Even though she'd managed to enlist an excited Hagrid's help, and had spent most of her spare time that week searching for hippogriffs, neither Morgana or the gamekeeper had seen anything that told them that there were hippogriffs living near Hogwarts. Hagrid had kept a weathered eye on the skies, and a knowledgeable one on the ground as he'd gone about his daily duties, and Morgana had taken over during her free periods, exploring the very furthest perimeters of the school grounds, to no avail. It was difficult to tell which of them was more disappointed.
Morgana had also spent a few dreary afternoons in the library. Jacq's warnings had piqued her interest in Lucius Malfoy, and she was determined to discover if her friend's information had been correct. Generally, it was. The Malfoys were, as Jacq had said, fabulously wealthy. One of the richest wizarding families in Britain, they had come to England in 1066 alongside William the Conqueror, providing him with (presumably) magical help at the battle that had won him his crown, and they had been rewarded well for it. Their home still stood on the estate the Conqueror had awarded them, hundreds of acres deep in the heart of Wiltshire, and their name had been connected to royalty and the social elite ever since. It had even been said that the first Lucius Malfoy had been a suitor of Elizabeth I, and that her rejection of his hand had been why she had died without a husband or an heir.
It was true, too, that the current figurehead of the Malfoy dynasty had no real need to work at the Ministry of Magic. It was actually suggested by some parties that he used his job there to keep tabs on officials, and that financial 'donations' gave him certain privileges, although there was no firm evidence of such rumours. It was, however, a well-known fact that he provided St. Mungo's Hospital with generous donations for no apparent reason. The family also owned the Malfoy Apothecary, out of which had come Superior Red, the longest matured wine in the world, a recipe they had brought with them from France all those centuries ago.
Morgana could find very little evidence to support Jacq's statement that he was a follower of the Dark Lord, though. She found a few articles in the newspaper archives about him after the First Wizarding War had ended. He had claimed Voldemort had him under the Imperius Curse, and it had never been proved or disproved either way, so Lucius had retained his job at the Ministry and his social standing.
All in all, Jacq had been right - Lucius Malfoy was certainly not the sort of person anybody should have been getting caught up with, least of all a sixteen year old witch, no matter how brilliant she may be.
*****
Upon entering the spacious, circular, Ravenclaw common room, Morgana barely noticed all the fourth years and above sitting or standing around stiffly, determined not to crease or mark their beautiful gowns and dress robes before the May Day Dance started in twenty minutes time, and as she swept up the stone staircase to the room she shared with Liliana, Tilly and Jacq, Morgana was so disappointed at the apparent lack of hippogriffs in the area, that she was seriously considering not going to the dance. It wasn't as though she would be letting anyone down, as she'd systematically refused all offers of an escort for the night anyway.
As she flung open the oak door to their dormitory, though, Morgana stopped at the stunning array of gowns that met her eyes. Liliana was in a low-cut, figure-hugging scarlet number, her dark hair piled artistically on top of her head. Tilly was dressed in pale pink, her gown demure, and her blonde hair now bouncing in thick waves courtesy of Morgana's curling tongs, which lay cooling on the table beside her bed. Jacq was, as always, dressed in black, her dark hair hanging straight down her back. They all looked beautiful, complimented one another perfectly, and in that instant, Morgana knew she would be attending after all.
They all stared at her as she stood framed in the doorway, and then they glanced as one at the clock on the far wall.
"Come on, Morgana, we'll wait for you," Tilly's soft voice said.
Morgana smiled at her friends. "No, you go on, there's no point in us all being late."
"Are you sure?" Tilly looked a little torn, she didn't want to miss the start of the ball, but neither did she wish to leave Morgana behind.
"Yes, I'm sure." Morgana made a little shooing gesture with one hand, and picked up her towel and bathrobe with the other. "Go. I'll meet you downstairs in a bit."