Charms Classroom, a bit before 8pm

Outfit!

It was a little under a week since Mysti and the girls had a sleepover in the Astronomy tower. There were some good ideas thrown out by the girls for tonight as well.  Then Fauna, Emmy, Ayla and Meg all helped Mysti when it came time for setting up the masquerade. She loved the idea of having a grand party, and a masquerade seemed like it would be an incredibly fun theme. All she required was that people wore a mask of some kind. Other than that, they could wear what they wanted, as long as they weren’t naked, of course.

She had sent out the invitations a little before Halloween, after getting an “OK” from Professor Fleetfoot about using the Charms classroom. “8pm sharp in your best mask in the charms classroom” she had written. And she made sure that they got delivered only to those who knew her, and that she liked. Mainly, everyone but the Slytherins. Well, that wasn’t true, she had given one to Trent and to Bea’s sister, only because they weren’t exactly like the rest of the Slytherins.

But now, Mysti and the others had finished setting up the decorations, snacks, and all that was required. What had originally been a classroom now looked like a room fit for a masquerade! And there was even a box that had some masks in case someone tried to come without one. Mysti wanted this to be an exciting event for everyone!

“That should about do it! Thanks again so much for your help! I’m so excited!” Mysti exclaimed to her friends. She thought everything looked perfect. Lowering her mask over her face, she smiled. Tonight was going to be a great night.  And she was now 16 years old! Not quite 17, which would call for an even bigger celebration, but 16 was good enough for a big bash.

Then, she turned on the music and headed back over to the other girls and waited for guests to start arriving.  Mysti couldn’t wait to see what happened. Something about being another year older and wearing a mask and a fancy dress and shoes made everything exciting.  And of course, Mysti enjoyed spending time with her friends, as well as trying to guess who her friends were. Now, she waited with the other girls until other people started to arrive.

Ayla had put all of her energy into helping the girls prepare decorations for Mysti's party. She had just been in a pair of jeans and a tank top with her short black hair clipped back so that she had freedom to move around and get all the decorations up preferring to do things with her hands than her wand. She wasn't the best at doing charms and felt more confident in her ability to climb up a ladder to secure a tapestry than sticking one up using magic.

The past week Ayla had noticeably not been herself. She had been able to get through Mysti's sleepover well enough and even had fun but the knowledge that Xavier had hit Maddie all because of her was eating away at her insides. She felt even worse than she had when she was only worried about making a fool of herself in front of Blake. Many of her Professor's had even asked after her because she wasn't disrupting their classes and was actually concentrating on her work.

Ayla looked around the room satisfied with how well the charms classroom had been transformed. As a finishing touch she pulled out a box of treats she had made herself. She laid them out on a separate table with decorative little signs for each different treat with a large sign that said 'Madame Collins' Feel Good Goodies', it was a working title but it was good enough for the test run. There were Giddy Gummies, Sweetheart Cupcakes - that made you fall for the first member of the opposite sex you saw, Cheerful cookies - little shortbread hearts that had a powerful Cheering Charm baked right into them - and of course the biggest one the Cherish Cake - a three layered strawberry filled cake that had the most powerful love charm that Ayla could create baked into it, that one was good to last for at least three months, unlike the cupcakes that were only a twenty four hour spell.

After making sure the signs were clearly visible Ayla waved a quick goodbye to the girls as she rushed off to the Hufflepuff commonroom to get dressed for the party. When she returned Ayla was almost unrecognizable. She had enchanted her hair to grow it down to the middle of her back and had changed the raven black locks to strands of gold. She was sporting a Miranda Hallowell Original with a handmade golden mask - that was charmed into sticking to her face so she didn't have to worry about tying it on - and a pair of golden shoes that oddly enough her father had picked out to match the dress her mother had made specifically for her. Apparently Dahlia had sent an owl to their parents worried about how depressed Ayla had been over the past week and in turn her parents had gone out of their way to try and cheer her up. Since they were both still in London, their best efforts had been to send her presents.

Ayla went up to Mysti with a genuine smile and twirled around happy to be wearing a dress that had been made just for her, "What d'you think? My mom made it."

Josh had received an invite to Mystique's masquerade birthday party, which surprised him only in the sense that they had managed to arrange it. He was dressed in red dress robes, with a fairly elaborate mask on his face that concealed all but his lower jaw. Yes, it did have eyeholes, though there was an enhancement on the mask so that his eyes would appear a different colour. Yes, he took masquerades seriously.
"Hello you two" Josh said, not sure who each of the two girls were, though one did bear some resemblance to Mystique. Only being able to guess based on facial shape, however, he could draw no conclusions, and all he could tell about the other is they were likely in third year.

Outfit!


Fauna, dressed in her paint-splattered jeans and an old tee, put the finishing touches on Mysti’s birthday banner and stood back to look at it. One of the many perks of being in charge of the art club was that she had lots of practice decorating and setting up parties, so she hadn’t minded helping Mysti at all. When Mysti turned on the music and thanked them, Fauna excused herself and ran back to the common room with Ayla to throw on her dress. She’d already done her hair and put on a bit of makeup before decorating.

When Fauna walked into the Charms classroom for the second time that night, she wore an old, white prom dress that she’d fussed with to make more modern, though she left the beading in the front intact. She’d found her snowy white owl mask on a Halloween stand during Hogsmeade weekend, and since Halloween was over had bought it for half the price. It had inspired the rest of her outfit, which she topped off with a white, ruffled shawl that reminded her of wings.

She spotted Mysti easily and noticed someone new beside her. Fauna blinked at her for a moment before hearing her voice and realizing who it was.

“Ayla!” she exclaimed, putting her hands on her shoulders and turning her around so she could get a good look at her. “Beautiful,” she grinned, hoping the night would be fun for her since the girl had seemed sad for most of the week. “I like the treats you set up too,” she complimented her, glancing at the refreshments.

Ayla had done very well concealing her identity, and Fauna wondered for a moment if she should have done the same. She didn’t expect to fool anyone with her distinctive dark hair and blue eyes.

“Mysti, happy birthday,” Fauna told her, giving her a hug. Mysti’s gift was actually waiting for her in the common room, since Fauna figured they’d both be heading back there at some point tonight.

The boy standing near them wore red dress robes and looked vaguely recognizable. Fauna guessed he was in Mysti’s year.

“Hi,” she greeted him with a smile. “I haven’t figured out who you are yet, but I guess that’s the point.” Fauna paused and nudged Mysti with a grin. “I’ll be Flora for the night, my long lost sister,” she announced with a giggle.

["Costume"]

After strapping his mask on, Trent Travis was ready for Mysti's party. It wasn't his most half-assed attempt at dressing up, he just... Obviously looked like himself. It was a new pair of jeans, however, and the present he got for Mysti was quite expensive. Well, seventeen galleons was a lot for someone as poor as Trent. All those other rich Slytherins were so selfish, anyways. Trent wore the same slacks, same boots, same hair cut every year-- But he didn't complain. Neely Woolfolk screeched like a Monkey if she was wearing the same shoes twice in one week. Pathetic.

It was kind of embarrassing for the seventh year, anyways. He'd never think of chasing after Mystique Ketteridge... She was kind of... Weird... And tomboyish... And Trent was too stupid to realize that every girl he ever liked was weird and tomboyish. Well, Astrid wasn't too tomboyish, but still. Trent sighed and adjusted the stupid butterfly thing on his present. Some Slytherin girl helped him with it and he didn't even thank her. Was that expected of him anymore?

He opened the door to the Charms room and hesitantly walked in. Trent instantly noticed that every person probably disliked him and he disliked them in return. Well, he disliked the small girl wearing the stupid dress simply for being there, really. And Fauna Blake was a tease/Devlin's property. A small scowl formed on the Slytherin's face. Hopefully someone good would be coming soon, because Trent doubted he'd be able to hang around Mysti the whole time.

"Hey, Mysti. I showered." Trent gave the younger student his creepiest smile before handing her the present he payed so much for. It was best he announced that before he got teased like he always did. He should have worn a trench coat, eh? That would have been "fun". He wrapped one of his arms around Mysti for an awkward hug before backing away again. Weeeeird.

His eyes flickered over towards the other girls (Of course, he didn't care for the Gryffindor student, whoever he was) and his smile twisted and became more devilish. "Wow, Blake, that outfit is making my wand cast patronuses like you don't even know." And, with a creepy wink, he turned around to look for the food. "Sorry, Mysti." He murmured and began to indulge on the snacks they laid out. Hopefully his nasty remarks wouldn't get him kicked out. He was already having fun.

The invitation to the masquerade had come shortly before Halloween and all of the mess that came with it.  In the midst of everything that happened during Halloween, just like anything else that didn't involve avoiding a panic attack, Mystique's party had completely slipped his mind.  After his initial conversation about Rita Skeeter's article with Dreogan, Sasha granted himself the luxury of trying to ignore everything involving school and enjoy the week away.  Some time off was one of the purposes of the much needed respite.  He'd allowed himself to get lost in the trip - catching up with Jacoba, exploring the Ministry with Dreogan.  He didn't give school a second thought until the evening before he was set to return. 

It had been Jacoba that had reminded him of the party and urged him to go.  The party was approved by a Professor so there was no way he'd get in trouble.  He would have just returned; he couldn't hide forever - he'd have to face everyone at the school at some point and hiding away would only prove Skeeter's point about his guilt.  They'd spent his last evening in London shopping for the party - Jacoba had even paid for the mask knowing he'd only feel more guilty if he didn't use it at the party since it would be her money he was wasting.  And she had so much less of it than she did.

He'd had no idea how one was supposed to dress to such a thing - matching suits to masks wasn't an easy task.  Nor one he was familiar with.  In then end, he'd opted for casual.  Or, at least, as casual as he usually managed. 

The feeling of unsure awkwardness was inevitable.  He hadn't seen many of these people since he'd rushed out of the Great Hall after almost a week ago.  The mask helped though he didn't delude himself into thinking his height and his choice of outfit didn't give him away.  Luckily, the first step was obvious.  With Mystique a Happy Birthday.  Of course, that was everyone else's first step, too, as evidenced by the cluster of people around her.  Mostly on the power of will, he crossed the room towards her, but paused a short distance away, politely (and slightly awkwardly) awaiting his turn.

outfit

Even though the sleepover at the Astronomy Tower had been a little chaotic, the girls were able to plan for Mystique's Masquerade birthday party. Meg had been happy to help that night, just as she was happy to help Mysti setup for the party. The only real limitation that any of the party-goers had, was to wear a mask, naturally for that element of surprise to who you were dancing with at the masquerade. Of course, everything else was up for grabs for what to wear and everything.

Having dressed casually for helping Mysti, Meg put the finishing touches on a few decorations that she had just recently placed on the walls around the room. Sure, the Charm's classroom was still there under all of the decorations, but the point was to convey a Masquerade Party. Since she was apart of the Art Club, she was over joyed to help decorate. After all, along with Fauna and the art club, she seemed to help decorate probably almost every type of party in Hogwarts. However, that experience was always appreciated.

After being thanked, Meg quietly excused herself from the room. She quickly ran back to the Ravenclaw Tower, where she managed to change into her dress and heels. She had already did her hair before helping to decorate, and put the finishing touches on her make-up. Taking the mask that she picked out that matched her outfit, she concealed her identity for the night. Well, she concealed it without actually performing a spell on herself, since she didn't trust performing a spell on herself.

After a few minutes in tripping in her heels (she still didn't master it after wearing dresses and heels a lot recently), Meg managed to arrive back to Mysti's party. She smiled to each person in the room. She was able to spot Mysti, despite the concealment. "Happy Birthday Mysti," she cheerily wished Mysti, after walking over to her.

Ayla was absolutely beaming when Fauna complimented her and twirled her around. It was obvious the older Hufflepuff hadn't recognized her at first glance and she was happy for it. Although she was still the same size as she usually was going from short black hair to very long blonde hair was definitely enough of a change to throw people off. She had done it all on purpose of course, using the masquerade as a perfect excuse to be someone else since she wasn't all that happy with being herself at the moment.

"Thanks. My mom made the dress." She glanced over at the table as well and smiled even wider at her own accomplishments, "I hope people actually read the cards before trying the treats or we're going to have a lot of unexpected fun tonight. I hoping if they go over well I can actually sell them. They'll be killer for when Valentine's comes around."

Ayla stepped back and sneered slightly when Trent approached. Even though he wasn't all that dressed up she still didn't know who he was. Unfortunately she was horrible with matching names to faces and being a third year hadn't gotten much chance to interact with seventh years that weren't in her house. She sidled up to Fauna and looked at Trent wishing Mysti a Happy Birthday. She didn't seem to be disturbed by him which meant he had been properly invited, "Rude much?" She said to Fauna before Trent was replaced by Megan and Sasha wishing Mysti a Happy Birthday as well. Ayla had already done so, much earlier in the day and was still waiting for her owl to return with Mysti's present.

Ayla headed over to the refreshment tables and took one of the Cheerful cookies she had decorated with red sprinkles and handed it to Trent, "You should try these, they're amazing." To match her new persona of a bubbly blonde Ayla had even begun talking with a British accent to keep her identity even further concealed. Hopefully she could get Trent to eat it, he could do with a good cheering charm.

 Fergie stood in front of the mirror, surveying himself with a critical eye. Aside from making a few minor adjustments (smoothing out the occasional wrinkle in his dark, well cut suit and brushing back a few rebellious stray hairs, forcing them into submission with some maximum hold hair spray), he was more than satisfied with his appearance. "Hello, gorgeous!" He tossed his head and smirked. "Where have you been all my life?" After favoring his reflection with a saucy wink, he held up his mask and sighed. It was a pity that he had to hide this level of perfection.

 But that, of course, was the entire point of a masquerade- mystery. It was what made the whole thing fun! He could spare one night of recognition for that. The Slytherin tied his mask in place, taking extra care not to muss up his hair in the process. There - his costume was complete. One more long look in the mirror, just to survey the effect of the mask on top of everything else, and it was time to leave.

 Fergie made his way out of the dungeons and towards the Charm classroom, the box of chocolates wrapped in gold foil that he'd procured for Mystique tucked under one arm and his shiny dress shoes tap-tap-tapping across the floor. He wasn't entirely certain what the Hufflepuff's tastes were, but when it came to girls he figured chocolate was a safe bet. Everyone loved chocolate. He paused outside the door to the classroom and glanced at his watch. It was a few minutes past eight, so he was late. But only just enough to make a suitable entrance without being considered rude.

 Perfect, he thought to himself with a self-satisfied smile, and walked through the door, pausing just inside to pose momentarily, in an attempt to ensure that he did not go unnoticed. "Oh my magic, this place looks absolutely fabulous!" he exclaimed, looking around at all the decorations. "I don't even recognize it. Oh," he added, moving forward and holding out the gold-wrapped box with a bright, charming smile, "for the birthday girl."

[Ensemble]

Dazzling. Absolutely smashing! Bellatrix hadn't been in such a great mood since the summer holidays when her and her siblings had spent nearly a whole week in their little club-house before their mother threatened to call the ministry on them for avoiding her. Of course, that wasn't the story she would feed the ministry, but it got them all back inside the actual house just the same. Bella couldn't wait to tell Lil Bee that she had actually been asked to go to the party by a boy! No one would believe her if she did, but it was all rather exciting for her.

Bellatrix Dark stood proudly in the doorway to the Charms classroom that had been "remodeled" with enchantments particularly for Mystique Ketteridge's birthday party. She was arm-in-arm with Erin Harper, a Slytherin 5th year she greatly disliked, but a boy all the same. A boy who had asked her to the masquerade. No one had ever done such a thing. Erin had made history at Hogwarts and she felt as if she was making some history herself by actually agreeing to be his...was this a date? She wasn't sure, but she intended to enjoy every minute of herself. After all, no one ever asked her to do anything or go anywhere with them and it was sometimes a little discouraging...just a little bit. Still, tonight Bella was determined to be pleasant to people; she was in a good mood and everyone else at the party seemed to be as well.

"Well, Harper, it seems we've made somewhat of an impression."

She certainly felt as if they had, anyway. With her head held high, Bellatrix walked like a snobby pure-blooded aristocrat who overlooked everyone as if they were subjects expected to bow down. Bella didn't really expect it of them, but there was something high-and-mighty in her air and walk that showed a look of confidence no one had ever actually seen in her before.

Her hair was pulled back in a messy, yet fashionable ponytail with all of her normal colors of platinum blond over-laying black with some streaks of light blue all mixed in to her ponytail and some of the strands that had purposefully been left to dangle on the right side of her face. She had, unfortunately, needed to write her mother for the dress she was wearing that had been put away in a special trunk of the girls' wardrobe specifically for fancy, elegant parties such as this one. It was what Bellatrix referred to as a "storm dress" and had been designed by herself during the summer holidays between her 3rd and 4th years. At her request, her mother had made it for her and it was indeed gorgeous: black at the top that gradually faded into a color scheme made up of of grays and blue strips of fabric, each of which flowed individually to make it look as if it was storming with every step. Her mask was just as elegant: silver and blue combined in a very gorgeous butterfly design. It easily brought out her blue eyes which flicked from person to person, her head nodding delicately in agreement. There was little need for her gray eyeshadow, blue eyeliner, or electric blue mascara, but the silver lipstick on her lips added a hint of flare to her costume. Then again, so did the elaborate choker with blue jewels and silver butterfly and the gold-wrapped, blue boulder opal ring.

She grinned when she saw Mysti Ketteridge, a girl she barely knew, and began directing Erin Harper towards the girl until they were standing right in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Ket--er, Mysti. It really does look grand."

Bella may have been lying, but she was doing so with a smile. That's what counted, right? She gave her a courteous nod before dragging Erin Harper away to a corner where they could talk alone. As soon as her back was to everyone else (and she made sure it was), her smile dropped into a serious frown and her eyes instantaneously lost their warmth and became bitter cold.

"Here's the rules, Harper: we dance. I want to enjoy this and I didn't bring my wand. If you get ideas of any...frivoloty, I want you to keep in mind that I don't need a wand to hurt you. Do I make myself clear?"

Outfit

Erin was aware that Bellatrix was more than willing to castrate him if he made her look bad. So, in a bid to avoid that fate, he'd dressed himself to the nines. He was wearing nicer clothing than he was entirely comfortable with, but Bellatrix looked fantastic (and a little scary), and together they probably made quite the pair. She was in a good mood, too, which made him wary but pleased; he strolled with her arm-in-arm all of his own volition. It was really a shame Beatrix gotten to him first. He couldn't stop thinking about her, even now, couldn't stop himself from scanning the room to see if she was here yet. Yes, it was a shame, because when he met Bellatrix in the common room and saw her in her dress, he realized for the first time she could be a catch all on her own.

"Well, Harper, it seems we've made somewhat of an impression."

His lips parted in a smile beneath his mask. "Oh, good. I like making those," he said, and obediently let himself be dragged over to a girl he vaguely recognized as the reason for the party. But he'd hardly had time to smile at her before being dragged off again to a corner of the room for what he recognized as "Time to Lay Down the Rules." He sighed inwardly. Erin hated rules.

Still, he was in a good enough mood, and he kept his pleasant smile even when hers dropped. "Try another threat," he suggested, smirking. "I might enjoy that one." It didn't occur to him to wonder how many people had ever teased Bellatrix Dark and survived it.

[Outfit]

Feeling as cute as can be, Beatrix Dark was oh so ready for Mysti's party. There was nothing that wasn't perfect about her at that moment, in her opinion, besides... Maybe... The dress was a lil' short. But the stockings, at least, covered up her thighs. She didn't want to seem promiscuous, now did she? Especially not around her lovely date... Who was obviously Vincent Pennyapple. The boy definitely made Beatrix a bit nutty... But she was just nutty in general.

With one arm laced around Vincent's, and one arm holding a rather brightly colored present (Beatrix had gotten Mysti a pair of shoes she was sure she would love), the two headed towards the Charms room. Of course, Beatrix was completely smitten and couldn't describe her utter excitement to celebrate her friend's birthday... Hopefully her "significant other" (or whatever he was) wasn't there. He was soooo creepy.

"Thanks for letting me drag you here, Vinnie... I'm sure you have more important things to do," she smiled up at her date and gave his arm a squeeze. She could have gone all by her lonesome, or maybe she could have dragged Bellatrix along with her. Either way, it was all fine. Bella probably wouldn't want to go, anyways. To Bea's understanding, the girl hardly even liked Mystique... Maybe that was just the impression she gave off.

However, as soon as she entered the room, Beatrix's eyes landed on her sister. So she DID come after all! How love-- Wait. Beatrix felt the sudden urge to puke. Who was that on her sister's arm... No... It couldn't be. That sleazy little Erin Harper had the nerve to actually go somewhere with Bea's sister? Especially a place that Bea was bound to be? Her smile faded and a new found rage boiled up into her... For once, the girl felt like she was ready to kill someone. Preferably Erin... But... There was also a strong feeling towards her sister...

Beatrix couldn't deny that she, indeed, wanted to brutally mutilate her own twin sister-- Her other half! Which would scientifically mess Bea's head up even more... But still. It wasn't like Bellatrix knew about Bea and Erin... She couldn't even charge up to the two and give them a piece of her mind...

The girl stepped back and pulled herself closer to Vincent. It didn't matter. Bellatrix could go die for all Bea cared... And she could take her boy-toy Erin Harper into her grave, also. Beatrix bit her lip and looked up at Vincent, a small grin forming onto her face... Of course Vincent made her happy by just being there. A bit of the rage she had settled down when she looked up at him-- But it was still there.

"Lets go get something to snack on, Vinnie. I'm kind of hungry now that I look at all this food!" Beatrix giggled and put on a loony smile that always seemed to fit her well when she was going insane. She simply walked around her sister and Erin, not even stopping to tell Bellatrix she looked amazing. The feelings she had towards her sister were awful... And she didn't want Bellatrix-- Or anyone, really-- To see the "innocent" girl's capabilities. She mindlessly set the present on the snack table and took a deep breath. After a moment of being farther away from the grotesque couple, Beatrix felt a lot better. She put on a genuine smile for Vincent and picked up a cookie, "Here! I can feed it to you if you like".

Who was she to have feelings for that dirty Harper boy, anyways? She'd rather eat her own brains than speak to him again. But still... The whole situation made Beatrix uneasy. She wanted to do awful things to her own sister... A strange laugh escaped her lips and she bit her lips. Funny... She'd never think that hurting a loved one would be funny.

Fauna tried to keep from frowning when Trent Travis arrived, announcing that he’d showered and giving a hug to Mysti. Ugh. He was just annoying. He always, always went after her closest friends, it seemed. She wouldn’t mind so much if he didn’t act so creepy.

As if seeing the displeasure on her face, Trent gave her a mischievous grin. Fauna did scowl at him this time, trying to discourage him from whatever disgusting comment he wanted to make, but no such luck.

"Wow, Blake, that outfit is making my wand cast patronuses like you don't even know."

Ayla made a retort before she could. Her cheeks turned red and she put her hands on her hips for a moment before crossing her arms self-consciously over her chest. She narrowed her eyes at him and then glanced at Mysti as if to say ‘Really? Really? This is who you’re dating?’

“You’re… charming as ever,” she managed to mumble, turning away to make a beeline for the refreshments like she normally did when she was embarrassed, only to see Trent beat her to it. Argh! Was it horrible that she felt the slightest bit flattered that a boy had commented on her outfit? Yes, yes it was, she told herself. Especially when the boy was Trenchcoat I-shower-monthly-if-I’m-lucky Travis.

Fauna scanned the room for someone to talk to, eyebrows rising in surprise and dismay when she saw Bellatrix Dark arrive.  She thought Mysti had only invited friends, though she supposed word got out, like always. Attempting to appear less disgruntled, since it was Mysti’s party after all, she sidled up to Megan and greeted her.

“I like the blue theme,” she smiled at her, glancing around the room and feeling awkward about the number of people arriving. She hoped everyone hadn’t paired up. Fauna hadn’t expected it to be a couples night, though she certainly wouldn’t complain if Devlin made an appearance.

Sasha stood near the doorway, watching the occasional student as they filtered through the door.  Some approached the birthday girl, as he had done.  Others had already broken up in their smaller social niches.  And, there he stood, trying not to feel quite so foolish about his current choice of attire.  The blazer - that was alright.  The shoes were a good choice.  But, the mask - it was just so ... flamboyant. 

And, the masks made it hard to confidently identify everyone.  It was easy to guess in some cases - others left more to mystery.  For one who found himself on the receiving edge of a lot of grief from some students, this whole subtle blurring of the social stratus boundaries wasn't, exactly, something he relished.  Parties were challenging enough when you knew exactly who you were interacting with.  How was Sasha supposed to know if he was accidentally trying to strike casual conversation with Callum Knight? 

All in all, Sasha was being a spoil sport and he'd be the first to admit it.  Casual mingling and small talk weren't exactly his stronger traits.  Neely hadn't been the first to tell him he needed to learn how to have fun.  Of course, she'd been the first to invent a cat's funeral to coax him into some frivolous fun. 

There'd been no funeral this time.  Just the promise to an older sister to at least go and try to have some fun.  Which, by Sasha's definition, he'd done.  He'd worn the mask, he'd come and he'd tried to have fun.  It had been unsuccessful, so now he could turn and sneak out without feeling overly guilty.  Right?

His guilt placated by that assumption, Sasha turned and began slipping between the bodies in pursuit of the door.  He bumped into a protruding shoulder on his way but, after a mumbled apology, continued on his quest for the exit.

"Try another threat. I might enjoy that one."

That kind of reply she wasn't expecting. No one other than him had ever dared to actually threaten back and it didn't do anything for her mood. In fact, the good mood was already beginning to ebb away with a boiling deep down.

"Just...don't get any ideas, okay?"

She glanced around the room and saw her sister enter with Vincent Pennyapple. Beatrix looked wild! A candy dress, eh? Why hadn't she thought of that? And what on earth was Vincent wearing? She switched her gaze between her date and many other boys in the room. Why couldn't boys ever dress like girls? Boys always tried to wear the same thing: tuxedos, shoes, pants, and one or two accessories. Girls, however, wore hundreds of different kinds of clothes. There were so many tops to choose from, dresses, skirts, accessories, and infinite combinations! Bellatrix and her sister were excellent examples of how girls ought to dress, in her opinion.

"C'mon, there's my sister. I want to go see her."

Just as she started to slip her arm around his, she smiled in the direction of her sister only to frown: Beatrix had taken off somewhere with Vincent. Bella scanned the room eagerly and found them near the refreshments table. Merlin's Beard, her sister was moving fast tonight! A subtle smirk appeared on her face at the pondered question of how long Mr. Pennyapple could keep up with her sister? They had their own little world together, their life force was so strong it was scary, and Bellatrix being so protective of her sister, it often made everyone else a little intimidated to be around Beatrix whenever Bella was around. Her smirk faltered at the thought. Would Vincent Pennyapple be able to keep up? Now, it was inquired with worry. What if he couldn't? She'd hate to see the look on Bea's face that she'd seen on other girls whenever break-ups happened.

"Get a move on!"

Once again, Bellatrix jerked on Erin Harper's arm and sped across the classroom towards the refreshments table. She slowed to a walk when they neared and when they came into eyesight, she lifted her head proudly and began to strut up to her sister. Inwardly, she giggled to herself: it felt great being on the arm of a powerful Slytherin like herself. Though, she felt a weak tinge of regret that someone in particular hadn't asked her. The regret was brief because she didn't really want to answer herself on who that person might be. She was going to enjoy tonight and being on the arm of the only person who truly rubbed her the wrong way made her more determined to not let anything go wrong. Not even Vincent Pennyapple taking a bite of a cookie from her sister's hand would bring her down. Hiss! No, it wouldn't!

"Good evening, Lil Bee! Hello, Mr. Pennyapple!"

She grinned and tugged Erin's arm closer to show him off. Bella had actually been asked to the dance by someone and she wanted to show it as much as possible! It was such a shame she didn't realize the effect her date had on her beloved twin.