My submission for the Yule Zine, organized by @hogwarts-legazine! Thank you again for letting me be part of such a wonderful community project and check out all the wonderful creators that participated.
Synopsis: Despite the whole school term being an unpredictable mess, Rena and her friends have the Yule ball to look forward to and enjoy.
Rena was no stranger to life's sudden turns and unexpected events, making her adept at quick thinking and adjusting to whatever came her way. Itâs what kept her alive through countless goblin and poacher encounters. She reveled in the surge of adrenaline, the feeling of being completely alive during the fight, and the satisfying taste of victory after narrowly surviving a deadly encounter.
Still, she found that it was quite nice to have an event that was set at a predetermined date. It gave her and her friends ample time to plan and prepare accordingly, and they were all excited to attend this yearâs Yule Ball.
They went down to Hogsmeade to pick out their dresses weeks in advance, back when the ground was still void of the first sprinkles of the mid-December snow. Rena greeted Mr. Hill warmly, and he cracked a joke about seeing her here for something other than combat gear.
The girls picked Anneâs room to get ready as two of her roommates left to go home early and the third one was getting ready in her friendâs room up in the Ravenclaw tower.
âWhere did you learn to do hair, Anne?â Poppy asked as Anne finished fitting the floral hairpiece between the connected braids that graced her head from either side. Her dress, a delicate tulle, was mint green and decorated with embroidery. It was fairly simple, and Rena loved the long-sleeved jacket in the same style that accompanied it.
âMy mother would braid my hair all the time when I was smaller, and I started practicing on my friends before I got sick. Itâs comforting to do something with my hands. Sebastian never let me braid his, but he allowed flowers.â There was a soft smile on her face, recalling the memory. Anne faced her now. âItâs your turn, Rena.â
She took the spot on the chair that Poppy occupied before and looked at her reflection in the mirror that they had conjured. The dress hugged her frame perfectly, and she still couldnât believe how fast she got attached to it.
It was the fifth dress she tried on, envying the other three. Natsaiâs dress was made by her grandmother, who sent it all the way from Ugadou via owl post. Anne immediately fell in love with the first dress she stumbled upon. With the pink skirt and the intricate purple bodice, she looked like she had just stepped out of a fairytale. Golden branches scattered across the dress and sat across the neckline, climbing all the way to the shoulder straps. Poppy found hers on the second try, complaining that the first dress she picked, creme in color, was made of a fabric that sat uncomfortably on her skin.
Rena picked at the top layer of her skirt, dreading going back out again. Dressing feminine wasnât an issue; like most girls her age, she did like dressing up nice in dresses and skirts when hanging out with friends or just wanting to look good and experiment with her developing style. However, this was a lot. Four dresses tried on and at least fifty that she looked at, Rena felt like she hadnât found herself in any of them. She craved the same feeling of fulfillment and wonder that she saw on Anneâs face when she found hers.
Secretly, she also wanted this night to go perfectly, and didnât want to spend the entire night out of place in her own body.
She let out a long sigh, feeling defeated, and stepped out.
Natsai and Poppy, previously lost in conversation, looked up when they saw her coming. Poppyâs mouth was agape, and Natty jumped to her feet.
âMerlin, Rena, that dress was made for you.â She squealed.
Anne took that moment to return from the counter, her dress neatly packaged into a box with a purple bow on top. When she saw her, she gasped, almost loosening her grip on her package. âLook at yourself.â
Heart swelling with anticipation, she walked over to the mirror. She was stunned by what she saw.
The dress was dark blue, the shade matching that of the Ravenclaw crest and robes. The skirt was set in layers, with glitter giving the illusion of a starry sky. The white tulle reached past the fabric covering her breasts in a way that it reminded Rena of waves tenderly brushing the shore or wings of faeries. Her favorite part was the waistline. An arrangement of little beads, designed like frosty blue flowers, spiraled along her shape.
Her appearance was less than perfect. She had a scar on her cheek and a purple bruise on her shoulder, wounds she sustained in battle. Ink dried under her fingernails from the lines she had to write for History of Magic. Braids that she usually maintained had stray strands of hair sticking everywhere as a result of a long and busy day of classes.
Yet, she still felt beautiful looking at herself.
âI think⌠I think I will take this one.â She muttered, giving it a twirl.
Natsai and Anne just grinned while Poppy ran to capture her in a hug, making them all dissolve in giggles.
Anneâs hands worked swiftly, carefully brushing out her hair and then starting on styling it. âYou have so much hair.â
âI know thatâs why they are usually in braids. More manageable that way.â She shrugged.
âStop looking down. Face forward.â She chided, lifting her chin up.
Rena let out a small laugh. âOkay, Mom.â
Anne went back to working with strands of hair, humming an unfamiliar yet pleasant tune.
Rena hoped Natsai was doing alright. She was on the committee tasked with overseeing that the Yule ball ran smoothly and needed to take a detour to the divination classroom since her mother was helping her style her hair. They could meet up before the celebration begins, but if any of them got stood up by something, they would at least get to see each other at the dance.
âThere you go.â Anneâs voice pulled her from her thoughts. âPoppy, hand me that mirror.â
The hand mirror pressed into her hands so she could take a look at the back, and Rena was in awe of the work Anne did. The bottom half of her hair cascaded in waves, while the top half was pulled into a braid. She tied a silver moon to the top of the braid and multiple stars spaced out until the end.
âIt looks beautiful.â She muttered, getting up to give Anne a hug. The other girl giggled and returned it in earnest.
âNow, let me finish doing mine, then we can go to meet the boys downstairs.â
Natsaiâs date, a Ravenclaw boy whose name Rena struggled to recall that moment, was going to meet her in the divination tower after she finished with her preparations. Poppy was going without a formal date, since she didnât care for the dancing and courting aspect of the ball and just wanted to spend an unforgettable night with some friends.
Ominis asked Anne to be his platonic date, making sure to get permission from Sebastian. He tried to play the part of the overprotective twin, but relented, saying that Ominis was the only boy their age he would trust to take her. Rena also gave her input and helped brainstorm some ideas of how to propose. He settled for taking her to Steeply & Sons for some pastries and tea, and asking her if she would like to go with him privately when they had returned to the castle.
It was an odd dynamic with the four of them. Ominis and Anneâs friendship was stronger than ever after the events of their fifth year, and they often hung out together starting their sixth year. Rena was often invited, and she went along with them whenever she had free time on her hands, even if she didnât always feel like she fit into their small group.
She was still avoiding her twin. Anne was better at hiding her hurt than Sebastian, but Rena saw through the cracks when they appeared. On their birthday, her expression kept falling when she thought no one was looking, despite Renaâs best efforts to throw a party with all her good friends and make sure everything went according to plan. Sebastian would avoid them for days, or when he wasnât too in his head, he would voice his torment outright.
Rena still spent time with Sebastian, just the two of them, or often with Ominis. They rebuilt, and their connection survived despite all that happened in their fifth year. Shared suffering became shared strength, and Rena would never trade their bond for the world.
So she had to juggle these two groups, making sure they are kept separate along with making time for Natsai and Poppy, who Anne learned to love spending her days with.
The one who really suffered from her split attention was Sebastian, who was stuck learning how to mourn the loss of his sister despite her recovery. She saw how it was killing him, having to pass by her in the halls, eat at the same table, share the common room and library, all while not being able to have one conversation.
She wouldnât tell the girls, but it was she who ended up asking him to the dance instead of him.
There was an increased poacher activity at one of the Thestral dens that Rena kept an eye on and Sebastian agreed to tag along to take them out. She was less worried about her own well being as she was capable of doing most of her missions alone, without breaking a sweat, but wanted Sebastian to have a change of scenery.
They have been friends long enough to where she could tell that he had been in his head for way too long and good friends donât let each other spiral. What was meant to be a way to help a friend, unfortunately quickly devolved into Sebastian getting on her nerves.
âOminis is taking Anne to the Yule Ball,â Sebastian said.
Rena, who had been talking about the locations of the camps she scouted days before and how many poachers she expected at each of them, was winded by the sudden change in topic. âI am aware. We were all in the Room of Requirement when the three of us spent hours discussing how and where he should ask her. Did you hit your head?â
He scoffed. âOf course not. I am happy for them.â
âAre you having regrets?â She asked. They were coming up on one of the camps, so she cast the Disillusionment Charm on herself. âBesides, itâs not even a date. They are going as friends.â
âNo, I am happy they are going together,â he followed suit. âDidnât want her to go with someone I didnât know.â
She didnât want to point out that there had been a lot of new friends and acquaintances that Anne had made since the year started, but didnât want to shove it in his face that she knew his own twin more than he did. So she stayed silent and moved on.
The two of them neared the camp, and Rena observed the patrol, trying to see if she had a long enough window of opportunity to take their executioner out first.
âIs Poppy going with anyone?â She jerked, surprised.
âQuiet down, youâre going to get us caught.â Rena hissed at him, directing her anger at where her eyes could see the terrain ripple in a way you only could if you knew what you were looking for. âSheâs not, but she doesnât want to. You are welcome to ask.â
âI respect her, but no, I am not planning on asking her.â
âThen whatâs your problem?â
âWell-â he hesitated. âDo you have a dat-â
His sentence was cut short when one of the poachers came to investigate the odd commotion, and Rena vowed to set fire to Sebastianâs cape when they were done here. For now, she rolled into action, feeling the ancient magic course through her body and converge at her hand, then blasted the first poacher into pieces.
Them being caught was slightly inconvenient, but they both made it out without any injuries. She disappeared into one of the tents to look for any letter or evidence of what they were up to. Rena flipped through meaningless correspondence until she stumbled upon a letter detailing an order for a client for some beasts. She stashed it in her pocket and left.
When she came back outside, Sebastian was looting some coin off one of the bodies, mercifully silent for now.
âYouâre being weird.â She muttered just loud enough for him to hear.
He didnât respond at first, but stood up and walked to her side. âThis seems to be a big deal for everyone, and I feel like it should be a bigger deal for me too. Nothing had really made sense since Anne came back. Iâm trying really hard to put meaning into my days, but I am just lost.â
âSounds like you need to go to a certain ball coming up and just have a good time.â Rena nudged him with her elbow.
âNow youâre just messing with me.â Sebastian huffed, annoyed, and for a split second Rena felt a strange fondness for him creep into her heart.
âWould you want to go to the Yule Ball?â
A mischievous smile crossed his face. âRena. Are you asking me to the ball?â
âPrick.â She huffed, cheeks heating up. âI mean, if you want- if you would like to go. As friends of course.â
âA truly special place you chose to ask.â
Rena looked around the now clear poacher camp. The leaves of the forest rustled in the wind, making the openings of some tentsâ flaps. They took out the ten people who guarded this area, with another twelve being at a different location. Her eyes lingered on a tree stump with many rings indicating its age, and an idea popped into her head.
Sebastian let out a curious hum behind her as she walked over and knelt down. She dug the itemized list of beasts that she had retrieved from the main tent and spread it flat on the stump.
There was a two week period in the spring, she must have been thirteen then, when her mother and father both had to leave on separate business trips. Her sister was still at Hogwarts, so her grandmother came to watch her for that time. She brought a book on origami with her, and the two of them spent time after school to fold animals, flowers and such.
Her fingers worked quickly, recalling the order of the folds she needed to do, and adjusted it to her liking.
Rena then got down on one knee and presented her hastily made origami paper ring to Sebastian. âSebastian Sallow, would you do me the honor of coming to the Yule Ball with me?â
Rena believed that even without a romantic relationship, the word âfriendâ couldn't fully express the depth of his significance in her life. Instead she confessed, âYou are one of the most important people in my life, and I couldnât imagine a world without you in it.â
A strange look flashed across his feature and Rena was too embarrassed to pinpoint the exact emotion that overcame him. Sebastian let her slip the way too big ring on his finger. âOf course I would.â
Despite the twinâs strained relationship, Anne was ecstatic to hear that she and Sebastian were going together. She teased Rena mercilessly even though she fought pointlessly against the allegations, insisting that they were just friends.
She choked on those words when they got to the top of the stairs from the Slytherin dungeons.
The boys waited for them by the Kelpie statue that stood just before the Grand Staircase. Ominis wore a neatly pressed dress shirt, with sleek black pants and a Slytherin green tailcoat with silver buttons. He had a brooch of emerald pinned on his chest, and his golden hair was neatly slicked back. Everything about him was as neat as it could have been, and he stood tall while he chatted with his friend.
Sebastian was a little less neat in his black suit, which was wrinkled in some places, and his tie, while successfully tied, stood just a bit crooked. He left his hair as he usually wore it, fluffy and untamed, just how Rena liked it. He was giving his authentic self, and her heart skipped a beat when he smiled at her.
The idea that he could have gone to the ball with someone else left a sour taste in her mouth. She was acutely aware of her own jealousy despite them not being formally together. Everything in her life, her purpose, her friends, the knowledge of her abilities had stabilized over the past months and yet the unnamed âthingâ between her and Sebastian had remained turbulent.
Rena wasnât lying back at the poacher camp, she would tear this world apart if anything happened to him.
âHey ladies, youâre all looking great.â Sebastian greeted the group, being cordial to Anne, which she was grateful for. Then, to everybodyâs shock, he took her hand, lifted it to his mouth and pressed the most gentle kiss to the back of her hand. âYou look beautiful, Rena.â
Speechless, she cast a glance at Poppy and Anne, who looked like they were both doing their damnedest to school their expressions. âYou look great as well. Letâs go find Natsai.â
They headed off, Rena and Sebastian leading the group with the other three trailing behind them. At one point Anne jabbed her in the side, and Rena tried to play it off with a wave of her hand. She was flustered and did not want to talk about it.
Natsai spotted them first, waiting by one of the pillars at the entrance to the Great Hall. Her dress was crimson red with a slit up her leg. The neckline folded from a colorful fabric that Rena could only imagine was Natsaiâs grandmotherâs handiwork. Her hair separated into two buns that were neatly tied at the base by ribbons in a matching color.
She waved excitedly. âOver here!â
âNatsai! Where is your date?â Rena asked after the girls exchanged hugs and compliments. âIf he stood you up, I will singe his eyebrows off during Crossed Wands. I am stronger than him, and he needs to know it.â
âHeâs just getting me drinks.â Off to the side, she swore she could hear Sebastian mutter something about a woman after his own heart. âCome on in. I canât wait for you guys to see how the decor turned out. We worked hard on it.â
Rena only knew that they went with a winter-like theme, still, it was a pleasant surprise to see the enchanted ceiling reflect the Aurora Borealis in stunning detail.
The four tables for the four houses turned into two, pushed to the very sides of the hall to give ample space for dancing in the middle, sported cyan tablecloths with silver glitter. They were packed to the brim with food: roasted turkey, towers of pastries and candies, and more options for sides that she could count.
Renaâs favorite part had to be the fake white shrubbery decorated with small glowing lights and the illusion of snow falling and disappearing just above their heads.
As promised, they had a great time. The four girls ate and danced to their heartâs content. Rena let Poppy twirl her around for one of the slow songs and then joined the other two to jump around for a popular pop song from a rising wizard band. An evening of joy and laughter was exactly what they needed to recover from the schoolwork and poacher tracking that they had been doing lately.
When they tired out, they sat at the corner of one of the tables and just chatted. Ominis and Sebastian joined them in this, and they got Anne to laugh at a joke Sebastian made. Even though it was just for one night, Rena could see how thankful he was to be spending time with his twin.
They were ready to call it a night and head back to the dorms when Sebastian approached her. âMay I have this dance? Or do you only dance with girls?â
âKnow your place,â she joked. Behind him, Anne was giving her a nod of approval.
Rena took his hand and let him lead her to the middle of the dance floor, away from the eyes of their prying friends.
She didnât consider herself a good dancer, but did learn the basics when she spent a week with Ominisâ family. Luckily, Sebastian led her in easy, repetitive steps that made her wonder where he learned to dance.
âYou seemed to have fun out there tonight.â He gave her a twirl. âI didnât know you knew how to do that.â
âI have fun fighting poachers and goblins.â She pointed out. âThis is just a different kind of fun I usually donât have time for.â
âItâs a good look on you. Not being worried about the world ending and all.â
âTechnically, it isnât ending anymore, but the fight is never over.â She spun again, landing in his arms this time. âYou asked to dance? Why?â
He hummed to himself, changing his pace with the new song that played. âI wanted to get you alone. Selfish reasons, I suppose. Did you mean what you said at the camp?â
âAbout asking you to the ball?â
âAbout what you said after.â
Rena suddenly felt embarrassed about her bold declaration, but figured he deserved the truth. âYou will always have a special place in my heart. I promised that despite the violence, itâs still you. I donât think I will ever meet anyone more fit to match me in wit and battle. Youâre my best friend, and I hope no matter what life throws at us, we will always come back to each other in some way or another.â
âYou really forgave me for last year? That easily?â There was a tremble in his voice.
âI wouldnât call it easy. Give yourself some credit. You spent the entire summer proving to me and Ominis that you changed for the better. And now I had to watch you suffer for half of our sixth year because you chose to respect Anneâs wishes of giving her space.â His eyes widened in shock, but she wasnât done. âDonât look surprised, I could always tell.â
Sebastian let out something between a sigh and a chuckle. âI appreciate you sticking by my side after everything. You didnât have to, and Iâve done some horrible things. I owe you and Ominis the world.â
âThe only thing you owe me is help on my history papers.â She joked, but he didnât laugh.
Instead he leaned in, and for a split second, Rena thought he was going to kiss her. He didnât, opting for a lingering kiss on her cheek instead.
Sebastianâs cheeks were as red as she thought hers were when he pulled away. âSleep well, Rena.â
Heart pounding in her chest, she watched him leave. Her fingers lingered where she could still feel the phantom touch of his lips against her cheek and hoped that one day they could be more than messy confessions of significance and soft touches with more meaning than they let on.Â
