Chapter 6

Ari ran from class to class in hopes of escaping her thoughts with preoccupation. One more week till Slughorn's Party, she thought and it comforted her. The week passed quickly until one night she found herself dressing for the party. She was having dandy brush her long hair when Luna looked up from her backdated copy of the quibbler. "you'll have fun at the Party, though I'm not entirely sure why I think that." Luna said and looked over Ari with her wide blue eyes. Ari just smiled at her odd roommate and continued dressing.

She dabbed some glitter on the three stars branded into her collarbone. One for each sibling killed. They weren't sore anymore but getting them had been exceedingly painful. They had been branded in with a hot iron in knock turn alley. Noticing the time she jumped up from her vanity and bid Luna goodbye. Dandy tucked her iron wood wand into her bag and hurried her mistress out the door.

The common room was buzzing with excitement. Cho chang was captain of the quidditch team this year and was determined to have the best team possible. Ari fiddled with the idea od trying out and finally signed her name on the call sheet. A few girls looked at her signature with surprise, in the month they had known her she had always kept to herself and seldom spoke to the other Ravenclaw's.

"what place are you trying out for?" Cho asked suspiciously, she had seen the girl catch a fly right out of flight.

"you're the captain," Ari said and continued out of the room. Cho grumbled something about no attitude problems on her team this year and watch the port close.

Ari raised her cape hood and moved quickly thought the halls. Her India slippers were silent and she trotted gracefully down the corridor. Only a few minutes later she was brushing herself off and straightening her skirt at the office door. She raised her hand to knock but the door sprang open and she entered the bustling room. Slughorn Pounded through the group of students and threw his arm around Ari's slim shoulders. She handed him a box of refilling crystallized pineapple slices.

"dear Miss Flobbergill, you never disappoint me. You do have your mother's knack for knowing who to charm." She bellowed cheerfully and Ari blushed at the thought of being like her mother. In truth she seemed nothing like anyone in her family. She had always been the family black sheep.. she smiled and took his arm. The large man led her to a comfy chair where he lifted her cape off her shoulders. In this single moment every male head in the room turned and was caught in awe.

Her black silk camisole glided over her curves like water. It was made for her by the weaving spiders of Crete and danced in their imaginations. The long red skirt sparkled slightly and matched the burning highlights of her hair. It hung to the floor in silk waves and the slit up the side to show off her slender legs. She was surrounded in seconds by young men wishing her well in school. Slughorn laughed and shooed the boys back to their seats. He lowered his enormous body into the throne like chair next to Ari.

She sat with the carriage of a princess through the meeting. She was not used to the attention she was receiving. Luci had always been the beautiful one. She had resembled the enchanting vela in beauty and charm. Boys and young men had flocked to her at her parents parties. Ari had always danced with her parents older friends and investors while her sister had been swept around by their handsome sons and employees. But now she was being watched intently by the boys of this slug club. Blaise Zambini looked her longingly and set aside some time in his head to brew some love potions.

"Now, before you go. Hogwarts has decided to hold a masquerade ball this Halloween. To boost the low moral of you students. " Slughorn sat up proudly and rested his hands of his large stomach. Ari grinned at the old man, he had become like an uncle to her. "I know the Slug Club will be the toast of the ball." She stretched her legs out a bit and Blaise decided she would be his date for the ball no matter who else had their eye on her. Many of the boys shared his intense stare in her direction and Ari reminded herself to test her pumpkin juice for the next month.

When the meeting was over Slughorn used the in castle floo network to whisk the students back to their rooms. Luna was stretched out across the top of her armor at least 10 feet off the ground when Ari popped into the room. "Luna, what in merlin's name are you doing up there?" Ari asked and Luna looked up from her book.

"well," Luna started and rolled onto her back " I read different spells work at different altitudes so I wanted to see how sensitive they are. So I've done this same spell from the floor, chair and up here but I haven't seen any difference" Luna sighed deeply "I bet the ministry makes them say that."

Ari burst out laughing, "Luna, different altitudes means a few thousand feet, not 10 feet." Luna looked stunned for a moment and then giggled on her own. She rolled off the armor and landed with a thump on the ground below.

A little mouse ran out and looked up at Luna. "oh no, I'm fine. You can go home." Luna said to the mouse who promptly went back in his hole.

"you talk to mice?" Ari raised an eyebrow.

"No, I talk to all animals. Only some of them listen and fewer respond." Luna smiled and got off the floor. "goodnight." Luna said and crawled into bed.