Chapter 3
"Syltherins to one side of the field, Gryffindors at the other." Seth yelled he was captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team
"Raven, I don't see why you want to try out for the sport; I couldn't standing getting so bloody dirty." Cissa said to Raven over the bleacher's fence.
"I really like this sport, its fun!" Raven said defensively.
Cissa rolled her eyes at her friend, then climbed up the front row and plopped down in the second.
"Who is trying out for Seeker?" Seth asked (he was the team's captain, after all). Raven rose her hand as did two boys.
"Davey, you go first, um, Mark, you next, then followed by Raven."
Seth watched the players, wincing as the first two struggled with their tasks. Finally, it was Raven's turn. "Raven- mount your broom."
"Up!" She caught her broom and mounted it.
Seth released the snitch.
"Go after it- three, two, one, go!"
Raven did so, following the Snitch for a few seconds, leading her fifty feet in the air. She paused for a moment, then dived. She caught it in a matter of minutes.
"Very good, Raven. You caught the snitch the fastest, come on down. You're on!"
Raven did so following it for a few seconds leading her fifty feet in the air paused for a moment then dived she caught it in a matter of minutes.
"Very Good raven you caught the snitch the fastest, come on down you on!"
Raven's heart leaped and she trotted down the field, and, lost in her ecstasy, gave Seth a kiss on the cheek and ran to go squeal with Narcissa.
Seth brushed his cheek, surprised as if he had been burned, and shook his dyed hair and barked out orders to the rest of the team to "Shape up, and look alive!"
At the other side of the field, Elias hopped nervously from one foot to the other. She watched Sirius ace the whole Beater test with ease, and wished that somehow she could show him up, beat him, and/or impress him, being as he was the Captain of the team. James had gotten the spot of Chaser like that- every goal, in. Remus had gotten jittery and tried to run off with the Quaffle during the Keeper tryouts, so he didn't get in, being disqualified for trying to take school property.
Sirius called out Elias's name. "It's your turn!"
Elias hopped up on her broom (A classic Cleansweep- model Uno) and zoomed onto the field, brandishing her Beater bat like a sword. She smacked all of the Bludgers away from herself and the floating team dummies, at one point sending it hurtling towards Raven while she was Seeking, but a boy with black and blue hair repelled it with a flick of his wand, making a close miss of Elias's head. She sniffed and sent it down to the ground.
When she finished, the whole new team chorused, "You're in" even before Sirius had a chance to bring up his input. He sighed, and then checked off his clipboard.
Elias threw up her hands and did a little dance. Sirius and James wolf-whistled and beckoned her up.
She obliged and they set off towards the Common Room.
The next weeks past in a hurry and slowly the September turned into October
"Lily?"
The girl with the red hair looked up
"Raven?"
"Yes, I was wondering if you'd like to give me that make over you want to give me?"
"Wait a Slytherin is talking to me?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"I just I'm muggle born."
"Why does it matter? So can you give me a make over, you know I need it."
"Uh… Alright, Alice, Susan, Misty! Come on we need to get to work!"
"Um wear will we be doing this?"
"In the girls bathroom of coarse."
"Right!"
***
The next weeks passed in a hurry, and slowly September turned into October.
Raven had been thinking about what she was going to say to Lily for a while. She recalled her speech again as she approached Lily during dinner on October 2nd, where she was doing prefect duty and standing at the end of the Gryffindor table.
"Lily?"
The girl with the red hair looked up at the Slytherin girl. "Raven?"
"Yes." Raven smiled widely. "I was wondering if you'd like to give me that makeover you were talking about."
"Wait--" Lily blinked disbelievingly and a sly smile came across her lips. "A Slytherin is talking to me?"
Raven's eyebrows furrowed. "Why shouldn't I?"
"It's just, well, I'm Muggleborn, or, as most Syltherins call me, a 'mudblood'."
"Why does it matter? So, can you give me a makeover? You know I need it."
"Uh… all right." Lily turned and shouted down the table, "Alice, Susan, Misty! Come on we need to get to work!"
Alice looked up incredulously. "Um, where will we work?"
"Try the Common Room- hello?"
***
The past weeks- for Elias- had been overall uneventful- excepting, of course, the fact that the tension between Elias and Raven had seemed to increase tenfold.
"Oi! Elias! Get your skinny ass over to the table and get something for breakfast!" Remus yelled over the sleepy crowd coming into the Great hall for morning nourishment.
Elias cocked an eyebrow and sprinted towards him. Why the bloody hell is he acting so strangely, she thought. I mean, I act like that around this time of month but for completely different reasons.
As she walked to where the Marauders were sitting, she noticed someone in green robes.
"Raven?" Elias asked disbelievingly.
The girl turned towards her. "Yes?"
Elias mastered her best try at a disgusted look. "What did they do to your face!?"
"Oh, you like it?" Raven flipped her now-layered hair so it fell around her face- Elias hated to admit it, even to herself, but it fell perfectly.
"Like it, are you fricking kidding me?" Nice attitude, Elias. Nice choice of vocabulary, Elias.
"That's not fair; tell me exactly what is wrong with wearing make-up. You do."
Think Elias, think, think. Good comebacks.
"At least I know how to put it on."
Ouch. Bad choice.
"Whatever." Raven replied, not really caring.
Elias was immediately depressed. It had happened. The evil Slytherin twin was prettier than her with makeup on. She would never admit it out loud, but she sulked as she plopped down next to Sirius, who looked worried, but didn't have any time to mention anything because hundreds of owls flooded into the hall, bearing orange and black envelopes that they dropped on about three sevenths of the students. Sirius caught one- so did Elias, as well as the other Marauders.
The letters read:
Dear Hogwarts Student,
Every student that is fifth year or older is invited to a Halloween Ball. The ball will start promptly at seven o'clock. EVERYONE is to wear a mask. There are no exceptions to this rule! A costume shop will take the place of an extra class room. All attending this ball will have three weeks to search and buy your costume. Girls, please wear dresses, and gentlemen must wear dress robes with a black or white masks. Please note, NO ONE is to share what they are. While at the ball, no one is to say their names, but do remember to enjoy yourself all the same.
All the Best
The Staff
"Well, that's nice, a Halloween Ball," Sirius voiced, semi-sarcastically.
"Yes, I can't wait to go!" Remus was looking rather excited.
"I do believe we have to get to class." Elias snapped moodily, hugging her book bag.
"Elias, are you feeling alright?" James asked, concerned.
"Just peachy," Elias stormed off to Transfigurations.
"What's up with her?" Sirius asked, watching her hightail it out of the Hall.
"I don't know." James shrugged.
"Well, shall we get our tuxes at lunch?" Remus asked eagerly, looking expectantly around at his friends with bright silver eyes.
A smile spread across Sirius's face. "Righto!"
That morning, classes were overall rather exciting, for every teacher seamed to talk about the upcoming Ball. McGonagall went on and on about how you could transfigure outfits on how to fit you perfectly, Slughorn also went on and on about Potions used around Halloween to create a more 'spooky' atmosphere. By the time lunch came, many of the students had rushed in to the shop to get their costumes.
Elias pretty much looked at the ground the whole day. As she walked back to lunch, Remus fell in step beside her.
"Hey, Elias, what's wrong?" He bent over a little to come eye-to-eye with her.
Elias sighed and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm a little homesick."
He seemed a little startled at her reaction, but he smiled and patted her head. "I'd think it'd be so hard to be so far away from Italy."
"Well, I guess it's not so much that I'm homesick,´ Elias sighed, blowing a poker-straight section of her black hair out of her eyes. "I just sorta want everything to be back where it was, ya know? Everything's really changed since Raven moved in with Dad, Marco and I. I mean, I never met our mum at all, but my dad said that I was a spitting image of him and barely had any of my mum's traits."
Remus drew his eyebrows together. "You and Raven didn't live with each other?"
"Hell, no!" Elias looked at him with a "that's-stupid" look. "She lived with my mum and I lived with my dad. Otherwise, I woulda kicked her scrawny arse into Gryffindor tip-top shape by now!"
"Or she woulda kicked your behind for being such a snob, right?"
"Thanks, Remus, I love you too."
They paused for a while, and then Elias gave Remus a tight hug. "I'm sorry for bitching at you. You don't need to hear about my problems, you've got enough of your own."
"Hey! Elias! Sirius, Peter, and I just got our tuxes!" James was very excited.
"Whoopee for you." Elias deadpanned.
"You better get your costume soon, Elias- they're selling like pumpkin pasties!" Sirius licked his lips at the sound of that.
"Good, then I'll have time to get mine."
James and Sirius fell silent. How could Elias dis pumpkin pasties? She loved them!
"If you'll excuse me." She walked towards the bathroom.
"Must be that time of month, you think?" Sirius joked.
"I doubt it," James started. "You don't see a purse, do you?"
"James, how would you know if it was or wasn't true?"