Therefore, I Dance

Chapter Six - Sixteenth Hatrid

The possibility of getting married scared me, not only because I was only twelve, but also because I would be leaving Hogwarts. I hadn't realized how much I had come to love Hogwarts... it had become my real home, instead of Turpin Tour where my father lived with his French names and uncaring manner.

There was only one way to be sure that I wouldn't be chosen and it would be to go against my father, who was more powerful than the sixteen year-old brat that I could be marrying. I was truly terrified and I couldn't come up with a plan to get out of it... it just seemed hopeless to me.

I was taken to a mansion. This place was beautiful and I was told that it belonged to a man named Baie Amère. His name was French and it translated to Bitter Berry. I knew that this couldn't be good. His son, Froide Amère, was turning sixteen tonight. He was a student at Beauxbatons, a French school in France. I would have gone there to go to school, but I lived too far away for them to accept me. From his name, I assumed that he would be cruel, as his name meant "cold" in English.

It came time to go inside and I still didn't know how this would turn out. I was given a hand as I stepped out of the carriage my father had provided. He was in another carriage that would be arriving late, purposely, of course. I took the hand as I gracefully stepped out, just as I had been taught by so many instructors. I never looked to see whose hand is was who took me inside the msion. I just knew that he lead me and I followed.

When I stepped into the room, I noticed all the people, all dressed formally, just like me, with fancy hair styles. I also noticed that there were many girls there, most older than me by two or three years. I was immediately taken up by a boy of around fifteen and he danced with me. He kept leaning over to smell me and I didn't like that.

He leaned to my ear.

"Oh... you smell nice... I wonder how you taste..." he said and I wanted to throw up. I knew that I had to get away. He nibbled my ear. It didn't hurt, but it did scare me. I was hoping someone would notice us,. but no one did. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the birthday boy There were a few other couples older than I and a few adults dancing to the soft music provided by a small group of violinists and one pianist on a black grand piano. The music was lovely, the boy wasn't. He smelled of greasy chicken and his greasy black hair came to his ears. It was brushed back and held in place, with either magic or Muggle gel, most likely magic. He had brown eyes and bushy, dark eyebrows. He made me sick.

The music stopped and everyone started clapping. I tried to stop, but this maniac boy didn't.

"They're clapping," I whispered to him.

"I know, he's coming down," he replied.

"Then stop," I said.

"Oh... fiesty aren't you?" he said.

Then he stopped and looked toward the grand staircase in the middle of the room. A boy with brown hair and green eyes was walking down the stairs. He had on dress robes that were a dark maroon color. He smiled dully as he walked down and his eyes showed boredom. I could see him well because I was near the staircase. As he reached the bottom step, he began walking towards the boy I was with. The two shook hands like old friends.

"Bonjour la Fumée," he greeted.

"Bonjour Froide Amère," the boy replied. Froide turned to me.

"Vous savez cette fille?" Froide asked.

"Non, j'ai seulement l'a rencontrée," the boy replied. I understood what they were saying. Froide had called the boy I had been dancing with la Fumée meaning 'Smoke'. Froide had also asked Smoke whether he knew me and Smoke had replied that he had just met me. They probably thought I didn't know French, but I did.

"Vous pouvez parler Français?" Froide asked me. Yes, I could speak French, but I chose to reply in English.

"Yes, Maître Froide, I am fluent with the French language," I said.

"Ah... but you prefer English?" he asked me. His accent was strongly French.

"Yes, Maître, but I do understand and speak both languages well."

"I see... please excuse me Manquer, as I do have other guests to tend to," Froide said and he walked off into the crowd.

"Oh, then," said Smoke. "You have some intelligence... but that attitude must be seen to," he said. "Now, this is Froide's sixteenth birthday, and he has others to see. As do I, now I leave you, Manquer, and I hope you do learn better manners."

That was the only attention I got from anyone else that night and luckily I was not chosen as Froide's bride. My father did eventually come to the party and he stayed and politely chatted with other men, occasionally speaking French and other times just pretending to listen. It was nearly midnight when one of Froide's servants came to tell me that my father wanted to see me. I went to him. I saw him readying to leave, so I put my robes over my shoulders and readied to go into the cold.

My father got into the same carriage as I did, instead of getting in a different one.

"Daughter, what did Amère say to you?"

"He asked me if I spoke French and if I preferred English to it, Father," I said.

"Your reply?" he asked.

"That I did speak French and that I did prefer English."

"Girl... you did not receive any interest from this boy... so I assume that you were not respectful enough," he said. "You will learn respect," he finished, and didn't say anything else through that night.

That entire Christmas break I was locked in my room and fed very little. Once everyday, a woman came to teach me "respect" and that was the only human interaction I had until I got to Kings Cross station to go back to Hogwarts.