sunlit meadows, winding brooks ✮ slytherin boys

chapter three // ace of cups

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Sunday, October 31st, 1994

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

          "Vi, could you help me do my hair?" Charlotte requested her sister, holding the strawberry headpiece that matched Charlotte's Strawberry Shortcake costume.

          "Sure, one second," Vienna replied as she clipped lemon barrettes into her own hair, as the final touch to her Lemon Meringue outfit.

          "Guys... does this look okay?" Sitra stood up, brushing off her orange-print skirt and fixing the yellow-striped leg warmers bunched at her ankles.

          "Yeah, it's cute! Oh, wait, don't forget your hat." Evangeline plopped an orange beret on Sitra's head. "There, now you look exactly like Orange Blossom," Evangeline gushed as she adjusted her Blueberry Muffin-inspired shorts that were way too short for her.

          "Thanks, Eva," Sitra sighed as she adjusted the beret on her head. "But... guys, do I really have to go to this?" she groaned. "I have an exam on Monday, and I did trick Leo into not going to this, but still..."

          "Sitra, relax! You've got to stop worrying about Leo. It's going to be fun, just... chill out." Charlotte reassured her stressed cousin.

          Sitra muttered unintelligibly in response.

          The girls made their way downstairs to the lively Gryffindor common room. The Halloween party was the biggest party of the year, so it was an honor to whichever house got to host it. As soon as they reached the bottom of the steps, Evangeline already found someone to flirt with, and Sitra wandered off in search of some peace and quiet, leaving the twins behind. Vienna and Charlotte found some drinks and mindlessly scanned the room.

          Suddenly, Vienna's gaze locked onto someone across the room—Berkshire. He was speaking to another boy from his house. One was dressed in a red and black suit, his face adorned with intricate skeleton face paint. The other was dressed as a detective with a stick-on mustache and monocle in hand.

          "Isn't that the said boy who was watching all of your Quidditch practices these past couple of weeks?" Charlotte asked Vienna while following her gaze across the room.

          "It looks like him..." Vienna replied, being pulled out of her trance as the boys walked towards them.

          Merlin, please rescue me from this impending disaster of an interaction, Vienna thought, rolling her eyes in the process.

          "Good evening, mystery boy," Vienna muttered, clenching her jaw to stop herself from sounding irritated.

          "Do you seriously not know my name?" the boy in the detective costume reckoned. "I'm Lorenzo," he smiled.

          "Nice to formally meet the boy that's been stalking me all of Quidditch season," she replied.

          Lorenzo then nudged his friend in the arm, causing him to wince.

          "What was that for?" the boy hissed and glared at Lorenzo before realizing the reason behind his action. "Oh... sorry, I'm Theodore Nott," the boy with the thickest Italian accent declared, sticking out his hand for Charlotte to shake.

          Charlotte declined the handshake and rolled her eyes, spinning on her heel and walking away. Theo was right on her trail.

          "A detective, really?" Vienna questioned while messing with the material on Lorenzo's costume. "You are so original."