CHAPTER TWO - "Christmas"
Christmas morning in Slytherin House was a riot, as three trees had been set up and there were packages all over the place for the nearly one hundred twenty students staying over the holiday.
Sev and Martis had claimed a loveseat near the fireplace and exchanged presents quietly, silently agreeing that their Christmases alone in Slytherin were much better than sharing it with people they hardly knew and did not care for at all.
"Next year will be better, Spirals," Sev assured her. "It'll be just us again."
"I hope so," Martis muttered. "It felt WRONG not sleeping with you this year."
Thomas St. Claire, who had been floating by, nearly choked on his Fizzing Whizbee.
Sev and Martis ignored him. She leaned against Sev and hugged him around the waist. "Thank you for the new bottle of perfume - this Nag Champa smells delicious."
"Thought you might like it. It smells like I imagine the temples on Crete to smell like from what you described."
"It should." She opened the bottle again and inhaled. "Smells goooood ... !"
Sev turned his own present around in his fingers. "Very elegant hairtie. I like the snake bead." He smirked. "Shall I wear it tonight when I escort you to the Yule Ball?"
"You can if you wish," she answered vaguely, nuzzling against his throat.
Sev kissed her forehead, embracing her in their island of solitude.
Which had quickly been pulverized by a tsunami of female roommates picking Martis up from the loveseat and stating, "We need to work on your hair!"
"What?" Martis asked as she was pulled out of Sev's arms.
"We finally get to play with your hair!" Peony exclaimed. "You have to have your hair done up for the Yule Ball!"
"So much of it," Oriana sighed, picking up strands. "You have Fantasy Hair!"
"Let go of my hair!" Martis cried. "The only person who gets to touch my hair is Snips!"
Sev blushed as the roommates smirked at him, then they led her up to the girls' dorm staircase.
"We promise to bring her back this evening, Snape," Akiko called. "Be dressed and ready to receive your date."
"This isn't a date!" Martis insisted.
"Suuuuuuuure it isn't!" the roommates giggled.
Sev watched them drag Martis upstairs. He chuckled to himself, thinking that she looked perfectly fine with her knee-length hair loose and long and tendriling around her body and over her curves ...
Never mind that. Need to have Miss Price alter his dress robes.
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By the time evening arrived, the air in Slytherin was positively electric.
Sev had gotten his robes back in time for him to shower again and comb his hair back into the new hairtie with the rich black leather thong and silver snake bead.
He glanced at his reflection in his room's mirror while his roommates were also getting ready.
Thomas laughed behind him. "Ryper, you do not look right in that suit!"
Sev turned, noting that baby powder blue was not really a suitable color for the pale skinned and dark-haired Evan Ryper. "He's right, you look like a tomato."
"That's 'fruit', Snape," Fearghus chortled. "A 'tomato' is what we call the hot-looking girls."
Demetrius danced around the room and sang some Muggle song that all of them really did not want to hear:
"I love, I love, I love my calendar girl
Yeah, sweet calendar girl
I love, I love, I love my calendar girl
Each and every day of the year ... "
"Give it up, Jones," Fearghus commented. "You're going with Miss March, anyway."
"Yeah - and Ryper's going with Miss May and Snape is going with Miss July."
Various shoes and combs and pieces of hard candy were thrown at him. Sev contributed a charm to make the Beater's dredded hair turn bright pink.
Sev turned back to the mirror. He looked quite passable. He certainly hoped Martis would appreciate all the effort he put into looking 'acceptable'.
Discreetly, he slipped his wand inside his sleeve.
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Peony and Oriana studied the heavily-altered dress Martis wore.
"Actually, that looks pretty good," Oriana admitted.
Peony giggled. "And it's SO Spirals!"
Martis made a face. "My hair weighs a ton."
"It's the same, just differently balanced," Akiko told her as she smoothed out nonexistent wrinkles in her black and red cheongsam dress.
Peony and Oriana got up, their wide petticoat-shaped skirts brushing and knocking into everything. Peony's satin monstrosity in deep pink and Oriana's blue and green velvet abomination took up a good portion of floor space in the dorm compared to Akiko's figure-hugging dress and Martis' organically draped gown.
Martis gazed at her roommates and herself in the mirror's reflection and commented, "We look like a pack of tropical birds in full plumage, waiting to get shot by the natives."
"We're not that bad."
"Can I use Medusa as a necklace?"
"No snakes!"
"She'd complete the outfit."
"No!"
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Sev was hustled down the stairs by his roommates where the rest of the Slytherin guys were waiting for their dates from their own House.
"Girls take forever to dress," one Sixth-Year complained.
"The results are worth it, my brothers," a Seventh-Year answered.
"I've always wondered," a Fifth-Year mused. "Why girls always travel in packs to the bathroom?"
"Me, too," several others agreed.
"Simple," Evan said casually. "That's when they use the loo as a Floo portal to talk to other girls in other bathrooms and compare notes about us guys."
Several of the boys laughed, although a few took it quite seriously. "Really, man, that makes sense!"
"Of course it does," Evan replied. "If you ever go on a date with one of these girls, she'll tell all the other females in the vicinity and in different parts of the school before you'll find out if she liked the date or not. You're better off asking a random female how your date partner rated your time out rather than asking her."
Ryan Woot snagged Evan in a headlock. "There's a reason why this guy is the Hogwarts Champ - despite his suit looking fruity."
"It is NOT fruity!" Evan objected.
"It's fruity, Ryper," several guys confirmed. "Distinct overtones of hairdresser."
Evan grumbled, then pulled his wand out and performed a color-changing spell; the baby powder blue suit became a darker, more subdued blue.
Lucius Malfoy (in his own black and white velvet suit and robes) approached Sev, gazing at Sev's own outfit. "Quite understated, Snape."
Sev shrugged. "It's all right."
"At least twenty years out of fashion, I'd say?" Lucius remarked. "Of course, I suppose it's better than the rags you normally wear."
"Go boil your head, Malfoy."
Lucius' attention was elsewhere. "Ah, the ladies arrive - fashionably late."
The girls descended the staircase from their dorms and a few of the less mature male individuals whistled in encouragement. It did not help that a few girls strutted around the place in some of the most hideous gowns Sev had seen.
And then his own date appeared -
Sev felt his breath catch as he stared at Martis. The gown was light blue and Grecian in design. The sleeves were split down the arm but held together at intervals with gold spiraled snakes, showing off slivers of dusky skin. A twisted gold-colored rope was tied several times around her waist and hips, enhancing the effect of her curves. The neckline was soft and drapy, low enough to see a hint of cleavage. The skirt fell to her feet, sweeping against the floor but never quite touching it.
Her hair had been looped around and styled up with a waterfall of hair falling down to her waist in the back. A golden labrys rested on a thin chain from her neck, her only piece of jewelry.
Sev grabbed Evan's tie. "She's incredible, Ryper! Look at her! My Gods, she's exquisite!"
Evan managed to release himself from Sev's grasp. "Fine, Snape. Just remember to clean up after yourselves when you're done ravishing her."
Sev narrowed his eyes at Evan, then made his way toward Martis.
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Martis gazed at Sev across the room as he approached. She would never have believed any male could wear black satin and look wonderfully male, but Sev managed it. The black velvet trousers fit perfectly, while the black satin high-necked tunic draped properly above his knees. It was belted up with the ouroboros belt she had given him for his birthday. Armbands cuffed the sleeve between his shoulders and elbows, ornately designed in silver with snake and raven motifs. The tight sleeves reached down to his knuckles, making his fingers look even longer.
His hair was combed and braided, his Christmas present hairtie holding the end of the braid. Several forelocks had escaped the braid and had fallen over his forehead and into his eyes or against his cheeks.
"Great Mother," she breathed to Akiko. "He's ... beautiful."
Akiko smirked. Snape was not her first choice, but tonight he did live up to his Vox-given nickname of 'Dark Prince'. "He's coming this way."
Martis swallowed as the outer edges of her universe bled away, leaving Sev as the central focus of her world.
Sev delicately picked up her hand, bowing his head to brush his lips softly against the back of her hand. He gazed up at her. "You look lovely, Britomartis Vox."
Martis's olive skin tinged itself with a blush; she had no idea where he had learned something like that. "Thank you. And you are incredibly handsome tonight, Severus Snape."
He stood straight and turned her hand over to kiss her palm. "Only your opinion matters, Miss Vox."
Martis trembled and squealed, "Enough with the formalities!" Then wrapped him up in a hug and kissed his cheek all the way back to his ear, her hands moving up to his shoulders. "I dare any girl to not want to dance with you tonight!"
"I wouldn't care if they didn't," he whispered in her ear.
"You're mine, grr."
Sev chuckled, teasing her earlobe with his lips. "I could eat you up right here."
She giggled, blushing; somewhere in the back of her mind, the thought that the Protection Spells should have gone off flittered through her mind. She was certainly not thinking chaste thoughts right at the moment, especially of pulling him down on top of her right then and there.
She chided him, "Talk like that and we won't make it to dinner." She kissed his ear in return. "I'm so glad we're back to this again." Her hand traveled down the front of his tunic and she poked his belly. "Bother."
Sev broke into giggles, which alarmed everyone around them due to the unnatural expression of mirth from Snape.
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Everyone gathered outside the Great Hall - those with dates from different Houses wandered around to locate their partners, while those with partners giggled and talked and blushed a lot, upping the scents of hormones and teenagers even more.
Lily Evans appeared, wearing an elegant green gown that made her red of her hair stand out even more - James Potter's grinding teeth could be heard all over the corridor as Beauxbatons Champion Michel de Nostradom kissed her hand and her face lit up.
Durmstrang's Champion Igor Karkaroff - looking 'smart' in a gray military cut uniform and a dark blue robe - did not look too pleased as his date Oriana approached him. If anyone had actually noticed, they would have seen his cold gray eyes resting on Britomartis Vox the whole time.
The only Champion who looked truly relaxed and casual was Evan Ryper, who provided more of a background detail to his exotic date Akiko Mori.
The Marauders did indeed show what social classes they were comprised of - Sirius Black in a red and black suit of velvet (with fellow Chaser Sarah Holden on his arm), James Potter in a simple black brocade suit and robe (with the other female Chaser Carrie Oustabaum), Remus Lupin in an understated brown suit (escorting a quiet girl called Asenath Paroo), and Peter Pettigrew in one of his mother's surreal mish-mash creations of burgundy suit and robes with lace on the collar, cuffs, and any other tuck (his date wore a bag over her head, although everyone believed it was Linda Prewett).
Most of the girls were clad in the same large frocks as Martis' roommates, making the corridor even more crowded than usual.
"Baby sister!" the twins yelled.
Artemisia (in a yellow gown with black Greek key trim around the hems) and Adonia (clad in a short screaming-pink dress with showed off her bull-leaper's legs) pushed their way through the crowd to Sev and Martis. Behind them, they dragged their dates Fred Holden (Gryffindor, and Chaser Sarah Holden's brother) and Johnny Jensen (Ravenclaw Seeker).
"Ooh!" Adonia giggled. "You both look CUTE together!"
Sev made a face. "I am not 'cute'." He smirked. "I'm surprised you don't have a date who could wear a matching dress."
Adonia raspberried him. "I would have, but you know how prim these Brits are; for some reason, they think a drooling boy who thinks he's going to Get Some is a better date than a girlfriend that shares similar interests and philosophies."
Johnny Jensen rolled his eyes. "Well, I couldn't bring my date of choice, either, Doni. Unfortunately, Robert Crays would wet himself if he knew what I thought of him flying around those hoops on the pitch."
Martis giggled. "I often wondered how you could ignore me out there."
Artemisia interrupted, "Been practicing your dance?"
"Of course we have," Sev replied.
"More than," Martis purred.
Fred leaned close to Sev and quietly commented, "When she jumps you, just go limp; it minimizes damage to internal organs. I think all Voxes are like that."
"The twins I can understand," Sev retorted. "They proposition me every train trip."
Fred grinned. "And that's how I kept Arti's attention."
Sev raised an eyebrow, but decided that was more than he wanted to know.
The doors to the Great Hall opened and the students entered the chamber.
The twelve Christmas trees were heavily and beautifully decorated (more than usual), the candles floating above their heads were set in golden candelabras, garlands of holly and pine and icicles were swagged all around the Great Hall, the tables were covered in icy white cloths and set with the golden plates and flatware and elaborate centerpieces of ice sculptures and snow art, and Christmas crackers were placed between settings.
The enchanted ceiling exposed a star freckled sky and a glowing arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. In the distance, planets in phase could be picked out, while further out the faint glowing disk of the Andromeda Galaxy could be seen.
At the head table sat the three Heads of the three schools - Dumbledore in cranberry robes and looking almost like Father Christmas, Headmistress Auttenbaum in a simple tight black gown with black fur cuffs and collar, and Headmaster Flavert in a suit of white and bright red and his top hat decorated with mistletoe. On either side sat Malfada Hopkirk (in green) and Jocunda Sykes (in white).
The rest of the teaching staff of Hogwarts took up the sides of the head table, while the six seats closest to the judges were empty for the Champions and their partners.
The usual four tables were replaced by smaller round ones that seated a dozen people each, and students claimed tables with friends, which crossed over most all of the Houses.
Martis and Sev shared a table with the twins and their dates, Slytherin's Seeker Thomas St. Claire and Gryffindor's Seeker Jennifer Maxwell, Fearghus Flynn and Great Bulstrode (looking quite attractive for a change, in a rich copper-colored dress and her dark hair curled), and Demetrius Jones and Brittany Valkaria.
Crackers were pulled apart ... Martis got an acid pop and a lavender crown, while Sev got a mini-abacus and an orange crown. She wore her crown backwards while Sev slipped his wand out and transfigured his crown into a swag of mistletoe.
Fred snatched up the mistletoe and attacked Artemisia with it (well, held it over her head while his mouth attacked hers), which was quickly passed around to the rest of the table.
"What is your paper?" Sev asked Martis as she discarded her crown.
She pulled her sunglasses off to read the slip of paper. "'Love is everything it's cracked up to be … It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for'."
Both were silent a moment. She felt her heart beating quite hard in her chest. Finally, she asked, "What's your paper say?"
Sev held his slip of paper up to the lantern on the table. "'Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for'."
Her hand reached under the table and squeezed his. The crown-turned-mistletoe vanished to another table.
Everyone became silent as McGonagall - wearing a purple and green plaid gown and robe set with purple thistles and stems arranged on her hat brim - led the Champions and their partners through the Great Hall to the applause of the students, teachers, and judges.
When everyone had settled, menus appeared. Martis picked up hers. "Well, Snips, what do we have to throw at the Maraudiots tonight? Pork chops, roast beast, goulash ... ?"
"Hungarian dish," Brittany informed her. "Meat, peppers, and paprika mixture served over potatoes."
"Loose food, right?" Martis asked.
"Very messy, if you intend on throwing it at those Gryffindors."
Martis shook her head. "Be a waste of food." She glanced at her plate. "Rascasse."
Her dinner appeared at the same time Sev's did.
"You two are disgusting," Adonia giggled.
Both looked at their plates, looked at the other's order of white fish in light lemon sauce, then looked up. "Honestly," Martis said. "That wasn't planned."
Sev shrugged. "It was the only thing I could really eat on this menu."
"Sure," Artemisia teased.
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