Hogwarts Story: Part 27
Nov. 4th, 2007 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unforthWell, I had my game today. It went BOOM in a dramatic fashion. I started the session largely in control of things, and I ended with a new identity thanks to polymorph and a very public execution for the previous identity. The problem with being a double agent is the day you get caught. Since I only acted as I did because I was being blackmailed, the instant I was exposed they were going to kill my family anyway, and I hated the fuckers besides, so once I was caught (and I mean really caught, Zone of Truth and all that jazz) I just spilled the beans on everything. Of course, this meant that two government spy rings would want me dead; fortunately, the folks who I was forced to spill the beans too ended up owing me and my companions, so I got them to "execute" me and then polymorph my appearance. It should hold off pursuit until I leave Japan, anyway. ;)
“I’ll try to spend the time evenly, but it might be difficult,” he sounded so adorably apologetic that I don’t think I could have helped but forgiven him even if I had been very upset. Of course, I wasn’t upset, so the effect only served to make me feel bad that he felt so very bad and I didn’t.
“As long as you dance with me once, all if forgiven,” I paused thoughtfully. “Oh, and as long as Katrina is there to see me with Mr. Black. Otherwise, she might think I didn’t have a date. And that would never do!”
“Very well,” he smiled again and my heart fluttered again. Completely ridiculous! “I know I interrupted you while you were in some haste, so I will leave you to it. I will see you this evening, though.”
“It’s a promise.” I smiled at him, and turned and left. He told me some time later that I had a glanced back I would have seen him red enough at that moment to more than vindicate all of the blushes he caused me, but I did not look back, so I have only his word for it.
The duties of Head Girl, as it turned out, were not so much more arduous than those of prefect. Indeed, they were virtually identical, only more so. Instead of being obliged only to the welfare of my own house, I was also responsible for the greater welfare of the entire student body. I could expect to be called upon for all manner of additional duties as assigned to by the faculty, and by accepting the honor of being Head Girl I could not say no to even the most absurd of them as long as my safety was not threatened by complying. In short, where as a prefect is obligated to the faculty in most ways, but with some freedom, the Head Girl – and Head Boy – could be made virtual slaves by any cruel faculty member. I prayed that none took advantage of that, and rested easy that at least I had a decent understanding of my duties without having to learn any number of new rules. It took long enough to learn all of this, however, that I actually wasn’t even present at the lunch where my new role was announced. I wasn’t hungry anyway, I was far too nervous about the evening to come.
I’d had to scrimp and save a fair amount in order to afford the dress robes and mask that I was to wear. For a person of my family, only the best would do for such an outing, but of course my parents had no funds for such luxury, and so I had to buy the best myself. The result was, truly, the best I could do: sweeping blue satin in the Victorian style, a red and black lace and satin apron and a trailing bustle for my ensemble, and a black and green mask. I wasn’t the height of fashion, but I was as close as I could attain, and I thought all in all the effect was more than impressive. It took some time for me to prepare myself, though, between makeup and hair, such that I found myself walking to the ball amidst the majority of the other students instead of early as I had hoped. Several people congratulated me on my “promotion,” whereas several others – mostly Slytherins – gave me distinctly nasty looks. I heard some truly rude suggestions on what I had done to earn that position, too, in regards to activities with the Headmaster that I blush to even consider. I ignored the comments regally, if I do say so myself.
We were due at the Great Hall at 6, where we would assemble and settle ourselves for the evening, and our guests – seven students from Durmstrang and their Headmaster, Palucid Nox – were set to arrive at 6:30. As I walked up to the doors of the hall, a dashing figure swept in and took my arm, cloak trailing, and it took me a moment to realize that it was “Robert Black.” I’m glad no one was watching, in truth, for it would have seemed distinctly odd for me to look so shocked by the person who was supposedly my date for the evening.
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about Katrina spotting me. She swept in immediately, easily upstaging my appearance in a truly spectacular white dress made entirely of gauzy layers; it looked like she was wearing a cloud, not a dress, yet the effect was still utterly flattering. She had a mask too, decorated like a swans head in white and silver, but it was on a stick, and she carried it negligently – nothing to obscure her face, of course. “So, this is your date, Delia?” she asked rudely. “I don’t think I’ve seen him around.”
“Well, he is of Ravenclaw; you know so many of us never leave the library, I’m sure you’d not recognize many of the members of my house,” I lied easily, hoping none of my housemates thought to common on the unknown Ravenclaw.
“I see,” she said distastefully, and then she turned to Marcus, and I could tell that she had the full effect of whatever form of glamour she used going. She gave him a breathtaking smile, batted her eyes, and said: “I’m Katrina, Katrina LaGuar.”
“Robert Black,” answered Marcus, bowing slightly, but as far as I could see he was in no other way affected. Maybe my potion had worked, I thought hopefully, or maybe she simply hadn’t actually done whatever it was. Or maybe it’s ceasing to have an effect on Marcus, that thought came a moment later, but I didn’t even let myself consider it. It was too much to hope, though I couldn’t have said why I hoped for it so much. “If you’ll excuse us?” And Marcus took my hand and swept me into the crowd, leaving Katrina to blink in surprise. I almost laughed aloud; I doubted any man has left her so abruptly in her life. He must have taken my potion.
“Oh!” exclaimed Celestine, who I found beside myself and Marcus as we made our way through the crowds. Her mask was askew, dangling from her ears. “Delia, I was looking for you, this frog needs to talk to you!”
“Frog?” I asked faintly as, sure enough, Celestine pulled a slightly familiar frog out of the bundle that contained her raccoon – I almost choked to see that she had worn the satchel to the ball, though it did complement her costume well, that of a muggle explorer. Tapping my lip, I realized why the frog looked familiar – not the one from the dungeon, as I’d first thought it must be, no, this one was Professor Tremens’ familiar.
“We need the key,” the frog croaked at me, “we need the key to her heart!”
“I’ll try to spend the time evenly, but it might be difficult,” he sounded so adorably apologetic that I don’t think I could have helped but forgiven him even if I had been very upset. Of course, I wasn’t upset, so the effect only served to make me feel bad that he felt so very bad and I didn’t.
“As long as you dance with me once, all if forgiven,” I paused thoughtfully. “Oh, and as long as Katrina is there to see me with Mr. Black. Otherwise, she might think I didn’t have a date. And that would never do!”
“Very well,” he smiled again and my heart fluttered again. Completely ridiculous! “I know I interrupted you while you were in some haste, so I will leave you to it. I will see you this evening, though.”
“It’s a promise.” I smiled at him, and turned and left. He told me some time later that I had a glanced back I would have seen him red enough at that moment to more than vindicate all of the blushes he caused me, but I did not look back, so I have only his word for it.
The duties of Head Girl, as it turned out, were not so much more arduous than those of prefect. Indeed, they were virtually identical, only more so. Instead of being obliged only to the welfare of my own house, I was also responsible for the greater welfare of the entire student body. I could expect to be called upon for all manner of additional duties as assigned to by the faculty, and by accepting the honor of being Head Girl I could not say no to even the most absurd of them as long as my safety was not threatened by complying. In short, where as a prefect is obligated to the faculty in most ways, but with some freedom, the Head Girl – and Head Boy – could be made virtual slaves by any cruel faculty member. I prayed that none took advantage of that, and rested easy that at least I had a decent understanding of my duties without having to learn any number of new rules. It took long enough to learn all of this, however, that I actually wasn’t even present at the lunch where my new role was announced. I wasn’t hungry anyway, I was far too nervous about the evening to come.
I’d had to scrimp and save a fair amount in order to afford the dress robes and mask that I was to wear. For a person of my family, only the best would do for such an outing, but of course my parents had no funds for such luxury, and so I had to buy the best myself. The result was, truly, the best I could do: sweeping blue satin in the Victorian style, a red and black lace and satin apron and a trailing bustle for my ensemble, and a black and green mask. I wasn’t the height of fashion, but I was as close as I could attain, and I thought all in all the effect was more than impressive. It took some time for me to prepare myself, though, between makeup and hair, such that I found myself walking to the ball amidst the majority of the other students instead of early as I had hoped. Several people congratulated me on my “promotion,” whereas several others – mostly Slytherins – gave me distinctly nasty looks. I heard some truly rude suggestions on what I had done to earn that position, too, in regards to activities with the Headmaster that I blush to even consider. I ignored the comments regally, if I do say so myself.
We were due at the Great Hall at 6, where we would assemble and settle ourselves for the evening, and our guests – seven students from Durmstrang and their Headmaster, Palucid Nox – were set to arrive at 6:30. As I walked up to the doors of the hall, a dashing figure swept in and took my arm, cloak trailing, and it took me a moment to realize that it was “Robert Black.” I’m glad no one was watching, in truth, for it would have seemed distinctly odd for me to look so shocked by the person who was supposedly my date for the evening.
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about Katrina spotting me. She swept in immediately, easily upstaging my appearance in a truly spectacular white dress made entirely of gauzy layers; it looked like she was wearing a cloud, not a dress, yet the effect was still utterly flattering. She had a mask too, decorated like a swans head in white and silver, but it was on a stick, and she carried it negligently – nothing to obscure her face, of course. “So, this is your date, Delia?” she asked rudely. “I don’t think I’ve seen him around.”
“Well, he is of Ravenclaw; you know so many of us never leave the library, I’m sure you’d not recognize many of the members of my house,” I lied easily, hoping none of my housemates thought to common on the unknown Ravenclaw.
“I see,” she said distastefully, and then she turned to Marcus, and I could tell that she had the full effect of whatever form of glamour she used going. She gave him a breathtaking smile, batted her eyes, and said: “I’m Katrina, Katrina LaGuar.”
“Robert Black,” answered Marcus, bowing slightly, but as far as I could see he was in no other way affected. Maybe my potion had worked, I thought hopefully, or maybe she simply hadn’t actually done whatever it was. Or maybe it’s ceasing to have an effect on Marcus, that thought came a moment later, but I didn’t even let myself consider it. It was too much to hope, though I couldn’t have said why I hoped for it so much. “If you’ll excuse us?” And Marcus took my hand and swept me into the crowd, leaving Katrina to blink in surprise. I almost laughed aloud; I doubted any man has left her so abruptly in her life. He must have taken my potion.
“Oh!” exclaimed Celestine, who I found beside myself and Marcus as we made our way through the crowds. Her mask was askew, dangling from her ears. “Delia, I was looking for you, this frog needs to talk to you!”
“Frog?” I asked faintly as, sure enough, Celestine pulled a slightly familiar frog out of the bundle that contained her raccoon – I almost choked to see that she had worn the satchel to the ball, though it did complement her costume well, that of a muggle explorer. Tapping my lip, I realized why the frog looked familiar – not the one from the dungeon, as I’d first thought it must be, no, this one was Professor Tremens’ familiar.
“We need the key,” the frog croaked at me, “we need the key to her heart!”
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Date: 2007-11-25 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-25 02:06 pm (UTC)