the Malfoy Masque, part deux

[mirror_darkly]

Date: Twelfth Night! (January 6)
Location: Malfoy Manor, the 'Ballroom'
Characters Involved: those ready to dance!

Comments

7:45

[percys_grail]

Percy held his invitation in his hand, wondering why one had been delivered to him in the first place. If he was still working at the Ministry of Magic, then he could have understood. Perhaps he was still on some sort of mailing list? In any case, Percy was happy to attend, despite the fact the gala was being held by the Malfoys at their Manor. He was ready to enter the job market once again and had spent hours pouring over his CV - this party would be a good opportunity for him to hobnob with influential people in Wizarding Society who might help him in his search.

Percy didn't have much money, but he wanted to put on a good first impression, therefore his costume was based on traditional Venetian Carnival attire, red for Gryffindor, with an appropriate mask . He felt rather silly in the tights and he expected to hear jokes made about his skinny legs, but after all, it was a masquerade, and everybody was participating in the fun

Re: 7:45

[mirror_darkly]

It didn't matter how they were dressed, it was impossible to miss a Weaseley. Since Lucius had taken great pains to get a certain Weaseley at his Masque--for purposes of his own--the man in the ridiculous feathers who could not pull off wearing tights to save his life simply had to be Percy Weaseley. Giving the faintest of significant looks to Millicent, he moved slightly so that she was no longer blocking him and called out to the confused-looking young man in front of him.

Making a show of flicking his eyes at the invitation--as if realizing that this must be an Important Guest, as he had one--Lucius said graciously, "Good evening, busker. I do hope you will enjoy yourself this evening at our special event."

Re: 7:45

[our_discontent]

Between his attentions to his meek new protégé, Draco too noticed another entrance to the Masque, one he and the rest had been silently, eagerly, awaiting. The man’s costume was loud, laughable-if only Percy had the legs and airs to pull off tights. And if only he hadn’t chosen red to go with that same audacious shade of hair.

Weasleys, would they ever learn?

Well, tonight this particular Weasley would be an obliging pupil.

Draco looked on as his father made a polite ‘show’ of welcoming the guest, as opposed to letting the rather befuddled thing make his way to the hosts like the rest had done. Hm. Hopefully none of this would look too important, since Lucius had made his expectations about subtleties clear for the evening. He caught the glance to Millicent just a mere foot or two away, and he cast his eyes toward his female peer as well

Re: 7:45

[la_morte_bella]

A gloved hand came to rest on the back of the young red-head; long, thin fingers (covered in green) curled over his shoulder, squeezing the bony appendage gently. A pressure was applied, supposedly to keep him from jumping. Likely it would be unsuccessful.

"Mr. Weasley," a soft voice from behind him could be heard. The hand on his shoulder guided him to turn just enough to bring the tall woman into view. "Our guest of honor, I presume?" She added, looking to the boy. Though her voice was soft, regal even, it was like being caressed by a jeweled dagger as it rolled down your spine and through your nerves -- elegant, dangerous, and a mere nanometer from cutting your flesh.

She offered Percy a smile before her attention turned to Lucius.

"Dear Lucius, your evening is magnificent."

Re: at 8:30 Let's cut the cake!

[mirror_darkly]

As the house elves began their skurrying duty of passing out tasty slices of Twelfth Cake and eating utensils, Lucius faded back into the crowd. He took full advantage of the fact that people would be drawn toward the cutting of the cake and the drama of just who might be the lucky King or Queen. He drifted about, nodding toward that person, smiling at this person, chatting with someone else. He was slowly making his way back to the 'Countess' Narcissa, doing what he did best, mixing. But he mixed with a purpose. Somehow, he managed to catch Montague as he walked along, giving him a nod and a brief smile to know that the game was finally on. He would make sure to stop by the others who would help him make this night a night of revelries to really remember for the rest of the year. Bellatrix, Millicent, everyone needed to be flashed the hidden signal in all the social back-slapping and hand-shaking that now was the time. He saved his son, the reluctant, 'overshadowed monarch' for last. It was time for his 'test of office

Re: at 8:30 Let's cut the cake!

[our_discontent]

Draco drew subtly closer toward the tightly knit center of the thronging guests, all plunging curiously into their cake slices with delight. The room filled with gushing of all sorts, ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahhhs’ and disappointed sighs when they found no special walnut in their share of the delicious dessert. But as the evening had drawn out, and considering Percy’s appropriately audacious carnival costume, it was no outstanding surprise when the ostentatiously dressed man discovered the nut signifying his luck hidden in his cake. It appeared he was dressed to entertain them, after all

Re: at 8:30 Let's cut the cake!

[percys_grail]

Percy was amused by this quaint tradition and, like the rest, he poked through his cake, not expecting to find anything. When his fork flaked away the pastry to reveal the walnut, he was surprised and looked about rather conspicuously. Was this really what everybody was searching for?

Somebody nearby pointed at his plate and squealed with glee, "He's found the walnut!" Suddenly there was a such a hurly-burly of activity swarming around him, that Percy was just swept up in it all. He was patted upon the back and congratulated, people addressing him as the 'Lord of Misrule'. The only thing Percy was able to think was, "ME?"

He didn't even know how the crowd had guided him toward the front of the room where he looked out among the calliope of colors that made up the masked revelers. Once he got over his initial shock, he tipped his hat off to the crowd, which made everybody applaud.

Now what was he supposed to do?

Re: at 8:30 Let's cut the cake!

[mirror_darkly]

Lucius turned from his conversation with the pesky Prophet reporter to-surrepticiously-see that all was in readiness. The silly little guest of honor had just found his ‘lucky’ nut. Millicent stood inconspicuously at the edge of the room, conveniently by the room’s only light switches. Lucius scanned the crowd and smiled as he found her ‘body double,’ smack in the center of the largest group of people in the room. They could attest that she had been nowhere near those switches. Montague had drifted to one side of the room, while Lucius’s son had ambled to the other. They stood at opposite ends from each other. Both had their hands near where their wands had to be. Now was the time

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 7:50

[la_morte_bella]

It was the music, the chatter from those upstairs that muffled the loud crack of apparation to everyone but the house elves. In the small foyer in which they waited it was nearly deafening. Each little green figure jumped in succession. It took them all a few moments to notice the dark figure now standing in the midst of them. Those to the figure's left were promptly covered with a black cape large enough to cover three of them. It was worn specifically for that purpose.

"Miss Bellatrix!" One of them exclaimed, darting forward to offer himself as her escort. "You are quite late!" The elf earned a frown from the woman, and the swish of her heavy skirt which sent him into the wall of the hallway he lead her down. The small figure apologized profusely for his comment the last few feet of the hallway. He bowed just outside the door of the ballroom.

With those first steps into the ballroom, her dress, made of dark green velvet and embellished with gold stitching and green feathers, moved like a shadow. It consumed the ground around her

Re: Somewhere in the neighborhood of 7:50

[mirror_darkly]

The moment she walked into the ballroom, Lucius knew that the new arrival had to be his sister-in-law, Bellatrix. Perhaps it was the dramatic barroque dress in a wash of greens that seemed to not only cast but move in its own shadow. Perhaps it was the fluid stalking way in which the wearer of said dress moved. Perhaps it was simply the extreme sense of self-assurance she projected. But, whatever the reason, Lucius simply knew

Re: Somewhere in the neighborhood of 7:50

[la_morte_bella]

Lucius...

He was rather easily spotted. The crowd, their costumes, did little to distract from the host's regal air. Bellatrix stared at him for a long moment. At the end, a smirk crawled across her lips-- a response to the nod he had bestowed upon her. It was much more amiable than the simplistic raise of an eyebrow he usually garnered from her. After all, she had every reason to be rather proud of her brother-in-law tonight.

The smirk faded rather quickly as she moved through the room. Her eyes connected with a few who dared, but a mischievous glance would be all they received. Later, perhaps, they'd get more from the witch. As it were, she had a destination; The guest of honor.

(( Continued in the thread above! XD ))

roughly 8:15ish

[m4moony]

After an hour or so, Remus was beginning to remember why he had almost preferred spying in the werewolf camps to spying amoung the death eaters during the war...the mind-numbing, simper most socialites dared call 'conversation'. He had spent the bulk of his time in the ballroom, where the majority of the guests had congregated and, except for an amusing interlude early on with a hawk-guised auror, he hadn't had an intelligent conversation yet. His foray into the games room had been no better. He had not lingered over-long there as he did not wish to find his cover blown by some mindless groping in blind man's bluff -- he didn't particularly want there to be any mindless groping at all, come to that

7:35

[good_as_goldy]

Why was he there? He promised himself he wouldn't go. He'd sworn it. A two-time Death Eater was a Death Eater for life, as far as he was concerned. He didn't trust the man. But, around his periphery orbited the woman who in her wake, pulled along the object of his affections. If, into the Lion's Den (a-haha) he must venture, shrouded in darkness and venom then that is what he would do

Re: 7:35

[mirror_darkly]

Lucius turned from his just-finished conversation with Mrs. and Miss Greengrass to his wife. He was curious what she thought of the pair, especially in relation to their son, Draco. But he didn't get the chance. Out of the corner of his practised eye, he saw a new figure enter the ballroom. It was not a figure whose identity he could, in any way, immediately guess. It was also a costume that, while seemingly imbued with meaning, had none to spare for him. On the whole, it left him confused--which left him nonplussed

Re: 7:35

[good_as_goldy]

It was clear from Malfoy's appraising stare that he saw little in the costume. But that was something Anthony had expected. What surprised him however was the lackadaisical manor which overtook him. He was polite as the manors of the evening required but not a jot more. Anthony was an unknown quantity, and it seemed to him that Lucius Malfoy had little time for innocuous things which he failed to understand. Finding both a measure of dark humour and equally dark pity in that, Anthony made mental note of the moment for future reference.

Bowing once more, he allowed himself a smile while his head was lowered. Speaking from this position he exaggerated the disparity in rank even further. "I thank you and your wife once again for the invitation and hope to find Enrichment in tonight's proceedings."

'Hang him.' Anthony thought bitterly. He may not have been innocuous but he was not the fulcrum around which Anthony's worries pivoted and was, therefore, equally irrelevant to him. Straightening up, Anthony diffused into the crowd, his gaze

Re: 7:35

[mirror_darkly]

Lucius opened his mouth to reply when the strangely-clad new invitee bowed at servant-to-master level of the Old Style. But the still-unknown young man never gave him the chance. He stood up and left after the overly obsequious reply, leaving Lucius, for once in a very long while, speechless. He stared after the shock-masked male banshee, the faintest of a puzzled frown crossing his face.

But, after a second, when the man disappeared in the throng, Lucius's pleasant smile was back on his face as if it had never left. He turned back to his duties as host.