Call me Queen.

“Well provided that they do not start dragging everybody in for interrogation about what they did during the ball, I expect it will die down soon enough. Imagine having to explain what you did all evening - who would ever remember?”

“That would be a bit of a waste of time,” she said. Alecto shrugged and nodded, “We’ll see what happens. You never know what could come up from it.”

“A Slytherin sixth year who doesn’t play Quidditch.  Got it.  I’ll keep it to myself until midnight, though, just in case I’m wrong.” 

She nodded, “Right.” Alecto caught sight of Amycus slipping back into the party from their designated spot. “Well, I’ll see you at midnight then,” she said as she put her goblet down, and disappeared within the crowd on the dance floor.”

“Have you put a little thought into it Alecto? I had no idea you were such a sleuth.” She smiles because she is only joking; she really has no inkling as to the reason Alecto may have held such an opinion. “I suppose that is true. Still, I would not like to have been the person who did it, I do not think. They are bound to investigate it very carefully, especially after the attack near Hogsmeade.”

She cleared her throat gently, “It’s come to mind a couple of times.” The thought of how unknowledgeable everybody in the castle has been pops into Alecto’s mind. It was too easy to commit such a crime clearly, and Alecto wondered why it’s taken so long for she and Amycus to do it. “Me neither,” she said, looking away and shrugging. “The security in the castle is tip-top, whoever did this was daft.”

She wrinkles her nose at the answer, despite having no idea of the identities of most of the people that she herself danced with. “Sounds horrendous. The masks were a terrible idea, really. It was impossible to find anyone.” She sighs, wishing that Alecto knew more. “Pity. No doubt more will be known soon. It always seems to be the way with these sorts of things.”

Alecto nodded, slightly relieved that Narcissa believed her lie. “Yes, it was quite so,” she said. She shrugged, “Personally, I think it was a brilliant night to commit such a thing because of the masks.” Alecto quickly added, “Anonymity is never possible when you have to try for it.”

“So… a sixth in Slytherin.  Hm.”  He mused, tapping his cup against his chin.  He only knew a few of the sixth year Slytherin girls - Emma fairly well, Andromeda hated him, Alecto scared him a little bit honestly, and then the rest of the girls he really didn’t know except from in passing in class.  “Not Ravenclaw, no - though some people say I should’ve been.”  He laughed, shaking his head.  “No Quidditch, either.  I don’t really have the build for it, I’m afraid.  Gryffindor, though, but that might give me away.” 

She nodded as he repeated the information to himself, Idly paying attention. If she had not been so uninterested in knowing who anyone other than her target and her brother were that night, Alecto might’ve put a little more effort into actually figuring out who was behind this costume. “A lion, I see,” she said. “And I don’t play Quidditch either, I’m not much of an athlete.” Alecto decided she had given too much away, so it was now time to lie.

1 november | open

“With whom did you dance?” She arches a brow at Alecto’s reaction, not particularly enjoying being huffed at. “Do you think it will make it more difficult? I wonder if it happened before or after the unmasking. Surely you could just discover who had left by then. It would at least narrow the suspects.”

She quickly searched her brain for an answer. “Some halfblood Ravenclaw boy in fifth year,” Alecto rolled her eyes. “Too tall for his age, I could have sworn he was a seventh year before he took his mask off.” She shrugged, “I have just as much knowledge on this as you do.”

“How should I know? Hufflepuff, perhaps. Maybe a Ravenclaw. I would have thought you would be just as able to ascertain the gossip just as well as me. I wonder if he actually did it.”

She let out an exaggerated huff at the lack of information. “I was not paying enough attention at the ball to anything but the dance floor it seems,” she said. Alecto shook her head in thought, “The fact that we were all masked at the ball makes it a much harder situation.”

“Did you not see him? The boy who came into the Great Hall at lunch time and everybody went quiet? They were all saying that he caused it.”

“I was unfortunately too invested in my lunch during lunchtime, Narcissa,” Alecto tried to keep her cool. “Who was it? Do you know their name? Their House?”

“Nah, don’t think that’s too much.  I’m sixth, though - you?  How about House?  That might be too much, but maybe a hint is fair.”  He smiled at her, now that she’d finally turned to look at him.  “Yeah?  I think the party itself is brilliant, it feels like something out of a - I don’t know.  A novel, with all the masks.  It’s amazing what the professors are letting us get away with these days. though - they’re just begging for something not quite on to happen in those dark corners.”

She nodded, “I’m in sixth as well.” Alecto contemplated giving away her House on such a night, but how could he really figure her out from just that bit of information? “Slytherin.” She raised her eyebrows at his words and his spiel about the night being one of a novel perhaps. “I’m going to guess Ravenclaw for yourself then.” She took a moment to think of another question, “Do you play Quidditch?”

“I guess you are right there. When they hold these things, nearly everyone comes.” He looked out at the dance floor once again, idly wondering who in the crowd was who. There was not a single person he managed to recognize, and he was rather disappointed in himself for that. “I think it’s not so bad, so far, but that may just be the alcohol talking.”

It was nearing the end of the party and Alecto was becoming more and more anxious for her escape as planned. “Right,” she said idly to his words to keep him talking. “Well, if you’ll excuse me,” she began, “I’m going to go to the dance floor now.” And she disappeared into the crowd.

Sam, who normally was not the most socially aware person, was getting a feeling that this girl didn’t really want to talk to him. He scratched the back of his head a bit nervously. “Well this is the first Halloween Ball, at any rate. I like this much better than the regular feast.” 

Alecto shrugged at his words, growing less and less interested in what he had to say. Her foot began tapping with impatience as the time was running short, and she had yet to see Amycus return into the Great Hall.

“I won’t know that until midnight, I imagine, once the masks come off,” he pointed out with a little shrug, getting put off by her standoffish attitude and unable for the life of him to decide what it could possibly mean.  He realized he was one of the, well, easier to place students here, sure, what with his height and build - but he hoped that if someone recognized him they’d tell him so it wouldn’t be so one-sided.  “Maybe we can get a few figured out, though, sort of a twenty questions type game.  What do you not like about Halloween?  Too spooky?”

She brought her punch up to her lips, and took a small sip before responding, “That sounds interesting. What year are you in?” Alecto finally turned to look at him, her eyes dark due to the shadow cast by her mask. “Or is that too much for a first question?” She raised her eyebrows at his question, “No. I love Halloween. Just not this party.”

“Really?” Sam asked in interest, oblivious to the initial annoyance in her words. “Parties as extravagant as these?” 

She felt her ego boost to a significant level by talking about the glitz and glam of the happier part of her home life. “Yes, lots of parties,” she said shortly.

“Who am I?” Sirius repeated with a laugh, smirking as he held out his hand–– with far more confidence than he likely deserved and as if they’d never properly met. “Why, I’m Sirius Black. Fantastic to meet you, miss.”

She looked absolutely disgusted with him this time. Alecto raised an are-you-fucking-serious eyebrow, and looked down at his hand. “You’re not a Black,” she scowled.