Masquerade (Discontinued)

Chapter VII

San Clemente Palace Hotel, Venice, Italy, Europe

Saturday the 1st of August 1998

4:25 PM

The first thing she noticed that it was blindingly bright in her motherfucking room. She let out a shrill scream that was met with other groans and yelps of agony. Her head was pounding and she slammed the pillow over her eyes and nestled into the body she was laying on top. She groped the hard stomach and pecs and instantly recognized her fiancé. She swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat and let out a sob as she cracked an eye open.

Her eyes flashed open and she stared around at the trashed room. Empty bottles of wine and vodka and Firewhiskey littered the floor. Daphne was curled up in the corner, cradling a half empty bottle of Smirnoff in the crook of her arm. Legs were sticking out from underneath the couch and there was obviously someone in the bathroom. Someone was snoring like a giant.

And then, she actually looked in the direction of the light and screamed, the light blinding her. She felt Tom jerk from underneath her and she was suddenly yanked underneath a bundle of dark blankets and sheets, for which she was thankful. She heard the screams of others that she woke with her screams and then the blissful sighs as someone yanked the curtains closed. Bella pulled the blankets away, cautiously and saw a shirtless Tom standing by the doorway with narrowed eyes.

He looked around as everyone woke up, sleepily and he glared. He stalked towards the windowsill where the Daily Prophet had been dropped off earlier. He flipped it open and his eyes narrowed at the front page. He turned to all of them and glared, angrily.

"You're on the front page," he snarled and he threw the paper at Bella. Bella barely grabbed it and she groped for her glasses. She slid them on and had to concentrate extremely hard on the words but her eyes were red and watery and the words looked jumbled.

Tom shoved a small potion bottle in her hand and she downed the nasty potion in one go. Her vision cleared and her headache lessened incredibly though it didn't completely disappear. She looked down at the paper.

HIGH-SOCIETY GONE WILD

And there were an assortment of pictures on the front page from Astoria Greengrass snogging some girl that looked vaguely familiar to Bella, and Neville chugging a bottle of Firewhiskey with three others beside him on the bar. There was even a photo of Draco and Luna dancing rather raunchily. Bella groaned.

"What the fuck happened last night?"

Tom's glare intensified.

"I don't know. You tell me. Now give the rest of your friends the damn hangover potions. I have to go fix your fucking mess. I'm Flooing Lois. The girl might as well start with this massive screw-up."

Bella nodded, absently as she ran her hair through her knotty hair and she looked down at her sleek and sexy dress…well, it was sleek and sexy when she had worn it the night before.

Not so much when covered in sweat and alcohol.

What the fuck happened last night?

Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London, England, Great Britain

Friday the 31st of July 1998