An Unexpected Party || Ted and Open
Ted hadn’t expected the invitation that had arrived in the mail. Usually the things he got from Minister Riddle were updates on the reforms, and he was lucky if he got those. Something seemed strange about Minister Riddle inviting everyone to his house for a Summer Solstice party of sorts. He didn’t particularly want to go to the Minister’s house, but he decided it’d be in his best interest not to be rude and accept the invitation. How often did one get invited over to the Minister’s house for a party? Ted decided he’d go and spend a little bit of time there and then just duck out to say he’d been there.
Ted slowly got ready to go and put on one of his nicer suits. He wondered if he’d be overdressed, but decided it was best to be overdressed than be too informal and look like a fool around several people with suits and pedigrees. He always strove to make sure his appearance was top notch as to make sure there wasn’t anything anyone could use against him as a muggleborn. He’d spent his whole life trying to fit in and now he was an outcast once more. He didn’t care about it as much now, but he always kept it in the back of his mind how much of a curse being a muggleborn could be sometimes. He wondered if that curse would ever be broken.
He apparated a few blocks from the party at a coffee shop he’d been to a few times before and walked the rest of the way to the Minister’s house. He tried to hide his nerves and stopped several times to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. When he’d finally reached the gates his breathing was a bit steadier and his appearance was noble and confident once more since he’d managed to steel his nerves for a while. He walked into the house and was amazed by the sheer number of witches and wizards there, in what seemed like a regular sized house. It seemed like it was bigger on the inside, and the thought didn’t surprise him once he thought about it. There had to be some sort of charm to make the house larger to accommodate so many magical people.
Lily wasn’t sure if she should actually go to Minister Riddles Summer Solstice party. She wasn’t his biggest fan right now, though she knew that the recent reforms weren’t his doing alone. For all she knew, the minister didn’t support them… but the fact of the matter still stood that he had been the one to pass them. So even if he didn’t come up with them, there was still a small part of him that supported the questionable reforms. She had to have good faith in the Minister, though; her stomach turned to think that the government might be in the hands of someone prejudiced against her for her blood.
Lily didn’t only think of herself when the new reforms came to mind; she also thought of Remus who, like her, couldn’t own land or marry a pureblood. Things were a lot more difficult for him, however, and her heart went out to the man. He couldn’t even find a decent job thanks to the Ministry having it mandatory that his employers know his… ailment.
Finally, Lily decided on going to the Minister’s party, but as she stood before her wardrobe, she wasn’t sure what she was going to wear. She wasn’t usually one to get caught up in fashion or worry about what she was going to wear places, but this seemed important as much as it was a Summer Solstice party. She ended up deciding on a simple, pretty pale yellow sundress; something that could easily be formal or informal depending on the circumstances, and she apparated straight to the gates of the Minister’s house. Looking around, she noticed that more people seemed to be apparating here as well, telling her that she wasn’t late at least.
She made her way around back, spotting a few people that she knew, former classmates, even the man that had been her boss at the Ministry before she had been ‘let go’. Among the people she’d classify as friends, she only saw two. Remus Lupin and Ted Tonks. Remus seemed to be chatting up a slightly older, beautiful brunette witch, which gave her a sense of pride, and she didn’t want to interrupt. That left her friend and co-worker, Ted Tonks. She approached him, a friendly smile on her face.
“Hello, Ted,” she greeted simply. “I’m glad to see you here.” There was genuine happiness in her voice. She didn’t want to be the only muggleborn here and was comforted by his presence.
