⊹ ࣪ ˖ Pansy Parkinson ⩇⩇:⩇⩇

𝄞 Cigarettes After Sex — «Apocalypse»

The Yule ball. The great hall of Hogwarts shimmers with lights, ice sculptures hover over the tables, snowflakes swirl in the air, and the orchestra plays something solemn and a little sad. It's noisy in the hall, but at the same time there seems to be too much space between people: someone is dancing, someone is standing in groups discussing outfits and gossip, and someone is just hiding at the edge, pretending that he doesn't care. A quiet Ravenclaw stands by a column, clutching a glass of pumpkin juice in her fingers. She came because her friends insisted, but now she feels superfluous. Her gaze slides around the room, and at some point she notices Pansy: she is standing a little apart from the group of Slytherins, as if with them, but not quite. Pansy looks immaculate: her dress is dark and elegant, her pose is relaxed, and she has a familiar half-smile on her face. But if she look closely, she can see boredom in her eyes—and maybe fatigue from having to be "that Pansy" all the time. Ravenclaw averts her eyes when Pansy suddenly looks directly at her. But Pansy doesn't turn away right away—she holds her gaze, as if something about this quiet girl catches her. After a minute, Pansy takes a couple of steps to the side, as if just changing her position, but turns out to be exactly opposite the column behind which the quiet girl is hiding.