Fandom The Gathering of Death Eater Children

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Nova entered the garden with Reign, who remained at his side yet one step behind him. They were the first to arrive at the party. Nova wore the attire he had requested from the lady who wished to cure her husband's lung cancer. With his purple eyes that glowed subtly, to his smooth black hair, he looked as if he were from another world entirely. Reign wore a formal black kimono, his hair tied in its usual way. The saya for his katana had been polished.

"Good evening." Nova said with a warm smile, extending his hand to Mr. Shadowwalker. "This is the first time I have ever been to a party hosted in a garden. I must say that I am deeply impressed; it appears that the host has spared no expense." he praised genuinely. Reign remained at his side, behind him by a few steps. He was admiring the scenery with his usual blank look. "My friend does not show his emotions so openly, but believe me, he is quite fond of wonderful scenery." he smiled. "My comrade and I are certain to enjoy our night, and I wish that you enjoy yours." he said cheerfully. His words were void of the usual annoying flattery; he spoke honestly, and it was refreshing to hear someone speak that way. "Sir, madam, and lady, have a pleasant night." he said kindly to Elias, Elizabeth, and Lily respectively.

Afterward, Reign and Nova sat down at one of the smaller tables, and Nova began talking to Reign, who mostly nodded, listening with his full attention. Both of their expressions were so serious; it made any spectators curious to the topic of their conversation.

"My lady." Alastair smiled to Aislynn "Shall we?" he offered her his arm.

He wore the attire that Aislynn had requested; a black Victorian suit with violet details.

"And might I say that you look miraculous on this splendid evening?" he smiled.

"Good evening." Luna said to Alexander, giving him an elegant curtsy. "This is my first time at this Summer Feast; I am impressed at the splendid atmosphere." she complimented, sounding genuine. "It is nice to see all of you again." she addressed everyone at once now, a smile on her lips.

Her gown was black, with a boat neckline, long flowing sleeves, and a long skirt with the edges floating a half-inch from the floor. This prevented her tripping over the skirt, or the edges from dragging on the floor. The bottom of the skirt and sleeves had a smoke effect...

...making it look like her dress was partially made of green smoke. Her hair was down, styled in soft waves. Underneath her dress she wore comfortable flats.

Raven had entered with her, wearing the same gown as the previous night. She hadn't followed Luna to greet the Shadowwalkers, but gone straight to the table with the drinks, selecting a water with a lemon wedge in it.

A mysterious lady sat at a table on her own, drinking and eating nothing. Her hair was the darkest purple, almost black, and she wore a regal-looking cloak of the same colour. She had a sly smile on her face, as if she was expecting something amazing to happen any moment.

"I...I can't decide what to wear. This is my first party, and I don't want to go in something okay...I want it to look amazing." Rosaleya said.

"It will; let me do everything. The hair, the dress; you'll look amazing, I promise." Crystal assured her.

Crystal and Rosaleya arrived with the last of the guests. Crystal had decided to wear the attire from the previous night, with her hair styled the same way.

Rosaleya sighed in awe at the scenery "This looks so perfect."

Crystal had put Rosaleya's long hair in an elegant side-braid going down her right shoulder and reaching just above her waist. She had used a magical serum to make her hair thicker, and hence the braid was very large. She had also fixed many tiny pale blue moons into the braid which glowed faintly like real moons, giving her dark brown hair an enchanted look. She wore a simple black choker with a glowing crescent moon design in the middle. Her sleeveless dress was midnight blue, and had a very modest sweetheart neckline. Tiny glowing silver crescent moons went all around the waist, and were evenly distributed around the rest of the skirt. There were also tiny bits of sequence that were shaped like stars. Her arms were ornamented by an unusual type of accessory, although they suited her beautifully...

"Yes, it is wonderful. Let's get some drinks and go talk for a bit." Crystal suggested.

"Right." Rosaleya nodded. Everyone here looks so well-dressed. But still, there are no bishounen princes; none of that is real. She sighed audibly. "Actually, I would like to dance with Nova and then talk with you...Is that okay?" Rosaleya asked.

"Sure; I didn't know you had the courage to approach him. Usually, girls are too scared or nervous; since this was your first time, I thought..." Crystal said reasonably.

"Yeah; well, if I don't do this, then I'll just be thinking about it all night. Also, I want to thank Reign for that life-changing wish." Rosaleya smiled, separating from Crystal.

Crystal shrugged, and went over to one of the tables. She picked up something sweet and brought it back to a small table.

 

[Hikari Chan]

As soon as the first guests started to arrive, classical music began to play.

"Some of your acquaintances?" Elizabeth whispered to her husband after they had exchanged greetings with the two first guests who had arrived and taken their seats at a small table.

"I have never seen these two my life, they might be guests of the ones whom I or Elias invited. We both sent out the invites-"

"Oh I recognize one of them!" Lily burst out aloud making her mother cringe. "The one with long hair! I saw him at Zayne's cafe the other day, he only ordered a glass of water," She laughed as if it was ridiculous to only order a glass of water and nothing else at a cafe. "Elias, you were there, you remember him, right?"

"Oh, I don't really remember..." Elias almost lied. "By the way, why don't you enjoy yourself while we greet the guests since this is not your duty..."

Lily nearly ran away, feeling excited about being duty free from greeting all the guests. She sat down on the edge of the fountain, waiting for her friends to arrive.

"Thank you, Elias..." Elizabeth sighed with relief.

"You are welcome..."

"Ehm..." Aislinn blushed, looking down at the ground as she took Alastair's arm. She had not showed him her gown before the day of the feast. She was wearing it with the pair of earrings she had bought at Darkest Creatures and a pair of black flats to easily dance all the night. She had chosen simple make-up, neutral lips with black lined eyes and violet colored nails. She had put up her hair in an elegant yet sloppy hairdo with her bangs down. She preferred it this way, to surprise him with her attire for the feast.

"Good evening," Alexander greeted Luna with a smile. "And it is our first time to host a feast during a summer day," He chuckled.

"Good evening," Elizabeth looked very happy to see Luna and took her hand in her both, until Lily came in between.

"Luna!" Lily waved and nearly rushed towards Luna. "Wow, your gown looks so fabulous," She praised.

Elias stood a few steps behind his family and waited patiently till his sister was done with her greetings. He was feeling very nervous and remembered the last time Luna had mentioned the subject that still made him feel nervous. Not all the guests had arrived yet, but soon they all would be present, and he wondered if he had courage enough to do it in front of everyone. ...Just forget that everyone is looking at you and only focus on her. Forget that everyone is here...Just like when we are dancing...

When Lily left to greet her friends, Clarissa, Summer and Rhaine who had arrived with their parents, Elias approached Luna.

"Good evening, my lady," He bowed for her and then offered his arm. He did not desire to remain to greet the rest of the guests, since it was not his duty either. He had only been responsible of inviting guests while his father was the host.

Elizabeth went ahead to greet and talk a bit with Clarissa's mother, who was a friend of her.

A couple of minutes later, Pegah arrived with her parents and her very arrogant ten-year-old cousin. He was tall and slender. He had olive colored skin and short black smooth hair, black eyes and a curved nose. He was so arrogant that it was notable from the way he walked and the way he held up his head. They sat down by a small table that was vacant for four. Pegah was wearing the same gown she had worn at her graduation ball, while her parents and cousin were wearing traditional Persian attires.

She made a sour face as she sat down with her family, it was clearly visible that she detested her cousin who thought he owned the world.

"What's the matter with her?" Clarissa asked Lily, looking over at Pegah who seemed to ignore everyone at the party.

"I think she is not happy to be here today because her cousin has tagged along..." Lily guessed.

"Her cousin..."

"Yeah, she mentioned the other day that he would come along with her and her parents to this feast..."

"Oh...yeah I remember now..."

"Come, let's distract her...."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ask her to dance with us or something," Lily nodded towards Summer and Rhaine who were already dancing. "If these two are dancing, then we could also dance and drag her along-"

"But seriously I don't want to dance-"

"Then why did you even come to the feast? You could have stayed home!"

When most of the guests had arrived, Vincent arrived with his mother. She was wearing a light blue Victorian gown with white details. Even if the gown had long sleeves and high neckline, she was wearing a pair of white gloves and covered the rest of her bare neck with bandage. Her black wild hair had been combed and made in an elegant neck-do. She had completed her look with a Victorian hat and an umbrella to shade herself from the evening sunlight.

Adela noticed them immediately and could not help but looking at Vincent until he locked eyes with her and she quickly looked away.

"Good evening, it is a pleasure to see you!" Elias greeted Vincent at once, shaking hands with him as if they were best friends. Many of the guests gave him odd looks, not expecting that the minister's own son befriended vampires and they could not help but wonder if he also was friend with werewolves.

"...That won't be surprising..." Andrew whispered to August.

"...it won't be surprising if Adela started to befriend werewolves as well..." August commented sarcastically.

"Good evening," Vincent greeted both Elias and Luna and then introduced his mother to them both, totally forgetful that Luna once met his mother at their manor when she paid them a visit the first time.

When they had exchanged their greetings, Vincent led his mother to the gazebo that was specifically reserved for them.

"Are you not going to enjoy yourself?" His mother asked him when he sat down beside her.

"After the sunset..." Vincent smiled.

"I was not meaning-"

"I know, mother, I just don't wish to leave you alone and I wish to share my first dance with you..."

"Oh, please hehe, I will be happy by myself, you may go and see Adele-"

"Her name is Adela-"

"Oh right, Adela, and who was the girl in pink who looked at you?"

"It was Adela herself, mother..."

"Oh...well it would be such a shame if you just sat here all the evening. You would not have been doing that, if I had not come with you, would you? You know I cannot expose myself to sunlight, I only agreed to join you because you desired to have me as your company, and I'd be happy if you enjoyed yourself at the feast."

An odd man who looked to be around the age of sixty, wearing an elegant black suit and cloak, arrived with the majority of the guests. His neatly combed hair was thin and silver grey. After he had exchanged greetings with Alexander, he drank a few sips from his pocket flask and sat alone on a chair

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

The first thing that Alastair planned to do when they arrived at the party was approach Nova and Reign's table. "I'm going to introduce you to Nova before we dance the night away." Alastair smiled charmingly to Aislynn as they made their way there. "You should see his handsome appearance as opposed to his forgettable disguise at London's Eye."

"Oh, hello, Lord DiVilliers. And a good evening to you, Ms. Monroe. Isn't this a splendid event?" Nova smiled when they reached their table. One of his rules is that we are forbidden to bow to him in this world when humans are present.

Reign bowed his head respectfully "Lord DiVilliers, lady Aislynn." he said warmly to each of them, before resuming his habit of gazing at the scenery.

Alastair exchanged greetings with both of them. Then, he gestured to her as if she were royalty. "This is Aislynn Monroe. " he said to Nova. "My lady," he smiled to her " this is Nova."

"I am pleased to meet you." Nova nodded.

It looks as if they are as pleased to see me as I am to see them. Luna thought happily.

"Luna!" Lily waved and nearly rushed towards Luna. "Wow, your gown looks so fabulous," She praised.

"Lily; thank you very much." Luna smiled in a way that said she was happy to see Lily as well. "It's lovely to see you again. You look charming as well. " Yellow....My least favorite house...I do not think that she is as familiar with Muggle films as I. "Shall I address you as Belle tonight?" Luna smiled. "If you aren't familiar with the reference, please forget my ramblings." she added quickly. Alastair has taken me to see many Muggle films before...A place in France. It was so beautiful there. However, I doubt that with pureblood Slytherin parents she would be familiar...It is simply the only explanation I can think of; her mother would not force her to wear a yellow gown. And unless this Lily is an intruder, and a terrible one at that, she would not willingly wear yellow.

"Good evening, my lady," He bowed for her and then offered his arm.

"Good evening." Luna smiled softly, taking his arm. "Did you have a part in planning this?" Luna asked curiously. "I would like to know how much of this perfection I shall give you credit for, and how much I should give to your father." she smiled, praising both of them.

"He's talking to someone else." Rosaleya said, sitting down at Crystal's table. "I don't want to bother them, so I'll just approach him when he's done in a few minutes."

"Alright. You should try the desserts; they're spectacular!" Crystal sighed dreamily. "I've tried three, and they've all been splendid. Simple delectable!" she uttered her last words with a pretentious accent, sounding like an old rich lady.

Rosaleya laughed. "I can't have three; I can only have one if I expect to move afterward. Which one was your favorite? You can save me the trouble of any disappointment."

"Excuse me?" the mysterious lady asked, approaching August and Andrew. "I wanted to know if any of you gentlemen would care to share a dance?" She had a very smooth way of speaking; something in it hinted that she expected to get what she wanted no matter what she asked. And the look in her eyes was so direct; it demanded the attention of whomever she addressed. Most of all, her eyes were a marvelous grey, nearly white. Staring into them, it felt as if you were staring into a wolf's or tigresses's eyes. And she moved so gracefully, it looked like she was acting as a member of royalty in the theatre.

"Good evening," Vincent greeted both Elias and Luna and then introduced his mother to them both, totally forgetful that Luna once met his mother at their manor when she paid them a visit the first time.

Luna went along, pretending as if this was the first time she was meeting Vincent's mother. She complimented both of their attires, and was very kind and relaxed when addressing them. Perhaps he doesn't want everyone to know that I have met her before? For some safety reason I am unaware of perhaps, I will play along. I do not wish to put Vincent or his family or relatives in danger. Like the time I accidentally left a wine bottle of blood on their doorstep without knowing about the risks I had imposed on them.

Raven wandered off on her own, into one of the smaller gardens. She made certain that no one was around, then sat down, gazing at the sky. I can't dance with anyone, and Luna and Aislynn, or even Alastair or Crystal, do not require anything. I am neither needed, nor desired by anyone, so I shall relax in silence and solitude. I don't want to fly away, in case one of them needs something. Besides; the most interesting people there, besides the ones that I serve, are the demons, and I am certain that they will not welcome me readily to any of their tables. Hmm...I wonder if a fallen angel made a wish to a demon; would that particular one give me a request to tedious so that my wish could not be granted? She wondered bitterly.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Good evening Reign," Aislinn greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nova," She smiled politely.

"Why, thank you..." Elias smiled gratefully. "...The idea of hosting the feast and the idea of the place were both mine. The rest was up to my father to realize my ideas..."

"Would you love to drink something?" He asked, leading the way towards one of the long tables.

He picked up two goblets, one with crystal transparent gold rose wine for himself and one with the content Luna desired for her, handing the second goblet to her.

He felt he needed to drink something to ease the butterflies he felt in his stomach.

"Excuse me?" a mysterious lady asked, approaching August and Andrew who were gathered with Alexis and Mulciber. "I wanted to know if any of you gentlemen would care to share a dance?"

Mulciber opened his mouth to speak, but August gave him the look that said -Focus on Adela, Ivan, your goal is to make her fall for you...-. and then turned his attention towards the mysterious lady.

"With all my pleasure," August smiled charmingly and bowed elegantly. He then reached out his hand, with his palm upward, towards her.

Mulciber obeyed silently and walked away towards where Adela was standing. Alexis who found the mysterious lady a bit scary, tried to walk away without giving the hint that he was actually escaping her. He quickly walked over to get a drink for himself and then made his way towards Adela, making sure to reach her before Mulciber did.

Adela noticed in the corner of her eye the two men approaching her. Her own brother, Alexis, and Mulciber, the one whom she least liked to see. She sighed audibly.

"What's the matter, Adela?" Faeryn smiled, turning towards her friend. She was dressed in Ravenclaw's colors, a blue gown with off shoulder sleeves and bronze details decorating the hem, the lines of the long sleeves, the neckline and the waist. She had her platinum blonde hair done in an elegant braided updo. To this she was wearing a pair of bronze colored earrings and choker. Endewyne was wearing an off-shoulder gown as well, though with short puffy sleeves and her colors were purple with golden details. She had braided her black hair with a golden band. Adela was the one that looked out of place from her friends with her pink romantic gown and her usually straight brown hair styled in a curly updo.

"Nothing, I am fine," Adela smiled, trying to ignore the two men who were approaching her.

Alexis was first. He had almost run and nearly knocked out Mulciber.

"Adela!" He took his sister's hand and kissed it tenderly. "I-" He went speechless for a second, looking behind her and her friends.

Vincent, who was able to move around silently, was standing close. He had just reached Adela, when Alexis had popped up in his view from nowhere.

Faeryn nearly lost her breath and the color of her face when she saw the vampire.

"Adela..." She hissed.

"I did not invite him," Adela replied honestly.

"Oh, come on, he cannot do anything at this party," Endewyne tried to soothe her friend and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"So, we meet again," Vincent came closer with a creepy smile and raised his goblet, which undoubtedly contained blood. "Good evening." He did not care about Faeryn or Endewyne anymore, and instead studied Alexis, who was still holding Adela's hand, with interest.

"Good evening! It is a pleasure to meet you," Alexis extended his hand towards the vampire who gave him a surprised look.

An awkward silence followed as they shook hands with each other. Adela was the one breaking the silence by introducing them to each other.

"Alexis, this is Mr. Vincent D'Arcy, my vampire friend. Vincent, this is my brother Alexis."

"Ah...and I was wondering why you looked so alike each other..." Vincent laughed.

Pegah shined up when she noticed both Lily and Clarissa approaching her.

"Where are you going?" Her mother asked her as soon as she attempted to leave.

"To my friends," Pegah replied calmly, gesturing at the two girls who came closer.

"Aha, please stay close."

"Sure....Merlin's beard Lily! Yellow? Of all colors, you chose to wear yellow today?"

"Yes! Do you remember when you and I along with our muggle studies class and professor Rowle went on a field trip to a muggle area in London and watched the animated pictures about the princess dressed in yellow who fell in love with a bewitched prince!"

"Oh...yes now I remember..."

"So, I decided to look like her and our headmistress was the only one who truly understood me! She even asked me if she should address me as Belle!" Lily laughed excited.

"Really? You look like a Hufflepuff as well, when wearing yellow with your black hair. But you managed style your hair as Belle, I praise you for that detail!"

"Haha no, well thank you!"

"The candle stick was my favorite, let's go and find your charmed bewitched prince tonight!"

Lily giggled excited and Clarissa who had been standing a few steps away, daydreaming, had wandered off on her own.

"Pegah, where are you going? Did I not tell you remain close?" Pegah's mother spoke as soon the girls seemed to get carried away.

Pegah's father was silent, only observing the both girls with a severe look as if he did not approve of their behaviors.

"I am just going to dance with-"

"You should pay some respect to your cousin Alborz and respect yourself instead for running after other men at a feast. Did you not listen to us when I and your father talked with you before? Of course, you did not, but only staring down at the floor as usual. You are such a shame; you are going to bury my head in the dirt with your actions and draw shame over your family name. What will our relatives think-"

"Excuse me!" Lily interrupted. "Pegah is going to dance with me. Not with other men. I am a girl." She looked right into Mrs. Ferydoni's eyes before she led her friend away.

Pegah's mother was too shocked to speak any other word that she only stared at her daughter's friend whom she found to be so rude.

"Pegah is aware she is betrothed to me, isn't she? I believe she does not have the courage to get carried away tonight, so do not worry about her," Alborz spoke, speaking in Persian, trying to sooth the mind of his future mother-in-law.

Pegah's father snorted as if he did not believe the words of his nephew.

"This generation of girls can be so unpredicted. Especially my daughter. I still have not forget the day I received her owl with the news that she has been accepted to a teaching assistant position at Hogwarts. She might do something unexpected at the party tonight. Hence we have to watch every move she makes."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Why, thank you..." Elias smiled gratefully. "...The idea of hosting the feast and the idea of the place were both mine. The rest was up to my father to realize my ideas..."

The venue is spectacularly stunning.

"Would you love to drink something?" He asked, leading the way towards one of the long tables.

"Yes, please." Luna replied, thinking of what she desired. "Is there any lemonade on that table?"

He picked up two goblets, one with crystal transparent gold rose wine for himself and one with lemonade with a bit of mint for Luna, handing the second goblet to her.

"Thank you." Luna smiled, taking a sip.

"With all my pleasure," August smiled charmingly and bowed elegantly. He then reached out his hand, with his palm upward, towards her.

She smiled, taking his hand. They began a dance, and she began the conversation. "Do tell me; is your name as handsome as your other features?" she asked, her eyes staring deeply into his, and her voice sounding as if she genuinely meant her compliment.

When he returned her question, she replied "My friend and I made a bet, and I can only give you my name under certain circumstances." in a mysterious tone.

When he inquired about the circumstances of the bet, the lady laughed through her nose, momentarily amused. The next time she looked into his eyes, she was very serious. "Go beyond this dance and become more acquainted with me. Invite me out to dinner. Choose the time and place. I grow tired easily of dances that last minutes and then..." she paused, as if remembering a time when this had happened to her "...I never see that person again. If you are not interested in truly knowing me better, then this dance is where it will end." she said as they finished their dance. "Although I am quite interested in learning what sort of person you truly are." she complimented before he replied.

Nova smiled. "I hope that you have a pleasant evening."

"My lady; shall we dance, or procure drinks first?" Alastair asked.

When Aislynn chose 'drinks', Alastair offered her his arm so that they could walk together. They made their way to a table with drinks, and Alastair glanced at them. "What would you like?" he smiled. He handed her what she desired, and took a lemonade for himself. "Ah...not enough sugar." he said to no one in particular, holding the drink out in front of him and letting it go. Right before it fell to the floor, it vanished. "What do you suggest?" he asked Aislynn, as if she was the only one that could quench his thirst for a sweet beverage.

"It looks like the people Nova was talking to left." Rosaleya observed. She had been glancing at Nova and Reign's table every so often. "Hey-" she said as she rose from her seat, suddenly remembering "-don't you have to dance with Nova to pay for the wish?"

"Oh, yeah...I was planning on doing it later." Crystal said, glancing at the tables bearing tempting desserts "But I guess it can be done now."

"Hello, Nova." Rosaleya smiled, happy to see him.

"Good evening, Rosaleya." Nova replied, equally happy to see her. "And a good evening to you, Ms. Thorne."

"I wanted to thank you again for the wish...Both wishes." Rosaleya specified.

"I do owe you a dance." Crystal said politely.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten. Shall we?" Nova asked, standing and offering Crystal his hand.

"We shall." Crystal said, making her voice sound as if she was the commander of an army.

"Shall we storm the camp tonight?"

"We shall!"

"Tell me, Ms. Thorne, do you have any wishes yourself?" Nova asked as they danced.

"Meh...I mean; wishing for the perfect guy sounds tedious. There will be something that goes wrong, every time, I'm sure." Crystal sighed.

"Even if you are include every detail imaginable in your wish?" Nova asked uncertainly.

"Yes; I'll forget something. I know it." Crystal replied, certain.

"Well, I cannot force you to make a wish. In addition, the only other rule that no one knows is...I cannot make wishes myself. So, I rely on the favors required from the humans I grant them to, to give me what I desire."

"And what if you desire something impossible, like...the perfect lady?" Crystal asked.

"Then they cannot give me that; they wouldn't make the wish. I'm not supposed to come up with the details, either, so even if they wished it for me, something would go terribly wrong."

"I get it. Does that ever make you resent the people you grant them for? Or even envy them?"

"No; not ever." Nova replied certainly.

He can't be this selfless. Crystal thought.

"....Reign? Is it alright if I call you that?" Rosaleya asked.

"Yes." Reign replied, his eyes meeting hers. At the same time as he spoke, the chair next to Nova's pushed outward, implying that Rosaleya was welcome to sit there.

"Thank you." Rosaleya said, her voice nervous. She took her seat, and placed her hands in her lap. She rubbed the nail of her right thumb with her left one, not speaking for a moment. She didn't know where to begin.

So, it was a surprise to her when Reign spoke first. "You look like a dream."

Oh my, he complimented me! Kuudere don't speak unless they have something really important to say!

"I think that everything about you is dreamlike." Rosaleya began honestly. "Your voice sounds so smooth and gentle, and your appearance is incredible. " Why not? I basically confessed everything to Vincent before I found out that he was a jerk. Besides; if I died tomorrow, I would regret not telling Reign what I really think of him. "Your sword looks both intimidating and flawless, and your eyes are remarkable. And I can't even begin to describe the gratitude I feel for the wish you gave me..." she stopped; she had been talking at top-speed again. "And I've never seen someone with long hair like yours; I think it looks so handsome."

Reign had been listening with a surprised look in his eyes; he had never received so many compliments at once before.

"Too much honesty?" Rosaleya asked apologetically, covering her mouth nervously.

"No." Reign replied. "Honesty is favored."

Rosaleya felt some invisible force gently tugging at her hand. She smiled, and lowered it after she realized what it was.

"I'm going to go...try some of the desserts." Rosaleya said, rising as she caught sight of Crystal and Nova nearing the table.

Reign nodded, and returned his attention to the scenery.

"Thank you." she smiled to him, making her way to the table bearing desserts.

"Thanks again for the wish; she's really happy with them." Crystal said appreciatively to Nova.

"No trouble at all." Nova replied, his tone suggesting that Crystal mustn't forget the other part of his request.

The look in Crystal's eyes showed that she understood, and then made for the dessert table as well.

"I will go try to find another lady to dance with." Nova said, his eyes determined, leaving Reign on his own.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Shall we switch?" Persephone asked with a laugh when she and her brother crossed path with Lily and Pegah during the dance.

"Yes!" Lily nodded excited and laughed. "I will dance with you!"

"But I prefer to dance with miss Pyrites, please," Pegah hurried to speak.

"But I refuse to dance with that moron!" Lily burst out without thinking, making both Persephone and Flynn flinch.

"Lily, please..." Pegah looked at her friend with pleading eyes. "You know why..." She added in a whisper and glanced sideways at the direction where her family was sitting. "Besides, he was your professor during a short time at Hogwarts, you should show some respect, but I don't force you to dance with him. We can have each turn with miss Pyrites."

"Right," Lily shrugged.

Pegah smiled happily and continued to dance with miss Pyrites instead.

Both Lily and her former transfiguration professor remained standing, awkwardly still.

"Hey, are you just going to stand there?" Macnair laughed, walking closer with Avery tailing him.

"It's our art of performing the current dance, by just standing," Lily snapped.

Flynn looked away, hiding a silent laugh. Both Macnair and Avery were left speechless.

In that moment Persephone and Pegah swirled past.

"Merlin's beard, who stand still on a feast!" Persephone laughed. "Now you two become friends!" She literary forced her former student to shake hand with her brother and then forcing him to bow for her and invite her to dance. "And I will dance with you Lachlan, and you miss Ferydoni, you dance with Mr. Macnair, come on, no fuss, he was your former professor-"

"I am August Dolohov and who might the mysterious lady I am dancing with be?"

"My friend and I made a bet, and I can only give you my name under certain circumstances." she replied mysteriously.

"What kind of circumstances, if I may ask?"

"Go beyond this dance and become more acquainted with me. Invite me out to dinner. Choose the time and place. I grow tired easily of dances that last minutes and then..." she paused, as if remembering a time when this had happened to her "...I never see that person again. If you are not interested in truly knowing me better, then this dance is where it will end." she said as they finished their dance. "Although I am quite interested in learning what sort of person you truly are." she complimented before he replied.

...I'd like a second dance with her and share some drinks before I ask her out for dinner... August thought.

"Why part ways now, the feast has just begun. I am quite interested in getting to know you as well" He replied charmingly. "Would you love to dance again or drink something?"

Both Faeryn and Endewyne seized their chance and distanced themselves from Adela. Mulciber looked like defeated and gave up. He was coward who did not dare to go closer to a vampire and distanced himself as much as possible.

"I never knew you had a brother, Adela," Vincent commented with a smile.

She did not reply and just took a sip from her red wine.

Alexis laughed as well, feeling a bit nervous in the presence of his sister and in the presence of a vampire. He picked a goblet with butterbeer and took a few sips before asking the vampire straight forward:

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, I am the only child to my parents,"

"Oh, we are actually four siblings..."

"Ah..."

"Yes, we have two older brothers as well,"

"Ah..." Vincent seemed to grow bored of the conversation and put down his goblet. "Care to share a dance with me?" He asked Adela.

She put down her goblet and took his hand with a smile. She had been waiting for this moment.

Alexis tried not to feel crestfallen for being left alone and tried to enjoy his drink in solitude. ...the second dance is mine... He thought hopefully.

"I am thirsty," Aislinn replied. "I'd prefer to drink something before we dance, please.

Alastair offered her his arm so that they could walk together. They made their way to a table with drinks, and Alastair glanced at them.

"What would you like?" he smiled.

"Something sweet, one of the fruity drinks, cherry flavored please,"

He handed her what she desired, and took a lemonade for himself. "Ah...not enough sugar." he said to no one in particular, holding the drink out in front of him and letting it go. Right before it fell to the floor, it vanished. "What do you suggest?" he asked Aislinn, as if she was the only one that could quench his thirst for a sweet beverage.

She laughed.

"Any of the fruit flavored drinks?" She suggested tentatively. "They are sweeter than lemonade."

"I only agreed on one dance!" Lily exclaimed and walked away.

Flynn sighed of relief and fled the dance floor in hope that his sister wouldn't notice that he was gone. Never in his life had he ever experienced to dance with someone who had a sour face during the entire dance.

"I am thirsty," Pegah said to excuse herself from a second dance with Macnair.

"What would you love to drink?" He asked charmingly, putting on his best smile.

"Eewwuaaa I am going to have drinks with Lily," She waved with her arms and made a weird face before running away to meet up with her friend.

Macnair gave her an odd look and then just shrugged as if he did not care. Ladies these days can be so weird... He thought.

"Merlin, have you seen the desserts?" Lily's mouth watered, when she and Pegah neared one of the long tables.

They both stopped in their tracks when they noticed a girl dressed so beautifully that she looked like as if she came from the realm of the dreams and not belonging to the real world.

Pegah picked up a plate with a slice of strawberry shortcake while Lily could not help but near the beautiful girl. She folded her hands behind her back to resist from touching the girl.

"Good evening," Lily greeted her with a curious tone. She could not help but staring with wide eyes on her beautiful gown and her braid which seemed to glitter of the attached moons.

Pegah looked curiously and walked closer to them. "You look so enchanted" She commented after swallowing a bite of cake.

Persephone looked around, trying to find her brother, but shrugged when she could not see him among the crowd of people. She was thirsty and went to pick a drink when she noticed a familiar person sitting alone. Merlin's beard, he is here! The one that only ordered water at Zayne's cafe… or is it a girl? I cannot tell from this distance, with that long hair and exotic attire, Merlin, that person has longer hair than me... She thought and walked a bit closer. She took a seat by a table next to Reigns', feeling curious about this extraordinary guest. Persephone was dressed in a purple medieval gown with flare sleeves and a silver waist belt from which a crescent moon and two stars hung in the front. She had her ginger hair down, collected backwards with a silver hair accessory.

She was very curious about his attire and tried to figure out what sort of attire he was wearing. ...it looks so different from my own…

"Shall we dance or would you love to indulge another goblet of lemonade?" Elias asked charmingly after he had finished his drink.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Why part ways now, the feast has just begun. I am quite interested in getting to know you as well" He replied charmingly. "Would you love to dance again or drink something?"

"An acceptable compromise." she smiled. "Let us acquire drinks."

"Black mead." she replied when he asked her which drink she would like.

"Any of the fruit flavored drinks?" She suggested tentatively. "They are sweeter than lemonade."

"But the question is which one." Alastair said seriously. "Please choose one."

"Thank you." he smiled, taking a sip of the recommended beverage. "A perfect choice, my lady."

"Now, another dance?" he asked, after they had finished their beverages.

Rosaleya looked at all of the desserts. Crystal said that she loved every dessert equally...Which means I have to choose carefully...What if I pick something gross on accident? I don't know if the people in charge here can bake properly...I've eaten a bunch of desserts that looked and smelled perfect, but tasted terrible...What's that? She thought, catching something yellow moving near her. She turned her attention to the young lady who was folding her hands in a regal-looking way behind her back, registering that the yellow thing was her dress. Is she Cosplaying as Belle? Wait, these are magical people, so...

"Good evening," Lily greeted her with a curious tone, staring at her gown.

"Good evening." Rosaleya replied shyly, looking down at her gown. Is there something on my gown? I didn't eat anything yet; how could I have made a mess? She thought worriedly, although she relaxed when she found nothing wrong with her dress.

"You look so enchanted." Pegah commented after swallowing a bite of cake.

"Oh...Thank you." Rosaleya said modestly. "You two look enchanting, too. Especially the girl Cosplaying as Belle." she said to Pegah. "Did you do that on purpose?" she asked cautiously, turning to Lily. She hoped that it didn't sound like she was speaking a different language. "If you did, you did a really good job paying attention to detail. Your hair and your dress are spot-on." she praised, keeping her right hand close to her side. She used her index finger to rub the nail of her thumb when she got nervous, rubbing in a small circle. I haven't ever gone to any etiquette classes and my table manners are terrible, and I don't even know how to dance. I don't know the difference between the fifty kinds of forks and spoons and knives, or how to hold a goblet or a wine glass or a champagne glass or all of that...I can't even carry on a normal conversation. They're probably looking at me like I'm the country girl with no manners and nothing interesting to say... Rosaleya wondered worriedly. They probably don't want to hurt my feelings. Before either one of them could get a word in, Rosaleya said quickly. "I'm sorry; I don't want to bother you two. I'll just go away." she apologized sincerely, turning away.

Reign glanced at Persephone, and for one moment their eyes met. Then he resumed his view of the scenery.

"Ah; young lady-" Nova said charmingly, bowing and offering his hand to Persephone to dance "-would you do me the honor of joining me in a dance?"

"Shall we dance or would you love to indulge another goblet of lemonade?" Elias asked charmingly after he had finished his drink.

"I'll have more later; let us dance again." Luna smiled. Once they had started another dance, she said "I wish to dance for a long while. Would it be possible for you to alert me when you begin to grow tired?" she asked politely.

 

[Hikari Chan]

...Perfect... August thought with a smile.

"What would you love to drink?" He asked.

"Black mead." she replied.

He summoned two goblets from one of the nearest tables, one with black mead which he handed to her and one goblet with red wine for himself.

He took a couple of sips of his drink, scanning the entire place from his perspective. To his disappointment he noticed that Mulciber was sitting together with his brother Andrew, Nott, Rowle and Selwyn, while his sister was dancing with someone else whom he suspected to be the vampire Faeryn and Endewyne had been fretting about. I wonder why and how Ivan failed in his mission today...I explained everything to him before the feast...and yet! ...and where is that silly Alexis?... August thought for himself, but he did not bother himself with his thoughts. He relied on his cunning ideas and plans, trusting and believing that he was the one who was going to success in the end. Instead he decided to give all his attention to the mysterious and charming lady who had approached him for a dance, considering himself lucky for meeting her. Dark and beautiful...full of mysteries...like the dark sea at night... He flashed his charming smile towards her before he took another sip of his drink.

Aislinn laughed and picked another goblet with the same content as hers.

"Then I would recommend you the cherry drink, it is very sweet," She suggested and handed him the goblet.

"Thank you." he smiled, taking a sip of the recommended beverage. "A perfect choice, my lady."

"Now, another dance?" he asked, after they had finished their beverages.

"Why do you ask? Let's dance the night away," She laughed, clinging arms with him.

"Yes!" Lily exclaimed delighted. "I chose to dress up as Belle for this feast!"

"I'm sorry; I don't want to bother you two. I'll just go away." the girl apologized sincerely, turning away.

"Wait!" Lily burst out, reaching out her hand to stop the girl and took a hold of her hand wrist.

"You are the second one who truly understood the reason behind the choice of my attire today! Are you also familiar with Beauty and the Beast? I got familiar with that story when I visited a muggle area in London with my muggle studies class and professor Rowle..." Lily talked nonstop and with such excitement about the story about the princess dressed in yellow who fell in love with the beast who was a bewitched prince. She was still holding the girl by her hand-wrist, when Pegah suddenly nudged Lily by her arm, making her realize what she was doing. "Oh, I am so sorry, I got carried away!" Lily hurried to apologize and released the girl from her grip. "By the way, I am Lily, and this is my friend Pegah, what is your name, if I may ask?" She held up her hand to shake it with the girl.

Pegah then reached out her hand to shake hands with the girl as well.

"Would you love to try the strawberry marshmallow mousse, Rosaleya?" Lily asked, holding up two glasses with dessert she mentioned. "It is my favorite one. Sweet and creamy," She giggled.

Persephone drank her ice-cold mint flavored water slowly as she studied the familiar yet strange looking guest. Their eyes met for one moment and she did not look away until he did.

When she finished her drink and put the goblet on the table, she had decided to break the silence and try to converse with the stranger because she had grown more curious about him. But in that moment another guest approached her.

"Ah; young lady-" A man with purple eyes said charmingly, bowing and offering his hand to her to dance "-would you do me the honor of joining me in a dance?"

"With all pleasure," She chuckled, taking his hand.

"Sure," Elias smiled. ...Though I won't stop dancing until she wishes to..

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

Is he glancing around to ensure that I am the best choice available? The lady wondered as August looked around.

He flashed his charming smile towards her before he took another sip of his drink.

It looks as if he is certain that he wants to remain in my company. Well, then. "Another dance, or a walk through one of the smaller gardens as we converse?" the lady asked when they had finished their drinks.

"Why do you ask? Let's dance the night away," She laughed, clinging arms with him.

"Yes, let's." Alastair agreed, and they began another dance.

"What is your favorite thing about the venue?" Alastair asked.

"I simply cannot decide what I like most. Everything looks so enchanting." he smiled.

"Wait!" Lily burst out, reaching out her hand to stop the girl and took a hold of her hand wrist.

Rosaleya froze, half turning to face Lily. Her initial reaction was to jerk her hand away, but when she heard Lily's words she relaxed a bit. They're eating at the table; they must be very relaxed about manners and all of that...Less strict than I imagined. She thought; she had stopped listening half-way through of Lily's ramblings of the plot. She doesn't want to let me go...I guess she doesn't want me to leave. The strength that she is putting into that grip is cute; like she thinks I'll still run away. She smiled. "Yes, I've always liked Belle...She is one of my favorite animated princesses because she does not judge by appearances and she is very selfless, choosing to take her father's place as the beast's prisoner. " she replied. As always, when speaking about a subject that excited her, she spoke at lightning speed.

"Oh, I am so sorry, I got carried away!" Lily hurried to apologize and released the girl from her grip.

"That's okay; you kept my social anxiety from getting the best of me." Rosaleya smiled nervously.

"By the way, I am Lily and this is my friend Pegah, what is your name, if I may ask?" She held up her hand to shake it with the girl.

"It's nice to meet you; you two have very pretty names. My name is Rosaleya."

Pegah then reached out her hand to shake hands with the girl as well.

"Would you love to try the strawberry marshmallow mousse, Rosaleya?" Lily asked, holding up two glasses with dessert she mentioned.

"It is my favorite one. Sweet and creamy," She giggled.

I don't know...you're still a stranger, and I don't know if I'll be able to eat more than one dessert. Should I really trust a stranger to tell me which one is the best? Well, it looks small, so maybe...But what if it's too rich and I get full too quickly? But what if turning it down is considered rude? "Sure." Rosaleya said nervously, taking one as if it were very delicate. It's glass; don't drop it! She thought as she held it carefully in her hands. "Um...could we go sit down?" she asked, as if she was worried that she would be executed if she was caught eating and standing. I get it that they're doing it, but maybe they're from one of the richer families, so that no matter what they do no one can talk badly to them because their parents own the place?

"I..." How do I reply to that?! I really feel like it would be a mistake if I listened to them... "I would just prefer sitting." she said politely, turning away and hoping that they would follow her to a table without any objections.

Rosaleya lead the way to an empty table, and once all three of them had sat down, she asked. "Have you seen any of the other Muggle films about animated princesses? There are so many. My favorite is Mulan; her courage, ingenuity, and self-sacrifice really have nothing on Belle's." She smiled, speaking quickly again. "And, it's a musical, just like Beauty and the Beast. I love those, because most of the music is enjoyable. What's your favorite song from Beauty and the Beast?"

"I agree." Rosaleya smiled. They're wearing their makeup quite well. I, on the other hand, don't even have my nails painted, much less any sort of makeup. I wonder if they wear makeup all the time, or if it's just for parties and dances.

"With all pleasure," She chuckled, taking his hand.

"Young lady-" Nova asked as they danced "-if you could have any one wish granted, what would it be?"


Well, I think I'll pick just one more dessert... Crystal thought, making her fifth trip to the dessert table. I know it's rude to take some home with me, but I really want to have these again...OH, I have an idea! She thought excitedly, immediately changing her destination from the dessert table to the host. He organized it; I'll just as him if he knows the recipes, or rather, the person that has the recipes, so that Luna can re-create these marvels for me! It's perfect! Now, what am I going to say? How should I word it?

"Good evening, Sir." Crystal curtsied politely to Mr. Shadowwalker. It wasn't the most graceful or elegant curtsy, but it still passed as a good one.

After the greetings were exchanged, she began. "I had the privilege of enjoying the lovely desserts here this evening. I loved them so much that I wanted to re-create them. Do you know the person who can perhaps give me the recipes to the ones that I favored the most?" she asked hopefully.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"I would love to dance once more and then take a walk with you in the smaller gardens," August smiled and once again extended his hand with his palm upward towards the mysterious lady.

...to get closer to Adela and thus closer to really see whom she is dancing with it...a human or not... He thought for himself.

As they swirled around in a waltz, August nearly got eye contact with Vincent when they swirled past each other. Black dark eyes, pale and gaunt face. The dark shadows under the eyes. August had no doubt that his sister was dancing with the creature of the night.

When August finished his dance with his lady, he offered her his arm and lead the way to one of the smaller gardens. The hardest part was the conversation, since she had not told him her name, he did not know what to ask her about herself to know more and he was not the kind of person who talked or boasted about himself.

"A splendid and lovely evening, isn't it?" He commented. "I cannot wait till the sunset and see the moon appear and shine over this place."

"Well, the drinks...the music...the fountain.." Aislinn replied, seeming to ponder about what more she liked about the feast. "And what do you like?"

"I simply cannot decide what I like most. Everything looks so enchanting." he smiled.

"I agree," She laughed. "But you are the most enchanting of everything else," She added romantically and giggled.

A second later, they swirled past Vincent and Adela and in that moment Vincent locked eyes with Alastair. Vincent gave Alastair a dark look before they swirled past each other.

"What's the matter with you?" Adela asked Vincent as they continued to dance.

"Nothing-"

"Please be sincere with me! For a moment I saw a mixture of jealousy and hate flashing your eyes. Wh-"

"You won't understand-"

"What do you know about that? I am not asking because I am curious, I am asking because I feel concerned about you."

"There's no use-"

"Vincent, I demand you to tell me, because I did not feel well when I saw those mixed feelings in your eyes."

"Fine! I just hate the person my cousin is dating. My cousin who is my dearest chose a-"

"Seriously-"

"You do not believe me?"

"I do believe you; I was not doubting you about that. But I must ask you: Don't you truly love your cousin, as you said, she is your dearest, why cannot you be happy for her?"

"You don't understand-"

"I completely understand, because I am almost in the same situation. Are you aware of that my oldest brother does not approve of you? I ask myself why. Why do we have to hate and be jealous? What do we gain on feeling negative feelings? Nothing, we will only lose. So why cannot we be happy for each other instead?"

Vincent remained silent, seemingly taking in what Adela just had told him and pondering about it.
But still, he could not get rid of the envious feelings and hatred he felt for Alastair.

"Oh, of course, let's go and sit," Lily agreed. "Before my mother catches me standing and eating. It will drive her crazy," She laughed.

Rosaleya lead the way to an empty table, and once all three of them had sat down, she asked.

"Have you seen any of the other Muggle films about animated princesses? There are so many. My favorite is Mulan; her courage, ingenuity, and self-sacrifice really have nothing on Belle's." she smiled, speaking quickly again. "And, it's a musical, just like Beauty and the Beast. I love those, because most of the music is enjoyable."

"No, I have not seen any others. Beauty and the Beast was by chance because it was a featuring animated play in the muggle theaters during my field trip to the muggle area in London," Lily explained.

"What's your favorite song from Beauty and the Beast?"

"Eh…well I enjoyed the music when Belle was dancing with the beast..."

"I agree." Rosaleya smiled.

Alexis walked around, feeling a little bored and crestfallen. He wanted to dance with his sister but seeing that the vampire won't let go of her and continuously dancing with her, he gave up waiting by the table where they had placed their goblets. Suddenly his eyes fell on a beautiful girl in a midnight blue gown sitting with two other girls whom he recognized as his former students.

He approached their table bowed for the enchanted looking girl before speaking to her:

"May I ask you for a dance?" He smiled, extending his hand towards her.

"Professor Dolohov!" Lily exclaimed, almost making him flinch because her loud voice nearly scared him even if he were aware of her presence. He was not prepared on her outburst.

"He was my former professor in Magical Theory at Hogwarts," Lily explained for Rosaleya. "Both I and Pegah have recently graduated from Hogwarts. Though that is not the end for us, we will be back at Hogwarts this summer," She laughed.

Meanwhile Alexis seemed to take a few steps backwards, bumping into Flynn who just happened to walk past. "May you distract miss Shadowwalker for a few bloody seconds, please?" Alexis whispered to Flynn.

"Are you asking me to tame a dragon?"

"…it is because I will take cooking with magic lessons. I have always wanted to-"

"May I ask you for another dance, miss?"

Lily looked astonished at Flynn, not expecting him to ask her for a dance after their last encounter.
She was so surprised that she could hardly speak a word and only stared at him. Thus, he seized the opportunity and took hold of her hand, literary forcing her to stand up, and dragged her into a dance.

Alexis turned once more towards Rosaleya, extending his hand towards her with a smile.

Persephone laughed heartily.

"That is a good question, mister," She chuckled. "I would only make a wish upon a shooting star and when I blow out my candles on my birthday cake without telling anyone," She half joked.

...We are only strangers, have just started to dance and he already becomes so comfortable and want to know my wishes and secrets...hehe...not so fast young man... She thought amused.

"May I inquire the name of this handsome yet perky young man?" She asked with the tone that suggested that they should introduce themselves to each other and get to know each other very well before they started to talk about private things such as wishes. Persephone was the kind of person who did not tell her wishes to anyone, even not to her brother. The only person who was closest to her was Vivienne.

"Good evening," Alexander raised his goblet of wine and made a small bow with his head.

"I had the privilege of enjoying the lovely desserts here this evening. I loved them so much that I wanted to re-create them. Do you know the person who can perhaps give me the recipes to the ones that I favored the most?" she asked hopefully.

He chuckled heartily. "Oh my, I was not expecting to hear this from a guest," He confessed. "Well, to be honest with you, all the meals, desserts and drinks here have been prepared by house-elves. So unfortunately, I don't know if the house-elves use any recipes or if they are willing to share. Though I am very glad to hear that you love and praise the desserts. I shall forward your praises to the house-elves who prepared them. Hopefully they might be willing to re-create something especially for you any other time..."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"I would love to dance once more and then take a walk with you in the smaller gardens," August smiled and once again extended his hand with his palm upward towards the mysterious lady.

"Lovely." she smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

"A splendid and lovely evening, isn't it?" He commented. "I cannot wait till the sunset and see the moon appear and shine over this place."

Please, refrain from speaking of the weather or the sunsets. This is nothing compared to glory and wonder of Hell. She thought boredly. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" she suggested. "You're a suave gentleman; surely you have some interesting stories to tell, hmm?" she asked smoothly. "For every good story you tell me, I shall tell you one." she smiled.

"I agree," She laughed. "But you are the most enchanting of everything else," She added romantically and giggled.

Alastair smiled, his eyes conveying the message that he felt the same way about her.

A second later, they swirled past Vincent and Adela and in that moment Vincent locked eyes with Alastair. Alastair matched Vincent's dark look with a kind smile, as if he was looking into Asmodeus's eyes instead.

When that dance finished, Alastair bowed and kissed Aislynn's hand affectionately, and then they started another dance.

"May I ask you for a dance?" He smiled, extending his hand towards her.

Rosaleya hesitated for a moment. I don't know him...But he's asking so politely...But he looks strong and there's no telling what he would do...But we're at a party, right? It's not like he can just kidnap me here in front of all of these people, right? Besides, I'm sure that if he touched me inappropriately, I could always call him on it. There's bound to be someone that can punch his lights out if I voice the issue; and Crystal's nearby...

"Professor Dolohov!" Lily exclaimed. Rosaleya's eyes moved to Lily. She knows him? How-

"He was my former professor in Magical Theory at Hogwarts," Lily explained for Rosaleya.

Hogwarts! Rosaleya thought excitedly.

"Both I and Pegah have recently graduated from Hogwarts. Though that is not the end for us, we will be back at Hogwarts this summer," She laughed.

Hogwarts has a summer school program? Hey, what are they whispering about? Rosaleya thought, eyeing Flynn and Alexis suspiciously.

"May I ask you for another dance, miss?"

Why? Why did the other guy back off? She thought, becoming more confused. Why did this guy pull Lily away? She seemed reluctant to go with him.

Alexis turned once more towards Rosaleya, extending his hand towards her with a smile.

I...I'm... "I'm so sorry; I've never danced before. So, I'll probably infuriate you." Rosaleya apologized. Fudge! For my appearance, I still can't even do a simple dance, let alone carry on a normal conversation. I feel so weird; I thought that talking to people would be easier. Not too surprising, considering that until this point I've only known four people total. I say the same lines every day 'Welcome to Darkest Creatures! Thank you for visiting, come again soon!'. That doesn't leave for much experience.

"...Hopefully they might be willing to re-create something especially for you any other time..."

"Oh. Thank you very much, Sir." Crystal said, smiling appreciatively before walking away. Great. She thought sarcastically. So...he's probably not going to keep his word. She sighed. So tonight is the last night I can expect to enjoy these little bits of heaven. She caught a glimpse of Alexis bowing to Rosaleya for a dance. Ah; she's making that face like when she's apologizing. She's nervous; she's never been taught how to dance before. And what use does a professor have of asking a young girl to dance with him? And one that he doesn't know? Seriously, is he that type? She decided to change her destination from the dessert tables to Rosaleya's table.

"That is a good question, mister," She chuckled. "I would only make a wish upon a shooting star and when I blow out my candles on my birthday cake without telling anyone," She half joked.

Nova laughed, amused by her joke. "Those wishes don't come true." He said realistically.

"May I inquire the name of this handsome yet perky young man?" She asked with the tone that suggested that they should introduce themselves to each other and get to know each other very well before they started to talk about private things such as wishes.

"My name is Nova. And your name would be?" he asked.

"I have the magical ability to grant wishes." He said seriously, in a tone that stated that he was not joking. "No one believes me, so no one ever makes wishes. And yet, no one has ever given me the opportunity to prove it. Well, this is where the conversation ends. " he said as they finished their dance. "Do let me know if you are interested in making a wish later." he smiled, bowing. "Thank you for the dance."

And without another word, he walked away. I'm bored...Who's next? Will anyone here believe me? They can believe magical carpets and elves making foods, but not a rule-free wish? Why not?!

"Excuse me-" Nova said, addressing Melissa "-would you do me the honor of joining me in a dance?" he asked, bowing and offering his hand to dance.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Well..." August chuckled. Since she requested me to tell her about myself, I shall give her my best story... "I am a professor in Study of Ancient Runes at Hogwarts. My late father was a deatheater, active during both the first and second wizarding world war." August assumed that the mysterious lady was a witch, since he was not aware about demons and angels. The two latter species never crossed his mind; hence he did not explain about Hogwarts or the wizarding world war or the late Dark Lord. "I was actually born before the second but after the first one, in 1991, I just turned twenty-seven last week," He laughed heartily. "I have two younger brothers and a younger sister who are also present at this feast. I am not sure if you noticed my sister, dressed in entirely pink and dancing?" He smiled and then continued: "Anyway, my sister was the last one who was born before the second wizarding world war broke out. After the war we were brought up by our late mother, thankfully, we did not end up in an orphanage like many other children did after the war. I did not become a professor immediately after my graduation but started to work in a muggle car repair shop. I used my magic secretly to repair cars. My boss, my co-workers and the customers never knew of course, because as you know, we must not reveal our magic in front of muggles because of The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Being a son of a late deatheater was not popular in the wizarding world and it was hard for me and my siblings to find any occupation in our world hence we had to seek out to the muggle world, pretending being muggles instead. Until the Dark Lord's daughter came to the surface and saved us all when we were imprisoned in Azkaban. The authorities decided to imprison us all whose parents were deatheaters because they suspected one of us being in contact with the Dark Lord's daughter and supporting her in secret. It is thanks to her that I and my siblings got occupations in the wizarding world. My brothers and sister are also professors. May I ask you, which wizarding school you have been in?"

"Oh..." Alexis laughed nervously, feeling embarrassed for bothering her. "Is this your first time at a party?" He asked kindly. "Do not worry," He assured her. "It is just a simple waltz-" He gestured towards the guests who were dancing. "If your give yourself a chance, by time you will learn. It is alright if you do a couple of mistakes the first time. Anyway, I won't force you," He finished, waiting for her answer. He remained standing at where he stood and noticed in the corner of his eye that someone was nearing them. Turning his head toward the left he saw Miss Thorne.

Pegah was still sitting at the same table with Rosaleya and had just finished her strawberry shortcake. She recognized professor Thorne and waved at her.

"I am miss Persephone Pyrites..."

"I have the magical ability to grant wishes." he said seriously, in a tone that stated that he was not joking.

Persephone rolled her eyes. ...is this Nova boasting about himself like Macnair usually does? She thought.

"No one believes me, so no one ever makes wishes. And yet, no one has ever given me the opportunity to prove it. Well, this is where the conversation ends. " he said as they finished their dance. "Do let me know if you are interested in making a wish later." he smiled, bowing. "Thank you for the dance."

"Sure," Persephone nodded. "And I will read your future if you manage to grant me a wish or two."

Eveline looked up when one particular guest addressed her daughter. She had blue grey eyes and platinum blond hair like her sister Elizabeth and Melissa had inherited these looks. To make the colors of her eyes and hair to stand out less, she was wearing a light silver blue gown with silver bijoux. She was a typically former Beauxbaton student, having gone to that academy instead for Hogwarts unlike her cousins. Her mother nodded encouraging at her daughter who smiled in return.

"With all my pleasure," Melissa replied with a proud smile, taking the hand of the man whom she registered as someone with purple eyes and handsome features.

Once again, Vincent crossed path with Alastair while dancing. Seeing Alastair kissing his cousin's hand, made him burn of envy and jealousy. He did not care if they started another dance, instead he danced with Adela towards their direction and knocked on Alastair's shoulder. Because of Aislinn's and Adela's presences, Vincent refrained from pinching Alastair, hence he knocked on his shoulder. But his dark eyes shoot dark feelings towards his rival.

"May we switch partners?" He asked. "I'd also like to share one dance with my dear cousin." Even if he sounded polite, the look of his eyes was telling Alastair to stop being selfish by keeping Aislinn for himself the entire time.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"I was actually born before the second but after the first one, in 1991, I just turned twenty seven last week," He laughed heartily.

The lady smiled. We studied this in school; everything about Wizarding, Muggle, vampire, Werewolf, Mermish history and more. I understand what he is saying, and yet I asked for a story, not his life's experiences.

"I have two younger brothers and a younger sister who are also present at this feast. I am not sure if you noticed my sister, dressed in entirely pink and dancing?" He smiled.

The lady nodded. Yes; you made it very obvious that you were looking at her.

"...because of The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy."

Right...I must admit, it was creative to use his magic in that way.

"...May I ask you, which Wizarding school you have been in?"

The lady laughed, amused. "None." she replied simply. "I didn't learn magic at a Wizarding school. My comrades and I know wandless magic because of our master's methods of teaching. We don't require wands." she said, not boasting, but simply explaining. "My comrades are Ms. Lestrange's brother, the man dressed in formal foreign attire with long hair and a sword, and the man with black hair and purple eyes. Their names are Alastair, Reign, and Nova, respectively. If you wish, I could introduce you to our master, but that would be at a later time." she said logically, seeing as they were still in the middle of a party. "He was the perfect teacher; both strict, and empathetic. I have never met another man with the capacity to play the role of big brother, and father with equal grace. Now-" she smiled "-for my story. My mother and father weren't doing very well financially. They had exhausted all of their resources and ideas, or so they told my older sister. They convinced her that there was no other way, and promised her that they would take care of me. So, she jumped off of the rooftop of our apartment building. They told the authorities that it had been an accident, and the received a huge life-insurance payout for my sister's death. They made me promise not to tell anyone what had really happened, lest the authorities take me away and they break the promise that they made to my sister. I felt partially responsible, for I felt as if I had helped cover up my sister's death. It was no big surprise to me when they convinced me to do the same thing myself six years later, when all of the money had run out again. The day that I jumped, I felt as if I had nothing to live for. So-" she paused "-our master saved me. He caught me, and placed a corpse that he had transformed to look like me on the pavement where I would have died. He taught me about magic, and loyalty. About the evil of betrayal, and deceiving someone. He showed me kindness and acted more humane than anyone I had ever known. There is a set of strict, unbreakable rules that all of his students must follow. We cannot lie to each other, or our master. That is the first rule." And then her tone became smooth and relaxed again. "That was an interesting story, hmm?" she smiled, sounding surprisingly nonchalant. "Your turn to talk. Tell me; what is your ideal sort of lady?" she asked curiously.

"Is this your first time at a party?" He asked kindly.

"Yes, Sir." Rosaleya replied honestly. Why did I add 'Sir'?

"Do not worry," He assured her. "It is just a simple waltz-" He gestured towards the guests who were dancing. "If your give yourself a chance, by time you will learn."

Tch...Yeah right; I'll embarrass you and get you angry at the same time.

"...It is alright if you do a couple of mistakes the first time. Anyway, I won't force you," He finished, waiting for her answer. He remained standing at where he stood and noticed in the corner of his eye that someone was nearing them. Turning his head toward the left he saw Miss Thorne.

"Hey, Rosaleya. Is everything okay?" Crystal asked kindly.

"Yeah; I still can't dance, though." she sighed.

"Why don't you make another wish?" Crystal suggested. Both of them were speaking as if Alexis wasn't there.

"I feel bad about bothering him for so many wishes." she replied. "Besides; Nova's trying to enjoy himself, too."

"'Kay." Crystal shrugged. "Then if you really want to do something, talk to him. You can sit down, or walk in the gardens. If he tries anything-" she looked at Alexis now with a severe, warning glare "-I'll burn him alive. With Luna's permission, of course." she laughed, her tone lightening up again.

"Does that sound good? A walk in the gardens?" Rosaleya asked herself out loud. "I don't think that's a good idea. "You know-" she said to Alexis "-I'm not a very interesting person. I'll probably bore you to death; you should go dance with someone more interesting." she advised him. "Sorry." she sighed, rubbing her thumb again.

She can't help putting herself down. Crystal thought. But she gets annoyed when I praise her. She's not as boring as she thinks.

"With all my pleasure," Melissa replied with a proud smile, taking his hand.

"Tell me, what is your name?" Nova asked as they danced.

"A charming name indeed; my name is Nova." he replied. "I have the ability to grant any wish, free of rules." he said, not boasting, but explaining "However, no one believes me, so they never wish for anything. I simply don't understand how everyone can believe in Thestrals, Hippogriffs, Dementors and flying carpets but not wishes?" he sighed in frustration. "Do you believe me?" he asked hopefully.

Alastair stopped their dance when he felt a knock on his shoulder, feeling a dark and hateful energy close to him. He's back. He thought, smirking inwardly.

"May we switch partners?" He asked. "I'd also like to share one dance with my dear cousin."

"I have no problems at all." Alastair said apologetically. "It is up to the young lady to decide who she shares a dance with." he smiled kindly to Aislynn, taking a step back so that the distance between Vincent and Aislynn was shorter than that of the latter and himself.

 

[Hikari Chan]

...If she was saved, then why was not her sister saved as well? How come that this lady was chosen by this Master of power and magic to survive... August thought confused. ...wandless magic she says...hmm...I know that in Africa they learn wandless magic, perhaps her master must be from Uagadou School of Magic or probably from somewhere else in Africa, since she mentioned that she did not go to any wizarding school...

"That was an interesting story, hmm?" she smiled, sounding surprisingly nonchalant. He chose not to reply, because he was contemplating her story. "Your turn to talk. Tell me; what is your ideal sort of lady?" she asked curiously.

"Well…" He smiled mysteriously and charmingly at the same time. "My ideal sort of lady is a lady with dignity and respect. Strong and intelligent. Charming with a cunning mind and a good sense for dark arts."

Alexis looked like as if he got a scare. ...Merlin's beard, can miss Thorne chill a bit? I did not even touch the girl...by the way is miss Thorne her guardian? And who is Nova? I am not getting any smarter on this... He thought confused.

"Does that sound good? A walk in the gardens?" Rosaleya asked herself out loud. "I don't think that's a good idea. "You know-" she said to Alexis "-I'm not a very interesting person. I'll probably bore you to death; you should go dance with someone more interesting." she advised him. "Sorry." she sighed, rubbing her thumb again.

"So, I assume your answer is no, that you are declining my request for a dance...." He was not asking her, but rather stating for himself. "I apologize for bothering you, miss," He bowed for her and turned on his heel and left. He walked calmly away and took a seat by the same table he had been occupying before.

Just when he had left, Lily turned up. She had finished dancing with someone she did not expect would ask her for a dance.

"Good evening, professor Thorne!" She greeted Crystal jovially. "Did you dance with professor Dolohov?" She asked Rosaleya, grinning widely. "Oh..." She seemed to ponder for a couple of seconds before she exclaimed excited: "Let's dance!" She suggested, taking hold of both Rosaleya's hands and almost forcing her to stand up. "You and I!" She giggled. "We can remain here, if you feel too nervous about going to the dance floor." She kept holding both Rosaleya's hands in hers and started to swing in the line with the music. "Like this hehehe! This is how I dance with my friends when I have enough of waltz. I don't know what got into professor Pyrites today. You see, that man with ginger hair and eyepatch, who asked me for a dance, was my former professor in transfiguration, professor Pyrites. We are not really on good terms because he gave me a couple of detentions at Hogwarts," Lily explained. "Perhaps he is to drunk right now, hahaha!"

"Miss Melissa Burns, and you are?"

"A charming name indeed; my name is Nova." he replied. "I have the ability to grant any wish, free of rules." he said, not boasting, but explaining "However, no one believes me, so they never wish for anything. I simply don't understand how everyone can believe in thestrals, hippogriffs, dementors and flying carpets but not wishes?" he sighed in frustration. "Do you believe me?" he asked hopefully.

Melissa looked very confused wondered if Nova was drunk. She could not help but laugh at his sudden speech.

"Oh dear, that's an interesting way of trying to flatter a lady," She commented amused. "Are you a wizard specialized in granting wishes by magic?" She asked, deciding to play along. "That must be a very rare kind of magic. Which wizarding school have you been to?"

"Very well then," Aislinn spoke. "Just one dance," She warned Vincent before taking his extended hand.

Adela was unsure if she should dance with Mr. Divilliers or not. Switching partners was Vincent's idea, but she understood it was mostly because he wanted to share a dance with his cousin. She felt a bit awkward in this situation and just remained standing where Vincent had left her, looking confused.

"I guess Mr. D'arcy is very fond of his cousin," She smiled, addressing Mr. Divilliers.

"You share hundred dances with him, but only one with me?" Vincent complained.

Aislinn sighed inwardly. "Of course, I would mostly dance with him, he is my date. Are you not happy with miss Dolohov or are you only playing around with her because I do not share your feelings?"

Vincent remained silent. His facial expression was hard to read during that moment.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"Well..," He smiled mysteriously and charmingly at the same time. "My ideal sort of lady, is a lady with dignity and respect. Strong and intelligent. Charming with a cunning mind and a good sense for dark arts."

"Ah; I thought that I would have to hide my fondness for Dark Arts from you." the lady teased. "My turn. My ideal man is personable and suave. Intelligent and well-learned in magic. He liked to act on his own instead of being told what to do. H has a very strong mind, and is loyal to the end. Betrayal and lies are unthinkable. And he is very thoughtful; I love surprises. Now, it's your turn again. " She smiled. "Tell me; have you met any interesting people in your past?" she asked, although it was obvious she was asking if he had ever been in a relationship before.

"I once loved a man who seemed to be everything that I wanted. That is, until my master brought it to my attention that he was having an affair. The scoundrel was already married and he was toying with me. So, I tortured him to death." she shrugged nonchalantly, laughing. "Your turn again; if you could have one rule-free wish granted, what would that wish be?"

"I apologize for bothering you, miss," He bowed for her and turned on his heel and left.

That was a quick retreat. Rosaleya thought sarcastically.

"Good evening, professor Thorne!" She greeted Crystal jovially.

"Good evening." she replied in an equally jovial tone.

"Did you dance with professor Dolohov?" She asked Rosaleya, grinning widely.

"No...I can't dance." Rosaleya replied quietly.

"Oh..." She seemed to ponder for a couple of seconds before she exclaimed excited: "Let's dance!"

"I don't-" Rosaleya repeated nervously, but Lily took hold of her hands and almost forced her to stand up. "You and I!" She giggled.

"But I-"

"We can remain here, if you feel too nervous about going to the dance floor." She kept holding both Rosaleya's hands in hers and started to swing in the line with the music. "Like this hehehe!"

Rosaleya tried to imitate Lily, feeling foolish.

"This is how I dance with my friends when I have enough of waltz. I don't know what got into professor Pyrites today. You see, that man with ginger hair and eyepatch, who asked me for a dance, was my former professor in transfiguration, professor Pyrites."

He looks like a pirate; is he Cosplaying as-never mind.

"We are not really on good terms"

I wonder why?

"..because he gave me a couple of detentions at Hogwarts," Lily explained.

Oh, is she the delinquent in the class? The truant maybe? Does she open her mouth too much, arguing with the professors? I can see that happening. Rosaleya imagined.

"Perhaps he is to drunk right now, hahaha!"

If he asked her for a dance, he must have a secret reason considering that, according to Lily, they aren't on good terms. But he was walking just fine; I don't think he's drunk. "I really am not interested in dancing." Rosaleya said, snapping out of her thoughts. She pulled her hands away gently, and said "Who taught you how to dance?" A private dance instructor for the beautiful heiress? She imagined. "Maybe I can pay for lessons from your instructor." she explained. "That way, at the next party, we can dance together." But isn't it improper to dance with another lady?

"Oh dear, that's an interesting way of trying to flatter a lady," She commented amused. "Are you a wizard specialized in granting wishes by magic?" She asked, deciding to play along.

Nova sighed tiredly.

"That must be a very rare kind of magic. Which Wizarding school have you been to?"

"Don't humor me." he sighed. "No one believes me. I am not drunk. " He gave her a very certain look that would make anyone believe that he hadn't had an ounce of alcohol. "Could you just make a wish so that I could prove it to you, please?" he asked, a pleading look in his eyes now. "Everyone wants to wish that things get better, or that things go their way, but when the come across a being that can grant their wishes, they refuse to believe it. Please, make it something difficult! I'll prove it to you!" he insisted, just as their dance came to an end. "There is nothing that you can lose by making the wish." he reasoned. "Make it something harmless that you wouldn't mind actually coming true. Something that will prove to you that I am telling the truth; something that cannot be accomplished with regular magic." Why?! Why must humans be so stupid? Ghosts and vampires, but not demons and angels? Flying carpets and silverware that wash themselves, but not a wish?!!! What is so difficult to believe?! A blue sky is so unusual and odd compared to ours, but no one here says 'Oh, I don't believe that the sky is blue!' Not to mention how often the sun sets and rises here! And it rains and snows all the time!

"I guess Mr. D'Arcy is very fond of his cousin."

"Perhaps." Alastair replied, as if he didn't know anything about their relationship. "Do you wish to share a dance, or was that his wish?" he asked kindly.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Ah; I thought that I would have to hide my fondness for Dark Arts from you." the lady teased.

August could not help but smile. ...She is so comfortable that she dares to tease me but not sharing her name...I feel it's odd to converse with a lady whose name I have no clue of..

"My turn. My ideal man is personable and suave. Intelligent and well-learned in magic. He liked to act on his own instead of being told what to do. He has a very strong mind and is loyal to the end. Betrayal and lies are unthinkable. And he is very thoughtful; I love surprises. Now, it's your turn again. " she smiled. "Tell me; have you met any interesting people in your past?" she asked, although it was obvious she was asking if he had ever been in a relationship before.

"No…I have not..." he replied honestly. .All my focus has been on studying and graduating from Hogwarts and trying to make career in the wizarding world but I ended up living like muggle, then I tried to marry off my sister but with no success...I hardly considered myself in seeing other people... he thought for himself and then asked: "And what about you?"

"I once loved a man who seemed to be everything that I wanted. That is, until my master brought it to my attention that he was having an affair. The scoundrel was already married, and he was toying with me. So, I tortured him to death." she shrugged nonchalantly, laughing. "Your turn again; if you could have one rule-free wish granted, what would that wish be?"

"Well..." He seemed to ponder about the matter of a wish when he had finished laughing because he liked the idea of torturing someone to death as punishment. ..I have always got whatever I desired...almost...In the end I always get what I want, no matter what I have to go through to reach my goals and fulfil my desires... "..it is a good question and to be honest with you, I have no idea," He chuckled. "What more can I desire than being a pureblood wizard, having a respected career in the wizarding world and all my enemies are gone..." When mentioning 'enemies', he was hinting on Order of Phoenix and Dumbledore's army and everyone who had been against his father and the Dark Lord. "It seems that I always get what I want in the end-," He explained. "-that I hardly have considered to have a wish granted. I have never in my life thought like 'I wish this or that' but rather thought how to get revenge, how to get my way round obstacles, how to carefully plot. I am not really a daydreamer or a wishful person, though more of a realist..." He paused for a moment, thinking how silly his sister was to be a daydreamer, before continuing: "…Though right now, I wish to see you after this feast because I also wish to know your name," He flashed a charming smile towards the lady. "I will give you a time and a place before we part later. If you grant my wish, I shall grant yours. Now it is your turn to tell me, do you have any rule-free wish?"

Lily gave Rosaleya an odd look. ...has this girl never been at a ball before? She thought oddly.

"I and my brother had a governess who homeschooled us before we went to Hogwarts. I did not like her because she was such a stupid woman that I always found a place to hide in the manor whenever she came to teach us. So, my brother was the one who taught me how to dance," She explained. "I don't think you'd like to meet my past governess," Lily laughed. "Anyway, why waiting to the next party?, I or my brother could teach you how to dance if you'd like to," She offered kindly.

"Alright…alright," Melissa rolled her eyes thought she decided to give Nova a chance. If he turns out to be joking, I will just gossip to all the ladies and make sure to spread the word about him here... She thought for herself. "I wish to find the man of my dreams today. He will only dance with me at the reminder of this feast and at the end of it he will ask me to be his date."

"Well, wasn't his suggestion to 'switch partners'?" She asked with raised eyebrows. ...why isn't he even extending his hand towards me...he should have done that from the moment Vincent started to dance with his cousin. Was it not obvious enough that we should switch just as Vincent suggested? Mr. Divilliers' behavior just make me feel awkward that I rather want to leave the dance floor than-

"Tsk...You left my lady standing here," Vincent commented dryly when he just had finished his dance with Aislinn. "I am sorry, Adela, I thought I made it clear for Mr. DiVilliers that I wanted to switch partners to have one dance with my cousin...he was supposed to dance with you while I danced with Aislinn…" He glanced sideways at Alastair, giving him a haughty look as he walked past him.

"It is alright," Adela laughed nervously, biting her lower lip. "Perhaps Mr. DiVilliers wanted your permission before dancing with me..." She smiled apologetically towards Alastair. "Anyway, I am thirsty…" She turned away and walked towards the table where she had left her goblet. Vincent cast another hateful look towards Alastair before following Adela.

Aislinn's face was red of anger and shame. She was angry on Vincent and feeling shame because of how he had behaved towards Alastair.

"I will have a word with him after this feast," She spoke calmly even if her facial expression revealed that she was feeling anger and disappointment.

Adela was feeling so confused of the earlier event that she picked up the wrong goblet. Vincent seemed to be distracted by his own hatred and envious feelings towards Alastair that he also picked up the wrong goblet.

He took a large sip and found the drink so tasteless to his surprise that he looked confused at the red content in his goblet. This look so red...but it does not taste like blood....

Meanwhile Adela took a large sip and swallowed the content faster than her own reaction of the taste. The weird taste of metal lingered in her mouth, giving her a feeling of sickness. She looked at the red content in her goblet and realized to her dismay that it was not wine at all.

For a moment Adela locked eyes with Vincent, both looking confused at each other.

"I think we should switch..." She said, not recognizing her own voice and not realizing what she was doing in front of all the guests, when she handed over Vincent's goblet to him and took back her own.

"You almost drank up everything," He complained.

"And you drank up my wine!"

Adela looked around when she suddenly heard Faeryn wailing. Endewyne looked with horror at Adela. Alexis on the other hand was laughing, because he found it amusing.

"Did you do this? Switching our goblets while we were dancing?" She looked threatening at her brother.

"Absolutely not! Why would I even do it?" He defended himself with all honesty as he stood up. He had been sitting by the table the entire time, enjoying his butterbeer in solitude.

"Be sincere with me!"

"If you do not believe me, you can test me with veritaserum!" He looked into her eyes as he spoke. He picked out his wand and used the refiling charm to refill their goblets.

"Ah thank you," Vincent could finally quench his thirst.

Adela devoured all the content in her goblet at once, yet the taste of blood seemed to linger in her mouth and in her throat. Alexis offered his goblet to her instead for refilling her own, but she only shook her head, clearly declining him, and walked away, towards the long table with the desserts and drinks.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"...it is a good question and to be honest with you, I have no idea," He chuckled.

You don't even have one wish? I thought that anyone must have at least one.

"What more can I desire than being a pureblood wizard, having a respected career in the Wizarding world and all my enemies are gone...It seems that I always get what I want in the end that I hardly have considered to have a wish granted. I have never in my life thought like 'I wish this or that' but rather thought how to get revenge, how to get my way round obstacles, how to carefully plot. I am not really a daydreamer or a wishful person, though more of a realist..." He paused.

An admirable quality indeed. Finally, someone who chooses to take control and work toward their goals. I admit, I grow more intrigued the more I get to know him. And I believe that I can be the type of lady he desires. The question is if he can be the type of gentleman I desire.

"...Though right now, I wish to see you after this feast because I also wish to know your name," He flashed a charming smile towards the lady, who smiled in return, warmth showing in her eyes. "I will give you a time and a place before we part later. If you grant my wish, I shall grant yours. Now it is your turn to tell me, do you have any rule-free wish?"

"Yes; I wish for the type of man I desire to fall in love with me, and only me. Infidelity is also punishable by death in my book." she smiled. "And I do so hope that you can grant it. There are so many things I wish to show you-" she gazed upward at the sky "-like sunsets and sunrises. You have never experienced one until you've been to the place I live in. It's so secluded that I can guarantee no one at this party has been there." she said mysteriously. "Except for my comrades, that is. Say, does another dance sound nice?" she asked smilingly.

Lily gave Rosaleya an odd look. Fudge! What did I say to warrant that look?! She thought worriedly.

"I and my brother had a governess who home schooled us before we went to Hogwarts. I did not like her because she was such a stupid woman that I always found a place to hide in the manor whenever she came to teach us. "Here, Rosaleya giggled. "So my brother was the one who taught me how to dance," She explained. "I don't think you'd like to meet my past governess," Lily laughed. I don't know; she could really be annoying, or that could just be Lily's point of view. "Anyway, why waiting to the next party?, I or my brother could teach you how to dance if you'd like to," She offered kindly.

"Um...That would be nice, if you think that it won't take very long?" she asked uncertainly. "I'm not very coordinated." she said nervously.

"Okay...Could we go to one of the smaller gardens to practice? If I do it here, I'll just feel even more nervous."

"I wish to find the man of my dreams today. He will only dance with me at the reminder of this feast and at the end of it he will ask me to be his date."

"But that doesn't prove - I could have paid him to - Fine." Nova surrendered. "If that is all it takes. But you must do me a favor, is that clear?" he explained. "You must be kind to him. Just because you made a wish, it does not mean that you can disrespect him in any way, understood?" he asked, a very serious look in his eyes. If you do disrespect him, human, you will die a very painful death. He thought.

And at the very moment that Melissa agreed, Reign tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned to him, he bowed to her so elegantly, and held out his hand, his palm turned upward. "Would you do me the honor?" he asked softly, his eyes fixed to hers so charmingly.

"Behold; your wish." Nova said simply, walking away. Apparently, he foresaw me approaching him and telling him about the conditions that Ms. Melissa asked for. He thought, sitting down at the table Reign had just vacated with a sigh.

"Well, wasn't his suggestion to 'switch partners'?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

Alastair did not hear her; apparently he was too distracted by the soft and loving glance Luna was giving Elias.

"Tsk...You left my lady standing here," Vincent commented dryly when he just had finished his dance with Aislynn. "I am sorry, Adela, I thought I made it clear for Mr. DiVilliers that I wanted to switch partners to have one dance with my cousin...he was supposed to dance with you while I danced with Aislynn..." He glanced sideways at Alastair, giving him a haughty look as he walked past him. Alastair only smiled innocently, as if Vincent was speaking Czechoslovakian, a language he knew neither heads, nor tails of.

"It is alright," Adela laughed nervously, biting her lower lip. "Perhaps Mr. DiVilliers wanted your permission before dancing with me..." She smiled apologetically towards Alastair.

"Apologies." He said sincerely to Adela. Why was Luna giving Elias that look?

"Anyway, I am thirsty..." She turned away and walked towards the table where she had left her goblet. Vincent cast another hateful look towards Alastair before following Adela. Alastair smiled to him kindly, imagining him as Asmodeus once again.

"I will have a word with him after this feast," She spoke calmly even if her facial expression revealed that she was feeling anger and disappointment.

"No need; I am not the least bit bothered by it." Alastair assured her. "Now, back to our dancing, hmm?" he smiled charmingly, already having forgotten Vincent's disrespect.

"Elias? Could we possibly stop for another round of drinks?" Luna smiled, as they finished another dance.

"Another lemonade, please." she replied.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"Yes; I wish for the type of man I desire to fall in love with me, and only me. Infidelity is also punishable by death in my book." she smiled. Here August agreed silently. He would not even accept a woman who was unfaithful towards him.

"And I do so hope that you can grant it."

August smiled and remained silent. Time will tell if we are perfect match for each other…with time...she looks like my ideal lady, dark and mysterious...like the queen of the darkness...

"There are so many things I wish to show you-" she gazed upward at the sky "-like sunsets and sunrises. You have never experienced one until you've been to the place I live in. It's so secluded that I can guarantee no one at this party has been there." she said mysteriously.

...she makes it sounds like as if she is from a different world than this...as if she came from a different planet... He thought amused.

"Except for my comrades, that is. Say, does another dance sound nice?" she asked smilingly.

"With all my pleasure," August smiled, leading the way back to the main garden.

"Don't worry, it won't take that long and we have all the evening," Lily smiled encouragingly

"Okay...Could we go to one of the smaller gardens to practice? If I do it here, I'll just feel even more nervous."

"Sure, let's go over there," Lily lead the way to one of the smaller gardens which to her luck was empty.

Once they were there, Lily instructed Rosaleya how to do.

"You take hold of my left hand and place your right hand on my right shoulder, and I place my right hand around your waist. And now, follow my steps...focus on the music you can hear from behind the hedge...and swirl...and back...to left and right....and swirl around....to left and right...and swirl…and back....wow you are learning fast, Rosaleya!"

"Eh...why would I ever disrespect my future date?" Melissa looked confused. "Of course, I would respect him if he respected me in return. In that moment someone tapped on her shoulder.

When she turned to him, a man with black hair, longer than hers, bowed to her so elegantly, and held out his hand, his palm turned upward. "Would you do me the honor?" he asked softly, his eyes fixed to hers so charmingly.

"Behold; your wish." Nova said simply, walking away.

Melissa stood paralyzed, trying to understand what just happened. ...wait...this man was sitting with Nova at the same table when I arrived at this feast...if my eyes did not betray me when I witnessed them both at the same table...so it all turned out to be a joke he must have planned with his friend? Of all the men at this feast, his friend turns up? No no no... She put a hand over her face and was so shocked that she did not know what to say. She was so sensitive that she felt that she had got her feelings hurt by Nova.

"…I-I-I--am-sorry..." She started to stutter and ran away. A few steps away from the table where her mother and aunt sat, she tripped and fell.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" Eveline exclaimed and rushed towards her daughter.

"Is she alright?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well...alright, let's dance..." Aislinn smiled.

But this does not mean that I won't talk with Vincent after this feast...how dare he crush my evening with Alastair...She thought for herself.

"As you wish my lady," Elias nodded with a smile. "What would you like to drink?" He asked, when they walked over to one of the long tables.

"Another lemonade, please." Luna replied.

He picked two lemonades and handed one to her.

Adela picked up a goblet with pumpkin juice, knowing that another goblet of wine would not get rid of the blood taste in her mouth and throat. In that moment, she noticed in the corner of her eye that someone neared her. She looked up to the left, noticing Mulciber nearing her, to her dismay.

He eyed her from head to toe, giving her the look that made her feel so uncomfortable and shiver from inside.

…What the bloody hell is he doing here... She thought aghast.

"I cannot believe, that such a sweetness-" He spoke, eyeing her inappropriately when wording 'sweetness', licking his lower lip. "-have turned into a vampire. What are you even doing at this table where only human food and drinks are displayed?"

"I--" Adela was feeling so shocked that she could hardly speak. "I--am--I am still human, you filthy-"

"I am what?" He took several steps towards her, making her walking backwards that she dropped the goblet and almost tripped but was caught in time by strong protective arms from behind.

"What do you want from my lady?" Vincent spoke calmly yet the look in his eyes suggested that anyone who laid a finger at Adela would suffer his wrath.

To this Mulciber had no answer and nearly ran away at the sight of a vampire.

"Did he hurt you?" Vincent made Adela turn around so that she faced him.

"No... but..." She looked down at her gown and noticed the faint stains the pumpkin juice had left when she had dropped the goblet. She picked out her wand from her left glove to clean her gown magically.

"But what?"

She did not reply but turned away and picked another goblet with pumpkin juice and drank it all at once. She drank a lemonade as well and then picked a third goblet, this time with apple juice.

"You are very thirsty this evening," He commented.

"I am just trying to get rid of the blood taste..."

"What did he do to you?" Vincent seemed that he could not let go of the earlier event.

"Nothing...He did nothing..."

"Please be sincere with me..."

Adela remained silent and walked alongside the table, feeling so sick of the look Mulciber had given her. She could not help but brooding about if all the men were the same. ...Vincent? ...Does he thirst for...Merlin I cannot even ask him....it is impossible...!

"Fine! If you cannot tell me, then speak to my mother," Vincent suddenly said, taking Adela's hand and leading her away from the table with the refreshments.

She was too astonished by his sudden suggestion that she hardly realized what he was doing when she suddenly stood in front of a middle-aged lady who sat by herself with a goblet of blood in front of her in a gazebo.

The lady looked up with a smile and Adela tried not to stare at her. Son and mother were so striking alike. The eyes, the high cheekbones, the handsome features, the shape of their mouth and nose, the thin yet elegantly shaped eyebrows.

She stood speechlessly as Vincent introduced them to each other and sat down obediently without a word when Vincent drew out a chair for her.

"Do you need some more?" Natalia asked Vincent, gesturing towards the wine bottle.

"Thank you, but no thank you. Adela's brother will refill for me whenever I need," he chuckled as he held up his goblet.

"Oh hehe, I see..."

"I will be back soon..." He smiled and walked away, leaving Adela with his mother.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"With all my pleasure," August smiled, leading the way back to the main garden.

"Thus far, I've enjoyed this evening. Thank you." she smiled as they swirled around.

Lily instructed Rosaleya what to do, and she nervously followed her instructions. She was so nervous that she did not realize how well she was doing.

"....wow you are learning fast, Rosaleya!"

"Thank you. " Rosaleya replied nervously, sounding uncertain; she still did not realize it. After another few minutes, she did understand. "Wow...You're a really good teacher. Thank you so much." she said appreciatively, looking at their positions. Just then, she started truly listening to the music, and feeling the movements. She started to enjoy the dance. I'm not making any mistakes; and I haven't stepped on her feet or accidentally bumped into her. She is a great teacher!

"You are an amazing teacher!" Rosaleya insisted. "Have you ever taught someone how to dance before?"

Melissa put a hand over her face and was so shocked that she did not know what to say.

Reign remained where he was. The only thing that moved were his eyes; they gazed at the floor instead of her eyes.

"...I-I-I--am-sorry..." She started to stutter and ran away.

Reign stood up straight once more and sighed, looking at the girl with a hint of pity in his eyes as she tripped.

He walked back to Nova's table, sat down, and stared expectantly at Nova.

"What? She was another stupid human." he said defensively. "Besides, it's not like I can apologize; she did this to herself." he crossed his arms defiantly.

Reign remained staring at him for a full minute, his gaze growing more strict and expectant.

"Fine! I'll apologize to the poor girl. And wipe her memories of our conversation a moment ago." he decided.

Reign sighed again, then turned back to the scenery.

"Hey!" Nova demanded, halfway between sitting and standing "If you saw that coming, why didn't you just stay away?"

Reign looked at him, a hint of annoyance in his eyes now.

A long moment of silence followed, and finally Nova gave up and walked away. Why won't he answer? Is he insisting that I don't question his decisions? Was that really the best choice, of all the possible outcomes from that scenario?

Reign had foreseen that if he declined the dance with Melissa or tried to explain, Nova would have stubbornly insisted until Reign gave in, leading to a worse outcome.

Nova walked by Melissa's table, looking directly into her eyes as he did so. By the time she registered that it was him, her memories of their conversation vanished, leaving only the part where they had introduced themselves. He had also added in a part where she thanked him for the otherwise quiet dance, and he thanked her in return. Good enough. It's better this way. Some humans are so stupid! He sighed, moving on to Melody's table.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Nova asked charmingly, bowing and extending his hand to dance. "Would you do me the honor of joining me in a dance?" he asked Melody. I swear, I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't believe me. And if she does choose to humor me, why can it not be a reasonable wish? And a specific one so that it does not go wrong? Something simple! Just a simple wish, humans! He thought, aggravated.

He picked two lemonades and handed one to her.

"Mm. Thank you." she said after a sip. She noticed that he had picked up two, finding it amusing that they were drinking the same drink at the same time.

"May we dance some more?" Luna asked politely. The true meaning behind her words was 'Remember that I told you to alert me when you grew tired?'

I'm bored. At least Rosaleya's having a good time. Crystal thought, fiddling with her fork; she had eaten her fill of the desserts, and now sat with yet another empty plate before her. I guess these things really aren't fun unless you have someone to spend the time with. Luna and Aislynn are lucky. Rosaleya got lucky as well, finding some girls her age to talk with. Nova's been dancing with a different girl every dance, so I guess he's doing okay. Reign just sits there; I wonder if he's bored like me. Raven is...wait, I can't see Raven. Crystal realized.

She left the main garden to walk through the smaller ones. "Hi. You're doing really well, Rosaleya." Crystal smiled as she passed through.

"Thank you." Rosaleya said, her tone still showing traces of her nerves.

She walked through one other empty one before coming across a third, where Raven was sitting. She was leaning up against the back of her chair, her eyes closed.

Was she so bored that she fell asleep? Crystal thought, feeling sorry for her. She turned so that Raven could continue her nap in peace.

"What can I assist you with?" Raven asked suddenly.

"I...I'm sorry, I thought that you were asleep." Crystal said, turning to face her. "I came here because I thought you were as bored as I was because I didn't see you in the main garden. So, I wanted to keep you company."

"That's very thoughtful of you, but I found something very interesting to do." Raven replied.

"What is it?" Maybe I could do it as well.

"Daydreaming." Raven replied, not even bothering to conceal her lie.

Crystal laughed, mistaking her lie for a joke. "Right. Well, bye, then!" she said as she walked away. She's bored, but doesn't want company...I'll just go back to my table and....Meh; I can make it another two hours without entertainment or interactions before we leave. It'll feel longer, but I'll just do something fun tomorrow to make up for it. She decided.

Meanwhile, Raven had gone back to her 'interesting activity'. She was using multiple Spy-clouds to listen to and watch every guest, with the exception of the ones that she served. She found Nova's interactions to be the most humorous, Rosaleya's to be the most adorable, Envy and August's to be the most romantic, and Muliciber and Adela's to be the most useless. It's very interesting, and, if Luna needs any of the information I am collecting, I can easily give it to her. So, it serves two purposes. Raven thought cleverly.

 

[Hikari Chan]

August smiled, feeling happy. He had not been expecting to meet this mysterious lady at the feast and for each minute that passed the more curious he got about her and wanted to know more. But other things were disturbing him. He could not see Adela anywhere when he returned to the main garden. And to his dismay Alexis was laughing and chatting with the vampire as if he was a mere human.

"Really?" Lily laughed. "No, I have never taught anyone else, but I rather believe that you are very coordinated, willing to learn and you learn very fast...are you ready to go out and dance?"

Melody exchanged looks with her friend Mary Jane who nodded encouragingly at her. She looked nervously at the handsome man with purple eyes and for a moment she seemed to have become speechless.

"Sure...eh..." She replied nervously as she stood up and took his hand.

Elias nodded with a smile. "We will dance for a while until it is time..." He said, hinting on something that he had planned to surprise her with after their last dance.

"There you are!"

Pegah nearly jumped of surprise when her mother suddenly appeared by her table.

"Who was that man you danced with?!"

"My professor, seriously..."

"And what are you doing here all by yourself? You should sit by the same table as your family, so no other man approaches you, did you forget you are betrothed to Alborz?! How come you danced with your professor, why did you not decline him? You are being obedient to strangers but not to your family-?"

"Mother, please! It was just one dance, nothing else happened seriously. Besides I did not choose Alborz-"

"Enough. You don't have any choice in this. Me and your father know what's the best for you. Love is something that comes after marriage not before. You are obliged to dance with your cousin-"

"But-"

"No buts!"

"-I don't want to-"

"If you don't listen to me or your father, you will be very unhappy."

Pegah was about to retort with something but thought she would be back at Hogwarts, starting her new career and learning a different way of apparition, very soon. Therefor she remained quiet. ...just one dance with Alborz and I will never see him again... She thought for herself and followed her mother back to where the rest of her family were sitting.

She did not refrain from rolling her eyes at the sight of her cousin and ignored his extended hand. He had to take a grip of her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

"How long do you plan to work as a teacher?" Alborz asked Pegah while they danced.

"I don't know...a couple of years..." She replied dryly. ...Hopefully for eternity...

"Hmm...I shall build my palace near Hogwarts so you can enjoy both your career and your marriage with me. But why don't you aspire for becoming a professor at Durmstrang? It is the best wizarding school-"

"I never went to Durmstrang like you. Besides, I must start as a teaching assistant before I can become a professor and Hogwarts is more convenient for me since I went there. But there's already a village near Hogwarts, never heard of Hogsmeade? You could buy your house there," Pegah decided to humor, him, knowing that he would tell her parents every single word she spoke.

"You want to live like a poor woman? In a small house? When I am so rich that I could build us a palace-"

"Honestly, I prefer to live in a cottage. What am I going to do with a palace that got hundreds of rooms?"

"Your parents and my parents are going to live with us, or are you so selfish that you don't want to take care of them when they grow older?"

"I never meant that! But a cottage with rooms enough for six adults is enough, isn't it?"

"And our future children? How can you be so forgetful...I am going to build a palace..."

...You will never have a single child with me...never...

"But I still believe that a spatial cottage is enough," She retorted.

"You have been spending the most of your years in a castle-"

"Not really, I have been living for eleven years at my parents' place, which is an ordinary house, before I went to spend seven years at Hogwarts. Besides that, castle hosts nearly one hundred and fifty students if not more and at least twenty professors and a couple of staff. It is different."

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

After they finished another dance, the lady smiled at August.

He seems...just a bit distracted by something. "If there is someone else, perhaps one of your siblings, who you would like to share a dance with, I can relate. " she said, hinting that she wanted to give him time to handle whatever was bothering him. "I promised my comrades a dance as well." she said, thanking him for the dances thus far with an elegant curtsy, and then walking off. And Dante said that he wanted to dance with me...he's been hiding out in his tiger form all night.

Rosaleya blushed at the praise, and nodded. "Yes...Is there anyone you know who is worth dancing with?" she asked. "If not...I'll ask Nova if he doesn't mind sharing a dance with me...He's seems like a cool guy; he's very sociable and extroverted. Have you met him?" Rosaleya asked curiously.

"Sure...eh..." She replied nervously as she stood up and took his hand.

He smiled, gently leading her to the dance floor.

As they danced, they exchanged names; he complimented her on her lovely name, and he explained about his magical power to grant wishes. "...And after everyone has accepted magical carpets and Merpeople as real things, no one believes my power. Is there any way-" he asked, a hopeful look in his eyes "-that you could make a harmless wish, so that I could grant it for you and prove to you that my powers are, in fact, real? You lose nothing in trying." he said logically.

"Ah, thank you!" he said happily, his voice sounding relieved. "Be specific, and please choose something harmless." he advised her.

Elias nodded with a smile. "We will dance for a while until it is time..." He said, hinting on something that he had planned to surprise her with after their last dance.

"Until it is time." Luna agreed, looking forward to it. Whatever it is, it will be so thoughtful and well-planned. Like that picnic by the Hogwarts lake with the music and the fresh fruits. That was so perfect. She reminisced.

 

[Hikari Chan]

"It is alright but thank you." August smiled. "I shall go and see my sister. You will find me at the same table as before," He bowed for the lady and walked away to Andrew and Ivan Mulciber.

"What is the meaning of this?!" August hissed at the both men, nodding towards his brother Alexis who was socializing with a vampire further away. "Where is Adela?!"

Both Andrew and Ivan exchanged looks with each other before the former one replied:

"I think we have lost Adela for good. Ivan witnessed her drinking blood. She exchanged goblets with that vampire-"

"What the bloody hell-" August face turned white of anger. "Where is she?!"

"He led her to the gazebo. I approached her when she was alone, but he turned up and led her away to that gazebo," Ivan confessed, nodding towards the gazebo which was located at the far end of the main garden. August followed his eyes and noticed that two ladies were walking away from the gazebo. Since the sun had finally set, Vincent's mother could move around freely. When the sun had set and the crescent moon appeared, the small white flowers in the hedges, glowed magically. Enchanted candles hung over the tables. The gazebo glowed in the dark and an enchanted chandelier appeared above the dancing guests.

August recognized the lady in pink but not the one who was wearing blue. He sat down and summoned a goblet of wine to calm his nerves.

…I must not forget that we are at a feast hosted by the Shadowwalkers. I will have a word with both Adela and Alexis tomorrow after the feast....

"No, I have never met Nova," Lily replied, wondering who this Nova might be. "But you can dance with my brother. He is very nice," She suggested. She took Rosaleya's hand and led the way to the main garden.

She scanned the place from her perspective, looking for Elias.

"Oh, he is currently dancing with the headmistress of Hogwarts. My brother is also the headmaster of Hogwarts by the way," Lily announced with a laugh. "Let's look for someone else meanwhile..."

Still holding Rosaleya's hand, Lily spotted Alexis and walked over with a broad grin on her face.

Alexis was using the refilling charm to refill Vincent's goblet. They were chatting and laughing as if they were best friends.

Both Alexis and Vincent looked at the directions of the two girls, seeing them both, one dressed in yellow and another dressed in midnight blue nearing their table. Alexis recognized them both, but Vincent had never seen the one in yellow before, but the girl in midnight blue looked so familiar.
He smirked eerily as he looked darkly at her, recognizing her from the Darkest Creatures.

Lily noticed him immediately, recognizing him as a vampire from the descriptions of one from her lessons in defense against the dark arts.

"Uhm maybe not!" She exclaimed aloud, turning abruptly around and nearly rushing away foolishly.

Alexis looked confused, wondering if the girls were playing around.

"Let's find Nova!" Lily said and nearly walked on Flynn, because she had been too distracted at the sight of a vampire that she hardly noticed Flynn, stomping on his both feet and making him almost trip backwards. "I am not sorry!" She said aloud and laughed. To Rosaleya she added in a lower tone: "…He deserves it for all the detentions he gave me...heheh"

"..Do you really grant wishes?" Melody asked hopefully, her eyes glittering of excitement. "So, the story about the genie in the lamp is not just a story which I read in the muggle children books when I was at the orphanage. It must be true then? How I used to wish the story to be true…" Tears filled the brim of her eyes. "I will make a wish that no ordinary wizard or witch can ever grant."

"Ah, thank you!" Nova said happily, his voice sounding relieved. "Be specific, and please choose something harmless." he advised her.

Melody was filled with joy that she had made Nova happy. She was an innocent and selfless girl who loved to see everyone to be happy.

"Alright," She nodded with a smile. "You see the purse I have. I only have one lip balm in it..." She was hinting on the glittery golden purse that hung around her shoulder with golden chain which contrasted sweetly against her white bohemian gown.

"I wish to find one galleon in it. It must not be Leprechaun gold, but real wizarding money that will never vanish. One galleon to be exact. And it must not replace my lip balm. I think that's all."

"I wish I could dance all the night away with Crystal," Macnair sighed.

"Why don't you ask her?" Avery suggested; his mouth full of cake.

"May you close your mouth while you eat, Lachlan? You are so gross!"

"You are being so mean, Lloyd. Cannot I enjoy my cake? I am going to steal Crystal from you!"

"In your dreams!"

Both stood up at the same time and hurried towards Crystal as soon as they both spotted her. Avery reached her first.

"May I ask you for a dance?" He asked politely, wiping off white cream and cake crumbles from his mouth with the back of his hand. His short jet-black hair was messy. His cheeks were bright red of excitement. His tie was skewed a bit and it was because he could not tie it straight.

Macnair remained a few steps behind, preparing himself to ask her for a dance since he expected her to decline Avery like the last time.

Adela, clinging arms with Vincent's mother, walked past her two brothers and Mulciber without looking at them the slightest.

August drank his wine silently and did not attempt to call on his sister. He had seen the eyes and the face of the lady in blue. Dark eyes and a gaunt pale face. Undeniably a vampire.

"I brought you some pasties!" Adela smiled, handing a plate filled with three pasties to Vincent.

"Oh, thank you…please take a seat"

Both Adela and Natalia sat down by the table and Vincent introduced his mother and Alexis to each other.

"Would you like some?" He asked Adela, gesturing at the pasties.

"No, thank you...I don't eat at this hour," She smiled.

"Mother, what about you?"

"I’m fine, thank you. I feel so full of the blood hehe..."

"Alex, what about you?"

Alexis smiled, not bothering to correct Vincent about his name.

"Thank you, but no thank you," He replied politely and then turned towards his sister.

"May I have one dance with my dear sister?" He asked, taking her both hands in his.

Adela gave him an odd look and remained quiet.

She had nearly forgotten that they never had been close to each other before and was astonished that he asked for a dance. ...does he want something from me? ...I can only find out if I accept his request... She thought.

She decided to humor him in front of Vincent and his mother, because she did not wish to destroy the bond of friendship which he had formed with Vincent.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"I shall go and see my sister. You will find me at the same table as before," He bowed for the lady and walked away to Andrew and Ivan Muliciber.

She didn't wish to disturb Alastair's night with his temporary lady, or Nova's search for a friend for Reign. But she saw that Reign wasn't dancing, hence she made for his table.

But just as she set her sights on it, Reign stood and started walking toward her.

"I accept." he bowed to her, offering her his hand to dance.

"You accept my proposal." she laughed, taking his hand, "To a dance that you foresaw. I do not think that I will ever tire of that. It's surprising every time." she said as they began. As he danced, his kimono billowed slowly behind him. All of his kimonos were charmed, so that they billowed slowly, regardless if there was wind or not.

"Thank you, Reign." she smiled when their dance was over.

"Thank you for the dance." he replied softly, bowing to her. Then he returned to his seat, his eyes on the scenery.

He looked to Nova, who was dancing with Melody, and studied her closely. The look in her eyes, and the way Nova was speaking to her with a smile on his face.

"Alright," Melody nodded with a smile.

What a cute expression. Let's hope this works out well. Nova thought hopefully. She is open minded: a trait that I deem to be completely necessary for Reign's new friend. "Very well; that is a simple task. " he said, leading them away from the dance floor. "And for this task, I shall hold my hands up, like so-" he held his hands out before him so that she could see "-so that you can be sure that I am not cheating, hmm?" he smiled. "One galleon." he nodded. "You may find it in your purse." he said a second later.

What awaited her was a galleon, shinier than usual, as if it had been polished.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked hopefully.

"Ah; you do not know the pain I have endured for quite some time, now. I thank you for having an open mind." he said appreciatively. "Now, there are no rules to the wishes I grant; except that the person making the wish owes me a favor in return. Fail to follow through, and the results of your wish disappear entirely." he explained simply. "In this case, a single galleon. In others, a more drastic change." he sighed, trying to stop his mind from spinning with all of the times that fools had failed to follow through on their end of the wish "Do you understand?" he asked.

"Very well. My favor is that you share a dance with my close friend Reign. Spelled R E I G N, not like that dreadful stuff that falls from the sky." he pointed upwards with a smile. "Could you do that?"

"No, I have never met Nova," Lily replied, wondering who this Nova might be. "But you can dance with my brother. He is very nice," She suggested. She took Rosaleya's hand and led the way to the main garden.

I wonder who her brother is? I wonder if they look alike.

"Oh he is currently dancing with the headmistress of Hogwarts. My brother is also the headmaster of Hogwarts by the way," Lily announced with a laugh.

Rosaleya raised her eyebrows in surprise. Good thing he isn't available! Crystal said that the headmistress was the Dark Heiress, and that the headmaster was her boyfriend. I wouldn't want to dance with him; I'd be too intimidated. If they are together, it means that they are alike, and I would be too scared to say the wrong thing in front of such important people.

"Let's look for someone else meanwhile..."

Still holding Rosaleya's hand, Lily spotted Alexis and walked over with a broad grin on her face.

Rosaleya tried to pull away from Lily, to warn her that Vincent was a jerk, but Vincent seemed to hear her thoughts and his eyes met hers.

She froze for a moment, filled with anger and disappointment. I want to give him the most hateful glare I can muster...But I also want to ignore him...But I can't ignore him now that our eyes have met... She sighed, as if she was exhaling all of her bitter feelings, and then looked at him calmly for a moment before turning away, as if he was any other stranger. Fudging jerk! I hope he can feel my bitterness from over here! She thought as she calmly followed Lily, who in contrast was rushing away.

"I am not sorry!" She said aloud and laughed. To Rosaleya she added in a lower tone: "...He deserves it for all the detentions he gave me...heheh"

"I'm sorry, Sir." Rosaleya apologized sincerely to Flynn for Lily's carelessness and lack of remorse, before continuing on with Lily.

"Oh; he's the gentleman with the purple eyes conversing with that lady over there." Rosaleya nodded toward them, remembering that it wasn't polite to point. "He looks busy, so let's give them a few minutes. Hey, would you believe me if I told you something strange...?" Rosaleya looked at Lily nervously, a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Those eyes; they're the real colour of his eyes! Nova can...And I am not joking, I promise-" she specified seriously "-he can grant wishes, in return for a favor. There are no rules to his wishes, and you can make as many as you want. Now, before you laugh-" she said quickly "-let me tell you that I made a wish. I wished that my over-protective father, who never let me go further than a few steps away from home, would become far less strict. And here I am tonight, far away from home, at my first party." she explained happily. "Please believe me." she insisted, then stopped her barrage of words to let Lily speak.

"May I ask you for a dance?" He asked politely Crystal politely.

"Sorry; I'm kind of hating the world right now, and all of the men in it. " she began honestly. "I just got over a really bad breakup; we had been dating for months, and then she left me for another girl." she imagined replying. "No, thank you." Crystal replied politely. And even so, he looked gross! Maybe he should have looked in the mirror before leaving the house today. And wiping your mouth on your hand is just about as bad as belching or picking your damn nose! She criticised him silently. And what is that idiot doing?! She thought, noticing Macnair nearby. "No, thank you." she replied politely when Macnair asked. "To be honest, I've been having some really bad luck with men lately. You see; they've all been selfish, perverted jerks." she said bluntly, not caring about what it sounded like. "So, I'm still trying to tape the tiny, shattered pieces of my heart back"- she slammed her hands on the table in anger "-together again before one of you breaks it a hundredth time. You should dance with someone who isn't hating the world right now." she advised him, a dangerous look in his eyes "And tell your friend to look in the mirror before he leaves the house, 'kay?" And with that, she looked away coldly. Take that however you want, and leave me alone! I hate you, Robert!

"Very well." Nova smiled, leading Melody back to his table.

Reign stood when he saw them. He foresaw that Nova would remind him of the favor he owed him; to dance with a girl of his choosing at the Summer Feast.

"Melody, this is Reign. Reign, may I introduce the very charming and open-minded Melody Wilkes?" he smiled.

"I am pleased to meet you." Reign bowed warmly, his voice gentle. "Would you do me the honor?" he asked, extending his hand to dance, his eyes gazing into hers charmingly.

One dance. Nova thought, amused as he sat down. He fought back laughter.
One dance. Reign thought, deciding to use a gentle voice with Melody instead of a cold one.

The mysterious lady returned to August. Even if there were other people around, or at his table, she only looked directly at him, as if they were alone in the garden. "Would you like to continue our dancing, or indulge in more drinks? Both sound equally perfect."

 

[Hikari Chan]

Melody opened her purse and found the shining galleon resting beside her lip balm.

"Oh..."

"Do you believe me now?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course, I believe you!" She replied with excitement.

"Ah; you do not know the pain I have endured for quite some time, now. I thank you for having an open mind." he said appreciatively. "Now, there are no rules to the wishes I grant; except that the person making the wish owes me a favor in return. Fail to follow through, and the results of your wish disappear entirely." he explained simply. "In this case, a single galleon. In others, a more drastic change." he sighed, trying to stop his mind from spinning with all of the times that fools had failed to follow through on their end of the wish "Do you understand?" he asked.

"Of course, I do understand!" She nodded seriously, wondering what kind of favor she owed him in return.

"Very well. My favor is that you share a dance with my close friend Reign. Spelled R E I G N, not like that dreadful stuff that falls from the sky." he pointed upwards with a smile. "Could you do that?"

"Sure..." Melody giggled.

"Very well." Nova smiled, leading Melody back to his table. She followed him, growing more excited and curious for each step she took forward.

"Oh...it is him! The guest with his exotic attire that visited Hogwarts a couple of days ago!" She thought aloud.

"Melody, this is Reign. Reign, may I introduce the very charming and open-minded Melody Wilkes?" he smiled.

"I am pleased to meet you." Reign bowed warmly; his voice gentle. "Would you do me the honor?" he asked, extending his hand to dance, his eyes gazing into hers charmingly.

"With all my pleasure," Melody nearly whispered, her eyes glittering of excitement. She could not believe that she got to see the exotic guest once again. ...and to dance with him as well...
She took his hand carefully as if it was made of glass.

"Oh; he's the gentleman with the purple eyes conversing with that lady over there." Rosaleya nodded toward them, Lily followed her eyes and noticed that the certain Nova was conversing with professor Wilkes. "He looks busy, so let's give them a few minutes. Hey, would you believe me if I told you something strange...?" Rosaleya looked at Lily nervously, a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Those eyes; they're the real color of his eyes!"

Lily rolled her eyes, wondering why it would be strange to have purple eyes.

"...Nova can...And I am not joking, I promise-" Rosaleya specified seriously "-he can grant wishes, in return for a favor. There are no rules to his wishes, and you can make as many as you want. Now, before you laugh-" she said quickly because Lily was on the edge of bursting out in laughter. "-let me tell you that I made a wish. I wished that my over-protective father, who never let me go further than a few steps away from home, would become far less strict. And here I am tonight, far away from home, at my first party." she explained happily. "Please believe me." she insisted, then stopped her barrage of words to let Lily speak.

"Well…eh okay..." Lily could not help but laugh. ...I have no doubts that Rosaleya must have asked Nova to stun her father and give him a memory charm or manipulating his mind or whatever to make her wish to attend a party come true...Merlin's beard, she must have been in a situation that she could only dream of leaving the house that she is now living in a dream where a certain wizard can grant all her wishes...

"To be honest, I've been having some really bad luck with men lately. You see; they've all been selfish, perverted jerks."

Vivienne and Max who happened to be close, exchanged looks with each other and glanced oddly at Crystal.

"So, I'm still trying to tape the tiny, shattered pieces of my heart back"- Crystal slammed her hands on the table in anger making both Avery and Macnair jump backwards of surprise.

The Burns, Shadowwalkers and Greens who sat a couple of tables away, heard someone slamming at a table and turned their heads towards the direction of the sound, wondering if someone had drunk to much or if guests were quarreling. Eliot started to cry, and Vivienne tried her best to comfort him, casting angry locks at Crystal.

"-together again before one of you breaks it a hundredth time. You should dance with someone who isn't hating the world right now." she advised Macnair, a dangerous look in her eyes "And tell your friend to look in the mirror before he leaves the house, 'kay?"

"Merlin's fudging stinky underwear, I just asked you for a dance, not for a date!" Macnair snapped and walked away. Avery looked both scared and sad at the same time and hurried away without a word.

They both returned to their table, Macnair with two goblets of sherry to drink away the earlier encounter with Crystal while Avery chose to comfort himself with another piece of cake.

"If both sounds equally perfect, then I would love to dance," August replied charmingly and stood up. He offered her his arm and led her to the dance floor.

"So...one dance, no more..." Adela let go of Alexis and walked a few steps backwards when they had finished one dance.

"But...we could dance more while Vincent is dancing with his mother-" Alexis reached for Adela's hand.

"Please, I want to rest my feet," She forced a smile. "Why don't you dance with her-" She nodded towards a girl dressed in an enchanted midnight blue gown who stood with one of her former students outside the dance floor. And with that she walked away and resumed her place at the table.

Alexis sighed, wondering if he should ask the same girl again for a dance when he remembered that his former student had approached him together with her but turned around at the very instant or if he should ask miss Shadowwalker instead. ...or they could have just been playing around... He thought deciding against asking any one of them, reminding himself how witty the latter one could be.

"I also need to rest my feet," Alexis laughed as he sat down beside Adela.

She looked suspiciously at him and could no longer hold herself and seized the opportunity while they were for themselves and Vincent was dancing with his mother.

"Do you want something? Please be sincere with me!"

"Please, I need to rest my feet and drink something..." Pegah let go of Alborz and backed away from him when they had finished their third dance.

"What would you love to drink, my flower?" He neared her and took a grip of her hand.

"Pumpkin juice--eh...I also need to look for my friends Clarissa, Summer and Rhaine!" She snatched away her hand from his grip and ran away to his disappointment. He followed her to make sure she was not interacting with other men and to see if she spoke the truth.

Pegah nearly ran into Clarissa, who was sitting with her parents, daydreaming as usual.

"There you are Clarry!" Pegah burst out, feeling revealed that she found one of her friends so that she could get rid of her cousin. She sat down beside her and greeted her parents as well before casting a mad look at Alborz, wondering why on earth he had been following her. He took a seat by a vacant table close to her so that he could keep an eye on her.

 

[Junko Natsumizaka]

"With all my pleasure," Melody nearly whispered, her eyes glittering of excitement. She took his hand carefully as if it was made of glass.

Nova watched as Reign lead her to the dance floor. I do hope that this one works out for him. An open mind, and hopefully her kind heart isn't a facade. he thought, his elbow on the table, his chin resting on his hand.

Throughout the first half of their dance, Reign kept his gaze on Melody's eyes, his expression soft. And then, suddenly, his eyes grew wide in surprise, and for a second he seemed momentarily thrown off, nearly stopping their dance. And then he kept moving normally, his expression returning to its previous softness.

"Well...eh okay..."

"He's sitting alone now." Rosaleya observed a minute later. "Wish for something impossible with normal magic; you'll see, he's not a Wizard." she insisted.

She walked over to Nova's table, and began politely. "Hello, Nova. "

"Hello to you, Rosaleya." Nova replied kindly, looking away from Reign and Melody, who he had been watching. "Would you like another dance?" he asked with a smile.

"No. My acquaintance, Lily, won't believe me about your wish granting. Could you please-"

"-That is entirely up to her. If she wishes for something with plenty of detail, and completes the favour in return, then all will turn out well. So tell me, Ms Lily, what is your wish?" he asked kindly, looking to Lily. Another disbelieving human...What a bore! If she doesn't wish for something that will prove my powers, I will erase her mind of me the way I did with the useless Melissa. It's a shame I can't grant my own wishes.

"If both sounds equally perfect, then I would love to dance," August replied charmingly and stood up. He offered her his arm and led her to the dance floor.

She hummed along to the music as they danced this time. "Master taught me how to waltz to a similar song." she reminisced. "It was almost identical to this one. "

"You can never truly know a person until he has been in seven specific situations. The perfect test is to observe his actions in each and every one. If he acts the way you want him to in each one, then you know that he is perfect and loyal for you." she remembered her Master's words. I hope that he passes all of the tests.