It wasn’t an unfamiliar setting, it actually happened to be the big ballroom on the back of his mansion, the same room where his parents would force him to practice dueling against house elves and other servants during the seasonal breaks. That one room that would occasionally host silly ostentatious parties to please his mother’s whims.

And it just so happened to be one of those occasions.

Christopher was standing on the stairway that would lead to the polished marble floor where so many people stood in formal suits, ballgowns and masks. Everyone had a mask. Some would only hide half of their face, but most would hide all facial features that would make a person recognizable.

It was creepy when all at once the orchestra stopped playing and everyone turned their attention to Christopher.

He felt his mother next to him, nudging him with her elbow. “Don’t make a scene, dear,” she said. “Go downstairs like the good host we’re raising you to be.” And so Christopher did what he was told, going down the stairs while music started filling the room once again.

Some of the guests turned away from Christopher, proceeding to slowly dance to the sound of the musical instruments’ tune - he couldn’t help but to notice how their movement seemed stiff just as if they were marionettes or something odd like that.

He spotted a guy with pink hair and a golden Venetian mask whom he identified as Elio, the smile that was visible giving it away, and he quickly made his way towards the older Slytherin boy.

“Christopher,” the pink haired one greeted. “How nice of you to join us here, we were just debating how sad it would be to see you leave after the trial.”

“Beg your pardon?” Chris’ brow furrowed in confusion. What trial?

“Ah, yes,” Junjie’s voice cut in from behind him making Christopher turn around, his mask only covering the left half of his face. “You weren’t careful enough, it was still cool of them to give you Hallowe’en to say goodbye at least.”

“What do you mean?” panic was making Christopher’s voice shake. “What happened?”

Elio barked out a small laugh and patted Christopher’s shoulder. “Ah come on kid, no point in playing dumb now.”

“I’m not playing dumb, I don’t know what’s going on!” He glanced around and upon spotting Vincent’s dark hair he immediately ran towards the Ravenclaw, giving up on the two Slytherin boys. “Vince, what happened, what trial are they talking about?”

“Your trial, of course.” Vincent shrugged. Could his friends be any more frustrating.

“What am I in trial for?” he asks in an aggravated tone. 

“You failed him.” Christopher didn’t even notice the music stop once again. “You fucked up, Christopher.”

Despair took over for good and Christopher suddenly bolted out the ballroom, however spotting through the corner of his eye Castor sitting down with Céleste and Jihyuck both at his side, he was sitting down holding a harlequin frog - wasn’t that Pollux’s?

Christopher kept running until he reached a far-off end of the garden where a small bench rested between two trees, it was his favourite spot and as such it was a safe place. He sat down. 

Who had he failed? Just what the actual fuck was going on?!

Before he could even begin to think about it, a hand covered his mouth. It was cold too and soon joined by its pair on Christopher’s hand. “You failed me,” Pollux’s voice came in a purr at his ear. “You said you would do anything for me...”

Christopher’s heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out his chest any minute now. He could only whimper in response however, being unable to speak through the other’s cold hand.

“Would you die for me, Christopher? The way you said you would, or will you fail me again?” Pollux’s voice echoed near his ear once again.

Tears suddenly stream down his cheeks and all at once he finds himself in his bed, staring at the ceiling with Bubbles worriedly walking in circles in his chest. Christopher sits up, carefully pulling the small pet onto his lap as his chest is left feeling like it weighs a ton.