A Ballad of Snakes and Shadows // A Dark Sebastian Sallow Romance

Chapter Twelve: Eat Your Young (Beckon's Choral Version) // Animal

Eat Your Young (Beckon's Choral Version) - Hoizer

Animal - Chase Holfelder

The woman staring back at me in the mirror was a stranger - she certainly could not have been Hattie Hills.

As I made the final touches to my appearance for the night, I convinced myself the mirror in the Room was just playing a trick on me. That or I had mistakenly chosen to use an enchanted mirror that magically made me look good, despite reality.

The woman in the reflection was someone ethereal in stature. Someone who owned every inch of an absurd amount of confidence, like she'd been born to wield it in her freshly manicured hands. She was a far cry from a pink cheeked, bewildered looking student that was getting ready to embark on a mission to infiltrate an exclusive party.

No, the person I saw in the mirror was a creature that embodied the very meaning of elegance.

It was in the way she embraced her curves, which were accentuated by the hug of a tight, emerald evening gown. There was a twinkle of her magic, as if power radiated off of her when the black sequins on the gown shifted like moondust with each turn of her body.

She was seductive, so much so that it made my face hot when I looked at her. It was the plunging neckline of the gown that caught my eyes, which revealed more than just a simple hint of her breasts. They swelled above the fabric and would surely be a topic for many that evening. Heads would turn when others glimpsed at her, and they'd be just as entranced as I was.

It was as if her very existence had put a spell on me.

Necks would nearly snap off shoulders, mouths would fall silent, and all the eyes that took a single glance at her would belong to her. What thoughts, I wondered, would go through their heads when they caught a glimpse of that pale, supple thigh that teased through the high slit in the skirt of the dress.

This woman was no stranger, I thought, as I watched her pull on a pair of gloves. They came up to her elbows, encasing her skin in a sheer black lace that somehow made even her arms a part of her seduction act. An act that didn't belong to an enchanted mirror nor any thought riddled with disbelief.

It was undeniable - she was me.

I had shed the skin of Hyacinth Hills, the forgotten hero of Hogwarts.

I'd become someone who would play a part tonight. Someone who could easily mingle and assimilate with a mysterious class of people. I would catch their attention, their intrigue, and they'd be none the wiser for it as I infiltrated their equally mysterious event.

I had become power personified with a few changes to my appearance and I would not fail my mission. I just had to tear my eyes away from myself, if only for a moment.

The person in the mirror barely looked like me and it was difficult not to admire her for what she was.

I adjusted the final touches of my attire before pulling my mess of hair into a very loose braid. I artfully pulled out a few strands around my face, letting them playfully frame the curve of it. Everything had to look perfect, if not completely convincing. I added the most beautiful touch to the ensemble I wore.

A petite tiara, that I nestled atop my head.

It was made of obsidian, with several emeralds and flickers of gold embedded into the band. Tonight I would be something akin to royalty or rather, I at least looked the part. I'd become an object for heated glances and desires, maybe even an odd sneer of disgust.