.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
"You're joking!" Narcissa exclaimed as she put on her dewdrop earrings.
"I wish I was Cissy." Danica whined. "Having one Dumbledorefore in this world was already far too much but two..."
The night was young and the two girls were running around their dorm room, frantically dolling themselves up.
"That's mad. I would've never thought the Headmaster had a brother.", Narcissa chuckled. "How is he? Enigmatic? Annoying? A douche?"
"Cissy! That's not nice." Danica jokingly scolded her friend and threw a pillow at her who only kept laughing. "Though, you're right to think so. Albus is certainly a douche. But, his brother was surprisingly nice." she told her as she styled her dark hair into glamorous waves.
"Merlin, Dani. So, a butterbeer is only what it takes to lure you over to the enemy side." Narcissa feigned shock.
"Don't exaggerate." she rolled her eyes. "I needed shelter away from the rain, and I only took his offer."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Narcissa sprayed her lily perfume into her blonde hair as the last touch and finally turned towards Danica in excitement. "I'm done! Are you coming?"
"Yeah, a moment." Danica struggled to strap on her heels.
When she finally managed, she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Stop looking, you're very pretty." Narcissa nudged her with a smile. "If I was Huber, I'd faint just from your radiance."
"Don't be stupid, Cissy." Danica chuckled along.
She was indeed pretty, there was no denial. Her hair looked ever so soft and silky, and her skin was glowing. She wore the finest jewelry and perfume. But her dress kept bothering her. It was perfect on her figure. Floor-length satin gown, embroidered with silver thread. It was beautiful, but it was black.
She huffed in annoyance at the thought of someone beating her to the red satin, but shrugging it off, she turned around and held out her gloved hand.
"Let's go, Narcissa. We can't make our dates wait any longer."
Excitedly, her best friend grabbed onto her hand and began impatiently pulling Danica out of the door.
The halls of Slytherin have long since emptied out. Everyone was already dancing away in the dining hall.
Hand in hand, the two best friends walked down the carpeted stairs, leading toward the dimly lit common room. With each step, the outline of two male figures became more and more prominent.
Narcissa's eyes sparkled with love at the sight of the ever-so-stoic, aristocratic Malfoy.
"Lucius!", she ran towards him. "I hope you didn't have to wait for too long."
Lucius turned towards her, his posture regal and composed. His impeccably tailored robes flowed elegantly around him, accentuating his tall frame. A glint of silver adorned his tie, matching the violet hue of Narcissa's dress.
"Not at all, Narcissa," he replied with a courteous nod. "Though I'd recommend you to wear a watch next time."
Narcissa didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't mind his underhanded remark. Happily, she linked their arms together, and they walked out of the common room.
Danica turned towards Max, who nonchalantly stood amidst the snake den.
"Max, how did you even get in here?" she asked half-concerned.
Max flashed her a charming grin, taking her hand in his. "Ah, well, a little charm and a lot of audacity," he said with a playful wink. "But I couldn't resist the chance to steal a moment with you, my dear Danica." He lustfully eyed her up and down.
Rolling her eyes at him, she linked their arms together. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."
A subtle annoyance flickered across his features. Suppressing his disappointment with a forced smile, Max nodded in agreement.
"Of course," he said smoothly, masking his irritation with practiced charm. "Lead the way, my dear."
He leaned in slightly, his lips hovering dangerously close to hers. But before he could make his move, Danica shifted her head, causing his kiss to land awkwardly on the corner of her cheek.
"Sorry," she said, pulling away slightly. "I wouldn't want to smudge my makeup."
Max's expression tightened with a forced chuckle. "Right," he replied with frustration. "Wouldn't want to ruin your perfect appearance," he said under his breath as he turned his face forward to lead the way.
Danica couldn't shake off the feeling of heaviness that settled in her chest. The once-exciting event now felt like just another one of her family banquets, filled with fake smiles and forced pleasantries.
Beside her, Max's presence felt heavy, his arm linked with hers weighing her down further. She glanced at him, noticing the strained smile on his face.
As they neared the entrance to the ballroom, Danica's ears picked up on the murmur of voices, the sound growing louder with each step. She could feel the weight of eyes upon her, their gazes lingering as they took in her appearance. Despite her discomfort, she maintained a face of composure, her steps steady as she and Max crossed the threshold into the ballroom.
The grandeur of the Yule Ball welcomed them. The room was awash in a sea of colors, the flickering candlelight casting a warm glow over the opulent decorations. Danica's eyes swept over the scene, taking in the elegant tapestries adorning the walls and the intricate ice sculptures that glistened in the silver light.
She caught glimpses of familiar faces, their expressions ranging from genuine excitement to polite indifference.
Then she saw them. It was difficult not to. She almost scoffed at the sight.
Amidst the crowd in the middle of the dance floor, waltzed two figures.
Her stomach flipped.
Much like at the Slug Club, his curls looked stupidly perfect, it almost annoyed her. Regulus stepped with natural grace along the laminated floor, effortlessly drawing a small crowd's attention.
And no matter how much Danica would've liked to deny it, she was a part of that crowd.
His facial expression remained stoic, giving nothing away. Only once his partner stumbled, he sent her a look of polite concern.
His partner was Patricia, as expected. She wore a red dress.
Danica didn't mind it. Surely, it could be a coincidence. Annoying, but still a coincidence.
However, when Regulus made a turn, and Patricia leaned back, their eyes locked.
"What is that bitch smirking about?" Danica swore her veins popped from anger.
"Pardon?"
Danica flinched, completely forgetting about Max who was still clinging to her arm.
"Nothing.", she shook her head. "Say Max, would you bring us something to drink?" Danica quickly asked him.
He pulled his arm away before rolling his eyes in subtle frustration and pulling on a sarcastic smile. "Right away, madam.", he turned on his heel and disappeared through the crowd.
She looked up, seeking solace in the shine of the chandelier above. Its ornate crystals sparkled like stars. But instead of finding comfort, Danica felt a surge of annoyance at everything around her—Max's clinginess, her own stupid black dress, and even Malfoy's presence seemed to grate on her nerves.
Pretending like everything was alright was harder than she thought.
She stared until she saw black dots appearing in her surroundings from the blinding light, then looked back down and shifted her eyes around the Great Hall. Like a magnet, her gaze was drawn back to Regulus and Patricia.
She noticed the way Regulus's hand rested gently on Patricia's waist, the subtle shift of their bodies as they moved in perfect harmony.
It made her stomach churn with unease.
As they glided across the floor, Danica's gaze followed them with unwavering intensity. She couldn't tear her eyes away.
As Regulus and Patricia made a deeper turn, Patricia's back faced Danica, and Regulus's eyes widened the moment they met hers.
"Are you kidding?!" she heard Patricia's voice even from the long distance.
Regulus stumbled.
Danica was sure it was a sweet coincidence, but deep inside she hoped that her own presence caused his distraction. Because that little hope had been realized in the form of a giant, dirty shoe step on the edge of Patricia's red dress.
She watched as Regulus, flustered, shifted his gaze between an amused Danica and his fuming girlfriend.
He stepped back, to help fix his misstep, but seconds later the music stopped, and without any further words, Patricia stormed off. Not before sending Danica the ugliest scowl.
Refusing to deal with any more conflict with Regulus, she decided to ignore him and walk in the other direction.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
"Man, I thought Moony was playing a sick joke on me until I saw you two come in." Sirius laughed as he poured himself a glass of cider. "Huber? Really?"
"Oh, like you're any better, Romeo." Danica chuckled along and clinked her glass with his before taking a long sip.
"Who's Romeo?"
"Star-crosse-...It's a long story."
Fate was a funny thing indeed. If anyone told Danica from a few days ago, that she'd be making jokes and laughing with Sirius next to the buffet table, she'd recall each of their past fights and call bullshit.
But alas, nothing brought two lonely people closer than a few too many glasses of spiked drinks and being abandoned by their own dates in the middle of a school dance.
"Will you finally tell me where Marlene went? Sirius whined as he leaned the back of his head against the wall, making his Adam's apple protrude even more.
"Once you say where Huber went," Danica repeated stubbornly, only drawing out another groan from Sirius.
Danica rolled her eyes. "Stop whining. You can't expect me to tell you shit without getting anything in return."
"Aww... but it was worth a shot.", he swallowed down the rest of his drink in one go and placed the empty glass in a nearby table. "Sooo-"
"No."
"Oh, come on!" he threw his hands up in innocence. "I didn't even ask you anything yet!"
"Because the question would be totally un invasive, and NOT related to my love life or your brother?" she raised an eyebrow at him, though it was getting harder to hold back her own smile.
"Boooo." his eyes hooded in boredom.
"Did you just boo me?"
"Boooo."
"You're a child."
"Booooooo-"
She threw her head up in defeat. "Fine."
Danica swore she saw his tail wagging. "What's up with you and Huber?", his face went back to the same old, stupidly smiling one.
"Well, that was a quick recovery."
"I'm also curious how that failed transfiguration project got you.", seemingly out of thin air, another one of her idiot friends, Evan, appeared next to Danica.
"Oh, for fuck's sake.", she scoffed. "What are you two now, buddies?"
"Well, dear Danica." Sirius laughed obnoxiously loudly and put one of his arms around Evan's shoulders. "Having a mutual dislike towards someone brings people together."
Evan simply grinned along like an idiot.
Danica wondered just what the hell was the punch spiked with, because not only seeing these two this way was mind-boggling, but hearing Sirius call her 'dear' after giving the cold shoulder for months was something she considered a relic of the past. Perhaps Yule was really all that magical.
"I was lonely.", she shook her head in annoyance. "And he seemed entertaining."
"Entertaining? That's it?" Evan raised a suspicious brow.
"Ok, maybe... maybe I actually wished for something in the beginning. "
"...But?"
She took a long sigh and raised her eyes to scan the room. The compass felt heavy inside her pocket. Huber was nowhere to be seen.
"But it was all bullshit from the get-go.", she almost gagged at how easily she got hooked on all the clichés. Danica finally burned all her sentimentality away."Now tell me where Huber went."
Being all alone, without your date, was getting slightly embarrassing, and drew a number of eyes.
"Huh?" Evan hiccuped. She hadn't even noticed how at least a dozen empty glasses had already stacked up on the table beside them. "I thought he was with you."
"Are you an idiot?" Drunkenly laughed Sirius. "Danica is right here."
"Evan quit the bullshit.", she demanded.
"Noo!" Evan dramatically fell into her arms. She tried to awkwardly cradle him so he wouldn't fall. "I swear I saw him leave with you! I'd recognize your red dress from a mile."
Red dress.
"Sirius," she shoved Evan into his arms. "Look after him."
Danica couldn't care less about Sirius and Evan anymore. All she saw was red. That fucking red dress.
She was right. That rainy day really was a bad omen.
She passed right through the crowd and practically broke through the exit. Her eyes jumped around the halls, her ears tried catching onto any strange sound, and her feet pushed her at an intimidating speed.
The further she got, the quieter the sound of the party got.
She stopped and listened. The dark, empty hallway was so quiet, her own breath could give away her presence.
There was a low hum coming from behind a door.
"This bastard." was all she whispered under her breath before pulling her wand out and pointing it at the entrance to the classroom. "Alohomora"
The door flew open, and she saw the damn red dress.
It lay on the floor in a large heap next to Huber's feet, who found himself comfortable between Patricia's thighs.
"What the fuck."
Immediately, Max scrambled off of Patricia at the sound of Danica's voice. His state was disheveled.
His hair was messy from tugging, and his shirt was loose. His lips were smeared with red lipstick.
Patricia was half-horrified, half-smirking with satisfaction.
"Dani-" he picked up his jacket and tried to reach out to her,
"Don't you Dani me.", she slapped his hand away and began walking out of the room.
His face turned sour. "Oh fuck you!", he seethed.
"Pardon?", Danica stopped, her tone icy.
"Yeah!" he retorted, angrily pulling on his jacket. "Fuck you, Lestrange. You should've known better not to act like a damn prude!"
"Oh, so that's your excuse?! Because I didn't jump right over you like this —bitch?" Danica scowled at Patricia.
Patricia's face turned a matching red colour to her dress. "How dare-"
"Not quite." Huber continued, ignoring Patricia. "At the very least I expected you to give me good connections, but even there you were useless."
"And Patricia Miss Nobody provided you those connections?!" She shook her head in disgust. "You know what? I'm over this. Suck Malfoy's dick. As for you..." she looked Patricia up and down, who awkwardly held her dress up to cover her exposed chest. "I wonder what Black has to say about this."
The last thing she saw was a pair of comically widened eyes, and the last thing she heard before shutting the door behind her was incomprehensible curses.
Her feet dragged her further away down the hall. Danica's body shook from disgust and anger. If someone found out about it, it was over for her. A fate worse than death.
Humiliation.
She came to a stop at an intersection. To the right, were the dorms. Towards the left, loud music boomed through the walls.
For once, she had absolutely no idea what to do.
She could hide away from the world just for this night, but tomorrow would be left in others' hands.
Danica thought of Regulus. He was in the same shoes as her.
Her head hurt. The compass felt like a heavy stone in her pocket.
Making so many choices for herself was tiring, especially when she had no idea what the hell she wanted.
Quickly, before she could change her mind, Danica pulled out the silver compass.
Cor Desideria Viam Monstrat.
The heart shows the way to desires.
It was engraved on the lid as she ordered.
"Here goes nothing.", she whispered and opened the compass.
Immediately, the arrow pointed towards the left.
A small chuckle escaped her lips. "Well, here goes nothing," she murmured to herself, a wry smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
With a confident stride, she walked left, pushed open the heavy doors, and stepped into the room.
Instantly, all eyes glued toward her.
"Did Lestrange come in alone?"
"Didn't expect her to show up solo."
"Is she making a statement?"
"Where's her usual crowd?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd like a gentle breeze.
Danica paid no mind to the prying gazes or hushed conversations. Instead, she held her head high, and her back pin straight.
As she made her way through the Great Hall, she felt the weight of countless stares upon her, but she didn't falter.
She scanned her eyes around the crowd, searching for a familiar face. Some people looked confused, others were enjoying the show. Sirius and Evan looked deeply apologetic.
Regulus stood in the middle of the dance floor.
When they locked eyes, he moved his head from left to right to motion towards the crowd, then looked back at her again.
Danica knew he was the best shot in her situation to not lose face, so step by step, she walked towards him.
When she reached him, barely two feet away from each other, she stopped.
"Where is your date?" he asked. His voice was quiet but strangely content.
"With your girlfriend."
Regulus chuckled. He shook his head in disbelief. For a moment, Danica almost found the way the corner of his eyes creased when he smiled cute.
"I don't think we should've left them alone at the Slughorn's," she added.
Immediately, his smile dropped. His eyes looked the brightest they had been in months. Maybe it was from the chandelier above them, she thought.
"No," he said with a breathy tone and extended his right hand, with the other being folded behind his back. "I'm actually quite happy with the outcome."
Danica's eyes shifted between his and his hand.
"Is this your way of asking me for a dance?", she rolled her eyes with a wide grin. "What if I say no?"
"Oh you wouldn't do that, now would you?" He motioned with his head towards the peering crowd, still only looking at her.
Danica loved wearing red. It was bright, powerful, and always stood out like an expensive ruby, drawing people's eyes to her.
However, then and there, she stood at the center. His expression was cool, but she didn't miss the way his eyes fogged as he took her in. And suddenly, the crowd didn't matter.
Maybe Black was the new red.
"You're the last person I expected to save me from my disastrous date.", she placed her gloved hand on his, letting herself be pulled closer.
His lips leaned just above her ear, sending shudders down her spine, "Ah, but I do have a penchant for rescuing damsels in distress, Lestrange. Just couldn't resist the opportunity."
"Careful, Black, you might make people think we actually get along."
"Wouldn't want to ruin our reputations, now, would we?", their torsos clashed with a strong pull on her waist.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
Ok, so I was going to post sooner, buuuut I was at the Vatican, and I felt a little embarrassed to post fanfics in a (literally) holy place. But, alas, here is the new chapter!