Before I realized, I was already on the train back to Hogwarts. The start of the new year happened in a flash; I didn't even realize school was starting again until yesterday evening when my brother mentioned it. My cousins and aunt were leaving to France that same evening. I was sad to see them go, but also looking forward to the next time we would see each other.
I paced through the Hogwarts Express, looking for Daphne or Tracey or both, peeking inside any compartment that I passed by. Randomly, I found Amirah Flowers sitting across from Isaiah Ainsley in a compartment with the door open. There were no other S4 in sight.
"Oh, hey Maeve," Isaiah spoke up before I could shuffle away. I stood there, frozen. I would have thought that Isaiah and Amirah were having a private moment, but seeing as he gleefully acknowledged my presence...
"Hi, you two," I said, partially slipping into the compartment.
"How was your winter break? Did you enjoy yourself?" Isaiah asked, his beetle black eyes gleaming under the compartment light.
"Yeah, it was fine. How was yours?" I returned the question.
"Grand," he said. "Come on, sit with us. Amirah was just telling me about this movie that she saw. You know what a movie is, right?"
"Yeah, I may have heard about them," I said, shrugging. I carefully sat next to Isaiah, facing Amirah, whose cheeks were pale pink and freckly as always. She used to have a faded blue streak of hair in her fringe, but now, her hair was chopped just above her shoulders and uniformly ash brown. "Nice haircut, Amirah," I added.
"Thanks," she smiled sheepishly. I hadn't spoken to her in a long while, even though I was still hanging on to those potions textbooks she'd lent me months ago. "My hair was damaged from when I bleached it, so I cut the ends."
"Wow," I said, not understanding what that meant — probably some muggle thing.
"Bleach is a product muggles use to make their hair colour lighter. And then they dye it to turn it into a different colour," Isaiah chimed in. He seemed to have noticed my perplexed expression.
"I see you've done your muggle studies homework," I said jokingly.
"Oh, well, you know, Amirah is a better muggle studies teacher than Professor Burbage," he said, gazing at Amirah in admiration.
"So, what is it that you saw about a movie?" I asked her, genuinely curious.
"It's this new movie that came out called The Nightmare Before Christmas," she said. "I finally got to watch it over the break. It was wonderful — debatably more of a Halloween movie, but still."
"Halloween movie?" I repeated, the words tasted like foreign food to my mouth. "Aren't movies like books? But with moving images?"
"Yes, exactly," Amirah confirmed.
"Huh," I hummed in affirmation.
"You know, maybe I could invite you and the S4 to watch some movies during the summer. I bet you'll love it," Amirah proposed suddenly.
"That's a great idea, actually," I said. "I would love to find out what all the fuss is about movies."
"I saw a movie once," someone said at the entrance of the compartment. It was Wyatt Nye. "My sister showed me."
"You have a sister?" I asked, surprised.
"She's ten years older," Isaiah said. "That's probably why you've never heard of her."
"And an arse," Wyatt said. "Hence why I don't always feel the need to mention her."
"I bet she's lovely," I said in all seriousness.
"She is," Isaiah said approvingly.
And soon after, the compartment was filled with the addition of James Lancaster and Elijah Hadleigh. Amirah was a lot more comfortable around them than I last remembered, notably around Wyatt, with whom I'd have expected awkwardness due to their past.
James was a little more despondent than I was used to. I tried to converse with him a bit more, but he kept his sentences short and curt. Elijah, on the other hand, was marveling over all the Christmas presents he got during the break. Apparently, he had many secret admirers.
"Most of them aren't signed, so I couldn't tell you who they were from even if I wanted to," he said, an air of arrogance to his posture and the way he spoke.
"If you're so saught after, Hadleigh," I said, "why are you still maidenless?"
"Maidenless?" Wyatt repeated with boistering laughter. "Who says that?"
"Well," Elijah began. "Perhaps, I just have better more important matters to tend to than spurious love affairs."
"Such as?" I challenged. Wyatt laughed again.
"Such as being an insufferable nerd," James chimed in.
I cackled, covering my mouth with my hand. Then, feeling slightly embarassed for laughing so hard, I cleared my throat and corrected my posture.
James had been silently brooding for a while, but now, it seemed like he was ready to interact with the others.
"Very funny, Lancaster," Elijah sighed. "So, I take it you're done sulking over your father."
"Shut it," James rolled his eyes playfully.
"Oi, Slytherins," someone said at the door. It was Marcus Flint, with a nasty smirk on his face, along with his cronies Bole and Derrick. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that Flint outside of his Hogwarts uniform dressed like he picked his clothes at random every morning. "House party in the common room, tonight. We found someone who can make a bloody good silencing charm. So this time, Snape won't hear us."
"Silencing charm?" I repeated. "That's bloody genius."
"Third-years aren't invited," Flint said, sneering at me.
"What? What did I do—?"
Flint cackled suddenly. His cronies laughed right after him.
"Don't get your knickers in your twist, Blackwood. I was just joking. As usual, though, no first and second years. Spread the message. Slytherins only."
Bole and Derrick sniggered as they left with Flint who marched proudly out into the train corridor.
"Flint is so ugly," I said, rolling my eyes. "And as much as I mean it physically, I especially mean it personality-wise. He's so unpleasant."
"Well, he does throw some fine parties," Wyatt shrugged, leaning back against his seat. He suddenly glanced at Amirah sitting across from him. "Except for the part where it's Slytherins only."
Before we knew it, we were already in the carriages, on our way back to Hogwarts. Soon after, we were greeted by a magnificent feast in the Great Hall.
When the feast was over, it was late in the evening, and I thought I was ready to hit the hay, but my fellow Slytherin classmates seemed to have other plans in mind: Slytherin party! Before I could relax for even just one second, I was already getting dragged by Daphne Greengrass, out of the dormitory, and into the common room.
The music was loud and so were the students. I had witnessed this type of scene multiple times in the short time that I had become a third-year student. Green and dim lighting, several types of beverages, sweets that looked like they were raided from the Trolley Lady in the Hogwarts Express, and gregarious students around the couches as well as on the dance floor.
"This is perfect!" Daphne squealed. "We just have to convince Pansy and Wyatt to dance together, and then we can get our plan in motion."
"You sure? Wouldn't a slow dance be more ideal if we want them to fall for each other?" I queried through the loud sounds surrounding us.
"Brilliant!" she said. "I'll just go speak to Flint since he takes care of the music — You, go talk to Wyatt and talk up Pansy or something. He has to ask her to dance when it turns into a slow dance."
Daphne quickly shuffled over to Flint, who was cackling with his friends.
I scanned the room for Wyatt. I had parted ways with the S4 when we arrived in the common room, but surely, they weren't too far away now?
Draco suddenly emerged from the dormitories, along with Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Blaise — the whole third-year Slytherin boys squad, it seemed. He had a typically smug look on his face, swaggering into the common room as if he owned the place. I averted my gaze away from his direction in case I got trapped in, yet again, another awkward eye contact moment with him.
"I told you Flint's parties are fun," Wyatt said right next to me. It was as if I had unconsciously conjured him just by willing his prescence.
"I don't recall the word fun being used, but that's quite alright," I said. He shrugged and took a sip from a beverage he was holding. "So, Wyatt... You heard of Pansy Parkinson before?"
"Who?"
I pointed at her. She was dancing with a group of fourth-year girls.
"That girl, black hair, black eyes, white," I said. "She's lovely, you know."
"Okay," Wyatt said, seemingly bored.
Across the room I spotted Daphne smiling at me and giving me thumbs up. It seemed like she convinced Flint to have a slow dance segment to the party. I had to act fast.
"You should ask her to dance," I said.
"Who?" he asked.
"Pansy Parkinson. The girl I just pointed at," I said, feeling desperate.
"I don't think so," he said.
"I'll give you a Happy Hallucinations potions," I said quickly.
"You will?" he asked, hopeful.
"Yeah, just don't tell James about it," I said. "It's in my dormitory. I'll give it to you tomorrow. Just go ask Pansy to dance."
As if on cue, the music switched from a dance anthem to a ballad-type song. Daphne was waving intensely at me, as if asking me to come over to her. Flint was standing next to her with a weird pervy look on his face. I frowned.
"You promise? No tricks?" Wyatt asked, nearly on his tippy-toes as he looked over to Pansy Parkinson.
"Yeah, just go. I promise, tomorrow morning," I pushed him away from me and onto the dancefloor where many couples were slow dancing.
Wyatt awkwardly looked at me one last time before ambling over towards Pansy Parkinson. I squealed silently.
Pansy, who was just standing around looking at people dancing, had a surprised look on her face upon Wyatt's arrival. I tried edging nearer to them, but someone pulled me away from the dancefloor.
"Maeve," Daphne said urgently. "Don't kill me, but you have to dance with Flint — it was the only way to convince him to have a slow dance section to the party—"
"Why me?" I was shocked. "Why couldn't you have agreed to it."
"Well... I don't want Blaise to get any weird ideas and besides, Flint had a strong preference for you," she said. I tried not to gag.
"That's — how could you put me in such an awkward situation—"
"So, am I dancing with Blackwood or not, because if I'm not, I'm stopping this dance—"
"She'll be happy to! Don't worry!"
I gave Daphne a menacing glare before getting pulled into the slow dancing floor with Flint. He placed his hands on my waist, and I placed mine on his shoulders, which made me wanna retch, but I couldn't disrespect Flint otherwise he'd stop the dance.
Near the center of the dancefloor, Pansy Parkinson was dancing with Wyatt Nye. She was beaming at him, while he was slightly awkward and looking around mindlessly. Daphne was right. Wyatt was basically a tall Draco Malfoy — blonde hair, arrogant, a bit too prideful — of course Pansy would fall for him really easily. The plan was genius—
"Why aren't you looking at me," Flint said with impatience. He squeezed my waist slightly with his hands, and I tried not to regurgitate my supper.
Frankly, dissociating from it all, I winced a smile and said, "Sorry. I'm just, er — impressed that you throw such great parties."
It took all of my willpower not to roll my eyes right then and there. Instead, I vaguely looked at him, but avoided his eyes. I could feel his sliminess radiating onto me through his hands and onto my waist and it made me want to die. I was going to kill Daphne for this.
Flint said something probably stupid and arrogant, but I didn't pay much attention to it as I noticed Millicent Bulstrode standing on the sidelines, and I had a brilliant idea.
"Oh, Flint," I said quickly, unaware if I was interrupting him or not. "Millicent Bulstrode right there would love to dance with you. You should definitely ask her to dance. She's been dreaming of it for a really long time."
"Really?" Flint said smugly.
He drew his hands back to himself, and I regained a bit of my dignity at that moment. Without another word or glance in my direction, he threw his attention onto Millicent, who had a deadly look on her face — not necessarily directed at anyone, just her regular deadly-looking face.
I rapidly withdrew myself from any potential chaos that could be caused by Flint approaching Millicent, and just shuddered in a corner, utterly grossed out by the fact that the vile and atrocious Marcus Flint touched my waist. I tried wiping his dirtiness away from my body, but it felt like it was stained onto me forever.
"First Lancaster, and now Flint?" Draco Malfoy's voice derided next to me. I was too preoccupied with leveling my breathing and regaining my composure to even glance at him. "Didn't realize you had a type, Blackwood. Old."
"If you're referring to me dancing with Flint, I'll have you know that Daphne forced me to, and I hated it," I said.
I looked around at the dancefloor. The fruit of my labour, Pansy and Wyatt, were still slow dancing together, and this time, Wyatt slightly more engaged in whatever conversation they were having.
"Seems like your girlfriend has also moved on to older boys," I said teasingly. Malfoy scoffed.
"Girlfriend?" he repeated with amusement. "No, I don't think so. Pansy's just a girl I let follow me around whenever it suits me."
I remained quiet at that comment. This just solidified my believe about how much of an arse Malfoy was, and how we really needed to get Pansy away from him.
"Jealous?" Malfoy said upon noticing my silence.
"Of what?" I sneered. "Being seen as disposable? No, I don't think so."
Suddenly passing by in front of us was Millicent and Flint, slow dancing together — I gasped. I hadn't bothered to notice earlier if Flint had successfully asked Millicent to dance, and now that they were, I felt quite proud of myself for trusting my instincts in pairing them up — indirectly, of course, but still.
"Seems like Flint's moved on from you rather quickly," Malfoy said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes.
"A blessing, really," I affirmed, holding back a shudder upon remembering Flint's slimy hands crawling on me.
Malfoy then mumbled something about dancing that I couldn't quite hear well over the party's noise. I didn't bother asking what he said as I noticed James Lancaster entering the common room with his arms crossed. Ignoring Malfoy's annoyed glare, I swiftly made my way over to James, passing through the crowd of dancing and swaying students.
"James," I said upon reaching him. "I didn't take you for a party person."
"Well, I guess this is a peculiar party," he said. "Did Flint really orchestrate this?"
He motioned at the common room. The mood was a lot different than what it was when the party first began. The music, for starters, was still set on this slow dance setting, Flint was still dancing with Millicent, and so many more random couples of people were dancing together, romantic or not — I mean, even Aiden and Miles were slow dancing. People on the sidelines were either drinking or calmly observing while talking to other people.
"Yeah... Apparently he found love," I said, motioning at Flint and his new dance partner.
"And so did Wyatt..." James noted upon seeing Pansy and him together. At this point, they weren't dancing anymore, but still in each other's presence.
"Are you surprised?" I asked.
"A bit."
"I take it Wyatt isn't the romantic type?" I guessed. James winced.
"I've rarely seen him show interest in anyone, romantically," he admitted. "I thought him more reserved over that sort of thing."
"And what about you?" I asked wildly, feeling my cheeks burn slightly as I spewed this sentence.
"Me?" he repeated, surprised by my question. "I suppose I also tend to be more reserved over that sort of thing."
I nodded, humming in understanding. I didn't really know why I asked in the first place.
"What about that other prefect from your year?" I asked, remembering the strawberry blonde girl I had seen before winter break.
"McFell?" he asked.
"McFell? Is that her name?" I repeated, unsure.
"Davia McFell," James said. "Fifth-year Slytherin prefect. She's blonde. Is that who you mean?"
"Yeah," I mumbled.
"Well, she's—"
"Do you want to dance?" I asked, not ready to hear how he felt about Davia McFell.
"Sure," James shrugged. It felt like the inside of my cheeks were burning my skin with all the blood flow. If it weren't for the dim green lighting of the common room, it would have been very obvious that I was blushing, and I could not have James noticing that.
James and I entered the dancefloor. He began by gently and ever-so-slightly placing his hands on my waist, and I placed mine on his shoulders. I had to avoid James' eyes or I'd lose it.
The music suddenly changed. The ballad period was over. And now it was back to more upbeat and exciting music. I glanced around and found Flint reunited with his friends, Millicent accompanying them.
James removed his hands from my waist, and it felt like a part me was drifting away with him. I did not want the slow dance sequence to be over. Why did Flint have to revert back to the previous music? I loved listening to Weird Sisters and Spellbound, but I wanted Celestina Warbeck back.
"Still up for dancing?" he asked. I tried not to show my disappointment.
"Yeah," I said.
Soon after James and I began dancing, Wyatt Nye and Isaiah Ainsley joined us and all four of us swayed and moved our bodies to the music. The rest of the evening went on the same way; dancing, chatting, laughing, and for some, drinking.
I went to bed that night at worse than an ungodly hour, feeling completely drained of any energy I may have had that day. I fell asleep in an instant.