Against the dark Hearts

Best day of summer

Before we knew it, the day of the summer ball had arrived.

Exactly one year had passed since we had dealt with Ranrok, and despite everything that had happened in this and the previous year, I was now trembling with excitement.

My friends and I had gathered in the Hufflepuff sixth-year dormitory to get ready, as it was the largest one. Poppy wore her hair in curls, she wore the bee hair clip again, and her eyes were darkly lined, with her lips only painted with a dark rose-colored lipstick that I was allowed to borrow.

Imelda had chosen red and emphasized her eyes with earthy tones, her hair falling straight down her back, a few strands pinned up. Natty had accentuated her cheekbones with a powder and applied eye makeup similar to Imelda's.

Evangeline, on the other hand, had decided not to wear makeup, she wanted her dress to speak for her, but she had put her hair up in a very elaborate braided hairstyle. Except for the lipstick borrowed from Poppy, I only applied some powder and soft colors on my eyelids.

My hair fell in waves down my back, and I wore the moth hair clip to pin it back. We changed together because we had to help each other into our dresses, and when I got my dress, my friends were amazed. "I didn't know you had such a beautiful dress!" Natty exclaimed excitedly, and I grinned at her.

After trying on the dress, I had written a letter to my mother thanking her for giving it to me because there was now an opportunity to wear it. I hoped she would be happy to receive this message, but she didn't send anything back.

Imelda looked at me, "There's a spell to avoid accidents, just so you know," she said, and I looked at her in confusion, "What are you talking about?" I asked, and she pressed her lips together, amused. "I just assume you don't plan on sitting at home next year with a mini-Sebastian," she said.

My jaw dropped. "Imelda!" I exclaimed, and she rolled her eyes. "Please spare me, this dress, the hair, you even have ruffled underwear!" she said, pointing to my pants.

She was right, I hoped that Sebastian and I would take the next step tonight. I hoped he wanted it as much as I did. "Okay, how does the spell go?" I asked, and she clapped her hands happily, stood up. She made a gentle movement with her wand and spoke the words, which I repeated exactly, "The spell lasts for 12 hours, so you should have all night," she said, grinning, and I nudged her in the side.

We had a few minutes left before the ball would begin, and I was getting increasingly nervous. Imelda adjusted a few strands of my hair, "Don't be afraid, I'm sure it will be beautiful," she whispered. Besides Evangeline, Imelda was the one with the most experience with such things, she had been with a seventh-year Slytherin before Poppy.

"What if he doesn't want to?" I whispered, playing with the fabric of my dress. She looked at me incredulously, "Oh please, you don't want to know what Sebastian tells his friends when he thinks no one's listening," she said. I always forgot that Imelda also met the two of them in the common room and often sat with them.

"Now I do want to know," I said, sitting on Poppy's bed so I wouldn't sweat even more than I already was from fear.

Poppy and Natty were dancing and practicing a few dance steps, so they were distracted, and Evangeline was in the washroom. Imelda sat next to me.

"He said he can hardly stand being around you because he constantly thinks about fu-," I cleared my throat and gave Imelda a tap on her thigh, "You're right, I don't want to know," I said, and she laughed, "He's longing for you," she said.

That didn't make me any less nervous, no, it made it even worse.

"So ladies!" Evangeline called out as she came out of the washroom, wearing white gloves and a dress that flattered her figure, "Shall we?" she asked, and we stood up.

I looked at my friends.

Today was the ball, and a week later we would be taking the Hogwarts Express back to our parents. There were only a few days left before I wouldn't see my friends for three months.

I would enjoy tonight, I had to.

When we left the room, the common room was crowded, as all the students were going to the ball.

We left the room and made our way to the Great Hall, where we would meet our dates. Poppy and Imelda had taken each other's hands. The three men were standing in front of the stairs that led to the Great Hall.

Garreth Weasley approached Natty and hugged her, "If I were a seeker, you would be my golden snitch Onai," he said, putting his arm around her. Ominis waited at the gate until Evangeline joined him and kissed him when she arrived.

I focused only on my date. He wore a black formal cloak, the matching vest was green, and he wore a lavender pocket square.

I smiled, Sebastian looked at me, his lips slightly parted. He was stunning.

"Hello, darling," he whispered as I placed my hand in his, "You're breathtaking," he said before he kissed me.

We entered the Great Hall, it wasn't too crowded yet, but that quickly changed as more and more people arrived. We sat at one of the round tables, which stood in the Great Hall instead of the house tables today.

Professor Weasley stood at the headmaster's lectern, wearing a black ball gown that was high-necked and had red embellishments.

She welcomed us as the last person entered the Great Hall.

"Welcome to the summer ball. Today, we would like to honor Professor Fig's sacrifice, and for that, a special student would like to address a few words to him," said the deputy headmistress, pointing at me.

I stood up and went to her. This was not something that happened often, but Professor Weasley had asked me to prepare a few words because I was there when Professor Fig... when Eleazar died.

I cleared my throat and pulled out a parchment on which I had written a small speech. My friends looked at me encouragingly, but I still felt the tears welling up.

"Thank you, Professor Weasley," I said, looking out into the crowd. My classmates looked at me expectantly. "Many of you only know me as the great hero of Hogwarts, but the person who really saved Hogwarts was Eleazar Fig," I spoke, straightening my shoulders.

This was much harder than I had thought. "He was there for me when no one else was. He was a great professor and he protected me," the tears burned in my eyes, "Professor Fig was brave, courageous, and determined. I'm sure Gryffindors know what I'm talking about," my voice broke on my last words, "but he was also a good friend. He was smart and cunning. Hogwarts was his home, and he wanted to protect it, and he did," I clenched my fists and swallowed the lump in my throat.

I looked at Professor Weasley, who was standing just two meters behind me. She nodded understandingly and came to the lectern as I left.

She said a few final words and then enchanted the instruments, which immediately began to play music. I sat back with my friends and buried my face in Sebastian's chest as he gently stroked the exposed skin of my back.

"That was really beautiful, Beth," said Poppy, and Natty took my hand and squeezed it.

It took some time for the first ones to venture onto the dance floor after Professor Weasley and Professor Sharp opened the first dance, but then Sebastian and I went to dance.

At first, I still acted very dumb because I was still trying to make the perfect steps, but my dance partner led me safely, and I was able to relax.