"You're coming with me to my grandparents', yes?"
"Sorry, can you and Merula manage without me? Penny's already had me promise to help her with the party."
"Yes, that's fine. I mean, I would have thought this mission was more important than some stupid party, but what do I know?"
"Diego--"
"I better get going."
He turned and stormed down the corridor, leaving Sarah to stare forlornly after him. It occurred to her that she ought to follow him, but instead, she sighed and turned the other way to find Penny and Barnaby standing at the end of the hall.
Barnaby was staring intently at a spot high up on the wall to his right as if it were some fascinating museum exhibit, but Penny was watching her with those large, blue eyes that were always glistening, as though on the verge of tears.
"Does he know there'll be dancing?" she asked. "I can't imagine Diego would find a party stupid if he knew there were dancing."
Penny's soft inquiry somehow did more to pull at her heart than Diego's biting remark.
"I'm sorry, Sarah," Penny continued. "If you need to go with him, of course you can. Barnaby can help me prepare for the party."
"Huh?" said Barnaby, snapping out of his meditation on the wall with all the theatrics of a zealous play-actor. "Oh, yeah! I love Penny's decorating committees. Especially the snacks!"
Sarah chuckled. "It's fine, he and Merula have left by now, anyway." In an effort to diffuse the awkward tension, she clapped and rubbed her hands together, saying, "Let's prepare for a proper Halloween Ball, shall we?"
Penny's face broke into a smile, and she jumped about as she laid out plans and orders to the other two.
But, she wouldn't be satiated for long. While Barnaby was in the kitchen sampling the sweets Penny had baked, she leaned in and whispered, "Are things not all well between you two?"
Sarah waited to answer as she grabbed the paper bat Penny had just strung on the wire between them. She cast a charm on the bat so that the wings actually flapped, then passed it down the wire to grab another.
"Well, no, but I feel like they're as good as they can be. We're not actively trying to kill each other, and she hardly ever calls herself the most powerful witch at Hogwarts anymore."
"Not between you and Merula! I'm talking about you and Diego, of course!"
Sarah grinned at her before returning her attention to the bats.
"I suppose things have been a bit tense lately. You know, its just been the four of us for a while, and its not the best combination of travel companions."
"I suppose not. Is it awkward spending so much time with Barnaby?"
"Not for me. We've basically become good friends again. But I think its hard on Diego that I have to spend so much time alone with B so we can practice occlumency. And it doesn't help that while we're busy, he's stuck with Merula."
Penny nodded solemnly. "Poor guy."
They strung the next few bats in silence, but Sarah could tell by Penny's stature that she had more to say. She was trying too hard to act casual.
"Alright then, voice of reason, what else have you got to say? Come on, spit it out. Don't keep me in suspense."
Penny grimaced, but she sat down the garland of bats and met Sarah's eyes.
"I just feel like I should remind you to be careful."
"I am being careful. We've been constantly on the move, trying not to give an information away to You-Know-Who--"
"That's good to hear, but I don't mean about that. I mean with Diego and Barnaby." Sarah stared quizzically at her. "You were always the last person to know if someone had feelings for you at school. It looks like things haven't changed much."
"Penny, what are you talking about? I'm perfectly aware of Diego's feelings for me."
"Yes, but I don't think you understand how strongly he loves you. And the same goes for Barnaby."
"Barnaby and I broke up ages ago. And we've both seen other people since then."
Penny sighed. "I'm just telling you what I've noticed since you've been here. Be careful you're not stringing them both along."
"I'm not! I'm bloody going out with Diego, aren't I? How could that be stringing him along?"
Penny picked up the garland of bats again.
"Well, can you honestly say that you love him as much as he loves you?"
Sarah said nothing as Penny added the last few bats to the garland, then placed it on the wall with a sticking charm.
"There's no rule that says you have to fall in love at the same time," she muttered, while the two of them placed black tablecloths over the scratched wooden tables Barnaby had brought into the sitting room for them.
"Of course not," said Penny. "But after a time, perhaps, if you still haven't grown to love someone, its time to move on. I'm only saying, its something to think about."
Barnaby entered the room to place brownies and pumpkin pasties on the tables, and the girls ceased talking of the matter, though Sarah's thoughts would be on little else until the party finally began.
It was a small affair, with a few sweets, some pumpkin juice, and a quiet gramophone in the corner, but as usual, Penny was right. Even the sight of the decorations seemed to lift the spirits of the refugees, some of whom had been cooped up on the farm for over a month with little to distract them.
While the majority of the guests stood to the sides, chatting and enjoying refreshments, several people, especially the younger ones, had donned the costume masks the girls had created and were dancing in the center of the sitting room. Sophia, who toddled along in her puffskien costume, was a crowd favorite.
"I must admit," Lupin remarked to Penny, "I thought the idea of a party rather...unnecessary, but everyone does seem to being enjoying themselves."
Penny was glowing. "Of course!" she said, from behind her colorful cat's mask. "Witches and Wizards simply must celebrate Halloween. It's our birthright."
A slow song began to play on the gramophone, and Penny set down her cup. "Ooh, I bet I can convince Talbott to dance with me to this one!" She hurried over to pull him out of his armchair to dance to between two other couples.
"Enjoying the party?" Lupin asked Sarah.
"Oh, yeah. It beats endless wandering in the woods, that's for sure."
Lupin nodded. "I'm sorry the Order has been...out of touch recently. I confess the Death Eater movement has all but squashed our activity of late. All the power, the intel, the resources, currently lie with them."
"What can we do?"
Lupin sighed. "At the moment, my only task is to get these people to safety, and to trust that Harry's out there somewhere, finding a way to end this war."
"That's a lofty task for a kid," she remarked.
"Indeed. But, I do believe that if anyone can accomplish that goal, its Harry. Though I wouldn't be ashamed to place bets on you, either."
Sarah looked down into her pumpkin juice, embarrassed by the praise.
"Well, if he's made as much progress as I have, there's little hope for us."
Lupin smiled.
"Well, Harry does have one advantage over the rest of us. He's carrying out direct orders from Dumbledore."
"Really? What's he doing?"
"I don't know. Apparently, Dumbledore swore him to secrecy."
"What? Why? If we know what Harry's up to, we can help!"
Lupin's face told her he'd expressed the same thoughts many times before, but all he said was, "We shall just have to trust in the pair of them for now." He held up his empty cup. "Excuse me."
As Lupin moved over to the table to refill his cup, a new song sounded. Sarah recognized the opening notes of "Eye of the Dragon," by the Weird Sisters. She found her foot tapping along to the music as she surveyed the room.
The owl-faced young woman, made only more so by her bird's mask, had asked the boy talking with Barnaby to dance. Sarah watched him grimacing with embarrassment, but he joined her. Barnaby caught her eye and strode over.
"Don't tell me you're not gonna dance to this one," he said.
She grinned. "It is one of my favorites."
"I know." He held out a hand. "How about it then?"
She sat down her cup and let him lead her toward the center of the room. They danced as the song picked up the beat, and her grabbed her hand and twirled her around in so many quick circles that her head spun and she had to hold onto his shoulder for support while she laughed.
Once the world had stopped spinning, Sarah swore inwardly at Penny. If not for their conversation earlier, she'd have thought nothing of dancing with a friend at a party, but now she looked up at Barnaby and wondered if it was true that he still loved her.
His face was bright and cheery, and his green eyes were alight with that puppy-like excitement for the world she'd remembered from before Voldemort's return. Had his unbridled joy returned because of her? She'd assumed it had been because he was finally free of Elena and her blasted unbreakable vow. Of course, that had to be it.
"What?" he asked her, after he spun her around again. "Have I got something on my face? Surely, its not as scary as what you've got on yours." He smiled.
Sarah adjusted her quintaped mask, glad he couldn't see her blushing. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at him for so long.
"I was just wondering," she said, before spinning again, "what we'd all be like if You-Know-Who hadn't returned. What we'd be doing."
"I suppose we'd be doing the same thing. Having a Halloween party that Penny put on. But there'd be a lot more decorations. And people. And food."
Sarah nodded in agreement. "But not just in this moment. I mean, you know, in general."
"I guess I'd still be working as a magizoologist," he said, lowering his voice as the song ended and another, softer song began to play. "I think that's the thing I miss most about all of this. Working with creatures everyday."
She nodded again, satisfied with the answer. Penny was wrong this time. Surely, if he still had feelings for her, he'd have said something different.
"What about you?" he asked. "Still be working as a Curse-Breaker for the Ministry?"
"I suppose."
Their talk paused for a moment as Sarah reflected on her old job, which she'd left without notice. She thought of her old flat and flatmate, and the possessions she'd abandoned. Had Margie kept her room as it was, or had she gotten rid of everything so that a new tenant could move in? Did Sarah's parents know of her disappearance, and if so, would they even care?
"What about us?" asked Barnaby.
"Hmm?"
"Well, we broke up because the Dark Lord came back. If he hadn't come back, do you think we'd still...you know, be together?"
They were in dangerous territory now. Sarah looked into his eyes as she thought of a suitable answer, searching for a sign that it was just an innocent query, not a hopeful desire. Now that their minds were so often connected when she practiced legilimency on him, it was more difficult to fight the unconscious diving into his thoughts. She forced herself to pull back, though her own brain tingled with curiosity.
"I guess there's no way of knowing," she said.
"No. No, I guess not."
Sarah hadn't realized her mind was still clinging to the fringes of his thoughts until she was forced back. He'd put up his shield.
"Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed. "I just--"
But Barnaby's eyes were shut tight. He'd stopped dancing, and Sarah halted as well, staring up at him in concern.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing," he said, in the terrible mock-casual voice he adopted whenever he lied. "A....a headache. Think I'll go lay down for a bit."
He opened his eyes. "Anyway, I've been hogging you for too long. It looks like that lovely bird has been waiting for a chance to dance with you for a while."
Sarah glanced back at the direction of his nod. The girl in the bird mask was indeed watching her, bouncing on her toes as if preparing to take flight.
"But--" she turned back to face him, but he was already retreating out of the room. She made to follow him, but was distracted, as well as the rest of the party, by a loud knock at the door.
Penny silenced the gramophone, and everyone stared apprehensively at the door as Lupin went to answer it. He opened it a fraction of an inch and spoke quietly to the visitor for a moment, before stepping aside to allow a rain-spattered Diego and Merula inside.
The room visibly relaxed, but all interest in the party had vanished as everyone awaited news. Sarah maneuvered through the crowd to stand next to Diego.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure," he was saying to Lupin. "My Abuela insists the villa can take as many of us as want to come, as soon as possible."
Excited chatter broke out amongst the refugees. They discussed details with Lupin for the journey that would begin in the morning--they'd have to take muggle transportation--and then he suggested everyone get some sleep.
As the others retreated to their rooms, Diego pulled her aside.
"I'm sorry about the way I acted before," he said. "I've...been a little tense lately."
"Don't worry about it."
She could tell just by looking at him that seeing his family had lifted his spirits.
"How was the party?"
"Great, of course. Penny was involved. It was good for everyone to have a bit of fun."
He nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to dance with you."
"Well, there's always next time."
Diego glanced about uncomfortably. "Did you dance?"
"A little."
"Who with?"
"A song or two with Barnaby. But I mostly talked with Penny and Lupin."
Diego's face and shoulders fell again. He pushed his wet hair out of his eyes, and it was as if he'd never been to Spain.
"I see," he said coldly.
Sarah pulled her arm out of his hand. "Oh, so now you're mad at me again."
"Isn't if fair for me to be upset?"
"Why? Because I danced with someone besides you? I seem to recall at Bill and Fleur's wedding, you danced with every girl there. I didn't get upset then. I understood it was just dancing for fun."
"Yes, and when I wasn't dancing with you, I found you dancing with Lee then as well. Do you not understand why of all people I would feel uncomfortable with you dancing with him?"
"He's my friend, Diego. I would hope you would be able to trust me."
"So would I."
She glared at him.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just mean, sometimes I worry about your priorities. I worry you care more about maintaining friendships than letting your true feelings be known. You are my greatest priority. I want to be the same for you."
"And sometimes I think I'm the only one here who gets what's actually going on right now! I shouldn't be your highest priority! There is a war going on. More people are disappearing everyday. Who has time to think about...about love or anything like that when we have to worry about survival! I'm sorry that right now, I'm more focused on killing Voldemort than on saving my dances for you!"
She'd raised her voice enough that those lingering in the living room would have heard. Embarrassed, she sought an escape. She forced herself to meet his eyes, knowing the hurt visible in them was her doing.
"We better go to bed. We need to be--"
"Lupin!"
The boy Barnaby had befriended, Daniel she thought his name was, was staring out the window. Lupin hurried to join him, as well as the others who were still downstairs.
Several people gasped.
"What are we going to do?" a man asked Lupin.
But Lupin only stared out the window, his face white.
Sarah stared too. Though night had fallen, the moon was bright, and Sarah could just make out the figures through the falling rain. They were standing fifty feet or so away from the farmhouse, but they faced it as if they could see right into the windows at the terrified faces. There were six people in total.
Six people dressed in Death Eaters' robes.