Shades of Silver and Black

Chapter 2 | the start of the peacock problem

--------------------> SIRIUS BLACK LEVELLED A GREY GAZE around the entirety of the ballroom with boredom. The strong walls of the Yaxley Manor were constructed with grey stones, mosaics of humble rocks and palleted with velvet curtains of shades of silver and black that covered the tall, glass windows from the prying eyes of outsiders.

In the grand entranceway, to greet the visitors; was the most monumental of chandeliers, the girth of a giant evergreen alight with flame. It invited the eye upward by virtue of its sparkle as it caught the light, acting as a miniature sun, and even Sirius had felt mesmerised by the chandelier whose origin from a time of opulence and emotional indifference, now shone its beauty for all in the ballroom, beckoning them to dance to the Siren-like sonnets that serenaded the background.

The old, oak wood floors that he had planted his dragon-hide boots on was a rainbow of browns, being shaped by generations of the soles of the Yaxley family along with the amalgamation of guests that they invited to their home.

There were tables as golden as daylight pushed against the walls. Food floated on pure silver platters as good as any in Olympus, the symphonies of their tangling scents spoke like a gentle message to Sirius' soul. It reminded him that he was hungry, prompting him to reach for another finger food. The one he grabbed was delicately decorated on a spoon, stacked with a sponge of sorts, a dollop of cream and a sprinkle of green. Sirius was unaware of what it was called but it tasted like little drops of heaven.

"Is that your forth spoon or fifth?" James inquired amusedly, standing beside him with his back against the stone wall, nearly as bored as him.

"Sixth, actually," Sirius corrected unapologetically with a grin.

Like Sirius, James had been dragged to attend the Yaxley ball by his mother, Dorea, after much pleading and whining. The Blacks had been obliged to make an appearance, with the two families running in the same social circles and being dark-aligned. There was also the fact that Lord Henrik Yaxley was Regulus' godfather while his son and heir, Dennis, was close friends with Sirius' older sister, Lyra.

Meanwhile, although the House of Potter was strictly neutral, the current Lady Yaxley had a strong friendship with James' mum ever since their Hogwarts days and so, both James and Lord Potter had been forced to be present at the event with Lord Potter apparently needing more compelling than James, if Lady Potter's muttering of how she was felt like she was raising two children was anything to go by. Sirius loved the Potters.

He was delighted to have James' company until the two of them had been given stern warnings by both their mothers to not pull any pranks or flare anyone's temper. Now, Sirius was more than alright with disobeying his mother, his sister would bail him out should he cause himself any real trouble, but Dorea Potter was scarier than a dragon, and that was putting it mildly. So, Sirius refrained from doing anything that would be termed as 'unruly'.

None of his cousins or siblings had bothered to stick around to entertain him either, each heading off their separate way. Bellatrix had all but disappeared --Sirius had to get her to teach him how she did that-- while Andromeda rushed over to the bathroom instantly --probably trying to jump out of the window, he knew she hated these galas almost as much as he did-- and Narcissa had been enclosed by her giggling gaggle of friends before he could even call out her name.