It was quite a while before Aisling reappeared in the hall with Cedric and the others at her side.
Aisling had used healing magic to ease the bruises left by her freestyle fight with Roy, and had tidied her disheveled hair and tugged her long dress back into place.
Perhaps the guests in the hall hadn't heard the fighting upstairs clearly, or perhaps they had pretended not to hear it. Either way, once Aisling returned to the bustling banquet hall, the awkward atmosphere soon became lively again, as though the "Pikachu" from earlier had never been there.
The banquet continued. With a wave of Aisling's hand, the Grindelwald House's followers immediately brought another round of drinks to the tables. Aisling took a glass of chilled champagne herself, holding it in her hand and sipping from it now and then.
The vain young ladies from pure-blood families soon clustered around Aisling again. These young girls in lavish gowns gathered together, exchanging conversation utterly devoid of substance. Apart from showing off their families' luxurious lifestyles and swapping gossip about people they knew, what else did these little socialites have to discuss?
Their chatter soon had Aisling, standing in their midst, on the verge of falling asleep. She couldn't have cared less where these empty-headed pure-blood young ladies were going on holiday that summer. Rather than listen to them whisper about which family's boy was dating which family's girl, Aisling thought another freestyle fight with Roy upstairs would be far more satisfying. At least it wouldn't put her mind through this torture.
At that thought, Aisling raised her chilled glass and took a small sip, then pressed the cold glass against the spot beside the bruise Roy's punch had left earlier.
"Oh, let me tell you about that person at our Durmstrang..."
A