As promised, here's the second part of "The Last Ball." Hope you enjoy!
By the time the orchestra was replaced with a live band, the five were properly pissed, as prescribed by Lily Evans.
Blanche had actually not attempted to incite a rebellion of drunkenness. She was only trying to loosen up the icy armour she found her muscles locked in. She was nervous. The evening before, in Sirius' canopy-drawn bed, Blanche had secretly decided she was going to try to open her mind to the physical intimacy of a relationship. She thought she was ready to take on another territory—though she wasn't sure which territory. If she were completely honest with herself, she didn't really know anything about any territories. Anyways, she figured that the Last Ball would serve as an appropriate time to tell Sirius. But now it was up to her overcoming her own anxieties.
The champagne had oiled her gears, it seemed. She and Sirius were dancing sloppily but sillily, as they once did on their first date—which seemed like just yesterday to her.
"Spin for me!" He looped her arm around, allowing her to whirl in a circle then crash into him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and lay her cheek on his black tie, heaving a deep breath before looking up and opening her mouth to tell him.
"Mate, can you believe this? Last Ball. Do you remember First Ball?" James was suddenly hanging tipsily off of Sirius' shoulder. "I danced with Mary MacDonald and you with that Hufflepuff fitty, what was her name… Zelda Ingress! And you had to leave because you got a—"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius slurred, stomping through James' laughter. "If I need to remind you, I got around to that later… Fifth year, I think? Not as great as I'd fantasised."
Blanche visibly grimaced. This wasn't an unusual comment for Sirius, and typically Blanche would just roll her eyes, sigh, or make fun of him. But this was perhaps the first time she had been truly stunned by his indelicacy. Not as great as I fantasised, she heard his words repeat themselves in her mind. What if he thought that about her? Why wouldn't he? She would have no idea what she was doing, after all.
Lily was startled herself. She watched the guilt, anger, and confusion contort Blanche's beautiful face. Her catlike, cornflower blue eyes were wide as she looked up to Sirius, still laughing boyishly with James.
"Uhm, Sirius, if you haven't noticed, your—" Lily began, looking between the couple. But she spotted the warm vulnerability in Blanche's eyes ice over and the expression wipe from her face.
"Hey, you two," she alerted James and Sirius, pushing a friendly, unhurt grin to her face. "How about one last big prank before the clock runs out? An endearing reminder of our legacy?"
"Oh, we could shrink all the Ravenclaws to the size of thumbnails!" James suggested eagerly.
"No James, the Quidditch game is in just a couple of days. You'll get disqualified. We can shrink all the Slytherins? Or at least Snivellus' gang?" Blanche proposed, then looked out to the crowd with a furrowed brow. "Speaking of, where is that toerag? I haven't encountered his gloomy presence yet."
"Oh, I've already taken care of all of that," Sirius perked up. James and Blanche both looked to him with confounded faces.
"Which? Snivellus or the prank?" Blanche enquired.
"Both."
"Oh, do tell!" James leaned in even closer. A youthful gleam of thrill rose to the apples of his cheeks.
"So, you know how Snivellus has had those suspicions about Moony, and won't leave the poor man alone?"
"Sure," answered James.
"Well, for a while I've been quietly conversing with Snivellus, telling him that I share his suspicions and that I once tried to follow Remus out late at night but didn't get past the Willow," Sirius explained steadily, his grey eyes taking on a darker shade—but not in the way she liked, when he was beside her and impassioned with warm mouths and scattered hands. They were sinister; she'd seen them turn like this before, but it was usually just before he crossed a boundary. Blanche looked to James and saw the grin had dropped from his face—the smile lines were still fresh in his cheeks. "So, I told him how to get in and that I saw Moony heading out there earlier today."
James was silent for a moment, and so was Lily and Blanche. Then he spoke: "You did what?" James shouted over the blaring band.
"I sent Snivellus out to Remus."
"But he's locked up transforming in there!" James refuted.
"Serves him right after what he did to Blanche."
Blanche's brow knitted together in an uncomfortable array of confusion. Initially, she was angry with his lack of general decorum and awareness. For that, her decision to physically expand their relationship was already faltering. Furthermore, he had lied and kept her out of his wicked manoeuvrings—which he never did—and, even worse, under the pretence of avenging her attack.
If anyone isn't ready, it's him.
The thought came to her as James erupted in anger, barely constrained by Lily. And Sirius, exceedingly self-protective in his drunkenness, fought back.
"Did you know about this?!" James eventually turned to her, pointing a finger in her face.
"Don't you say anything to her—" Sirius started.
"Excuse me, but I can speak for myself," she irately and loudly interrupted, looking coldly at Sirius then turning back to her inquisitor. "And I can also exact retribution myself for others' actions against me, OR choose not to—which is what I did! So to answer your question, James, no—I had zero knowledge of this impenetrable folly. Thus, get your fucking hand out of my fucking face!"
James startled, lowering his hand until Lily grabbed it and pulled it back for him. The grate of her inflamed voice seemed to lower the tempers of both the boys.
"Now, seeing you two are the only Animagi worth a single knut in this place, why don't you go save Snape's life and—which should be even more important to you egomaniacal pricks—any self-respect and dignity your best friend will have left for himself after he tears apart an innocent student!"
Both the boys paused, staring moon-eyed at Blanche, until Lily slapped them both on the arms and shouted: "Go, you numbskulls!"
In the Prefects' Bathroom, Lily and Blanche sat along the side of the frothing pool of a tub with their feet tickling the water. Their dresses were pulled up around their thighs and they shared a bottle of stolen champagne. They had decided to leave the Last Ball early at Lily's prompting—she could see the muddle of emotion in Blanche's features, no matter how unfeeling she insisted they appear.
"I don't know why Sirius would do something like that," Blanche commented, shaking her head, breaking through the sea-salted songs the mermaid in the window sang.
"He's impulsive when it comes to you… Short-sighted. But it's only because he loves you," Lily offered. "Contrary to his frequent lack of romantic tact."
"What do you mean?" Blanche looked to her, taking a swig from the bottle.
"Talking about another girl like that in front of you," Lily shook her head. "It's tactless and coarse. Maybe he could say that before, but not now."
"I never really thought about it before, but it makes me sad," Blanche quietly confessed, but kept her sorrow far from her face. Lily could only just see it in the blues of her eyes. "What if he thinks I'm like that? 'Not as great as he fantasised?'" She sheepishly repeated.
Lily wasn't sure how to answer at first. Blanche was a lot more sensitive than she ever let on, and she took what the people closest to her said to heart—every word of it. And now that Sirius was closer than ever, his each and every word would have the gravity of the Earth to her. So Lily selected delicately.
"Blanche, Sirius has always been in love with you. You have no idea how much he's loved you over the years—"
"Oh, I always knew," she rolled her eyes, and Lily could tell she was losing her.
"No, you didn't know everything. You never saw the way he stared at you when you weren't looking, you never heard him defend you when you weren't there… Remember when Peter had that nasty black eye last year and said it was from getting hit in the face with a Bludger at Quidditch tryouts? That was from Sirius when Peter made some snarky comment about you at breakfast," Lily informed her, causing Blanche's cool features to melt minutely. "And James tells me whenever Sirius keeps he and Remus up all night, trying to figure you out. And he tells me whenever he's miserable over something he's done to hurt you, and how he doesn't eat or sleep or laugh or fool around at all when he is. And I bet you he feels that way right now."
"But that's my point!" Blanche exclaimed. "His expectations are so high! He thinks so much of me… What if I let him down? It's not like I'll have any idea what I'm doing anyways…"
"You literally cannot let him down. You're not his fantasy, he believes you're the love of his life!" Lily let it slip. Perhaps the champagne had loosened her lips too much. James had made her promise she would not confess the exacts of Sirius' spilt confessions.
But what really sent a jolt through Lily's heart was her reaction. Blanche just familiarly kept staring into the boiled-over water, dragging her fingertips in circles above it. Perhaps if she caught Lily's face she'd know it was something to react to, but it seemed Blanche already knew what Lily had said. Had he told her that before? Or did she just know… Did she believe it too?
"And because of that," Lily recovered, thankful the gasp had stayed behind her lips. "You will never do anything but exceed his expectations every time."
Blanche looked up from the bubbles finally, looking at Lily adoringly. "Thanks, Lil."
Lily raised her champagne glass and Blanche quickly matched her. "Here's to Hogwarts?" She offered, and Blanche nodded.
"Thank you for having us for seven whole years!" She shouted as though to address the entirety of the school. Lily giggled drunkenly. "I know I irritated your professors, scared all your students, and broke all your rules, but you kept me anyway!"
"Cheers to Hogwarts!"
"To Hogwarts!"
The mermaid's song spiralled loudly to contest their voices.
"Here's to it," the familiar voice of James Potter sounded from behind them. Lily spun around in shock and saw her boyfriend beside Sirius Black, who was looking rather the worse for the wear. James was scruffy, but Sirius was a wreck. His dress shirt was torn and the sleeve of his suit jacket was close to coming off. His face and neck were painted with dirt and two long, crimson scrapes danced across his neck and forehead, leaving his right eye to catch the blood.
"Merlin's beard!" Lily shouted and stood, rushing over to them. She took Sirius' face between her hands like she would a messy toddler's. "Was it bad?"
"Not ideal," Sirius said in a gruff voice, trying to escape Lily's grip and look over her shoulder at Blanche, who still sat by the side of the pool but was turned around.
"Snape was almost in the shack. Sirius held Moony off whilst I did quite a tricky memory charm on Snape. He can't remember a thing," James informed the rest, before adding irately: "Though Remus will…"
"I'll talk to him. It's my problem," Sirius brushed him off.
"You better, or else he'll be even more of a sodding mope than he already is," James sighed. "Lily, let's go. I'm tired as shit. Plus we need to tell Peter what happened."
Lily turned to give Blanche one last hopeful smile before heading off with James. When they were gone, Blanche stood and took a towel, dipping it minimally in the water. She went back to where Sirius now sat along the ridge of the pool. The mermaid's song had slowed to a melancholy melody in a minor chord.
"Let me see," she sighed, raising the towel to his face. But Sirius first engulfed her in a hug that was still cold from the outside air. He buried his bruised and bloodied face into the curve of her neck and kept her in a constricting hug, trapping her small waist between his forearms.
"Blanche," he said desperately into her neck.
"Sirius," she answered. He pulled away eventually, guiltily looking at his hands as he placed them on his lap. Blanche raised the cloth again and smudged away a streak of mud that ran from his eye to his jaw. "You know what, just undress."
"What?" Sirius peeped up.
"Get in the water. It will be easier to clean you. You're a right mess."
Sirius lazily pulled off his tie and threw it onto the ground behind him, then made a pile with his suit jacket. He eventually got to his knees then stood, kicking off his shoes and socks and removing his belt. Whilst he removed his shirt and trousers, Blanche went to turn on three of the faucets to warm the water and reinvigorate the layer of colourful, glistening bubbles that sat on top of it. She then went for and opened her black minaudière, which thankfully had a tub of her endlessly useful Butterfly Weed Balm in it. She smiled minutely to herself, remembering the way Sirius seemed to melt when she had once rubbed it into his sore shoulders. He'd begged for it again and again since, but she had been saving it. It looked like now she was going to have to use it.
Sirius had his thumbs shamelessly hooked around the band of his briefs, but Blanche stopped him. "Wait, let me see your cuts."
Sirius raised his chin to the ceiling so she could examine the tear in his skin. It thankfully wasn't deep enough to cut into his carotid artery. It was just a superficial wound. She applied the balm cautiously, eliciting a chuckling sigh from his mouth.
"Merlin, I love that stuff," he grinned widely.
"Your eye now," she directed, and he lowered his chin and pushed back his hair to expose the full wound. This one was deeper. "Could leave a faint scar," she commented thoughtfully. She smoothed a glob of the silken ointment across the injury. As she rubbed it in, he placed his hands gently on her hips.
"Now get in the water," she ordered, detaching herself from his light grip. She turned around so as not to see him naked and eventually heard him splash around in the water. He dove under and reemerged by the time she turned around, his hair appearing dark and mildly straight for once as it was weighed down by the water. Blanche repositioned herself along the water's edge and bundled her dress around her hips. She gestured for him to come closer so she could wipe the grime from his face with the towel.
"Are you angry with me, Blanche?" He eventually asked softly when she dipped the dirtied towel back under a gently-trickling tap of creamy, sudsy water that smelled of lavender.
"No," she eventually answered. She sighed. "I'm just disappointed."
Blanche hesitantly looked into Sirius' eyes to see they were wide and panicked. The grey of his eyes raged like a sea beneath storm clouds, white-capped and brewing with fear. He looked truly scared, and he fumbled with her kneecap unknowingly—completely unsure what to do and how to gain back her trust.
"Is this over then?" He asked, and his eyes were slightly wetting. She'd never seen him cry once in his life.
"What?" Blanche asked, brows knit together. "Over?"
"Between us?"
"No!" She cried, kicking his chest with her foot. "No! I don't want that!"
"But you said you're disappointed…"
"And?" She enquired. "What, do you want to just give up after one try?"
The mournful sheen in his eyes transformed into that of mirth. "Really?" He asked. "But whenever I do anything bad, the girl usually buggers off and…"
"Well, am I like every other girl to you?" She asked, and he fervently shook his head. "Then why do you assume I'd end this? Plus, I've seen you do a lot worse, Sirius."
A loud breath left his mouth as he placed his cheeks between her knees. "Thank God," he eventually mumbled. Then he locked his hands behind her knees and tried to pull her into the water.
"Sirius!"
"I miss you and I want a kiss," he pled, but she pushed him back once more with her toes.
"I haven't forgiven you completely," she forced herself to say it. The last thing she wanted to do was set a precedent of overlooking his flaws, in spite of how painfully loving and handsome he was. "You shouldn't have done what you did. It really made me question the decisions you make."
"I did it for you, though," he tried to warrant his action.
"I don't care. It was foolish of you," she stated solidly. "And you lied to me. Or at least withheld information. When have we ever not told each other everything? You've lost some of my trust, Sirius."
"But how do I get it back?" He begged. The mermaid's sad song came to an end, and she disappeared within the waves of her window.
"I don't know."