it bother me too much, and so I saw this other boy, and he wasn't as cute, but I believe he fancied me on accounts he asked me to dance to a slow song with him, and I was just so…"

Vala rolled here eyes. Always count on Geneva to speak in one continuous sentence, never taking time for breath. And so Geneva continued to talk about nonsense things, skipping from boys to classes to food to boys again. Vala sighed. Grant really outta reconsider… Geneva's more his type than Fae. Neither likes to shut up.

"…and it was so much fun, but then I drank a little too much champagne and I was sick for weeks! But that's alright because this boy, Jimmy, came to see me…"

She sighed again. At least Grant talks about things worth listening to… Most of the time anyhow. And who gets a headache on champagne?

Vala bent to strap her shoes on. She stood up. "Sorry, Geneva, but this is my stop." She started to walk down the stairs. "I'll… I'll see you around." She waved behind her, and hurried down the stairs, careful not to trip over her own feet.

"You surprise me Vevila, conversing with Mudbloods?"

Vala rolled her eyes; she really wasn't in the mood. "You know just as well as me that dropping Geneva Hutchins is a difficult task all in itself."

"I've always hated Hufflepuffs," he sneered. "Stupid, they are."

You wouldn't say that if you met Fae… She'd give you a run for your money. "Are you ready?" she asked dryly.

"Yes, let's go."

~+~+~+~

Idiots breed idiots, jerks breed jerks, brainiacs breed brainiacs, and against all laws of nature, beautiful people breed ugly children.

That was the only thought on Vala's mind as she was guided through the tight crowd of people. She watched snubbing mothers hold onto their bratty children, and tired fathers wrinkle their brows as they all shared the same thought, How did that come from me?

She watched sneering eyes glint at her, and lean over to whisper to a friend. From time to time she could phrases such as,

"-a fine sight for the eyes, but doesn't quite cut it in the right places… if you get what I mean-"

"-she'll never bear children with those hips-"

"-man, wouldn't I like to-"

Vala tightened her grip on Saxon's arm. Her eyes dropped, and she lowered her chin a bit.

"Look up," he hissed under his breath. "Don't back down so easily."

She rose her chin, and glanced around haughtily. Why should she feel inferior?

Saxon stopped, and Vala, following his lead, did as well. Everyone took a step back, forming a circle around Vala and Saxon. She tried not to look around, but she couldn't help wondering what was happening.

"Don't jump back," he hissed quietly.

She looked at him. Wha-

There was a loud bang, and a cloud of smoke erupted. Vala's eyes widened, the smoke drifted closer, and she coughed.

She squinted to see what had happened. The smoke cleared, and a tall, dark man, who defied all the laws of nature, stepped forward. As he drew closer Vala could pick out details from his profile. He had thick, black hair and emotionless blue eyes. In a way, he looked like Saxon. An older Saxon, of course. A more handsome, uncaring Saxon… a more dangerous Saxon.

Saxon moved back, and into the crowd surrounding the two.

The man circled Vala. "What's your name, my dear?" he asked quietly.

"Vevila Amoureux," she replied in a hush.

Slowly, he made his way around her, and came to face her. "French?" he asked mildly.

"Yes."

"Hmm…" he began to circle her again, rubbing his chin. "You are related to Jack and Virginia Amoureux?" he asked, coming to face her again.

Her brows furrowed slightly. "Yes… They were my parents."

"Ah yes, a sad story in itself… I am most sorry to hear about them." He picked a loose thread from her robes, and stared at it; it was from the corsage she'd removed earlier that night. He let the thread drop to the ground, and rubbed his fingers together. Carefully, he lifted a stray hair by her cheek, then swept it behind her ear.

"Please, turn," he directed.

She stared at him oddly, but did as he requested. She caught Saxon's eyes, who nodded carefully at her. The man watched her hips, and feet.

"You can dance?"

Again, she stared at him. "Yes…" she answered slowly.

"Excellent." He rose a hand, and a low, trembling music mourned through the hall. He bowed to her. Stiffly, she curtsied. He took up her hand and kissed it. "Pleased to make your acquaintance Miss Amoureux, I am Ares Malfoy, Saxon's father…" He stood straight, holding out his hands for her. "And now, may I have this dance?"

Ares Malfoy stunned the crowd, and everyone acted quite out of their norm around him. For instance, Vala accepted the offer to dance, and Saxon stepped down.

~+~+~+~

"So what was it like?" Grant asked, dropping henbane into the boiling cauldron.

"Odd, to say the least," Vala replied.

"You really met Saxon's father?"

"Yeah," she said casually, sitting against the wall.

"So what's he like?"

"I've heard he's quite the eye-catcher," Fae put in.

Vala tilted her head to the side. "Yes, he's very handsome… in a sadistic, scary kind of way."

"Sort of like Saxon? The dark, mysterious way… I'm sure Malfoy Senior is very sexy."

Vala stared at Fae. Up until now she hadn't heard anything about appealing men, but then she supposed there must be something deep down in Fae that resembled a teenage girl.

"Grant, I swear I'll gut you like a fish if you even consider that again!"

Very deep down, Vala added as an afterthought.

"Sorry," Grant apologized, blushing.

Fae sighed sharply. "So what are we making?" she asked, leaning towards the cauldron, a cigarette pressed between her lips.

Vala waved the smoke away, "Don't you know?"

"No, all I can pick up in here are Mr. Slick's thoughts over here." She jerked her head towards Grant. "And those are always an ear-full."

Grant blushed a deeper crimson.

Vala dropped in some opium. "Hmm… It's a potion that should turn me into a werewolf, but I think it's debatable…"

Grant glared. "It will turn you into a werewolf."

Fae stared at him in disbelief, her jaw dropping. "You've seen the Loup Coeur potion done to someone?"

He shifted uncomfortable. "I've seen lots of things…"

She nodded and looked away, softly sucking on her cigarette.

Vala handed the hemlock to Grant. "Here, grind these up… or something."

"When will you be taking this?" Fae asked, pulling the cigarette from her lips.

"Um…" she searched through her bag for an ingredient. "Next weekend… It's a full moon on Saturday, I'll be taking it at midnight." Where is it, I just-

"The parsley's in the front pouch," Fae offered, helping Grant with the hemlock.

"Oh, uh…" she opened the front pocket, and found the parsley. "Uh, thanks."