HP-Hogwarts Story So Far

Transcript Seven

Joss' Return

 

Josslin had been watching silently. It was amazing how little people looked up, a few had looked a the enchanted ceiling but they were few and far between. So Josslin found that she could simply float above peoples heads and nobody had noticed, well except her fellow ghosts but they were just chuckling about it in a corner. The Grey Lady especially was getting a good laugh in as Josslin subtly slipped invisible whenever a student looked up not noticing a thing. But as she watched her old friends she wondered and decided the opportunity that she had been waiting for and also dreading had come into place. She slipped out of the room.

A few minutes later a girl 'walked' in wearing a long white gown that dragged on the floor. It wasn't beautiful, rather plain really just white, long sleeves that hung over her hands. She also wore a hood over her head that hung so fully over that her face couldn't be seen in the shadow of it. She 'walked' over to where Nimue, Kat, Marvo, Andy and a few other third years were gathered. She walked up quietly.

"Marvo." She said softly but some how her voice demanded his attention. Marvo reluctantly turned from his inquisitive stare at Kat and saw this mysterious figure.

The figure turned to Kat. "May I barrow your date." It was more of a statement that a question. She didn't give time to Kat to answer.

"Forgive me Nimue for butting in line." Something in the voice of the figure hinted at a smile under that hood.

Then turning back to Marvo she said, "Would you dance with me Malcolm?" Something in that question, which this time was a question, begged a right answer. Marvo somehow heard it looked an apology at both the other girls then stepped up and walked with the girl onto the dance floor.

************

For some reason, the girl wouldn't move the cloth back onto her wrists, and just held his hand as then dance with the cloth still over it. 'Odd' was the thought of Marvo and the others who happen to notice this stranger. She was actually an excellent dancer, and subtly had guided Marvo into a few twists, turns and fancy steps, even though he was technically leading. Occasionally you could hear her laugh quietly just having fun.

When the song ended and she began to walk him back to his seat. Right in between hearing distance of the dancers and the third years she pulled his arm back a bit to stop him walking and grabbed his hand, gently she squeezed it.

"Thank you for taking care of Kit." she said softly. Then it dawned on him like a tornado, brilliant, clever, know it all Marvo the magnificent, hadn't guessed that he was dancing with a ghost and for those moments he was stunned silent. Josslin let go and moved on leaving him behind trying to figure out what had happened, after all, Josslin he thought, Hated him.

Peesemould looked at the people directly surrounding him. "Who on earth is that?"

Sarah had been hanging about with her new admirer though did acknowledge Pessemould's question:

"No one knows - someone in disguise. Who would have thought old Marvo was so popular with the ladies." Said Sarah.

Josslin kept moving but didn't go back to the circle of third year. Instead she made a turn so that she was heading for the other end of the dance floor where it looked like Morticia and Egreen were about to head for a glass of quick punch to water their throats, before heading out onto the dancefloor again.

Josslin came up to them, the couple obviously seeing only a stranger, just looked as she approached. "Death, Destiny, I bow to you both." Josslin said with sincere meaning in her words, seeming to look particularly at Morticia, as she did actually bow to Morticia and Egreen.

With that she turned quickly, "I'll be around, for a while." She said but her last words were lost in the starting of the next song, then with a suddenness, she appeared to jump into the air with great speed, up and up, tell into the ceiling she flew the costume left in her wake as she hit the top. It fell to the floor at the feet of Morticia, who stunned, dropped her punch strait on top of it.

Morticia suddenly feels quite sick and reaches for a chair to sit down.

Joss' salute and sudden departure had shaken Egreen as well. However, he quickly recovered his composure and attended to Morticia - who looked paler than she had a few moments before.

He guided her to the chair and stood beside her, holding her hand. Surely Joss knew that he and Morticia were just in costume, so why had she saluted them so formally as 'Death and Destiny' - was she just teasing him or was there another layer here that he wasn't aware of? It frustrated him remaining outside of his awareness yet teased at the corner of his mind.

Nimue and Kat had been dumbstruck by the intervention. As they were both in on Joss' secret, Kat due to her encounters in Ravenclaw and Nimue courtesy of the mind-share, they had a pretty good idea of who the mysterious figure had been.

They had shared a meaningful glance as Joss had led Marvo to the dance floor. Joss had been subtle enough in her 'leaving' so that while a number of folk had witnessed it, the music, laughter and other goings on of the Ball meant that the Ball continued.

After all, the students and staff were used to ghosts. One more or less wasn't bound to cause too much excitement - that was until the ghost's identity became wider knowledge.

During the dance between Joss and Marvo, Sarah came up to Kat and Nimue dragging her new beau (the prefect - wait till he finds out in the morning who is partner is!) and with a cheeky smile said: "Looks you have competition."

Nimue and Kat both turned at Sarah's words, "There's no competition." said Nimue firmly, she then coloured slightly and looked at her friend, "Kat, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking - I just thought that if Malcolm.. Marvo and I danced that I might be able make things right between us again - between all of us."

Her eyes seemed to mist up and she retreated slightly.

Kat had been speechless for quite a while. First Nimue asks to dance with Marvo, she hadn't expected that. She was surprised but felt no threat from it. She would have happily given up Marvo for a while to let them sort themselves out. But before she has a chance to jump in Joss turns up! No that made her uneasy.

Joss hated Marvo, or at least she hated Kat being with Marvo. Maybe there was more to it that she thought. It couldn't just be what she knew about Marvo, it could be that Joss was jealous. And now Joss had made Kat jealous by not even dragging him off like that. She was cross too. How dare he wander off for a dance without even asking her. But then again, why should he? Ahh! She hated this sort of confusion. But it was done, and now Nimue had missed an opportunity. She had to concentrate on the current problem. She'd wonder about Joss later....

Madison stared, and the look on her face was hard to decipher. "Th-that w-was...I mean, w-was that r-really...?" She couldn't finish her sentence...or tear her eyes away from the ceiling. "Marvo...did she say anything to you? Like, about...you know..."

Marvo very slowly sits down, his eyes not leaving to white dress on the floor.

'It ... was Joss! I danced with a ghost!' His face has become slightly pale. 'I thought she didn't like me? Why did she... how...'

He looks at Madison as she asks her question. 'She... Thanked me for looking after Kit'

Realisation slowly dawned on Marvo. How could he have not noticed? How could he have missed this opportunity to ask Joss some question?

A slight smile crosses his face. 'She was a very good Dancer.' He said, once more staring at the dress.

Madison's gaze moved from the ceiling to the dress on the floor. "That's all she said?" She smiled. "She's a good dancer, huh? Wonder why she didn't stay..." She looked up at the ceiling again. "Do you think she's still here? Maybe we could...ask her about what happened..."

With the revelation that Marvo's partner was Joss' ghost - all Sarah could say was 'coooool'.

"Are you sure that was Joss?" Peesey asked Marvo rather nosily

"Nimue, I don't mind if you take Marvo off for a bit to chat and sort yourselves out." Said Kat. "You both need it. Dance it you wish or find somewhere quiet to talk." She smiled at Marvo and squeezed his hand. "And you can stop pondering Joss for a minute and go and talk, unless of course you both want to talk about it here? The we could all find out what has been going on..." Kat grinned at them both, and hoped they would sort it out somehow.

Marvo still looks slightly confused. It's been an 'unexpected' few minutes for him. He looks down at Kat's hand squeezing his and then into her eyes. He smiles and turned to Nimue.

Nimue Looks to Kat and says 'It will be fine' Kat gets an image in her head that Nimue really does want it to be fine, and really wants to speak to Kat 'After' (but Kat dose not know what she means by After)

Marvo Stands (he still hasn't said anything) and releasing Kats hand takes Nimue's outstretched one and is led to the dancefloor. But just before they get there he turns and mouths to Kat 'Thank you'

They dance. Wonderfully as it happens, and anyone watching see that they are obviously talking to each other, both looks serious, but the odd smile comes across both faces every now and then, but no anger, no explosions, in fact, all seems well.

Kat turns to Andy. "Well that seems a lot better." She says as she watches the two of them on the dance floor. "I would love to know what has been going on with them though. I've been pondering what could possibly make them behave the way they have and I just can't work it out. Hopefully they will be ok now."

Kat's eyes follow the two of them. Her expression says everything she feels. Her longing to hear what they are saying, her relief that they are actually talking and her compassion for both of them.

*************

When the mysterious stranger had first come into Riala's view, Riala had been happily talking with Peesey and some others around her but for some reason, the plain whiteness of this persons costume had drawn to her to watch as she approached the third years. She was dumb struck at the nerve this girl showed in asking Marvo to dance. "Got some major nerve that one.." she said quitely. "what?" Peesey asked not hearing what she had said only that she had said something. "Nothing." she said, then smiled at her date, only to later go back to watching this figure dance on the dancefloor.

Her eyebrows shot up several times at the moves the two did. And only when she watched this girl actually Bow to Morticia and Egreen (death and destiny) did she feel something was very not right about this girl. It seemed also that she had been the only one to catch a meaningful look at Gerome (dressed as the god of War.) followed by a little laugh as she said her last words going into the ceiling.

Finally she was struck dumb at the fact that this was the girl she had tried so desperately to save only to be suspected of her murder. Not to mention the fact that her father hadn't been ecstatic about her using the families secret, 'blackfire spell' on a 'simple, ALREADY DEAD student'. From then on she was oblivious to all goings on tell she heard Peesey ask Marvo if he really thought it was Joss (kind of in a mocking way). And if Peesey (no real offence, she's just irritated) wasn't her date she would have slapped him right then and there, just for being an idiotic, of coarse it had been Josslin! She hide her anger then and continued to stir the hot chocolate she had in front of her, just to cool her mind.