Hermione's Twin ⇒ Fred Weasley

Ch. 31: Christmas Special

Ch. 31: Christmas Special
Song for Chapter: Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran

       My dream was almost as weird and cliche as reality. I remember walking down the stairs in a huge blue ball gown and everyone around me was watching me with awe in their eyes, their faces hidden by ridiculous masks. A masquerade, and everyone was present. The night was dark, the moon bright, and I was wandering around like Cinderella without a care in the world. 

       The dark Castle was ignited with bright torches and candelabras, casting the scene in an orange, warm glow. Dark and mysterious. I walked alone while random, obscured people lined the walls around me. They chattered incoherently to each other, each behind masks. 

      Somehow, my feet knew where I was going. They led me towards a pair of huge wooden doors that resembled the Great Hall. Orange light rebounded off the polished stone floors, an ocean of fire. As I pushed the doors open, I came to meet a sight that could have been taken out of an old, black-and-white film or some extremely old-fashioned ball-gowned movie.

     The Great Hall was set up like a ballroom and couples in pastel colours swung their partners across the floor with such grace and synchronized choreography that it was almost robotic. Their huge poofy gowns swept out around them mesmerizingly and I couldn't help but stare for a while, in fact, I didn't know how long I had been just watching in the doorway until a masked man tapped me on my shoulder.

     "May I have this dance, Lady Elizabeth?" He bowed, arm out towards me in a humble manner. Even he was dressed in 1800s attire, his flaming red hair slicked back with a strong gel. The mask adorned on his face was porcelain and painted black. 

    Red and gold eclectic etching was carved into the surface, elegant and refined. The only opening in the mask was over his eyes, so the mischievous brown pools could size me up as I gingerly took hold of his warm, leather-gloved hand. The air smelt of filed leather, sweet pine and someting I couldn't quite describe, though it was all alluring and new.

     "This is too weird," I muttered to my partner as he took me onto the floor, joining the merrily dancing couples to the beat of some, strange melody. As the orchestra stopped playing and couples left the dance floor, my partner took me into his arms, a little too close for a typical 1800s style. I was sure the chaperones would scold us if they noticed how close we were.

I made a move to protest when the music started back up again with a slow paced song. Biting my lip, I looked at my surroundings for the first real time, trying to remember how I got here and what was going on. "Nothing makes sense anymore. I have to be sleeping, this is just too weird."

     My partner cackled from under his mask. Though it covered the entirety of his face, I knew he was grinning. "Of course, you're dreaming. Would you've worn anything like that in real life, L?"

      "What are you--?" I cut myself off, glancing down at what I was wearing. He was right; it was ghastly. Boxy on the top and pulled in on the waist just to jut out as wide as I was tall, this dress is something out of the 1800s. "I guess not..."

       "Now, would you mind telling me why you are dreaming of Pride and Prejudice, L? Because I'm really at a loss." Another chuckle rang out from my mysterious partner. I knew that I should know who he was, but everything in my dream was just so confusing I couldn't think straight.

     "Well--"

He interrupted me. "Maybe it's because you were dying to see me in a tux again, yeah that's about right." He chuckled and I blushed.