Kingsley looked over her shoulder, glaring at the unfamiliar faces. Once upon a time she knew every face in these parties – nowadays it seemed like everyone and anyone knew about the Shrieking Shack. The party had nearly tripled in size since she arrived, there was barely room to breathe. As one girl she recognized as the keeper on the Slytherin team fell back into her, it took all of Kingsley’s effort not to throw her. Instead Kingsley gave a meek smile as she helped the girl back up, shaking whatever had spilled from her cup off from her hand. As soon as her back was turned, annoyance flashed across her face. She finished her drink and slammed her glass down onto the counter before someone else could knock it our of her hand. She watched as the enchanted bottle of fire whiskey poured her another glass, a flash of movement caught her eye from behind the bar.
She would have smiled seeing Ted and James tangled up in one another if her mood hadn’t been so soured. Any other time she even would have joined, but not this time. No, she needed to get the fuck out of here – and fast. She couldn’t stand another second in this wretched party, even if she smoked the joint calling her name from her pocket. Before Ted or James could spot her, she grabbed her drink, the enchanted bottle and her attitude, and ducked out of sight. Seemed that she was doing a lot of that tonight. Ted was in good enough hands, although she did feel a twinge of guilt when she thought about leaving Juniper behind in the wake of their kiss. This was quickly quelled by the feeling that if she stayed here for a minute longer, she might break something.
Luckily still only a few knew about the slide-like tunnel from the Whomping Willow. Lake air slapped her senses, she felt uncomfortably sober. Tossing back the last of her drink, she held her glass and the bottle in her hand. The lake was beyond the greenhouses, which would require some stealth. Luckily, she knew all the charms to do so. Her father thought he was preparing her for her OWL’s but really, he’d been training her to get away with just about anything. Pointing her wand to each, she incanted “reducio” quietly over each. They both shrunk to a size she could fit in her pocket. Additionally she disillusionment charm on herself, watching as she changed colors to match the world around her to make sure she achieved full coverage before advancing. Flawless execution, if she could say so herself. She knew the exact route to take. She had made this walk many times before. She walked along the tall rocks that surrounded Hogwarts foundation so anyone spying from the window up above wouldn’t detect her movement.
There was a spot just around the bend from the path leading from the Greenhouses to the castle, just hidden enough for a cheeky joint or maybe for lovers to rendezvous. She had found it shortly before they began having parties at the Shrieking Shack one day when she was seeking a little peace and quiet as she so often did. Kingsley found it easier to think out here, especially with a drink and a joint in hand. The moon was but a sliver in the sky, reflecting across the lake. Lifting the disillusionment charm and restoring her glass and bottle back to full size. She found her best sitting rock, leaning against the stone wall behind her. Glass half full, joint lit and…she could breathe again. The air smelled of dew and moonlight and, her drink tasted like divine nectar.
Kingsley had a reputation for just disappearing, it was the only way she could get away to think straight. When your father was the Minister of Magic, even from a young age everything you would do or say was endlessly scrutinized and scandalized by his critics. Every time she threw a tantrum as a child or was found sneaking around the ministry – it reflected back onto him. Rita Skeeter especially, she loved writing gossip about any of the “Dumbledore’s Army”’s darling children and who loved coming around the ministry to snoop around. Eventually, Kingsley just learned how to get better at sneaking off for some time alone, if only for a minute.
So many people saw her as the girl who liked to have a good time – and she did, but sometimes she just wanted a break. No, needed a break. Especially nights like these, where if you weren’t dancing and pressing against some hot body then it felt like something was wrong with you. She sighed, getting lost in her drink. For fucks sakes, what was wrong with her? Couldn’t even last a couple hours during the first party of the year before she let her emotions get the best of her. She just didn’t know how to handle them when she was around so many people, it was like they were sucking the life out of her. They didn’t have to look at her, their presence was enough of nuisance in those moments. Forget about talking about it, she’d just go quiet and mumble that she had a headache or something so people wouldn’t push further.
No – no, she would stick to stealing these moments by herself to renew her energy. To let herself just feel, and ride out the emotion, whatever it was. Then she’d never have to talk about her emotions, E V E R.
When she slid back from the Whomping Willow into the shrieking shack, the whole shack felt much larger, although nothing had truly changed. Except Kingsley’s tolerance, honestly. The joint was finally working its magic, she could feel a tingle creep up the base of her skull and wrap around her temporal lobes. Her smile was back, her eyes looking through the thrashing bodies trying to get a line of sight on Teddy’s quidditch bag. She wiggled her way through, the bottle of fire whiskey still in hand. People who recognized her gave her a smile, maybe even tried to include her into their dancing as she walked past. She played her part, but she knew where she was going, right to that quidditch bag. She was high, but she could be higher.
The Euphoria elixir supply was running low, but honestly the potion affected her in a way that made her crash heavily once its effect wore off. What she wanted was tucked into the side pocket, phials neatly layered. Pixi Dust, she held one to the light. The light refracted off the substance, creating a rainbow of colors that danced across her face. Careful to distance herself from anyone who might knock into her, she gently tapped the phial to shake some of the substance onto the back of her hand. Tucking the phial away, she inhaled the bump she had shook out onto her hand.
Just like that, the world around her changed. It was like she was seeing her own world, but through another dimension. Where Rose had enchanted lights to dance across the ceiling, she saw shooting stars shoot across the sky. The horde of dancing bodies, once overwhelming, now was a wooden path calling her into the woods. All around her the world was changing colors, from cyan to magenta, sparks danced around her. She had to remind herself to breath, so stunned by her own vision. Suddenly she was overcome with laughter, bubbling up from within. It wrapped around her, relieving all lingering tension. She fell into the world around her, letting it swallow her whole.