we're a shot in the darkest dark

☾

Celeste stood at the head of the table, overlooking the row of Phoenix members. She willed her hands to stop shaking. She was done with being afraid. She could not afford fear, especially since the deatheater ball was tonight.

"Lily, Marlene, and Oliva. You girls need to all arrive separately. Do not travel together. I'm thinking fifteen minute intervals. Remember to use the fake names. We'll leave separately as well. If anyone is caught, you will not give away the rest of us. Am I understood?"

If she was being honest, Celeste was mainly directing all the information at Olivia. Olivia was too new to the Order, and Celeste didn't trust her. At all.

"I'll send a patronus right before I arrive at the ball. Marlene, you'll arrive twenty minutes after. Lily, wait for fifteen. And Olivia, another fifteen. Is this okay?"

"This works out very well, Miss Malfoy," Dumbledore nodded. "Let's all disperse and leave the girls to the rest of their planning."

The room slowly emptied, except for the four girls and James, Remus, and Sirius. Sirius made a very visible effort to dart away from Olivia, moving to the opposite end of the room. Remus stifled a snort and winked at Celeste, ever the all-knower.

Celeste grinned back before sombering. "The ball begins tonight at six. I probably won't arrive until half past six, since Evan likes being dramatically late. But be ready before then. Now, what are you all wearing? Clear descriptions, please."

"Sorry," Olivia cut in. "But I don't understand why that's an important factor here. They're just dresses, Celeste. It's not that serious."

"Unfortunately, being over or underdressed has consequences so horrifying that you won't want to even consider it. And there's a matter of blending in and not drawing any attention," Celeste answered. "So, Lils, what have you got?"

"Dark green satin, very modest," Lily announced. "Marls has seen it and approved."

Marlene snorted. "Modest is a very generous choice of wording. It's got a slit and possibly a thigh holster."

James' eyes widened. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm.. Lily, don't you think that's a bit dangerous if someone sees it?"

"I'll be a muggleborn amongst wizards that want me dead, James," Lily laughed. "I'll be very careful and quiet. Besides... this entire thing is kind of exciting."

James chuckled. "Alright then"

The group of friends, excluding Olivia, all eyed each other warily. Sirius cleared his throat. "Am I hallucinating or is this a new development?"

An adorable blush spread across Lily's face when she realized what it meant. "Oh, we've just become friends. All these missions have made Potter a bit more tolerable."

Celeste grinned. "Sure, Lils. Whatever you say."

James beamed at Celeste's comment.

"Alright!" Marlene laughed. "We should hurry this up so that we can get ready. Celeste darling, I'm wearing blue. Don't worry though, I know you'll approve because it's one of the dresses I absolutely sort of took from you during Hogwarts."

Celeste's jaw dropped and she laughed, "I knew it! My trunks were lighter, and I couldn't figure out what was missing."

Olivia scoffed. "McKinnon, it's rude to steal. You should give it back."

"It's fine," Celeste said, rolling her eyes. "Keep it. Amongst the other things I'm also missing."

Marlene grinned and blew her a kiss. "All right Dolos, it's your turn. Blow us away with your outfit description."

Olivia smiled smugly. "It's a gorgeous black and gold. Very understated and elegant."

There was a beat of silence.

"I'm sure it is," Celeste said stiffly. She briefly locked eyes Sirius. "If that's all, I think we're finished here."

Olivia didn't miss the shared look between the two. She smiled at Sirius, biting her lip before she strolled out the door.

"I worried that she might jeopardize the mission," Lily confessed after a pause of silence. "I mean, it's one of her first ones and if something goes wrong she's bound to start something."

Remus frowned. "I've also thought about that."

"That's not even the worst part," Marlene groaned. "Celeste, she stole your colors! What a hypocrite! Imagine trying to outdress Celeste fucking―"

"Okay, okay!" Celeste shouted, waving her hands in the air. "Settle down, kids. Listen. I know you all mean well, and I'm grateful for that. But let's not attack Oliver for breathing. Sure, she hates my guts. But she can get in line. I don't want to waste energy over someone who can't hurt me. Neither should you all. If she blows up the mission, Dumbledore will deal with her. It's not my problem. We'll stay out of trouble, and we'll all be fine. Agreed?"

"Yeah," Lily agreed with a soft smile. "We'll all be fine."

-

Yaxley Mansion stood at the center of a sort of garden maze. The grounds were decorated with intricately trimmed shrubs and rose bushes, in the shapes of dragons and serpents. Statues of tragic folklore scenes were scattered through the grounds. The whole place was like a fairytale turned horror story.

Luckily, the path to the entrance had been lit up by twinkling fairies, their light softly pulsing in the late summer night air. They floated and drifted up and down the path, leading Celeste and Evan to the bustling ballroom.

Celeste sent the patronus just minutes ago. It would not be long before Marlene arrived, and their quiet task would begin.

Their assignment was fairly simple: snake through the crowds and listen for important information. Even better, find drunken men and persuade them into talking. It was only the consequences of being caught that sent chills of fears down Celeste's body. 

Smiling softing, Celeste and Evan waved and greeted acquaintances. The crowd immediately parted for them, pouring in their congratulations and compliments. Evan gripped Celeste's hand, irritated as she received the majority of the well wishes and flattery.

"Let's have a dance," Evan said tightly.

Celeste smiled falsely. "Alright."

With a stiff arm around her waist, the pair took the centre of the floor and spun into a smooth waltz. Her sage and gold gown swirled and twisted around them, spilling from Celeste like a sea of melting stars. As always, they finished with a dramatic dip and Celeste pulled away, disappearing into the crowd in search for Marlene.

She casually snatched a flute of sparkling champagne off from a floating tray when several scattered gasps faintly hushed the room. Celeste finished a sip and lowered her glass to find the room divided - half staring at her, and the other half gawking at the front entrance. Her heart dropped, instantly suspecting the worst. The crowded quickly made space for her to see, and her blood ran cold. 

Olivia Dolos was beaming at the all attention she was receiving, shyly smoothing down the front of her so-called 'black and gold' gown. Across all the finery in the room, she stuck out like a pile of rags. The dress looked nearly shapeless and rather limp, clearly not have been professionally tailored. The gold embroidery was simply shiny plastic threads, similar to muggle fashions. The threaded patterns were repetitive, a clear sign to any eye that it was not handmade. The hem didn't even graze the ground, unlike Celeste's, that practically dragged behind her. In total, it was... tacky. And Olivia hadn't even realized.

The audience seemed to realize that they didn't want to associate with the poorly dressed woman, and they returned to their business. Celeste strolled straight for Olivia, irritation irking her as she clenched her hands into tight fists.

As Celeste drew closer, she noticed that Olivia was covered in fake diamond jewelry, from her neck to her ears and to the tiara pinned in her hair. She sparkled dully, the jewels having a suspicious foggy glow. 

Celeste halted in front of her and hissed, "Why are you early?"

Olivia frowned. "Relax. I figured that it wouldn't be a big deal. I've been waiting around for a long time, and since I don't want this outfit to go to waste, I thought I'd come a bit earlier."

"You need to come with me," Celeste said lowly, keeping her temper in check. "We need to fix your outfit."

"What?" Olivia's jaw dropped. "Do you know how hard I worked on this?"

"Fine," Celeste said, glancing around. "Okay, so it's probably my fault that I didn't warn you exactly how nice you need to look. Just follow my lead, okay? I'm trying to help you."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that I look cheap or something? I'm sorry that I'm not Miss Perfect Princess like you. Maybe I don't look very expensive, but that doesn't mean I look as horrible as you're implying." She glared and lowered her voice. "Stop trying to make me look bad. I know you're jealous of what Sirius and I had. I can practically feeling you undermining me."

Celeste scoffed. "Don't be immature, Dolos. I would rather die than have what you had with Sirius. Now get to work and stay very far away from me."