Chapter 30 – Slug Club
The official 'shelf-worthy' Slug Club members received formal invitations to Slughorn's Christmas party. It was flattering, but also discerning, Lizzie didn't like the pedestal it propped people up on, but it was classic Slytherin behavior and expected from their once head-of-house.
Lizzie unwrapped the dress she ordered for the party in her dormitory, then held it up to herself in the mirror with mixed feelings. It was black lace from the waist up with a handful of gold embroidered floral embellishments scattered, the arms were completely covered in lace, but her neck and shoulders were bare from just below the collar bones up. The rest of it was solid black silk that flowed down to just above the knees. It looked more modest in the catalogue, but it would work. Lizzie brought another box over to Ginny's dorm.
"What's that?" Ginny asked.
"Your... unicorn... if you don't like it, you can have mine though, assuming you like that one better..." Lizzie explained as Ginny pulled a champagne and gold beaded dress and gaped.
"Some unicorn," she said approvingly.
"Good you like it!" Lizzie smiled. "I hope Fleur doesn't put you in something hideous for the wedding..."
"Yeah, well Phlegm can shove it, Gabrielle will look good in virtually anything," Ginny grumbled.
"LIZ-ZIE POTTER!" Hermione shouted from the dorm above them. Lizzie gave Ginny a fleeting look and retreated upstairs to find Hermione with a rose pink silk dress she couldn't hide her approval over.
"You like it, don't lie, I'll know," Lizzie smirked. Hermione gave her a reproving look.
"Oh c'mon! Let me spend all this money I tragically inherited, please! Merry Christmas," she added.
"What's going to happen to all that if you die, Lizzie? You really should talk to Bill about a will," Hermione recommended.
"Cheerful. Really in that holiday spirit aren't you?" Lizzie asked as Hermione tried on the dress.
"Zip me up?" She asked, Lizzie obliged.
"Well? Have you even thought about it?" Hermione asked, smoothing it out and inspecting her reflection.
"As a matter of fact, I am responsible and have thought about it considerably," Lizzie reassured.
"Pretty straightforward. My dad's vault goes to Remus. Sirius's vault goes to the Weasley's and you, half to Molly and Arthur so he doesn't have to work forever, and the rest evenly distributed. House goes to you to open SPEW headquarters," Lizzie explained.
"You decided it this way because...?" Hermione asked.
"My dad would've left Remus the vault if he raised me. I don't have family and love you all as family...plus it would be poetic justice for the Black family fortune to go to you guys, Sirius would approve," Lizzie explained with a devilish grin. Hermione laughed lightly. "But I'm the girl who lived, remember? Consider that before you get your heart set on a beach house in the Bahamas."
"You look beautiful in this, but you should change and hang it up before it starts smelling like text books, parchment, and insufferable know-it-all" Lizzie said playfully, kissing Hermione on the side of the head, and heading down to spend the evening with Seamus.
Slughorn hosted an annual Christmas Party for the collection of pupils he admired most, they were allowed to bring dates, and he had a spatter of his connections attend the ordeal as a networking opportunity for his prize students.
Lizzie didn't notice Hermione slip out unseen after they got ready for the party. Ginny met a wide-eyed Dean in the Common Room when he caught sight of her dress. Lizzie strolled down to meet Seamus. His face washed over with a look that screamed he wanted to avoid the party altogether and head upstairs.
"Easy tiger," she said in a low voice and chuckled at his boyish expression of approval. They left together and headed toward the party. Seamus looked handsome in the dress robes, she thought. Was out of character for his personality but suited him all the same.
"Lizzie, my dear!" Slughorn said excitedly as they entered the intimate venue. It was a large office space decorated in turn of the century décor. Upbeat, but not overly cumbersome music hummed in the background and most everyone was already in attendance. Lizzie accepted a friendly hug and cheek kiss from Slughorn, who shook hands with Seamus eagerly and followed her around to make rounds introducing her to his guests.
Lizzie scanned the room at pairings she found interesting, and noticed Draco with Pansy. Lizzie felt mildly intimidated by the way he eyeballed her and tried to ignore him.
Seamus broke off to join Dean when the introductions felt endless. Lizzie was most engaged chatting up the captain of the Holly Head Harpies, Gwenog Jones, with Ginny. She was a Slug Club alumnus and interested in both of them. Slughorn then steered Lizzie toward a group of publishers, one of which deep in conversation with Snape about an academic publishing for a new version of Advanced Potion Making. The other man with them honed in on Lizzie hungrily, and both her Snape picked up on his wave lengths immediately.
"My, my, Azalea Potter," he said. Lizzie felt like she might as well be standing in the nude. Goosebumps broke out on her body almost immediately. "My name is Eldred Worple, absolute pleasure to meet you, sweetheart," he said, kissing her hand that wasn't occupied with a drink. Snape noticed her wince, but the others were oblivious. She glanced up the familiar face in the bunch, one that she normally loathed, but there was an odd affinity at the moment that didn't feel hostile.
"I'm an award winning author, my dear, I'm sorry I should have mentioned that. I would be absolutely honored to write a biography on you. From what I've heard that would be a riveting tale," he said slowly, scanning her face with his eyes.
"Azalea here is wildly interesting, Worple, you'd have a best seller," Slughorn commended. Lizzie clenched her jaw.
"Until people read it and sink into a deep dark pit of despair," Lizzie said with a sarcastic air to her voice, and they chuckled.
"Young, beautiful, talented, wealthy, brave, afflicted, damaged, determined... true masterpiece, I can tell just by your eyes," Worple said, staring at her intently as he sipped his drink. "Just a couple of hours alone with you is all I need," he insisted, his eyes sparkling at the thought.
Lizzie went silent, but shook her head. "I - um - well let's just say there are a lot of people who need not know that much about me right now... I'm really not keen..." she tried to explain.
"Over the holiday, I won't need long, darling," he insisted.
"Worple, Azalea is trying to say that she is a prime target for much adversity... I don't think it's wise to go publishing her life story given the current climate," Snape drawled.
"Of course, my apologies, getting ahead of myself," he smiled. Lizzie looked up at Snape again appreciatively, and he smirked back slightly while she quickly downed the rest of her drink and grabbed for another off a nearby tray.
Lizzie scanned the room nervously and caught sight of Hermione and Cormac and narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me, um sorry -" she interjected awkwardly to end her participation in their conversation. She felt eyes on her back as she left, and shuddered around the thought.
Lizzie popped up next to Hermione and startled her out of her skin. "Hi," Lizzie chimed in abruptly with faked enthusiasm, staring down Cormac intently.
"Christ, you startled us," Cormac said. Hermione gave Lizzie a look screaming for help.
"I'm not Christ, but sorry, I'm going to borrow my best friend, ok?" She said sweetly, but her voice had a blatantly annoyed underbelly.
"You came with McLaggen!?" Lizzie whispered harshly.
"I know it was stupid. He's got more tentacles that a tentacular plant," she whispered back.
"No shit! I could have told you that, anyone could have!" Lizzie hissed.
"He's coming back," Hermione said anxiously, and ducked out as Lizzie pushed her toward Seamus, Dean, and Ginny for safety.
'Hide her' she mouthed at Seamus as she cocked her head at Cormac hoping he'd catch on. He seemed to for the most part, and Hermione stayed mostly out of sight with them.
"What did you do with her?" Cormac asked, taking Lizzie by surprise.
"Who?" She asked stupidly.
"That minx of a friend of yours, we were just getting somewhere," he said bluntly, and she had to hold her hand back from slapping him.
"Went to the loo," she said simply.
"Potter," she heard a familiar voice say abruptly, and subsequently spilled part of her drink on her face in a freight. Snape stood looking down at her bemused.
"Can I help you... sir?" She asked, trying to clean herself up with a small napkin.
"I just wanted to inform you that you won't be meeting with Dumbledore until after the holidays, he's traveling, sends his best," Snape said.
"Traveling... where?" She asked.
"Is that any of your concern?" Snape asked with a snide tone.
"Well it could be, but you won't say, so..." she said condescendingly. "That all? I'm going to get back to my date," she asked.
"I'm sure he has deeply missed your absence," Snape sneered. Lizzie smiled back with a fake grin and sauntered off.
Lizzie spent the rest of the evening with Seamus mingling with the others. Toward the end of party, she caught sight of Draco leaving with Snape and impulsively snuck off after them before her absence was noticed.
She seemed to be finding herself without her cloak when she needed it most, but figured a doe in the hallway was as shitty a disguise as not having one at all. She heard the door of a nearby classroom shut and listened next to it for what they were saying, despite realizing she was in for a world of hurt if either of them caught her.
"Did you curse the Bell girl?" Snape asked.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, what does it matter?" Draco hissed.
"Because I swore to protect you! I made an unbreakable vow," Snape said coldly.
"Potter suspects you, you realize that?" Snape asked.
"Of course she does!" Draco laughed in exasperation.
"Let me help you," Snape pled.
"I don't need your help, he chose me. I have to do this alone," Draco insisted.
"Let me guess, so he will reward you? What is the reward? Your life? Lucius's freedom?..." Snape paused.
"Her? Draco... you can't possibly think -" Snape added.
"It's not about her!" He said harshly, but Snape wasn't convinced.
"Don't be foolish. Azalea is his. He won't be handing her to anyone. You have to be careful, she's perceptive and pervasive as he is. She's also a legilimens so you best keep your distance. If anyone can derail your efforts, it's her. She will let that curse eat clean through her before submitting to his will or anyone else's, he knows this, so don't be stupid," Snape hissed.
Lizzie heard footsteps approach the door and ducked behind the nearest wall as they retreated. The exchange thoroughly answered her question about Snape's behavior. They were planning something... together.