Classes felt different.
It wasn't something obvious at first, nothing others would notice just by looking at him, but Gilderoy could feel it every time he picked up his wand.
Magic almost flowed freely, making each spell come easier than before.
As the last class for the day ended, his mind wandered to the invitation he had received.
Gilderoy leaned back slightly, thinking about the evening ahead. If it had been any normal celebration, he would've gone in a proper suit—or, as Barney would say, suit up. That would've been his preference without question.
But this wasn't just any gathering. This was Black Family's ball.
That alone changed things.
He might not care about most pureblood nonsense, and he definitely had no patience for the arrogant kind who looked down on others, but that didn't mean he was going to walk in and disrespect someone hosting an event like this.
Not all purebloods were the same, and he wasn't about to lump everyone together just because of a few rotten ones. His issue was with Death Eaters and those who acted like uppity snobs.
Which meant he would play along, at least for tonight.
The door to the boys' dorm opened, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Amelia stepped in, holding a package in her hands.
Gilderoy raised a brow slightly. "You just walk into boys' dorms now?"
She ignored the comment completely and walked straight over to him.
"When you said you were invited to the ball," she started, holding out the package, "I asked if you had dress robes."
Gilderoy takes it from her. "I said I had a plain one."
"Exactly," she said. "That's why I got you one."
He looked down at the package for a moment, then back at her.
"You didn't have to do that, Amy."
"I know. Consider it an extra gift from your girlfriend," Amelia replied simply. "Now open it."
Gilderoy didn't argue further. He unwrapped it and pulled out the robes, giving them a quick look before setting them aside.
She moved over and sat on his bed like she owned the place while he got up to undress.
Gilderoy started changing, and he decided to do a quick strip show for her benefit.
Amelia whistled, settling in to enjoy the free show.
He pulled the robes over his head, adjusting them slightly as they settled into place.
They fit him better than he expected.
The fabric was midnight blue, clean and simple, with black cufflings running down the front. It wasn't overly flashy, but it had a certain weight to it that made it clear it wasn't something cheap.
"Not bad," he said, glancing down at himself.
Amelia stood up and walked over without a word, reaching up to smooth out the creases on his robes with her hands before moving to his hair.
"Stay still," she muttered.
Gilderoy raised a brow but stayed put as she combed through his hair, fixing it properly before pulling out a small container and rubbing the potion from inside it into his strands.
He watched her, slightly confused. "What is that?"
"Sleekeazy's Hair Potion," she replied.
"Oh."
He didn't say anything else, but the thought crossed his mind immediately.
"It was created by some Potter ancestor, if I remembered correctly. Which raised another question entirely."
"Did the wizarding world even have a concept of royalty?"
"Because if it did, that would explain a lot about the Potter family's wealth".
"Then again, they were an old house. Wealth like that didn't just come from one product, even if it was successful."
Amelia stepped back after finishing, giving him a quick once-over.
"Hmmm, very handsome," she said, coming close and pinching his bum through her robes.
"HEY!" Gilderoy yelped. "You're coming too, right?"
Amelia shook her head. "I got the invitation, yeah. But me and the other trainees got called in this evening. Some paperwork situation."
Gilderoy sighed. "Unlucky."
"Tell me about it."
She grabbed her things and headed for the door.
"You have my permission to charm the ladies," she added without turning back, "if we have more people on our side against Voldemort, the better."
Gilderoy looked surprised.
She waved, bidding him goodbye, and left.
He stood there for a moment, processing what he'd just heard—basically, he'd gotten the green light to flirt with other girls?
Flitwick's office was the easiest spot to use the Floo network, so he made his way there from the Ravenclaw common room.
The invitation had come a few days ago through owl, formal and direct, along with the required code word for entry. Black Manor.
There was no way the Black family would host something like this at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Not for a ball. They had other properties, and something like this would definitely be held somewhere more appropriate.
Gilderoy stepped into the fireplace, grabbing a handful of Floo powder.
He paused for a brief moment, then threw it down at his feet.
"Black Manor."
Green flames surged up instantly, surrounding him as the world blurred and pulled him forward.
---
New Chapter, As promised.
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