"Hogwarts is having a Yule Ball?!" Becky squealed in delight when her best friend told her. They were on the train ride to school for their 5th year and ready to start anew with their training and maybe even convince Yor and Loid to allow a few more of their friends to join. Becky had been pestering them all to let Ewen join their little group.
"Shh," Anya hushed her, even though she had expected this and had cast a silencing spell around their cart, "You can't tell anyone else yet. Dumbledore will announce it soon enough."
"Then why are you telling us?" Emma asked, curiously.
"And why has Dumbledore suddenly decided to suddenly do a Yule Ball now?" Ewen frowned, weary.
"Dumbledore wanted to be particularly foolish and reinstate the Tri-Wizard Tournament so he could 'foment the union between witches and wizards of all over Europe,'" Severus explained with his customary drawl and an eye roll.
"And the Board is letting him?!" Aurora exclaimed in horror.
"No, of course not, Rory," Severus scoffed in reply.
"Good. They really need to stop ese pendejo before he kills us all," Aurora replied determinedly. She knew their Headmaster was insane but this was a whole new level of madness.
"Um, I'm sorry, but what exactly is the Triwizard Tournament?" Lily asked, hesitantly.
"It's a magical tournament between the three main European schools but it's so deadly it was cancelled in the 1700s," Damian explained patiently. Years of knowing Lily Evans because of Anya had made him surprisingly patient with the girl, especially since at least she always made an honest effort to learn and wasn't an idiot like most Gryffindors.
"Wait, you said the Board stopped the Tournament from happening so then why are we still having the Ball?" Emile asked, confused.
"Because they decided that promoting unity isn't a bad idea but that it would be easy enough to do so by having an inter-school Quidditch tournament and keeping the Yule Ball as a treat. Could even have the schools take turns hosting yearly and everything," Anya explained patiently.
"We're having a Quidditch tournament?!" Emma, Damian, Ewen, and Emile asked in shock and delight.
"Well yeah," Anya shrugged and Severus nodded casually, not even looking up from the novel he had just picked up.
"And you didn't think to mention it first?" Damian asked, frustrated.
"Well, I thought the other news was more interesting since we can all actually be a part of that one," Anya shrugged again, unbothered by the Quidditch aficionados after years of their insane, fanatic behaviour.
"And you're absolutely right, Anya. We need to start planning already," Becky replied, pulling out her magazines to start planning out their robes for the Ball much to the boys' horror.
"Cissy, I need your help, please!" Anya called out from the fireplace. Becky had been driving her crazy with plans for the Yule Ball to the point even Anya was beginning to get anxious and nervous about the event. So she'd ran into her parents' dorm, now fully equipped with the Floo, and fire-called the Malfoy Manor immediately without any forethought or planning. She heard a pop and a house elf appeared in front of her.
"Mistress isn't here," Dobby explained. He was the only one of the Malfoy elves she knew by name as he was the only one Narcissa trusted. The elf had proven extremely loyal to her after receiving her kindness at Anya's recommendation. Especially now that she had fully taken on the role as the Lady Malfoy given her father-in-law's recent death.
"She's visiting her sister," Dobby added with a peculiar head motion. She stared in confusion until it clicked. He was indicating which sister it was silently.
"Thank you, Dobby," Anya said and popped her head back into the fireplace to firecall her cousins.
"Cissy, Andy, I need your help!" She called through the fireplace, "Can I come through?"
"Of course, what is the matter? Is someone hurt?" Andromeda questioned as she rushed into the living room from the kitchen. Narcissa followed behind more sedately, keeping her recently blue-haired niece perfectly placed on her hip.
"No one is hurt, I just really need your help. I'd usually go to Becky for this but she's driving me crazy at the moment," Anya said as she stepped in, cleaning the soot from her emerald jacket and hanging it on the hangers by the front door.
"I need to find the perfect dress for the Hogwarts Yule Ball," Anya added. Both of her cousins glared at her with those piercing Black eyes for worrying them so unnecessarily before reluctantly agreeing to help.
"I can't believe the idiot hasn't asked me to the Ball yet. Even Severus was smart enough to get it over and done with already," Becky murmured to Anya, Emma, and Pandora as she directed a glare towards Ewen who was sitting at the other end of the Slytherin table with Damian and Emile.
"Wait, Sev finally asked Rory to the Ball?" Anya asked in surprise. Her cousin hadn't shared that little detail with her.
"Yes, and Regulus asked Lily," Pandora said with her typical whimsy.
"Aww," Emma said. That would be an adorable sight. They were the babies of their group.
"I'm certain they will all be going just as friends, though," Anya intervened to sooth Becky, whose anger seemed close to exploding now.
"Fine, if the bastard won't ask me to the Ball, then I'll do it myself," Becky muttered and began to strutt angrily towards the boys.
"Oh no, he's dead meat," Emma murmured, as they all watched disaster ensue. It would be too good to miss.
Glancing at Anya, she whispered, "I really wish we had popcorn for this."
The green-eyed blonde laughed so loud in reply the whole table was startled.
Anya and Damian twirled on the dance floor. Even after her papa's and Cissy's multiple dance lessons, she was a poor dancer. The pureblood, wizarding customs for dancing were too rigid and difficult to follow. Her coordination was non-existent but she could manage their silly dance with no structure or set steps. It was so flawed, so perfect.
The ballroom was packed, the white lights glittered throughout the room like softly falling snow, like shimmering starlight. The Board had ensured that the first inter-school Yule Ball at Hogwarts was a show of the extravagance and wealth of the richest, most pureblooded families in their society but it was still clear everyone, especially her friends, was enjoying the night.
Damian laughed, his chuckles sounding freer then she'd ever heard before, and it made her heart jump in a weird way. He grabbed her hand and twisted her around. For a moment, Anya laughed alongside him, twirling away. No worries about the mission, no worries about the future, no intrusive thoughts overpowering her senses. All but Damian and this moment seemed to dull into the background. It was perfect and she wouldn't change a thing. Oh, how she hoped this moment would last for eternity.