He was darkness.
He was death.
He was pain.
He was suffering.
He was a mystery. One she intended to solve.
"You wouldn't kill me, Tom." "Avada Kedavra!"
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December Twenty-eighth, 1943
The Christmas Ball was tonight. Jaelyn did not let Arabella forget the fact, and the pair were heading into Hogsmeade that day to find dresses for the occasion. Argus Filch stood at the large and heavy doors, holding a scroll that tumbled onto the floor in pools of parchment. Jaelyn fidgeted nervously. "Merlin, why does this always take so long!" She exclaimed, "he so knows our names by now!"
Edmund leaned his chin on Arabella's head and rolled his eyes. "Have you met the man? He thrives on pain."
Jaelyn scoffed but became silent, choosing to instead glare holes into the back of Filch's head.
Nearly five minutes passed and then the three students were free and wandering down the white, snowy path to Hogsmeade. Edmund's fingers were wound tightly around Arabella's and she leaned into his warmth as she shivered.
Soon, Jaelyn let out an excited squeal and leaped away from Arabella and Edmund. She shot over to a window where overhead, a sign swung in the cold breeze. Madam Thrippen's Gowns.
"Bella! This one's perfect!"
Curious, Arabella guided Edmund over to the shop and her eyes widened in wonder. The dress was beautiful.
Jaelyn was nodding her head furiously. "You have to get it. It would look so beautiful on you."
Edmund smiled down at Arabella and shrugged his shoulders. "You'd look amazing in anything, but this dress is very nice."
Arabella went into the store with a bag of money and came back out with a bag with a dress.
The evening came around quickly, with the ball the only thing anyone could talk about. Arabella and Jaelyn were getting ready in their common room with a few other Slytherin girls.
A hush descended on the room when Arabella pulled out her dress and laid it on the bed.
"Merlin's Beard," Gretchen said, her hands sprung to cover her mouth in shock. "That is the most gorgeous dress I have ever laid my eyes on."
The other girls crowded Arabella, bombarding her with questions.
"Where did you get it?"
"How much did it cost?"
"Can I buy it off you after the ball?"
"Twelve galleons!"
Arabella laughed and waved everyone away. Jaelyn eyed the dress enviously. "Put it on then," she said, "before someone else does."
Quickly, Arabella gripped the sweater she was wearing and pulled it over her head. She shimmied out of her long pants and then slipped the dress on. It fell cleanly over her body and the weight of it pulled it down. The bodice was ribbed and almost sheer. White flowers crowned the neckline and waistline of the bodice and snaked down the dress like vines. The shimmering silver fabric seemed to glow like one thousand stars. The skirt of the dress was cinched at the waist but exploded outwards, heavy silver fabric falling to the ground.
