selena petrosyan

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Laurel was glad to see so many people, whether they were being treated here or just visiting, had recovered quickly from all the fighting. Maybe the rest of the community was bouncing back just as quick, so she could feel her hopes growing for when she got out. Her eyebrows furrowed at the sudden sense of secrecy as she watched Selena make sure they were allow, was there something she missed by not being at the ball when everything kicked off or something? “A squib?” The blonde repeated, a bit surprised. Of course over her years in the wizarding world she had heard of the word, but actually meeting one was a different story. “I didn’t even realize, of course you didn’t want to bring attention to yourself to a group like that,” She shook her head as she spoke, having only gotten a glimpse of what this opposing organization wanted for the world. Well until last night.

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“Yeah, they were a real nasty sort, weren’t they? I still don’t entirely know what that was all about. I’d think it was some kind of joke if so many people hadn’t gotten hurt.” She frowned. “Thanks for not being weird about it, by the way. I...I knew I could trust you.” Her expression shifted into a small smile as she looked back at Laurel, one that soon fell as well. “Even if I weren’t, though, I don’t think I’d be safe,” she confided, knowing full well by this point that she wouldn’t be safe either way. She wasn’t a pureblood, which was apparently the standard for the Death Eaters now always. But she had nowhere else to go, either. It was enough stress to drive anyone mad, but here she was, just chatting Laurel up like she wasn’t living a whole ass lie.

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Laurel felt like she could breathe out a sigh of relief, it seemed like at least some people she knew had made it through the night unscathed, “I’m glad. It seems like you’re one of the lucky few.” A few bumps and bruises were better than broken bones, no injuries whatsoever were even better in her opinion. “Oh yeah, whip out those wand movements and kick their asses?” She tried to joke, a small smile tugging at her lips. She wished she could have helped her friends but at the same time she could now be there to support them while they got better. “Hey being a protector to a few is better than none,” She tried to reassure the other woman, “You can’t protect everyone unfortunately, no matter how hard we may try, but being a help to others in a fight is just as good. At least in my book.” Selfishly she was glad her sisters had left the party to be by her side, if either of them had been in the fighitng and something happened, Laurel wasn’t sure what she would’ve done. But it would not have been pretty.

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“Something like that,” Selena said with a smile, bringing her hands together behind her back. She was pretty sure she could drop the excuse of being a ‘squib’ to Laurel, but she was told to keep it to herself as much as she could-then again, who was Fenrir to be yet another man telling her what to do? She did care for him, but sometimes it got on her nerves to be under his thumb all the time. She leaned in close to Laurel and looked back, making sure the door was closed and no nurses were nearby. “I’m a squib,” she said in a low voice. “I did what I could do, but I also didn’t want to be noticed too much.” She was also glad the other women had left with Laurel’s incident; Adairia because of their strange connection, and the other sister because Laurel and Adairia cared for her, of course.

@lycanthropicdancer​

Having made the mistake of sipping on his wine while waiting for her to answer, Severus almost choked and barely kept himself from spitting half of it all over himself when she described her version of a Death Eater battle. “A… what?” He was trying to go for an admonishing tone, but the smile at the ridiculous images coming to mind was too strong to fight off. “Excuse me, Petrosyan, are you saying that you used a kitchen utensil to pretendedly fight off Death Eaters while posing as a undercover civilian?” He let out a small laugh, his tone full of disbelief. “Couldn’t you have just cast a couple of flashy and harmless spell like anyone else? I don’t know, set fire to a curtain or sent a few sparkles against statue?” he asked, incapable of fighting the entertainment he was getting at the thought of it and definitely wishing he could have seen it with his own eyes. “Where did you even find a frying pan?” he asked again with a shake of his head. 

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His smile was contagious, at first; she hadn’t seen him so amused before. She shrugged sheepishly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear; at the time, she’d felt rather badass. But looking back now it did seem kind of ridiculous to say out loud. With a little laugh of her own, she replied, “Well, first of all, it was being used to hold appetizers. Bad idea, right? Those things are dangerous. At least when I’m around. And, um. I...can’t do that.” She raised her eyebrows and looked into his eyes, hoping he’d just keep laughing. It was a lovely, rich sound. “The whole,” she gestures with her hands as if she’s trying to cast a spell, “thing.” She watches him nervously then, waiting for his reaction to this revelation. Why was she telling him this, exactly? Rather, why wasn’t she using the word squib as an easy excuse? Maybe she didn’t want to, with him, and maybe she wanted him to know the truth.

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So much had happened so quickly but even though the haze, Laurel could remember the voices she heard clearly. The healer who got her here, Amos, her sisters, and of course Selena. It had warmed her heart just a bit to know that despite the danger, she had people in her corner ready to help her. Giving the other woman’s hand a gentle squeeze, the Veela managed a small smile, “No it’s okay, I mean I’m doing okay. Just a bit tired and confused but overall I’m okay.” She reassured Selena, the continuous turn of visitors all asking the same thing was a bit much but she knew at the end of the day, they were in to see her because they cared. “Are you okay? I heard about all the fighting, many of the other patients here came in very quickly in the night, but you weren’t injured much were you?” She hoped the woman was okay, she couldn’t handle the guilt of yet another person she had come to care about being injured as a result of her unfortunate accident.

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“I’m happy you’re okay.” She smiled a bit and shrugged mysteriously, winking at Laurel. “I handled myself well. None of them got to me, don’t worry. In fact, none of them even got close after I knocked out the first couple,” she noted. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was ‘on their side’ or if it was because they couldn’t afford to keep getting injured by someone they didn’t intend to injure back. She’d needed to do it for the show but something about it had felt righteous. “A couple of my friends are here, though, so I’m not happy about that. I tried my best to defend everyone, but...” She clenched her fist at her side, almost pouting. She felt weak, even though she knew it was silly to feel like that for not being able to protect everyone at once. If she’d been able to transform, she could have protected a lot more people. But she couldn’t exactly do that, now could she?

“She would have gotten help either way.” Adairia simply replied, slightly crossing her arms. She wasn’t cross at Selena for abandoning her, but she wasn’t comfortable with the implied thought that she wasn’t able to balance a date and caring for family. To be fair though, she was way too exhausted to have an argument, so she changed the subject. “Are you here to see a friend or were you hurt?” There was genuine concern to her words, so many of her friends and Order colleges had been hurt. Alice, Frank, Arthur, amongst others had been hospitalised. She planned to visit them all, but with all the other Order members flooding during visiting hours, she didn’t know if she’d be let in before they were discharged.

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She looked down and nodded slowly. “I deserve that. I’d ask you if you want another try at a proper date with just the two of us, but I feel I messed up this one pretty badly.” That, and even though it was unwittingly, she was seeming to develop a new crush elsewhere. Still, she had to keep trying, whether she wanted to lie to her or not. Which, she didn’t. 

She smiled weakly at the question. “I was lucky enough to avoid being hurt, but sadly I have a few friends here to visit. Thank you for asking. Are any of your friends here?” This small talk felt awkward, but like she said, she deserved it. She’d been a terrible date, or friend, whatever she was meant to be to this woman. And she was determined to make it up to her.

@lycanthropicdancer​

He heard the slight worry in her voice but was glad to note it was down to a minimum. This meant her training in trying to show her emotions less obviously was going well, and she was learning. “Thank you,” he said, grabbing his glass and tipping it in her direction before taking a sip. “I’m well, thank you. I came by to ask you the same question.” Casually, he cast a silencing charm around them, making sure that no one could overhear what they were saying. “I apologize for not being by your side at the ball. I had to… slip away for a while and barely came back in time for the battle,” he said in a kinder voice, scanning her body once more, almost scientifically checking for any bandaged wounds or muscles moving with difficulty. “How did you fare?” 

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She had a good teacher, of course, but she also liked to think she exceled as a student. She nodded her head in acknowledgement to his thanks and gave him a smile, her eyebrow struggling not to arch at him. He was concerned about her, too? That pleased her, somehow. Not that she’d caused him to worry, but that he did care about her safety. “I’m well, thank you for asking.” She felt an odd tingle settle over her for a moment, and figured that the charm he’d cast would give them the ability to speak freely. She was caught off guard, and her expression softened at his words. “Oh, it’s okay. I was okay. That’s...I appreciate you saying that though.” Please don’t blush again, Selena. Her wishes were granted; his lessons were paying off, after all. “I, uh, kind of had to hit some of our friends with a frying pan though. But I said I was sorry, and they know I’m undercover,” she rushed. 

Alas, the way social gatherings worked made it that people who came together, rarely spent time together. Between the music, open buffet, and huge crowds, Adairia barely even saw Selena during the event. She was a bit disappointed at first, but all thoughts  of her date had evaporated when her little sister had fallen in the middle of the ball. The blonde hadn’t expected Selena to visit the younger Linwood, but as she walked back into the room, she bumped exactly into the individual. Letting the other woman’s words digest, she rubbed her arms, not knowing quite how to answer.  “It’s okay. I’m just glad Laurel is alright.”

Selena looked down. If they were closer, or under the pretense that they were closer, this is where she should have taken one of Adairia’s hands and reassured her. But her hands remained by her side, stiffly, awkwardly. She frowned a little before smiling sadly. 

“It would have been nice to spend more time with you before tragedy struck. I didn’t think the event would separate us so quickly. But I guess we both had to keep up social obligations. I just want you to know...you weren’t an obligation.” She looks into Adairia’s eyes, furrowing her brows earnestly. She genuinely enjoyed chatting about ballet to the other woman, and she needed to stay close for her cause. A cause she was slowly losing faith in, though. 

“But...I’m just glad Laurel is alright, too. If we’d been off distracting each other she wouldn’t have had help.” She was waiting to breach the obvious subject of Adairia’s patronus appearing in the middle of the ball, wondering if the other woman might even offer an explanation first. 

Selena had just left Laurel’s room when she ran into Adairia. Of course, it made sense she would be here. Still, Selena felt guilty she had hardly seen her date the whole evening. She’d been busy being undercover, and she knew why Adairia was busy for the latter half of the evening. Well, she knew why everyone was busy for the latter half of the evening. It was absolute chaos. She’d been trying to think of what to say, but the words escaped her now. She opened her mouth to speak and then her words stalled, brows furrowing before she finally said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

@lycanthropicdancer​

Severus let out the smallest nod, satisfied by her answer. He hadn’t doubted her, for sure, but he hadn’t been entirely sure that she was up to the task either. Not because he questioned her capacities as a witch and a spy, but because he was afraid of the emotional bond she might come to create with people that they ultimately planned on hurting and destroying. “Good. All is fine on my end, the package has already been delivered,” he said, referring to the moment he dropped the vial of Polyjuice potion to Rosier earlier in the evening. 

He allowed them to look like they were simply sharing a dance for a bit longer. It would be good for them to be seen dancing, rather than whispering in each other’s ear all dance long. But it wasn’t a chore either, the way keeping up appearances usually was for him. The feel of this woman, small but strong, between his hands, allowed him to pretend a little less for a few minutes, and he enjoyed the internal sigh of relief that he allowed himself. It felt like being a child again, just doing something because it felt good rather than because he knew there could always be eyes on him waiting for him to trip and fall. 

Finally, he let his mouth come back next to her ear. “Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be around. Thank you for the dance,” he murmured genuinely, before taking a step back again and giving her a real, if small, smile. 

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Little did he know the impact her mission was already having on her conscience. She nodded once in turn, letting herself shift closer to him as she felt a pair of eyes on them. It did feel nice, just dancing in the near silence. Letting herself forget for a moment they were talking about their assignments, she finds she’d rather be here dancing with him than anyone else, even her mysteriously vanished ‘date,’ Adairia Linwood. She’d have to check in with the woman after the ball, she hadn’t seen her all night. Something must be going on. 

She let herself forget that, again, though, as she looked up into Severus’s eyes and let a single breathy laugh escape her lips, before resting her head against his shoulder for just a moment as she surveyed the people around them. There were still some glances, but they didn’t seem to be suspicious. She wondered why, then, they still looked. Selena found herself calmer than she’d been in a long time as she shared the rest of the dance with Severus, and didn’t care to wonder why that was, just relishing the feeling. 

She was taken out of it by the feeling of his breath on her ear and the sound of his voice in it, her heart rate temporarily picking up again for some reason. As he stepped away, she let her hands slide down his arms and linger on his for a split second before gripping her skirt and bending down to curtsey with a playful smile. “I will, and likewise. Thank you for the dance, I enjoyed it.” 

Then, wisely, they parted ways and went off to find other things to do individually around the ball. 

@lycanthropicdancer​

Severus barely controlled the grimace that was threatening to appear on his face. It must have been years, arguably perhaps even decades, since someone had called him sweet. He did not like it one bit. He shook off the unpleasant feeling as Selena started dancing. It had been a while since the last time he’d danced at a public ball, but he hadn’t forgotten how. Somehow ballroom dancing had always come naturally to him. A lot more than the muggle kind or even the popular kind in bars and clubs. Regulus had once said it was because Severus was always meant to be part of the aristocracy. Severus’ opinion was that he was like an awkward stick and ballroom dancing was made exactly for old and stuffy people who did not know how to move, but he hadn’t said anything. 

He made sure his grip on Selena’s wait and hand was strong, so that if she was unsure about the steps she could just let herself be carried by his momentum. They danced in silence for a few seconds, finding their rhythm. It was quite pleasant; he liked the solid feel of her in his arms. Her palm wasn’t sweaty and she wasn’t boring him to death with small talk. Perhaps one of the best possible people to be dancing with tonight, then. 

As he made her spin once, he brought her back slightly closer to his own body while still trying to respect her space, and started talking low in her ear. “How have you been since the meeting? He was trying to intimidate us, but you shouldn’t worry too much. How’s the mission going?” he asked as they kept moving in order to make it impossible to read his lips or listen in on their conversation. 

Selena looked at him quizzically for a moment, brushing it off as she allowed him to take the lead. Due to ‘traditional’ standards in the dancing world, she was used to being led by the man, but the dances didn’t usually make her feel this nice. Sure, performing in itself made her feel incredible, but she wasn’t doing that right now, and that wasn’t this feeling. It was just a gentle calm as she grew acutely aware of the warmth of his arm around her waist. She looks down for a moment in thought, unreadable, silent, before smiling back up at him. Certainly, he was one of her favorite dancing partners of the evening. If not her favorite. 

She enjoyed the silence, as well, listening to the music as it filled the vast room. One hand covered her mouth as the spin caused her to laugh softly; it was an unexpected move, to be sure. When he brought her back closer, she almost stiffened anxiously, but found herself relaxing instantly into his grip as he began to speak into her ear. She turned to his, a painted coy smile on her lips that would look like a flirtation to any onlooker as she replied, “I’ve been fine, that boy didn’t shake me. I’m getting on good terms with who I need to be. And yours?”