yuletide cheer
Right before the Yule break, Blair returns Humphrey’s book. “I don’t know if you’re implying that pureblood elitism is racist, but thank you, Humphrey. The gesture was…. appreciated."
“Dan,” he corrects. “Call me Dan.”
“And that’s exactly what I was implying,” he adds.
“Alright, Dan. You have permission to owl me directly, by the way.”
Dan fixes her with a look.
Blair just smirks. “I know Regulus won’t appreciate being used as our personal owl.”
“Happy Yule, Daniel Humphrey.”
She saunters off to join Lucius in the Great Hall before Dan can reply.
-
Blair and Dan strike up a correspondence.
First, he sends her a photo of the dreary Surrey landscape with a “Merry Christmas, Blair Black.” sprawled at the back.
She replies almost instantaneously. “Merry Christmas? Really, Humphrey, stop being so needlessly ignorant. In the magical world, we celebrate Yule.”
They write to each other often enough that Dan’s tiny and harassed-looking owl, Cedric (really, who names an owl Cedric ?), drops off letters with Blair as much as he does with Regulus.
Sirius and Reg tease her about it.
“So Blair, is this one of your wealthy suitors?” Sirius drawls. “I thought you and darling Lucius already have an understanding.”
Regulus coughs. “She’s actually writing to my friend, Daniel Humphrey.”
Sirius blinks. “Huh. Humphrey.”
“You know, the muggleborn,” Regulus says lazily, hands fiddling with a snitch.
Once the realization hits him, Sirius grins widely at Blair. “Guess I’ll make blood traitors out of the both of you yet!”
Before Blair can scold him, Sirius ruffles Reg’s hair and leaves, presumably to practice the Animagus transformation that he has coerced his friends to do.
-
Blair eyes herself in the mirror critically. She is wearing an ice blue gown made out of acromantula silk. The gown shimmers at her every movement. Her hair is swept up elegantly in a chignon and her lips are painted a girlish peach.
She smiles and twirls.
Orion and Walburga have decided to host a Yule ball. “As a reward,” Walburga whispers to Blair, “for your flowering,” casually referring to the news Blair discreetly delivers to her a few weeks prior. Blair flinches when Walburga runs a cold finger on the planes of her face.
Shaking off her thoughts, Blair descends the staircase of the Black Manor and joins her family at the receiving line of the party. Sirius sports the petulant expression that he wears at every pureblood event while Regulus is as impassive as ever.
Walburga gives her an appraising look. “You’ll do.”
-
Blair dances with Lucius Malfoy twice that night. He is charming and confident, leading her effortlessly through the dance floor. He is so tall that Blair has to crane her neck to look up at his face.
He smiles at her indulgently. “I trust that you are enjoying yourself, Miss Black.
Blair lowers her eyelashes and looks back at him. “Indeed I am.”
Silence creeps up on them after that and Blair realizes that for his many courtesies, Lucius Malfoy doesn’t talk to her all that much. In Hogwarts, he escorts her between classes and sits with her at the library when he can, but he doesn’t actually actively seek her out.
It’s understandable, she supposes. It wouldn’t do for him to be too forward. After all, she does have a protective twin in the same house and a Gryffindor brother who looks for any excuse to prank a Slytherin.
The waltz ends. Lucius excuses himself gently.
Vito Warrington approaches to ask her to dance and she slips out of her reverie.
After a few more sedate dances with other pureblood heirs, Blair is in need of air. She breathes a sigh of relief that her family is hosting this ball because she decides to seek respite at a balcony at the end of the hall.
As she approaches, she hears murmurs. Blair prepares herself to admonish any errant partygoers. The Black Manor is not a meeting place for improper trysts after all. Her vision blurs, however, when she sees the tableau in front of her - Lucius and Narcissa are locked in a passionate embrace, his eyes burning with an intensity that Blair has never seen before.
To her embarrassment, Blair squeaks.
Narcissa pulls away with a start. “Blair!” she exclaims, just as Lucius says, “Miss Black!”
Blair refuses to acknowledge them and turns away, but not without casting a locking charm on the balcony doors.