"Will you go to-"
"Sorry, I already have someone in mind for the ball." Lena gave a soft smile that was slowly getting less soft with every rejection she gave (and got).
Moody had laughed at her, Severus told her he didn't have the time for such nonsense, Dumbledore just said he wasn't allowed to go with her, and Janus winced (which told her he was reluctantly saying no).
Finally, she got through the crowd to the head of the Slytherin table.
Surprisingly it was all other houses asking her, as none of the Slytherins even tried to approach her about anything more than normal homework questions and dancing tips. It had gotten around that she was good at dancing- when in reality all of her skill had come from asking Draco for help, her excellent balance, and a knack for remembering things.
Draco was going with Charles (to everyone's surprise), Daphne with Theo, Viktor with Hermione, Fleur with Luna, so only Blaise and Cedric didn't have dates.
Lena sighed as she sat down, leaning into where Cedric had decided to sit with them, feeling a bit better when he put his arm around her. "I can only think of three people I find attractive and none of them are the people hounding me for a date. Not to mention Professor Babbling now wants me to try to go for my Runes Mastery next year… I think I might need to plead to Dumbledore about skipping the Yule Ball, if just for my sanity."
"How about this?" Pushing her back slightly, Cedric moved to stand, looking down at her with a smirk when the hall seemed to quiet down.
She blinked, before sending him a quizzical look.
"Lena Farland… will you go with me to the Yule Ball?"
"Say no."
Quiet in the peanut gallery.
She took his offered hand, standing up next to him. "I will, Cedric Diggory." Then a whole flock of owls flew overhead and showered their surrounding area in rose petals. She giggled, and they both laughed together. "You're- you're such a sap."
"Gross." Riddle pouted.
"Was it okay?" Cedric's voice had lowered, sounding slightly embarrassed.
She smiled reassuringly. "It was lovely." She reached a hand up to take a flower petal from his hair, letting it fall to the floor with her lips tugging up into a smile. "You set this all up?"
The boy smiled, embarrassed, and looked to where Fleur was sitting with her arm around Luna. "I had a bit of help."
Fleur winked and Luna smiling serenely.
"Good thing my mother found that dress for you," Blaise looked to Diggory with something dark in his eyes even as he smiled, "as it's easy to match silver with black dress robes."
Cedric smiled in relief but Lena blinked at the Italian boy. "What- wait you knew about the tournament?"
"Of course he did." Draco rolled his eyes, but there was a smirk hiding on his lips. "His new step-father is- well- was working in the International Communications in the Ministry. Tragic, his untimely disappearance right before the start of the school year though..."
Blaise just gave her a grin that said as much as she needed to know.
She hummed, turning back to her lunch. "I knew I liked your mom for a reason other than her pet lion."
The Slytherins took the day off to relax in the Common Room before the Ball, but when a timer went off for three hours till all the girls seemed to start heading for the stairs in groups. Lena was dragged away from her jeans and hot chocolate by Ginny (who had ended up being asked by Blaise), Fleur, and Daphne.
She mostly helped with the other's hair, as hers was going to be left to fall down her shoulders in soft waves as she'd had braids in all day, and then Daphne taught them charms to apply basic makeup charms.
Finally putting on her dress, having Ginny stolen by her other friends, she and the others talked about frivolous and silly things until Daphne clapped her hands and made them get their shoes on. Showing them spells to balance the high-heels better and to prevent blisters, the girl stopped her from leaving. "You're forgetting something."
Lena blinked. "What?"
"Well, first that locket- it clashes with your dress- and also… this." The black and green crown was handed to her. "You are the Queen. Plus, you can make a temporary gold and black one for Cedric"
Huffing she took the crown, putting it on, and then doing a low-level sticking charm to her hair, charming it against summoning or tampering. "Yes alright. But the locket-"
Daphne cut her off. "Has to go!~" Reaching for the locket, the girl jolted back, frowning. "It shocked me!"
"Of course I did, insolent girl."
"Daph, it's not something I want to take off, even for this."
The girl pouted. "Pleaseeeee Lena? You'd look perfect without it!"
"Don't you dare."
Hey, darling, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll put you back on as soon as I get back to the room.
"What? No! Don't take me off! What if that boy gets ideas in his head abo-"
Shaking her head slightly, she took the locket off and carefully put it in the locked compartment of her trunk, standing. "Alright. Can we go now?"
Nodding with a wide grin, Daphne dragged her down through the mostly-empty common room, Theo waiting for them. He smiled at her. "You look lovely Lena, and Daphne… you made the stars weep you're so beautiful, I think that my heart might just-"
"Where's Cedric?" She cut him off before they got lost in each other's eyes or something.
"Uh- right. He went down to wait with Viktor for Hermione."
Nodding and leaving quickly, hearing the poetry start back up, she shivered slightly at the cold of the dungeons against her exposed back and moved towards the main staircase. Spotting Cedric though the few mingling students left, she smiled brightly and moved to his side slipping her arm into his. "Ready to dance?"
Looking at her with wide eyes, the boy blinked a few times. "Lena… You look beautiful."
Flushing slightly at his unusually stunned gaze, she had to force herself not to look away from his gaze. "Daphne's fault."
"I'll have to get her a box of chocolates then." Grinning at her in the fond way of his, he held out his arm, noticing that Viktor and Hermione had shown.
She quickly transfigured a golden crown for him, setting it on his head before taking his arm. "There. Perfect."
Cedric smiled cheekily. "Are you ready to dance the night away with me, dear?"
How wrong that pet name sounded from his lips.
Ignoring the way her insides twisted at that thought, she nodded and took his arm, both gliding over to where McGonagall was hurriedly trying to get them in line. "Oh- Miss Farland, Mr. Diggory- are you two allowed to be wearing those crowns?"
Lena smiled at the teacher. "It is a tradition of the Slytherin house for the Royalty to wear when a Yule Ball is hosted apparently and I didn't want my date to feel left out."
Or, well, they were now, according to her being the heir and making shit up as she went.
The woman seemed to accept this, nodding and opening the doors.
"You're just waiting until we can leave, aren't you?" Cedric smiled at her as they walked after the rest of the couples, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.
"Well I've never ice skated a dress before and I know a bunch of warming charms." Her voice was barely audible, but she shared a smile with him and they both took to dancing, moving together easily after the first few off-beat steps. "And honestly, I would rather not dance with every teenage boy in this room that's ego won't let them take no for an answer."
When Cedric was supposed to lift her into the air briefly, he took her waist and lifted her into the air much higher than she expected, startling laughter out of her.
"I wouldn't let that happen." Setting her down lightly, the boy smiled. "Janus- your older friend- is here, same with Draco, Blaise, and Viktor… plus, I think that a few teachers might even dance with you."
She beamed at him. "You planned this out."
Cedric gave her a wink. "Perhaps." The boy spun her out and she was caught in Blaise's arms, Ginny dancing away with Cedric easily.
"You look wonderful Lena." Blaise's smile was soft and familiar, but his hands weren't as warm as-
Get a grip, Farland, and stop comparing everyone to Riddle. Now who's obsessed?
She danced with what seemed like half of Slytherin, then half the teachers (Moody and her dancing was like an ongoing trainwreck and she got the sense that the only reason no one stopped them was that she couldn't stop laughing), before finally, Cedric caught back up to her and they moved outside towards the lake.
Transfiguring her heels to skates, Lena smiled at Cedric, bowing slightly. "May I have this dance, Diggory?"
"Certainly, Farland."
They both wrinkled their noses at each other, before chuckling together and starting to skate across the frozen lake, which she found the older boy was quite good at.
Moving to stand by Barty Jr, Tom watched the girl with hair like ink laugh as she skated across the lake with the boy- Diggory. "Are they close?"
Barty glanced at him, seeing through his glamour easily with the magical eye. He knew that Dumbledore knew he was here too, but surprisingly the old man had just eyed him warily before moving to dance with Lena. However, the man that was one of his closest advisors seemed reluctant to tell him anything about the girl, much to his irritation. "Diggory and her… are unlikely to be more than friends."
"And Zabini?"
He knew that Barty was studying him. "They know each other like the back of their hands, but I believe she does not fully understand the extent of his feelings for her. However… I am to believe that she would seek retribution against whoever hurt her friends, no matter what house, and no matter who you are."
"I see…" Tucking his hands in his pocket, he smiled thinly at the man. "Keep up the good work Barty. I will be back for the second task… not that the first one wasn't wholly engaging. " Turning, he walked towards the edge of the wards, eyes following the girl whose dress glittered in the light she'd made and fanned out around her as the boy spun her on the ice.
He wouldn't mind seeing her dressed in such finery and jewels every day of his life…
But for now, he would be patient.
Cedric and she had split after he had (admittedly, very nicely) asked if he could kiss her, and she had stopped him, telling him that maybe she had misled him, but that he was like a brother to her. He'd looked a bit forlorn as he turned away, but she couldn't find the will to go after him, instead sighing and turning her eyes around the hall as if to look for someone she knew.
And find someone she did.
Hermione Granger was sitting on the stairs, crying softly.
Lena moved over to her, taking off her crown and setting it on the girl's head. "Come on then- princesses don't cry..." She held out her hand with a slight smile. "Dance with me? I have yet to dance with a beautiful girl this eve, just handsome boys."
The girl sniffed, wiping her eyes. "You- you want to dance? With me?"
"Who wouldn't? You're stunning in that dress, not that it's anything less than usual." She helped the girl up, gesturing to the pale blue dress the girl was wearing. "Come on, dance with me for a while and forget who we are? Tonight you can be the Queen of Slytherin and I'll just be another Gryffindor."
Giggling, the girl smiled wobbly, taking her hand. "I wouldn't be a very good Queen."
She snorted. "Welcome to the club. I swear, the only reason none of the others try to challenge me is not because of my magic, but because I supply them with chocolate and get along with the elves."
"Oh! Would you want to join my club to free the elves?"
Lena raised an eyebrow, starting to dance with the girl. "You have people following you on that?"
Hermione flushed lightly. "Well… no."
"That's because elves survive by being bound to a witch or wizard. They are made from magic, but without a core to stabilize it themselves. They were exceedingly rare way back when, usually called sprites or brownies, but since they've bonded with wizards their species has flourished." At the girl's small frown, she smiled softly and twirled her around. "I am not saying that some more warped families should be allowed to take in elves and abuse them, but I am saying if you're looking to talk about their rights, you're going about it the wrong way. Maybe instead of freeing them, you should focus more on making laws against their abuse."
"I… never thought about it like that."
Talking into the night about the Ministry and its failing of magical creatures, they split at the end of the night, thanking each other for the engaging conversation.
Humming as she made her way into the Common Room, she saw Blaise looking into the fire at something dancing with light among the flames.
Lena froze.
A gold locket was in the fire.
"NO!" Running forward, she fell to her knees, her magic curling around the locket in a shield and she lifted it out of the flames, gently setting it on the floor. "Why… why would you-"
There was no emotion in the boy's voice, eyes cold as ice. "It's not right, Lena. You know that. Whatever it was, it was changing you."
"Lena?" Ginny rushed over, spying the locket and paling slightly. "Oh, I'm so sorry- I didn't know he wanted- I didn't mean to-"
"You used her to open my trunk, didn't you?... Because she probably still remembers a few words and I bet 'open' is one of them. And then… and then what? You decide to take the one thing I covet enough to protect like that and just- just throw it in the fire? "
Letting the locket cool, she touched it with her other hand and gave a soft sigh of relief when if pulsed as if angry against her hand, but seemed to settle at her touch.
The boy looked a bit lost. "It was distorting your thoughts and-"
"Stop." Lena frowned up at the boy. "I would like it if you look me in the eyes and truthfully explain your actions. You're so dear to me- you should have known how tightly I grip what is mine. How could you not think I would be upset at you trying to destroy what I protect?"
Violet eyes looking up to meet hers, she skimmed her surface thoughts without trouble, sensing nothing but guilt and shame.
Blaise looked away from her eyes. "I… I have no excuse for my actions. I thought that maybe the locket was possessing you like- like the other object did to Ginny. I thought that-... that I might lose you."
Lena turned to look at the fire, slowly standing, locked clasped in her hand tightly. Reminding herself to breathe, she let all of her anger out in a long sigh- the fire raging up for a second with the wave of magic she let go of. "The memory of someone I hold in the highest respect is in this locket. And other than this, there is one more- One more memory made and I don't know where it is… If I had lost this..."
"S- sorry…" His whisper was soft.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly. "I forgive you."
"You- you what?" He looked up, wide-eyed with surprise.
"I forgive you." She looked up, smiling thinly at him. "Because you are mine and will always be so. Because even in pain it is my duty to watch over you…" Her smile was soft with a sharpness behind it, pulling the boy into her arms, letting him wrap himself around her. "And because the guilt of being forgiven will suffocate you until you accept that you will not ever try to betray me like this again."
He shook, seeming to melt into her as he sobbed silently. "I- I'm so sorry. I didn't mean- I'm so so so sorry Lena."
"I know… and it's alright. You are forgiven in my eyes and the eyes of my house. You were just merely misguided and I understand your worry for me." Slowly the boy calmed and she waved Draco to guide him to his seat, before looking out on her House of Snakes that had assembled to watch the conflict. "I cannot say that I know what love is, or exactly how to feel it, but I know protection and all of you are under my protection. That means I will forgive you. Not for everything and don't you think for a second that you are above my wrath because of this, but I will try, because I believe that everyone deserves that."
Ginny was the first to hug her and then the room came together in a big hug around her.
She laughed softly. "Now go to bed you slippery snakes. It's been a long day and you all should get some rest."
Lena was careful to change the password to her locked compartment to a random phrase in parseltongue, even as she kept the locket close- and thought she'd forgiven Blaise there was still a tiny hit of hesitation on his part whenever she would reach for his hand or go to talk to him.
Cedric had gone back to sitting at the Hufflepuff table and though Charlie had told Draco (who told her) that the older boy wasn't upset, she resigned herself to the wintery month being sort of awkward.
Thank Merlin for Balkan teenage boys.
Viktor had seen her slightly sullen mood, working with his whole posse of troublemakers to sneak fire-whiskey into the Common Room, starting up house-wide drinking games and (accidentally) putting on a production of some drunken Opera that had everyone in fits of laughter.
However, her January came to a peak when she had gone to take a day with Janus out at Hogsmeade to catch up and found Lily Potter standing with Dumbledore awkwardly.
She blinked slowly. "You want to what?"
"I would like to get to know you." The red-haired woman glanced at the Headmaster as if unsure, then looked back to Lena with determination in her green eyes. "I know that you and Sirius had some issues when we all last saw each other, and Remus wasn't sure you'd want to see him, so I asked Albus to come with... Charlie tells me you're close so..."
The old man smiled brightly, eyes twinkling as he set a hand on her shoulder gently, telegraphing his movements so she knew not to flinch back. "My dear girl, Lily does want to get to know you for who you are. She had promised to hold no judgments to your character."
"I like her eyes."
The ultimate vote of confidence- you like her eyes. Wow. She must be a wonderful person.
Riddle huffed. "Though her eyes are less pretty than yours."
Does that make me more trustworthy?
"To me? Or to a normal person? Because no normal person in their right mind should trust that innocent look on your face, but I would anyways."
I really don't know what to say to that.
"You're welcome."
Realizing that she'd been frowning at the two adults for a while, she sighed and looked to Janus. "We will get to Hogsmeade eventually. Or I will make Severus wear all pink and belly-dance in the Great Hall."
The older boy laughed softly, patting her head with a fond smile. "That... I'll have to clear up my schedule to make sure you don't ever make that happen, as I'm pretty sure Theo's eyes would explode and Daphne would never forgive you."
Lena's lips quirked up, watching Janus walk away before sighing and looking to Lily Potter. "Where are you kidnapping me to then?"
"If this was a kidnapping we wouldn't tell you we are headed to-"
"It's a surprise." The woman smiled as if that was the most exciting thing in the world and Lena was a child, walking out the front doors as if expecting them to follow.
She looked at Dumbledore, who was frowning slightly at Lily's back. "If she kills us, I'm going to tell the devil to send me back so I can resurrect you and kill you myself for making me feel as if this was safe."
The old man nodded and his frown lessened slightly when he looked to her. "I believe that's fair." Holding out his arm, he smiled. "Help out an old man?"
"Only because I'm plotting your murder and need more data." Lena hooked arms with him and they walked in comfortable silence following the red-headed woman.
They finally stopped at a familiar chocolate shop, Dumbledore winking down at her when she raised an eyebrow at him.
Lily Potter entered the small shop, sitting at a table and waiting until they did the same. "I found this place because Charlie's obsessed with the caramel chocolates here and he wanted some for his birthday party this summer- he told me that you like chocolate and I thought you might like it here, as it's a pretty new place and-"
"Lena!" The shop owner, master chef, and former Slytherin- Marie Meyza- moved to pull her up into a big hug. "I told Isaiah he was being mopey when he said you'd forgotten about us down here! You've been in the papers with all that horrible tournament stuff and he thought you'd be down here to get your share of chocolate the second you were entered!"
"I was afraid that if I came down here I'd be threatened into talking half the shop." She grinned up at the woman. "After all, I had planned to come here with Janus today before my plans were changed."
Isaiah Duval padded over to where his wife was smothering her, raising an eyebrow. "Ah. Our ever so busy Lady Lena has returned," he eyed the two adults with her and sneered just slightly, "and with poor taste in company too."
Dumbledore chuckled merrily. "Isaiah, my boy-"
The former Ravenclaw's eyes were sharp when he looked at the Headmaster. "For the last time- Just because you are old does not mean you get a discount." Then with a huff, he stalked off.
"He's in a good mood." Lena's lips quirked up slightly.
"That didn't seem like a good mood to me."
Ah, well that's just Isaiah for you.
Marie grinned and then patted her head, finally releasing her. "It's good to see you. Let me know if you need anything."
When Lena sat down she was met with a small frown from the woman sitting across from her. "You already knew about this place?"
"Lily." Dumbledore's sigh was small, even if his eyes were still twinkling. "If you had listened to me when I tried to explain- Lena was the one who found Marie and Isaiah the building space, setting them up with a small starting fund and getting them the review of a highly acclaimed critic... She already knew of this delightful shop because she was the one who put it here."
The woman gaped at her. "But- you- that's not..."
"You know, it's not very nice to say that you will hold no judgments to someone's character and then blatantly go against your word." Standing, she nodded to Dumbledore. "And with all that lovely time talking on the way down and the refreshing air on non-judgment- I am going to go my second favorite place in Hogsmede- The Hog's Head."
"But- but that's where-" Lily looked to Dumbledore as if he would back her up. "That's a bar for dark wizards!"
Lena saw both Marie and Isaiah stiffen from out of the corner of her eye, as they had been part of the houses of the 'dark' before Lena had come along and put a no-tolerance policy on that type of nonsense, her magic building under her skin in response.
However, Dumbledore stood before she could do anything, eyes a flat blue with an unimpressed curl to his lips. "My brother owns that bar. Are you implying that my younger brother is worth anything less than you are? Because if so, I think you might have listened to intently to James' war-mongering ideals. I understand that when fighting the last war there were two sides, but the war was ended and there should no longer be this type of discrimination put on those not even involved. Perhaps you, Sirius, and Remus should step outside your bubble and understand that there is no right side to war. It is just that. War."
Setting a hand on the old Headmaster's arm, she sent a small pain-relief spell through her hand, knowing that his intimidatingly straight posture would have him frowning by the time they started to walk back. "Come on, Gramps. Abe's probably wondering where I am."
"Your usual." Marie moved over, holding out a bag with a small smile to Dumbledore. "With a few extra lemons for the old man."
"Thanks, Marie." Then with a tug to the purple and blue robes (which were surprisingly not exceedingly horrible today) of the wizened man, they started to trudge towards The Hog's Head
"She irks you, doesn't she?"
You could say that.
"Well, let me say, I was wrong about her... Maybe green eyes are a built-in warning sign for others to stay away from the beautiful females that have them."
Oh really? And would you comply with that warning?
Riddle chuckled lowly. "Maybe with others, but with you? Never. I invite you to do your worst to me, darling, as that's exactly what I want."