July 16, 1891 - London at a Generic Ball

In Felix's years among society he thought he had seen everything at events like this. Even outside of the events he was pretty sure very little could phase him. But this was new. One of the young debutantes had set another young woman on fire. On fire. As in the train of her gown was beginning to smolder and smoke and the young lady hadn't even noticed it. Instead she continued chatting as the flames slowly licked up the fabric of her gown. The young lady who had bumped into a candle and knocked it into the gown seemed frozen, her eyes wide and a hand over her mouth. Still the lady whose dress was on fire continued to talk. No one seemed to have noticed but Felix. Bloody hell he was going to have to do something.

Felix jumped into action, grabbing his wand and casting a water charm on the lady's dress before the flames could lick any further.

  

---

As the Season wore on, Penny was beginning to loathe her suddenly mandated appearances. She was an adequate dancer and a decent conversationalist, but she was determined to eventually marry Nemo. Any flirtations with gentlemen were bound to lead nowhere, leaving Cassandra frustrated that nothing appeared to be sticking.

She was mid-conversation with a former schoolmate about the intricacies of broom making when she was abruptly doused with water. Spinning on her feet, Penny turned to face her assailant. "Mr. Prewett, sir. Have you gone mad?"

  

Oh Merlin, of course it was Miss Fawcett. He'd seen her temper before and now the beginning of it was directed at him. Not exactly the response he had hoped for as the hero of this story. "I quite wish I had" Felix replied meekly, giving her a hesitant smile and putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "But I'm afraid that's not a claim I can make." He added, watching the tendrils of smoke wisped around around Miss Fawcett's skirt as she turned the smoldering part of her dress away from Felix.

"But it appears you are on fire." Or rather he hoped he could say were on fire, but seeing as she had turned too quickly he wasn't sure, the air of the movement may have caught the flames up again. The smell of smoke and burning fabric reached his nostrils but he tried to look as placating as possible. "I had only thought to help." There seemed to be more smoke behind Miss Fawcett and the ladies she was chatting two had shocked looks on their faces. Did that mean it was smoking or had the flames fanned back to life? "If I might?" He gestured for her to spin so he might be able to look and make sure she was alright.

  

---

On fire?! As soon as Mr. Prewett mentioned it the all too familiar smell of smoke filled her nostrils. However, unlike all the fire related accidents in her workshop, Penny hadn't done anything this time to cause it. Her anger gave way to both curiosity and panic. How in Merlin's Beard had she managed to catch fire?!

Turning this way and that, Penny tried and failed to see where the smoke was coming from. "Yes, please." She then allowed Mr. Prewett's inspection. The scent of smoke was growing stronger now.

  

At the word fire Miss Fawcett started twisting and turning to see the flame, finally allowing Felix to appear at the bustle and train, even if it meant he had to step around to see her, which he did. The back of Miss Fawett's dress was burned in places, holes through to her petticoats, those were smoking from where the water had hit. The flames however, had begun to creep upwards toward the bustle. Bloody hell. Felix cast another water spell, muttering the incantation. This seemed to do the trick. But just in case he shrugged out of his coat jacket and used it to smother the last of the damped smoldering fabric (which happened to be the bustle) right there in front of the crowd. Well apparently they'd give them something to talk about. "That ought to do it." He told her patting away, because really he rather thought she'd like her body to remain intact over her reputation.

  

---

Penny's cheeks flamed as brightly as the supposed fire. Mr. Prewett was touching her! Not even Nemo — who had confessed his love to her and hers to him — had touched her so inappropriately. (Well, a hug was likely inappropriate, but those were somewhat desperate moments after a near death experience.)

She didn't dare look towards the other partygoers, too afraid of the damage Mr. Prewett had just caused both their repuations. "Is the fire gone now?" Penny asked quietly, perfectly still for the first time since the ordeal began.

  

To Miss Fawcett's credit she did not scream, or anything else verging toward hysterics, he wasn't sure his sisters would have remained as put together. Although he wasn't entirely sure she wasn't just in shock. At her question he moved his coat away only to start coughing and swiping at the smoke that billowed into his. "Appears to be." He croacked. But she certainly wouldn't be able to wander through a ball like this. "Here," He threw his smoky (and likely hot from the flames and himself) coat about her shoulders, thankfully it covered past the bustle. "Let me escort you to the retiring room - or I can take you home?" Either way it was probably a good idea to get her out of the room. A quick glance around showed him the young lady who had caused the scene had slipped to the side of the room and was watching with a horrified expression on her face, which was an even brighter shade of red than Miss Fawcett's. An older woman was trying to tug her away but the girl seemed determined to see just how much damage she had done.

  

---

"Home, please." Penny managed through her embarrassment, realizing only belatedly that might have been his plan all along. Mr. Prewett hadn't left an impression of being a rake, but there was no true way of knowing. "Or at least to the floo," she then corrected.

His jacket was too warm around her shoulders. Between the mortification and literal fire, Penny was beginning to overheat and knew she had to leave the crowded ballroom sooner than later. She thought to shove the jacket back in his direction, was about to too, when she realized he likely only gave her it to give her a reclaimed sense of modesty. Merlin. How bad was the fire?

"My mother should be here somewhere. I lost track of her some time ago." Penny then added once they were through the thick crowd.

  

"Do you think the floo might encourage more flames?" Felix worried as he steered her toward the doorway of the ball. The mother of the girl who had set the fire bustled behind them, having left her daughter by the edge of a ballroom apparently deciding that her daughter had done enough damage that she could not allow Felix to harm Miss Fawcett's reputation as well. "Let's at least get you to the courtyard and then I'll find your mother." He told her, trying to make sure she realized he had no designs on her and nodding at the woman following them. Better to keep everything above board he always thought. He wasn't the one in his family that caused scandals as it was, or at least as it was supposed to be.

  

---

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Penny answered with a hint of embarrassment, pausing momentarily in her steps to glance towards Mr. Prewett. The green flames weren't true fire, were they? Merlin, how had Penny never considered such implications before? Were wizards lighting themselves aflame every time they used magical transportation? "Yes, the courtyard." She then answered. Better not to take the chance, she figured.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Penny breathed a sigh of relief that she had both escaped the peering eyes of the other partygoers and had picked up a chaperone of sorts along the way. Although she worked alone with Mr. Grimstone and visited unchaperoned with Nemo frequently, she didn't relish the thought of being alone with a near stranger. "Thank you for your swift actions, Mr. Prewett," Penny told him quietly. "I arrived by floo this evening. Do you happen to have access to a broom or carriage I might take home?"

  

At her thanks Felix gave a small bow. "Of course." He wasn't one for praise and felt rather awkward at having received any. Under such circumstances he rather thought praise unnecessary and she was likely too shaken up for any such sentiments. But Miss Fawcett seemed to be made of sterner stuff than that.

A broom? Merlin, even if he did have a broom he wouldn't have riding about it. One, it'd fan any flames as much as the floo might. Two, a young lady alone on a broom? He'd done as much as he could to save her reputation, he wouldn't put her on a broom and ruin what he had saved. "I do." Really it was his mother's carriage, but Harriet wouldn't mind once he had explained it to her. "If it is agreeable to you I can escort you home in our carriage?"

  

---

Penny hesitated and glanced towards the older woman accompanying them. There was a less than zero percent chance the woman would entirely abandon her daughter inside to ride all the way back to Hogsmeade. Merlin, would Mr. Prewett even accompany her all that way? It took at least a day, if not longer, by carriage. Of all days to leave her broom at home...

She bit her lip. "My family's home is in Hogsmeade. I can't possibly ask you to accompany me the entire trip home." Nor could she ask to keep his carriage, but she wasn't about to ask that. It was too late for any seamstress to still be within the shops of Diagon Alley. Penny felt trapped, almost as much as she had when she was stuck on that godforsaken boat.

  

Felix certainly couldn't abandon her like this and so he said the first thing that came to mind, "My mother's house is in London. I'm sure she still has one of my sisters' dresses around. One of those should fit you." He shrugged as if this were nothing out of the norm.

  

---

Of all the suggestions she thought he might say (not that there were a great many) she didn't expect him to suggest returning to his home. For a brief second, Penny flashed back to the floo incident years ago and felt a small flash of panic. They would have to be accompanied by someone, anyone.

Except, by making her discomfort known he might very well refuse fo help her altogether. And then what would she do? Write to Nemo and beg him to come help? If Nemo should miss the owl or be otherwise preoccupied Penny would still be stranded. More than that, she didn't have parchment or ink.

"I would return the dress immediately," she supplied carefully. "Unless you wanted it laundered first."

  

"She will hardly miss it." Felix waved her comment away and then led her to the carriage. "Here," He handed her off to a family footman. "I'll go find your mother to accompany you." He said loud enough to ensure the society mother who had been following could hear and then gave her a half bow and was gone before she could say another word. The society mother following him back to the ballroom, presumably to find her own clumsy daughter.

Felix must have looked for close to fifteen minutes, maybe even closer to twenty, but he could not find Mrs. Fawcett anywhere, so taking a calculated risk he returned to the carriage and entered it before anyone could realize there was another occupant. Before another word was said he rapped on the roof of the coach for the driver to start home. As the wheels began to rumble beneath them he explained, "I wasn't able to find your mother. Do you know if she had already left the ball?" Surely not, but Felix had looked every feasible place and could not find the woman. Granted he was looking for an older version of Miss Fawcett as he did not believe he had actually met the mother, but still, he'd rather thought a familial resemblance should make her stand out somewhere.

  

---

Each minute that passed alone in the carriage brought about a new level of uncertainty. Her first task had been to examine her dress and all its scorched bits. The fire had eliminated the bustle of her dress, leaving her bottom skirts to move about with more gusto than they ought to have. Her right sleeve had some singed marks, likely a stray ember burning through. She couldn't possibly leave the carriage and face the public like this, nor could she have confidence in Mr. Prewett's intentions.

When he returned without her mother in tow, Penny's eyes widened and she quietly made to grip her wand in her pocket. It'd been some years since she had required any defensive spells. He was just as likely to be maimed by her lacking defense as she was to be injured by his potential ill intentions. "She should have been. Perhaps she left in search of me..." she replied quietly, praying that her nerves didn't shine through. "I'll send her a note too if that's alright with you?"