Dusk was falling on a pleasant spring evening in Hogsmeade. Passing by the village's little thatched cottages and shops, pairs of festively dressed students made their way from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade castle; the boys dressed smartly in black dress robes with white, buttoned-down shirts underneath, and the girls wearing elegant bare-shouldered dresses with large skirts in every colour imaginable. Some eagerly and some awkwardly, the students walked arm in arm and made conversation about the ball they would soon arrive at. This year's repetition of the earlier successful Yule Ball was a ball masqué, only to be attended by students in the fourth year and above. Hogsmeade's Gladrags Wizardwear had done good business in the past few weeks, selling exuberant masks with still-fluttering feathers, glitter that unexpectedly burst into flames and special dress-off-features for large noses.
The colourful trail of students led to Hogsmeade castle, a sturdy building sitting on a small hill to the east of the village. From its opened entrance doors, the yellow flickering light of candles and fires spilled outside, accompanied by chatter and laughter and Spellbound Symphonic's dancing music. All were drawn inside by this liveliness and warmth. All, except for one young man on the terrace at the backside of castle. In the falling darkness, he leaned on a bartable, pussing the olive in his glass of Charmtini around.
"Day and night," he muttered to himself, "day and night long I get to do his dirty jobs. I'm standing outside here waiting, while he is inside trying to pick up a girl. And I'm sure he will find a pretty one quickly, with his fancy-looking four-hundred-Galleon dress robes and his aristocratic features."
The man tried to straigthen a crease in his own worn-down dress robes, and swallowed a large gulp of his Charmtini. "And then of course I, Leo Prello, have to make sure that he can get her home to the hotel where we are staying without any problems. Husbands, boyfriends, fathers... always so many men to take care of. I wonder if he'll pick a single girl this time."
Leo's musings were interrupted by the sound of the backdoor of the castle opening. He quickly drained the the remaining Charmtini in his glass and disappeared into the darkness under a group of trees. Indeed, the man coming out of the door was the one he had been thinking about: Sir John Van Ee. Sir John was a tall man with dark hair and large green mischievous eyes, or rather, a boy. With him was a slender, red-haired girl in a green dress. Under her glittering mask, her small lips were speaking buoyantly:
"With all these travels, I can't imagine you've never been in Hogsmeade before! I mean, it's the only all-wizarding town in Britain! But then, you're not British of course." The girl smiled and took a liberal sip from her drink. "So, what did you want to show me here again?" Expectantly, her eyes glittered in the last remaining light.
"I wanted to see how beautifully the moon illuminates your fair skin," Sir John said, raising his hand and trailing his fingers over the part of the girl's cheek uncovered by her mask. The girl abruptly stepped backwards.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Didn't you see I have a boyfriend? Who are you, anyway? You're not a student."
"What does it matter?" Sir John said playfully. "All that matters is that we are here together and that you look fantastic in this dress." He stepped closer to the girl and placed his hand on her waist.
"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed. "Tell me who you are right now. Take off your mask so I can see you!"
"Now now, no need to be so pious," Sir John said, placing his hand in her neck and moving in closer to kiss her. With one arm the girl aggressively shoved his hand from her neck and with the other she reached for his mask, trying to pull it off. Sir John grabbed both her wrists and spoke more soothing words, but they drowned in the girl's yelling:
"LET ME GO!"