Mary had stepped out of the main ball for a moment. It was all overwhelming her, being in Lestrange Manor again, and she just needed a break. She had found a room off of the main ballroom and while she knew that in theory it was rude to be in there, she didn’t care. Rodolphus wouldn’t care. She had Nikolaus in her arms and she was just staring down at him. When she was overwhelmed, it helped to just hold her son and remember why she was there, why she was doing everything that she was doing. He was the light of her life, and she loved him more than she could say. She nearly jumped when the door opened. “I’m sorry, I just--” she trailed off. “I needed some space.”
Severus hummed lightly along with the song at the Ball, moving slightly from side to side with Nikolaus strapped to his chest. Mary had left him with him for the time being, going off to socialize or the bathroom, he wasn’t sure. They’d entered the ball together, and he’d kept at her side for most of the time, a gold pin on his suit to match her dress. “You’re lucky you can’t talk yet,” Severus whispered to Nik, “I wish I had that excuse,” He said not noticing when someone neared him and he nearly bumped into them.
Josephine, Severus and Rodolphus stood in one of the halls of the Lestrange Manor, talking about the event. The silent auction had just begun, which mean most of the attention was finally off Rod. Josephine remained keenly alert for any prying ears and eyes, making sure none of what she said could be cause doubt on her alliances. They were midway through conversation when she watched as Rodolphus’ attention waned. She followed his gaze to find Emmeline, and there was a slight ache inside her chest. She waited a couple seconds, and as if on cue, Rodolphus excused himself, lightly touching her shoulder as he passed. She kept her face a mask, but her gaze followed him; watching as he met with Emmeline and they walked away from prying eyes. As Severus continued to converse, she turned her attention back to him, but she wasn’t really listening. A few minutes passed, and Josephine excused herself from the conversation to the bathroom. She went to one of the more private ones, away from the guests of manor. But as she moved to open the door, she heard the moans and froze, her hand just millimetres from the knob. Josephine recognised it, a mixture of regret, longing and pain overcame her, and she immediately returned to the ball, heading for the drinks table.
Amycus was received with quiet gasps and whispers as soon as he walked through the door. People were surprised, he guessed, that he would ever come anywhere near the Lestrange manor. He paid no attention, greeting his acquaintances like he would at any other event. Amycus kept his head up high, roaming through the party like a snake circling a prey, moving gracefully, his expression holding nothing but a slight hint of arrogance. Keep your enemies close, it’s what they say; even if takes coming to a party filled with scum. Out of a sudden, someone bumped into him, almost causing his champagne to spill. Amycus looked over his shoulder slowly to face the other person. “You see, had this spilled on my clothes, I would’ve been forced to hurt you,” he said, keeping his expression serious, even if his tone came out as somewhat playful.
The charity ball was a rousing success, patrons and guests were generous as they emptied their purses not only into the donation jar but also at the auction tables. Prizes were won by those in gowns and suits, happy smiles all around though if that was from winning or the abundance of free alcohol no one could tell.
Despite the Lestrange manor being full of contentious enemies and those on opposite sides of a stinging conflict nothing went wrong. There were no fights, no fists thrown or wands drawn and though some rooms were used beyond their intended purpose nothing unsavory went down. The Prophet reported all the events from the arrivals to the possible arguments, they speculated on fighting and the amount to be raised and finished the reporting with how much was given, Close to seven hundred thousand galleons, an incredible amount of money for the victims, the survivors and the memorial to be built.
The morning following the Charity ball Rodolphus Lestrange arrived at the ministry to give the Undersecretary the money raised. He had a proud smile on his regal face as he passed the large white sack to Helena Rosier, all smiles and a room full of clapping officials and victims family members. However shock and anger rang through the room as the sack was opened and found empty of the donations, empty of galleons, full of nothing but pieces of parchment written with the names of the dead.
Rodolphus Lestrange and the Opposition were immediately questioned and though the candidate for minister denied any knowledge of the robbery or wrong doing he was quickly attacked by the media that seemed to adore him just hours earlier, calling him a thief and playing with people’s sympathies. Some called for him to remove himself from the running but more agreed that he had no reason to take the funds intended for those in need. Still, the damage was done and though his candidacy was intact the Opposition was in trouble, public opinion had taken an incredible hit and the Uprising was quickly regaining the traction they’d lost after the Massacre.
Remus Lupin was being hailed as a silent hero, one that had been criticized only weeks before was now being exalted and new members flocked to the Uprising. Some others chose to support the Opposition in their darker moment. Both sides had taken hits and both were now growing for very different reasons. With the election just around the corner it was impossible to tell who was now in the lead, Marlene Mckinnon still a dark horse.
As the days after the ball unfolded no culprit was found but many hoped the funds would be located and given as they had been intended to be distributed. Only one person knew what had really happened to it all and that was Evan Rosier.
1. The charity ball event has concluded as of midnight
2. Evan Rosier has hidden the raised money in order to bring harm to the Opposition, only Evan knows where it is and no other character saw him do it or knows he did unless Evan tells them IC.
3. Speculation is welcome! Rita Skeeter can post news articles regarding this
4. The Opposition and all its members will need to react to public outrage and scrutiny
5. New people may join either side, any neutrals that might decide to join up because of this revelation may do so! Please come to the admins if you have any questions.
Florence was happiest when she was at beautiful parties surrounded by beautiful people. The smile on her lips couldn’t be taken away for anything tonight. As she moved through the manor, she was happy to notice people watching her as she moved through the room. She had spent nearly three hours getting ready for tonight, and the effort had clearly paid off. Scanning the room, she was looking for someone to talk to. She had been mingling all night, but she was looking forward to talking to someone else. Finally spotting someone, she grabbed a flute of champagne and took a sip from it and flounced over. “There you are!” She said happily. “Enjoying your night?: She asked.
Rabastan was brooding through the party, each time he heard Rod’s voice or caught his face in the corner of his eye his mood soured. He only had one drink so he could keep his wits about him, just in case. When he stepped into a side hallway, one that was narrow and quiet, between the main ballroom and a set of bathrooms and closets, he found someone already there. “Clever hiding spot, I thought so too.” He sighed as he leaned his head back against the white marble wall, feeling the cool stone seep into his skin. He didn’t care that the stranger saw him in a moment of honest emotion, he was exhausted.
