Disclaimer: don't own
A/N: I'm so sorry it took me this long to update! I tried to make the chapter long to make up for it. Thank you thethymeisright and sugar-high pixie for being lovely and reviewing. Extra thanks go to sugar-high pixie for helping me get my ass in gear to write. I have a link to a portrait of Tevelle in her Yuleball finery on my profile page.
Of Blood and Magic
Chapter 13: Dancing Shoes
The time leading up to the Yule Ball passed by much quicker than Tevelle had anticipated. Before she knew it, the term had ended and the winter break had begun. Unfortunately, unlike all of her previous years at Hogwarts, very few people went home. Instead of being nearly empty, the castle was bustling with people.
After all, Tevelle remarked to herself, who would want to miss the Yule Ball. Well, besides me of course.
If she had had her choice, Tevelle would very much have liked to return home and leave this castle for good. The choice was not hers however. Xeven had determined she would stay, so stay she would.
Unsurprisingly, other than the two offers, no one else had asked her to the ball. Tevelle was glad of that. What did bother her, however, was the probable reason behind this. Within hours it seemed the entire school had heard about her rejection of Malfoy. Reactions varied between scathing, disbelieving looks from her own house, and surprised, almost gleeful looks from other houses, especially the Gryffindors. The fact that she had rejected Victor Krum as well only compounded the disbelief.
The morning of the Ball found Tevelle up and moving long before breakfast after an utterly sleepless night. Whenever she closed her eyes the image of Tom waited for her, smiling Tom, looking exactly as he had that one night so many years ago when he had asked her to a dance, lit almost surreally with the silver light of the moon.
Tevelle dashed the image from her mind. She was not going to think about that. This was not the same ball, not even close. And she had been to many balls between the two in her time as a vampire. Xeven threw several balls and parties every year, each far more extravagant than this Yule Ball was sure to be, let alone that one Hogwarts ball years ago when she had been human. Images of Tom never plagued her with those parties. Why now?
What a silly question, she growled to herself, pushing aside her bed's heavy curtains and shoving her feet into slippers. It was the school of course. This was her first Ball at Hogwarts since her death. Hogwarts had far too many memories, the vast majority of which involved Tom.
Careful not to disturb anyone, Tevelle threw on a cloak over the sweat pants and tank top that she had worn to bed and slipped out of the Slytherin dormitory and into the hall. Maybe she could walk off some of the feelings and memories that clung to her mind like cobwebs.
The corridors were quiet as Tevelle wandered, paying no mind to where her feet carried her. Even the paintings were snoozing in their frames. The utter silence gave the castle a feeling of waiting, as if the stone halls of the ancient castle were frozen in anticipation of the chaos of students that would fill them in just a few short hours.
Tevelle yawned, blinking in exhaustion. Not only was it almost daylight when by all right's as a vampire she should be on her way to bed, but she also hadn't gotten any rest since two nights before. Without really knowing where she was, Tevelle ducked into the first bathroom she saw. Perhaps some cold water splashed on her face would wake her up.
The faucet was creaky at first, stuck as if it hadn't been used in a long while. With a wrench of her wrist and strength slightly super-human, Tevelle managed to get the steady trickle of cool water to turn into a steadier stream. Cupping some water in her palms, Tevelle bent over to splash her face.
All of a sudden a high-pitched wail sounded behind her. Tevelle, covering her sensitive ears, wheeled around, splashing water on the counter and floor as she went. Before her, clutching at pigtails and wailing as if in pain was a ghost from her past.
"Myrtle?" Tevelle gasped, surprised. She knew that Myrtle had been killed soon after she had been turned, but had had no idea Myrtle had decided to remain and haunt her place of death.
Myrtle, choked off her wail, letting out a strangled sob instead.
"What are you doing here?" Tevelle let her hands fall to her sides.
"Me?" Myrtle's transparent hands twisted the fabric of an equally transparent robe in distress. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? I died!"
"Well, yes, that makes two of us," Tevelle responded wryly. A second later, she regretted her tone.
"I'm sorry, that was rude," she corrected when Myrtle started to cry.
"W-why are you here?" Myrtle sobbed, "A-are y-you just here to t-tease me?" Suddenly she stopped sobbing, tone becoming accusatory. "You are aren't you! You just want to rub it in my face that I'm dead and I'm a ghost don't you! You and your solid body thinking 'let's just go see the ghost-girl, maybe throw a pencil through her head, oh, it'll be good fun'! Oh, poor poor Myrtle, can't even catch a pencil-"
"You know what?" Tevelle interrupted, suddenly no longer feeling sympathy, "You're right. Poor Myrtle, having the chance to move on and giving it up so she can mope in the bathroom. Let's all feel sorry for the girl who chose to stay. Well guess what, not all of us have the choice to move on. Some of us are stuck hauling around our body all the time. I lost my chance to move on. I die now, that's it. No more afterlife for me, because I'm living it already." Tevelle felt herself glaring at the ghost, hands reaching out as if to grab the front of Myrtle's robes. "And I'll let you in on a secret. My afterlife is a hell of a lot less like paradise than yours will be once you get it together and let go of haunting toilets."
Alert and energized once again, Tevelle stalked out of the bathroom. Myrtle probably didn't even recognize me, she snarled silently, we weren't friends or anything, but it wasn't like I was mean to her. Slowly her anger drained as she resumed her wandering.
Soft sunlight started to filter through slightly frosted windowpanes, filling the corridor with a dim rosy light. Tevelle winced, carefully looking away from the rising sun. Soon the hallways would be crowded with excited children and even some teachers, not exactly a welcome thought. With a sigh, Tevelle made her way back to her dormitory to get ready for the day.
The sight that waited for her was mildly unexpected.
Piled at the foot of her bed atop her trunk was a small heap of brightly wrapped packages. For a second, Tevelle was confused. Then her brain caught up to her.
Oh, right, Christmas.
Back at the Coven they did not celebrate Christmas usually. Occasionally they would mark midwinter with a similar celebration or ball, but what the humans called holidays were more often than not allowed to pass by unremarked. "Holidays stem from religion, and religion is a human construct," Xeven would say when asked, "Vampires have no need of such things." Tevelle had the feeling Xeven's antipathy ran deeper, but his tone always brooked no argument.
Her roommates were already digging into their considerably larger piles of gifts, occasionally quietly offering a snide remark to the relatively small pile of Tevelle's gifts but she ignored them.
Tevelle reached for the largest first, wrapped in deep green paper with a gold ribbon with a note attached. "This is from everyone back home. We decided you needed proper accessories to go with that gown Xeven is going to give you for the Yule Ball. The others wanted to give you more, so you might have a few more presents besides this. Giving Christmas gifts is a novel experience. We should do this more often regardless of what Xeven says…. Maybe pretend they're for midwinter or something. Anyway, Happy Christmas from all of us back home, we hope you're doing all right among the humans. Tanas says to remind you to not to eat anyone, you don't know where those teenagers have been, you might contract something unpleasant. Love, Aria"
Chuckling softly and with a broad smile, Tevelle opened her main gift. Tevelle was dimly aware of a sudden silence behind her where before there had been loud comparisons of which roommate received the most expensive or impressive gift. She could feel her own eyes widen in surprise.
Sitting in a simple velvet-lined box was a necklace and a set of matching earrings. The necklace was a thick gold, collar-style necklace, the thick band of gold widening towards the front where it would most likely cover her collarbones. The band tapered off to a point that would end up being just above her breastbone once she tried it on. The band itself was not solid, but was made up of varying thicknesses of strips of gold metal, interwoven into a sort of celtic knot. At the very center of the design, just above where the necklace tapered into a point was a single, diamond-shaped garnet. The earrings were dangling, simplified versions of the necklace, each with their own considerably smaller garnet that their center.
They really do not know the meaning of subtle do they? Tevelle, gaped. There was little doubt the jewelry would look stunning and match perfectly to the dress Xeven had given. Aria probably picked both out, she smiled at the thought.
"Wow, how much did that cost?" A voice said behind her. This time, Tevelle answered. "I don't know. I wasn't told. That would have been rude."
"It looks like it belongs in a museum! How old is it, do you think?" The girls behind her continued as if Tevelle hadn't spoken. "It's probably some heirloom."
Tevelle couldn't argue with that. Aria and the rest might have bought it, but then again they might have found it amidst Xeven's generous collection of the treasure he had bought, found, or earned over the ages. Tevelle did not care either way. It could have been cheap costume jewelry (which it obviously wasn't), what mattered was the fact that her family missed her and had all chipped in to give her this gorgeous gift.
Returning the necklace carefully to its box, Tevelle set it aside and turned to her few other gifts. These turned out to be more along the lines of what she had been expecting. Tanas had sent her some blood candy (in order to help "resist the urge to eat diseased teenagers"), Elyie a plush stuffed animal bat, Robert a slice of Bloodvelvet cake, Ievan a new sketchbook, and Hien and Howell had sent her new colored pencils and brightly colored inks. Those who had not sent a smaller gift had sent her a card or note.
Smiling, Tevelle tucked her more useful gifts into her bag. There were no classes, but the sky was cloudy and it would be a good day to sit in a corner and draw. The small stuffed bat she tucked into a pocket, the fuzzy fabric ears just barely visible poking up over the edge.
Breakfast was a hectic affair. The great hall was chaotic with overly excited students. A quick look up at the head table confirmed that Xeven had opted out of sitting and listening to the shrill voices of the children. Tevelle couldn't blame him and planned to follow his example. She just needed to grab her blood and make a speedy exit.
To her good fortune, Tevelle managed to get in and out of the great hall without being delayed more than having to sidestep a large group of excited fifth years, all the while being very careful not to spill the contents of her goblet.
The container of blood was drained by the time she reached the doors. Spotting a relatively obvious alcove along the wall, Tevelle set the goblet down where a house elf was sure to notice it. For a second she toyed with bringing a goblet down to the kitchens herself to save them some trouble, but during the breakfast rush, she would no doubt just be in their way.
Finding a shady spot was easy… finding a place to sit that was not covered in snow, however was another matter. Further away from the castle, she could hear shouts and screams of excited children, no doubt waging some form of snow war. Time passed, but somehow everything remained the same. Tevelle could have just as easily have walked out the doors and arrived in the time when she was still human. The students acted exactly the same no matter their generation. Suddenly feeling old, she renewed her search for the perfect spot, preferably out of range of the screaming children. It would not be conducive to have a melted snowball splattered all over her drawing.
Tevelle finally settled on a little, out-of-the-way bench tucked into a corner of the outer wall of the courtyard. Above an overhang prevented snow from piling up for a good few feet outwards, as well as sheltering the space from the wind. The spot was also far enough away from the other students, that it would be unlikely for someone to randomly stumble upon her hiding place. She was not in the mood for socializing; there would be more than enough of that later in the night.
Soon enough she was absorbed in her work, carefully rendering a few strands of ivy that crawled up a particularly weathered birdbath. When the sun had retreated behind the western wall to the point where the entire area was bathed in shadow, Tevelle decided she was done for the day. Satisfied that it would only take an hour or so on another day with similar weather to complete the drawing, she packed up her belongings and set off to the kitchens to find her goblet of blood. There would be no real dinner that day because of the feast later, but Xeven had made arrangements for the house-elves in the kitchens to set aside her goblet there, so that she may fetch it when she wished.
Once that task was done, Tevelle made her leisurely way back to the Slytherin dorm. There was still plenty of time to prepare for the ball, but with a loss of what else to do, she set out to do just that. When she arrived, she found her roommates already primping and twisting their hair into sleek, fashionable styles markedly more elaborate than their everyday standard.
"Tevelle!" One girl, Pansy, who didn't actually share a room with them, but was no doubt here helping her friends, "You had better hurry! You won't have time to get ready at this rate."
Startled for a second that Pansy actually knew her name, Tevelle just nodded. No need to tell them that with the number of times a year Xeven hosted parties and balls more prestigious than this school event gave her ample practice at getting ready in short amounts of time with the same result as spending hours perfecting her image.
Grabbing a brush, Tevelle started attacking her hair, not yet sure what she would do with it that would look good with her dress and jewelry. Anything too elaborate and it would clash with the choker, but just leaving it down would just be asking for it to be constantly getting in the way. She settled for a half-up-half-down style with a single braid pulled back with the rest for accent.
With that settled, she sat down on her bed, a mirror propped up on her knees, and started on her makeup. She purposefully took more time than needed for this step. Once strapped into her dress, her options of what she could do while waiting were limited and Tevelle did not fancy watching the others in their preparations. They might ask her to help, which while oddly tempting, Tevelle didn't want to risk it.
With her face powdered and painted as close to perfection as it was going to get, Tevelle turned to the dress. She was going to need help getting laced into it.
Her thoughts drifted, no longer occupied with the preparations.
"They really went all out for the decorations, didn't they?" Tevelle was admiring a rather detailed ice sculpture of a stag when Tom came up behind her.
"No hello?" She asked him with a smile. They had agreed to meet up at the base of the stairs in the entrance hall, a good halfway point between the Slytherin and Hufflepuff dormitories.
"I tried, but found myself tongue-tied. A simple 'hello' would not do this moment justice."
"You're such a flirt!" Tevelle elbowed him in the side, blushing nevertheless.
Tevelle basked in Tom's answering smile, taking the green-clad arm offered.
"Shall we?" Tom bowed his head playfully in the direction of the great hall.
"We shall." They joined the queue leading into the makeshift ballroom.
"By the way," Tom spoke as they lined up to dance, "That dress on you is breathtaking."
Blinking, and shaking her head to dispel the memory, Tevelle reached for her gown. The gown that met her fingers was the exact opposite of the one trapped in her mind's eye. Dark blue fabric was replaced with deep red, velvet with silk, long slim sleeves with a distinct lack thereof.
"Need a hand with that?" Pansy asked, saving Tevelle the trouble of asking.
Tevelle nodded, swiftly changing into the gown so that Pansy would be able to lace up the back.
"Thanks," Tevelle said with a distracted smile, and began the hunt for wherever her heels had run off to.
"No problem," the girl answered, already moving on to one of her friends to perform a similar service.
There you are, Tevelle thought at her wayward shoes. One had somehow worked its way under the skirt of her bed; the other was wedged between her trunk and the wall. No idea how you found your way there though. She shook her head. Shoes turned up in the oddest of places, usually nowhere near where she had placed them.
Carefully, Tevelle sat down on the edge of her trunk and strapped on the heels. Hopefully no one would step on her feet, as they were open-toed. All that remained was her jewelry. This was a simple matter. The necklace was fastened easily enough with a hidden clasp in the back and due to the design it required little adjustment; earrings soon followed.
Ignoring the appreciative murmur from the other girls, Tevelle spared a quick glance in the mirror to ensure everything was in order, and began making her way up to the festivities that were due to start in a few minutes.
Despite having some time before the clock chimed eight, the enterace hall was quite crowded. Not exactly enthused about wading neck-deep through humans, Tevelle skirted the periphery of the crowd to find a less crowded spot.
From where she stood, she had a good view of the rest of the Slytherins when they arrived. Pansy had changed into nauseatingly pink and frilly robes in the short time since Tevelle had seen her. So some of these humans know how to prepare in a timely fashion, she thought idly, mildly impressed by Pansy's speed. Her gaze shifted to Pansy's date. Malfoy wearing very traditional formal robes of black was looking around, apparently less than enthralled by the witch clinging to him. Tevelle choked, the high-collar bringing an uncomfortable memory to the surface.
"I don't understand how you can stand that collar, Tom." Tevelle reached up and tugged at the offending fabric. The black velvet formal robe that Tom was wearing was otherwise very stylish. It was just that ridiculous collar. "Doesn't that get uncomfortable?"
"It might be uncomfortable, but I can assure you that it is the height of wizarding fashion at the moment." Tom gently, but forcefully removed her hand and brought it down to his side. He did not let go, however.
"Never knew you cared that much about fashion."
Closing her eyes, Tevelle forced herself to focus on the moment and ignore the past. The great oak doors leading to the grounds opened and the Durmstrang students swept inside. Krum led them, Hermione by his side. Catching, Tevelle's eye as she passed, Hermione smiled, nudging to get Krum's attention. Seeing Tevelle as well, he nodded in a silent greeting and they continued past.
"Champions over here, please!" McGonagall ordered, her not-quite loud voice carrying over the chatter easily. While the champions waited in order to make their grand entrance, the professors ushered the other students inside.
The great hall was nearly unrecognizable, glazed over with ice frost spotted with garlands of ivy and mistletoe as it was; it looked like a winter wonderland. The center of the space was clear for dancing and small, candle-lit tables formed a ring around the edges. Where the staff table usually sat, there was a single circular table occupied by the judges and other officials with several seats left (no doubt for the champions and their dates). Tevelle was almost surprised to find Xeven was not among those seated at the head table.
"I am here," Xeven answered her un-voiced question. Following the 'sound' of his mind's voice, Tevelle turned to a medium-sized table set up slightly to the right of the judge's table. A good number of the other professors were seated with him, leaving only two empty seats, one next to Xeven and the other between Hagrid and Trelawney.
Tevelle took the seat next to her mentor.
"Where have you been hiding all day?" She asked him, toying with an earring self-consciously. She wasn't quite sure how to interpret the looks she was getting.
"I am not sure hiding is the correct term. I had simply decided to spend the day in quiet reflection. It is not often I am a guest at an even such as this, usually I am the host. It was quite refreshing to not having to see to last minute preparations."
"Ah," Tevelle poked his arm, "You just didn't want to get recruited to help out with your party planning skills."
Xeven looked pointedly the offending finger, and Tevelle withdrew it. "Perhaps," was all the elder vampire said.
There was brief moment of comfortable silence between the two, in which Tevelle became increasingly aware of the stares in her direction.
"I wish people would stop staring. Do I have something on my face?"
"The dress suits you. You can hardly blame the poor humans, they are ruled by their hormones after all, especially at that age." Xeven commented, his tone neutral.
"Still…" Tevelle grumbled, wishing she had brought a shawl.
The doors opened; it was time for the champions to make their grand entrance. All attention shifted to them as they strode towards the head table and the empty seats waiting for them. In short order, it was made clear that it was time to order dinner as Dumbledore looked pointedly towards his plate and stated "Pork chops." Taking the hint, everyone else in the hall followed his example.
"Ah, I hate it when we can order anything. I never know what to pick."
Xeven looked up slightly from the rare steak he was eating. "Try to keep it as close to something a human would eat as possible." He spoke silently into her mind when he sensed her thoughts drifting in the bloodier direction of food selection.
"Oh, you mean like that uncooked slab of cow you have on your dish?"
"I assure you, it is cooked enough for a human. It is not unusual for one to order steak rare."
"That still doesn't make my choice any easier." Tevelle grumped, glaring at her empty plate. "I still don't know what I want to eat."
"Then allow me."
Before Tevelle could protest, Xeven had leaned over, speaking clearly at the dish. "Chicken carbonera," he stated.
Looking down at the pasta, Tevelle blinked. "Huh, would have thought you were going to order me pork chops or something else meaty."
"Speak in complete sentences. There is meat in that." Xeven took a careful sip of blood from his goblet.
Tevelle just shook her head at him before picking up a fork.
Before long the plates cleared and the tables were shunted closer to the walls to allow for even more room to dance. The band took the stage, starting up a slow tune for the champions who had taken to the floor.
They had just returned from their brief walk out in the courtyard to allow their supper to digest before they began dancing.
"I'll go fetch us some drinks." Tom offered.
"Thanks, I'll wait here."
Tevelle amused herself as she sat at a vacant table watching the other students as they walked by. The hall was filled with bright colors and swirling fabrics as people chatted or danced.
"Anne!" Tevelle exclaimed, distracted by the slightly flushed girl who had flung herself down into the seat beside her.
"Hi!" The girl answered breathlessly, sweeping her blond hair up into a messy knot at the nape of her neck. "Sorry, I've just been dancing."
It was then that a stoic boy sat down on Anne's other side.
"Hello, Evan, I hope you've been taking care of my roomie." Tevelle kept her voice firm, though she had to fight to keep from laughing. Evan allowed a corner of his mouth to twitch upward to show that he had understood Tevelle meant no harm.
"Of course he is!" Anne gasped, oblivious to the interaction between the two. When Tevelle bit her lip to keep from laughing outright at Anne's reaction, the other girl paused.
"Oh," she said, flustered and blushing furiously, "I'm being dense again, aren't I?"
"Again? What do you mean again?" Tevelle laughed.
"Hey!" Anne cried with mock indignation, "Evan, you're my date, defend me!"
Evan merely smiled.
"Evan," Anne whined.
"How is he supposed to defend you when Tevelle speaks truth?" Tom had returned. A smirk firmly placed on his face. He handed Tevelle a goblet of punch and sat down in the remaining empty seat around the circular table.
"Not you too!" Anne melodramatically buried her head in her arms, her shoulders shaking slightly with quiet laughter. "Anyway," she continued after a moment, outburst stifled, "How come you get the gentlemen." She nudged Evan in the shoulder. "This one has been flinging me around the dance floor like a ragdoll and he hasn't even asked if I was thirsty."
"We went to get some punch only one song ago." Evan stated.
"That's not the point."
"Well," Tom interjected, "It would not do for my reputation for my date to faint from dehydration during our more" he paused as if searching for the right word, "vigorous activities later on tonight."
"TOM!" Tevelle smacked him on the back of the head.
"I was referring to dancing," he responded wryly, grinning widely at her, "What were you thinking of?"
It was Tevelle's turn to blush.
The slight scrape of chair legs on the floor brought her back to the moment.
"Do not dwell on the past. Use this as an opportunity to create new memories that can overshadow the painful ones."
"What?" Tevelle stared at Xeven's outstretched hand. He was standing, inviting her to join him for a dance.
"You were remembering the ball you attended during the time you were a human student here."
"How do you know what I've been thinking? Have I been broadcasting it that loudly?"
Tevelle glanced at several of the professors who she knew or suspected to be Legilimens.
"For an ordinary person no. But considering how you are my fledgling" Tevelle was slightly confused for a moment as he used a more archaic term for her role, "I am particularly attuned to your thought patterns and it is much easier for me to pick up on these things, especially when you have all but shoved them into my mind's eye."
"Sorry, how long have I been doing that?"
"All day. It is however, understandable under the circumstances."
"I'll focus." Aloud she said, "Sure, let's dance." Tevelle took his hand and stood. Together, they joined several others who had the same idea and began a stately waltz.
"People are staring again."
Xeven smiled indulgently. "No doubt it is because of your dancing skills."
"Why? They're," Tevelle broke off to turn twice in quick succession. "They're dancing too. They even had dancing lessons; some of them did anyway."
Xeven lead her into a promenade made up of a series of intricate footwork before he answered. Tevelle, not completely paying attention to her feet, followed along with a few flourishes.
"That is why. Basic ability to shuffle one's feet together does not equate to dancing."
"I see your point. Still, I can't be the only one who actually dances at this school."
"When would they have time? I do not recall Hogwarts having a dance program as either a club or a class."
"Well there should be."
The conversation broke off again as Xeven guided Tevelle into a reverse step with a lean.
"Why do you not start such a club?" Xeven spoke as he lifted Tevelle back into a more upright position.
"Me being social? Actually talking to people? The universe might break. No thank you."
"You are social enough at home."
"Well, that's different. I actually like the people at home. Most of the time, anyway. Hey, that's not a waltz step, that's tango."
"I was simply testing you to see how much you remember. You were also starting to try to lead even if you were not aware. Remember, the follower cannot try to anticipate; there is no way to know what the leader is actually planning to do."
"What if the follower can read minds?"
"That is moot as I am the one leading and you are the one following."
Tevelle grumbled. "Careful, I might accidentally step on your feet. I am in heels you know."
Xeven merely smiled indulgently before leading her into yet another complicated sequence.
"I'm surprised, you haven't tried a lift yet."
"There is no need to show off, little bat. This is a social dance."
"Still, the song is about to end. I don't think you've ever danced a whole song without even a simple lift if you're dance partner knows how."
Xeven responded by twirling Tevelle once into a simple lift, the first he had taught her several decades before. Xeven dipped Tevelle downward, one arm supporting her torso, the other supporting the leg she had extended behind her.
He set her down gently as the music ended with a prolonged, almost whiny note.
"See, I told you."
"I felt no need to break such an outstanding record. Now, if you will excuse me, you're herbology professor has just remembered that she does indeed remember how to foxtrot."
"Have fun."
Now bereft of an adequate dance partner, Tevelle retreated to one of the tables and took a seat.
"Blimey, where did you learn to dance like that?" A voice exclaimed from her right.
"Hello, Ron, Harry." The two boys were sitting at the table next to her, apparently finished with dancing and abandoned by their partners. "My father hosts several balls a year. I would have been near impossible for me to not learn how to dance."
"Oh, wow."
"Actually, you're parents attended one a few years ago. Your brother Charlie works for my father, and as a result, your family has a standing invitation. There was a ball during their visit with Charlie, so they joined our festivities."
"They never told me about that?"
"Really? You should ask them about it, maybe your whole family could come next time."
"Who is usually invited?"
"Anyone society or my father deems important. Though the later outweighs the former."
Tevelle smirked as she remembered one disastrous ball that the Malfoy's attended a decade or so back. Their arrogant and aloof attitudes had greatly annoyed many of the coven and offended several guests. Needless to say, they had not been invited back.
Ron looked skeptical, but did not comment further.
Tevelle turned her attention to the dance floor where Xeven was sweeping professor Sprout in a wide arc across the floor. Pomona was doing a credible job of keeping up and Tevelle was mildly impressed.
The rest of the night passed by quickly. Tevelle danced with Xeven a few more times: an upbeat foxtrot, a few other slow waltzes, a fast paced Viennese waltz, and a brisk quickstep. Several times, she took a break to chat with Hermione and Krum, who seemed to be greatly enjoying themselves. Though Hermione sent the occasional glare in the direction of one Ron Weasley who had taken a seat at a table across the hall.
When Tevelle retreated to her bed at the end of the night, she was worn out, but quite satisfied. It did not even occur to her that after supper she had not thought of Tom even once.
A/N: thanks for reading, please review.