Slight bit of head-hopping here onto Daphne's thoughts, mostly for comedic effect. (I didn't really want to remove the scenes and the thoughts make it a little less confusing. It's pretty astounding how bad I used to be at writing!)
Onwards with the chapter! (You have no idea how hard it was to make this make sense!)
Very raw, will be checked comprehensively for mistakes tomorrow as it's ten am and I ain't slept yet! If you see any do mention them!
...
After Daphne had left for her room, Rodrick relaxed into his pillow and mentally prepared himself for the upcoming party.
He'd never really been to one before- He doubted a Hogwarts feast counted. Idly turning towards the set of robes he'd hung near the door to the closest, he grimaced slightly at it.
He figured they'd bought that for him to wear, so as not to embarrass himself, or maybe themselves. He wasn't sure, but what he was sure of was that... It felt heavy to look at.
Letting out a slight sigh, he got up out of bed and prepared himself for the day.
...
The party preparation seemed to be going well he figured as he swept down the stairs, his gaze immediately landing on Roxanne Greengrass in the middle of preparing the ballroom. His first instinct at the sight was to offer to help with it, though before he could even open his mouth he found himself promptly called by Daphne, the girl further up the stairs, and who for some reason had chosen to dress back into her pajamas.
"Huh, you beat me here," The girl snorted, though immediately made to stifle a yawn.
"Yes, well, I didn't have to change... Again?" He remarked, with a slight shake of his head. The girl chose to ignore that comment as she reached him, took in the decorating mother, and let out a slight whistle.
"Where's Tracey and Astoria?" He questioned idly as he settled for watching the matriarch go through a few spells he didn't know- The woman evidently too focused to have noticed them.
"Still snoozin'" Daphne answered, before she took the last step down the stairs case and walked into the room, with him on her toes. "Mom, do you need any help?" She questioned, quickly gaining said woman's attention.
Well, that was one way to try and help he supposed, though he doubted he would've got a smile in return if he'd used the same title. He let out a mild snort at the thought.
"Hm?" Roxanne seemed to blink for a moment before letting out a frown. "Hmm... You can tell me if you like it so far?" She remarked with a slight chuckle, her hands on her hips as she indicated the room.
"Oh!" Daphne responded, a smile rapidly filling her face. "I get to choose what it looks like?" She questioned practically skipping towards her mom.
The woman rolled her eyes at the display. "Well, you can certainly have a word on it, though I won't be taking any advice on the sweets we serve today."
Idly remembering the little tidbit her father had said about her previous love of sweets, he at least got why the girl widened her eyes and put a finger to her lips in response to that. Which Roxanne seemed to find amusing, at least until she turned her gaze toward him. "How about you Rodrick, you want a hand in designing a party?"
"Yeah, yeah that's a great idea!" Daphne jumped in at the offer. "With both of us, we can outvote her if she tries to make it look like it's from the fifties!" She deadpanned, only to yelp at the subtle stinging hex the woman set off right next to her. "I am joking!" The girl immediately stated, quickly twirling on the spot to face her twitching, though still amused, mother.
"I'd like to help," Rodrick decided to reply. "Though I can't imagine I'd have any good ideas." He paused for a moment and idly took in the decorations. "Honestly, when I first walked in here, I thought it looked good enough already."
Both of them gave him bemused looks at that one before Daphne shook her head at him. "Ya know, for everything you know about magic, there really is still a lot you need to learn about it!"
He turned a look towards her at the words. "I wasn't aware magic had anything to do with one's opinion on how a ballroom's supposed to look."
"...I meant our culture?" The girl replied with a shrug after thinking it over.
"Hmm, I'd say magic has something to do with it to be fair." Roxanne elected to join in. "It'd certainly take some form of magic to convince yourself living flamingoes go well at a party." The woman muttered.
He blinked at that.
After a brief moment, both woman and girl promptly started chuckling to themselves at some sort of inside-
"I still remember seeing Tori getting chased by one because it tried to bite it," Daphne remarked, mid-chuckle.
Yeah... That was definitely an inside joke-
"I am not sure who was more embarrassed," Roxanne remarked wistfully. "Your father for Tori, or Malfoy for having one of his flamingoes ruin his appetizers."
...Huh.
"It was Malfoy's party?"
Daphne quickly nodded. "It was hilarious."
"Huh... You know, I really can see a Malfoy thinking that was appropriate decoration..." He snorted. "But now I can't stop picturing Draco with a Flamingo for an owl for some reason."
After another moment of laughter from the girl, Roxanne while amused having settled back into finishing her work, Daphne idly turned towards him with a hint of panic.
"Owls!" The girl said, pointing a finger at him. "Oh Merlin, we forgot about your owl, I haven't seen it anywhere!"
He blinked at her for a moment.
"Did- Did you forget it in the orphanage?"
He tilted his head at her.
"I don't have an owl, Daphne."
She blinked at him, while her mother paused for a moment having heard him.
"Why not?"
"Who am I gonna send a message to? The orphanage?" The girl opened her mouth to say something before he continued. "And honestly, even if I had someone there to send a message to, some other moron might try to fry it on sight."
"...Would they-"
"Absolutely." He nodded, seriously. "No doubt about it. I live with some borderline savages."
The girl frowned at him, her gaze lowering down towards the floor at that.
"So I am guessing you don't want one?" She questioned.
"Not particularly."
Her frown stayed on her face for a few more moments before she let out a sigh and turned toward her mother who was just staring at the two of them with a bemused, or rather an expression that showed she was thinking really hard about somethin- "Mom, can we get one of those muggle box things they send their letters to?"
Something flashed across the woman's face at that before she nodded. "Yes, I suppose that would work!"
"Uh..." He made to object. "I don't think that's necessary." He remarked.
"No, no, it is!" The girl crossed her arms. "How else are you going to keep in contact with everyone after you go back?"
"You realize that posting mail's expensive right?"
Her expression faltered.
He just shrugged at the look. "We don't need to keep in contact." He snorted. "We'll be back in the castle soon enough anyway,"
"But-" She crossed her arms again and just pouted at him. "Does your orphanage at least have a fireplace?"
"...Daphne I am not gonna talk to you through a fire if that's what you're thinking." He deadpanned. "They already call me a freak, and I'd rather not give them any actual reason to believe it as well."
Her frown deepened, and for a split second, she looked back to her before back to him and then straight at the floor again.
"Rodrick," Roxanne quietly called out, causing him to turn and find her standing right next to him, which surprised him a tad bit. He watched as she slowly lowered her head, and put a hand on his shoulder- His discomfort somewhat rising in him at the action though he didn't show it. "Would you like to-"
"No." He answered, almost immediately cutting the woman off and surprising her. He quickly shook his head. "I've lived there for almost twelve years," He chuckled. "I can handle a few more weeks until Hogwarts." He scoffed and subtly moved his shoulder away from the woman's hand- Which though she noticed she at least didn't comment on.
Still frowning, the woman raised her head back up and let out a sigh. "Is this about the gift from yesterday?" She questioned calmly.
He blinked at that, processing the question for a moment before he shook his head. "I wasn't particularly ready for that but, no." He let a small smile grow on his face. "And it's nothing to do with your home- I think it's quite nice in all honesty it's just..." He idly scratched at the back of his head, before averting his gaze from the still-frowning woman. "Not something I am used to."
"It's better than the orphanage isn't it?" Daphne blurted out, which for some reason earned a slightly wide-eyed and somewhat disapproving look from her mother for some reason.
He turned towards the girl at that.
"Miles better." He remarked easily. "But better isn't always something you can just change into." He turned back towards the woman. "I appreciate the offer, I do but." He took in a deep breath. "I think I'd rather deal with what I've got than rely on someone else." A beat passed. "No matter who."
The woman's frown disappeared into one resembling resignation, though with a slight smile to her- A smile that might've been there just to make him feel better.
"It's not wrong for a child to rely on adults, Rodrick." The woman remarked carefully. "There's nothing wrong with it."
He shook his head at that.
"It's not wrong for a child to rely on their family Mrs. Greengrass," Rodrick stated. "But trusting in... An acquaintance's goodwill is a slippery slope, even if you're friends with their daughter, and I've learned to be very careful of those." He added on, a neutral tone to his voice and when Daphne made to say something to do that, he promptly turned towards her. "I am not desperate you know." He remarked with a smile. "I am perfectly content to live my life the way I see fit, and for the moment, I see going back there as enough for me."
The girl briefly shared a look with her mother- Whose expression he really just couldn't read right now as she turned towards him- before Daphne turned back towards him. "But it's not a good place for you, it's not safe or healthy from what you've said-"
He mulled that over for a moment before he let out a chuckle and just patted her on the head, to her slight annoyance.
"It's filled with muggles Daphne, I am hardly going to be in any danger there."
And besides it's not like I am a saint, to begin with. He thought to himself.
The orphanage felt fitting for that reason alone- It was a viper's den, a Slytherin dorm but without any hint of comradery or subtlety, or even human decency... It was a place fit for someone who hid almost everything about himself from the world.
The Greengrass Manor, and the family for that, felt welcoming... Which he supposed is what made him feel guilty about everything that's happened.
About the gift... The laughter- His feelings, almost everything here felt far too... Genuine for him.
Roxanne let out a sigh and nodded, a smile on her face again. "I do believe you're capable of taking care of yourself, but if you change your mind, don't be afraid to let us know."
Yes.
The Greengrass Family really was simply too out of the ordinary for someone like him.
He had no doubt about that.
For all that he might've detested the Orphanage... He never did feel out of place in it. As bad as things could've ever gotten there, he realized with a slight numbness to himself. As bad those other kids were...
He was a Grindelwald.
As bad as any apple could get, being a Grindelwald made him the worst of the bunch.
It was funny how he'd never really realized that before.
...
The party seemed to be going well for the Greengrass family. Sure Rodrick didn't actually know what a bad one might look like but he'd assumed so given the cheery mood in the. He'd also been quite glad to find out that both Blaise had been invited.
"So, what's it like staying with her family?"
Rodrick stared at the boy before asking who he was referring to, feigning ignorance. Blaise stared back at him confused before he realized he was joking.
"Professor McGonagall," He quipped
Rodrick simply stared at him, amused. "Really? That was the best you could come up with?"
"Answer the question," Blaise rolled his eyes.
"It's been an experience... I'll say that much, certainly different from what I expected," He briefly looked down. "Learnt you can't refuse a gift from them."
Blaise raised an eyebrow at this, before letting out a snort when he realized what he'd meant.
"They asked me if I wanted to stay longer than planned as well," Rodrick admitted.
"Slippery slope," Blaise sighed beside him, his gaze scouring over the ballroom, searching for someone apparently.
"Yup."
"You said no, I am guessing."
"Yup."
"Figured."
He rolled his eyes at the other's response. "Really, got me figured have you?" He questioned amused.
"Somewhat." Blaise shrugged. "Charity doesn't seem like something you enjoy,"
"Oh, tell me about it." Rodrick snorted. "Hate giving away my things to the less fortunate." He added on, earning a chuckle.
"Not what I meant smartass."
"Yes, I am quite smart aren't I?"
Blaise just let out a sigh at that one. "You know, I'd make a joke about there being no one less fortunate than you, but you can use wandless magic." The boy remarked. "I think that balances it out."
"Hm." Rodrick tilted his head at that. "That's a good point." He admitted. "I really do wonder if I'd be willing to give my talent up for a stable family?"
"You'd have to be stupid too," Blaise replied with a shrug. "I got a... Well, semi-stable family and it's not all it's cracked up to be."
"Well I certainly wouldn't know, now would I?" Rodrick deadpanned.
"Gnomes are always stabler on the other side I suppose."
Rodrick processed that for a moment before he started chuckling. That's one way of putting it he supposed.
The other boy quickly took his attention when he nudged his shoulder in the direction of a nearby Slytherin, Draco Malfoy.
"Too bad his dad didn't show up," Remarked Blaise.
Rodrick tilted his head slightly at that before it occurred to him that yes, he was somewhat interested in meeting the boy's father- If only to ask him why he'd felt the need to take him sightseeing through Diagon Alley nearly a year ago... Unfortunately, it was Mrs. Malfoy and Draco that showed up.
"Any guesses as to why he involved himself?" asked Blaise.
Rodrick turned his head towards his friend, a bemused look on his face.
"Malfoy, why do you think he broke protocol for you?"
"...Only reason I can think of doesn't really bode well for me." He admitted.
Blaise raised an eyebrow at that.
"Family name." Rodrick clarified. "Only reason that makes sense but... He shouldn't know it... If he did he definitely wouldn't have taken me to Diagon Alley."
"...That bad?" Blaise questioned carefully as he put down the hopefully non-alcoholic drink he'd been holding. "Gonna tell me what it is?"
"Not unless you wanna be an accomplice."
Blaise blinked a few times at that before frowning.
"Accomplice for what? The hat Greengrass is wearing?" Blaise chortled.
"Azkaban." Rodrick corrected. "We'd be roomies."
Blaise processed that for a moment and called him a smartass again.
Amusing considering he wasn't exactly lying.
...
...
Their conversation, however, was cut short when Roxanne Greengrass officially opened up the ballroom for dancing, Rodrick and Blaise stared around the hall and saw people making their way over to the center. He quickly scanned around the room trying to find a dance partner much to Blaise's amusement. When his eyes landed on one, he hadn't known, Rodrick made his way over and started speaking to her.
Blaise stared with amusement at his friend attempting to get that girl to dance with him; he had been a little surprised at his choice, she wasn't good-looking. He was quite sure both their friends would be better options. However, it was then that he noticed the girl move away from Rodrick. Rejected? Blaise thought almost about to laugh before a sinking feeling went to his stomach when he realized the girl was now approaching him.
Oh, that freaking smartass.
The Greengrass Family was clearly a bad influence! When did he grow the-
...
...
Rodrick couldn't help his laughter. His moment of elation however disappeared when he was pulled from behind, he turned, and his eyes landed on green eyes set on a girl wearing a black dress and an amusing hat.
"Hello, Daph," Rodrick spoke amused.
Daphne had raised an eyebrow at the small smirk on his face, before she ignored it and quickly said- "Shut up and grab my waist," She'd spent most of the morning with Tracey running away from some boy who wouldn't leave them alone and kept on spouting nonsense about his important mother or something. As soon as the dance started she tailed out of it and found her line of defense while Tracey immediately latched on and started dancing with someone, a tad older, from their school, a Diggory. She assumed the height difference spelled disaster- But at least the guy seemed to take it in stride, and humor.
Rodrick took the hint and grabbed Daphne before starting their dance, though he couldn't help but notice some boy scowling at him before he realized what had happened.
"Is that all I am to you? A meat shield?" He joked, though for some reason she didn't take it as one given she looked slightly upset.
"Sorry, but you know I would've danced with you either way,"
Rodrick raised an eyebrow at the words. "I didn't know that, no."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "I can't tell if you're doing this on purpose or not anymore, you know." A beat passed as they somewhat managed to do a spin of sorts. "Even you can't be that clueless."
His shrug seemed to annoy her, though that at least didn't stop her from dancing with him, and honestly, he hadn't realized how fast time could quickly pass by doing something you enjoyed...
Tradition said that they would have to change partners every now and then, he'd seen Blaise happily trade away his at the first moment's notice.
So far, everyone was currently on their 3rd partner. Blaise had managed to dance with Tracey and Pansy from their year, and Tracey had managed one with Malfoy to his surprise. Which admittedly had thrown both him and Daphne for a loop- And by a loop, he meant he had a sore toe.
Still, neither of them elected to change.
Daphne seemed completely at peace with the way she was moving; a small smile lit up her face. On their fourth Dance, Rodrick noted a bemused look on Roxanne's face and an annoyed one on Cyrus's. They both mouthed the words 'change' to them and eventually, they both pretended to have finally seen it and decided to listen; they changed on the 6th dance.
It seemed the earlier boy had given up on the girls and started on the food at least- Though it meant Daphne found a partner in Neville Longbottom to his slight amusement.
He on the other hand was still looking for a partner; he saw Blaise talking to the girl he'd trapped him with earlier before he realized he was in trouble. Panicking, he grabbed the first girl he saw and asked her for a dance. She accepted thankfully, and he turned to find a dismayed look on Blaise's face.
"Thanks, I am Rodrick by the way," He spoke to the blonde in front of him.
She seemed to stare at him slightly wide-eyed for a moment before she answered. "No problem, I am Luna Lovegood."
Rodrick nodded before a slight feeling of unease started to take over him as he really took in the girl he'd somehow lucked onto; it wasn't the fact she was wearing a bright yellow dress that could blind a bird, it was the way the girl stared at his face. He felt his stomach churn when she smiled and spoke. Yet something in her eyes seemed almost haunted.
The tone of sadness in her voice was just creepy-
"You might look better you know?" She spoke.
Rodrick raised an eyebrow at this.
"I mean when you're not trying to fill your face up with all that magic."
Time seemed too slow for Rodrick. How!? How did she know?
Before he could ask, the girl stated his head was full of Wackspurt's, and it randomly lit up like a Lumos to her.
He didn't say anything, instead, he just stared at the girl in front of him and went along with it, there really wasn't much to say at this point besides.
"Don't tell anyone." He deadpanned, slightly taken back.
"They wouldn't believe me."
"Don't try to test that!" He whispered.
"I can only promise until September."
Was... Was that a threat?
He narrowed his eyes the slightest bit and made to ask-
"I will be starting school then so I'll probably be too occupied with you to remember."
Rodrick unnarrowed his eyes before he asked a question he'd quickly come to regret. "What would you be occupied with exactly."
"Trying to figure out why I keep seeing images of a large dark shadow every time I look into your eyes," She said cheerfully
Time stopped for Rodrick. He could only stare ahead of him at the two silvery eyes staring back at him. Rodrick's mind went through a whirl before he remembered the dream he'd had before, the dream of the night he'd seen Daphne dying in front of him, and blaming him for it- His mind seemed to collapse onto itself. He was no longer hearing the music or anything the girl in front of him was saying; his body was moving on autopilot.
Soon enough his mind was back in... This was a new place, he quickly realised.
No... Not new... The atmosphere felt the same as he stared around but... It wasn't...
It wasn't blank?
Looking straight ahead he found a manor that eerily resembled the one he was currently in right now and in front of it was... He held in the urge to vomit the moment he took in the young man, who stared back at him defiantly. It wasn't the man, though he was rather unnerving but all the bodies around him! Still, he shuddered when he saw the man's eyes; they were cold and promised vengeance on something or another and then he heard screams, unnatural screams filling the silence.
He took in what had upset his stomach, laid out in front of the man, dozens upon dozens of people crumpled on the floor, some in pain, some silent, some had looked like they'd melted into the floor. Dozens of different injuries- dozens of witches and wizards dead or dying.
The young man was staring at him and pointing behind him.
Rodrick turned around and saw the same young man, only he had a different look in his eyes, they were neither cold nor warm, they looked emotionless. He took in the familiar castle behind him. In front of the man were the same bodies as earlier but instead of being crumpled on the floor, they were standing straight, staring at the man with a look of reverence? Respect? Rodrick wasn't sure.
Two things he was certain of, however, both of them had distinct yellow eyes.
It wasn't long before he was taken out of the place and back into consciousness, the memories hazy and quickly disappearing entirely though... The feeling they sent through him remained all the same.
It felt... Set in stone almost.
He felt as if he were in a crossroads, with a hammer weighing down on him, warning him to choose a road to take-
He found it almost hard to breathe- Yet the moment the memory disappeared entirely, he let out a sigh of relief and focused back on reality.
He was still dancing with the blonde. She looked like she hadn't even noticed he wasn't paying attention. She was speaking about something he didn't understand and thankfully, it wasn't long before the partners were about to change.
She stared up at him, smiled, and thanked him for the three dances. Rodrick nodded his head and moved away. It had taken a few moments before he took in her words correctly and silently cursed at how much time had passed. Shaking his head, he quickly made his way over to the appetizers and almost ran into Daphne, who was sitting down, pretending to be tired.
He saw the look in her eyes, she was annoyed, apparently.
He elected to ignore it and focus back on what the hell had just happened!
Something could be said about the way time seemed to slip through without a person noticing, it was a rare moment for someone to experience it. At first, he'd thought the Halloween fiasco had been a lucky break- A one-time deal... Today just proved that wasn't the case.
Yes, it had technically started due to his dreams where he'd met his grandfather but those passed in a blur for him, and he knew they were real, half the time he woke up with new spells ingrained into his head, spells he'd never even heard of. Rodrick almost never had to dream about learning the same spell and given he'd started his schooling his grandfather had made it clear that he should practice on his own. There were only three exceptions to this rule. He could hardly practice those in public view after all.
In the end, however, he remembered all those dreams, when the time had slipped past him like nothing, it was because of those memories that he didn't panic.
Right now was an entirely different matter, he'd completely dozed off without realizing it. He'd spent three dances with a girl he'd never seen before with no memory of them occurring!
He knew he'd started to speak to her, but anything after that was blank. It was then that he'd realized that his Occulemency shields were in complete disarray, his grandfather was sure to reprimand him for this.
He turned towards Daphne.
"So... Did anything happen since we stopped dancing..." he started.
Daphne gave him a deadpan look. "Not a clue," She said with a false smile.
Rodrick stared at her before admitting that he actually had no memories since they split off.
Daphne's look softened slightly. When she saw the serious look on his face, she got somewhat worried.
It was at that point they saw Tracey and Blaise show up.
Rodrick barely had the energy to snort at his friend's face; he'd had to deal with that girl far too often for his likes.
Blaise had scowled at him before he noticed the worried look on Daphne's face.
She went on to explain what the boy had told her to the other two.
The next few minutes consisted of theories from them.
Tracey had considered a lack of sleep, Blaise thought the blonde had drugged him, and then a passing Astoria mentioned sweets.
The sweets comment got the group to stare at the nine-year-old girl before they saw her hands brought out in front of them, the group chuckled at the sight slightly before they decided to find some to enjoy.
Rodrick stayed behind in his seat as he saw the rest go, Daphne turned around when she noticed he was missing and found him staring down at the floor. Rodrick looked up and urged her to follow the group stating Blaise was a bad influence on her sister which got some out laughter from Tracey and a pair of rolled eyes from Blaise. Daphne nodded slightly before telling him to wait there.
He took in a deep breath and made to try and calm his jittering nerves yet the moment he let said breath out, the freakin' fireplace roared up to life, momentarily stopping everyone in their tracks as they turned to the late arrival.
Rodrick's head pounded a little harder at that sound, and he failed to notice the sheer utter glare on his face as he looked up towards said latecomers and found one...
Who the hell's this fossil? He thought to himself, the migraine in his head getting worse as he practically saw almost everyone's eyes widen at the wizard's presence. Shock and confusion radiated out of most of the adults for some reason.
He just held his head and rockily got up from the seat just as the wizard that had arrived took a few steps into the manor proper-
He wasn't sure why everyone had stopped moving- But it certainly made it easier to walk past them, his hand still holding his migraine-infested head.
"Aha, you must be-" He quickly put a silencing charm up as the voice seemed to make his headache worse for some reason-
When he almost reached the staircase, his destination was his room. When he saw the shadow in front of him get closer and larger, he let out a sigh and quickly turned invisible- Yet it didn't seem to deter the shadow as it freakin' followed him!
With a twitch, he looked up to the old fossil directly staring at him with a rather deranged smile that for some strange reason just pissed. Him. Off.
Naturally. In light of that, Rodrick just stunned him and walked past.
It'd wear off in twenty seconds, and by then he'd hopefully be in bed.
He could always apologize to Daphne's parents later.
...
Luna Lovegood was currently sitting down at one of the tables enjoying a drink, her father had, of course, made sure she didn't drink anything bad. She saw her father stop his conversation with an uptight wizard to stare at someone else.
She turned her attention elsewhere and watched the boy she'd danced with turn into thin air.
She idly wondered if she could learn how to do that- And then promptly widened her eyes as she watched the late old man try to talk to the invisible boy as if he could see him!
Oh, she had to learn that-
And then the old man froze for some reason.
Huh... She idly wondered if that was the cost of talking to invisible creatures. That didn't seem very worth it...
Looking around, she took in the shocked and uneasy faces around her- And the few facepalms from the boy's friends and the slight dread on the host of the parties' faces. The beautiful witch even covered her mouth at what had happened which must've made it a big deal.
Though it can't have been that big of a deal if she found it slightly funny...
Eh... Grown-up stuff is so confusing. She shook her head and focused back on her father's newspaper, though for some reason it had stopped making sense to her ever since the dances...
With a sigh, she turned back her attention to the boy she'd danced with.
She had honestly never seen anyone like him before; there was a strange glow about his body that made no sense. She had at first assumed that he was using magic to hide his face, but when they'd broken off she found the glow encompassing his whole body, she was curious if he changed his everything.
That wasn't what intrigued her, however, it was his eyes. There was something about them that entranced her and frankly scared her. When she'd danced with him, she had stared into them accidentally with him being a little taller. She couldn't quite explain why, but as soon as she saw them, the glow surrounding him seemed to grow more and more until eventually, it looked like a dark shadow had encompassed him, his eyes the only thing visible. When she blinked, it had disappeared, and the boy looked normal.
Honestly, she really shouldn't have mentioned it; the boy seemed like he'd had a panic attack, although he did remain silent for the rest of their dances. She had enjoyed all three of them much more when she wasn't seeing the shade; he didn't interrupt her at all as she spoke about her father's newspaper. Curiously when their dance ended, and she searched his eyes, the shade didn't appear again.
She wanted to go over and speak to him about it, but he seemed preoccupied with turning into thin air.
That had to be exhausting.
Oh well, maybe I can ask him when I join his school, the blonde girl thought before she turned her attention back to her upside-down newspaper.
...
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