Celestial Being

On behalf of His Royal Highness Harry James Potter, and
By royal decree, all eligible gentlemen in the kingdom
Shall be in attendance at his majesty’s fall
Equinox ball. This masquerade event
Requires full costume attire under the theme: our
Vast universe. The event begins
At the stroke of seven and will
Take place at His Royal Highness’s castle.
One attendee per invitation will be allowed to enter.
Retain your invitation throughout the festivities.
Your humble and dedicated host, HJP.

It wasn’t even a bloody poem. It was very nearly nonsense. Draco flipped the card over and examined every bit of it, looking for what he might be missing. There was nothing there. Worse still, Draco was suddenly extremely nervous the invitation didn’t hold any special meaning at all.

All eligible gentlemen were invited. The opposite of exclusivity. This was a new ploy by the king to find a spouse.

“Ron!” George barged into the manner shouting. Draco hadn’t expected him, but George never bothered with that formality. “I know you’re in here. Come out this instant and explain yourself!”

Draco, who was actually within hearing range, wandered down the stairs towards George’s shouting. He still held his invitation, reading through it yet again as he searched for an explanation.

George was spinning in a circle, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice as he shouted, “ROOOOOON!”

“Good afternoon, George,” Draco said at the landing.

George hardly acknowledged him. “Where is my brother? I’m going to clobber him.”

“Unlikely. You’re a bit scrawny,” said Draco, turning his invitation over again.

George, the consummate optimist, waved Draco’s skepticism away. “I can take him. Assuming he’s got the guts to show himself!” that last part was once again at peak volume.

“You’ve got your own this time,” Luna said to Draco, magically appearing out of the air at Draco’s side.

Draco jumped in fright, almost dropping his letter all together. “My god, how do you move so quiet!” Draco gasped. He hadn’t expected Luna either, but George tended to invite her when he planned to show up.

Luna smiled her knowing smile.

“Thank god you made it, Luna, this is a travesty.” announced George, suddenly producing his own equinox ball invitation. “I handed off hosting to you, but Harry stole it.”

Luna plucked the invitation from George’s hand and opened it. “My mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the way we expect.” she murmured as she read George’s card. Then she smiled and handed it back to him.

Draco stood between them, uncertain of what he could say that wouldn’t give anything away. “Let’s have tea,” he offered, before turning on his heel and leaving the room to procure it.

They settled in the library, as had become their custom. George had propped the “Harry Facts” canvass back up and had added “Giant pillock” to the bottom of it. Draco was supportive, but Luna just pulled out her knitting.

“We didn’t even get to submit for the list!” George wailed, now pacing the room.

Luna shrugged. “Who would you like to secure an invitation for?”

“Well, Draco for one,” George said. Draco, who was staring at his card instead of listening, looked up at his name.

“Pardon?”

“The ball, Draco. We need to get you on the list this time,” George said as if it would be obvious to Draco what he was talking about.

Luna pointed one of her knitting needles at the card Draco held in his lap. “He got his own invitation,” she said.

George looked shocked. “Did he really? Fantastic. The plan is moving right along.”

Draco stared in befuddlement. “What are you two on about?”

Both stared at him, Luna encouraging and George impatient.

“You remember the equinox ball, I gave you the invitation,” Luna explained.

George made a small ‘o’ with his mouth. “That’s how you got in this spring without being on the list.”

Luna shook her head. “No, it was last fall.”

“Luna, I never used the invitation. I’ve never been to an equinox ball” Draco was proud he could say it so levely. He sounded honest. Resolute. This conversation had gotten out of hand and he needed to stop whatever speculation the two of them were onto.

George looked surprised, but Luna only looked disappointed.

“You’ll use this invitation, though?” Luna inquired.

Draco groaned and rubbed his face. “This isn’t even a real invitation. It’s a mess. Mother told me there’d be the most beautiful poetry. The balls are supposed to be magical. But this?” Draco held up the card. “What does it even mean? Plus, all eligible gentleman?’ It’s not like I was invited, I’m just single.”

That drove George to stop his pacing and slump into a chair. “Damn, I didn’t think of it that way.” He fished his invitation back out and stared at it. “Absolutely no artistry.” Then in a voice that did sound vaguely like the king’s, George mimicked, “By royal decree, his majesty Harry James Potter declares all eligible gentlemen shall attend the fall equinox masquerade.”

Draco tried to read along to George’s words, only… “Why are you saying the words like that?”

“Hmm?” George asked, glancing at Draco.

“Those aren’t the words, they’re out of order.”

George held up his invitation. “I’m reading it right off the card, mate.”

Draco reached out and took George’s invite from him, his eyes devouring the words on the invitation.

By royal decree, his majesty Harry James Potter declares
All eligible gentlemen shall attend the fall equinox masquerade.
Located at the castle, the ball begins at the stroke of seven.
Lords and ladies attending this ball are
Required to wear full costumed attire in the theme:
Our vast universe.
One attendee may gain access per invitation.
Maintain your invitation throughout the festivities.

“This is different,” said Draco. He read and reread the card, devouring its content as eagerly as he devoured his own invitations. “It's the same information, the same nonsensical prose. Why would it be different?”

George tried to grab both invites but Draco held them out of reach. So, George jumped up and ran to Draco’s side to read over his shoulder. “Blimey, there has to be a reason. Luna, give us your invite so we can check it.”

Luna smiled her knowing smile. “I believe you two can figure this out on your own,” she said. Draco could see her invitation in her breast pocket, but suspected she would defend it with her life if either man tried to peek.

George looked forlorn. He abandoned Draco entirely to cajole Luna, who amicably resisted all his charms. Draco suspected George was more put out that Luna wouldn’t do him a favor and his groveling had little to do with the puzzle itself.

Draco tried to compare the words used, to see if there was any overlap that would spell out a message. He counted words in each line and the amount of syllables. He tried reading it backwards. He tried reading just the first word of each line. That is how he spotted it.

“It’s an acrostic poem!” announced Draco. Luna laughed and clapped at his discovery. She must have figured it out without the help of comparison.

George, suddenly interested again, grabbed his own invitation back from Draco. “What’s an acrostic poem?” he asked as he read through it again.

Draco talked him through it. “The first letter of each line spells out a word. See here, B, A, L, L, R, O, O, M. Ballroom! And both our cards said to hold onto the invitations, so this must be part of some sort of puzzle.” George tried to reach for Draco’s card, but in a moment of inspiration Draco pulled it back and tucked it into his shirt to hide it. If Luna didn’t want them to see then she must have figured out the clues are best kept secret.

“Come on, you saw mine!” George whined.

Just in time for his brother to walk in. “You are the loudest menace on the planet. What’s got your panties in a twist?” Ron grumbled.

George was back on his feet in an instant and pointing at his brother “Show me your invitation!” he demanded.

Ron grinned at him. “I don’t got one.”

“What do you mean you don’t got one? You’re Harry’s best friend, of course he invited you.”

“Nope,” Ron said, grinning wider. “It’s at the castle, I’ll be working.”

“Ugh!” George groaned before once again dramatically throwing himself into a chair. “All of you are against me. I’m meant to have a partner in crime and instead I’m stuck with you lot.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re so much stuck with me as you keep inviting yourself to my house and bossing me around,” Draco murmured. Luna, usually above such petty things, snickered.

“Buck up. If he likes you he’ll give you a good card and the puzzle will be easier,” Ron promised. He chuckled to himself. “It’s not like you’re some rando who’ll be stuck in the ballroom all evening.”

George groaned even louder at that, before Draco and Luna burst out into howls of laughter at his expense.

“It was my turn to assign a host and I gave it to Luna!” George complained again.

Luna finally took pity on him and responded. “Harry asked so nicely, George. Of course I let him have it.”

Finding out it was Luna’s decision was enough for George to let his animosity go. Later, Draco heard George ask Luna directly, “You'll be my partner for the puzzle, won’t you?” Draco didn’t hear her response, but by the time the pair had left George had crossed the new insult off the “Harry facts” list.

That evening, Draco’s head was buzzing with everything he’d learned. Ron hadn’t been more forthcoming with details no matter who tried to wheedle them out of him, and even Luna gave it a go. They could only speculate what mystery lay ahead.

Still. It had been enough. He had his invitation. An equinox invitation meant just for him. Everyone might have gotten one, but not everyone’s was the same. Draco kept rubbing his thumb over each key letter. He’d been given the observatory. What did that say about how much the king favored him?