Mandy could not understand why people, both Muggle and wizard, seemed to have fun at these places. The loud noises and flashing lights made her head hurt. She could have been at Hogwarts instead, curled up with a lovely book, but no, she had to let herself be convinced by Lee that this would be a good idea. She sighed and excused herself from Padma, who was so engrossed in dancing that she barely even noticed her friend leaving, and went to look for Lee.
She found him at a table, away from the dance floor, speaking to his - their - friends. She waved at the little group and hugged each one as she approached them, by way of greeting. In the small talk that ensued over the next few minutes, she found herself laughing cheerily and even joining in, much to her own surprise, They had a way of making her feel right at home, even in unfamiliar situations such as these. She reflected that her friends had been very neatly divided into two groups: the Ravenclaws who she saw all the time and went to classes with, and this odd raggle-taggle of students from different houses house had come together for seemingly no reason, for while they had little in common, they all got along somehow.
Her train of thought was broken when Daphne began to insist on returning to the dance floor. Mandy sighed, but nodded along as they walked back to what she called the mosh pit. The song was one they all knew and soon enough she found herself swaying in some semblance of a dance as the four of them stood in a circle. Lee smile at her on seeing her dance, considering she had insisted for months that she couldn't. She smiled back. Suddenly, however, he looked in a different direction, and she followed his gaze. Pansy was approaching them from the opposite direction. The Slytherin had not returned to Hogwarts for her Eighth Year, unlike most of the others, but clearly she had still been invited to the party.
Mandy watched quietly as Pansy slid up to Lee.
"Do you mind if I..." she asked, not even completing her sentence, while gazing at him with innocent eyes. He shook his head, and she smiled.
Within moments Pansy had inserted herself into their circle. Mandy's mind chose that precise moment to remember the time when Lee had told her how he and Pansy had been...more than close, despite the latter's relationship with Draco. Pansy herself was doing her best to remove any doubts Mandy could have had, by effectively sticking to Lee and nearly gyrating against him.
Suddenly, the music felt too loud to Mandy, and the blinking lights were too bright, making her dizzy. It was suffocating. She excused herself and headed outside into the open air. It did little to calm her nerves. There was a lump in her throat. She couldn't understand why. She did not fancy Lee. Of course she didn't. She had told Padma as much multiple times when the latter had playfully shipped them. So why did it matter to her if Pansy danced with him or not?
It was nearly midnight and she was home by the timr she figured it out. Padma had been right all along, oddly enough. Mandy sighed and looked at the inkpot standing on the table, and the raven quill lying beside it. He hand hovered over the quill for a few minutes. Then, she picked it up.
Two hours later saw her sobbing among a pile of crumpled parchments, each one, stained with an unfinished letter. She knew she would not sleep that night. Never had she regretted a decision more, thatn she regretted going to that party. Realisations were not fun.
With a last effort, she began scribbling again. This time, before she had the chance to think too much, she rolled it up and walked to Artemis' cage. A few minutes later, the bird was flying out with her missive.
She must have dozed off at some point, because she woke with sunlight on her face. Artemis, the ever obedient, had returned to her cage sans the letter. It was this that made Mandy realise what she had done.
Her worries were reflected on her face as she walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. Seeing Lee approach the Ravenclaw table, she went pale. She quickly got up and walked over.
"Mandy-" he began, but she cut him off.
"I'm sorry, Lee. A lot of things seem like a good idea at 2 am, and I..." she paused. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You know I don't blame you." She was surprised at his words, but nodded anyway. "It's just," he continued, "I...can't."
"I know," she replied, braving a smile. As he headed back to the Hufflepuffs, she stood motionless where she stood. She could have sword she heard her heart snap.
Notes: Finally got this typed up!
For the Cruel and Unsual Pairing Challenge: Prompt: Unsent Letters
For the 500 Pairings Challenge: Prompt: Flight
For the Through the Universe Challenge: Prompt: Suffocating