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Old 07-10-2009, 07:36 AM   #1 (permalink)
Maxilocks
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: {in a leap of faith}
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Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sarani Glass
Graduated
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Arrow The Second Road to Death - Sa13+
♥ Mrs. Itachi Uchiha™ & MAJNOO! : Bleach & Kyo & Natsume ♥ [ Maxh!Jesh ]


{ Dedicated to Dee, and all the readers of Us. }



To old readers - ahoy, maties! Welcome BACK! For news ones, I'm Maxie, and I've been writing fanfiction on SS for over three years. This is my thirteenth FF thread, and one which deals with the "darker" lot of first generation characters - Tom Riddle, Bellatrix Black, Lucius Malfoy and more. I may not always stick to cannon details, but one thing is guaranteed - Sit back and relax, because you're going to love this ride.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters - they belong to J.K. Rowling.



*

The Castles’ yearly balls were always runaway successes. And, now, with fairy-lit rose bushes to line the vast grounds, and floating, gold-touched candles to illuminate their green, the Castles were sure their annual ball would be an even grander affair than usual.

“It shall be peerless,” Countess Alva Castle said, dipping her hands in her traditional bowl of rosewater, a technique that supposedly made them younger and fresher. “Of course, the Blacks…” her voice trailed off, but she shook away the uncertainty immediately. “A lot depends upon you this year, Andra.”

Young Andra Castle put down the hairbrush she had been running through her thick, black hair, and raised an eyebrow. “Mother, please. Not the hostess thing again.”

“Andra! Your English sounds vulgar. If you can not sound the way a Castle should, you had better not speak. Your language shall be noted during the ball – you are the hostess. I can not tolerate you speaking so.”

Couldn’t she ever give the language thing a rest? Andra rolled her eyes, exasperated. The ball. The hostess. That was all she had hear about, this past month. Alva was making too big a deal out of this! Yes, being the hostess of a Castles’ ball was a prestige – at least, that was what everyone said – but, really, there was nothing grand about the fact that the hosting duties were being passed down to Andra, this year.

For as long as she, Andra, could remember, her mother, the Countess, had hosted the ball. And done it splendidly, too. But it was time Andra was introduced into formal society – which probably meant she had come of age, right? – and the Countess had found the perfect way of doing it: passing on her hosting duties, and introducing Andra as the new hostess.

Which duties Andra was already finding hectic, even with a week still to go before the ball took place. The way her mother spoke – You would think it was something out-of-the-world, being a hostess.

“Be careful, Andra.”

“Don’t walk like that, Andra.”

“Speak politer, Andra.”

Can’t you learn to mix a butterwhisky, Andra?”

“Andra!”

“The Castles’ Balls are famed far and wide, both for grandeur of manner, and splendour of décor,” Countess Alva was now saying, as she carefully lifted the bowl of rosewater off the dressing table. “The splendour of décor, the Castles shall see to. But the grandeur of manner, you seem quite intent upon ruining.”

Getting to her feet, Andra stifled a yawn.

“I’m off to see Lucius. Maybe even Cissy. Call me back when you start speaking English again, mother dearest.”

Alva Castle turned around, her manner impatiently patient, but Andra’s footsteps had already faded into a light, faraway sort of sound. The door to the Countess’s bedroom stood slightly ajar and, with a little sigh, Alva shut it, close.


[Reviews Welcome]



List of updates:

Update 02 // Update 03 // Update 04 // Update 05 //
Update 06 // Update 07 // Update 08 // Update 09 // Update 10 //
Update 11 // Update 12 // Update 13 // Update 14 // Update 15 //
Update 16 // Update 17 // Update 18 // Update 19 // Update 20 //
Update 21


Last edited by Maxilocks; 11-29-2010 at 10:15 AM.
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