Dirty Little Game ♠ Professor Lupin

Seventeen: Sweet Child

It was the same this time as well. I had no choice but to wear the dress my mother had selected for me, even though I didn't feel comfortable in it. The dress was long and quite heavy due to the light-reflecting sequins sewn into the cloth, a deep cut in the back emphasized my attractive figure. I knew I looked stunning in it, so I tried not to get too concerned.

The feast was held in the main hall of the Girnsle residence. It looked incredible, as if this place had been built specifically for such occasions. Long rows of tables, around a hundred seats, ran along the right and left walls. The area in the centre, which was the most brightly lit with white, green, and golden lights, was dedicated for dancing.

There were a lot of people inside, I didn't believe so many people preferred to spend Christmas here instead of in the company of their families. On the other hand, each pure-blooded family was more or less related to each other.

The first hour whizzed by in a flash. I smiled at people and nodded my head, nothing difficult. But for a moment the blood in my veins froze at the sight of Fenrir Greyback, whose smile was unnaturally wide and frightening. He placed his hairy arm around my waist and said something about how wonderful it was to see me and how beautiful I looked, but I couldn't hear him, my heart was desperately trying to detach from my chest. I swear I felt his claws on my body.

He has terrified me since I was a little kid. At first, I was totally oblivious of who he was, his appearance was enough for me. When I found out he was a werewolf, my fear went off scale. I couldn't understand why my parents let him into our house, let him be around me. It was only when I got older that I realized they had no real choice. Either you're with Greyback or you're against him.

My friends also showed up. I mean, my friend Wilton and my ex-friend Brook. I grinned as I greeted Wilton and his parents, trying to make the best first impression possible. I knew they were strict people, but I hoped that if they had a good time here, they would treat the boy better. Brook's family I simply avoided, not wanting to interact with them. There were so many guests that I unfortunately didn't notice them.

When all had gathered, my father and Ryley's father both gave a brief, in my opinion worthless speech. The primary issue happened next: I was supposed to dance with the boy. Both our parents took to the dance floor, and as their only children, we were expected to do the same. I thought after what I did just a day ago, something like this would not happen.

Ryley grabbed my hand and basically dragged me along. He seemed as delighted as I was. "Don't think I wanted it." He muttered, trying to keep his mouth as still as possible so no one would notice he was talking to me.

We stood at a safe distance from our parents, facing each other. Ryley grabbed my waist which made me jump in place. He smiled crookedly.

"Dance better than usual." I taunted him, pleased to see his expression change.

The music started. Ryley focused on the correct moves, looking down at his legs as though this was the first time he was doing it.

"Get a grip!" I scolded him in a whisper. He looked up at me, not understanding what that was about. "Look at me, not your feet. You're not learning to walk."

He narrowed his eyes at me, but did what I told him. Certainly our dance didn't look that good, we were too stiff and totally mismatched. He stepped on my toes once, but I didn't let others know anything like that had happened. So like the five-year-old he was, he started doing it on purpose.

"Oh, sorry, my leg missed." He said quietly, not hiding his amusement.

"Do it again and my knee will accidentally hit between your legs."