When Voldemort was mentioned, the first thing children of Harry Potter's generation thought of was that hairless monster with a serpentine face.
But those from Pomona's era remembered his handsome face, especially when he smiled, when he exuded elegance. He looked even more like an aristocrat than those so-called pure-blood nobles.
Women often admired themselves and envied one another's beauty. Not even goddesses were immune, but once a man possessed that kind of beauty, this "sin" was forgiven—Bella was no exception.
The straight-line distance from Ghent to Bruges was not far. From Ghent's towers, one could even see the tips of Bruges's spires. Yet these two cities, so close in a straight line, had entanglements as winding as canals, turning a journey that could have taken one day into two.
If Bruges was a red medieval city, then Ghent was a city tinged with natural limestone gray. The Count's Castle in the city center retained the castle style of the Crusades, with Romanesque battlements and a moat. There was practically no decoration inside; it was still entirely stone. Worse still, it had once served as a prison and a court.
In a place like this, Georgiana had no mood to be "mischievous." Garters went well with lace, especially when bows were added to the tops of white stockings.
But even if that outfit had been worn by Voldemort's mother, it probably could not have saved her "marriage." No one knew how the Gaunt family had come to look like that by her generation. Fortunately, Voldemort resembled his father.
The Order of the Garter was a garter inscribed in Latin, meaning, "Shame on him who thinks evil of it."
Legend had it that while Edward III was dancing with a countess, her garter suddenly fell, drawing laughter from those around them.