27 October, 1891 — Living & Dead Mixer, Hogsmeade Ballroom
Henrietta hadn't wanted to come to this. She shouldn't come to this, because technically she was still in mourning (at least for the moment — she still hadn't determined whether one was expected to fully mourn someone who had stayed around as a ghost). Her mother was coming, however, and as it was her first event in her new life (her words, not Henri's — Henri thought new life was an inopportune turn of phrase but couldn't think what would suit better) she wanted her family to come out and support her. Henrietta thought Hermione didn't want to be here, either, but she had dutifully answered her mother's call. They'd only been here ten minutes, but already Henrietta was nearing a nervous breakdown. She hadn't spoken to her mother one-on-one since the night she'd died, and she didn't want to. True, a ballroom didn't seem a very likely setting for a confrontation, but she couldn't entirely dismiss the idea. It would be the first opportunity Mama had since the funeral, since she was at home with Holden and Henrietta had been stashed away with her sister (presumably to lessen the inconvenience she represented to Holden).
Every ghost she saw gave her a start, as she kept expecting them to be her mother. She knew she couldn't avoid her all night, but she was hoping that if she did have to interact with her it would be with another sibling present so that she could glue herself to their side, smile, and say nothing. To that end she was planning on staying as close to Hermione's side as she could manage the entire evening — or at least, that was her plan initially. She quite forgot that once she spotted Mr. Greengrass.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. She'd crossed the ballroom to meet him without a second thought, though it had taken longer than she would have liked to move through the room with her mourning crepe billowing out around her like a cloud. "We shouldn't be seen together."
Every ghost she saw gave her a start, as she kept expecting them to be her mother. She knew she couldn't avoid her all night, but she was hoping that if she did have to interact with her it would be with another sibling present so that she could glue herself to their side, smile, and say nothing. To that end she was planning on staying as close to Hermione's side as she could manage the entire evening — or at least, that was her plan initially. She quite forgot that once she spotted Mr. Greengrass.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. She'd crossed the ballroom to meet him without a second thought, though it had taken longer than she would have liked to move through the room with her mourning crepe billowing out around her like a cloud. "We shouldn't be seen together."
