· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Before she could make her way further into the crowd, Theseus found her. "I believe you owe me a dance."
"Jealous? Do not worry, I believe he could have been our professor," she mocked as Theseus rolled his eyes. Now that her curiosity wasn't prompted by the man in front of her, Ariadne glanced around. The dance floor was created through a barrier by those not dancing. The gliding couples danced in front of hovering instruments, all playing a soft waltzing tune in harmony. Witches' dresses flowed neatly as they moved with the rhythm. Everything was flawless.
"I have to be honest, I don't know how to dance," his hand went to the back of his neck as Ariadne stared up at him. There was shock in her eyes as he bashfully turned away.
"The golden boy of his prime doesn't know how to dance?"
Theseus groaned at the nickname, "How do you still remember that?"
"I don't know what you mean?" She feigned shock as she dragged Theseus to the dance floor. Ariadne guided Theseus' right hand on her hip as she interlocked their fingers. Warmth seeped in as they inched closer together. She stepped backwards and he followed. She stepped to the side and he followed. A simple motion to guide his first dance, except he seemed more graceful than Ariadne, which was saying something since all pureblooded witches had to learn ballroom dances to appease their 'perfect' pureblooded mothers. Lifting her brows slightly, she raised her hand, twirling Theseus around while laughing at how awkwardly he turned. Theseus caught the couples beside glancing distastefully at them and in that moment, he realised he would do anything to hear her laugh like that.
"I think you're quite the natural," Ariadne commented, her smile as big as ever.
"Why thank you," they were close, too close. Ariadne was sure he could hear how fast her heart was beating. She wanted to pull him closer and push him away at the same time. How could he just make her feel like that? He seemed to notice a shift in her mind, "How about we greet a few more people then leave?"
"Are you granting me freedom?"
"Not exactly," the song ended and Theseus led Ariadne away from the dancing couples, his hand holding hers. Her heart was hammering in her chest as stared at his back. 'Pull yourself together,' and she did when she spotted who they were headed towards. Travers stood next to three other men that Ariadne could not put names to. Tugging her hand out of Theseus' hold, she quickly spotted Melinda standing near the refreshment tables. As Theseus turned back at her, she gave a small teasing wave as she pointed to the other woman. Without staying for his reaction, she left.
Greeting the witch with a smile, Ariadne grabbed a drink from the white clothed table.
"I saw you enter with Theseus," Melinda teased, raising her eyebrows at Ariadne who narrowed her eyes at the shorter witch.
"Why didn't you come and save me from Yaxley?"
"Bailey said Theseus needed it," Melinda hid the smile on her face with a sip of her drink, grinning at the blush that started to coat Ariadne's cheeks.
"What does that mean?" Ariadne inquired and Melinda simply shrugged, "And when did you and Bailey become so close?"
"I don't know what you mean," it was Melinda's turn to blush as she hid her face in her drink once again.
"Right," Ariadne stared at Melinda, not believing a word that came out of Melinda's red stained lips.
"I could ask the same about you and Theseus," Melinda prompted, diverting the conversation away from her, "Didn't you use to hate him?"
"Hate is a strong word," she easily found Theseus in the sea of people. He broke a smile at something said in his group. Travers was on his right, clapping his back with praise. Feeling eyes on him, Theseus glanced towards her, giving her an upside down smile while she raised her glass towards him.
"Right," Melinda repeated, mocking Ariadne as she followed her eyes'. Ariadne suppressed a smile as she shook her head, downing the rest of her champagne. "Oh, I got you a present," Melinda hastily reached in the back pocket of her dress.
"So did I," Ariadne pulled out a small box to Melinda's surprise. Wrapped nicely with a red ribbon, the small box contained golden earrings that Ariadne thought would match Melinda. They swapped presents with a shared smile. "Happy holidays, Melinda," the shorter witch smiled at Ariadne before embracing her in a tight hug.
"Happy Holidays, Ariadne."
☆
"Where are you forcing me now?" Ariadne asked, chuckling as she kept up with Theseus' fast pace, her hand in his.
"You'll see," he grinned. The cold breeze wafted on her bare neck. The footpath was dark, lit up by a few streetlamps. Snow littered the gutters and the rooftop of houses. Ariadne could see the warmth escaping her with each breath as mist followed each exhale. At the end of the road, Theseus stopped and turned back around to face her, "Ready?"
"Probably not," she responded truthfully, anticipation filling her stomach. He ignored her answer and held her hand tightly. They apparated onto a nearby flat rooftop and Ariadne stepped away from Theseus as she took in her surroundings, "Woah."
"Beautiful isn't it?" He watched her as she slowly admired the view. Snow covered London as numerous lights lit up the city. From here she could see the outline of the Great Clock of Westminster. She could see the river that flowed throughout southern England. She could see that Christmas glee that covered parts of town. As the wind blew, she felt oddly free as she stood tens of metres above the ground.
"Now I'm even more sceptical of what's to come," she turned back to him, a smile on her face as she saw a picnic rug on the rooftop. There was a basket of food along with a few lit candles that brought light to the dark.
"I thought the worst part was having to spend all this time with me," he sat down on a cushion that he pulled out of thin air before patting the space next to him, "You haven't started liking my company have you?"
"Oh, in your dreams," Ariadne rolled her eyes as she laid down next to him, ignoring his teasing smirk. Her eyes were trained on the night sky above. Very rarely did she have time to adore the stars. The beauty was indescribable. How amazing was it that something could be appreciated every single night? They sat in a comfortable quietness. However, the silence led her through a maze of her mind until she found herself sitting up again.
"Your thoughts are loud," his hand inched closer to hers as a question came to her mind, "What is it?"
"Why do they call you 'War hero?'" She had been curious since Dumbledore had brought it up. The title almost defined him at work. Gossipers would whisper to each other when he passed. His reputation was determined by his efforts in the war. But what did he do to earn it? Ariadne had not the slightest of ideas.
"You don't know?"
"Am I supposed to?" She questioned, furrowing her brows.
"It was in the papers a million times," he answered, slowly but not boastfully.
"I used to not read anything with your name in it," she confessed.
"Of course," he laughed for a second before his face fell, making Ariadne regret her question. "It didn't feel like a big deal at the time. I was working on a case, rumours had it that a group of wizards were using magic to influence battles in the war. Aircrafts flew over a town hidden from muggles. They thought it might have been a military base but it was actually a small town concealed with magic. They bombed it. I tried to help everyone I could but..."
"You did your best," she placed a comforting hand on his and his eyes seemed to pierce through her soul, "You probably saved more lives just being there." She wanted to pull him close, return the comfort that he had once given her, but a hand interlocked with his was all she could give. Hesitation filled her stomach as her mind raced. "How do you know when I lie?" she said abruptly, doing her best to change the moody weather in Theseus' head.
"Your eyes," he let a small smile grace his face, "They don't believe a word you're saying either."
"Really?"
"When we were younger, I remember I couldn't tell what you were feeling, but eventually I could read the emotions behind your eyes. You would mask everything else except your eyes," she tried to remember what she was like back in her teens. How much of herself did she have to hide?
"You could've just asked me what I was feeling," that was a lie and they both knew it.
"And would you have told me?" a knowing smile on his face made Ariadne shake her head.
"Depends which Ariadne you're talking about," she insisted, knowing that there was no truth in her words. She bit her lip, hiding a smile that was threatening to appear.
He shook his head, "I have a present for you."
"You didn't have to," Ariadne started.
"But I did," he interrupted with a soft smile, "Close your eyes," and she did just that. She could feel his hand gently touch her wrist, moving it so that it hovered over his lap. She could hear rustling as he grabbed her gift. Cold contrasted with the warmth of Theseus's fingers as he clasped a bracelet on her wrist. As he made a soft triumph sound, Ariadne opened her eyes.
"It's beautiful," she let out, admiring how the silver charms glistened within the moonlight.
"A crown to symbolise your royalty," he held her wrist softly, his thumb rubbing over the bracelet charm, "A sword to remind you of me. I mean I did slay the Minotaur," with sarcasm enlaced with his words, Ariadne smiled up at him, their eyes clashing together.
"I got you something too," she held out a small box, "Charmed to zap you if you open it before Christmas," she teased, handing the box to him with a smug smile.
"Ow!" he shook his hand, the present falling to the soft picnic rug, "I didn't even open it."
"Maybe you were thinking of it," she teased and somewhere in the back of their minds, a distant memory replayed. A Hogwarts train compartment flashed in their minds as they stared at each other.
"I think you're out to kill me," he joked, his voice low, finally breaking the tension created by the silence.
"Maybe," she couldn't hide the smile that etched itself on her face, "Happy holidays, Theseus."
"Happy holidays, Ariadne."
[1825 words]
a/n
officially now the longest chapter. this took too long to actually write. gees.
i hope you enjoy the first act of the book, there may be major plot points that i missed or just didnt retouch on because i'm dumb. i might be editing the act or i'll just jump straight into the next one. idk.
some criticism is always welcomed too! especially if you point out a typo to me or something that i need to work on!
anyways don't forget to vote and comment!
kjlyds