Emma Potter; Going to War

71: The Christmas Party

MATURE

I tried to convince Zoe to go with me. 

"No." she said flatly "I have one night away from homework and celebration and I will spend it sleeping and helping you get ready."

"Oh, yes" giggled Pansy, bouncing up from her bed "we have to get you ready for your date. You have good taste by the way."

"Unlike Malfoy" said Astoria, wrinkling her nose "did you know he slept with a fourth-year, yesterday?"

"And why do you care?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't. I'm just stating a fact. Anyway, you ought to get ready."

And despite my struggles I was forced into Astoria's dress, Pansy's shoes and had to endure Zoe's hair and make up. 

"You look gorgeous." smiled Astoria, I scowled. 

"I hate you all" I said, hiding a smile and their cheeky smirks "but thanks, even though I have to wait 30 minutes."

When I arrived in the entrance hall at eight o'clock that night, I found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all ofwhom seemed to be staring at my brother resentfully as he approachedLuna. She was wearing a spangled silver dress that were attracting a certain amount of giggles from the onlookers, but otherwise she looked quite nice.

I ignored the glances some of the boys were giving me, and made my way to Zach. He looked quite charming in a simple white button down and black pants.

 "Hi," he said, said smiling. "You look great.

"Thanks, so do you."

"Shall we get going then?" 

"Oh yes," I said happily.

 "Where is the party?" 

"Slughorn's office,"I said, leading him up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering. "Did you hear, there'ssupposed to be a vampire coming?" 

"Really?"

I felt comfortable with Zach, he didn't mind my sharp mouth. Before we knew it, we  were alreadyapproaching Slughorn's office and the sounds of laughter, music,and loud conversation were growing louder with every step we took.Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger thanthe usual teacher's study. 

The ceiling and walls had been drapedwith emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked asthough we were all inside a vast tent.

 The room was crowded andstuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lampdangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies werefluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. 

Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner;a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep inconversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating theirway squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavysilver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables. 

"Emma, m'dear!" boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Zach and I had squeezed in through the door. "Come in, come in, somany people I'd like you to meet!"

 Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match his smokingjacket. Gripping my arm so tightly he might have been hopingto Disapparate with me, Slughorn led me purposefully into theparty; I seized Zach's hand and dragged him along with me. 

"Emma, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student ofmine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires —and, of course, his friend Sanguini."