39 The Russian Yule

Draco soon found out that his unconscious wariness of the other boy was unwarranted. Although the way that Alex always gently smiled at other people, not showing any other emotions, creeped him out a bit - Draco quickly got used to it.

On the first few days of his arrival, Draco was led around the manor and grounds to familiarize himself with the surroundings. The structure of the manor wasn't too different from a typical French one - with its tall windows and vast grounds, which were now covered under heaps of snow, it created a beautiful picture.

After acclimatizing himself to his new environment, on the third day of his stay, Draco, together with the Blacks and their hosts, was led to the St Petersburg's magical shopping district.

The Yule Ball was a masquerade, with people coming dressed in festive robes and masks representing animals donned on their faces. Although Draco's robes were prepared, he didn't have a suitable mask.

Russian Yule was a festivity, during which (as people believed) the whole world was born anew. The longest night of the year represented the hope of future life, the day of change and creation. Some recognized it as a day when the time stopped, and the veil between the dead and the living was thin enough for the ancestors to visit. The masks signified the dead, which can come once per year and celebrate the Yule with the living.

Although this sounded eerie, in fact, it wasn't so. Unlike Samhain (or, as muggles called it, Halloween) when the living could converse with the dead and were allowed to briefly visit their world, Yule was the time when the dead could briefly visit the living world, though only if they had good intentions. Often times, they carried with themselves various blessings.

As such, places, which had strong magical concentrations on midnight of the longest night in the year, were granted the strongest well-wishes of the ancestors. These blessings often included things like better luck, enhanced ability to understand difficult problems, strengthened premonition, giving birth to healthier children and many other. Although this kind of magic was very subtle and didn't hold for long, there had been many cases of it saving lives. Because of that, these blessings were highly regarded by the magical population.

That's why, in the evening of 22nd of December, Draco entered the Sokolov ballroom with a mask of a goat on his face.

Although it represented a goat, the mask itself looked more like a one of a devil – dark gray, covering half of Draco's face and with huge curling horns stretching out above the boy's head. In his opinion, it looked rather intimidating – if Draco was in Voldemort's place, he might have considered changing the Death Eaters' get up to something similar.

However, it wasn't scary to the point of making people scream and run away in fear. In fact, it was carved rather elegantly and looked very festive while paired with Draco's deep blue robes, which were embroidered at the hems and sleeves with silver threads.

Looking around, Draco noticed that everyone else also had similar masks hiding their faces. The blond boy couldn't recognize anyone in his vicinity. The whole place was filled with women wearing luxurious fox, rabbit and cat masks, while men tended to wear bear, wolf and tiger ones. Most of them were elegantly carved, encrusted with various gems and crystals, with many feathers sticking out from the tops. Not many chose the intimidating route, which Draco's mask represented.

Because the whole place was filled with many colorful people, it really looked like it came from a fairytale. When Draco was still a muggle and a child during his first lifetime, his grandmother often read him various fairy-tales before sleep. During those times, after closing his eyes, he had often imagined colorful masquerades, with men and women beautifully dressed and spinning on the floor with practiced steps.

Sometimes, there would be romance as strangers unexpectedly met and fell in love. Other times, there would be adventures and intrigues as heroes interrupted the festivities in fights to death, while women schemed in the background. Many times, Draco's imagination created circuses and zoos, with fireworks and animals staying in the background, but still obviously there, creating a wonderful scene to which he often fell asleep.

But the picture, which he saw from atop the staircase, which led to the ballroom, exceeded all of his expectations. Even if he stayed there as an observer, not moving from his position, Draco would still be able to enjoy the Yule. That was because there were so many people and so many things happening - even a theater wouldn't have been able to show such entertaining scenes, and decorations around the ballroom only enhanced it.

It was no wonder that during his whole stay Draco wasn't allowed the chance to visit the place where the celebrations were to be held. On both sides of the ballroom stood huge carved wooden crates containing white fires, which burned brightly and stretched to the ceilings - helping to illuminate the room. The fire constantly shifted into different animal shapes – sometimes it resembled horses or bears, other times it looked like owls or winged tigers, truly making it look like a picture from a fairytale book.

The walls were done in bare, lightly colored gray stone, with numerous moving statues of people carved into them. The images constantly shifted: some of them were dancing, others seemed to be conducting rituals, worshiping gods or doing other incomprehensible things. Although the stony walls created a somewhat intimidating and crude atmosphere, it was mitigated by luxurious chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling which cast bright lights on everything in the ballroom. As such, even the brilliantly illuminated moving stone pictures looked festive and happy, adding to the constantly moving scene.

And, of course, the floor contained many spinning figures on the floor, dancing to a lively tune, which was produced by an experienced band sitting at the side of the room. Their figures, which glistened under the crystal chandeliers and dynamic fires, created many shifting shadows on the dance-floor. It almost looked like the dead ancestors were really there, joining in on the festivities. Those moving shadows also seemed to be celebrating the Winter Solstice in their own covert ways.

"Draco! There you are," a voice suddenly sounded by the blond boy's ears, interrupting his trance. Draco turned, only to discover that the other person was almost unrecognizable in his mask.

"Alex?" Draco asked uncertainly.

The other boy nodded. He was wearing a mask of a golden dragon, which complemented his hair and seemed to suit him well.

"I saw you looking around uncomfortably. Since it's my duty to look after you, how can I bear to leave you alone to the wolves?" Alex asked in a joking manner.

Although the other boy's words were normal and his lips were showing the usual carefree smile, Draco felt that the other person was mocking him. His gray eyes flashed coldly, but he answered with a smile which mirrored the other boy's.

"Don't laugh at my ignorance. Although I attended balls and various events before, none were as impressive as the one organized by your father!"

Draco could see that the other boy's smile fluctuated momentarily. It was very subtle, but he was still satisfied. After the few days of staying in the Sokolov manor, Draco learned that Alex disliked when anyone referred to Dmitrij Sokolov as his father.

The blond felt a bit gleeful over his discovery. Although his host seemed to be welcoming and didn't hold any malicious intentions as far as he could see, Draco still felt secretly repulsed by the other boy, as though something was saying for him to be wary of the Russian. And it seemed that Alex caught up to it, though he chose to ignore it.

"It's not exciting to just observe. You should experience the ball to the fullest by finding a girl to dance with. When the time reaches midnight, everyone will be joining in. You will soon see why," with those parting words Alex turned around and went back into the crowd.

So much for him not being able to see Draco feel uncomfortable amongst the foreign people.

Draco snorted and looked around the room with more consideration. He wasn't 'uncomfortable' there, but it was awkward to be seen as such by others. As such, it was better to heed the advice and find a partner to dance with.

"Looking for someone?"

Before Draco could implement his plan, he was once again interrupted by a voice, though this time it was a melodious one. He turned to the side and observed the other person.

It was a young witch dressed in pure white robes with a white fluffy fox's mask hiding her face. The girl's lips were stretched in a mischievous smile as she slowly approached the blond boy.

Draco offered a bow to the unfamiliar young lady, and she curtsied in return.

"Would this young gentleman offer me his company for this wonderful evening?" The girl asked playfully.

"This young gentleman would be honored to fulfill the beautiful lady's request," Draco answered in the same manner – he didn't expect for his problem to be solved before he could even start considering it. He held his hand and the girl accepted it gracefully.

The scene which followed could only be seen in movies: a handsome boy and a pretty girl held hands as they descended a white marble staircase, which led to the main floor and joined everyone in waltzing to a melodious song.

Draco was very familiar with various dances from his Etiquette lessons with Daphne. They covered not only British ones but also the other countries' dances so he wasn't awkward with his steps.

As soon as they started spinning on the dance-floor, Draco's partner smilingly asked:

"Can this mister tell me, why does he think I am beautiful? After all, you cannot see my face. Maybe I am ugly and this day is the only one when I can show up in public because everyone else is also hiding their appearances?"

"Ah, this young lady caught me! However, I still don't believe that you aren't the most beautiful person in this room."

Draco found this girl to be interesting to chat with. An hour soon flew by, and the midnight approached. More and more people joined the dance floor, and the blond boy was certain that there was no one left on the sidelines.

The music sped up as people spun on the floor with their partners.

Gradually, Draco's head became dizzy and he felt like he couldn't control his body, although his steps were as precise as before. It reminded the boy of the Summer Solstice, though the feeling was still a bit different.

He looked up and saw the brightly shining chandeliers above his head. The light was getting brighter and brighter. When Draco lowered his head, he discovered that there was no one around him – just white color and him spinning in graceful circles with his partner.

Everything was static, and Draco felt as though the time stopped. Yet his feet were moving, and his partner still had the mischievous smile on her face. The boy felt more and more that she resembled a fox, just like her mask indicated.

Draco didn't know, for how long he danced, but when his awareness returned, he was still spinning on the floor in the ballroom of the Sokolov manor together with everyone else. The only difference was – everyone's faces were revealed as though they had never worn any animal masks.

The spirits of the ancestors, which celebrated the Yule together with the living, departed, leaving their blessings for the people. The masks, which they took, were the payment for good luck that would follow the participants after the Winter Solstice passed.

Gradually, the dancing couples stopped. Draco woke up from his daze when he heard the applause, which thundered in the ballroom.

Truly, the events of the night were too wonderful not to experience them at least once in a lifetime!

Draco turned his head to his foxy partner, whose face was bare – just like everyone else's. He quirked his lips in a smile and said:

"See? I said before – you are the most beautiful!"

The girl was surprised for a moment, but as soon as the boy's words registered in her mind - she laughed.

The sound of her musical laughter was lost in the noisy room.

---

After the conclusion of the Yule celebrations, Draco and the Black family stayed at the Sokolov manor for another week and a half. During that time, Draco was still accompanied by Alex almost everywhere, which he felt both - reluctant and helpless about.

The two boys didn't stay cooped up in the manor during the whole duration of Draco's visit. They went hunting with the adults on several occasions, searching for wild animals and catching fishes in the ice. The winter in Russia was really cold, however, with the warming charms working perfectly, no one was afraid of going outside, so everyone had a wonderful time.

Another activity, which Draco particularly enjoyed, was sledding. When he was a muggle child, Draco was often brought by his parents to slide from low hills on his sled during winter. However, as he grew up, it would have been weird for him to still indulge in this activity. As for the situation after his rebirth – Britain wasn't known for its snowy hills, so it would have been difficult for Draco organize such endeavor.

What Alex proposed wasn't sledding from hills or pulling each other's sleighs. Rather, it was animal sledding – with either dogs, reindeers or other animals pulling their sleigh over the snow. Because Draco felt that it would be too pitiful to let the dogs bear such heavy weight, the boys chose reindeers. Needless to say, the blond boy enjoyed the day very much.

A few days before Draco was supposed to leave, Alex proposed a trip to the muggle world. The Russian boy always actively came up with various proposals for activities, so Draco didn't feel strange about this one. He was actually very tempted. After all, this was 1990s Russia – it was still formally known as USSR during this time. It wouldn't be dissolved until late 1991, so Draco would be observing the muggle history with his own eyes.

Besides, after the transmigration, he never visited the muggle world and felt that it was about time. Soon, the muggles would start to actively construct high rise buildings and the modern era would arrive – Draco had seen it all already, so it wasn't as interesting. He had to grab the chance when it fell into his lap, so the blond boy agreed.

Neither of the two young wizards told their guardians of their plan. Alex had some muggle money from who-knows-where and they both departed with an excuse of exploring one of the magical shopping districts for the whole day.

When Alex and Draco entered the muggle Moscow, they were surrounded by people from all sides. Apparently, there was an event happening somewhere nearby.

Draco looked around. For the first time, he felt that he went back in time. People were wearing old-fashioned clothes, which he had previously only seen on his muggle parents and grandparents in older photos. Wherever he looked, Draco saw men wearing furry hats, which were characteristic or Russia. Women were dressed quite simply, though it was to be expected as it was winter and everyone was covered in coats.

However, two well-dressed children still attracted some unwanted attention.

"Let's go," quickly urged Draco, seeing the sweeping glances scanning the two boys.

"Alright, where do you want to go?" Alex didn't argue and faced the other with his characteristic calm smile. Draco turned his head away because he didn't want to see it. He looked around and casually pointed to a direction, from where a lot of people seemed to be coming out and going in.

"Let's see what's the commotion about," he decided.

As it turned out, the day that they decided to go to the muggle world was also the day that the first McDonald's opened in Russia. It was the biggest McDonald's in the world at that moment, however, it was still so crowded that they had to wait outside in line if they wanted to order something.

"You want to try it?" Alex asked while doubtfully eyeing the people, who were coming out holding fries and burgers. Wasn't it just a sandwich and whatever those yellow stripes were? Could they really be so tasty?

However, Draco was of another opinion. He felt that he was in front of a slice of heaven – how long ago did he have a chance to eat the fast food? How long ago was it, that he visited the McDonald's?

Too long ago!

He didn't hesitate to directly line up. It didn't even matter if he wasted the whole day in the line and didn't visit any other places. What mattered was the food! Anything else would naturally come second.

Alex had no choice but to stand in the slow moving line. However, to Draco's frustration, he was still able to maintain his classical peaceful expression the whole time - he didn't show even an ounce of impatience.

After an hour of wait, the line didn't seem to get much shorter. Draco was looking around, examining the people curiously. His actions were interrupted by his companion:

"I will go to take a look somewhere else first. Take the money – if I don't return by the time you buy the food, just wait for me in a café nearby," Alex gestured to an unremarkable building, which didn't even manage to garner 1 % of the McDonald's attention by others.

"Where are you going?" Draco furrowed his brows and looked into the other boy's face, trying to see any sign of what the young wizard urgently needed to do in the muggle world.

"I want to use the washroom but who knows where it is. It might take a while," answered the other quickly. Alex didn't wait for Draco's reply, be it questions or consent. He directly stuffed the Rubles into the other's hands and left without looking back.

Draco looked down at the Russian money, which was now in his hands, and pocketed it without care. He ignored the people, who looked at this child with greedy eyes but didn't dare to do anything in such a crowd.

Without hesitation, he left the line and followed the Russian boy.

What was Alex up to?