Ecdysis

Chapter 13 - Fourth Year: The Yule Ball

Viktor stood admiring the Night of the Living Dead tapestry near Snape's office. His back was to me, hands in his pockets like he might have been waiting for a while. Usually, he was the one to catch me unaware. I would look up from my work, glimpse him observing me from a distance and suddenly realise I wasn't alone. It was a rare treat to catch him off guard. So I stood and observed wordlessly.

Tall and proud in his bright red uniform, like a soldier out of the queen's army, the high collar and sharp shoulder pads of his jacket made him look angular from behind, thighs strong in form-fitting trousers. A matching fur-brimmed cape was strapped tightly to his side with polished leather belts and handsome golden buckles.

Despite my unsubtle arrival, Viktor had not noticed me. His reflexes were usually so sharp... could he be as nervous as I was?

My stomach was teeming with nerves. I'd purposely avoided getting ready with my housemates and stole away to an empty lavatory instead, where I'd completely botched my make-up. Mum had taken me to Boots before the school year and I'd purchased lipstick and bronzer and mascara and an eyeshadow palette. I'd applied and reapplied the cherry red lipstick three times before deciding it wasn't for me, and rubbed my lips clean. They looked angry and beestung as a result. I'd tried applying eyeshadow with the double-ended spongey thing it came with and it turned into an awful imitation of a Jackson Pollock.

I felt like a little girl playing with her mother's make-up. Except, I'd never been that little girl, and now I felt foolish. I questioned my dress, my hair, my shoes. My date. Why did I agree to go with Viktor? There would be no shortage of eyes on us. This was a bad idea. Maybe I could still leave while he hadn't noticed me. It wasn't too late to back out.

My heel scratched stone and Viktor whipped around.

I froze.

He blinked. Opened his mouth. Then snapped it shut.

Oh gods. He didn't know how to break it to me. At least if I'd stayed in the dorm, Pansy or Daphne would have warned me I looked ridiculous. Daphne might have even helped fix my face. But I didn't want to be around Pansy's energy because I knew this would happen, and she'd still gotten into my head.

"Wow," Viktor breathed, shaking his head like he couldn't believe his eyes.

My skin burned beneath the weight of his gaze and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I stole this dress." Real smooth.

He raised a brow, grinning. "Should I expect someone to arrest you tonight?"

"I don't think anyone will arrest me. I thought it was my mother's. Turns out, I made a mistake."

"No mistake." His eyes raked down my figure, lingering over the bull-horned neckline that really persuaded me to keep it. "This dress is you. I see you in every bit. How you say? 'Mat-toor'?"

I laughed, though it sounded a pinch neurotic. "Mature. Very good."

I wanted to ask him a million questions. Was my hair okay? Did my face look too plain? Could he see how many times I'd removed eyeshadow from my eyelids? I hated this. I was never, ever, ever attending a school formal again. Ever.

He stared at my face, eyes glittering. "Are you alright?"

"Why? Does my face look awful? It's probably the bronzer I might have gone..."

"You look beautiful," he interrupted me. "I'm sorry I cannot find the words." He guided my hand to his chest and I felt his heart beating madly beneath soft velvet.

I stared at my hand, the buttons of his jacket shining like liquid gold down his torso, reflecting the light of the torches around us. I pulled my gaze higher. His throat moved as he swallowed. His skin was smooth with no stubble, scented like soap and wood smoke and leather. Slightly different from his everyday Viktor scent, a bit more formal and delicious.