Belladonna

Slug’s parties were the worst thing ever in Ofelia’s perspective. She was not only bored of her classmates, but she also hated Slughorn’s guests. All pureblood men that had previously been part of the Slug’s Club. She considered those parties something that she had to go through to be accepted by the high magical society. They were important people with important jobs in the Ministry. So although most of them did not like her presence, they were more intrigued of the beautiful woman that was smart enough to be treated as an equal to them.

She would have been the centre of attention, if it was not for Tom Riddle. Slughorn presented him like his finest discovery, always carrying him around the party like he was some kind of golden medal. And everyone stared at him like he was the magical Jesus of the rich.

Because if there was something more astonishing than a bright woman, that was a powerful mudblood.

“Wow…” Potter said out of breath, when Rizzo finally came out of her common room.

“Close your mouth. The flies are going to get in.”

“You look… breath-taking.”

“You don’t look so bad either, Monty” she smiled walking right up to him and grabbing his arm to start walking.

“I never saw you with a dress before” he stated, as trying to justify why he was so affected by her looks.

“I don’t like dresses.”

“Why not?” he asked, confused. Even Minerva loved a nice dress.

“I can’t run the world in a dress” she explained, taking the fabric of her gown and showing it to him. “They are impractical.”

“But they look so comfortable, so freeing…”

“Try using a corset.”

She was wearing a long-sleeve dress with a gown long enough to drag it along the ground. It was velvet, perfect for the winter, and emerald green. Her golden hair was up in a bun with some pieces of hair escaping it. People believed that having a wild curly hair like she had was a sign of revolt. Then, tying her hair was a way of showing class and manners.

“That’s a lovely necklace” Monty pointed out.

“Thanks, Drue and Walls have matching ones” she commented.

The necklace’s chain was made of gold and the stone in circular form was a small, green-apple chrysoprase. They had bought it from a peddler in Diagon Alley in the summer of their third year and they had not taken it out ever since.

“Hey, so I got you something” Potter said, as he stop walking and he showed a little metal box.

“What is this?” she grabbed it, hoping that it wasn’t some Christmas present because she had not gotten him anything.

But when she opened it up, it wasn’t a ring or a bracelet. It was a joint.

“This is a very odd gift, Monty” she laughed taking it out of the box.

“You said these parties were boring, so I found a way of making it fun” he explained, taking the cigarette from her hand. “Unless you don’t want to. I’m not a peer pressure.”

“Shut up” she snapped, taking back the joint to lit it up with her wand.

Some puffs was enough to get them high. After all, they only were fifteen year-olds pretending to be expert stoners. But at the end, they had to put it back into the metal box, as they were running late. Well, Ofelia loved to make an entrance anyways.

And that is exactly what she did.

With such beauty and such dress. And specially entering the room by the arm of Fleamont Potter. The young lady had never been seen with a boy before, so imagine the surprise when everyone saw her with the Gryffindor boy. However, the only one that seem to care about the girl’s presence was Slughorn, who practically jumped when he saw the girl.

“Ah, Miss Rizzo, you finally arrived!” the slug said shaking the girl’s hand. “I didn’t know that Mister Potter and you were…”

“Friends” they answered at the same time and then proceeded to laugh.

“Ah, to be young and in love” Slughorn sighed and left them alone, making them wonder why he would say that.

They spent the rest of the night in a corner, observing the people at the party but not really being part of it. The guests were mainly men that were former members of the Slug Club, and some were their wives. Again. They were all rich, white, privileged men that did not want her there. She did not care. In fact, she was having a great time telling Potter all the gossip of the people there. It was not like she was nosey in other people’s business. Druella was the one that love gossip and Bella was a good listener.

“That is Jeremiah Starling, the Editor in Chief of the Daily Prophet” she pointed to the wizard with the green pointy hat. “Rumour has it that he has an affair with Cadan Warbeck” she told him now pointing to the owner of the Wizarding Wireless Network.

“How do you know this stuff?” Potter burst out laughing out loud.

“What are you two laughing at?” Abraxas appeared happy that his only friend was finally there.

Malfoy was wearing a brown three-piece suit. He had his platinum blonde hair tied up in bun, making him look more elegant and clean. He was very handsome, what a shame for the girl that was standing by his side like she was stuck with glue. Ivy Parkinson was the worst pureblood girl in their school year, according to Bella’s opinion. She was the type of girl that teased the boys, but then she would go around professing her virginity.

Not that being a virgin was wrong. Ofelia was a virgin too. Merlin, she just had her first kiss a couple of months ago. What it was wrong was to sentence the other girls for actually wanting to have an active sexual life. She couldn’t stand her, especially when Parkinson was observing her with such loath.

“Rizzo, that is an interesting choice for a dress. Everyone can see your chest.”

“Parkinson, I thought animals were not allowed in this party. I see how Abraxas was confused though” Ofelia attacked her verbally.

“Excuse me?”

“Ivy, why don’t you go fetch more mead?” Abraxas asked politely, even though the four of them had their glasses full.

Parkinson rolled her eyes and finally left. Ofelia’s smile reappeared immediately, making Potter hold back his laughter and Malfoy looked at her a little annoyed.

“Are you high?” the Slytherin boy questioned.

“Why? D'you want some?”

Abraxas sighed and left the two of them alone. He couldn’t stand them when they were chuckling uncontrollably for no real reason.

An hour later, the effects of weed had already disappeared. They had danced a little to the waltz the magical instruments played and then ate the delicious tuna canapés. After that, it seemed like the night was finally arriving to an end. But, of course Slughorn wanted to show around his prodigies like they were some kind of trophy.

“Miss Rizzo, come here I want to introduce you to…” Ofelia felt all the air getting stuck in her chest, it was like she had forgotten how to breathe. Was she having a heart attack? She did feel like she was dying. “…Mister Theseus Scamander.”

It was him. The Head of the Aurors. She had admired him ever since she saw the news in the Daily Prophet where it explained how he had asked the Minister to allow women to join his forces. Of course the Minister wasn’t as advanced as Bella would have wanted. He only allowed for women to join the investigations department, not to actually go to missions. But it still was something.

She knew that people always said ‘Don’t meet your heroes’. But she could not help by feeling like she was floating. This was her dream, since she was thirteen.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rizzo…” he extended his hand and she came back to Earth, finally shaking his hand. “Professor Slughorn and Mister Riddle had been speaking wonderful things about you for at least an hour now.”

She couldn’t help by blushing, thinking that maybe he felt a little annoyed by his professor constant stalking. She felt a little embarrassed too, hoping that they had not said anything too personal. Also, Mister Riddle was saying nice things about her? That could not possibly be true.

“The honour is mine, sir” she finally found her voice. “Oh, this is my friend Fleamont Potter. He’s the Gryffindor prefect and the author of the duelling club.”

They shook hands and Scamander felt really pleased with meeting the bright boy.

“Mister Scamander was just telling us about his engagement with Miss Lestrange” Slughorn announced hoping to restart the previous conversation.

“Yes, yes, but enough about me, please” Scamander chanted and turned back to the girl. “Mister Riddle was talking about your beautiful voice. He said that you sing like an angel.”

“He did?”

“And she also plays the piano” Tom added.

Ofelia understood immediately what were the “wonderful things” that Riddle was saying about her. Even in a night like this one, he wanted to bother her and he knew exactly how.

“Am, yes, I guess…” she supposed trying not to brag. She usually would show off the things that she was good at. But singing was something she preferred to do at her home, not in front of that crowd. It was better to keep a low profile.

“Great! Miss Rizzo, I never knew about this hidden talent of yours” Slughorn giggled gleefully. “Then maybe you can sing a Christmas song to raise the holidays’ spirit.”

She knew that her professor was going to ask her to do that and she knew that she was going to accept. What else could she do? Slughorn pushed her to the piano and with a flip of his wand it made it stop playing the soft jazz melody.

“In Italy, the kids think that an old witch La Befana brings the presents flying in a broom” she explained to the small crowd, as she sat to play the piano. “This is a song that I learned when I was still in Italy.”

She took a deep breath and then started playing the cheerful notes. But first, giving Riddle a spiteful look, as if she could actually burn his entire body.

“Che devo dire, che devo fare, co' sta racchia de mi' moglie/ Quant'è brutta, mamma mia, non la posso più guarda'/ Quanno s'arza la mattina, me ricorda carnevale/ Questo core è 'na rovina, quella me lo fa ammalar” she sang in italian, drawing all the attention.

“Brutta befana vedi che nun sei bona/ Fatti un bel fagottello che nun me servi più/ Brutta Befana esci de casa mia/ Sennò la malattia tu me la fai pigliar”

All of a sudden she heard a guitar playing behind her. She turned around and saw Potter following the rhythm with the instrument. He had grabbed the guitar and decided to join her, showing how good he was with it. That made her want to keep on going, so she sang the next chorus.

“Quanti mariti, quanti cornuti, dalle mogli abbandonati/ Quelli sono fortunati la mi moglie non lo fa/ Lei nun me lascia, lei nun me molla con 'sto merlo fa la pacchia/ Mangia e beve 'sta cornacchia mentre io vado a sgobbar…”

She finished the song and everyone clapped. Then, she hugged Potter for joining her in front of the whole party.

“Brilliant! Brilliant!” Slughorn exclaimed. “I’m going to make you sing at every Christmas Party. A talent like that should be shared.”

“Thank you, Professor. If you excuse us, we’ll call it a night.”

“Of course, have a Merry Christmas, both of you” he saluted the students.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mister Scamander” she shook his hand again. “And congratulations for your engagement.”

“Thank you very much, Miss Rizzo. You have a lovely voice.”

“Riddle” she leaned his head towards the Head Boy, who was very angry with her show.

This was what he had provoked. Tom claimed that she was nothing against him, but the truth was that she was far more capable of facing him than he was. And that was driving him crazy because if she was brave enough to confront him, it was because she believed that she was better than him.

And no one was better than him…

“Stop!” Ofelia yelled. “It’s really hard to run in heels.”

They were running through the hallways when she dared him into a race. They stood silently in the moonlight that was creeping through a window. It was close enough to the dungeons and it was already past curfew.

“Did you pack all your things already?” he asked reminding her that she was supposed to leave the next day at first time in the morning.

“Yes” she whispered feeling a little too conscious that they were alone. “I think I should probably go and have some rest.”

“Of course” Potter accepted. “I had a very good time tonight.”

“Me too.”

They stared at each other, not sure how to proceed. Fleamont had previously established that he liked Bella, but he hadn’t make a move ever since she rejected him in Diagon Alley. Sure, he had invited her to spend time with his friends, but he didn’t make a move per se.

This was the moment and they both knew it, as they leaned in to finally kiss. Potter’s lips were soft and he kissed her with patience like she was delicate. Like he was holding something so unique that he was supposed to do it with carefulness. It was good and she knew it. Potter was a great kisser making her feel important. But it didn’t felt right. And she wanted to die for feeling like that. How was that she was so damn invested when kissing Riddle? But Potter, the best man she had met till that day, didn’t provoked anything on her. How fucked up could she be to not be enjoying that moment? All she could think while he was softly rubbing her cheek was that they were ruining what they had built up. That this was wrong and that they were wrecking their relationship.

Because she loved their friendship. But she couldn’t care less for their romance.

“I guess I see you when I come back” she broke up from the kiss trying to run away from the situation she had gotten herself into.

“Ah? Oh, yes! See you then” he responded zoned out, like he was solving a puzzle in his head, and then he walked out without even asking her if he could walk her to her Common Room.

Ofelia couldn’t sleep after that, so she stayed by the chimney trying to figure out what was wrong with her. The Common Room was completely alone, as it was past midnight and there were only a few Slytherin students left in the castle. She needed that peace and quiet to fully lament herself. It was as if she was mourning.

“Why so sad, little one? Potter didn’t like your Christmas performance of tonight?”

Could it be possible that Riddle had some kind of radar to actually appear every time that he was not supposed to? She swore it was like a curse. She didn’t even turn to look at him, maybe if she pretended like he wasn’t actually there, then he would disappear. But he sat down next to her observing the fire too. His tone meant to tease her. But his face looked bitter, even bitterer than in general. She sometimes imagined that every morning before going to breakfast, he would suck a lemon in his dorm to look sour all day. The thought of that made her smile.

“What?” he questioned, but she didn’t answer.

She just offered him the joint that she and Monty had saved for later. He accepted it, even though she was pretty sure it was the first time he ever smoked.

“Do you know what it is scarier than your poisonous mouth? Your silence” he assured her, returning the joint.

“I’m scary?”

“Oh, thank Salazar!” he exclaimed. “Your voice is back! I thought we weren’t going to hear a single word from you ever again.”

“Wouldn’t you love that” she giggled and then stopped because she realized that she was genuinely laughing to something that Riddle had said. It must be the weed.

“No” he denied looking her straight in the eyes.

She opened her eyes widely and then returned her gaze to the fire.

“Why are you being so nice?” she frowned.

“Because you look sad.”

“And you care since when…?”

“I don’t think it’s fun when you look sad” he confessed. “It’s only fun when you’re mad. But you’re not mad, you’re sad.”

She swallowed trying not to think of what he was actually saying.

“What did Potter did to you?”

“Why? Are you jealous?” she teased him, trying to make him angry so that she could finally end that conversation.

“Did he kiss you?” he ignored her.

“I’ll answer if you admit that you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous” he said firmly.

“Then I’m not telling you.”

She stood up leaving to her empty room.

"You're insufferable!" he yelled from the couch.

"You're worse!"