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On the four House tables laid the most delicious foods and drinks, full of richness and flavour. Marlene had indulged, eating more than what Maiara had thought to be possible in a singular sitting, though the Brazilian witch herself had eaten much past her own expectations. As the lovely dinner had been replaced by the desserts, Marlene momentarily groaned from beside Maiara, before she caught sight of her favoured profiteroles. Small pieces of parchment discreetly flew onto multiple students' laps, at the seeming request of a 7th year Hufflepuff. Having been familiar with the meaning behind the message, Maiara softly frowned upon the news that would be soon revealed. Like herself, the note had also been delivered to her roommates, as Mary began reading out the contents of the parchment to the five of them, though Maiara caught sight of some surrounding students listening in to her speaking.
"Dear Students! As some of you may be aware, Sunday the 30th of March is the vernal equinox. As 6th and 7th years, we invite you to celebrate the start of a new astrological year with our annual party." Many students cheered, careful to keep it amongst themselves, though Maiara was certain that many of the staff merely chose to ignore the happenings in that moment. Though, undeniably, she had also grown excited at the thought of a celebration, given the past weeks had been quite tiresome and uneventful. With a beaming smile graving her features, Mary began speaking even softer, as she finished announcing the timing and location of the upcoming celebration.
"Oh, jolly!" Alice exclaimed, as Frank Longbottom let out a hearty laugh at the sight of her chocolate covered mouth, from his seat beside her. The wizard softly wiped the loud witch's mouth, as she had been completely oblivious to the napkin he had been offering, at which she blushed a deep red. "Girls, we must go shopping for our dresses and jewellery! What colour would you reckon could compliment my features?"
"I believe a red dress would look absolutely stunning on you," Lily spoke up fondly, as she smiled softly at her friend, the remainder of the girls agreeing animatedly. Alice truly looked good in the colour red, her House colours having always flawlessly enhanced her beauty. Appealing to the idea, the light haired witch smiled brightly and turned to excitedly talk about the upcoming party to Frank. The young wizard adoringly gazed at her, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Alice hadn't slowed down her speech for a multitude of minutes, as he was genuinely invested in her thoughts. The sight brought warmth to Maiara, and it didn't go unseen by her surrounding friends, as Marlene nudged Mary in the side and kicked Lily under the table. The four girls softly giggled at the lovestruck Frank, and unknowing Alice, before turning away to resume their separate conversation.
Maiara couldn't help but tune out all noise surrounding her, as a searing pain shot in her head. The pain was crushing her and came in a pattern, as it hit her in apparent waves. The sensation made her want to pace about, feeling as though she would burst if she were to remain seated for just another millisecond. Her eyes began watering, ever so slightly, as her nose started to mildly run. She was suddenly blinded with with flashing colourful spots and found herself craving the darkness she generally loathed, and internally begged for stillness and quiet, as the sudden sense of nausea drained her of all her strength. At the sound of the discordant clang of the empty goblet that had fallen out of her clutch, Maiara regained her composure and the searing pain soothed. She found herself panting softly, as she tried to regulate her breathing as discreetly as she could, and sent her friends a reassuring smile. Marlene reached under the bench to pick up the goblet, oblivious to the reasoning behind why it had been dropped, before returning to her chatter with Mary and Lily.
