***

Alexandra couldn't quite hide her excitement throughout the next few weeks that proceeded and as they approached the midst of December.

The Hogwarts grounds were covered with a glorious white mist of snow, and Professor Flitwick had decorated the Great Hall with many trees and even enchanted fairies, just like every year.

     In the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas break, Alexandra dragged Mike to a robe shop so she could buy a dress for Slughorn's upcoming Christmas party.

     "I don't understand why Slughorn would invite you all of a sudden, to be honest," Mike said earnestly, shifting around the robe shop awkwardly. "I mean, no offense, but you suck at Potions."

    "Er... actually Slughorn wasn't the one who invited me," Alexandra mumbled in a quiet tone, avoiding Mike's eyes. "So how about that blue dress?"

    "Hold on, hold on!" Mike shook a hand at her impatiently. "Let me guess; perfect Mr. Black asked you to go to the party with him? He was part of the stupid Slug Club, wasn't he?"

     Mike always had a special dislike for the Slug Club, mostly because he wasn't a member of it. He was good at Potions, but not good enough to get into the club. And seeing as he was a Muggle-born he had no family or relative to gran Slughorn's interest.

     "Well?" Mike pressed the matter further.

     "Er..."

     "Alex?" Mike said sharply, raising a knowing brow at her.

     "Oh, all right!" Alexandra huffed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Regulus invited me."

     "God bless this child..." Mike sighed to himself, rubbing his temples with his eyes closed as if to calm himself down, making Alexandra giggle.

***

On the night of the Christmas party, Alexandra stayed in her dorm, getting ready. She had agreed to meet Regulus in the entrance hall, so they could go to Professor Slughorn's office together.

     Although to their dismal, someone had let it slip and told everyone that Regulus had asked Alexandra out — she was almost certain it was one of the girls in her dorm — and they had spread the rumor that her and Regulus were now dating.

     After getting ready, Alexandra stood back to look at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a dark blue dress and had let down her long raven black hair into beautiful waves. She smiled to herself in the mirror before walking out of the dormitory and down the Ravenclaw tower.

As she reached the entrance hall, her heart leaped with joy when she sighted Regulus there, standing there handsomely in his tux as he paced around the hall with his hands in his pocket.

"Hey," Alexandra said, getting his attention.

"H-hi." Regulus came to a halt the moment he turned around and saw, gazing at her as Alexandra reached him. "You look... good."

Alexandra felt her cheeks heat up at those words. "Thanks. You too."

"All right." Regulus then cleared his throat before a grin replaced his smile, and so he raised his arm for her to take. "Shall we?"

Alexandra giggled at his cheesiness before wrapping her hand around his arm so they could go up to Slughorn's office together.

     Once they approached the office, the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation grew louder and louder to their ears with each step that they took.

Once they entered the office, Alexandra looked around at the large room in awe, seeing that the ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, making it look like they had entered a vast tent, which caught Alexandra's interest.

The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light.

     Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins came from a distant corner and a few were dancing to it in the middle of the room, while others were in deep conversations with their drinks in their hands.

A haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

Slughorn himself was wearing his best robes of emerald green and he smiled at the pair of them, walking forward. "Regulus, m'boy! Welcome!" Slughorn boomed, before his eyes fell upon Alexandra. "Miss Sawyer, was it?"

"Actually, it's Starl—"

"Well come in, come in!"

Regulus held back a snort as Slughorn led him and Alexandra inside. One of the house elves walked forward with glasses of different drinks on his plate and so Regulus took two.

     "Thank you," Regulus gave the elf a faint smile before handing Alexandra the other glass.

"Is it just me, or are we being stared at?" Alexandra whispered uneasily.

"By who?" Regulus frowned.

When Alexandra gestured her head and Regulus looked behind him, he saw his brother Sirius and his girlfriend at the other side of the room, their gaze at their direction.

Regulus rolled his eyes, turning his attention back on Alexandra. "Just ignore them."

"Right..." she whispered, throwing her look down.

Although just then they saw Sirius slam his glass down on the table before angrily storming out of the office, Jenna Potter following him right behind with worry washed all over her face.

But then Alexandra's attention was caught again by Regulus who cleared his throat. When she looked back at him, her stomach lurched as she saw that he had raised a hand for her take.

"Would you like to dance, Miss Starling?" he said with a charming smile playing at the edge of his lips.

Alexandra giggled, holding his hand. "I would love to, Mr. Black."