25 December 1892 , Yule ball - Sub Rosa
“Thank Merlin you didn't take part in the Triwizard Tournament after all. Otherwise, we would have had even more eyes on us.” Ominis whispered nervously, squeezing his partner's hand as he led them in a dance.
“You're worrying too much about this, Omi... Yes, it's crowded, but trust me, everyone would rather be looking at their partners at the ball,” - Melissa twirled in the dance, following Ominis' movements. A step forward, she can almost feel Ominis' breath on her cheek. It's a good moment to add a conspiratorial remark “...Or at who they'd rather have as a partner this evening.”
“Oh, even better. Perfect breeding ground for gossip.” He rolled his eyes rather eloquently.
As soon as the dance was over, the Great Hall was buzzing with student chatter. Dance partners complimented or criticised each other and, to give Ominis credit, some of the gossipy ones were already gathering together in small groups. Too quickly, to be fair, it was one of the first dances at the ball.
Ominis turned to his partner with a “I told you so” look on his face and invited her to move to the tables, away from the crowd. The blond gallantly served Melissa a drink as they took a break.
“We shouldn't dance so openly in public together.”
“What? You don’t want to dance with me anymore?” His short but stern grumble made Melissa tense up. Her thoughts immediately spun into a chaotic storm of guesses about what she had done wrong. Oh no, maybe she accidentally stepped on his foot while dancing? No, that couldn’t be it. They had spent too many evenings together practising their moves.
“No! No... I just want... less attention on us, so we can be more Sub Rosa, so to speak.” The boy shook his head frantically. “I don’t want my reputation to tarnish yours.”
“So you just want us to be more secretive? I have some ideas for that.”
The girl took Omnis by the hand and pulled him somewhere to the side. Omnis could hear the music and chatter getting further and further away until the rustling of heavy fabric completely muffled all other sounds. Had she managed to find a hiding place even in the Great Hall, which was overflowing with people? In front of everyone? That girl was impossible. But he loved it.
This cramped space behind the decorations became their little world for at least a few minutes. A few minutes that are always lacking, but each of them is more precious than gold.
“Is the ball more bearable for you now?” the girl asked with a smile on her face, which was a strange combination of teasing and genuine care for the guy’s comfort.
Phew, I finally have a chance to post my Yule zine submission with a bit more context. I always wanted to tell stories with my art and I really want to focus on storytelling this year