u n h o l y

“Interesting….interesting one word for it. What if you end up getting matched with someone who you don’t like? Or someone who’s…not nice? Does that mean that you’re not nice? Or is this just supposed to be one of those look past your differences type of thing? It’s confusing the more you think about it, honestly.” Fabian waved their hand, “Are you excited for it? Who d’you suppose will end up as your date?” 

“If I get matched up with someone who isn’t nice, then I think I’ll have to seriously reconsider my life choices and actions,” she said with  chuckle, shaking her head. “Maybe it would be like that. One of those cliche, make-the-person-better-than-they-were kind of tropes, you know? I just hope the professors know what they’re doing.” She paused. “I think the better question is who I hope won’t be my date. Who do you think you’ll end up with?”

location: great hall closed to: @godlesslies

If she said that she hadn’t been nervous for this exact moment, Mary would’ve been lying. There were few things in the world that intimidated her or left her nervous, but it seemed that anything that was an affair of the heart could leave her stomach turning every which way. So even though she gave her best efforts to stick close to the other girls, when Professor Sprout approached her and took her hand, pulling her through the crowds and eventually joining her hand with someone else’s - this was why Mary knew she was scared. The unknown.

It was silly, to fear something that she didn’t even know. For all she knew, the person behind that mask could be someone that she already knew. But then again, they could be someone that hated her. Her perfect match could be someone that despised her, and what did that say. She tried to swallow down her doubt as she looked the other in the eye, knowing she needed to get out of her head. 

“ – Oh my goodness,” Mary finally said, her hands both clasped around the other’s, trembling with nothing but pure excitement and adrenaline as she took in the sight in front of her. With time passing, the nervousness subsided into nothing but happiness. This was what she had been waiting for, after all. To find someone that she knew she belonged with. This sort of excitement, this feeling, this sense of inclusion. Her heart felt as if it had leapt into her throat without warning, but in the best way possible, fluttering as she couldn’t stop herself from continuing to smile more. Without waiting for the other to greet her or even say anything in response, Mary threw her arms around the stranger’s neck in an embrace. She knew she felt a connection, it was there - she had to feel it with Mary too. “Hi,” she gushed, “I’m so excited to meet you finally. I’ve been waiting for this moment. You’re so beautiful.”

Sabra had been terrified off this moment from the second she’d turned in that little slip of paper, the one that was supposed to lead her to her perfect match. Even now, the day of the dance, she thought she should have selected that she was interested in men only, but deep within her she knew it was a lie. The more time went on, the more Sabra knew that it wasn’t right for her. Her thoughts trailed back home, to her estranged mother who already despised her for being a witch, and a gnawing feeling settled in her chest; automatically, she reached up and clutched the cross necklace that adorned her neck, feeling the edges of it leaving imprints into her palm but ignoring the fact. The room was full of people she’d grown up with for seven years, yet each person was a complete stranger in that moment. She wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or dreadful.

Sabra stuck to Xeno’s side as long as possible, taking comfort in their presence like she always did. Her eyes automatically scanned the room for any sign of Daisy, something she realized was becoming more like second nature. What if her match was Daisy? What could she possibly say? She’d lost a best friend, a love of her life, and though they still met up in the dark of night, the thought of possibly being paired up with her now made her sick. She didn’t want to go down that road further than she already had. Then Sprout was taking her hand and leading her away from the safety net she had beside Xeno, and a moment later her hands were clasped in the hands of another--her perfect match. 

Oh my goodness was one way to put it. Overpowering the sick feeling in her stomach was excitement as she looked over her partner, and Sabra managed to give her a weak smile as she regained herself. It was only one night, after all. No one ever said anything about something coming from this all. “That’s one way of putting it--oh!” Arms wrapped around her, and Sabra’s eyes widened significantly as her arms seemed to flail for a moment, finally resting around the other’s waist in a less certain embrace. She certainly hadn’t expected that, not within moments of being paired up, and she let out a nervous laugh as she managed to pull a bit away. “I, uh. Thank you. You seem far more ready for this than I.” That came across as rude, didn’t it? “W-what I meant was, um. You look amazing. I, um... It’s nice to meet you.”

Sabra’s snort prompted a small grin on Remus’ part, a little pleasantly surprised she’d actually found the idea funny. “You know, you’d have to do it like that muggle movie – like, um, V For Vendetta. Send bunches of them to everyone around the school and overwhelm the rest of the competition.” He could practically hear James over his shoulder arguing the technicalities on how realistic a horse noise one could charm out of a rubber mask. It was definitely the type of antic the Marauders were notorious for and while the feeling was odd to joke about something like it with someone other than them, it was far from unpleasant.

She didn’t bother hiding her laugh at that, only able to picture a room full of horse heads. Sabra wasn’t sure if it would go over well with the staff, but she was sure at least the student body would find the humor in it. She certainly did. “I’ll get right on that. There’s no where you’d be able to look without coming face-to-face with a horse mask.” 

“Mhm,” she nodded. “I don’t think it’ll be much of a problem, really, but the people on the side of the room can mingle and find love that way. Hogwarts is just running a massive blind date. I think it sounds rather sweet.”

“Either sweet, or a recipe for disaster,” she murmured, chewing her bottom lip and looking down at her feet. She really had to work on being more optimistic. “I hope it all goes well in any case.”

“Oh, c’mon, Sabra, you definitely know that you’re going to look stunnin’. You can wear a plastic bin bag and get away with it, I think. But sure,” Marlene added, blinking a bit at being asked to help. “I can help. We can probably rope Lily in to come up with something great.” At the thought of threatening with a Bludger, she winced. She’d been on the receiving end of Sabra’s Bludgers during Quidditch practice more than once, and she knew the damage. “Ouch. No mercy. I like it.”

“Maybe I will wear a plastic bin. It’ll save me the time and effort.” Sabra grinned when Marlene accepted the offer to help her find an outfit, brushing her hair behind her ear and nodding. “Yeah, that would be great! It’ll be nice to have that help.” She snorted at Marlene’s expression and offered her a smirk. “Have you ever known me to be no mercy?”

“Oh, I would never,” she said, clutching her chest in feigned offense. She broke into a small laugh at her own joke and nodded politely at the thank you before relaxing into her trademark kind smile. “Oh, I think it’s a great idea,” she said, excitedly. “I love meeting new people, making new friends. And, given the survey and everything, it must be someone we’d get on with. I think. And it doesn’t seem as though we’re really obligated to stick around if they’re really insufferable. If your date can’t dance, you should be able to find someone who can.”

Sabra smiled more and relaxed when Pandora laughed, leaning back against a wall and watching her curiously. She personally never knew Pandora to be anything but kind, and that personality rubbed off on her easily. “I guess you’re right. Whoever doesn’t get on with the other is bound to go to the side of the room, right? It’s like matchmaker two point oh.”

“You’re going to scrape something up though, and knock us all out, to be honest,” Marlene reasoned, face impassively serious. Things Marlene said, she tended to mean. She didn’t think there was much point in saying otherwise. She tucked a hand under her chin, smiling slightly. “Can’t leave me to hog all the pleasure, can you? Your Beater muscles would be dead handy.” 

A light blush appeared on her cheeks, and Sabra shook her head. “Please. If I can manage to find something that nice, even I’ll be shocked. Maybe you can help me tonight, yeah? Show you what I have, all that jazz.” She knew Marlene wouldn’t hold back on her opinions, which would be perfect if she was going to have help finding an outfit. “Hell no. Gotta have some fun around here--maybe threaten them with a bludger if I have to.” Not that that would be smart, but Sabra didn’t care when it came to hypothetical fun.

Gather enough wealthy teenagers in one place, magical or not, and over-the-top outfits were a given – Remus knew that without even having to eavesdrop on the guilty (surprisingly not mostly Slytherin) parties. “You could always dress up as a muggle, really stand out.” Remus’ smile flickered for just a moment, realizing how up in the air a possible reaction to that statement was, running with it anyway, “At least their take on Halloween.. maybe charm one of those rubber horse heads to even scarier uncanny valley.” 

Sabra could only imagine how showing up to the masquerade in a muggle Halloween costume would go over, and yet something about the plan appealed to her. She was sure she could conjure up something from her belongings, figure out a way to turn it all around. The horse head, however, made her snort, and Sabra covered her mouth quickly. “Shit, that would be fantastic. Tell you what: I’ll find a way to get one of those horse masks if you join in on that with me. I’m not going about this alone.”

James: Expect crunches, laps, and practice plays

James: horrible puns an extra bonus just for u

Sabra: my rejection has grown tenfold

James: This body is made for SPEED, not WEED

Sabra: well whatever it is NEEDs to stop

The longer Remus had thought about the event, the less, surprisingly, it worried him – dance was one thing, a masquerade was another. Chaos was a promise just by the premise and after the initial discomfort of conversing with whoever the matchmaking service set him up with (hopefully no one he knew, with the help of a mask, the whole thing could be quick and relatively painless and he’d never have to inflict stilted conversation on that particular stranger ever again), chaos would mean less opportunity for a personal mishap and plenty to watch from the sidelines. “I hope not,” Remus’ brow furrowed, realizing outfit had been far from his first thought, “I mean, plenty of people are going all out, aren’t they? Might be more distinctive to go simple.” There was something appealing to the idea of just showing up in an old jumper and jeans.

“Yeah, a lot are going all out I think. That’s what I get from the chatter through the school at least.” The excitement from the students through the halls, especially from those in younger years, rubbed off on her, and it was enough to make Sabra forget the whole matchmaking business for the time being. She knew it would come back later, yes, but outfits were easier to think about. Besides, Remus had a point. “I think you’re right. It’s not really standing out if everyone else is dressed extravagantly, is it?”

Mary nodded at the comment, realizing that she was in a similar position as well. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have money - well, she didn’t. Her family did, but she didn’t want any of it. “It’s too bad we couldn’t pull together some magical montage, take our ordinary clothes and create something entirely different out of them,” she replied, the tone of her voice light enough to allude to a joke. But even as she said it, she was wondering if it was possible. “Anyways, I wouldn’t worry too much about what to wear. I know several people are already stressed about not having the finest jewels, but that seems to go against the whole idea of hiding your identity. Obviously I’m gonna be able to figure out who my date is if they show up wearing a robe covered entirely in diamonds.” 

“Can’t we?” Sabra chuckled at the thought of creating a dress out of what they already had, foreseeing nothing but fabric flying every which way and leaving the two of them a few clothes shorter than what they’d come with at the beginning of the year. “I guess you’re right, though. Seeing diamonds and other jewels narrows down the possibilities, doesn’t it?” And it ruins the fun of guessing. “Guess we’ll have to make simplicity work its best.”

“It’s only a bit of fun, I doubt anyone really minds if you’re not dressing up particularly special.” Marlene shrugged with one shoulder, not particularly bothered by it all. The McKinnons, by far, weren’t the richest in society, averaging the middle-to-upper section of middle class at best, but Marlene was the family’s only daughter and things she tended to want, she tended to get. It’s a blessing, really, that she never really asked for much material things. Except for a good broom, of course. That’s a universal thing. “I can fight anyone who makes fun of you, if you want.”

“Might be just a bit of fun, but it can become a bit unnerving when you overhear Lockhart saying something about feathers,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. Marlene had a point, after all. She didn’t need pearls to look alright. “I’d definitely be up for seeing that fight. I’ll even join in to make it fun.”

Excitement vibrated through the halls, though Fabian wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement they also felt at the news of a masquerade party. They supposed they like the idea of anonimity behind it, happy to belong to the crowd for once. But all that behind, it baffled them most of all to hear someone as beautiful as Sabra wondering what she’d wear, and they let out a small laugh. “I reckon you’ll look great anyway,” they said, eyebrows rising, “my mum always told me, it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it. She could make gran’s old hand-me-downs look like something worth a million pounds.” 

Sabra smiled at their compliment and brushed her hair behind her ear. “Well, if you think so then it’s obviously true. Thanks for the encouragement, Fabian.” She tried to picture making anything look like a million pounds, feeling a bit calmer. It was sound advice, after all. She had no reason to worry. “What do you think about the random partner thing? It’s definitely interesting.”

Pandora, like all of the other students, had been unaware of the specifics of the event, but was certain there would be something big coming for Halloween. As such, she had come to school prepared for any number of possibilities, to be sure she would have the perfect outfit for whatever Hogwarts could throw at her. Her foresight brought luck in this case, as she just so happened to have a gown perfectly fitting for a masquerade, but she knew most other students didn’t think of these events as much as she did. “Of course not!” she answered emphatically to reassure the other girl. “You’re so beautiful, you could pull off anything. Walk in wearing a giant potato sack and you’d still look stunning, I’m sure. And I’m almost certain you won’t be wearing a potato sack.”

A light blush spread along her cheeks, and Sabra offered Pandora a delighted smile. “You’re just saying that,” she murmured, shaking her head and pulling her books closer to her chest. “But thanks, Pandora. That’s kind of you to say.” It certainly made her feel a little better about her prospective outfit, though, and Sabra felt herself relax. “How do you feel about the random pairings? I just hope whoever I get can dance.”

James: am I busy?😂 you don't know🤔 what busy is 🏃🏽fam👐🏻 i won't🙅🏻ever stop my grind💯

Sabra: are you high???

“I reckon that we don’t have much of a choice in attending that - thing. I could always feign ill, probably a better use of my time,” he muttered to himself under his breath as he walked out of the hall, books perched under his arm. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to place his thoughts in order, though this new addition seemed to throw them for a loop. The last thing he needed - or wanted - at this point in time was to devote his own time to being around someone that wasn’t worthy of it. They could prattle on and one about how this was about second glances and seeing past the first impression, but Severus was more than aware of how things truly worked. He’d stopped just outside the corner of the hall, waiting as the impatient first years passed him so that he wouldn’t have to listen to their merciless obnoxious chatter as he walked back to the common room. As he turned to begin on his way, he noticed that he wasn’t alone, and his face contorted into an expression of annoyance. “It’s a bit rude to stand there unannounced, don’t you think?

The masquerade was enough to set Sabra’s nerves ablaze (thankful it was from excitement rather than anything else),and she was certain at the end of the day she’d have a great time. She liked being social, had learned to like it over her years at Hogwarts, but being anonymously paired with another student made her nervous. She hadn’t had the best luck when it came to being coupled up, and a bit of dread settled in as she thought about who she could end up being paired with. What if it was Daisy? She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle that, and Sabra ended up pausing in the middle of the hall to gather herself. Everything was fine. There was no reason to worry. Her head whipped up when she heard someone speak, though the tone of said voice wasn’t too surprising when she realized who it belonged to. “Didn’t think I had to announce myself in a public hallway. Why does it matter if I did or not?” It’s not like they’d been interacting.