The courtyard fell completely silent.
The lords of house Malfoy and Lestrange, who seemed to be the fathers of the two boys, ran forward to check on their heirs. They knelt, casting a spell on the young men, making them fall into a deep sleep, and then stood up again, their hands moving toward their wands as if ready to draw them from their holsters, when they caught the eye of Lord Black.
Arcturus Black looked calm, but his eyes carried a heavy threat, as if he would personally step in if they did anything.
Instead, they threw hateful glances at Gilderoy and apparated away with their sons.
Gilderoy looked at the crowd around him, his eyes falling on Narcissa, who smiled at him.
But when his eyes landed on Bellatrix, he was shocked; it seemed she was biting her lip, trying to control herself, rubbing her legs slightly together.
Is she turned on?
Arcturus Black stepped forward, clapping. "Well done, young man. You duel very well."
"Thank you, sir. I just taught them a lesson."
"Oh? What lesson is that?"
"That there is no point discriminating against our own people. All of us present here have magic."
An elderly man sneered at Gilderoy's words. "Blood matters. Only purebloods are powerful."
Gilderoy turned to Nott, smirking. "Oh, and you are?"
"Lord Nott," the elderly man replied, eyeing him as if he was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
"Lord Nott, do you realize that Dumbledore is a halfblood?"
Nott seemed momentarily stumped, but then snapped, "He is just one person."
Gilderoy shot back, "So what if there is only one? There could be more."
Nott gave him a disgusted look before disappearing from the courtyard, his son following right after him.
But surprisingly, Lady Nott did not leave. Instead, she remained where she was, standing with the ladies of the other noble houses, clearly interested in Gilderoy's words.
"Mr. Gilderoy," she said, stepping forward slightly, "could you introduce yourself to my friends? I'm sure they would like to talk with you."
Gilderoy moved forward, taking Lady Nott's hand and bowing to her. "Sure, my lady. Do I get the honour of knowing your name?"
"It's Mabel. You can call me by my name, no need to use 'lady.'"
"It is a lovely name for a beautiful lady like yourself," Gilderoy said as he let go of her hand.
Gilderoy wasn't really lying. The woman in front of him seemed to be a mature lady who still looked young, as if she were in her early thirties.
Mabel looked at his face and seemed slightly taken aback, noticing the intensity in his gaze, which made her realize that his compliment might not have been a simple one.
Gilderoy moved toward the other ladies, but this time he politely introduced himself, bowing and getting to know their names as he spoke, letting a hint of charm slip into his words, most of the ladies clearly amused by him.
Soon, he reached the end of the line, where he bowed again, though this time he didn't dare to push further, as the woman had already introduced herself before he could ask.
"Lady Meliania."
Gilderoy immediately recognized the name — the wife of Lord Black and co-host of the ball.
"Lady Black, it is an honour to attend your ball."
"Don't be modest, Mr. Lockhart," she replied. "I was in the stands with my husband during the duel. It was impressive how you were able to keep up with my Bella."
"You can call me Meliania, or even grandmother. Since you arrived, both my granddaughters seem quite taken with you."
Gilderoy found himself without a reply for a moment, unable to form words.
Another lady, whom he had not yet been introduced to, stepped forward.
Gilderoy took the chance to shift the focus, turning toward her, bowing politely, asking her name as he continued in the same flirty tone.
The woman in the red gown laughed lightly. "Ah, you younger generation, such a charmer."
"I am Dorea Potter," she said, her voice warm as she looked at him. "I see you've made quite a few connections tonight."
"Oh… this is James's mommy."
"It is good to be on friendly terms with everyone, isn't it, Lady Potter?"
"Call me Dorea," she said, then paused, a faint smirk forming. "And about what Meliania said earlier…"
She looked at him more carefully now. "Bella and Cissa are like granddaughters to me. Since they seem interested in you, be careful, young man. They are not easy to handle."
"Thank you, Dorea. I hope to rise to the challenge."
Gilderoy answered directly this time, not denying anything, which made both Meliania and Dorea pause for a moment before smiling at him.
Suddenly, an ugly house-elf appeared in front of them.
"Sir, Lord Black is calling you to come to his study."
---
Thanks for the powerstones.❤️
New Chapter. As written.
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