When Myths Meet Magic || 4

17|| Piper

Piper stared down at her wizard's chess game with Pansy-- she was steadily getting better, after three years of trying. But her attention was diverted as the stone common room door slid open with it's usual grinding. But this time, instead of a Slytherin student entering, they had a visitor that did not often enter the common room.

Snape glanced around, his usually cold expression softened as he looked around in pride at his house. The Slytherins sitting around or doing homework looked up too, expectant. Snape glanced around one last time before remembering why he was there.

"Slytherins," he said clearly. "I have an announcement to make. The Yule Ball is approaching-- a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be held open only to fourth years and above-- although you may invite a younger student if you wish--"

Several third years looked around excitedly.

"--Formal wear will be worn," Snape continued. "The ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. That is all." He looked around at them all. "Kindly repeat this information to those who are not present right now."

He turned and, right before he exited the common room, Piper caught a glimpse of something on his face. A bitter longing, mixed with unmistakable sadness. It was only a flash, then he swept out of the room.

Piper knew that expression well. It was one of heartbreak.

>>>•O•<<<

Hazel looked back down at her parchment as Professor Sprout finished the announcement. Part of her was upset that her train of thought was interrupted, but the other half was whirling excitedly about the ball. She smiled giddily as she dipped her quill back in the ink bottle, waiting for it to stop dripping before lifting it onto the paper.

"The Yule Ball!" Hannah sighed dreamily. "I heard my Great Gran tell me about it when she was a sixth year. She met my Great Grandad there, when he asked her to the ball!"

Hazel looked back up at that. "You take dates to the ball?" She asked.

"Is that so surprising?" Susan tilted her head.

Hazel just cast a side glance at Frank, who was sitting with the other boys. No doubt they were discussing it too. He caught her eye and smiled. Next to him, Justin Finch-Fletchley's smile dropped a bit.

"No," Hazel said finally. "It's not."

"--And there's dancing, and food! Oh, the food!" Hannah went on, her smile even larger. "I've never tried it, but it's food. You can't really mess up as long as you have magic."

Susan snorted. "Trust me, my ma's messed up plenty of times. And she's an educated witch."

Hazel grinned, then her eyes caught on something behind Susan. Ernie Macmillan was sneaking up on her, tiptoeing as silently as he could. Which, to his credit, was pretty darn quiet. Or maybe he was just timing his footsteps to each crackle of the fire.

"Aaaaaaah!" Ernie suddenly roared, jumping up and tackling Susan. Susan let out a lingering scream, falling to the carpet in a fatal position. The Hufflepuffs exploded in laughter.

"Ernie!" Susan sat up straight, her face flushed. "What was that for?"

But Ernie couldn't answer, he was clutching his stomach in laughter.

"You-- should've-- seen--" Hannah took a massive gasp of air, tears of laughter crinkling at her eyes.

Hazel could feel her cheeks cramping up, and struggled to breathe. Susan, still on the golden carpet, rolled her eyes at them all. A smile was tugging at her lips, though she tried to hide it.

"That was amazing," Frank choked as he high fived Ernie. Susan crossed her arms childishly and pouted.

"You boys are so immature," she complained. That was when Hazel couldn't hold in her laughter anymore, and let out a huge snort.

"Not just boys," Susan added, rolling her eyes.

>>>•(Just because she's awesome)•<<<

Luna sat on the windowsill, head resting on her hands. The visions were slowly driving her insane, and she knew it. She couldn't get away from them, from the things she saw that no one else did--

"Luna?" A small voice asked from the doorway. Luna turned turned and swung her feet back into the girls dormitories, encased in blue silk. Like the Beauxbaton uniforms. Blue, like that Gryffindor girl Thalia's eyes. Like that Slytherin girl Piper's icy sword that always hung by her side, concealed by something beyond the magic they knew. Blue, like that Gryffindor girl Annabeth's fourth bead on her necklace. They were all connected somehow. Luna didn't see these things, but she saw them.

Don't understand? Neither did Luna.

"Luna!" The first year Ravenclaw girl asked again, nervously. Luna smiled, a dreamy smile that always emerged whenever her mind drifted away.

"Hullo, Daisy," Luna said.

"Professor Flitwick made an announcement," Daisy said in her wavering voice. "About the Yule Ball."

The Yule Ball. Luna smiled, though this time in excitement. She had heard about the Yule Ball before, in a book she had read.

"Of course, we're not fourth years yet," Daisy said. "But I thought you'd like to know..."

"Yes, thank you, Daisy." Luna tilted her head. She saw it again, a small flash of white around Daisy, a white-blue glimmer in the girl's eyes, a rush of cold air that made the dark hair swirl in a frame around her pale face.

"That's funny," Luna murmured, almost to herself.

"What's funny?" Daisy asked, her voice quivering again.

"You're a girl of winter." Luna tipped her head the other way. "I can see your eyes turning into ice and snow."

Daisy frowned, her eyes furrowing. "If you say so," she said hesitantly, before backing out of the dormitory. Luna sighed and turned back to the window, not sitting on it like before but resting her elbows on it.

"No one understands," she said to the mountains. She would not have been surprised if the mountains had responded.

They didn't.

Sry for the late update. That was kinda a filler... did anyone else get that "girl of ice and snow" reference?