BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE - REMUS LUPIN

102 - "THE LAST DAY"

We will see you soon over the Christmas holidays.

Regards,

Cora Nott

The letter was short, but its message was one that Theodore had been suspecting for a long time but awaiting physical proof. It filled him with even more arrogance and pride than the Nott had even been a host of, and his eyes narrowed as he thought of what to do with the letter.

Luckily, tonight just the right people would all be in one place.

And Theodore fully intended on letting one auburn haired boy, in particular, know who Hollis belonged to.

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡　　　ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+

After taking about two too many full cups of the Invigoration Drought that Slughorn had let them brew secretly in the Marauder's corner each, Hollis, Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James were all in a state of calm alertness that they could have never achieved without the rust-colored potion. However, the potion had taken until half-past seven to brew, and they all had to be at the party in less than an hour.

Marlene and Lily had agreed to wait for Hollis in the same bathroom they had used to get ready for Valentine's Day and the many birthday parties attended over the past years. Usually, Slughorn's dinner parties just required some semi-formal attire, but his Christmas parties had the reputation of only falling under something like the Yule Ball as far as formality went.

When Hollis walked into the high ceilinged room still in her Slytherin robes, her mouth nearly dropped open at how she looked at the moment compared to Lily and Marlene.

Lily was in front of the mirror wearing a nude-colored dress slightly more tan than her skin tone with small, almost invisible crystals all across the layer of thin, gauzy fabric draped on top of the base. The sleeves were only as long as her elbows, starting at the bottom of her shoulder. Combined with her dark, shining red hair, the whole outfit made her look like some glamorous woodland nymph.

Next to her, Marlene was dragging a light pink lipstick across her mouth with one hand, while the other was fastening a clip with a rose gold butterfly against her honey blonde hair. Her dress wasn't flowing and loose like Lily's was, it was tightly hugged to her body and was made of dark navy silk that glistened in the bright yellow lamplight. Marlene looked amazing, and from the smug expression on her face, she knew it.

"Oh, I'm so bloody screwed," Hollis whispered, letting her black leather bag slide off her shoulder and onto the cream tile ground with a defeated thud. "You two both look like goddesses."

Lily turned to see Hollis's expression and gently laughed.

"Oh please, Hol, Marlene got your dress from the Slytherin dorms with Black's help, and I can personally attest to the fact that you will look absolutely stunning as well," the Gryffindor told her friend, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the mirror where her dress was hanging on a copper knob.

Marlene walked over to Hollis and held up a silver snake clip in her hand.

"And I found this with my butterfly, and one with a robin for Lil," Mckinnon declared, insistent on the Rosier wearing one of the elegant clips as well. "Sort of like our rings, but they're all different."

Hollis looked down at her finger and twirled the ring around it, reminding herself of all the stones that each represented one of them. Dark brown for her own eyes, a light jade for Lily, and a cerulean stone for Marlene.

"Do you reckon that we're going to have these rings forever?" she asked quietly, looking up at two of her best friends.

Marlene smiled softly and set down the lipstick tube with a click of its glass top.