Harmony walked down the staircase of the girls' dormitories, still pulling her jumper down, while her mind wandered far away from her surroundings. She and found out the night before that Sirius' only brother, Regulus, had officially become a Death Eater - Dark Mark and all that bravado. Tears were shed, and Harmony was still recovering emotionally from seeing the tortured look of astonishment and betrayal swimming in the eyes of the most important half of her constellation.
The sudden noise and movement of the full common room hit her like a brick wall, and she quickly scurried off to Sirius' dorm. She'd quietly snuck out an hour before to shower and change, Sirius still dead to the world underneath the scarlet covers.
It didn't help matters that the ball was that night, and Harmony didn't even know how to approach the subject. She highly doubted they'd be going anymore, under the recent circumstances. The less people and noise Sirius encountered; the slimmer the chance of him seeing Regulus again. Harmony was terrified at how he might react, should he run into his brother.
And, what the fuck was she supposed to do? She now had solid proof that there was a Death Eater living under the same roof as the rest of the student body. Was she supposed to say something to Dumbledore? To Regulus? Or was she supposed to leave it all alone until he killed someone?
Harmony internally slapped herself for thinking that way, and was thankful for the arrival to the boys' dorm to distract her from her thoughts. When she tentatively pushed open the wooden door, she was greeted with the sight of Sirius sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands. He didn't look up when she entered.
"Hi…" she started, trying to get a glimpse of his face, but trying not to, either. "I'm sorry. I wanted to be there when you woke up…"
"It's fine." he muttered.
"It's really not," Harmony corrected, and they both knew that they weren't talking about Harmony's arrival anymore.
Sirius looked up at her, just barely tilting his head. Harmony automatically noticed the shadow of purple started to form on Sirius' cheekbone. She reached out and gently turned his head to the side, letting her fingers slide along it gently. "Want me to heal it?"
"Not really," Sirius replied.
"Alright." Harmony pulled away from him, and stalked over to the set of drawers next to the desk. She pulled out a random pair of boxers, not even sure if they were his, and a pair of jeans. "Go, shower. I know how you're feeling, and I know that being by yourself for a little while helps. I'll be right here," she patted the bed. "when you get out. Go on."
He smiled sadly, but gratefully. Harmony tossed him the bundle of clothing which he caught easily, then watched his bare back as he slowly sauntered off into the washroom.
A half hour later just as Harmony was about to doze off, the bathroom door opened and Sirius came striding out, his eyes a little red. The difference was, though, he looked determined and much more alert than he did before. Harmony watched as he lifted the towel to his wet, shaggy hair and started drying it, slowly.
"How're you now?" Harmony asked.
"Better," he replied. "Thank you."
She smiled. "Fancy breakfast or…?"
"Sure." he smiled and Harmony shot him one back. After Sirius finished dressing himself, they made their way down to the Great Hall.
It was mostly empty when they got there, but food was still spread out along the massive tables because it was a Saturday and the first two meals of the day were always pushed back an hour. They slid in the end of a bench, Harmony then Sirius.
"I can't wait to see you tonight, in your dress." Sirius commented, after swallowing a mouthful of toast.
"Sirius," Harmony said, her cheeks a little pink from the compliment. "we don't have to go. You're not obligated to because of me. Seriously."
He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Of course we're going. I need a distraction anyway." Sirius took a gulp from his goblet.
"Are you sure?" Harmony asked, not wanting him to go if he was feeling badly still. She grabbed the jam and put more on her toast, realizing how hungry she was.
"No, really. I want to go." he reassured her, smiling slightly.
Harmony pecked him on the cheek, then pulled back and started to fix him a tea. While she was waiting for the teabag to make the tea stronger, like Sirius prefers, she scanned the hall. Regulus wasn't in it, thankfully. She had no idea what she was going to do if they saw him at the ball tonight.
"Thanks, love." Sirius smiled gratefully as Harmony passed him the tea.
"So, did you get dress robes?" Harmony asked.
"Yeah, but I think I'm going to ditch the robe part."
Harmony cocked an eyebrow. "So, you'll be wearing just a white button down, then?"
Sirius laughed as he put his tea back down. "I will." he cast a sidelong glance at her.
Before Harmony could say anything back, James plopped down on the opposite bench. "Hey mate," he said cautiously to Sirius. "How're you doing?"
"Swell." Sirius replied.
"Don't be sassy." Harmony scolded. "He's going to be okay." Harmony told James.
"So Harmony," James cleared his throat, while hastily changing the subject. "I, uh, I asked Lily last night-"
Harmony slapped her hand over her mouth in complete disbelief that she forgot about James asking Lily to accompany him to the ball. "What did she say?" Harmony asked, too eagerly. She didn't want him to know that Sirius and herself were spying on the two when James asked her.
"She said yes!" James burst excitedly. Sirius even smiled.
"Congrats, mate." he said quietly.
James looked touched. "Thanks. But now I just have to make sure I don't ruin it."
"Don't try to kiss her." Harmony advised, taking a bite of her toast.
"Okay." James looked determined.
"Don't make any inappropriate comments, and remember not to talk about the physical appearances of other girls. She's not a mate, she's a girl."
James took a deep breath and nodded.
"Call her beautiful, and not hot or cute or pretty. But don't excessively compliment her, okay?" Harmony said.
"Yes, ma'am."
Harmony looked in James' large hazel eyes framed behind his glasses then pretended to tear up. "I'm so proud of you!" she said, purposely making her voice waver.
James laughed. "Thanks, Harmony. I owe you."
He got up and started to walk away, but before he was out of earshot Harmony pulled her coffee mug away from her face, the arm holding the hot mug swaying dangerously, and called like a drunk, "A hot coffee will do!"
He laughed again, and she watched as he exited the hall before turning to Sirius, who was peeling an orange. "What do you want to do today?"
Sirius thought for a moment, his eyes still on the unraveling orange in his hands. "You're going to laugh if I tell you."
Harmony raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"
"Because it's pathetic."
"What you want to do today is pathetic?"
"A little, yeah." Sirius said, his cheeks slightly pink as he put the entire tangerine into his mouth.
"Just tell me." Harmony said, ruffling his messy dark hair. She watched as the sides of his lips twitched upwards.
"I just sort of want to…lay down, with you…and like talk and, nap or something. Just spend time together. Alone." Sirius said, his voice a little uncomfortable, but sincere nonetheless.
Harmony looked at him, her mouth slightly open. "That is the sweetest sentence that's ever come out of your pretty mouth." He smiled, his cheeks blushing. "Let's go." Harmony said, and she pulled him up with her. They started walking out of the hall. "I know a good place we can hide out for today."
Sirius shot her a smile and followed. She led them outside in the warm May air. Every couple of seconds the vast lawns would turn bright green as a result of the rare moments the sun peeked out from the dark sky. Harmony tugged Sirius along as she walked over to a big tree, casting a secluded shadow around it.
Harmony easily summoned some blankets and laid them out on the soft grass as Sirius gazed at her. "Good?" she asked him, and he nodded, his lips parted.
They stayed there, hands intwined, for most of the day. Laughing and talking about themselves, memories, their families, friends, favourite books, music, places, foods; their souls and memories started pouring out, but for every ounce that one lost, the other would replace.
It was so nice, knowing that she had someone she could share literally everything with. When they got on the subject of Regulus, Sirius hid his face in Harmony's neck and whispered about feelings and memories and that deep hidden spot in his heart that wanted nothing else but for Regulus to be safe. Harmony tried her best not to cry; all she wanted to do was wrap herself around him and protect him from the harsh world threatening to overtake his currently fragile state of mind.
"I've never felt so close to someone." Sirius told her, as his eyes closed. She felt the brush of his eyelashes on her neck. The clouds in the sky were clearing as the sun sunk lower and Harmony knew that she would be able to see the stars tonight from the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling. Dancing under the stars. That thought alone made her smile.
She just held Sirius tighter, loving that she could comfort him as much as he did her.
"Oi!" an intruding voice yelled from the distance.
Harmony closed her eyes, dreading breaking out of this moment. She could stay here forever and ever, with nothing but Sirius and the infinite skies above to keep her company.
James appeared in her line of sight, and seemed to be out of breath from running. "Do you know what time it is?"
Harmony sat up, and Sirius followed, rubbing his eyes, then stretching. "What time?"
"Almost four." James said. "Liven's about to shit, Harmony, she's screeching about not having enough time to get ready."
"We still have two hours," Harmony groaned. "I can get ready in nine minutes, sometimes."
"'But it's the bloody ball and if you want to look pretty then you better get your arse back to the dorm!'" James' voice went high in an imitation of Liven.
"She already does look pretty," Sirius defended, wrapping his arms around Harmony again and her heart melted a little.
James rolled his eyes. "Let's go, you lovebirds."
"Nooo!" Sirius whined, laying back down and closing his grey eyes again.
"Sirius, love," Harmony said sweetly, while leaning down over him. "I have to go get hot."
One eye opened mischievously. "But you're already-" he started, before James cut him off.
"Guys!" James stomped his foot childishly. "Liven threatened to de-ball me!"
Harmony started laughing, her head thrown back. "Fine, but I'm only doing this for Lily's sake." James turned pink in the face.
Harmony slowly got up to her feet, aware of her crazy hair. She started yanking the blanket out from under Sirius while he laughed heartily. It made Harmony warm inside that she could still make him laugh after what he found out the night before. Eventually, the blanket slipped out from under Sirius' body and he flopped on the grass, his white teeth exposed as he chuckled. The sudden lack of pulling on the other end of the blanket made Harmony tumble to the ground, too.
"You guys are something else." James said, despite the smile on his face.
"Come on." Sirius grabbed ahold of Harmony's hand and used it to pull himself up.
She passed the blanket to James, assuming he could catch it, so she could hold Sirius' hand properly.
They treaded back to Gryffindor tower in a comfortable silence. "So, I'll see you in an hour or two?" Harmony asked Sirius once they were at the bottom of the girls' staircase.
He bit his lip and smiled. "Yeah." Harmony tuned to go but Sirius pulled her back, their faces now two inches apart. "Thank you, Harms. I really mean it."
She smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the lips. "Of course."
They finally parted and Harmony tried to prepare herself for the wrath of Liven as she went up the stairs, her mind still clouded with Sirius and everything about him.
"Ow!" Harmony said, loudly. "What the fuck, Liven!"
It had been about an hour and a half since Harmony got back from her little excerpt with Sirius, and the moment her trainer-clad feet touched the ground in the dorm Liven was upon her in a wave of perfume and half-curled hair. "We're going to be late to the bloody thing if you don't hurry the fuck up!" She was hysterical and Harmony quickly knew that if she tried to go against Liven, there would be no mercy spared.
"What?" the present Liven said, her dark hair now curled to perfection and her lips forming a bright red 'O' as she realized that the makeup brush meant to be on the lid of Harmony's eye was actually in it instead. "Oh! Sorry."
Harmony sighed. "Can we, like, stop?"
"No!" Liven said, while Lily and Becca loudly discussed the handbag that Lily was contemplating carrying. "Look, I'm almost done. You just have to get your dress on, now."
Harmony stood up and peeked at herself in the washroom mirror. Her hair was half pulled back in a loose clip, and the rest flowed in tame wave/curls down her shoulders and back. Her cheekbones were more prominent from the hair pulled away from her face and her eyes were large and dark from the thin line of eyeliner rimming them. She didn't usually wear this much makeup, but it was nice for a change. She always looked older and classier when she wore eyeliner.
Liven had already slipped in her sexy navy blue dress, and with every turn of her body the bottom shimmered seductively. "You look stunning, Liv." Harmony complimented.
"Do I?" Liven asked looking down at herself. "I wasn't sure about this dress, I feel kind of skanky…"
"No," Harmony told her honestly. "You pull it off brilliantly. Seriously, only you can make that dress look sexy but classy at the same time."
Liven smiled. "Thank you."
Together they took Harmony's dress off the hanger and slipped it over Harmony's head, being extremely careful not to ruin her hair. "Uh, Liv," Harmony asked. "Am I supped to wear a bra or…?"
"No, don't." Liven said, like wearing a bra wasn't a big deal. "It'll show in the open back if you do."
Against Harmony's comfort, she unclasped it and threw it on her bed, adjusting the black fabric around her bust so it fit more comfortably. "This feels too weird." she complained.
"Oh, you'll get used to it. Just make sure you don't spill out."
"Good thing I've got nothing to spill!" Harmony snorted.
"It looks like you do in that dress." Liven wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Harmony rolled her eyes but turned pink all the same, trying to gauge Sirius' reaction.
"I might regret this choice." she said, lifting her skirt to walk over to the mirror so she could experience the full effect of her makeover.
As soon as Harmony glimpsed her reflection, though, she didn't regret it very much. Her eyes were drawn to the low sweetheart neckline, where it showed just enough of her (previously almost non-existent) cleavage to make her not look too exposed. Harmony's eyes followed the thick, tank top like straps where they rested right on the ball of her shoulder and continued behind. She turned and looked at back of her dress, admiring the swooping open back that stopped half-way down her spine. Her skin felt pale in comparison to the black material, but she didn't mind much.
Liven's face was torn between a wide grin and a gape while she looked at Harmony. "You. Look. Amazing."
Harmony smiled. "I actually love it. A lot. I feel kind of pretty." she laughed.
"You are pretty!" Lily said, smiling widely. "You look so good!"
"Thank you." Harmony smiled. "And I absolutely love your dress. James' jaw is going to hit the floor." Lily grinned bashfully down at her gorgeous green dress that hugged her in all the right places. "You look like an adorable little elf-princess." Harmony added, out of the blue. Lily laughed.
"Guys!" Alice called. "Let's go!"
"Wear them." Liven suddenly turned to Harmony, pointing at the nude-coloured heels resting innocently on the ground beside her bed.
Harmony made a face. "Must I really-"
"Yes. Put them on."
"Fine," she grumbled, slipping on the pretty little causers of death. Harmony resisted the urge to swear under her breath. Harmony and heels - though a fantastic alliteration, they were not compatible.
The girls started to file out of the wooden doorway and cautiously down the stairs to the common room where Harmony presumed the boys were waiting. She waited until Liven had left the room before quickly slipping off her heels and replacing them with her favourite pair of plain, black converse. She hadn't even taken one step down the stairs when Liven screeched from the bottom, "You put those fucking heels back on, Harmony Sea!"
"Fine!" Harmony yelled back, huffing loudly. She could hear Sirius' laughter ring out. After putting the dreaded heels back on, Harmony started down the staircase nervously. She still wasn't one hundred and ten percent confident in the daring dress, and she really didn't want everyone to look at her when she arrived at the bottom.
Putting her head down, Harmony watched her feet rather than the way ahead of her so she could hide her already inflamed cheeks and make sure that the heels didn't evoke her immediate death-slash-humiliation. As she finally reached the bottom of the staircase, Harmony looked right up into the face of Sirius.
His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. He didn't even try to hide his wandering eyes, and it only made Harmony turn even more red. His silver eyes met her's again and he just sort of gaped at her like a fish while half smiling. If that was possible. "You look-"
"Guys!" James called to the large group "Let's go!" he looked at Harmony for the first time. "You look really nice, Sea."
"You're not bad yourself, Potter." she smiled and followed as everyone climbed through the portrait hole.
"Sirius?" she called, realizing that he was behind her. She spun around and watched as he bit his lip and dragged his eyes back up to her face. His cheeks were really pink and so was his neck. Harmony swore the temperature rose a whole ten degrees when their eyes met.
"Enjoying the view?" she joked, her eyebrows raised. Harmony was trying really hard not to show how nervous she really was at Sirius' reaction. She'd never really been admired quite like this before.
He blushed even more. "Maybe." she took in the way his white dress shirt fit him perfectly, showing off his lean upper body but also covering it up at the same time. He had his sleeves rolled up just the way she loved it and his black tie hung around his neck. "You look stunning, Harmony." his eyes were swirling with an emotion she couldn't recognize.
"Thank you." she smiled and tried not to kiss him. Instead she sauntered over and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I really, really like that shirt."
She felt him grin. "I know you do." his fingers tickled her bare back as they loosely held each other.
"Hey!" Peter called through the portrait hole, his slicked light brown hair falling slightly out of place already. "We're all waiting!"
Harmony stared into Sirius' stormy eyes for another moment, before Sirius pulled back but kept his arm around Harmony's waist as they went to rejoin the group.
She kept sneaking glances at Sirius as they walked, only to see him turn quickly away when she looked, a teasing smile on his lips as he was caught staring at her. "Ugh," Liven drawled from behind the pair. "It's like we're back in January again. Quit doing that look-then-look-away thing."
"Shut it, Liven." Harmony said, Sirius' hand sliding down the back hem of her dress, his fingers barely grazing the skin there. As they walked, the group passed many other students running around in the hallways, all dulled up in expensive dresses or robes for the ball as they called after their friends or hurried back to their dorms to finish last-minute touch-ups. Harmony tried her best not to get angry at the girls who did double takes when passing by Sirius.
After a girl in a purple dress stopped completely in the corridor to gape at Sirius, Harmony couldn't help herself. "FUCKING DIBS!" she yelled, and the girl turned scarlet and continued walking faster than before.
Harmony's outburst was partly caused by the combination of that particular girl being one of Tianna's friends and also because her boob was almost completely out of her dress.
Sirius and James started laughing loudly and Harmony bit her lip in embarrassment. "Sorry," she said, and Sirius just pecked her on the cheek while still laughing. His minty breath tickled her hair as he continued to chuckle for a couple more moments.
"Hey guys?" Becca interrupted from her place beside Remus. "Want to get a photo?" she gestured towards a closed off area outside of the entrance hall that was clearly set up for group photos. A black backdrop was being held up my magic and a jittery, scrawny man was hopping around and snapping photos of students as they posed awkwardly together.
"Yeah!" Harmony said enthusiastically. She absolutely loved the idea of preserving memories in pictures, and that's why she had a camera. Maybe it was a muggle thing. She didn't really care. She just wanted a photo.
They waited behind a couple of Slytherins, and Harmony watched as the girl straightened her back to its fullest raptor-like height and started hissing instructions on how to look happy in this picture to the poor boy who was with her. He looked like he regretted even waking up this morning, poor bloke. This was revolutionary, as Harmony never sympathized with Slytherins. As the giggly pair of girls grabbed their pictures, the Slytherin girl dragged her date in front of the lens and the camera flashed, causing the boy to involuntarily grimace. Oh, he was going to be so dead when she saw the picture. All caught up in the little drama, Harmony didn't notice as Sirius poked her. "Harmony."
"Yeah, hi! Sorry." she turned to him and smiled brightly.
"You look really amazing tonight." he said, slipping his arms around her again. "Really."
She blushed and looked at him. "And so do you. You look all dashing in your dress clothes."
He laughed and just as Harmony was about to kiss him, they were being pushed onto the floor in front of the jumpy camera man. He did a little jiggle with his legs and squeaked, "Two sickles a picture!"
Before anyone could react, Lily put her hand down the front of her dress and brought out four silver sickles. James swallowed, and his cheeks went red. She tossed them in the man's direction and he caught them easily with a greedy smile on his face. He really was ripping everyone off. No picture was worth 2 sickles.
Well, maybe.
"One nice one, you lot." Liven ordered, and Harmony turned to Sirius and tightened his tie a little bit more.
"Perfect." she said, and he smiled back, slipping an arm around her back. His warm palm rested against her skin and she tried not to succumb to the tingles his touch was leaving.
She turned, still smiling widely, at the camera, and a blinding flash went off. Harmony blinked back her vision for a few seconds, still recovering from the sudden picture. Thank goodness she was smiling, at least.
"Okay, now we can do a silly one, I reckon." Liven said, and Remus' elbow bumped into Harmony as he reached around to give Becca bunny ears. Sirius smiled ridiculously wide and Harmony turned, holding back laughter, and gave him a kiss on the cheek as the camera went off again.
The large group cleared out of the area so the line could move along. They got their picture from the man and everyone shoved and fought over who got to see them first. Sirius, being the tallest next to James, easily reached in and swooped both photos out of Liven's hands. Harmony leaned in to get a good look at the photo, and was pleased to see how well they turned out. She pointed out to Sirius how in the 'silly' picture, Lily was laughing heartily while James was paying no attention to the camera whatsoever, choosing (or maybe not really doing it on purpose) to stare at Lily with the sweetest smile on his face.
"That's so cute I could puke." Harmony cooed, and pretty soon the pictures were out of Sirius' fingers and into James'. Harmony watched as Lily caught sight of the pictures and blushed so darkly she looked like a Christmas advertisement.
"I'm hungry. So damn much." Sirius whined, rubbing his stomach.
"I know. We didn't eat all day. One piece of toast and a coffee doesn't cut it for me." Harmony said, as she registered the mouth watering smell of a feast drifting throughout the now crowded entrance hall. "We should go in."
Harmony gasped as she saw the inside of the hall. Everything was decorated with either the colours gold or black, giving the entire scene a mysterious, seductive feeling. The walls were draped with the most exotic looking gold material, and it made Harmony want to go and curl up in it whilst wearing red lipstick or something. Instead of the usual long tables and benches, there were hundreds of tables set up and fully set with gold goblets and plates. The floor was changed magically black and even the white candles that usually floated above the tables were now a dangerous but luxurious looking black. Harmony absolutely loved it. She kept looking around the vast room, which was filling up with students as the minutes passed by until seven.
"Looks like you dressed accordingly," Sirius laughed, talking about the black colour.
Harmony smiled and shook her head. "Let's go find a table."
Finally after searching for the better part of ten minutes, the group managed to find a table large enough to fit everyone, even the shy Hufflepuff who came as Peter's date. They only had to steal one place setting and chair from the table next to them. Not that they would notice anyway.
Harmony chatted and laughed with Sirius until the last stragglers stumbled in from outside the hall. Everyone was seated and immediately the hum of hundreds of conversations stopped as Dumbledore stepped up to the large podium, wearing a magnificent set of black, flowing robes with twinkling gold stars decorated on the material.
"Good evening!" he boomed, with the warmest smile Harmony'd seen. He gave off the vibe that he'd rather be doing nothing else then sit and talk with you. "You all look positively lovely tonight! As a special exception to the normal rules at Hogwarts, I've decided to host a ball in honour of the current circumstances. The best way to come into fast happiness is distraction, in my opinion. Make some memories! Tonight it a night to eat, drink pumpkin juice, and be merry! But not too merry, Mr. Lowe," everyone searched the hall for the sixth year Hufflepuff known as Charles Lowe. He was hastily stashing the flask of firewhiskey he had just tried to put in his drink deep within the pockets of his robes. A ripple of laughter drifted through the crowd.
"Now, I wish you all a good time and I hope to see nothing other than the glow of smiling faces while leaving tonight!
"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore raised his hands and suddenly food started to fill up the previously empty dishes on the tables.
The conversations started up again and Harmony didn't hesitate in putting food on her plate - the house elves had really outdone themselves for this occasion. Sirius wrinkled his nose as she dropped a couple pieces of broccoli onto her dish. "What?" she laughed.
"Ew." he told her.
"You should try one." she suggested, holding a piece out in front of his contorted face.
"No way." he shoved a forkful of steak into his mouth.
"You should eat more vegetables." she put the broccoli down and picked up her goblet to take a drink.
"You should eat more meat." he countered, gesturing to her plate which consisted of mainly vegetables, a piece of bread, and some potatoes.
"I'll eat some chicken if you eat some broccoli." she was enjoying this little game, and so was Sirius.
"Fine, deal." She flicked a piece of broccoli onto his plate with her fork and she laughed as it landed on his lap instead.
"Hey-!" Sirius picked up the green number and put it on the very edge of his dish dramatically. He ate vegetables all the time, but she knew how much he hated broccoli.
It was even funnier because she actually liked chicken. Sirius poked a piece of said meat and held out the fork to her so she could eat it. She ate the chicken and smiled, while chewing. "Now you have to eat that." she pointed at the single green piece of food.
He lifted it up and made all sorts of faces while chewing, causing her to laugh freely. Liven nudged Harmony and she turned to see what was wrong, still smiling. "I think you may have a little problem-"
Liven's finger was pointing over to the table next to them, where Tianna had took the liberty to strut around and serve everyone seated at her table, all the while sneaking glances over at Sirius. "Oh, fuck." Harmony said angrily, turning to him.
"Do you see her?" she asked, and his eyes scanned the room before landing on her. His nose crinkled. "Is that even a dress?" he asked, looking at Tianna.
Harmony turned to Tianna and looked at her choice of attire in complete shock. She was wearing a royal blue tube-top type dress. It was literally a tube of blue fabric that she squeezed herself into. She continued teetering around in her six-inch heels and when she looked up for the seventh time in a minute at Sirius, but saw him looking at her, the girl shamelessly yanked down her dress to reveal even more squished, acne-covered cleavage.
"I'm going to vomit." Harmony said, red in the face. She tried to control her anger when she turned to Sirius. "I know you're hot as fuck but she's really pissing me off."
Sirius grinned at the compliment, tucking her hair behind her ear and completely ignoring Tianna. "You think I'm hot as fuck?"
"Pretty much." Harmony hid her smile by eating a mouthful of food. Harmony scanned the room yet again and was pleased to see the lack of Regulus. She really hoped that he decided to opt out of the whole event. Maybe he had some decency left.
The conversations across the hall continued on, as loud as ever, as the plates cleared of dinner food and were replaced by some of the most delicious and extravagant desserts Harmony'd ever witnessed at Hogwarts. "They went all out." she commented to the table at whole.
"Didn't they? It looks amazing." Becca replied, flipping the bangs of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "It makes me want to eat the whole table."
"Pastry?" she asked Sirius, who nodded enthusiastically and took four off the plate she was holding.
As soon as the desert portion of the meal was over, students started trickling over to one another's tables to socialize and gossip about what everyone else was wearing. Tianna was the butt of many whispers and stares all over the hall.
McGonagall stood up from the staff table and made her way into the middle of the empty dance floor. She was wearing deep purple robes with a matching hat and quite frankly, the colour suited her.
"Settle down, ladies and gentlemen!" she called loudly, her voice magically magnified. "Can I get your attention, please!" the steady chatter that had filled the hall moments before died out. "Thank you," she cleared her throat. "Now we will proceed to the dancing part of our evening. Refreshments will be provided on the tables to the far right of the hall."
"Wonder who the band is?" Lily whispered and everyone looked eagerly on to the professor.
"I'd like to now introduce the band who will provide us with music for the night," she swept her hand out to the curtain and it opened, revealing the members of some band Harmony wasn't familiar with. "The…" McGonagall peered around, and looked as if she suddenly realized something. "Who are they again?" she whispered, non too discreetly. Her distaste for modern music and all things to do with the punk-ish looking band was evident.
Sirius snorted and someone from the back of the room called out loudly, "The Dancing Dragons!"
"Ah," McGonagall peered over her glasses. "Thank you. With no further ado, here are the Dancing Dragons." McGonagall hurried off the floor as all the rushing bodies of boys and girls eager to dance filled it up.
"Come on!" Liven cried as she was pulled onto the floor by a handsome seventh year Ravenclaw named Jack Morrison, who she'd been 'seeing' for the past couple of weeks. This was an accomplishment, as Harmony's best friend usually snogged multiple different boys on a daily basis. Liven laughed and was soon out of sight with her (Harmony desperately hoped) soon to be boyfriend?
"Dance with me?" Sirius grinned adorably, already standing.
"Of course." Harmony felt her lips turn up in a smile as she stood up, lifting her dress slightly so she could walk with him. His hand curled around her elbow as he pulled her into the thick crowd.
"Everyone's looking at you." Sirius whispered, stopping and pulling Harmony flush against him.
"They're actually looking at you." she corrected, laughing.
"Really? This guy behind you is trying really hard to get a look at your open back. Oh - and now your arse." Sirius replied, resting his hands on her lower back. "Can I flip him off?"
"Please do." Harmony said in his ear. She felt his neck vibrate as he yelled at the guy behind her. "Thanks." she told him.
"Only I can look at it, not him." Sirius said daringly.
"Watch it, you little chihuahua." Harmony said, despite laughing at how ridiculous that comment was.
Sirius laughed again and Harmony bit her lip at how perfect he looked. "Let's dance!" he said excitedly. His silver eyes lit up when he spoke.
"Okay!" Harmony said back, equally as enthusiastic. They danced around as ridiculously as they possibly could, taking up way too much space on their 'moves' (as Sirius put it).
He laughed and grabbed Harmony's waist, pulling her in closely again. Everything sort of slowed around them as she looked up at him. Suddenly, his lips crashed on hers and she smiled through the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Harmony pulled away to catch her breath, and grinned widely. "I've been waiting to do that all night." Sirius said leaning his forehead against hers.
Someone tapped Harmony hard on the back and she bit her lip at Sirius before turning around. "EYYYYYY!" James called loudly, with a very flushed Lily at his side. Her green eyes were bright and happy, which automatically made Harmony happy, too. They slid right in and pretty soon the rest of the group was there too, dancing away. James twirled her around and she crashed into Liven who was snogging Jack. James laughed and Harmony skirted away from her friend, not wanting to disturb her because she was fairly certain she got a flash of some tongue.
Suddenly, to Harmony's complete shock, she felt a hand slap her directly on the behind. She jerked around so fast that she was sure her hair must have whipped someone in the face. A seventh year that had hit on her in the past was standing there, smirking. "You did not just do that." she hissed.
His eyes flashed, liking that he could get a rise out of her. "I did. How about we get out of here for a while?"
Harmony scoffed. "Yeah, right. Fuck off, prick."
She turned around, still furious, only to have a hand grab her waist and pull her back around. "Leave me alone!" she yelled over the music, her face flushed with anger.
"Come on, babe." The greasy-looking guy pulled her closer and breathed down her neck while she desperately tried to push him off. "Let's go somewhere."
"I'm taken!" Harmony used both her hands to shove his chest back, away from her. She needed to leave, now, because the temptation to use the wand strapped to her leg under her dress was becoming stronger and stronger. If she could just reach down-
"So?" The little prick grinned and reached for her again. Harmony's hand had just started to stretch and retrieve her wand when Sirius was suddenly there, pushing the guy away with force.
"Sirius, he's not worth it." Harmony pulled him back before Sirius struck him with either his fist or, like Harmony was about to do, a nasty jinx. She rested her hand on his arm to keep him beside her.
"Dude," the guy said, suddenly shocked as he regained his balance. "What the fuck?"
"Apologize to her. Right now." Sirius narrowed his eyes, wrapping his arm around Harmony protectively.
"Fine. Sorry you were a little buzzkill." the guy was rubbing his shoulder.
"There's nothing stopping me from hitting you right now." Sirius' jaw was clenched as he tried to take another step closer. Harmony dragged him back; reluctantly - because part of her wanted this confident dick to get hit by a fist. Or a boulder.
"Know what? Whatever. Sorry." the seventh-year started to walk away but Sirius called after him.
"Don't even look at her again, you little fucker." A couple people turned around in the midst of dancing and searched for the source of drama.
"Can we just, take a breather for a minute?" Harmony asked when Sirius turned to her after making sure the creep was gone.
"Yeah, of course." Sirius kept his hands on her hips from behind so he didn't lose track of her body as they pushed their way out of the plentiful crowd.
Harmony led him out into the corridor leading off from the main entrance hall, where all was silent and deserted. The contrast from the environment they just left was startling.
"Hey, thanks, for that. I was about to slap him." Harmony said, turning around in Sirius' embrace and enjoying the quiet darkness that surrounded them.
"So was I." Sirius laughed, then he leaned in closer so he could lower his voice to a whisper and tell her, "You're so beautiful that everyone's jealous of me."
"It's you I should be worried about. You look so handsome all dressed up and with all those pretty girls in pretty dresses out there…" Harmony played with the collar on his shirt while she felt his arms pull her closer to him.
"Too bad I only have eyes for one." he said sweetly, and he started to kiss her jaw.
Harmony's face broke into a gigantic grin as she caught his lips with hers. These were the moments she lived for; the little sweet things and kisses snuck in the midst of being high off of each other. It was addictive.
Sirius' long fingers danced down the skin of her exposed back and he used his other hand to cup her cheek. "You're intoxicating." he breathed in between kisses. Then his hands were sliding down her hips, on her thighs, on her bum, and back on her back again. She shivered as his fingertips traced the swooping open back on her dress that he seemingly couldn't stop touching. Not that she minded in the slightest.
Harmony stopped the kiss so she could put her lips on his neck and he sighed. She pulled back after a couple of minutes and looked in his dark eyes. "Are you doing okay?" she asked, honestly.
He nodded as his finger ran along her exposed collarbone. "Because of you," he smiled. "I feel amazing." She caught his eyes as they flashed down to the neckline of her dress.
Harmony smiled again, deciding to let him go this time. She tried to step closer to him, but tripped and started laughing loudly. She threw her head back and gasped, "Leave it to me to trip at a time like this!"
Sirius took advantage of her exposed neck to kiss it a couple of times. Her laughter died off and she whispered, "You can't just start kissing me there. Fuck." her eyes closed and she felt his lips curve up into a smile as he continued.
Suddenly, a loud crash was heard. Harmony whipped her eyes open and turned to see what the sudden commotion was, her heart loud in her chest.
Liven was wrapped around Jack as they kissed, oblivious to Sirius and Harmony. It looked as though they had knocked over a suit of armour in a hurry to get to the broom closet that stood just meters from Sirius and Harmony. Liven had one hand in Jack's hair and her other was clumsily trying to take off his shirt.
Harmony just watched Liven, stunned, as they didn't even register that there were another two people in the corridor with them. They could have been teachers! Imagine if Liven got caught doing that by Dumbledore or something!
Sirius laughed awkwardly as the snogging pair crashed into the broom cupboard and there were two loud thumps as Liven's shoes came off. "I think we should-"
"Yeah." Harmony was blushing in embarrassment and they hurried off back into the Hall.
Together, Harmony and Sirius re-entered the mass of jostling and sweaty bodies as they danced. Luckily, a slow song came on just as they made it to their mates.
Sirius put his arms on Harmony's waist and she gently wrapped her hands around his neck, barely even registering the faint red mark her lips had left there. "What's wrong?" he asked her.
"I gave you a hickey." She stated. Sirius knew she was trying to change the subject. "I just…I'm worried about Liven." Harmony told him truthfully, her green-brown eyes wide.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want her to do something she might regret."
"Like, have sex with him?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah." she sighed in frustration. "I thought she was going to wait for the right guy, and she's only known him for a couple weeks…"
Sirius nodded. "I think you should trust her, though. Maybe she won't go all the way."
Harmony sighed. "You're right. I need to stop worrying about her."
Sirius nodded, then said, "You gave me a hickey?" his eyes danced with laughter.
Harmony blushed and poked his neck. "I did indeed."
"There's something so incredibly attractive about this conversation." Sirius grinned.
Harmony laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. They danced in silence for a couple more minutes until a faster song started playing.
The ball went on for about two more hours, and was filled with much laughter and dancing. People kept leaving the dance floor for a drink because of how hot the temperature was. Even Dumbledore and McGonagall were spied dancing on some of the more respectable songs. Mainly, the teachers just browsed about chaperoning and socializing. Harmony kept her distance from Tianna and every time the girl would even glance in the direction of Sirius, Harmony would give her a murderous glare.
Eventually, students started trickling up back up to their dorms, or their dates' dorms, with happy, tired smiles on the faces and the ache of a good dance in their feet. The marauders and Harmony's mates all left together at around midnight, still Liven-less. This didn't go unnoticed.
"Sirius…" Harmony sighed, as her eyes grew heavy. She was truthfully exhausted. "Where's Liven?"
Sirius shook his head and put an arm around her shoulder. "Evidently not here. Should we go look?"
"No." Harmony replied, leaning into him as they continued up the seemingly endless stairs. "She's a big girl." Then Harmony added, "She just needs some parental guidance sometimes."
Sirius nodded in understanding. "Well, we know she's probably not hurt."
Harmony stopped so she could slip off her heels, as her feet were in absolute agony. Sirius sweetly took them out of her hands so she wouldn't have to carry them. "Thank you."
He nodded. "You're going back to your dorm?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm going to wait up for Liven."
"Need me to wait with you?" Sirius asked.
"No, no. You should go to sleep." Harmony knew he was exhausted from how much he's been lying awake in his bed, mind robbing him of slumber.
He nodded again and they continued back to the dorm in a tired silence. Everyone mumbled their goodbyes, and then pretended not to listen in on Lily and James' conversation. Which went like this, for the record:
"Goodnight, James. I had a really lovely time."
"So did, I. It was really fun. Goodnight, Lily."
There was some awkward silence, where Harmony turned and looked at them momentarily. They were both blushing and staring at the ground. She sighed, and prepared to turn back around when Lily suddenly shot up and kissed James' cheek. Her face was still red as she walked away and up the girls' staircase.
Everyone soon followed after, with large smiles plastered on their faces. After the girls had finished squealing over Lily, who was attempting to block them out by singing off-key songs about love, they crashed into their respective beds.
"You sure you don't mind waiting up for Liven?" Becca called through the darkness.
"It's no problem." Harmony replied, curling up at the end of her bed, still in her dress. She might as well wear it to the end. Also, she was way too lazy to change at the moment.
"Alright, well, goodnight ladies. I had a good night!" Everyone mumbled in agreement and soon the room was filled with the calming sound of slow, even breaths.
Harmony stayed on her bed for a long while, until she glanced up at the clock and saw that it was one in the morning. She got up and walked around the room a couple of times, finally deciding that her hair was making her too angry to keep loose and down. She marched over to the washroom and put it up in a messy ponytail. Then Harmony went to the desk and wrote her family a letter. Then she went down to the Common Room. Then she wandered back up to the dorm. Then she read some of her book. Then she cleaned her bedside table. Then the clock hit five in the morning. Then Liven stumbled in, drunk.
Harmony's eyes snapped up from her place on the floor, arms full with the books that had built up beside her bed. She dropped them. "Liven!"
"Harrrmmmooonnnyyyy!" Liven grinned, loosing her balance and falling into the door with a loud slam.
"What the fuck?" Harmony was seething. It was five in the fucking morning, she was absolutely exhausted, and here was Liven coming in here, completely hammered, like nothing was wrong.
"You're pouting, you are." Liven blindly chucked her heels in the direction of Lily's bed.
"I'm pissed, Liven!" Harmony was standing now.
"Why?" Liven didn't wait for an answer. "I had the best night of my life." she happily looked around the room.
"What happened, Liven?" Harmony asked, not wanting to know.
"Everything." Liven's glassy, unseeing eyes focused on her. Everything about her screamed relaxed.
Harmony put her head in her hands. "Fuck."
"We did!" Liven sat on the floor, smiling from ear to ear.
Harmony pulled her hands away from her face and looked at her best friend. "You shagged him, then?"
"First time for both of us. Magical. Like a beautiful unicorn." Liven completely flopped down on the ground.
Harmony deflated. "Were you…safe?"
Liven nodded. "Course."
"Were you drunk?"
"Nah." Liven replied. "We got drunk afterward."
"Liven." Harmony groaned, plopping down next to her. "You were going to wait it out a little while, remember? I don't want you to get hurt. That's my only concern. You've known him for a couple weeks…"
Liven laughed loudly. "No, silly!"
"What?" Harmony was confused.
"I've known him all year! We were friends at the beginning, then a long while back we kissed, and then we've been official snogging buddies for like a month and a half now." Liven's words were slurring so much that Harmony could hardly make them out.
"You didn't think to tell us." Harmony said, nonchalantly. Not that Liven was paying attention.
"And then we were having such a good time that we left the ball, and then we went into a cupboard but it wasn't very romantic so he took me to the Room of Requirement, and then there was a bed in there when we got there and it just sort of…happened."
"Okay, Liv. Okay." Harmony was trying to process this. "Let's get you into bed."
"Oh, dibby dobbly doo." Liven sing-songed. "I love you!"
Harmony hauled her friend up off the floor and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into the bathroom so she could put down her hair. "You waited up for me and I think that's very sweet of you."
"It's my job." Harmony sat Liven down on the toilet lid, then went get her hairbrush when the sound of liquid hitting liquid was heard.
"I had to pee so fucking bad, Harms, I really did. I'm so wasted. So so drunk." Liven was talking so loudly that Harmony was sure she'd wake everyone up.
"Liven, quiet down!" Harmony came back into the washroom to see Liven standing there in nothing but her (matching) undergarments. Harmony sighed, "Let's get you into bed."
Five minutes later, Harmony's hand was trapped in Liven's vice-like grip as she was in the midst of passing out. Harmony tried to pry her hand free but Liven held on tighter. "No!"
"Geez, okay."
It was quiet for a couple more seconds, then Liven whispered, more sober than before, "Harmony, don't be mad at me. I was sober, okay? I made the decision sober."
"Liv, I'm not mad. I can't get mad at you for making a decision that doesn't affect me. I'm happy you're happy, it's just I don't want you to regret this. That's the only thing I'm scared of."
Liven turned onto her back. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long."
"It's okay, Liven." Harmony sighed, then kissed her friend on the forehead. "Sleep."
"It was amazing, Harmony. It really was." Liven mumbled, then she fell asleep completely. The pressure on Harmony's hand ceased, and Harmony quietly got up and made her way to her own bed, still processing everything from Regulus and Sirius to James and Lily and now Liven and Jack.
A/N: MASSIVE, MASSIVE THANK YOU TO ERWINDY. Thank you so much for your review - it completely made my night and motivated me to post this today! To be quite honest, I don't know how long it's going to be. I have several ideas about what is going to happen, but all I know for sure is I'm definitely going to write about the summer. I have some major plot points coming up. I hadn't thought about writing a sequel after Hogwarts but hey, anything is possible now that you've put the idea in my head! And you might see more about that muggle past - you never know! I'm so glad you're liking my story. You are one awesome being, if I do say so myself. I greatly appreciate your feedback.