Chapter 179. The Ball.
The difficult year was gradually drawing to a close. Over the past weeks since the events at Grimmauld Place Number Twelve, several significant shifts had taken place. Beyond the smaller clashes between the Black Star and the Ministry of Magic on one side and the Death Eaters on the other, it came to light that the Ministry was aware of their informants. This had been Voldemort's doing. He was not willing to watch his chief opponent grow stronger by the day.
The Black Star had attempted a quiet withdrawal of their people. The loss of nearly fifty well-trained wizards had been a serious blow, but the attempt failed. There was no great pitched battle. About thirty percent of their people had been extracted in time, but the rest were quickly overwhelmed. They tried to resist, but this was the Ministry of Magic headquarters, and however capable they were, they were simply buried by sheer numbers.
The organization was losing ground on the second front as well. The Death Eaters had begun actively reclaiming territory. They knew Britain far better, and many of the smaller factions were equally hostile to outsiders and joined the effort against them.
Most of the blame lay with Charles and his aggressive methods. Witold had long since left the country and withdrawn to the main headquarters after completing his final assignment. The new leader of the Steel sub-group looked perfectly pleasant on the outside, but certain orders he issued provoked exactly the response he got. They had forced other factions across England to pick a side, and those who refused to choose were coerced into it or killed on the spot.
There were those who joined the Black Star voluntarily, but those who could be called patriots far outnumbered them. After all, who wanted to be ordered to fight and risk their lives against their will? Within roughly a month, the Black Star had lost almost all of the advantage they had built. The turn of events genuinely surprised even Severus, who had been observing the three-way conflict from a distance. He did not dwell on it for long. He had other, more pressing matters.
Near the end of October, he returned to the Forbidden Jungles to collect the ingredients from the King of the Ents and to check the barrier one more time. Four months shouldn't have produced anything serious, but he wanted to test his upgraded core and see if he had missed anything. That wasn't his primary purpose, and in the end, the attempt yielded little.
He had come for two reasons: to collect the ingredients and to establish a teleportation anchor point, though for now, only outside the magical forest rather than within it. He hadn't yet found a way to install an anchor inside the jungle; the barrier's interference made it impossible. He had ideas about the subject, but executing them would require extensive preparation and extremely rare, expensive resources. For now, he was content with the current arrangement and saw no reason to rush. Reaching the Ents took only minutes.
He continued to spend the rest of his time on the absorption ritual, the potion for his O.W.L. demonstration, and his Potions Black Cauldron certification, ongoing research at the school, and general affairs. He was largely left alone: Black Star was busy with its own troubles, the Death Eaters and the Ministry were occupied with consolidating their gains while the advantage was theirs, and Dumbledore was watching it all from a distance. Severus could work in peace.
December 20, 1977. Hogwarts.
With so much to occupy him, Severus had barely registered Halloween on October thirty-first. Christmas, however, was impossible to ignore. Compared to the year before, the Headmaster and the teachers had genuinely outdone themselves this time: the castle was decorated from floor to tower and blazed with shifting, multicolored light. Even the professors had been given festive pointed hats to help put the students in the holiday spirit. The look on Slughorn's face when he walked into class yesterday morning after the weekend would keep Severus warm on cold evenings for some time to come.
Beyond the decorations, the Board of Governors had also decided to add something special this year: a ball. Beginning the previous week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon between lunch and dinner had been set aside for waltz instruction.
Severus had not been particularly interested in dancing and had conveniently arranged a medical exemption in the form of his Healing lessons. However, that exemption had vanished as quickly as it appeared after he joked that the festive hat really suited the school Healer. Her uniform was already white and red, so it wasn't exactly wrong, but apparently he wasn't the first to point that out.
And so Severus found himself dancing a waltz with a Slytherin girl who, to his considerable relief, wasn't stepping on his feet. That alone was cause for gratitude. From the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw corners, he could hear a near-constant stream of yelps and disgruntled muttering. Among the Slytherins, where almost every student came from an aristocratic or half-blood background, this sort of thing was practically learned in the cradle, and so Professor McGonagall, who had been assigned to oversee the session, had agreed to dismiss those students who had already mastered the steps rather than waste their already limited free time on account of others.
"Miss Johnson, raise your left hand slightly. Mr. Boyer, slower. Miss Davis can't keep up." McGonagall's expressionless voice carried over the music as she watched from a small platform.
"Yes, Professor." The students sighed with varying degrees of exhaustion. Four days of waltz practice had thoroughly worn down their enthusiasm, and more than a few of them were inwardly cursing the Board of Governors for this particular gift.
"You move well, Mr. Prince." His partner smiled at him. She was a slender, poised blonde with a pale complexion common to aristocrats, vivid blue eyes, and fine, delicate features.
"As do you, Miss Greengrass. I'm very glad we were paired together." He returned her smile with a gentle nod. "I wouldn't want to be in that poor fellow's place." He gestured toward a pair of Hufflepuffs where a third-year boy had clearly had every inch of his boots trampled and looked utterly pitiful.
"I agree entirely. I'm also glad I finally have a chance to speak with you."
"Hm?"
"My father has invited you to our home on many occasions, and you have never once replied." Miss Greengrass met his eyes with a reproachful look, giving his shoulder a small pinch as they drew close during a turn.
"I apologize. I simply don't have the time at the moment." He leaned in slightly to keep his voice down, then returned to the proper distance. "But once things settle down, I'll be sure to visit your family."
"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Prince."
The music faded, and they came to a stop. Both gave a slight bow and looked toward McGonagall.
"That will be all for today. But don't leave just yet. I'm about to read out the names of those who may sit out the remaining two sessions." McGonagall swept her customary stern look across the room and unrolled a parchment before her. "Mr. Prince and Miss Greengrass. Mr. Dean and Miss Fox. Mr. Kire and Miss Quincy..."
While McGonagall continued the list, Severus had already turned and was heading for the door. He wanted to get dinner over with quickly, so he could go find Slughorn. He had come up with several questions about the Dragon Pox Antidote and needed to identify substitutes for two specific plants that did not exist in this world.
"You're not even going to say goodbye?" A slightly hurt, faintly indignant voice stopped him.
"Miss Greengrass." He turned back with a brief nod. "I'm in a bit of a hurry. And if you're interested in my friend, just speak to him directly, or I can introduce you right now. I don't have time for these kinds of games." He kept his tone calm and quiet. With McGonagall still going through names, no one nearby was paying attention, though Miss Greengrass paled slightly.
"What do you mean?" But before she could finish her question, a voice made her jump.
"Severus. Off to see Professor Slughorn again?" Regulus had walked over and hadn't immediately noticed the girl. "How about a drink?" He stopped, finally noticing her. "Severus, have you never heard the saying: if you chase two rabbits, you won't catch either?" He gave Severus a knowing wink, his expression saying it all: Caught you. How are you planning to make this up to me?
"Perfect timing," Severus pulled the startled young man close by the shoulder and clapped him on the back. "Miss Greengrass, I'm afraid I really can't stay. But my friend here absolutely can. He's a pureblood aristocrat from an ancient family, a true Black. He's all yours." He gave the stunned Regulus a firm nudge in her direction, raised a hand in farewell, and walked away, leaving the two young people to recover from a situation neither of them had seen coming.
"Uh..." Regulus had no idea what to say, especially with what felt like every eye in the room now on him. He was simultaneously embarrassed and extremely annoyed with Severus.
Regulus. This is your chance. Take it and run. She's completely smitten with you. She spent the whole dance asking about you, which is exactly why I slipped away. Girls like her don't come along every day. If it weren't for your sister, I'd have kept her for myself. But I never said a word, and you didn't hear it from me. Now stop standing there like a statue and do something. Severus's voice rang clearly in Regulus's head. He was genuinely surprised. He had never exchanged a single word with her, so how had she fallen for him? But he wasn't a timid person, and he agreed with Severus completely. She was very beautiful, especially those vivid blue eyes.
He cleared his throat once or twice and let an apologetic smile settle on his face.
"Miss Greengrass, I must apologize for my friend's behavior. He is... quite an eccentric person." Several far less polite words fought to be spoken, but he held them back. "Allow me to make it up to you by walking you to the Great Hall."
"You have nothing to apologize for." She collected herself and shook her head with a slight smile. "I was perhaps too forward. I'll apologize to him myself later. And I accept your offer."
"Thank you."
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4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 142
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