Festive Preparations
The next days passed by unremarkably. Leonor kept away from Karkaroff. A change of schedule improved the situation easily. Preparations of the voluntary lessons and the ambition to explore the restricted section of the library more profoundly required time. The evening hours spent at Hogwarts increased. Students found the 'office' more often to release their questions and the owls arrived seldom with a cry for help. The approaching Christmas festivities sent frequently girls and boys with pimples up to Leonor's room, even those without spots searched for a medicine likely to subdue the overwhelming anticipation. The ointment developed for the former Hufflepuff student helped well against the problems created by the arriving adolescence, but it helped little with severe acne.
Leonor hurried unhappy to the Great Hall. She'd sent Eloise back to her dormitory without being the wiser why the ointment didn't work with the girls blooming red spots. She walked thoughtfully between the Slytherin and Gryffindor table and noticed a sudden silence at one side. The Durmstrang students stared either quietly at the food or gazed open-mouthed into the direction of the staff table. Of course, the boys knew and put one and one together when they found their headmaster in a full body bind curse beside a festive dinner table. Malfoy and Parkinson whispered with some side glances, while Grabbe and Goyle scooped potatoes and meat onto their plates without noticing anything. Leonor sighted inwardly; she managed to avoid Igor at mealtimes lately, but not today. The staff table was almost completely occupied. The seat she usually used was the only free one as if it was waiting for her. Leonor gave an encouraging smile to Victor and the other students and composed herself to hide the apprehension well. She placed a friendly salutation to the table and sat between McGonagall and Karkaroff, saving a direct contact with Igor. He behaved as smug as always. Leonor aimed to keep the mealtime short. The hope to have stopped the obscene longing grew with every bite and Igor's silence. He busied himself with a large piece of spit roast; it would give Leonor enough time to leave the table without being followed. She put the cutlery to the finished plate and turned to leave, but Karkaroff seized the moment and blocked the way with his tall steely body.
"Professor Karkaroff." Leonor addressed him chilly, but unable to hide the embarrassing edginess. He responded with a triumphant look, examining her up and down. Leonor considered what he had up his sleeve. The professors around started watching; Leonor felt the glances. Every passing second sent more heat through Leonor's body. She had no idea how to sideline Igor without causing a public affront. Igor curled his lips and smoothed the goatee before he opened his mouth to speak but couldn't say anything as if his tongue was glued to the roof of the mouth. Severus stood up, his wand ready to be used, invisible below the table-top, but pricking Igor's right leg.
"Professor Scott will be with me! She was just too polite to tell you off immediately," threatened Severus in a low dangerous voice, a muscle twitching around his jaw. Karkaroff gave a bewildered look before turning on his heels. Leonor and Severus watched the headmaster walking down the aisle stiffly, a slight limp at his left side. Leonor blushed when fixating Severus' dark eyes. A shy smile flitted across his face, but it was quickly killed by McGonagall's outburst of anger and replaced by the usual indifferent false front.
"Severus, that is beyond believing! Students serve detention for using magic wands in the corridors and you—," whispered Minerva sharply and stormed away. She was likely the only one who saw and heard Severus clearly. Severus curled his lips and sneered before he sat down and helped himself with a piece of chocolate cake.
"Scott, no dessert today?" he taunted. Leonor vanished Igor's used place setting and took the seat next to Severus, taking a big scoop of frozen custard. The creamy cold was welcome to cool the heat and work through what happened. Leonor hovered between relief and fear that Severus only scared Igor off. They said nothing for a while and the other staff returned to their conversations and meals.
"Leonor—," he said picking at the cake hesitantly. Leonor just smiled and coloured again. "The Slytherin girls have questions about the dress robes. If you could speak to Daphne, please?"
"Sure," Leonor nodded guessing there was more Severus wanted to say, his cake was already mashed into crumbles.
"I have to keep watch at the dungeons. The Slytherins need to be dressed correctly at the ball. Will you be ready at seven o'clock?" The dark eyes looked at her with apprehension.
"I will be ready." Leonor touched his arm and smiled warmly. Leonor's fears were gone, and Severus' apprehensive gaze vanished into an almost unnoticeable smile.
XXX
The library couldn't inspire Leonor that evening; she quit long before the last student returned to the dormitory. She found no concentration reading about the after-effects of the Crutiatus Curse. She strolled over the brownish grey lawns smelling the wintery air, snow flurries had been forecasted. A dark stooped figure waited at the path and checked if the coast was clear. Leonor recognized Krum already from the distance.
"Victor, you shouldn't be outside anymore."
"I only wanted to know if you are okay," he glanced up nervously.
"I'm fine Victor. I just won't come to the ship for a while, but you know where to find me. Is Karkaroff threatening the students?" she asked quietly.
"No—," Victor shook his head, "—but he was furious. He made us call Professor Snape. 'Finite Incantatem' would have been sufficient, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, it would have done it."
"He complained about a stinging pain in the side and mumbled about dark magic. It wasn't a dark spell, was it?" Victor was concerned and watched questioningly.
Leonor averted her eyes to the ship. The main mast loomed over the Black Lake like a silent memorial. A satisfied grin sneaked across her face before she replied.
"Perhaps the sting was from falling to the planks. What concluded Professor Snape?" Leonor continued the conversation curiously.
"The same, he was livid with Karkaroff."
"Camphor tincture will help to ease the limp, try that. Have a good night!"
Leonor returned slowly to her house in a side street. The main street was busy, and the taverns overcrowded. The landlord of the Hog's Head Inn threw an ugly woman out of the tavern; the hag screamed in protest. But he was unabashed by the rude gestures and swear words and eyed Leonor carefully before returning inside. The feeling of being observed grew each time she met the odd fish.
Leonor read the mail and poured herself a glass of wine, hoping it would calm the nervousness. Her mind raced around Severus' words. Was it only to withhold Igor or did he like the idea to go together? The ball took place in little more than a week and Leonor had not given any thought of clothing. She had been afraid of the dance and everything around it. She flung the wardrobe open and placed the few festive dresses on magically conjured hooks. The butterflies in her stomach wanted to look charming, but Leonor had always been clueless how to magic herself into a party girl. None of the robes pleased her, and she hexed them back behind closed doors. She had to sleep it over but tossed and turned sleeplessly in bed. At daybreak, she fell back into the pillows and dropped into a dream, dancing closely in an everlasting beat.
XXX
The next morning started with consultations. Leonor treated several patients before turning to the last in the early afternoon. It was the mid-aged witch with the severe-looking rash. Some red and crusty spots looked better; others were fresh.
The witch complained, "It's still itching!"
"I believe that," smiled Leonor.
"And? I'm not going to pay for the nonsense of ointment if it doesn't help. I will go to St. Mungo's!"
"They won't be able to help you either." The eyes of the witch opened widely listening.
"What— is it that serious—," the voice of the witch trailed off evidently afraid.
"If you keep the reason of the rash quiet, you may die by itching and scratching your skin," answered Leonor with a sly smile. "The ointment can only do so much, but as long as the reason of the rash is undetected—," Leonor shrugged at the woman knowingly.
"You mean it will come back then?" asked the witch shocked.
Leonor only nodded, her gaze went to the dress, and she flicked her wand to change the colour another time. She brought one robe to the lower floor this morning, and now and then she transfigured other colours, changed some accessories, but it wasn't any better.
"It's embarrassing if my family finds out—" The well-built woman spoke nervously, still undecided to speak.
"You can trust, the words will remain in this room," said Leonor encouragingly.
The witch huffed noisily but spoke. "I like dogs and I feed one now and then, sometimes he sleeps at the fireplace. It's a stray, the rash started after I let the dog into the house, likely he's infectious."
"Is it the big black dog, the one roaming around Hogsmeade recently?" The witch nodded and sighed.
"I think it's a fleabag; not unusual for a stray to have fleas. If needed, feed the dog only outside, clean the room and wash everything. There shouldn't be new bites soon and the older spots will heal. If you take the dog back into the house, the fleas will nurse themselves from the dog again and survive."
"And the ugly spots, the itching—"
"—are flea bites. It's not even a magical rush. They will heal if the fleas are gone."
"That's it?" asked the witch in surprise.
"Yeah, that's it," smiled Leonor.
"Oh, how stupid, I feared of something really bad—" The witch hit the palm against her forehead. They both walked chatting to the sales room, still smiling about the dog and bathing the same in a flea shampoo. Even the witch considered it as impossible to tame the playful dog for a profound bath in bad smelling medicine.
"By the way—," said the mid-aged woman, "—the peach colour of the dress would go well with your dark hair. May I ask what's the event?"
"It's the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament," answered Leonor and blushed slightly. "I participate because I work with the international students," she added like an excuse for the festive robes. The witch patted Leonor dreamily on the shoulder and swished with a few elegant dancing steps out of the salesroom. Leonor watched the spring in the steps and closed the door to return absentmindedly to the dress robes for another transfiguration; peach wasn't her favourite.
"Leonor … eh … may I ask for a consultation?" Remus Lupin spoke from the seating group at the fireplace. Leonor startled up by the familiar kind voice. She had not seen or heard him; she had been too preoccupied.
"Remus! I haven't heard your entering." Leonor turned pale and a feeling of discomfort run through her body; he was the last person to discuss Hogwarts now.
"I'm sorry to frighten you. I haven't overheard anything," said Remus blamably.
"Good to see you." Leonor noticed the worn-out expression on the wolf's face, likely the positive effects of the Wolfsbane Potion diminished, and the exhaustion of the monthly transformations returned forcefully. "How can I help? A tea or a coffee?"
"A coffee—," answered Remus and followed Leonor through the laboratory into the surgery.
"Fine, please take a seat, I'll be right back with the coffee," smiled Leonor and the reason of the visit dawned in her mind, by some means she had expected this visit. Remus considered the landscape through the small back door when she returned.
"Nice view—," he said fidgeting with his hands. He fished some gold out of the shabby trousers. "Would it be enough?" Remus' spoke hoarsely eyeing the evening dress and Leonor sadly.
"You mean for the Wolfsbane Potion?"
Remus nodded.
"Sure, but I don't take galleons upfront. Let's agree to charge you for the ingredients only, some are expensive and mostly used for Wolfsbane but it's cheaper if I can buy a batch size for a couple of months—," Leonor shrugged and handed him the coffee.
Remus' expression brightened. "Can you do it for Christmas already?"
"Sorry, it's too late. Even if Sev— I mean, even if I would get the ingredients it wouldn't be ready. The base solution needs about two weeks to mature." Leonor blushed again even if relieved that Remus had not noticed the slip of the Potions Master's name.
"And January?" said Remus drowning the hot drink quickly.
"That's fine. I'll send you the price list for the ingredients for a half year as soon as possible and then you can decide if you want it or not. You know, it needs to be fresh to be effective. I need to apparate to your place to hand it over." Leonor's last words escaped unwantedly harsh. She wondered about the gold too, but maybe the big black dog was a friendly fleabag in many ways. It looked like the same scolding her about climbing the Slytherin stands at the Quidditch match. Leonor slurped the coffee nervously.
"You bring it to the Shrieking Shack. There's not much effort," said Remus defiantly to turn once more to the festive gown. "You will look beautiful in any dress, no matter what the old witch recommends," said Remus dreamily. "How are things at Hogwarts?"
"Dumbledore asked me to do some lessons in the evening for the intercultural knowledge exchange," answered Leonor and ignored the other remark; it made her just more insecure. "Harry is fine again, he fought the dragon with bravado, simply awesome!" she added as it might be the information Remus was interested most.
"Nice, what do you teach?" asked Remus only half-interested and crossing the rooms to the front door considering the interior and workbench intently. His gaze lingered on a compendium about Legilimency.
"It will be an exercise for a simple Christmas decoration, test some potion skills and the ability for simple charms," answered Leonor feeling guilty about still working at the school when Remus had to resign. On top, the healer's business was running well, and it looked like a solid decent income for the near future.
"Do you know about the next task?" said Remus with a side glance.
"I don't, the champions got a large golden egg and it will tell them about the next task and how to prepare for it. Krum trains to transfigure himself into a shark, therefore I assume it has something to do with the Black Lake. Moody keeps an eye on Harry," said Leonor placative and sensed Remus liked to learn more, but it was already more than the other teachers knew because she checked Victor's health and watched him diving into the icy lake regularly.
"Is there anything strange, Dumbledore and the Weasley's are concerned about Harry?" continued Remus unsatisfied with Leonor's first answer.
"I'm not aware of anything yet, except that Harry's name was in the Goblet of Fire. Everybody is worried about it and vigilant." Leonor spoke calmly.
"Yeah, everybody except Snape! I heard he accused Harry to have put his name in the goblet," answered Remus with bitterness. He watched Leonor's expression carefully.
"Remus, I believe you are wrong, even Dumbledore was accused to have made a mistake," said Leonor with a small smile and added, "I'm sorry, but I have to go to Hogwarts now. It's already late for my appointment and I need to prepare for the lesson. Maybe another time—"
"What do you do on New Year's Eve?" asked Remus with interest.
"I'll briefly visit my friends in London and then return to Hogwarts. I'm on duty at least until curfew" answered Leonor and was relieved when Remus didn't press the matter further.
Remus opened the front door and exited nodding good-bye. He walked down to the main street in his slightly overlarge threadbare robes. Leonor had pity on him, but it would not please Remus. It would have been right to invite him for a meal, but she sensed he would probably understand it the wrong way. She was in no mood to play with emotions out of politeness; it ended too often in disappointment.
XXX
The Christmas decoration at Hogwarts was overwhelming. Leonor looked at it in awe when removing hood and cloak and entering the Entrance Hall. It impressed every day, again and again. She looked for a Slytherin to get admittance to their common room.
"Mr Montague, please inform Daphne, she's waiting for me," asked Leonor politely on the way to the dungeons. The Quidditch captain topped her by about two feet and grunted before mumbling the password. Graham Montague bowed in the open door to the dormitories and a sneer curled his lips. Leonor entered the almost empty common room with a curt nod. Lessons were still in progress, but the fourth years had a free period and Leonor planned to meet Daphne and Pansy. Montague shouted into the corridor to the girl's dormitories before plumping into an armchair and playing with a snitch.
"You have a free period, Graham?" wondered Leonor, no other students of his year were present.
"I'm dismissed," he admitted grudgingly. Leonor frowned, demanding a more precise answer.
"McGonagall gave me detention for the rest of the week," replied Montague callously, "I transfigured pincushions into dirty rats, and they were all over the classroom before the lesson started. The girls shrieked in disgust."
"Professor Snape won't be delighted to see you again in detention for such nonsense," remarked Leonor pointedly and shook her head. Graham bit back a smug sneer and exchanged a look with Draco when Daphne entered the common room to escort Leonor to the girl's dormitory.
The high ceiling of the dorm room was draped in silver velvet; brocade in green framed the four-poster beds. The girls giggled and teased each other; all already clad in the festive gowns for the Yule Ball. Leonor smiled instinctively.
"How can I help you, ladies!" she said calming the chuckling debutantes.
"—the dresses don't fit correctly—," said Daphne and the others agreed, "—we need some spells for adjustment."
"I'm not a dressmaker." Leonor crossed her arms reluctant to take her wand out.
"You have to help please, the elf's too filthy, vermin—"
"Repeat that!" said Leonor threateningly calm.
Daphne and Pansy and the other fourth-year girls took suddenly a step back and glanced around sheepishly.
"If she does it wrong — if she ruins—," exclaimed Pansy.
"Hattie is well-adept in altering clothes," stated Leonor. Daphne's neckline was too wide, and she had to hold the dress in position. Pansy's lace-up back was incorrectly tied, and the other girls' ball robes were either a little too long or too tight in some places.
"Your mums bought the dresses in summer already?" asked Leonor and most girls nodded. Leonor concluded that some issues would be fixed with magic quickly. She positioned one girl after the other in front of the mirror and stretched her wand. Leonor waisted some thoughts about unintentionally wrecking the dresses if the spells went wrong. The girls would go mad and it would ruin the most important night of young teenagers. Leonor flicked her wand and Hattie appeared instantly.
"Hattie, we need your help!" said Leonor regardfully. The girls watched the pair suspiciously and Hattie glanced warily into the group. "The girls will be very obliging to you. Daphne and Pansy will see to that," said Leonor with a sharp glare to both Slytherins, "—or I will hand out my first detention and dock points from Slytherin House."
"Hattie, I order you to report any misbehaviour! Do I make myself clear?" The elf curtseyed wringing the tea towel at her small waist nervously. The girl huddled together with sour faces and anticipation about what came next, but none contradicted anymore.
"Let's work on your dresses now. Hattie, I need your opinion about where a change is needed. I'll use some spells. Girls you are all warned, I'm not a dressmaker. Daphne, you are first."
The elf tacked the robes in the right places to made them fit and Leonor used the changing spells to finalize everything. The Slytherin fourth years looked quickly gorgeous; even the enlargement spells worked well. Leonor was satisfied. The last remaining task was tying the back of Pansy's dress.
"Pansy, I suggest your lace-up back will be tied by Hattie and your friends watch how it's done correctly. There are likely different ways to arrange the strings and bows, but it must be tight. I have to leave for my lesson now."
"Yeah—," squeaked Hattie, "—it can be done like a glimmering net, it will look like sparks," the elf was like defrosted, eager to help the girls to look good.
"Hattie, send some food from the kitchen over here. Dinner is almost over. Nobody needs to starve. You all look very beautiful, your partners will be delighted," Leonor smiled. The girls moping expressions vanished with the success of the elf's work.
"Hattie will do as Mistress has suggested, Hattie will prepare a delicious meal!" The elf curtseyed again with a wide happy smile on the little innocent face. Leonor left the dormitory quickly; she was convinced the girls learned something, even though they would deny it in public.