So, here's is the fabeled chapter 10! This chapter will be split into 2 parts, because the next one must be perfect!
10.5.1 stands for 1st half of chapter 10!
Thank you to all of you who have been reading and reviewing!
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Our Time is Running Out
Parchment 10.5.1: Let's Have A Ball!
Lixella stared up at the ceiling of the girls dorm. The green murky water fell across the glass with elegance. It bathed the whole room with a shimmering emerald green. The color reminded her of Christmas at the Duskwood estate, where everything was cloaked with green and red. Christmas was on her mind, mostly because she was upset that she had missed Halloween. Usually, at her house, they held a masquerade ball. It was Lixella's favorite holiday. She wanted to have one. She barely heard about parties in Hogwarts, unless they followed sporting events, or were held by teachers. Then, an idea crossed her mind, and she shot out of bed.
"I've got it!" she shouted, causing the room to stare at her.
"Got what? You 'aven't got anythin' " Jynx exclaimed.
"No…a masquerade ball…think about it!" she said, excitedly.
"A ball? 'ere? Do ya realize how much protection is on this school?"
"Darnit! I know everyone is freaking out because of all of these attacks….but dammit that is no reason to not hold a ball. That should be more of a reason!"
"No one is gonna' go for it! Just to warn ya"
"But, they want this reaction. If we keep running scared, they'll practically have control of us! This is what they want….a ball is perfect, and we could keep it completely secret!"
"Secret….it's a bit 'ard to keep a bunch of teenagers, in costume, dancing around' a secret! Don't ya think?"
"But, if we got teachers and staff to protect us….it wouldn't be so dangerous, would it?"
"Ya'd need someone awful smart to back you up! Someone Dumbledore trusts…"
"Harry Potter!" Lixella exclaimed, "Dumbledore trusts him more than any student. If we got him to back it up, we'd be set!"
"The whole school though? That's a lot o' students to protect!"
"Maybe just 6th years then? Just as a class thing?" she said, pacing, "And maybe the invites could be exclusive, like one person would give out the word."
"I still don't think it'll work…plus, 'arry doesn't even know you! And there's a disadvantage to meeting him.."
"what's that?" asked Lixella.
"You're a Slytherin, 'arry Potter is NOT trusting of Slytherins, very easily." Jynx stared at her sternly. Lixella realized defeat, she plopped down onto the bed. Of course, being sorted into this house made her an automatic enemy to Harry Potter, who had never met a good Slytherin. She sunk her face into her pillow. She needed help, from someone who was good at making plans.
"Hermione" she said, getting up, "Hermione Granger! She's Harry's friend. If she trusts me, he'd be a bit more open to it, right?"
"Hmm" Jynx raised her eyebrows in surprise, "well, that actually might work! I still think it'll be 'ard to ask Dumbledore, though."
"Yeah, but we'd have a chance at least!" she said, "First thing tomorrow, I'll ask Hermione."
The next day in ancient runes, Lixella shot the idea to Hermione. She did not look very approving of the idea.
"Lixella, it's a lovely idea" she said packing her books, "but, Harry is so busy with his lessons…and after all of these attacks… I mean just a few weeks ago, Ron almost got poisoned, and Kati Bell is still a subject in gossip. I just don't know if you could get it approved."
"But, think about it Hermione. The death eaters want us to be afraid of them, they want us to stop having fun. If we stop having these events, we'll be letting them win! Plus, the teachers have parties all the time, what about that party you're going to hosted by Slughorn? If he can throw a party, why not us?" she asked, wide eyed.
"Because Slughorn is a teacher….and it's in his office. Where would this even be at? You can't use the great hall if it's just for 6th years, especially if it's a secret. It would have to be close by, but not out in the open."
"what about that room…that you guys held Dumbledore's army in…the one that only shows up when you need it?"
"The room of requirement? That's ridiculous, it wouldn't open for everyone, Lixella."
"But…if we need it for a party, in secret, wouldn't it help us? Plus, you know where it is, and half of Gryffindor, and a few Ravenclaws, anyone who wanted to come would know!"
"Errmm" Hermione looked around, trying to find another excuse. She couldn't think of anything, Hogwarts was, in fact, a good place to hold a secret party. However, Hermione did not like the idea of holding a secret gathering of students, something could go wrong.
"C'mon, Hermione…at least introduce me to Harry! He could really help!"
"Fine...I will introduce you, and swing the idea past him" Hermione jabbed a finger in her direction, "But, you can't have too high of hopes, Lixella. You still have to get through Dumbledore!"
"Oh…my goodness! Thank you Hermione. You are such a good friend!" she exclaimed.
"Just meet us at dinner tonight, okay?"
"Yes, thank you!" Lixella said. She did not know what it would be like to meet Harry Potter, but she wanted to make a good first impression. After all, she was a Slytherin, and Harry wasn't fond of them. She spent quite a bit of time choosing what to wear. She wanted him to know that she wasn't a snaky Slytherin. She debated as to if she should wear her school robe. She decided not to, after all, it was just dinner. She put on just a simple black sweater with jeans. She arranged her hair for hours, but decided to leave it down. She stared at herself in the mirror.
"why do ya look so…not dressed up?" asked Jynx from the doorway.
"oh! Because I'm meeting Harry Potter. I don't want him thinking I'm a smug pure-blood Slytherin, ya know?"
"Ugh" Jynx huffed as she sat on her bed, "I hate the word Pure-blood, it's so negative."
"Yeah, I hate it too!"
"Ya look like a girl whose about to meet a boy she's in love wit'? all, fixin' ya hair, and matching ya clothes!"
"Oh god" Lixella stared at herself, "you're right! Oh no…" she stared at the mirror in shock.
"What?" asked Jynx.
"I'm turning into a Pansy" Lixella turned around with wide eyes. They both looked over to the other circle of beds. Pansy was checking her hair in a hand mirror. She was about tot go get dinner with Draco and his minions. They looked back at each other, and laughed.
"That was a good one!" Jynx snorted as she fell onto her bed.
"yeah, I'd never be that sad" Lixella arranged her sweater again, "well, see you in an hour or so". She sped out of the door. As she left the portrait hole, she darted by Draco.
"Hey, Cruxshade! Where are you runnin' to?" he called after her.
"To meet Harry Potter" she shouted back at him, "don't wait up!"
Draco's mouth dropped open, he stood there, dumbfounded. He turned back towards the portrait hole. He couldn't believe that she was so excited about meeting Potter. "Tch….Potter" he scoffed, as he entered the dorm, "who'd want to eat dinner with him? And I thought she was better than that". At that moment, Pansy came scuffling down the stairs. She nearly bounced over to Draco, and crashed into him, sending them both to the floor. "Why? Why does this keep happening?" he asked, aloud.
"What, Draco?" she asked with wide eyes. She smelled like overly flowery perfume. Draco could not stand the smell of roses, or any other flowery thing. He preferred for people to just smell clean, like water and soap. He pushed her off of him, sneezing from her scent.
"Where are Zabini and Goyle? Weren't they coming too?" he asked.
"Yeah…they'll meet us there!" Pansy said. He rolled his eyes. He did not understand why those two took so long. They left him with Pansy, who wasn't terrible, just annoying. He sighed, and headed out of the dorm, to dinner.
The great hall ceiling had been enchanted to depict snow falling. Behind the delicate white flakes, were the usual stars and a crescent moon. The candles on the ceiling floated in peaceful bliss. However, below them, bustling crowds of student sat eating dinner. Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with Ron, reading the latest issue of The Quibbler. He was particularly interested in an article about recent banshee sightings in America. Harry didn't even know banshee's existed.
"Do Banshee's exist?" he asked Ron, who was inhaling a pork chop.
"Dunno" he said, swallowing it whole, "Bill said he'd seen one before, when he was workin' with dragons in Romania. But, he's one of the few that's ever seen them. They're pretty dark species, ya know?"
"Yeah" Harry said as he continued reading, "I guess"
"Banshees, as they are referred to by the Irish, are not the common vision of death. In fact, it has been speculated that banshees are not spirits, but can become transparent when screeching. According to eye witnesses, they appear as living women. However, their skin is deathly pale, as they only appear at night, and their hair is white. It is speculated that these 'Banshees are no more than a cult or a species, that is matriarchal. They are usually spotted near famously dark forests, such as the ones in Romania, Transylvania, Ireland, England, Italy, and even in America. The earliest Americans to see banshees, are claimed to have learned dark arts from them. In the folklore of the Duskwood family (of Sleepy Hollow, NY) it is said that the family learned early forms of dark magic through Bansees. However, the Banshees disappeared soon after. But, sightings have increased in large numbers. In Ireland alone, the sighting of Banshees has increased by a considerable 10%."
Harry read with a strange intent, he usually did not believe the things in The Quibbler, but these Banshees seemed to know quite a bit about dark magic. He wondered, if they were real, if they would join Voldemort and the death eaters?
He peered over his paper at Malfoy, who was sitting across the room. He was sure that he had become a death eater, and was frustrated that no one would believe him. Harry stared at Malfoy, whose gaze was focused intently towards the door. He looked rather worked up about whatever he was staring at. Harry turned his head towards the direction of his gaze. Hermione had just entered the great hall with the girl from their potions class. She was a Slytherin, and Harry had heard a few interesting things about her from Hermione and Ron. He wondered why it was making Malfoy so upset to see her. Then again, she was with Hermione, and strangely headed towards their table.
"Hey Harry, this is Lixella Cruxshade." she gestured to the girl next to her. She was a bit shorter than Hermione, with black silky hair, and a curvy figure. Her face looked unsure, as if she was intimidated. She was probably nervous to meet "The chosen one", Harry sighed.
"Hi" she said, curtsying, "it's nice to finally meet you!"
"Why, because I'm the chosen one?" he scoffed. Lixella's eyes narrowed, he was just as bad as Draco.
"Harry!" Hermione snapped at him.
"No…it's okay" said Lixella, "I understand. Having people expect things of you, and want to meet you, just because of your name. Pretty ridiculous isn't it? And they have this terrible assumption about who you are, because of the name you have." Harry looked at her, slightly shocked that she had just said that. No one had told him that before.
"So, why would you understand that?" he asked, a bit more acceptingly. Lixella took this as an invite to talk to him, and sat down.
"My whole life has been 'oh, Lixella Cruxshade…like the Cruxshades, one of the oldest pure-blood families in existence. You must hate muggles, act properly, and be a death eater, right?' imagine that title!" she exclaimed to him. He'd never thought that someone from an ancient upstanding pure-blood family, would scoff at the idea of hating muggles.
"Yeah, bet it's annoying" he inquired.
"and don't even get me started on being a Slytherin! That doesn't help the reputation to my last name at all!" she laughed. Harry was surprised that she was a Slytherin, he hadn't met one yet that he liked, she may be the first. He peered over at Malfoy.
"So, if I asked you about Draco Malfoy?" he asked
"Oh…I've known him since I was little. Or what I can remember of then…" she exclaimed.
"If I told you I thought he was a death eater" Hermione buried her face in her hands at the mention of this theory. Ron was inhaling his plate, at this point, but took a large gulp as Harry said this.
"Honestly? He's kind of a prick, and pretty slow to pick things up. But, his dad was one, and I figure it's possible…..I don't want to think it is." Lixella's eyes darted to the right, she wouldn't turn her head to look at the Slytherin table.
"Harry, he's only 16!" Hermione exclaimed.
"that means nothing.." said Lixella, "Voldemort, would use anyone. Especially someone who wanted revenge, and Draco's pretty upset about his dad. He may seem incompetent, but when he wants to prove himself, he'll stop at nothing. It's a big trait among Slytherins that we stop at nothing to prove our worth, if the person really matters."
Harry smirked, he liked this new girl. She was the first person to get what he was talking about this whole semester. Then again, she was the first Slytherin that he had suggested the idea to.
"You talk like you know from experience?" Harry asked, receiving another vicious glance from Hermione.
"I don't….but I hear stories from past death eaters sometimes." they all stared at her in shock, "I am pure-blood after all. I meet a lot of these people, regularly. Voldemort wants power, and it sounds like he'd stop at nothing to get it."
Harry looked at her with approval. She seemed to know what she was talking about. He felt a tad relieved, knowing that there was at least one good Slytherin. They kept on talking, about school and life. Lixella seemed like she was trapped in a world she didn't want to be in. Harry finally met someone that understood the burdens of being born into an expectation.
Several minutes passed before Hermione decided to bring up the subject of the masquerade. They both explained the plan to Harry. Lixella argued for it, Hermione argued against it. Lixella seemed to have a point about not giving into fear. However, Hermione brought up the strict protection on Hogwarts, and everyone's paranoia.
"Yeah, but Slughorn is having a party. If he's allowed to, why not us?" Lixella exclaimed, for the third time. She had a point, parties weren't banned, but they would have to be secretive. Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore would approve though. Actually, Dumbledore seemed to like parties. Perhaps he would like this idea. It wasn't too much, just a party for the 6th years, in a secret location. The room of requirement would present itself if they needed it. Then, everything would be provided for them.
"Okay…" Harry exclaimed out of the blue. Hermione stared at him with shock. "What? It's a good argument. We shouldn't give into fearing everything. Plus, she's got it all planned out, might as well run it by Dumbledore. It's not like anything terrible would come about from asking him, at least."
"Oh, my goodness….you are wonderful!" Lixella shot forward, and hugged him. Harry noticed Draco sitting across the room, glaring at him. He glared back, out of habit, completely oblivious as to why he was doing it. "Thank you so much." she said, releasing him, "This will be a wonderful party!" They all sat and planned out how to ask Dumbledore.
Eventually, dinner ended, and they all headed out of the great hall. Lixella waved good-bye to all of them, and headed off. She was going towards the astronomy tower, because she'd left her Divination book in the class room. It was getting late, and she didn't want to run into Filtch. She figured that if worse came to worse, she could get Professor Trelawny to explain it all. She was headed down a hallway, thinking about the party, when she noticed a door. It was slowly shrinking, but had halted as she stared at it. It then slowly grew bigger.
Lixella stood in shock as she watched the door grow. She blinked a few times, and rubbed her eyes. "Was this the room of requirement?" she thought. She had to take a look inside. She opened the door, and nearly dropped her things. Inside, was a massive never ending room, full of random things. There were dressers, socks, lamps, decorations, and even a few door knobs. She walked through the room, dazzling in awe at the items that it contained. Suddenly, a noise, like a moving sheet, entered her ears. She stopped in her tracks, there couldn't be anyone in there with her, could there?
She turned a few corners, and stopped behind a pile of chairs. A few feet in front of her, stood Draco Malfoy. He was staring at a cabinet, that Lixella had seen before. It was tall and angled, painted black with silver iron accents. The Cruxshade crest acted as the hinges to two doors. She gasped, "This is what he and Uncle were looking at in Bourgin and Burke!" she thought. Draco's head darted around, to her direction. He saw nothing, she had slid under the pile of chairs. She crawled forward underneath a table, covered by a sheet. She then looked through the crack between the sheet and the table leg.
Draco stared at the cabinet with almost a forcefulness. He took an apple out of his pocket, and placed it into the cabinet. After a few seconds of standing with his eyes closed, there was a whispering sound. He opened the doors again, the apple had vanished. Lixella was mesmerized, the vanishing cabinet actually worked? It had been broken for years, which was why her father kept it. He had been trying to repair it since he received it in the will. There was another whisper, and Draco opened the doors again. He leaned down and picked up the apple. A chunk had been removed from it. He did this several times, and each time a chunk was removed. He stared at it, upsettingly. Then, tossed the apple onto the floor. It rolled towards Lixella.
She wanted desperately to know what he was doing. Also, to know why the other vanishing cabinet was at Hogwarts, not her house. Draco headed away from the cabinet, and towards the exit. Lixella crawled out from under the table, once he was out of sight. She had watched her dad work with this cabinet. It was a complicated piece of magic. She remembered her father muttering an incantation. She wanted to try it, herself. She fumbled around for something to place in it. Then with a 'pop', another apple appeared on the table she was hiding under. She took it and placed it in the cabinet, she waited, nothing happened. She tried to remember the incantation. It was non-verbal, so she stood with her eyes closed in concentration.
"Mitto" she thought. There was a whisper. Lixella opened the door, the apple had vanished. Now, the trick was that the incantation for return was the same, most people assumed it was, accipio, or 'I receive'. Lixella thought the incantation, mitto, again. She opened the doors to find the apple, completely solid. She headed back to the dorm, confused by what she had just seen. She was afraid to ask Draco what he was doing with a vanishing cabinet in Hogwarts. Plus, she couldn't shake Harry Potter's suspicion that he was a death eater. The reasons he presented to her, were shocking, and made it all to possible. Lixella lay in her bed that night, fearful that one of her good friends, was working for Voldemort. She knew Draco could do better than that. But his thirst to prove himself, was far too great. It sent a chill up her spine, she was scared for him. He did not realize what he was getting himself into.
She awoke the next morning to find tears on her pillow. She had a terrible dream about Draco killing someone. She spent the whole dream tugging at his arm, trying to make him stop. But, he wouldn't. She stared at the ceiling ominously. It was hard to shake off the dream, it was too vivid. Nonetheless, she had to, because today she was going to see Dumbledore.
She entered the great hall for breakfast. It was Saturday, so no one actually had classes. She had agreed to meet Harry and Hermione here before talking to Dumbledore. The two of them came walking up to her. She wasn't sure if she should tell them what happened last night in the room of requirement. After all, Draco's family had suffered a lot, and Lixella didn't want to be the reason for causing more. Instead, she changed the subject to the party.
After a few minutes of walking they reached the large stone stairs to Dumbledore's office. They each took a spot on the staircase.
"Acid pops" Harry said, and they ascended upwards. When they reached the top, Harry knocked on the door. "It's Harry, sir. Also Hermione, and Lixella Cruxshade. We have something we need to ask you."
The door clicked open, and the three of them proceeded inside. Lixella stood speechless at the marvel of Dumbledore's office. It had cases full of strange objects, bookshelves lining the walls, and a phoenix sitting on the desk. Dumbledore looked up at the three of them and smiled. Lixella couldn't help but noticed his blackened hand. He waved his sleeve over it, as if wanting to hide the subject.
"This isn't the normal three." stated Dumbledore.
"Sorry, this is Lixella Cruxshade." Harry said, pointing to Lixella.
"I know, it's nice that we can finally meet in person, Ms. Cruxshade. I hope you're enjoying your year here, so far. Transferring schools can be hard for a witch, especially at your age, when you're so used to one place." he said with a soft smile.
"Thank you, sir. This school is much more than I expected it to be. I'm glad to be here" she said.
"But, you didn't come to hear me talk about the school, I'm sure. So, what does bring you three here?"
The three of them explained the idea of a masquerade to Dumbledore. They stated their arguments. It would be for their year only, well protected, and held in the room of requirement. Lixella was happy to report that she had found the room the other day when looking for a place to hold the party. Upon stating this, she received confused looks from Harry and Hermione. Dumbledore listened with preserve, asking a few questions every now and then.
"Well, I don't see why a masquerade would be a bad idea. After all, what is a school without a few social events. It would have to be well protected though. I'll have some professors there to be sure it all runs smoothly. Just realize, if something does happen, it will come back on the school. If it does, then more children will be taken home. So, we must keep this as hushed as possible." said Dumbledore.
Lixella nearly jumped from her seat, she was very happy. The three of them said good bye and exited the office. They each headed for their dorms, chatting about what the party should look like. Lixella and Hermione were most anxious to find something to wear. It would be complicated keeping it in hushed tones, if all the girls were buying dresses. However, Lixella was more excited that she would be going to a masquerade this year, after all. Her parents would be proud.
chapter 10 is starting off pretty well! Now Lixella just has to find an outfit, and possibly a date?Maybe, someone to dance with?
Oh, but that isn't all that the ball holds for her. A run in with someone very important as well...who is it? keep reading,
I'll post the next part tomorrow ^_^
Until then...thanks for reading!
