Snakes and Ladders (Fem!HPxLM) (DISCONTINUED)

Acosmist

Before she knew it, Hyacinth was back in her gown and mingling with the attendees. Only her family had witnessed the ritual, as anyone else being there would've tampered with the ritual magic. She had to lie on a large flat stone, shivering at the coldness it sent rushing up her spine, as her mother, father, and brothers set out and lit tall white candles around her.

They chanted the spell for the ritual, and Hyacinth remembers feeling a tingling sensation shoot up her arms and legs. The ritual didn't change her features, as she was only aged up one year. Had they aged her up to 18, they would've seen drastic changes to her features.

She turned from talking to a woman named Lady Nancy Drew, a high-standing witch of pureblood nobility when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She didn't recognise the man behind her, but he smiled brightly at her, and she smiled back.

"Forgive me for intruding, Ms Riddle; my name is Magnum Mayweather. I was wondering if you would do me the honour of dancing with me?" he asked, holding his hand out invitingly.

She hesitated for a second, studying his face. She didn't know what it was, but something within her told her not to accept his offer. There was something cold and unfeeling in his eyes. She glanced behind her, crestfallen to see that Lady Drew had slipped off to talk to someone else, meaning Hyacinth didn't have an out.

She sighed slightly, turning back to him with a hesitant smile before she curtsied to him slightly before she accepted his offered hand gracefully.

They danced to the soft music ringing throughout the ballroom, their steps gentle and practised.

Lucius stood in the corner of the ballroom, watching the two with thinly veiled jealousy, his hand tightly wrapped around his whiskey glass with a white-knuckled grip. Bellatrix sidled up beside him.

"My dear brother-in-law, you won't have a glass left if you continue to hold it like that", she teased, slipping the glass from his hand and drinking the whiskey herself. Her eyes followed his line of sight, "Ah", she sighed, placing the glass down, "Lucius, go ask her to dance; she is clearly uncomfortable; she'd probably thank you for it." She encouraged, and Lucius looked at her with wary eyes.

"Lucius, one would have to be blind not to see your feelings for her. Now go," she demanded, giving him a slight push both metaphorically and physically with a firm hand on his back.

He slowly picked his way through the crowd and reached them right as the piece of music ended. Before he could speak, though, the man leant down to whisper something in Hyacinth's ear, and he watched as her face fell and her panicked eyes met his own.

Before he could decipher what was happening, the man that just moments ago had been dancing with Hyacinth had whipped out his wand and fired a silent spell right at her stomach. Lucius moved to catch Hyacinth as she fell to the floor, feeling as though he was moving in slow motion despite getting to her within seconds.

The man tried to flee but was blocked by attendees of the ball, and Tom had his wand against the man's throat before anyone could utter a word. Gasps rang out throughout the ballroom, and Lucius returned his attention to the unconscious girl in his arms. She was bleeding. A dark, sticky substance darkening the fabric of her dress. It wasn't something anyone would notice unless they were where Lucius was, but he could see it.

"Severus", he called out, bringing the potion master's attention to them; the man ran over to them as soon as he saw the panic-stricken face of his best friend. He noticed the blood quickly, shock and panic taking over his body. He rushed to help Lucius pick her up in a bridal-style carry and promptly created a path through the crowd.

Once they reached the ballroom doors, Severus stopped, turning to his most trusted friend with fury in his eyes.

"Take her to her room and call for Healer Sage Dempsey. Do not leave her side." He instructed, his distracted eyes trailing towards where his husband stood, wand at the man's throat and a rage ready to boil over. "I will help Tom deal with our... guest", he finished darkness to his words.

Lucius nodded, looking down at the unconscious girl in his arms, her blood now staining his white dress shirt. He paused before he left the ballroom, turning to Severus with a dark look in his eyes.

"Make him pay" were his only words before he rushed from the ballroom to Hyacinth's chambers.

Severus turned back to the crowd, who seemingly got the message from the look in his eyes alone as they all silently apparated out of the ballroom one by one until the only people remaining in the room were himself, Tom, the twins, Draco, Charlie, Bellatrix and the man who was squirming at the tip of Tom's wand. He could feel the crackle of angry magic in the air as he slowly stalked towards the coward of a man.

Before anyone could blink, seven wands were aimed at the man whose eyes filled with panic and tears at the predicament he had gotten himself into. It was now he realised that this had been a trap. The person that had put him up to this had no intentions of saving him. He had been doomed from the beginning, and now he would die.