hiraeth - d.m

five

Her footsteps sounded like feather weight as she rushed down to the dungeons with Donnie, Faith and two other boys from Ravenclaw. Laughter and giggles consumed the hallways as they ran, holding large bottles and capped jugs of butter beer, fire whiskey, and other concoctions they had perfected over the years. Liqueur sloshing around was enough for Faith to cackle loud enough that she needed to catch her breath.

"Faith, hush down or we'll get caught! I'm not allowing you to ruin this for us." Donnie spat with a playful tone as he jogged next to her. The other two boys bit her ankles as they rushed up behind her.

"I'm sorry! I'm going, relax!" She laughed uncontrollably as caught back up to Gwen and Donnie.

It was so odd and foreign, to feel something she must've felt before but had no knowledge of. The paintings snickering and whispering as the five of them ran down the stone hallway. The flickering lights of the candles on the walls glimmered like a movie-film ambience. Gwen could've sworn she felt infinite.

There were three Slytherins waiting at the bottom of the stairs, one of them being Astoria. She met them halfway with the same energy and lessened the load out of Gwen's arms.

"I was starting to think you lot would never show!" She turned back towards the dungeons door. "C'mon then, get in there. I'll be in as soon as the last stragglers join."

The door opened, and instantly a cool mist seemed to float out of the room. New age moody music and green enchanted flames took over her senses. The smell of herbs and the cold snap of liquor was all the could smell. It was exciting. There were couples together on the couches and about the whole of the seventh year standing around enjoying the company.

So much for the falsified school unity the teachers encouraged. This seemed more unified than they ever had been. It was bittersweet. Knowing after this year, well, there would be no coming back. No parties. This was their last chance to make it count.

People cheered and hollered as the saw the classic Ravenclaw party favors arrive. The shoved through the party and set them down on the makeshift bar. Donnie stood up on a stool and silenced the crowd.

"Ravenclaws drink first! I don't make the rules!" Girls and boys usually clad in navy and silver pushed forwards and grabbed for the bottles, but before they could Donnie took the liberty to make drinks for himself and his girls.

Gwen guided them to a corner away from the rest of the party and joined with them, all three holding their drinks up for a cheers.

"To getting this far!" Faith announced, some of the juice spilling from her goblet.

"To getting this far!" Donnie and Gwen said in unison.

They cheersed and chugged what they could from their cups.

Gwen's throat burned with the fire whiskey and she could've sworn steam was billowing from her ears like it would in a cartoon. Her face scrunched in the painful pleasure of it all, and Donnie's laugh was enough to suggest it was a beastly expression.

"Dont laugh at me! You know I'm a weakling." Gwen defended, already giddy with the euphoria of the night.

Voices slightly drowned from the loudness of the music, so much so that she could barely hear Faiths whispers. The green light glowed across the girls raven hair, and even tinted her black eyes a devilish shade of emerald green. She was slightly dancing with the music, and when she saw Donnie doing the same she grabbed his hand and led him to the center of the room which was crowded by people alike. Then there was one.

Gwen was solemnly alone in the corner of the Slytherin common room with a drink in her hand, her other grasped around her abdomen consciously. She suddenly was overly aware of the short dress she wore. The one Faith had gotten for her for her birthday. Something she had seen in a muggle magazine. Gaudy shimmery fabric, thin straps. The hem barely graced the middle of her thighs. She did feel the vagueness of power creeping into her chest though. Perhaps it was the dress, or perhaps the fire whiskey. Somehow her neat curls had transformed into a head of wildly distorted waves and ringlets, but it was better than what Faith had done to it before. As put together as she looked she felt like prey walking into predators den.