The night sky was empty, save the waning moon and the stars scattered about, some more brighter than others. What it was certainly filled with was cheers and happy voices, as the Three Broomsticks was filled to the brim with recently graduated students, now young adults. Butterbeer poured from the barrels, glasses clanking together as others tried to plead with Madam Rosmerta to give them a shot of whisky, her shooting them down quickly. "Nuh-uh! Not having any drunk kids on my watch!" She shouted over the crowd, sliding over more and more drinks over the counter. It was nearing almost 2 AM and yet the partied still held strong, with cheers of independence and group hugs of friends promising to keep in touch.

As the shouting and hollering took over the establishment, a single person was outside near the back of the building.

Flick!

A lighter came to life, slowly burn away at the cigarette. The bronze skinned cursebreaker stashed the lighter away, leaning against the brick building, inhaling the slightly somehow sweet smelling smoke. They felt it sting in their throat and lungs, before exhaling the smoke into the night. They let their arm drop to their side, letting the ashes of the cursed stick drop to the cobblestone, the embers quickly dying out. "You know that stuff kills you, right?"

Rosie laughed dryly, letting another inhale of smoke out of their nostrils, before turning to the warm voice next to them, their boots clicking against the cobblestone streets. Rosie raises their cigarette, waving it in their hand. "Floral Cigarettes, babe. Lot less lung burning," Rosie huffs a bit, trying to make excuses of their bad habit. They knew it was a bit bullshit, but it didn't stop them from taking another drag. "You want one?" Rosie offered, grabbing the light pink cardboard box from their pocket. Victor plucked a single cigarette from the box, before taking the entire box in his hands. Before the brown haired young adult could grab it back, he held it over his head, much further than Rosie's arm length. "Ah, ah, ah. No more smoking for you, Sweetie," He grinned, pushing the box into his jacket pockets before getting close to Rosie, pressing his cigarette onto Rosie's, lighting his own stick with Rosie's. Rosie chuckled dryly, before leaning back onto the wall of the practically bouncing ruckus filled tavern. "I'm surprised, Princess. Thought you'd be partying with the rest of us. Jae started a drinking contest and Barnaby wiped the floor. 30 pints. Crazy," He murmured, coughing a bit as he exhaled slowly, bumping his shoulder into his partner's. Rosie looked up at the sky, tapping on the cigarette to flick the ash away, "I was. But then it got too much. I swear, no one fuckin' takes a shower these days," Rosie grimaced, their shoulders going up in disgust of the strong smell coming from the Tavern. "Seriously, it's like no one's heard of perfume-or showering." Victor laughed, his melodic voice filling the night sky. He sighed, looking down at the much shorter lover of his, "Same. Plus, people were just bein' impolite. I spilled 4 butterbeers before I just gave up and came out here," He admitted, flicking the half smoked cigarette to the ground, gently pressing his boot on it and stomping it out. Rosie chuckled dryly, humming a bit in thought. Victor tilted his head, his raven hair hanging over half of his face. "What's up, Princess? Something on your mind?" He asked, his brown eyes glazing over Rosie's body. Rosie paused, looking down at their own feet, pristine white Mary janes clashing with the almost burnt out cigarette in their hand.

"Yeah. I...I don't know what to do, y'know? I'm free from school. From R. From cursebreaking. And it's liberating! It is! No more bullshit on my shoulders! But now...I feel empty," Rosie croaked out, a tight frown planted on their lips. "Like I had my whole life determined by weird visions and cults and evil teachers but I had something to do. I had goals, but now, with all of this freedom...there's too many choices. Is there even such a thing as too much freedom?" Rosie laughed out loud, dryly. It felt pathetic. They felt pathetic. They had their whole life ahead of them but Rosie felt like it was already over.

They felt plush leather wrap around their shoulders, before looking up, seeing their Vampiric boyfriend wrap his arm around them, almost comforting in a way, despite the coldness of himself and the leather of his jacket. "There can be, but that shouldn't let that make you afraid. Life is a miracle of chaos. Just a bunch of choices we make, and then we're gone. So why not make the choices we wanna make? The choices that matter to us, not anyone else. So, just, start making choices. No matter what, as long as they're yours," He looked down, a small smile forming on his face. Rosie blinked for a couple of seconds, looking down at their cigarette. They lifted it to their lips, inhaling before exhaling the smoke for one more time. The nub of a smoke stick fell to the ground, Rosie stomping it out with their heeled shoes. "First choice of my adult life; No more smoking," Rosie sighed, sticking their hands into their pockets, fiddling with the lighter. They took it out and palmed it, before placing it in Victor's hands. "Here. Not sure if you want a pink lighter or not..." Rosie trailed off, before seeing the vampire take the lighter. "Oh, I will. Every good musician needs one," He winks, kissing the lighter as a good luck charm as he pocketed it in his jacket. "So, any other choices you wanna make tonight?" He asked, bumping his cold hand against Rosie's much smaller, much more warmer one. Rosie nodded, before getting on their tip toes, pressing their hands against Victor's chest and pressing their lipstick covered lips against his. Victor huffed a bit, chuckling into the gentle kiss before kissing back, both of their lips moving against one another. Rosie knew how much they've kissed over their relationship, but this felt warmer, like a small spark igniting in their chest, warmth blooming and making Rosie's bronze skin deepen in shades of dark pink. Rosie pulled away gently, before seeing Victor's lips smudged with a dark magenta lipstick. Rosie giggled, hovering their hands over his lips, trying to see if they could get it off. "Don't worry about it, cutie. But maybe some more kisses for your troubles?" He winked, his signature smile still being able to melt Rosie's heart. Rosie cupped his face, pressing their still stained lips onto his cheeks, then trailing to his chin and jaw, not quite making his forehead but luckily could press a few more kisses to the collar of his tan shirt, with each kiss the lipstick fading away. Rosie giggled, resting their hands on Victor's shoulders, his face plastered with lipstick kisses, his cheeks a rosy red. "Now that is a lot of good choices I like very much," He chuckled, hearts practically forming in his eyes. The brown haired young adult smiled, before grabbing his hand. "C'mon, let's go back. I wanna challenge Barnaby to that drinking butterbeer contest you mentioned," Rosie led Victor back to the Tavern, the party still very much alive as Rosie raced to where the green eyed man was, shouting over the crowd. Victor couldn't help but watch, leaning against a pillar as they saw Rosie back to their usual self; Boisterous and happy. He gently touched the mark on his lips, before blushing. He quickly cleaned himself up, waving his hand over himself to clean the mess Rosie had made, save for the kiss marks on his shirt as he tried to cheer on Rosie during the contest.

Victor had never been the one to fold over for anyone .

Did he have crushes? Sure, but they were just crushes. Puppy love, you could say. Small infatuations with fellow students he hadn’t even talked to, back when he dressed like it was winter year-round. He’d just aimlessly watch them come and go, without them even knowing his name or even looking at his direction.

Though now it meant nothing. Now he could have anyone he wanted regardless of anything and everything. He already had girls giggling while giving him love letters, guys asking him to hang out while tripping over their words, and others just simply admiring him from afar, much like he did with his idols.

He always gave a Hollywood smile and wave when passing by, his admirers swooning over his dazzling smile and his squealing over almost all of his features, from his well kept hair (so many hair products) to his pure charisma. It seemed like everyone was at his beck and call. And almost all of them were.

Almost .

As Victor was at the Ravenclaw table, answering Penny’s seemingly non-stop questions about his vacation to Paris and Andre asking for his exact measurements to make an outfit suited for him, he sees Penny quickly turned her head towards the entrance of the great hall and wave, yelling out a “Hey, Rosie!”.

Victor quickly heard the chipper voice that came from that direction and felt like his heart was beating out of his chest, his attention off his admirers and now to the Slytherin walking towards their own table.

The first thing that caught him was the eyepatch. Of course, you don’t see a lot of students with that certain physical trait, but the pink leather with the blue embroidered rose certainly caught his eye. Next was their hair, the curls and coils shone in the light coming from the large windows of the great hall, making it look like the brown curls were spun from gold and bronze itself. And the smile . As the brown skinned Slytherin walked past, they waved back at the blonde Hufflepuff girl, a crooked but shining smile forming on their scarred face.

Victor felt like he’d just seen a model strut down the runway. They had an air of elegance, holding their head up high and their shoulders back, the click of their heels thumping in his ears. They oozed pure charisma, as if it was second nature to them, quickly saying greetings to friends at their table, sitting down and almost immediately having a crowd around them, mirroring his own situation. The sheer confidence that came from them was enough to knock him down to his feet.

The vampire cleared his throat, straightening his back and propping his elbow on the table. “Pardon me, Penny, but who is that?” He asked, his eyes still locked on Rosie, as if looking away wasn’t an option, trying to drink in every single detail of them.

The blonde looked over to where he was staring, her face breaking out into her signature smile. “Oh, I’m surprised you haven’t heard of our resident cursebreaker! That’s Rosie Mayfield, a 7th year like us!” she chippered happily, all of her attention now fully on the black haired vampire in front of her.

“Rosie Mayfield, you say?” He mumbled, the knuckle of his index finger placed in between his lips as he focused on the curly haired enby. “If I may inquire, what’re they like?”, not bothering to ask a particular person near him, just anyone who would fill him in on the elucid cursebreaker. That’s when the Ravenclaw fashionista spoke up, scooting closer to Victor.

“Oh, Rosie? They’re literally like, one of the sweetest people I’ve met. A total angel who would give them their own clothes off their back if someone asked. Plus, they have an absolutely fantastic taste in fashion,” Andre, propping up his hand under his chin, the other tapping on the wooden table. “Not to mention, a complete badass. I never met anyone who could rock heels while also going up against the most terrible foes of the wizarding world!”

“Andre, Double jeaning isn't a terrible foe.” Penny piped up, laughing quietly at her own joke. Andre rolled his eyes, gently nudging the blonde with his elbow, “Pen, you know my stance on double jeaning. It's a disease .”, throwing his hand over his forehead, dramatically leaning onto Penny’s body and putting all his weight on her, Penny laughing louder and shoving the Ravenclaw gently off her.

Victor had completely pushed those two’s voices into the background, completely drawn in with the cursebreaker. Usually he wasn't the one to dwell with others, paying them no mind after a while but something was so utterly magnetic about this person, he couldn't help but take in everything about them. Like something was drawing him into her, an insect to a venus fly trap. No, that's too harsh for someone as sweet-looking as them. Perhaps, a butterfly to a flower.

Victor’s interest only grew, making him stand up from his seat, adjusting his hair and leather jacket before turning to the others. “Well, it’d be quite rude of me to not introduce myself.”. He waved at Andre and Penny before striding over to the Slytherin table, the other students already whispering about him in hushed giggles and compliments. Rosie was a bit preoccupied, her attention towards a black haired girl of the same house, before noticing the Ravenclaw walking towards her.

“I'm afraid we haven't met before, Rosie Mayfield, is it?” He extended a hand forward, the Slytherin’s attention was now his. Rosie looked towards him, her eye quickly darting back and forth between him and his hand. They extended their hand as well, grasping it, Victor feeling their well manicured nails on the palm of his hands. He took their hand and brought it up to his lips, gently kissing the knuckles of their hand, feeling the cold metal and gems of their rings decorating their fingers.

The crowd around them quietly went mad, the whispers only getting more frantic. Victor expected Rosie to blush at this gesture, to swoon like a lovesick girl. What he didn't expect was the melodic laughter that came out of their mouth, like bell chimes on a windy summer's day. They retracted their hand, still giggling and covering their mouth, trying to stifle the laughter.

“I’m so sorry, but that’s quite a bold move! Especially since I don’t even know your name!”. Victor felt like he just got slapped over the head. Doesn’t know his name? Almost everyone knew him, and if they didn’t he’d make sure they would. It’s like he was drawn more and more in as she spoke, noticing the way she curled her hand up to her mouth, and how their eye and nose scrunched up whenever they tried to hold back their laughter.

Victor composed himself, flicking his hair to the side with a confident smile. “My apologies, where are my manners? Victor Ketsueki, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”, he winked, offering his hand once again. The brown haired cursebreaker smiled, taking his hand once again and shaking it. The cold metal of their rings feeling at home in Victor’s hands.

“ Charmed .”

Hearing that single phrase made a shiver go down Victor’s spine. The smooth and flirtatious tone of their voice made Veela's song’s sound like mere common talk. He felt his throat tighten, like a wire was wound up around his vocal cords and ready to make his voice crack if he opened his mouth.

If beauty had a face, Rosie was the spitting image of it.

He let go, putting his own hands into his jacket pockets, feeling the slight sweat on his palms. How did he already get this nervous? Was he always this sweaty?

He composed himself once more, the slight waiver of his confidence settling down and his facade was up again. “So, I was hoping for us to get to know each other more. Perhaps we can, tonight?” He asked, his Hollywood smile shining once again, his fangs now on display. “I'm throwing a bit of a party for everyone, new school year and all that. It would be wonderful if you could come.”

Rosie hummed, their eye looking around in thought, their elbow resting in their hand while the other cupped their face. There was a moment of panic that flooded Victor’s mind. Were they gonna reject him? In front of all these people? No, why would they do that? He was Victor Ketsueki for Merlin’s sake. But the thought rattled in his mind, feeling all of these eyes on him. He'd just recently got rejected in the most humiliating way possible, luckily it was between him, and two of the most terrifying Slytherin’s he’s ever met. He did not want another one for the score. He’d rather crawl back into his mahogany coffin than get rejected once again.

Luckily, he got his answer soon enough.

“Oh, well, I don’t see why not,” Rosie finally responded, straightening their back. “Sure, I'd love to go!”. Victor felt like he could breathe again, letting out the small breath he held in his chest, the small weight fading away. The brunette smiled softly, the left corner of their mouth tugging more so and a small crooked smile appearing once again. Rosie squinted a bit at the vampire in front of her, as if to focus about...well, everything about him. He had just nonchalantly came up to her, not even introducing himself, and just greeted her as he was courting her already. He just had an air about him, something sharp and cold yet smooth, like sleek ice on a cold winter’s day. It was almost as if he prepared what to say while on the way from the Ravenclaw table to Slytherin table, which he did.

He just didn’t expect that reaction.

“It’s at 8, by the way. Sphinx Clubroom. I cannot wait for you to come, Rosie,” Victor said, his voice still having that sharpness to it. Victor adjusted his jacket, laying the lapels down flat, hands brushing off whatever ended up on his jacket, “Well, I suppose I’ll be on my way. Again, a pleasure to meet you.”, Victor snapped his fingers, giving a small wink and grin while pointing at the Slytherin. Rosie huffed a bit, a dry laugh at his outro of sorts, as if he just walked straight out of a movie. They wanted to pinch themselves, making sure they were awake and this wasn’t some weird fever dream. But Rosie couldn’t think of that right now, as soon as Victor left that vicinity, everyone around them was asking questions like crazy.

“ Did you see the way he looked at you?! ”

“ So you’ve never heard about him? That’s ridiculous! ”

“ Please tell me you're going to that party! And tell me all about it when you come back! ”

If being enclosed in a glass casket felt like anything, Rosie was feeling that now. The constant eyes and ears near them made it feel like they were 5 seconds away from shouting at everyone to just be quiet for a moment, please. They were usually good with this kind of thing, being in crowds felt like home to them, wanting to share things and make conversations, but now, it felt like stones were being compressed onto their chest and their tongue was gonna pop out any minute.

“Okay, that’s enough! C’mon, Ro. Let’s go,”

Rosie’s chest was now stone free, thanks to her black haired friend. Ismelda grabbed the other’s hand, basically dragging them outside the great hall. Rosie yelled a quick goodbye, waving to the other’s still at the table. The brunette almost fell, their heel getting caught in one of the dents in the floor, but thanks to Ismelda’s weird strength, they got back up easily enough. As soon as they were out of the great hall, Ismelda let go of Rosie’s hand. letting them be free of her iron grasp.

“Thanks, Melds. I owe you one-“

“No need to thank me, Rosie. I could see you freaking out in that bubblegum pink brain of yours, I couldn’t just leave you hanging.” Ismelda interrupted, walking towards the east corridor. Rosie quickly caught up, the frantic clicking of her heels filling the hallways.

“How come you always know how I am, like, feeling? You got some empath thing going on?” Rosie asked, her hands moving about, as if they were trying to communicate their feelings.

“Well, first off, I’ve lived with you for 7 years, so there’s that ,” Ismelda started, adjusting her scarf and fiddling with the end wool bits. “Also you do this thing where you seem fine but you clench your fists and your jaw tightens when you’re nervous. Also, you have this look in your eye that screams ‘Save me’ whenever it happens. It’s a bit creepy, to be honest.” Ismelda continued. Rosie’s shoulders tightened and hunched up a little in shame, looking towards the ground.

Merlin, do I do it that often?

“But anyways, what’s with you and Victor, huh?” Ismelda snorted, turning to Rosie and halting her walking to a slow stroll. “You two just met and he’s acting like he’s known you for years.”.

“Don’t ask me, he’s the one who greeted me like a gentleman at a ball,” Rosie shrugged their shoulders, putting their hands into their pockets. “He’s cute, I have to say. And that jacket was definitely made with Parisian leather. The cut and the color of it and the way the light just hits it? Can’t be anything else,” Rosie mused for a bit, trying to recall the quick but fresh interaction. Ismelda scoffed, stopping completely and making Rosie stop in her tracks, looking at the black haired Slytherin with a raised eyebrow, “What?”.

“Seriously? The most popular guy in school basically asks you out and you’re focusing on his jacket? No wonder guys don’t ask you out,” Ismelda laughed again, moving forward again and Rosie huffed, catching up to her friend.

“Well, I just met him. What do you want me to do? Bow down to his greatness, Mr.Leather and chains?” Rosie asked, focusing now on her nails, slowly chipping away at the pink and white paint on them, making sure to use their other hand to steady themselves on the stone steps to the dungeons.

“I have no idea but don’t be surprised if he sweeps you off your feet on the dancefloor tonight,” Ismelda grinned, opening the door to the Slytherin common room.

Rosie followed suit, feeling the cool air of the rest area rest on her skin. The clicking of her heels echoed louder here than anywhere else, the tall staircase still carrying the sounds as both of them reached their dorm room. The black haired girl sighed, dropping down on her bed and kicking her black tennis shoes off, Rosie almost doing the exact same, dropping their heels messily onto their desk and laid down for a moment. And then two. And then a lot more. Rosie’s mind rattled with the thought of having a crush on someone they didn’t even know. The only thing they’ve gotten from him was his wardrobe and his confidence, but that’s nothing. It’s bread crumbs to the actual Victor Ketsueki. They wanted to know more.

Rosie quickly got up, heading towards their wardrobe, opening the dark wood doors and sifting through the multiple hangers, taking handfuls of dresses, blouses, and jackets and laying them down onto the emerald green sheets of their bed. They quickly grabbed a dress and a cardigan and stood in front of the full length mirror, as if calculating.

Ismelda looked up from their book, peeking over the pages to see their roommate, with almost a look of determination in their eyes.

“What're you doing?” Ismelda asked, tipping her head to the side, blowing her hair out of the way.

Rosie smiled a bit at her through the mirror, more like a grin if you asked anyone else, and turned around towards Ismelda.

“Ugh! No!”

The sound of another hanger clanged against the dark wood dresser, shaking the furniture with the sheer force of the throw. For once in their life, they had no idea what to wear. Rosie already had to pinch themself to make sure they weren’t in a weird dream, where they couldn’t even put together one decent outfit and wearing white on Labor Day was acceptable. Rubbing their arm as they walked towards the dresser, picking up the hanged garment and brushing it off gently of whatever dust was on the wooden floor.

Rosie sighed, defeated as they put back the last of her hangers back onto the rack, the dusty lavender matching the rest of the wardrobe, albeit a contrast to the silver and emeralds of her actual dorm room. They flopped onto their bed, groaning into the sheets and grabbing their pillow, throwing it at the little space between the bed and the stone wall. They lifted their head up, craning their neck towards the wide open space of their dorm, seeing multiple clothes strewn around the room.

Mini skirts on their study desk, coats and sweaters near the coffee table, and a half a dozen dresses hanging on the loveseat couch. Not a single one of them clicked. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with all the pieces cut at the edges. A hurricane had ragged the entire closet space of Rosie’s wardrobes and now laid the aftermath on dark wood and velvet.

Rosie had pushed themselves off their emerald sheets, using their weight to trudge through their room and picking up silks, cotton, and satin clothes strewn across the large area. A small hill had made its way into Rosie’s arms when a small knock caught their ears. They shuffled through the room smoothly, making sure to firmly grasp the silver handle of the doorknob before opening it.

“Oh! I didn’t know it was laundry day already! ‘Could’ve sworn it was on Sunday.”

Rosie smiled behind the blouses and trousers, letting Barnaby into their room as they continued to pick up the scattered garments on the floor.

“So, what brings you to my lovely room, Barns?” Rosie asked, huffing as they dropped the load of clothes onto the small chair near the corner of the room.

“Just wanted to check in! You seem pretty busy, well since it is laundry day, right?” Barnaby looked around, seeing a new dress form with muslin pinned onto it near Rosie’s sewing machine.

“No Barns”- Rosie grunted, trying to reach the top of her wardrobe for a feather boa, wondering how in the world it got there. They guessed in a flurry to get dressed they tried literally anything.

-“It’s not laundry day. Sadly. Maybe I would actually have an outfit worth wearing.”

Getting the ornate boa off the top, they shoved the item into their arms before dropping it off. Barnaby had made himself at home on the velvet loveseat couch, watching Rosie dart around the room picking up the last bits of fabric laying around.

It was like watching a professional go to work and almost made Barnaby forget what he was gonna ask.

“Right! So, what’re you so peeved about? I mean, if anyone can make an outfit, it’s you! I mean, I think so!” He smiled, watching the brunette slump down next to him. They took their hair out of its ponytail, shaking their hair and fanning it with their fingers. Rosie sputtered a bit, rubbing their neck and looking down, ashamed at their own frustration and lack of fashion expertise.

“I just…can’t find the right outfit for this party! Everytime I go to find a certain piece, I always end up mismatching it or I can’t find what I’m looking for! I don’t know how this happened-I made a system!” Rosie exclaimed, grabbing one of the throw pillows and groaning loudly into it, shoving it so hard on their face that they’re sure that it would somehow make an indent. “Forget it. I’ll just stay in my dorm tonight. If I can’t make a decent outfit, I might as well just sleep on my couch.”

Barnaby grabbed Rosie’s pillow, taking it out of their hands. “Hey!” Rosie yelled, reaching for the pillow but the taller and, honestly more muscular Slytherin, put it out of Rosie’s reach. Which was surprisingly easy.

“What’re you talkin’ about? I’m sorry but have you seen Rosie? 5’3, coily hair, and totally makes amazing outfits?” Barnaby asked, not really asking. Rosie stopped, and looked down, lifting their knees to their chest and looked back at Barnaby again, holding the quilted pillow and scoot closer.

“I get it. You do so well and then suddenly you lose it. That spark. That…” He waved his hands, almost in a ‘jazz hands’ motion. “Y’know? But guess what? You still have it in you. You use that big brain of yours and just look for a different angle. Maybe you’re going about it the wrong way,” Barnaby gave the pillow back, getting up and patting Rosie’s head, leaving it a bit more messy than usual.

“But you’ll figure it out. I know you will. Don’t beat yourself up about it, alright Rosie-Posie?” The taller slytherin was just about to close the door, giving Rosie one more look, his eyes softened and a small smile, before closing the door.

It took a moment. And then two. And then a couple more, before Rosie took the hair tie from their wrist and spun it into their hair, making a tight ponytail that would even make ballet teachers wince. They took a deep breath, saying ‘Let’s do this’ to themselves and marched towards their wardrobe again. They would not be defeated by cotton and chiffon.

It took a while. And for a while, it took 20 minutes of gently ripping out hangers and folded garments from every drawer and hanger from their room. But nothing. Zilch. Zero. Rosie almost gave up, slumping on their hill of clothes before seeing a box beneath their wardrobe. They pulled it out, seeing the dust covered box. They gently swept the dust off, seeing the embossed logo of the box.

‘Ambrosia Lily.’

Of course! Why didn’t they find this before? It took them a while to even remember they had ordered this months ago! It almost sold out immediately and Rosie snatched the last one, putting it in safe keeping till they could wear it. I guess Barnaby was right, Rosie definitely looked for a different angle. Rosie unwrapped the ribbon, opening the lid and a smile stretched across their face.

Oh yeah, this definitely will work.

———————————————

Dark skies, bright lights, and music definitely was not made for young adults to listen to. Conversations merging into one, dancing fools laughing the night away, and late night rendezvous. The thumping of music, stomping of feet, and beating of hearts made the once silent club room finally a place worth going, to some people's eyes.

Now this is a party.

The dark haired vampire was already in the swing of the party, dancing with two other classmates, their names escaped him though. He felt the cool air of the open windows on his face, but the heat of the lights and the dancing made him feel this contradiction, almost like a dream. This is how he felt at every party. He felt free, exhilarated, seen. The lights even brighter than before, the pinks and blues meshing together, like they were made for eachother.

Victor pulled one of his dance mates into his arms, a charismatic smile plastered on his face as he pushed them together, his partner swooning, of course. Why wouldn’t they? He narrowed his eyes, holding their hands in his, before twirling them in his arms. He let go at the end, letting them spin and they continued their small dance circle. Victor almost got lost in the music again before glancing at the entrance of the club room.

Stepping into the room was a glossy ray of baby blue and silver. Their hair pinned back with a silk ribbon, shiny and catching the soft reflections of the artificial lights. Their dress was almost as vibrant and shiny, but pearl. A soft powder, cut low with a sweetheart neckline, adorned with small frills and bows, of course, topped off with a cropped and ribbed cardigan that was mostly for fashion and not function. A night sky necklace, with stars and moons adorning their neck, printing the sky on their body. And shimmering lavender makeup, purples of dark shades adorned their lips, eyes, and cheeks. Specks of pink, blues, and even silver glitter were dusted on their cheeks, their blush spun by the stars themselves.

It took Victor a good few moments to even realize he had stopped dancing. It made him realize a few seconds had gone by, and not minutes. He made a beeline towards them, pushing the shouts of his former dance mates to the background while moving towards the front like a maze. He passed by a decorated pillar, plucking one of the many flowers adorning it, silently thanking the herbology club. He stopped for a moment, finding a semi-reflective decoration hanging and sweeping his dark hair out of his face, quickly picking up speed and swerving his way through his fellow students.

As he finally gets to the Slytherin, Rosie is laughing, already in a small circle near the entrance with their fellow housemates. He pushes back his hair a bit, shoulders back, chin up. Just like always.

Rosie suddenly felt their hand gently being grasped by a familiar coldness, twirling on their heels before stopping and facing the person who literally swept them off their feet.

“Hey there, pretty princess,” He greeted, brushing a stray curl out of Rosie’s face. Their face quickly became a shade of dark reddish pink, a small grin spreading across their lips. Just like his last greeting, they were caught off guard by the taller vampire’s forwardness, almost as if he wanted to be the first one to them. Rosie plucked the flower from Victor's hands, twirling it in their own and stepping past him, Victor followed suit.

“Sorry for taking so long, wardrobe malfunction,” Rosie said, turning around and stopping, getting a good look at their prince for the evening. His outfit screamed ‘I’m a try hard but also I know how to put a look together’. It seemed like he had taken a muggle band t-shirt, a punk band at that, and modified it, cutting the sleeves off and leaving it a messy tank top. He had the same ripped black jeans and buckle combat boots, but even a simple change of his top made the outfit new.

“No worries. I knew you’d turn up eventually. So, whatdya think?” Victor asked, sweeping his arm across the room, a small grin spread on his face.

Flowers and ivy were covering the pillars, even the railing on the balcony was covered in the foliage. Floating crystals were plastered several hundred feet above, the reflections scattering onto the dance floor.

“Wow! You did all this? That’s quite a workload for one wizard,” Rosie asked, eye still transfixed onto the rainbow lights. Victor looked back at them, and shrugged, “Oh, god no. I asked some housemates if they could help. Of course, I did most of the work,” He gloated, as if he could even take those ivy strands and wrap them around the pillars without chipping a nail. “You’re gonna have the night of your life. C’mon, let’s dance.”

Before Rosie could even get a word in, they felt their hand being grasped by Victor, sweeping them onto the dance floor. They gasped, giggling as they put their hands onto his shoulders.

The music was surrounding them, seemingly keeping both of them dancing. Before they knew it, Rosie felt Victor twirl them in his arms, then pulling them close to his chest. Before he could even give them his Hollywood smile, Rosie smirked, twirling out of his arms and yanking him off his feet. Victor found himself stumbling, before quickly fixing his footwork, grinning and matching Rosie’s speed. It wasn’t long before Rosie got into his arms again, quickly dipping and Victor had his hands on Rosie’s back and behind their head, making sure they wouldn’t fall.

It had felt like minutes, but after Rosie stood up properly, glanced at the clock. Midnight? Already? Rosie still felt the luminous light shine down onto them, the cool september air coming through the open windows, the stars still bright.

“Hey. Come here.” Victor said, motioning Rosie towards one of the many balconies. Rosie followed, sitting down on the stone ledge. They slid their heels off, gently putting them down next to them. Victor came back, two cups in his hands as he passed one to the cursebreaker.

“Seriously, I still don’t get how you dance so well,” Victor laughed, crossing one leg over the other as he sat down. “Especially in heels. Andre was right about you.”

“Andre? Did you interrogate my friends for super secret info about me?” Rosie joked, putting their hand on their chest dramatically. Victor laughed again, more dryly this time, before shaking his head.

“No, No! Of course not. I just asked about you, Y’know? The Cursebreaker of Hogwarts. Not only good with a wand, but also a needle as well,” He answered, sweeping his hand in the air as he said Rosie’s unofficial title.

“That’s me! And lemme guess,” Rosie smiled, tapping their finger onto the chin before giving Victor a finger gun, “You're the Mysterious bad boy who wears his heart on a leather clad shoulder, and has a horribly tragic past.” Rosie burst out laughing at the guess, and Victor joined in, the pumpkin juice almost dribbling from his mouth.

“But seriously, you’re not like the others. You have this air to you,” Victor admitted, scooting closer to Rosie. “You always have your chin up, head high, and you’re surrounded by friends. You and I aren’t so different, Y’know?” Rosie laughed a bit again, covering their mouth with their curled hand. “What? What’s so funny?” Victor laughed a bit too.

“You! We just met today and you say we aren’t so different!” Rosie kept laughing, almost spilling their drink onto the floor. Victor caught the drink before any of the juice could spill, putting it down near Rosie’s hand.

“Well, I mean. You’re popular. I’m popular. You have impeccable style, so do I. You have amazing hair, and well,” He swept the hair out of his eyes, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. “We’d make a pretty stellar couple.”

Rosie sighed, resting their chin onto the palm of their hand, smirking a bit. “Maybe so. But you’d have to woo me first.” Rosie claimed, flashing a smile, mischief radiating from their tone.

“Oh? And how do I woo the Elusive Cursebreaker?” He asked, bumping his leg with Rosie’s, his face now almost nose to nose with them. Rosie looked up, looking into his almond shaped monolid eyes. Rosie couldn’t tell if they were red or brown, but the twinkle in his eyes was absolutely there.

Rosie put their index finger onto his lips, and leaned back, “Well, you have to find out on your own, Lover boy.” He scoffed, leaning back and downing the rest of his drink. Rosie stretched, before standing up, slinging their heels over their shoulders. “Your heart will be mine, Mayfield. By the end of the year, you’ll be mine,” He smirked, an uneven smile. Rosie winked, waving at him as they walked away, “Good luck with that, Pretty boy!”

Victor saw Rosie disappear out of the club room. The music was still going, the lights still on, and people still dancing. It was as active as it was hours ago, but Victor had a lingering thought. He felt his heart skip a beat, which was impressive for a vampire. He looked down at his hands, feeling the nervousness from the sweat, trying to dry them off on his jeans. Jeez, was the pumpkin juice that strong? He maneuvered his way into the crowd, finding his fashionable roommate once more.

“Hey! Andre! I’m gonna head off!” The Vampire shouted, getting the attention of the handsome dark skinned fashionista. Andre nodded, giving him a small thumbs up before going back to talking to a blonde boy in a wheelchair, sporting silver and green.

Victor quickly moved towards the exit, suddenly getting overwhelmed by the torches in the hallway. He pulled at his collar as he rushed towards his dorm room, quickly answering the riddle at the portrait door and silently entering his Common room. Before he knew it, he was taking his boots off and shoving them under his desk, flopping onto his bed.

He couldn’t get his mind off of Rosie. Their laughter, their smile. The way their lipgloss sparkled in the light. The way their curls fell onto their shoulders and the way the dress fit them, even their way their cardigan fell off their arms. He squeezed his pillow, digging his black nails into it.

This couldn’t be a crush. No. Crushes were for people who got their hearts broken and 1st years. He wasn’t the poor little outcast from months ago. He never fell for anyone. But now he felt confused, more than anything. What they said back there felt like an invitation. A game, almost. Who could make the other fall first.