So, I want to ask you a question {w/ Nikolai}

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With the announcement of the Valentines Ball came the sudden realization by the student body of Hogwarts that they needed dates and those who had no significant others were suddenly acting like raving packs of lunatics vying for the attention of the person they wished to go with. Girls were forming packs and acting like mad jackals eyeing up guys like they were pieces of suddenly scrumptious meat while guys were internally panicking and trying to hide away from the more bloodthirsty of the packs. Apollonia really did not envy them; for once she was glad that Jacques Clement was not a student at Hogwarts for she didn't doubt that she would've been in one of those packs wanting to ask the Clement Heir to the ball.

Noticing three different packs of girls ogling the same guy, Apollonia sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose and promptly turned back around and swiftly left the castle for the relative safety of the castle grounds, more specifically she made her way to the Quidditch Pitch where she made her way to the Quidditch stands and promptly sat down, a warming charm already in place as the stands themselves were engraved with warming runes to keep the students warm during the winter months when Quidditch Matches happened.

Leaning back, the fifth year Slytherin looked up at the practising Hufflepuff's, only mildly interested though her interest was leaning more towards the brooms they were flying on, only to sit up straight and pull her phone out of her pocket.

Swiping her finger across the screen, Apollonia tapped on her contacts and scrolled down until she came across Nikolai's name. Hesitating for a handful of seconds, she shrugged a shoulder and swiftly sent the third year a short message.

Sunday, 1st February, 2026 12:34pm
Hey Nikolai, I'm down at the Quidditch Pitch. I was hoping we could talk. Meet me down here?

Pressing send, Apollonia placed the phone beside her and huffed out a short laugh - she wasn't looking for a date to the ball but maybe a friend to go with? She would ask and hope for the best. If he didn't agree she'd just go stag, it's not like she was desperate for someone to go with her.

As January came to an end, and another pay packet came home with him on the last Saturday of the month, Nikolai was in relatively good spirits, truth be told. That was... until he'd returned to the common room that evening to find that a Valentine's Ball would be going ahead on the evening of Saturday 14 February. Of course, the talk was so, so excitable for the event, the girls were talking animatedly about what they were going to wear, whilst the boys groaned over how uncool this was. It went without saying, though, that whilst the boys were thinking it uncool, they were not so secretly eyeing up the witches around the common room that they wished to pursue as their date for the evening.

Nikolai had merely rolled his eyes at the whole thought, bypassing Ji Hyun and Daniel who were sat talking very quickly and quietly to one another, their eyes lighting up intermittently with the probable plans being discussed. Making use of the distractions to head up to the dorm and change from his QQS uniform, Nikolai had greedily used most of the hot water before climbing in to bed with his borrowed copy of Quidditch Weekly.

Stupid professors, thinking they wanted a Valentine's Day Ball.

"Stupid dad." Nikolai muttered to himself, knowing he'd at least approved it, even if he hadn't sanctioned it. Now he was going to have to spend some of his money on getting something to wear to this stupid event. Something that really didn't appeal to him, but it looked like he was going to have to endure. Sleep came late that evening because his roommates were still talking about it when they came to bed, and Nikolai couldn't shut out the ideas being put out around the room.

Ideas that didn't really appeal to the boy, truthfully.

Sunday came more lethargically, and Nikolai had holed himself up in the corner of the common room away from everyone else to get on with his homework. It had been a slow morning, in truth, but he didn't have much choice other than to knuckle down with his work. Very little had troubled him, a remarkable occurrence if ever there was one, until midday, when beside him on the desk, his phone lit up with a message.

Not one to find his phone overly distracting, Nikolai had glanced only at the name, expecting it to be his mum, or his sister Helen, but finding instead Apollonia's name looking back at him. Curiosity peaked in that moment, and Nikolai pulled his phone towards him, unlocking it before reading the message from the witch.

The Quidditch Pitch.

Talk..?

Nikolai frowned slightly, looking up from his phone and around the room before looking back to the message. He really should do his homework...

Sunday, 1st February, 2026 12:40pm
I'll be there ASAP. Just finishing up my final paragraph on the Arithmancy homework.

True to his word, Nikolai did exactly that. He didn't rush, because his school work was important to him. But as he finished up the piece of homework, and folded it neatly between the pages of his textbook, Nikolai put it back in his bag, pulled the bag up to his shoulder and headed back to his dorm. Exchanging the bag for his coat, and then turning back for the knitted hat his mum had gotten him for his birthday, Nikolai moved out of the common room and towards the Quidditch Pitch with only one very quick stop at the Great Hall.

He was a growing boy, after all, and he needed something to keep him going. He'd paused thoughtfully for a moment, picking up another couple of sandwiches and bundling them up in a napkin before heading out in to the cooler February air. Snow still rested on the ground, but it wasn't as cold as January had been, thankfully. It took another ten minutes for Nikolai to arrive at the Quidditch Pitch, the clock closing in on half past one as he looked around. He spotted the red headed witch with ease, and hurried up in to the stands to her side.

"Hey," Nikolai greeted casually, taking up the seat beside her. "Sorry I took so long, Arithmancy conclusions are never straightforward. Then I stopped by at the Great Hall to grab some lunch." He explained, opening the bundle with sandwiches. "Want one?" He offered, holding out the bundle to Apollonia so that she could help herself if she was hungry.

His eyes moved to the sky, the Hufflepuffs were practicing, but he wasn't overly interested in them. It was the Ravenclaws you needed to watch out for, after all.

"You wanted to talk about something..?" He asked, remembering the text. "I mean, how are you?" Nikolai added, not wanting to seem rude or impatient about getting to the point, but he was a curious boy, and he didn't like to not know things where it was possible to know them.

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When the soft chime of a received message alerted Apollonia to the fact that Nikolai replied to the message the fifth year just quickly checked it without replying, there was no need to. The younger male was clearly busy doing his homework and there was no need to rush him, it's not like Apollonia would be going anywhere.

As she thought on the upcoming ball she grimaced at the realization that she would have to head to either head to Hogsmeade to buy a dress or owl order one; frankly she'd prefer the former but Apollonia was very much aware that the shops in Hogsmeade left a lot to be desired in terms of clothing and ball dresses would, quite probably, not be up to the standard that she'd wish to wear.

Rubbing her temples, the fifth year made a mental note to find her owl order catalogue from Twilfitt & Tatting's and hope that they had a dress that would catch her eye if not there was nothing stopping her from custom ordering one. Though that would be a hassle and a half on it's own.

"Hey!" Apollonia beamed at the third year when Nikolai finally appeared, waving away his apology. "Ain't that Merlin's honest truth." She snickered before brightening when she caught sight of the sandwiches that Nikolai held out. "Thank you." She grabbed one and bit into it, humming happily as she chewed and then swallowed.

"I'm good, thank you." She replied with a smile as she tilted her head slightly, amusement shining through her eyes at how Nikolai amended his question. "Just pretty tired from all the lessons and cramming for my OWLs in June. And you? Apart from trying to figure out the best way to conclude your Arithmancy homework that is..."

"Yes, I did want to talk, more like I wanted to ask a question." The girl looked away from the younger male, her teeth worrying her lower lip as she found herself suddenly feeling shy. Really, why did she think this was a good idea?

Thankful for the momentary thought of getting a couple of extra sandwiches before coming down -- because sharing only two sandwiches would definitely have meant he'd be hungry later -- Nikolai waited for Apollonia to take one of the sandwiches, before picking up a simple ham and cheese sandwich. Taking a large bite out of it, Nikolai took a few moments to consider everything going on in that moment, and to savour the taste of the House Elf made sandwich before he focused in on the Greek witch once more.

"I'm alright," Nikolai said mid-mouthful, pausing to swallow before he continued on. "Busy, as always, school work, then work on Saturdays, and Quidditch. I didn't really think it all over before I did it, but it's going well." The explanation wasn't overly detailed, but he didn't want to bore the older witch with details that she probably didn't want.

"Your exams are in June, though, so I wouldn't exhaust yourself so much. Revising now is good, of course, but being exhausted through until June is not going to help." He added in lieu of her answer, a sign of worry touching his features. "Besides, all work and no play..." he paused, trying to remember the saying. "Makes Jimmy a dull boy, or something..." Now he said it, it sounded silly, and the younger Slytherin simply frowned to himself for a moment before Apollonia spoke of her reason for asking him here.

A question...

Nikolai's frown didn't leave his features as he sought out the witch once more, meeting her eyes. "What question?" The boy asked, before taking another bite of his sandwich. "You can ask me anything." The boy said, chewing his sandwich thoughtfully as he looked back up to the skies where the Hufflepuffs were practicing once more. It wasn't like he wouldn't answer a question if he knew the answer, though why a fifth year was coming to him with questions, Nikolai really didn't know. But, he would wait patiently to find out, he could afford that much.

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Chewing slowly on her bite of a sandwich, Apollonia quietly mused on how she was going to word the question - she had never asked a guy to any ball, much less even have anyone to ask so trying to ask Nikolai to attend the Valentine's Ball with her was proving quite tricky. Maybe she should just come out with it? It's not like she'd be heartbroken if he said no. She'd just go on her own. Many people started showing up stag to balls now anyway.

"At least you aren't overworking yourself, are you?" She peered at the younger teenager with narrowed eyes, hoping to Merlin that he was not taking on more than he could. It's not that she didn't think he could do it but because she was worried about him collapsing one day from doing too much.

"They are in June but it's always better to slowly start revising months before the exam." She looked to the side, keen eyes spotting the approaching Ravenclaws on the ground while the Hufflepuff's slowly descended back down to the ground. "I'd rather not end up cramming five years worth of work into a week or two of revision. OWLs pretty much question you on everything from first-year spells to fifth-year ones." And when you can't remember something you'd have a harder time answering a question. "I don't just revise, I like dancing and listening to music so when I get the chance I'm down at the Arts, Music and Dance room."

Apollonia's worry increased even more as the younger boy urged her to ask him the question she wanted to ask. Huffing out a soft laugh, she perched her elbow on her knee and her chin in the palm of her hand. "Valentines' Ball, I was wondering... if you'd like to go together?" She whispered. "Unless you've already got plans in which case just ignore the question." The smile that quirked her lips was soft and small but reassuring. She wasn't going to force the issue.

The concern from the older witch made Nikolai smile back at her -- the narrowed eyes of Apollonia's making her look rather funny in that moment -- before shaking his to quickly reassure the witch. "No, I'm not overworking myself. Busy, but not overworking. Truthfully, working at Quality Quidditch Supplies here in Hogsmeade is really easy money. Unless it's a Hogsmeade weekend, there's very few customers. It means I can do homework, or read, once I've restocked the shelves for the owner." Nikolai explained, hoping to alleviate the worry from the witch's features.

The knowledge that Apollonia liked to head up to the music room was something Nikolai tucked away, but didn't really have a use for. Not coming from a musical background, and not really having an informed knowledge of music, the boy didn't really seek refuge with such things. He barely kept sight of what was current in the music industry, but he wasn't one to object to music in general. As long as it wasn't lovey dovey, he could cope with it! A small nod of understanding came from the boy to show that he understood what she'd said, but he didn't pass a comment on it any further than that.

It was the question, though, that really caught Nikolai off guard, and the surprise was clear on his features as his cheeks flushed a furious red as he realised what Apollonia had just asked him. A fifth year had just asked him to go to the Valentine's Day ball with her! Usually, a boy might be running around in circles at the prospect of going with an older witch, one of the more beautiful witches in the school, but Nikolai was, quite literally, dumbfounded in that moment, and the boy simply just sat, sandwich halfway to his mouth, trying to remember how to function because he'd not been expecting that to be the question Apollonia was going to ask him.

"You... want to go to the Ball with me?" Nikolai asked very slowly after a moment, still not comprehending that he'd been asked to the Ball. He would pause, long enough to allow the witch to answer, before he continued on. "I'm flattered, truly. I... wow..." The boy spoke, the idea of being asked still not sinking in despite the grin on his lips that was in place. How could you not be grinning when you heard such things?

But, after a moment, Nikolai brought himself back down to the ground, and touched back in with reality. After all, going with Apollonia would be amazing, he would get serious kudos for pulling that off. But, if he chose to simply go with Apollonia, that would mean Ji Hyun would have a clear swoop in at Mimosa, which was simply unacceptable to even ponder on for a second. So, the Slytherin quickly came up with his answer.

"We're going in a group, most of the Slytherins in my year, that is. So, you can join our group, if you would like to? And, I will definitely save you a dance on the evening!" Nikolai counter offered. "Though, I'm going to quickly point out that that wasn't a no to your question, not at all, I just don't want to go back on the plans I've already made, and, well, if you're okay with going in with everyone, I'd really like to go with you and my other friends too."

Of course, Nikolai knew that this wasn't exactly what Apollonia had in mind when she'd asked, but it wasn't as if he'd offered her something sub par in return. He was still going to turn up to the Ball with her, so that was good, right?

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The fact that Nikolai wasn't overworking himself made the older witch relieved and the smile she shot him certainly spoke of that relief. She'd hate to see the third year overwork himself because he was doing too much in such a short amount of time. School work, actual part-time work and Quidditch? That was something she didn't think she'd be able to do. At all. "That's good then, at least you get some downtime when working."

She held her breath as she peered at Nikolai from beneath her lashes, cheeks flushed softly and her fingers nervously playing with her hair; it had been her habit from a young age to twirl her hair around her fingers when she was nervous and it hadn't left her at all. "Yeah..." She trailed off, watching as the younger Slytherin tried to get his head around actually being asked by her to the ball.

She hoped for a positive reply but when she heard the actual reply she wasn't as upset as many would've thought at being rejected for going as the two of them. In truth, she had probably been expecting such a reply. Something told her that it had more to do with Mimosa then him not actually wanting to go with her.

"You don't have to explain yourself." She laughed joyfully at his slight rambling, even as she swooped forward and pecked his cheek in thanks. "I'd love that, going with you and your friends as a group to the ball. Though I am going to hold you to saving me that dance." She grinned cheekily at the younger male.

Well, with her question answered, the question now was, what sort of dress should she go for? She had a week and a half to find one and the handful of shops in Hogsmeade hopefully had something she could buy. If not a letter to her sister was due.

Nikolai hadn't known how to try to work his way out of the situation, the rambling was testament to that much, so he'd not known in the slightest as to whether he was going to manage to get away with not hurting the older witch's feelings. Any other time, he would have been over the moon to go with the beautiful redheaded witch, but it just wasn't that simple.

To say he'd been expecting the reaction he'd received, though, was a complete and utter lie on the boy's side, though. He could see Apollonia leaning in, but his mind was not quick enough to register what she was doing. So when the lips of the fifth year connected with his cheek, Nikolai's cheeks responded like a flaming ball had just touched them, spreading widely across his face until he was quite crimson in comparison to his pale skin tones.

Apollonia had just kissed him!

"G-great!" Nikolai replied, not managing the word on his first attempt as his mind really tried to catch up with what had just happened. Apollonia wasn't mad. She'd accepted his counter offer, and, well, he was going to the Valentine's Day Ball with a fifth year! In theory...

He would have to dance with her at some point, which wasn't that great of a deal because Nikolai had two left feet, in all honesty, but it meant he hadn't hurt her feelings, so that was about the best he could have done in that situation.

From there, the two sat just talking idly about various subject matters, Nikolai watching the Hufflepuff Quidditch players out on the field with half an eye to see if they were trying out anything new that he could report to the Slytherin Captain. But after an hour or so, the two of them had decided to head back up to the castle, nobody else was due to be practicing, the Hufflepuffs were done, and... well, it was still February, not the warmest time of the year to be outside for too long.

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