Pomona's dress was very much in the Slytherin style. The bodice was made of deep green velvet, while the lower half was a pale gray-green A-line gown draped in flowing fabric. Its waist was adorned with sprigs of broom, making it look elegant and dreamlike. It could serve as a formal gown without seeming strange for everyday wear.
Pomona believed Severus had not chosen this dress. His taste was only so-so; Voldemort had most likely selected it himself.
The Dark Lord's taste was beyond question. Though he had been born in an orphanage rather than raised in a wealthy family, at the height of his power, that handsome devil could draw every eye in the room the moment he appeared.
He suited extravagant styles, even though he usually wore nothing more than a simple black robe.
The ballroom Severus had built was exceedingly magnificent, with the grandeur of the Palace of Versailles. However, it currently had only its outer shell and several crystal chandeliers. There were no decorative statues or murals, nor was the floor laid with marble. It still looked far too shabby to host a grand ball.
The Gaunt family loved putting on airs and had squandered their money over several generations. Europe in that era had been influenced by French culture, and Rococo style was everywhere. Countless balls were held in royal palaces and manor houses.
This trend affected not only the Muggle elite but wizards as well. Yet maintaining such a luxurious life required a vast income. Muggle royalty and nobility relied on taxes, while the Gaunt family relied on ancestral wealth. Once that inheritance had been squandered away, the Gaunt family began to decline. By Voldemort's generation, they did not even have a decent house.
The direct consequence of the Baroque lifestyle Louis XIV had