Chapter 33 - Masquerade Ball (2)

Observing the men and women in the ballroom, Asterion was dazzled by the profusion of elegant suits and dresses. The women paraded in stunning dresses, richly adorned with jewels and threads of gold and silver, while the men showcased themselves in expensive and extravagant suits. Everyone wore masks that covered half of their faces, adding an air of mystery and elegance to the slightly dimmer environment.

The Gothic classical music echoed in the hall, without the visible presence of any instruments, as if the sound emerged from the air itself.

Arcturus picked up two champagne glasses that floated gently in the air, keeping one for himself and offering the other to Asterion.

A solemn silence filled the ballroom as everyone awaited his words.

"It is with great honor that I welcome all of you on this special day," Arcturus began, his voice resonating with authority and a rare touch of warmth. "Today marks the entrance of a young wizard into our noble society. Someone who will be engraved in the history of magic." He paused, his gaze sweeping across all present before continuing. "May this be a moment of celebration and welcome for our dear Asterion Black-Slytherin."

With that said, Arcturus raised his glass to his lips and everyone followed suit, toasting along with him, including Asterion himself.

Immediately after the toast, a round of applause echoed through the hall, filling it with an atmosphere of warmth and approval.

However, despite his great-grandfather's warm gesture, Asterion couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the praise. The flowery expressions from his great-grandfather truly left him feeling ashamed.

"It's time for you to greet our guests. I'll be busy chatting with some acquaintances," Arcturus whispered to Asterion as the applause subsided, gesturing for others to do the same.

Asterion took a deep breath and nodded, resigned to the task at hand. He didn't particularly enjoy social interaction, preferring the company of a good book to the falseness of high society smiles. However, he recognized the importance of learning to socialize, especially given his position as the heir of the two most prominent houses.

With an elegant posture, the young heir moved towards the crowd, greeting each person who approached to meet him.

Asterion didn't have an exact notion of the number of people who greeted him, but they were certainly in the hundreds, all occupying prominent positions in society. Most were lords of their respective houses, while others were powerful magnates, whose coffers overflowed with gold.

Each person who greeted him treated him with reverent respect, as if he were a true prince. However, behind the exaggerated and beautiful compliments, Asterion detected a touch of falseness and reverence. He wondered if that respect was due to the prestige of his lineage as a Black-Slytherin, or if it was simply a deference to the future power he represented as a Special-Grade Wizard.

But Asterion chose not to reject these people, as he was equally false in his greetings and conversations; he didn't consider himself hypocritical to that extent.

Suddenly, while greeting one of the lords from one of the Russian houses, the music in the air changed rhythm, shifting from a brisk cadence to a slow and enveloping melody. It was clearly a signal for couples to dance in the center of the ballroom, and everyone consciously made space.

Apologizing to the Russian lord, whose wealth was evident in his attire, Asterion approached the first lady he encountered, of similar age to his, and with a graceful bow, courteously asked:

"Milady, would it be an honor for me to have the opportunity to dance with you?"

 "The honor would be mine, young sir," replied the girl, her voice cool and melodious.

Asterion extended his hand, and the girl took it with a delicate and gentle touch.

Walking to the center of the ballroom, he faced her and wrapped his arm around her waist with a gentle and reserved grip. She, in turn, placed her hand on his shoulder. To the melody of the music, they danced a waltz with an awkward yet elegant slowness.

"You're not accustomed to dancing, Heir Black," she said, moving gracefully to the music, her blue eyes meeting Asterion's red eyes with striking intensity.

Asterion wasn't surprised by her ability to discern his identity; after all, his eyes, even in the dim light, were remarkably distinct. He looked into the noble blue eyes behind the white swan mask and replied sincerely:

"Dancing isn't one of my talents, especially considering this is my first dance."

The girl fell silent, staring at him, before leaning slightly back, exposing her slender neck. The grip around her waist intensified, preventing her from falling completely, and she moved back towards him.

"To be honest, I thought you'd be different from what I've heard from the rumors circulating through the country," she said, drawing closer to his face.

"Courtesy of Rita Skeeter, I presume," Asterion replied with a near laugh at her words. He made a point to read every morning what that woman wrote about him, and he never tired of the countless conspiracy theories she could imagine.

"You know?" she asked, slightly surprised, leaning forward to hear his words better.

"I feel a strange fascination reading what that woman writes about me. She's only alive because I stopped my grandfather from killing her. The woman really managed to irritate him," explained Asterion, with a tone of admiration mixed with perplexity.

"My father also mentioned how annoying that woman can be," the girl agreed, nodding along with his words.

As they continued to dance, their conversations unfolded in whispers, an intimate exchange of words. Over time, the dance flowed with more grace and elegance, reflecting the growing harmony between them.

Asterion felt comfortable talking to the girl. Perhaps it was because of their similar age, or maybe it was because she didn't treat him like a child. Although he displayed maturity, Arcturus and Narcissa always treated him with a certain condescension, like an adult speaking to a child. Which was especially irritating.

Time passed, and finally, the music came to an end, at least for its first part.

Parting ways, Asterion elegantly bowed as he said,

"It was an honor, My Lady."

She held the edges of her dress and inclined with equal elegance, replying,

"The honor was mine, Heir Black. I hope you have a wonderful birthday."

After saying this, she turned and walked away without looking back, disappearing among the hundreds of people.

Asterion merely watched her back for a moment before continuing on his own path. He didn't ask for her name, as there was no need. They wouldn't see each other again; it was just a dance that he would cherish fondly in his memory.

"Huh?"

Asterion looked confusedly to the side as Baskerville alerted him that something harmless had landed on him. Glancing down discreetly, he found a ladybug at the edge of his jacket.

Ladybug? How did a ladybug get in here... wait, Ladybug?

Asterion remembered that Rita Skeeter's Animagus form was a ladybug...

Honestly, he admired the woman for her audacity and courage to infiltrate the Black mansion.

Before the ball, a breach was opened in the barrier protecting the mansion to allow the guests to enter. The woman probably sneaked in with one of the guests or was intentionally brought inside.

Asterion decided not to act immediately, choosing to play with the woman for now. Climbing the stairs to the first floor of the ballroom, he found himself facing a beautiful view of the mansion's garden, holding a glass of champagne.

Taking a sip of champagne, he savored the cold night breeze.

Suddenly, he noticed a woman approaching from behind.

As he brought the glass to his lips, he watched the woman draw near. She appeared to be around forty years old, with black hair showing a few strands of white, elegantly arranged in a bun. She possessed a decent beauty, at least from what he could discern. The brown eyes behind the feathered mask seemed particularly shrewd.

"Heir Black," greeted the woman, raising her own champagne glass as she sported a slightly arrogant smile on lips adorned with lipstick.

Asterion remained silent, observing the woman as he finished the contents of his glass. It was evident that this woman was different from the other guests who had greeted him earlier. While they treated him with respect, she, on the other hand, spoke to him as if they were equals, a rather rude attitude considering they were in his house.

The woman didn't seem bothered by Asterion's silence and continued to smile, taking out a business card from her small purse.

Curious, Asterion took the card and read:

[R]

There was only one letter on the business card and nothing more. He looked at the woman with confusion, waiting for an explanation.

"Heir Black, we are an organization of scholars, researchers, inventors, and explorers," said the woman with a mysterious tone, leaving a series of possibilities and evocative images hanging in the air.

Asterion wasn't particularly interested; it was obviously a suspicious organization, one he definitely didn't want to get involved with.

Seeing that Asterion didn't seem interested, the woman wasn't disappointed. She spoke as she headed for the exit.

"If you wish to know more, there's a method to reach me on the back of the card."

After speaking, she left, leaving Asterion staring at the business card with a slightly intrigued look.

"If I were a normal teenager, maybe I would have fallen for this cheap trick of deception, unfortunately for you, I'm not a normal teenager," Asterion murmured to himself as the business card began to combust.

Only a fool would enter such a suspicious organization, especially with such a childish trick the woman used to pique interest in the organization she was a part of. Perhaps a naive boy curious about the nature of secret organizations as depicted in history books would fall for this cheap trick.

Tossing the still burning business card into the air, he left the balcony with a smile on his lips. "This party was proving to be more interesting than he had expected."

 -

 As they arrived beside Arcturus, Asterion was about to speak when his body stiffened, the hairs on his arms standing on end as he felt the colossal magical energy at the entrance of the mansion. Although it was still blocked by the barrier, the aura was suffocating, resembling a miniature sun. Only the presence of that aura could exorcise cursed spirits of Grade 4 and 3.

He wasn't the only one who felt it, as all the Grade 1 witches and wizards present looked towards the entrance with solemn faces.

Arcturus couldn't help but murmur, "Special Grade Wizard."

Asterion, standing beside him, widened his eyes in surprise.

Arcturus didn't bother to respond and opened a breach in the barrier, allowing the entry of the mysterious wizard.

"Go greet our unexpected guests," Arcturus said solemnly, looking at Asterion. This wasn't Albus Dumbledore's aura; he knew it well, so he knew it wasn't the man's. But since the mysterious man didn't conceal his aura, he wasn't apparently an enemy at first sight. Thus, he gave Asterion the task of greeting the mystery guest as a lesson.

Asterion nodded and headed towards the entrance of the ballroom.

It took about five minutes for the guests to arrive at the ballroom with the help of the house elf from the House of Black, Monstro.

As the doors opened, Asterion almost instantly focused on the elderly-looking man in the center, surrounded by ten people. They all had a crest on their chest, to be more precise, a strange symbol that he recognized as the Deathly Hallows.

Some party guests recognized the crest and paled.

The elderly man was dressed in a very common black German suit; he looked like a gentle and warm grandfather with his smile and kind silver eyes resembling moons in the night sky.

He held a wrapped gift in his hands as he approached Asterion.

"Hello, Young Asterion, I apologize for my late and unannounced arrival, but I had urgent pending matters. This is a gift for you," he said, looking directly at Asterion with a gaze that seemed capable of seeing into someone's soul.

"Thank you, sir?" Holding the gift, Asterion asked cautiously.

"Gellert Grindelwald," he replied, with a friendly smile on his lips.

 -------------------------

"Author's Note: 2000 words in this chapter. I bet my left ball you guys didn't expect Grindelwald to show up at this moment! In addition to Grindelwald, a secret organization was introduced in this chapter, some of you may be familiar with it, and I have nefarious plans prepared for it!

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 Next Chapter: Chapter 34 - Black House Masquerade Ball (3), Chapter 35 - Three Years (1), Chapter 36 - Three Years (2), Chapter 37 - Hogwarts Express (1), Chapter 38 - Hogwarts Express (2), Chapter 39 - Hogwarts Express (3) Chapter 40 - Hogwarts Express (4) Chapter 41 - Hogwarts Express (5), Chapter 42 - Hogwarts (1), Chapter 43 - Hogwarts (2), Chapter 44 - Hogwarts (3), Chapter 45 - Classroom (1), Chapter 46 - Classroom (2).

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