This is just like your typical inktober-type event, but occurring over the month of September! Each day has one basic prompt and one character prompt. You are free to draw as many or as few prompts as you want, and as many or as few days as you’d like!!
For @crustystherat , I hope you enjoy it ✨ | Written for the Secret Santa event by @hphm-fandom-events ✨ | 2006 words
English is not my native language
The hubbub in the great hall ceased the moment Dumbledore rose from his seat after the meal.
“Dear students,” he said joyfully, spreading his arms wide, “this year again the Yule Ball will take place.”
A cheer of joy greeted the news, plunging the Great Hall into a new cacophony.
“It's ridiculous,” grumbled Ismelda, “balls are so ridiculous.”
“Yeah” Merula agreed, letting her gaze sweep across the Great Hall until it fell upon Andi Aguilera.
Dumbledore continued his speech but Merula only caught bits and pieces - it was the same speech every year! - her gaze still fixed on Andi, who paid no attention to her, being far too busy laughing with Rowan.
From her seat at the Slytherin table, Merula couldn't hear their conversation, but judging by Rowan's shifty eyes and Andi's enthusiastic gestures, they must be talking about the upcoming ball. Did Andi already know who they wanted to go with?
It doesn't matter anyway! Everyone loved Andi, everyone would surely want to go with them, and they would have plenty of choice when it came to choosing a partner.
And it's absolutely not Merula's heart that's tightening with jealousy in her chest. Absolutely not! Merula is The Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts! She couldn't care less about a silly ball! She couldn't care less about Andi's ridiculous smile! She couldn't care less about their eyes sparkling with joy! She couldn't care less about…
“Are you coming?” asked Ismelda, standing up and abruptly cutting off Merula's thoughts.
“I'm coming,” grumbled the Slytherin, getting up after casting one last glance at Andi.
Dumbledore had announced the ball three days ago, and Andi was already running around everywhere. As always with big events, Andi was always helping their friends.
Need help with the ball planning by Penny? Count on Andi! Need help with the appetizers by Jae? Count on Andi! Need to stop Tonks and Tulip from playing a prank that could ruin the ball? Count on Andi! Need help with Badeea creating a magnificent Yule mural? Count on Andi!
Andi was everywhere, moving from room to room, crossing the corridors with determination to help all their friends.
Merula had tried to get Andi's attention several times, but Andi always seemed too busy to notice. The only thing that reassured Merula was that Andi, being so preoccupied, hadn't yet had the chance to ask someone to accompany them to the ball, which meant Merula still had a good opportunity to offer her company. Not that she wanted to invite Andi, of course not! Balls are ridiculous, but Andi seemed excited about this one, and what better way to go than with The Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts? It was a favor she was doing Andi, nothing more! Because her heart didn't race when she saw Andi. Her hands didn't get sweaty when Andi walked a little too close. Her breath didn't quicken when Andi's eyes met hers. And her cheeks didn't flush at all when Andi smiled at her.
Merula is completely immune to Andi's charm! She doesn't care about the sound of their laughter echoing in her ears. She doesn't care about their adorable expression when they are concentrating in Potions class, when they are deep in thought during Transfiguration class, when they are diligently wielding their wand during Charms class, when they are listening attentively during Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Merula couldn't care less when Andi spends hours in the library, endlessly scribbling on parchment, an ink stain on their cheekbone, under their ear, and on their fingers. Merula has absolutely no desire to run her thumb over Andi's bruised lips when they bite their lower lip in concentration. Merula has absolutely no desire to make a detour to the kitchens and traumatize those poor house-elves by forcing them to prepare a snack when Andi, too engrossed in reading, forgets mealtime. No, really, Merula doesn't care about Andi!
And if she wants to invite them to the ball, it's only for Andi's social status, nothing more.
Lost in her thoughts, Merula collided with Penny, who fell to the ground, knocking over everything she was holding in her hands.
“Watch where you're going, Haywood,” Merula grumbled, massaging her own shoulder.
“I'll throw the thought back at you,” replied Penny, picking up her books and looking eagerly at the floor, as if she were searching for something important.
“What's wrong, Haywood? Did you lose your love letter?” Merula sneered, watching Penny grope around on the ground.
“I…” replied Penny, raising her head, her eyes widening in terror.
Merula followed her gaze, expecting to see Rakepick or another professor, but there was no one there. Merula squinted as a miniature paper snitch fluttered around her head before disappearing at top speed down the corridor, just like a real snitch.
A strangled “no!” caught her attention again, and she turned to face the Hufflepuff, still kneeling on the floor. Penny’s cheeks flushed instantly, her body slumped as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and her eyes darted about in their sockets, as if she were searching for a place to hide, before finally giving up and staring at a point in the distance.
Surprised by Penny's reaction, Merula turned her head to discover what terrified the Hufflepuff so much.
There, at the end of the corridor, stood Skye Parkin, the unfolded paper Golden Snitch in her hands. Her face neutral, betraying no emotion, Skye walked towards them. Without so much as a glance at Merula, she reached out to Penny to help her up.
“I would love to go to the ball with you, Haywood,” smiled Skye, gently stroking the top of Penny's hand with her thumb. “See you on the Quidditch pitch later?”
Unable to speak, Penny nodded, her cheeks red.
“Great,” smiled Skye, letting go of her hand, “see you later… Penny.”
Skye leaned over, placing a light kiss on Penny's cheek before stepping back. She winked at her and continued on her way, joining some members of the Quidditch team who were waiting for her.
“Oh! By Merlin!” Penny gasped after a moment, turning around to see Skye disappear around the corner of the corridor.
Clutching her books to her, a huge smile on her face, Penny skipped lightly out of the corridor, lost in thought, leaving Merula in the large empty hallway.
If Haywood and Parkin go to the ball together, it means neither of them will invite Andi. Not that Merula cares, of course—she doesn't care who invites Andi—but a Quidditch player and a Quidditch fan is simply not good enough for Andi. It's certainly not worth the company of The Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts.
“Hi Merula,” said a voice she would recognize anywhere, “have you seen Rowan? We're supposed to meet Andre for our ball outfits, but I can't find them”
“Why would I be?”
“Forget it, Snyde,” Andi sighed, continuing on them way.
“Hey!” Merula called out to them, “you know, if you want to go to the ball with me you can ask me, maybe I'll say yes…”
Andi turned around, giving her an unreadable look before sizing her up.
“I'll think about it, Merula,” replied Andi with a sly smile before turning away and going to look for Rowan.
Standing in front of her mirror, Merula swiveled to examine her outfit from several angles. Her heart pounding in her chest, she brushed invisible dust off her jacket and rubbed her sweaty hands on her trousers before collapsing onto her bed.
With her arms at her sides, Merula stared at the ceiling for a moment before sighing and sitting up. She tugged at her jacket sleeve, ran a hand through her hair, undid the first few buttons of her shirt, and then went back to her mirror to adjust her jacket.
The magical alarm clock on the bedside table of one of her Slytherin housemates read 7:00 PM, and Merula sighed before returning to her bed and sitting up. Taking a deep breath, she let her gaze sweep across the empty dormitory until her eyes settled on the small piece of parchment lying on her bedside table.
Biting her lower lip, she reached out a trembling hand to grasp the paper and open it, as if to make sure that all of this was real.
Andi's handwriting was still there, blue ink, a fingerprint, an ink stain on a piece of yellowed parchment. Nothing had changed since she had received the little note yesterday afternoon. Andi's words were still the same words.
“I would be delighted to go to the ball with you, Merula.
Meet me at the bottom of the stairs in front of the Great Hall at 8pm.
Andi”
Merula stared at the parchment as if she wanted each word imprinted on her retina. She unconsciously slid her thumb over Andi's name, smiling, before folding the word and placing it on her bedside table.
One last glance at the alarm clock and Merula jumped to her feet. She stood before her mirror again, checked her outfit once more, brushed off more nonexistent dust, adjusted her shirt and jacket, and then ran a final hand through her hair for discipline. Satisfied, she left the dormitory to go to the meeting place.
The excitement was palpable. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Merula watched the excited students make their way to the ballroom. A little further on, she spotted Penny and Skye, hand in hand, smiling happily at each other before joining other students and entering the Great Hall.
Merula wanted to throw a barb at them, a cutting remark, but her gaze caught movement and, when she turned towards the top of the steps, her eyes widened in surprise, her mouth opened of its own accord, her mocking smile vanishing. Her heart leaped in her chest, beating faster, and her breath caught in her throat; it was as if all the air had been expelled from her lungs.
There, at the top of the steps, was Andi, magnificent in their ball outfit.
Regaining her composure, Merula inhaled slowly as she watched Andi descend the steps on Rowan's arm.
With her eyes fixed on Andi's, Merula took a step forward, regaining control of her body and trying to calm the irregular beating of her heart.
“Aguilera,” Merula breathed, extending her hand to help Andi down the last few steps.
“Snyde,” smiled Andi, accepting her hand after thanking Rowan.
“You are…”
“The most incredible person of the evening?” Andi ventured with an amused smile.
“Yes,” Merula sighed, unable to find any cutting retort.
Andi smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind their ear, their other hand still in Merula's.
“Perhaps we should…” Andi said, with a nod towards the Great Hall.
“Yes… Yes! You’re right,” replied Merula, seeming to come out of her stupor, “let’s go show them that you have the best rider in the whole school.”
“The best rider in the whole school?” repeated Andi, amused. “That's all?”
“I'm still The Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts,” Merula pointed out with a mischievous smile.
Andi laughed, a laugh so sweet to Merula's ears, and let themself be led towards the Great Hall, where the ball was in full swing.
The other students, the laughter, the noises, the decorations in the room, none of it mattered. Everything seemed so far away to Merula, now that she had Andi in her arms, moving slowly to the rhythm of the music.
Of course Merula hates balls, of course she hates dancing. If she's doing all this, it's for Andi and only Andi. Her heart isn't pounding in her chest, her breath isn't quickening, she doesn't feel any tingling of pleasure in her nerve endings. She doesn't have the irresistible urge to smile, to bury her face in Andi's neck and breathe in their scent. She doesn't want time to stop so that this moment could last forever.
And above all, she has absolutely no irresistible urge to put her lips on Andi's.
I hope I haven't misgendered Andi. If so, I'm sorry, it was a careless mistake on my part (I've proofread it several times, but I still struggle with English). I will modify it if necessary ^^
And here's a little bonus with Penny and Skye. I can't draw, but it was fun to make 😊
Description:
1: Penny, completely in love, has transformed her invitation letter into a Golden Snitch.
2: Penny, helpless, watches her Golden Snitch letter slip away towards a doubtful Skye.
3: Skye blushes as she reads the letter.
