Post by Melia Birchheel on Dec 17, 2006 13:31:22 GMT -5
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through Firefox
The students were stirring
For a party of course!
[/center]And all through Firefox
The students were stirring
For a party of course!
Melia stood back and admired her work. Almost single handedly she had transformed the enormous but usually dull feating hall into a winter wonderland, a party scene fit for the most dedicated and decadent holiday goer. The long tables where the students and teachers usually ate had gone; in their place a great gleaming dance floor, the ceiling above hung with real live faery lights, all fiery red and icy blue and gleaming gold and winter green. Also from the ceiling fell a light but steady rain of snow, as pure white and fluffy as one could desire, but the floor itself remained clean and dry, for while the snow fell, it disappeared, fading, into thin air just two inches off the ground. Around the edges of the dance floor there were several round tables, each to sit twelve people, every one with their unique centre pieces, candles and balloons as well as the cutlery already laid out neatly, punch in the middle and mince pies already lining the plates. Above the doors through which every person had to enter the potions mistress had festooned large amounts of mistletoe. Hopefully the students would enjoy it... she certainly wouldn't.
At the head of the hall stood a hundred foot Christmas tree, regal and splendid in its twinkling finery. Decked head to truck in flashing stars and glowing, intermittent lights and thick, rich stands of tinsel metres and metres longs winding spiraling around the dark green and heavy laden branches. Here and there flashed small yellow stars, catching the light of the faeries that shafted from the roof, and baubles of red and gold of all shapes and sizes. It was, quite simply, magical.
But it was nothing on what came next. At the opposite end of the hall, past the round tables and dance floor, there was a massive mountain of presents, all gift-wrapped to perfection with lustrous ribbons and bows over their striped paper. In that pile there lay a present for every member of Firefox, and a few others besides. As each person came in, they would be presented with their gift. Nothing too big, but each one had been chosen carefully, and the recipient was sure to love it. Somewhere in there, Melia knew, there was one for herself, but she did not claim it yet. It was too early, and the witch felt too tired and jaded to bother now. It could wait.
With a few more waves of her wand ice sculpture appeared, a faery here, a snowman there, a few reindeer and one for each of the four houses: lion, eagle, badger and serpent. They glinted and accumulated some of the snow that fell, but they wouldn't melt. Not yet, at least. With another silently cast spell, a swing band appeared beneath the boughs of the tree, with one twist.
All the players were penguins.
A polar bear sat on the double bass, sunglasses on.
Who said Melia didn't have a sense of humor? The band struck up an upbeat version of deck the halls, which led to Melia's next creation. Great boughs of holly and ivy littered any and every ledge, icicles glistening vertically downwards from them. Melia stood back. Was it done yet? No - not quite. Being a fancy dress party, Melia had to decorate herself. But as what? Ah, of course. Without so much as a smile, Melia transformed her garb from sable to shining white and ice blue, cold and pale as the tops of the mountains in winter. Her face too lightened in tone, losing all colour until she looked like an albino, but her eyes remained yellow, somehow more disturbing in their pale trappings.
An Ice Queen. And she looked every icy inch regal and imposing, a staff in one hand and her wand in the other.
Yes, it was done.
And the Christmas Ball was open.