The Burning of the White Wisteria

CHAPTER 4: THE FULL MOON

"A party?" Mara's pumpkin soda nearly fell out of her olive fingers. "Do Ravenclaws even have parties? I thought you all just sat around and studied all day."

"No," Luci rolled her eyes, playing with her food. "Don't be stupid. Besides, it'll be fun. It's a full moon party and the Ravenclaw common room has the best view of the sky. Come on, please?"

Mara snorted before sipping her soda. "Yeah, no, I'll pass. A party thrown by bookworms sounds bloody horrible."

"Mara, please," Luci pleaded, dropping her fork onto her plate of mashed potatoes. "It'd mean a lot to me if you two came."

Mara and I exchanged looks.

Parties, we both knew, were still a problem area for Luci. Some Ravenclaws thought it would be funny to invite her to one and place a wicked hex on her, embarrassing her in front of everyone. It made sense that she would be nervous to go to another one-- especially without us at her side.

"Alright," I smiled and patted her hand. "We'll come. It might be fun."

"You're lucky I love you, Luci," Mara took another long sip of her drink. "I wouldn't do this for just anyone."

Luci smiled.

~~

This is wrong, isn't it?

I looked down at my outfit with a frown.

What do people wear to these sorts of things anyway?

I awkwardly pulled at the black belt around my waist. The coolness of the belt buckle bit at my fingertips, causing me to sigh. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, wincing when strands of it got caught in my white gold shield ring-- another miscalculation on my part. Who wears a shield ring to a party at Ravenclaw tower? No one.

I groaned as I walked through the hall.

I'm going to embarrass myself, aren't I?

If only I hadn't had Astrology last, I might have actually had a bit of help from Mara in deciding what to wear. She had left before I had gotten back to the dorm and my other roommates were nowhere in sight.

Growing up rich and spoiled, I had no idea what normal kids wore at parties nor did I go to them in general. I have no interest in attending such things. After all, by the time I was seven, I had already gotten my fill of parties. My parents threw them almost every weekend.

Theoretically, I could find Abraxas and ask him, he went to parties quite often. Unfortunately, ever since our last conversation, my brother has been acting strangely towards me. A shame, really. I thought that we made up just fine.

Suddenly, a figure rounded the empty corridor. My heart jumped in my chest, feeling like a sore thumb in my attire.

Wait... I recognize that hair.

"Sirius!" I called out to him, relieved.

Sirius' eyes tore away from the floor at the sound of my voice, lighting up slightly as he smiled back at me. "Hey, 'Lex. Nice outfit. Little short though, don't you think?"

I laughed, looking down at my black pinstripe blazer dress. I peeled one of the sides up to reveal a pair of black biker shorts to him. "Kind of you to worry about me but I already took care of it."

He sauntered towards me, hands buried in the pockets of his black jeans with a dazzling smile on his tired face. "Who said I was worried?"

My grin faltered the closer he got.