Harry was well aware that Draco would be in attendance tonight, as would all of the boys from his year's Slytherin house: Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore Nott, and Blaise Zabini. Crabbe and Goyle were Draco's cronies through and through, but Harry had little experience with Nott and Zabini. Harry hoped that they would be more cordial than Draco, but from what he had heard it wasn't likely. Outside of Slytherin though, the high-class old families were few and far between. Harry would be the only representative from Ravenclaw in his year, and Neville would be Gryffindor's, while Hufflepuff wouldn't have a single one. Other years occasionally fared better, although Harry didn't personally know any of any others who would definitely be there tonight. Harry had told himself he was going to try and enjoy this night though. Many of his friends would be present, and that was enough to make him happy.
"You look very strapping Harry." Andromeda said, putting the finishing touches on his outfit. Harry was wearing what was said to be a more modern take on dress robes, with what seemed to be a black tuxedo vest over a white dress shirt, with black slacks and shoes to match. The only thing that even hinted at this being a wizard's attire over a muggle one was that in place of a suit jacket, Harry was wearing a sort of half-robe that draped over his back and was worn as sleeves. Harry felt somewhat strange wearing the article, but Andromeda assured him that this is what high profile wizard wear simply was at the moment, but mentioned that taking it off a little later in the night would not be unexpected, especially if he was going to be dancing.
That had been another hurdle in his preparations for the night, although Nym and Andromeda had been happy to help him with that. For the past two weeks, an hour a night had been spent doing some basic practice to get him comfortable with the idea, and while Harry was no dancing fiend, he wasn't likely to step on anyone's toes. At least, not anymore.
In short, Harry was as prepared for this event as he could be, perfection drilled into his mind by the legacy of appearances that the Black family had demanded of its charges. While Harry couldn't feel any pride for the family that had kicked his adoptive mother out for simply choosing to marry the man she loved, he could at least appreciate that they were thorough.
"You look like a million Galleons Harry." Nymphadora said from her place at the doorframe of his room. She was currently in the style she had dubbed "Harry's older sister" which colored her hair a similar black to his, and her eyes the same green. It maintained her signature wild style though, and she had occasionally added dyed green tips at the end of her hair, but very rarely did she do that in front of her mother.
"I don't feel it, but I'll take your word." Harry said, nervousness filling his voice. While Harry hadn't known anything about this event two months ago, on hearing about how important it was seen to the families of Daphne and Susan, Harry had pushed himself to do his best to make a good impression.
A sound from the clock downstairs indicated that it was time for Harry to leave, Andromeda finished her picking at minor imperfections on his clothes and took a look at him. "You'll be fine sweetie, all the eyes are going to be on the girls anyway. Your goal would be to peak one of their interests, but you've already done that for two of them. Just go and have a good time. Make sure to tell the girls how good they look in their dresses! Oh, I wish I could go with and take pictures." Andy said, a wistful look on her face. Nym laughed and got up from her lean on the doorway.
"Alright ladies man. You've got two dates tonight, so make sure they feel as pretty as they can be. Make sure Neville does it for that girl he likes too. Your portkey leaves here in a few minutes. Make sure to hold on tight!" Nymphadora said, giving him a wide smirk.
The invitation that Harry received was something he was told was called a portkey, a single-use magical item that, when a certain set of conditions were met, would teleport whomever was holding it to a predetermined location. This would be Harry's first time travelling via portkey, and he was somewhat nervous to do it alone, but Nymphadora, Andromeda, and even Ted had said it wasn't anywhere near as easy to mess up as floo travel, something which Harry still had issues with.
With a great whoosh, Harry was swept away from the humble suburban kitchen of the Tonks household, and set into a greeting room in a large manor house. Within the high society of Magical Britain, it was generally expected that one of the families of girls who would be making their debuts to host the event, and generally it would be handled by whichever family was seen as wealthier or more influential. For the girls debuting this year, there were two candidates of note, Pansy Parkinson, and Daphne Greengrass. The Parkinsons and Greengrasses were old, well respected families, and were both quite wealthy. The Parkinsons found their fortunes in the textile industry, having been the first to successfully domesticate Acromantulas several hundred years ago, and using their fine silk to create high quality fabrics. The Greengrass family was a potions ingredients import and export juggernaut, and was responsible for nearly one fifth of all potions ingredients sold in the British Isles. Because of this, the Greengrass family estate was chosen to host this year's debutante ball, and they had pulled out all the stops. Large silk curtains bearing the family crest hung about the monumental entrance hall, occasionally wrapping themselves around large marble columns that accentuated the room.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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